A Room with a View

(James Ivory, UK 1985, 117 min., 35mm)

Eastman Museum Council Valentine’s Day Brunch & Film. Among the many films that made the team of producer Ismail Merchant, director James Ivory, and writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala synonymous with faithful and exquisitely detailed film versions of classic novels, this is a beloved standout. And with good reason: Their close adaptation of E. M. Forster’s 1908 critique of priggish Edwardian manners undone by the sensuality of the warm Tuscan south launched the careers of a trio of exciting young stars (Helena Bonham Carter, Daniel Day-Lewis, Julian Sands), reintroduced Maggie Smith, Judi Dench, and Denholm Elliott to a wide international audience, and kick-started a vogue for lavish period pieces that remains unabated today (see Downton Abbey). Unabashedly romantic, and with Florence as the backdrop for the first half of the film (replaced by the rolling English countryside for the second), A Room with a View makes for the perfect Valentine’s Day escape. Note earlier start time.

Join the Eastman Museum Council for brunch in the museum’s Potter Peristyle before the film. Advance reservations required.