Tuesday
Oct032023
First & Lasts 035 - All Time Fav
Tuesday, October 3, 2023 at 9:00AM Can you guess the movie from its first and last shot? The answer is after the jump...
Yes, that's A Room With a View (1986) one of the greatest films ever made. (You heard me). It's a film I never tire of. And as you read this, yours truly is in Florence where the film begins. Trust that I will be recreating scenes from this film in my head the whole time I'm in Florence seeing the sights. Interviewing James Ivory was one of the greatest highlights of my career. If you love A Room With a View and have never read our massive piece about it, that's right here.
tagged first and last
first and last
Reader Comments (10)
Pretty much always in the mood to watch this movie.
Have a blast in Florence. Don't do anything Lucy wouldn't do.
The recent tragic death of Julian Sands now colors my view of this fine film. I need to watch his performance as George Emerson again to celebrate the life force of this gifted actor.
Went to Firenze and fucked a guy named Enrico thanks to this movie.
Beautiful film. We will miss you Julian Sands.
Have a fantastic time in Florence, Nathaniel! Hopefully, you won't witness any traumatic stabbing, unlike Ms. Honeychurch.
Watched this for the first time ever a few months ago. I was mostly ho-hum about it. I think what might have hurt it was I had rewatched Howards End for the millionth time just before that and I’m sorry but THAT is a perfect film in every aspect. A Room With A View has some of the same charm but I don’t know it just never really took off for me. It actually made me think Maggie Smith was (whispers) not great. I suppose maybe she does the best with the character but really what does she do other than appear worried for Helena’s character for 2 hours. I was surprised to think that she did not deserve that Oscar nod.
Now I just want to watch Howards End again, or just listen to the score which is also perfect.
I might be one of the few who thinks The Remains of the Day is the best merchant ivory film.
But A Room with a View is probably the second on my list.
@Bryan C - I thought everybody's favorite Merchant Ivory was The Remains of the Day? It is my favorite.
A first shot I'd never get wrong. Thanks for posting the link to the 3-parter you all did on A Room With a View. That's such a delightful read. And Rupert Graves - sigh.
I'd expect there's a bit of disagreement over favorite Merchant Ivory. If we're taking that to mean Ivory-directed films, not simply ones from the production company, I expect there's a fair bit of variation (at least among readers of this site) between this one, Howards End, The Remains of the Day, and Maurice.
My MI top 5:
1. Maurice
2. Howards End
3. A Room With a View
4. The Remains of the Day
5. Call Me By Your Name