The film is a story about manners--very, very, very proper and stuffy British manners during the Edwardian era. As a result of convention, Lucy (Carter) and George (Sands) are kept apart.
Partway through watching "A Room With a View", I realized that, believe it or not, the underlying theme is the same as you'll find in "Jane Eyre"....seriously. Both concern social conventions and morality versus happiness and romantic passion. In the case of Jane, her love (Mr. Rochester) was not technically able to marry her and so she ran off--and lived, for a time, with a man in training to be a missionary and his family. The missionary had no passion at all for Jane but proposed--a marriage of convenience and intellect. Should she choose this good man or live with a man already married (Rochester)--albeit, his marriage was clearly a fraud perpetrated on him. Likewise, in "A Room With a View", Helena Bonham Carter's character must choose between a more worldly (and rather non-religious) Julian Sands or the incredibly stodgy and respectable fiancé (Daniel Day-Lewis). Either a marriage of predictability and convention or a marriage with passion, and, perhaps, irrespectability are her apparent choices. Now I am NOT complaining that the themes are the same...after all, "Jane Eyre" is one of my very favorite books (and is MUCH better than the movie versions).
Some things to look for in this film--the gorgeous views of Florence, the lovely score and the funny (but very explicit) skinny-dipping scene. Clever and enjoyable...but also perhaps a bit slow due to its commentary about manners.
Partway through watching "A Room With a View", I realized that, believe it or not, the underlying theme is the same as you'll find in "Jane Eyre"....seriously. Both concern social conventions and morality versus happiness and romantic passion. In the case of Jane, her love (Mr. Rochester) was not technically able to marry her and so she ran off--and lived, for a time, with a man in training to be a missionary and his family. The missionary had no passion at all for Jane but proposed--a marriage of convenience and intellect. Should she choose this good man or live with a man already married (Rochester)--albeit, his marriage was clearly a fraud perpetrated on him. Likewise, in "A Room With a View", Helena Bonham Carter's character must choose between a more worldly (and rather non-religious) Julian Sands or the incredibly stodgy and respectable fiancé (Daniel Day-Lewis). Either a marriage of predictability and convention or a marriage with passion, and, perhaps, irrespectability are her apparent choices. Now I am NOT complaining that the themes are the same...after all, "Jane Eyre" is one of my very favorite books (and is MUCH better than the movie versions).
Some things to look for in this film--the gorgeous views of Florence, the lovely score and the funny (but very explicit) skinny-dipping scene. Clever and enjoyable...but also perhaps a bit slow due to its commentary about manners.