A Room With a View

Quibble as you may, Merchant and Ivory (plus Jhabvala) definitely have a way with the E.M. Forster and Henry James adaptations. Major eye candy in every respect, this time in Florence and Fiesole, as well as the English countryside. The storytelling is brisk, the wit is fresh, and the tone is just so. In retrospect, it’s a kick to see Helena Bonham Carter and Daniel Day-Lewis near the start of their careers. And old reliables like Maggie Smith, Judy Dench, and Denholm Elliot ply their familiar but always engaging stock in trade. It’s a long while since I spent a semester reading all of Forster’s novels, but this film captures the genial satire and earnest plea for passion and communion that I remember. Helena is so young and so beautiful and so ripe for the moment, Daniel is such a perfect prig as her fiance, and Julian Sands is winning as the Romantic young Mr. Emerson, Thoreau-weaned, Italy-awakened, and fated to have her hand. (1986, dvd, r.) *8+*