''A Room with a View'' is televised adaptation of

E. M. Forster Edward Morgan Forster (1 January 1879 – 7 June 1970) was an English author, best known for his novels, particularly ''A Room with a View'' (1908), ''Howards End'' (1910), and ''A Passage to India'' (1924). He also wrote numerous short stori ...

's 1908 novel, ''

A Room with a View ''A Room with a View'' is a 1908 novel by English writer E. M. Forster, about a young woman in the restrained culture of Edwardian era England. Set in Italy and England, the story is both a romance and a humorous critique of English society a ...

'', written by Andrew Davies. It was announced in 2006 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." 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 who visits Italy in 1907 with her cousin, Charlotte Bartlett. Whilst in Florence, 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, but Charlotte whisks her charge away to Rome, where they meet Cecil Vyse and his mother. It is only when they return to England that Lucy meets George again; but by this time 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 includes an extended ending, with George being killed in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and Lucy returning in 1922 to the room in Florence.

Cast

Elaine Cassidy Elaine Cassidy (born 31 December 1979) is an Irish actress. She is best known for playing DC Dinah Kowalska in ''No Offence'', Abby Mills in the American television series ''Harper's Island'' for CBS, Felicia in '' Felicia's Journey'', Runt in ...

as Lucy Honeychurch * Rafe Spall as George Emerson *

Laurence Fox Laurence Paul Fox (born 1978) is a political activist and former actor, most well-known for playing the supporting role of DS James Hathaway in the British TV drama series '' Lewis'' from 2006 to 2015. A grandson of the actors Robin and Ange ...

as Cecil Vyse *

Timothy Spall Timothy Leonard Spall (born 27 February 1957) is an English actor and presenter. He became a household name in the UK after appearing as Barry Spencer Taylor in the 1983 ITV comedy-drama series '' Auf Wiedersehen, Pet''. Spall performed in '' ...

as Mr Emerson, George's father *

Timothy West Timothy Lancaster West, CBE (born 20 October 1934) is an English actor and presenter. He has appeared frequently on both stage and television, including stints in both ''Coronation Street'' (as Eric Babbage) and ''EastEnders'' (as Stan Carte ...

as Mr Eager *

Sinéad Cusack Sinéad Moira Cusack ( ) is an Irish actress. Her first acting roles were at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, before moving to London in 1969 to join the Royal Shakespeare Company. She has won the Critics' Circle and ''Evening Standard'' Awards f ...

as Miss Lavish *

Elizabeth McGovern Elizabeth Lee McGovern (born July 18, 1961) is an American actress and musician. She has received many awards, including a Screen Actors Guild Award, three Golden Globe Award nominations, and one Academy Award nomination. Born in Evanston, Ill ...

as Mrs Honeychurch * Mark Williams as Mr Beebe *

Sophie Thompson Sophie Thompson (born 20 January 1962) is a British actress who has worked in film, television and theatre. A six-time Olivier Award nominee, she won the 1999 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for the London revival of ''Into the Woods' ...

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"Neil Genzlinger, "New ‘Room’ Arrives, With a Different View"
''The New York Times'', 11 April 2008, accessed 13 January 2020 Tara Conlan of ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'' wrote that despite the changes made by Davies, 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".Tara Conlan, "A sexy, poignant Room with a View"
''The Guardian'', 4 October 2007, accessed 13 January 2020

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Room with a View 2007 television films 2007 films British television films ITV television dramas Films with screenplays by Andrew Davies E. M. Forster in performing arts Films scored by Gabriel Yared