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Directed by: James Ivory
Character: Lucy Honeychurch
Co-Starring: Dame Maggie Smith, Denholm Elliott & Dame Judi Dench
Genre: Drama, Comedy & Romance
Film Length: 1h57min
Distributed by: Goldcrest Films International

Information:
IMDB | Wikipedia | Images

Pictures:

Synopsis:
The film tells the story of a woman struggling with her individuality in the face of the restrictive Edwardian culture of turn-of-the century England and her love for a free-spirited young man. The story begins in Florence then moves to England.

The film is a close adaptation of Forster's novel (but for its unequivocally happy ending), and even uses his chapter titles to divide the film into sections.

The premise of the story centers on the development of Miss Lucy Honeychurch. We first encounter Lucy as she is on holiday in Italy with her chaperone, Charlotte Bartlett. Both Lucy and Charlotte are conventionally English in contrast with the more free-thinking and free-spirited backdrop of Italy. It is at a small pensione in Italy that Lucy meets elderly Mr. Emerson and his handsome son, George. These men, although English, represent the forward-thinking ideals of the turn-of-the-century. They are the living embodiment of change, seeking to leave behind the repression and caution that was the norm in Victorian times. At first, the two Emerson men seem strange and unfamiliar to Lucy and Charlotte. However, as Lucy begins her journey to maturity and selfhood, she finds herself drawn to the men, especially the handsome George.

In an unguarded moment, George embraces and passionately kisses Lucy as she approaches him to ask a question. The scene takes place in a rural barley field, but is seen by chaperone Charlotte and quickly stopped. George's lust and unrestrained passion shocks Lucy, but lights a secret desire and romance in her heart for the handsome young man.

Upon returning to England, Lucy forgets her passionate kiss and brief friendship with George Emerson. She accepts a marriage proposal from an uptight, emotionally impotent, arrogant man named Cecil Vyse. Assuming that she will never see George Emerson again, Lucy moves forward with Cecil. However, she soon learns that both George and his father have moved to her small village and will be neighbours in her community.

At first, Lucy seems happy and pleased to make an engagement with Cecil, who is a respected and wealthy man. They both seem destined to follow a path of doing what is expected of them, reacting in a dispassionate way to life, and never experiencing any fluctuations of emotions. Lucy's innocence and desire to be the perfect young English lady suggest that she would prefer Cecil's safety and stability. Her passionate piano playing suggests that deeper emotions lie beneath the surface of Lucy's cool, calm exterior. The appearance of George Emerson soon disrupts her plans and forces her to make a choice between the dull, dry security she would find with Cecil or the wild uncertainty she would have with George.

After a period of living in Lucy's small village, the Emerson men decide that they do not fit in with the locals. The two men make plans to move out of their home, and find a more open-minded place to live. Lucy has already broken her ties to Cecil, and wants to travel for a while. She yearns to separate herself from the antics of her brother, Freddy, as well as the sweet-yet-tiresome older neighbors (including Charlotte Bartlett and Lucy's own mother). Just as she is about to leave Windy Corner to set out on an independent adventure, she reunites with George Emerson; they elope to Florence.

Trivia:
- Charlotte Bartlett and Eleanor Lavish discuss the plotline of E.M. Forster's other Italian novel "Where Angels Fear to Tread" when on the picnic. Helena starred in the film adaptation of the novel
- This was Helena's first 'cinema film'

Quotes:
- "Mother doesn't like me playing Beethoven. She says I'm always peevish afterwards"
- "You always say that, Charlotte. And then you always do forgive yourself"
- "Because, Freddy, she is Charlotte Bartlett"
- "He has misbehaved from the first. In fact, he has behaved abominably"
- "Go and look for tennis balls, Mr. Emerson!"
- "I have to go. They trust me"

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