A Room with a View (2007 film)
| A Room With a View | |
|---|---|
 Region 2 DVD release | |
| Created by | Andrew Davies E. M. Forster (novel) |
| Directed by | Nicholas Renton |
| Starring | Elaine Cassidy Rafe Spall Sophie Thompson |
| Composer | Gabriel Yared |
| Country of origin | UK |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Producer | IWC Media |
| Running time | 93 minutes |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV, STV, UTV |
| Release | 4 November 2007 |
A Room with a View is televised adaptation of E. M. Forster's 1908 novel, A Room with a View, written by Andrew Davies. It was announced in 2006[1] and filmed in the summer of 2007. A Room with a View was broadcast on 4 November 2007, on ITV.
Laura Mackie, ITV director of drama, has said that this adaptation "captures the spirit of Forster’s most memorable novel, but delivers it in a fresh, engaging way for a modern audience."[2]
It was the first time real-life father and son Timothy and Rafe Spall had acted together.
Plot
A Room With a View tells the story of Lucy Honeychurch, a young Englishwoman in 1912 who visits Italy with her cousin, Charlotte Bartlett. While there, they meet a host of interesting characters, including the novelist Eleanor Lavish, the tourist Mr Emerson, and his son, George.
George falls in love with Lucy, while in Florence, but Charlotte whisks her charge away. It is only when they return to England that Lucy meets George again; by this time, however, Lucy is engaged to Cecil Vyse.
While the novel ends with Lucy and George marrying and returning to "the room with the view" for their honeymoon, this adaptation included its own ending, with George being killed in World War I and Lucy returning in 1922 to the room in Florence.[citation needed]
Cast
- Elaine Cassidy as Lucy Honeychurch
- Rafe Spall as George Emerson
- Laurence Fox as Cecil Vyse
- Timothy Spall as Mr Emerson, George's father
- Timothy West as Mr Eager
- Sinéad Cusack as Miss Lavish
- Elizabeth McGovern as Mrs Honeychurch
- Mark Williams as Mr Beebe
- Sophie Thompson as Charlotte Bartlett
- Tom Stewart as Freddy Honeychurch
Production
Gabriel Yared composed the original thematic score for the film. The piece 'Entree en Foret' from his score for Island For Pachyderms was featured in the film as well.
Reception
The New York Times criticized the ending of the film, but otherwise described the film as enlivening "what today seems like a formulaic tale, highlighting Forster’s humor and giving the proceedings touches of raciness"[3] Tara Conlan of The Guardian wrote that despite the changes made by Davis, the film "is more true to EM Forster's novel and its themes and it brings out the class issue more", and called the ending a "tear-jerker".[4]
References
- ^ Gabriel, Clare (28 May 2006) Sex central for TV writer Davies, BBC News
- ^ Hemley, Matthew (30 May 2007) Timothy Spall and son to star in Forster classic for ITV, The Stage
- ^ Neil Genzlinger, "New ‘Room’ Arrives, With a Different View", New York Times, 11 April 2008, accessed 13 Jan 2020
- ^ Tara Conlan, "A sexy, poignant Room with a View",The Guardian, 4 October 2007, accessed 13 Jan 2020