A Room With A View

Deep within my zombie loving soul, is an area that goes all melty for period piece romances. My personal video library has at least five versions of Pride and Prejudice and an extensive collection from Masterpiece Theatre. When I discovered that MT remade A Room With a View I swooned. For those of you who remember the 1985 version with Julian Sands and Helena Bonham Carter, this version follows the novel by E.M. Forester closely, however scripted its own epilog which almost ruined it for me. Almost.

The movie tells of Lucy Honeychurch, a young woman at the turn of the century who is visiting Florence with her chaperone Charlotte. Charlotte is all bent out of shape because they did not receive rooms with views as they had requested. Presumably because they were tired of listening to the old spinster bitch about a “view” the Emerson’s, a father and son (in real life as well) offer up their lodgings that coincidentally have a view. It is in this exchange that the younger Emerson, George, becomes enamored of Lucy, who sees herself as a proper young English woman, but who is struggling with her individuality.

Several encounters happen throughout their Italian visit, when George can no longer hid his feelings and embraces Lucy in a field. Lucy is insulted by this forward gesture but is totally hot for George’s bod, she notifies her chaperone and they soon return to England where Lucy meets a pompous guy named Cecil who chain smokes and avoids any exertion of energy. Cecil falls in love with Lucy, and since it is a proper union, Lucy accepts.

Soon after, the Emerson’s move into the area and Lucy is torn between her desire for love, and what is right for her family in the typical Edwardian class structure.

What girl can resist a romance like this. Like I said though, this version included its own continuation of the romance which left me weeping into a pillow, but was beautiful never the less.

P.S. There will be no zombies in this movie.