1001films1001days:747. A Room with a View (1986)It is now the time for a “charming”
1001films1001days: 747. A Room with a View (1986) It is now the time for a “charming” Victorian drama. It is the first film starring Helena Bonham Carter, an actress especially renowned for her historical portraits. The protagonist is Lucy a young English lady of the upper class. Together with her cousin and chaperone Charlotte, they are touring Italy. There Lucy will meet another English boy who has assimilated the Italian way of life better than she. I have always found curious the English vision of our Latin culture, so full of topics and disinformation. At least, the film does not focus so much on them and the short period in Italy only serves to introduce the story. Apparently, the plot follows faithfully the book, perhaps too faithfully for me. There are things that do not look good in a movie. For example, interrupting constantly the action to refer to the chapter of the book. It’s weird, misplaced and it does not add any value. Another very literary aspect is the down times, the action languishes for long moments while the book surely describes the environment or makes us part of thoughts we can not hear in the film. Overall, it’s a flawless movie. The whole cast plays their role correctly. Natural lighting is very well captured and some scenes have a similar look to a painting of that time. Music is also attractive and well used. However, I miss some punch. The characters are too static. There is little passion in a movie that is supposed to be precisely all about that. Helena barely gets excited or sighs. And, George, the supposedly ardent gallant, seems even more withdrawn than Lucy. In the end, the climax is flat and lacks real strength. Undoubtedly, the picture seems made according to the tastes of the Victorian era and feels a bit out of place in the XXI century. I don’t know, maybe it just my own Latin blood speaking. 16th March 2017 -- source link