That was an excellent one.

People are voting emotionally.

Highly Overrated But Still Good

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

The film has the sense and sensibility of a Jane Austen novel, but this story was based on a work by E.M. Forster. With Merchant Ivory Productions, one expects a near flawless representation of Edwardian England and the picture delivers on that score. The period detail and costuming is exquisite and pleasing to the eye, though many of the characters have a tendency to chafe, being strictly upper crust and all. None more so than the boorish Cecil Vyse, who one would be tempted to do a double take upon realizing it was Daniel Day-Lewis in the role. A perfect characterization of British snobbery, Cecil lacks even the most basic elements of human compassion. When he gets the big brush off from his fiance Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter), the best he can muster is a hand shake to say good-bye. This may be the only time I've seen Helena Bonham Carter in what might be considered a 'normal' type role, what with such eclectic performances as the Red Queen in "Alice in Wonderland" and Bellatrix Lestrange in the Harry Potter movies. For me, this was different, and showed a different side of her ability, even if she seemed a bit 'plain'. I may not have made that come out right but you know what I mean. The other performers in this Edwardian tale are all up to the task, though that waterhole scene of the three men chasing after each other in the resplendent buff might give one the wrong impression. Fortunately the good natured Miss Honeychurch managed to laugh it off without embarrassment. The picture may move a little slow for some folks, but for the tea and sympathy crowd, there's much to enjoy here. It's done at a relaxed pace and allows one to indulge in the sophistication of an era in transition.

It is not a movie I would normally have gone near with a barge pole. However, It is such a visual feast and has such excellent acting that it proves I should never judge the proverbial book by its cover. A keeper.

You too might want to scream out, "Hush, hush sweet Charlotte!" after the tenth time cousin Maggie Smith sticks her foot in it. For the companion to the lovely Helena Bonham Carter to be so socially backwards while the rest of her family is so earthy adds great charm to Smith's Oscar Nominated performance. This is also an opportunity to see Dame Maggie working with her good friend, the future Dame Judi Dench, seen in the early sequences as a rather Bohemian writer.Carter and Smith are on vacation in Italy and the moment Maggie views the lack of a view from their window, she is up in arms. Cockney Denholm Elliott offers to switch his and his son Julian Sands room for theirs which has a view, and uppity Maggie declines, shocked that he would have the audacity to even speak to them, something she believes that the lower classes shouldn't do. But easy going Helena isn't so proud and graciously accepts, going as far as spending time with the educated Sands and growing fond of him in spite of the fact that she's already engaged to the stuffy Daniel Day Lewis.The romantic intrigue continues at Carter's summer home back in England where she must make some quick decisions in regards to stuffy Daniel. Elliott and Sands come for weekend where Carter's charming brother Rupert Graves is introduced, revealing a free spirit and almost Bohemian nature between the two siblings. This also creates a bond between Sands and Graves which borders on the homo-erotic, especially in a sudden nude scene that also includes the local minister Simon Callow.As the classes clash and Carter becomes torn between love and obligation, the film moves from drawing room comedy into social drama. The beauty of the dramatic parts is that it never looses the mood established in the first half. Everybody gets a chance to shine, but they are forced to step back every time Maggie Smith re-appears on the scene. Even when she has an argument with a cab driver over the cost, Smith tears the roof off.Elliott shows that just because someone is identified as lower class does mean that they lack in class. You can see how the gentleness transfered from father to son and how the desire to be something more than what he would have been a century earlier has inspired Sand's jovial character. Lewis headed to stardom quickly after this surprise hit, and Carter made a successful entrance into films with this and the same year's "Lady Jane", although this is a far cry from her more recent films under the direction of Tim Burton. Smith's character reminded me of a more comical version of Lady Rosamund, Smith's character's daughter on "Downton Abbey".

in this case, important is the taste. clear, delicate, special. like spring air. because , portrait of a society, charming love story, full of drops of lovely humor, creation of an extraordinary cast, adaptation of lovely novel, it is a kind of sentimental jewel - small, hided, admirable. a film like a state of soul. or slice of holiday because each viewer is part of it. because the joy of performance, the Italian images, the crumbs of Victorian manner to understand reality, the roots of a special revolution, the masks and the bath scene, Maggy Smith in one of her adorable roles, all is part of a seductive circle. a film like an open window.