Masterpiece Theater's A Room With a View — 1 year ago
It has been a long time since I read the book or watched the Merchant/Ivory film – so I think I was able to go into it with a fairly open mind instead of constantly comparing it. So much so, that when I found myself questioning the ending to this made-for-TV version, I thought I might have been mis-remembering the original plot. (No, I wasn’t. This version draws on notes that Forster made, but eventually did not go with.) It wasn’t great, but nice enough for late-night PBS watching.
Timothy Spall was the only one in the cast that really shines (although Sinead Cusack does well as the writer). His work casts a shadow over the rest of the cast. The direction is not good. For example, in one scene, George Emerson tries to “discreetly” throw some postcards off of a bridge. This involves him abruptly stopping, deliberately walking a few feet away from Lucy, tossing the postcards in, and then trying to act nonchalant. The entire film lacked the subtlety needed.
