This was my best friend's most favorite film back when we were in high school, and for over a year I refused to watch it. What was the point? I was a 17-year-old heavy metal fan; period dramas were stuffy and joyless, something that I only watched when I was forced to by parents or teachers.
Well, finally I relented and agreed to give it a shot...and ended up loving it even more than she did. Everything about this movie is wonderful; it's funny, romantic, wise, and touching. The cast simply couldn't be better - I especially liked Dame Maggie Smith as Charlotte Bartlett, Denholm Elliott as the wonderful Mr. Emerson, Simon Callow as the Reverend Beebe, and Rupert Graves as the irrepressible Freddy Honeychurch, although similar kudos must be given to Helena Bonham Carter, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Julian Sands. The love story is wildly romantic without also being painfully sappy. And the message is wise, loud and clear: life without passion is not really life at all. If only I could find my own George Emerson!
Well, finally I relented and agreed to give it a shot...and ended up loving it even more than she did. Everything about this movie is wonderful; it's funny, romantic, wise, and touching. The cast simply couldn't be better - I especially liked Dame Maggie Smith as Charlotte Bartlett, Denholm Elliott as the wonderful Mr. Emerson, Simon Callow as the Reverend Beebe, and Rupert Graves as the irrepressible Freddy Honeychurch, although similar kudos must be given to Helena Bonham Carter, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Julian Sands. The love story is wildly romantic without also being painfully sappy. And the message is wise, loud and clear: life without passion is not really life at all. If only I could find my own George Emerson!