There are few films more magical than this. Soak up the beauty of Italy, and watch four women unfold like roses. They each learn to be more loving, and their affection transforms others. Mike Newell has directed a small masterpiece.
shareThis is one of my favorites, as well. Mike Newell reaches such subtlety in this movie; the acting is also brilliant (why doesn't Josie Lawrence do more films???). Meaning this as a complete complement, I think that Merchant/Ivory could have done no better in directing this movie.
shareBeautifully scripted, filmed, and acted. I love how some of the shots remind me of Pre-Raphaelite paintings (consider the scenes where Miranda Richardson prepares herself for the evening and surrounds herself with flowers).
I agree that it's a crime that we don't see more of Josie Lawrence. I'll have to look up her credits on IMDB, because all I've seen her in is "Enchanted April" and "Whose Line Is It Anyway?"
I agree in that it was and is a satisfying film.The likable characters and lazy comfort of it reproduces the feeling of vacation or holiday.You can almost feel the heat of the sun on the shoulders of Polly Walker's character "Caroline Dester"...hear the buzz of insects in the greens around Miranda Richardson's and Josie Lawrence's characters throwing back window shutters in the morning.
I also enjoyed how it acknowledged the base simplicity to be found in vacation spots like the featured castle.I know the word "simplicity" isn't often used to describe castles but I meant that in a place like the chateau--where there are no plans to be followed or reservations to respect--it seems a year's worth of communication between people can happen in a week's time.I'm sure everyone can remember emotional drama at least once in thier lives that began and was resolved on vacation.When there are no responsiblities of daily life hanging around,people can't help but connect or depart.
After this movie ended I felt refreshed and relaxed...like I'd had a vacation.
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I agree with your opinion of the similar films lacking in comparison. I think that while all take place in intoxicating Italian countryside, "Enchanted" seems the easiest for many to relate to. Lady Caroline Dester was the most glamorous character in the film but that glamour was a jumping off point for the story rather than an excuse to take it over the top. The characters seemed allowed to be more themselves rather than exploratory of the kind of behavior others felt they should be exhibiting, given the situation. Sometimes plain old relaxation and contentment seems uneventful next to a steamy affair or a complex past. A story of therapeutic enlightenment may be written off as quaint in comparison.
shareThis truly is a magical film. When I first started watching it I thought that Lottie was perhaps a bit mentally unstable. Yet as the movie unfolded, it was clear that she was not only mentally stable, she was the catalyst for all the blossoming of the other women. Caroline Dester may have been the most beautiful physically, but Lottie just had this inner beauty that shone through.
I agree with tetrabean -that after watching this, I feel like I've had a bit of a vacation myself. What a wonderful escape from the everyday stresses!
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This is a splendid movie. I love it.
shareSame here...I wish I could see it again, wish it would be released on DVD.
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This is one of my all-time favorite movies. When I see it, I love Italy, and I love gardens--and men, and women, and everybody!
It's also terribly romantic.
So why no DVD?!
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What a pleasure it is to find others who also appreciate this splendid film. I'm impressed that you have all expressed yourselves so eloquently.
To me it is possibly the most spiritual film ever made. The unfolding of the characters, the beautiful location, Rodney Bennett's score, all together draw me into the place of connection with the most basic element of the Universe, which is love. When I had a VCR I would sometimes watch it every day -- either as comfort in times of trouble or as a reminder of what's truly important. I miss this film very much now that my only means of electronic media is my laptop.
I wrote today to the BBC (the holder of the copyright) asking why this is not available on DVD. I got lovely and very prompt response advising me to write to the following address. Please, take a few minutes to send a letter. A little "lobbying" on the part of people who love this film may help them to see that there would be a market.
Commissioning Editor
BBC Worldwide Americas
747 3rd Avenue
6th floor
NY 10017
USA
Tel: 212 705 9300
Fax: 212 888 0576
As Lottie says: if you wish for something hard enough....
Thanks for the information, tketa. I'll make sure to do so.
Larry Santoro
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One of the most wonderful aspects of this adaptation of Enchanted April is how, through the screenplay, the acting, and direction, so much is implied but never quite spelled out. Certainly characters provide background information in their voice-overs (Caroline and Mrs. Fisher, for example), but a great deal more is simply hinted at.
Warning: There are SPOILERS below for anyone who is reading this before watching the movie and/or reading the novel. Proceed at your own risk.
For example, consider the way Lottie's marriage is depicted in that first dinner table scene. She's cowed, repressed, even unable to eat while watching Mellersh chew (notes the unpleasant close-ups of Alfred Molina, who must be a good sport about these things) and listening to him harangue her about everything from the household budget to their next social engagement. His insensitivity and self-absorption are stunning.
And later on he blows right into San Salvatore, at Lottie's invitation and with her flash of empathy for him. But his brashness begins to melt soon after his arrival, and the next thing we know, he's displaying delicacy and diplomacy we haven't seen before.
But it's his marriage that takes the most interesting turn. Did anyone else notice how sensual the encounters between Lottie and Mellersh become? For all that they're still the same two people, there's a tenderness and playfulness between them that was completely lacking in the London scenes.
And then there's the whole business of Rose's marriage. What the novel mentions in passing but screenplay only hints at is that Rose has suffered a miscarriage, stillbirth, or other tragedy and is thus very aptly described as a "disappointed madonna." She and Lottie have both lost themselves in flawed marriages, but though Rose is more poised and self-controlled on the surface, she's probably the more profoundly damaged. San Salvatore (and the innocent attentions of that nice Mr. Briggs) begin to heal her.
But then again, San Salvatore has that effect on all of them.
What excellent insights you give.
San Salvatore has that healing effect on everyone who watches it. An excellent film worth viewing again and again.
Agree totally sharlyfarley.
sharececile p suggests that Lottie gives the impression of being a little "unstable". My opinion of Lottie is that she is perfectly stable but she has a degree of Asperger's Syndrome.
The effect of this is that she doesn't recognise "normal" social inhibitions that are perfectly clear to other people. She intrudes without hesitation on Rose's personal space, urges her to tell her innermost thoughts and expresses her own desires in a way that was almost improper with someone that she really didn't know at all.
Like a lot of people with Asperger's, Lottie is acutely aware of Rose's deeper feelings. She correctly reads Rose's longing and sadness, but is completely oblivious of her superficial reserve.
The scene where she sums up the various relationships is also very typical. She is just slightly outrageous and quite gauche, which the sophisticated Caroline finds highly entertaining. I love the scene where Caroline can't make up her mind whether to laugh or cry.
"great minds think differently"
I have a nephew with Asperger's. I really doubt that the screenwriter intentionally wrote the Lottie character as being afflicted with that particular syndrome- and especially in the early 1990's when the film came out (actually a teleplay for British TV)- most of the audience would have no clue what that is anyway. Today it and especially autism are much more in the news but I would still imagine even if some people might be aware of the name they wouldn't really know about the different behaviors associated with it.
Why can't our dear Lottie just be slightly addle-brained and flighty as I believe the screenwriter intended?
Lottie casually knew Rose from church before approaching her with the advertisement. Lottie's impulsiveness and outgoing behavior doesn't necessarily mean she has Asperger's syndrome. She doesn't show viewers at any other time within the film other symptoms of the syndrome besides being socially overt (which isn't always the case in an individual diagnosed with Asperger's---often it's a matter of delayed body language or overly intense responses that may not be consistent with social prompts. Lottie just seemed excited and passionate about getting away from dreary monotony and seemed to think that Rose would be a good travel partner). We can't determine that she doesn't suffer from Asperger's given the evidence shown onscreen...but we can't determine that she does, either.
(On a similar note involving psychopathology, it is important that one observes all the symptoms of a disorder before stating that an individual likely suffers from it. Even in referencing the DSM-IV, a professional reference of established disorders within the fields of psychology and psychiatry, do mental health workers find conflict. The DSM-IV isn't reliable as an absolute and many mental health care professionals find working with such broad definitions of mental illness as the most difficult nature of the field. Many psychiatrists accept that some behaviors overlap and don't fullfill all of the requirements of some disorders, therefore,making them difficult to classify. Cognition and consciousness result from a combination of many things; chemical/cognitive, social/sociological,etc...---and many even believe that consciousness is a state that exists beyond biological measurement. There are still many "gray" areas in the field of mental health that are just now starting to become more permanent. We all throw around ideas about film characters here--so this wasn't meant to chastise. It's more about defining Asperger's, since it's one of the more difficult one to define. More of an "aside".)
im not one with a scientific and analytical mind so to me Lottie's just lovely!
i have just watched the film for the first time and i cried with tears of happiness! how i wish i could be there with Lottie in Italy - like Liza Mineli said to Josie Lawrence after the premiere in america;
'take me to italy Lottie! take me with you!' (or something to that effect!)
i adored this film and have also bought the book so im on for reading that now woo! - by the way if anyone is looking to buy it, there are polish versions on ebay.co.uk (english language, polish subtitles that can be taken off) - i bought one and its excellent quality and came on the tuesday after buying it on the saturday! very good!
i must say that i am soooo glad that i have watched this film - it has made me feel at peace for the rest of the night and i haven't stopped smiling! - its all to do with Love you see - a very important theme - not only the love of a man and a woman but a love within great friendships. and to have someone like Lottie as my great friend would be a dream - she is such a lovely, overt, loving, thoughtful, caring, beautiful chareacter and i think Josie Lawrence played her fabulously - i would've loved to have seen her in more films like this! (if anyone is looking for strong Josie Lawrence programes though i have to suggest the outside edge boxset - rather fantastic!)
Lottie's inner-beauty really does shine here! fabulousa!
Concerning Lottie and Aspergers.
An editor has pointed out that people weren't very much aware of the syndrome in the early 1990s. True. I'm not suggesting that the character was necessarily intended to represent that particular syndrome. Simply, that her characteristics taken together DO represent Aspeger Syndrome, whether it was the intention of the writer, or not.
Many of us know Lotties. They are mostly undiagnosed, but go through life like the proverbial square peg in a round hole, never quite fitting in, always talking just a bit too loudly, always feeling rather clumsy and guache.
People often overestimate the effects and the obviousness of Asperger Syndrome. People who have it mildly manage to act relatively normal, most of the time. They don't go around screaming "look at me, I'm autistic!" They just happily collect information, sort information and connect information. It's fun... and sometimes it's very useful.
"great minds think differently"
Some primary characteristics of Asperger's are a lack of empathy, an inability to 'read' people's verbal and physical cues, and inexpressive or monotone speech. None of that fits Lottie, in fact she's the opposite.
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I don't come from hell. I came from the forest.
midnight muse I agree with you completely, and this talk about Asperger's is in my mind totally off-mark- the character's behavior can be perfectly attributed to "normal" variances in individual personalities. She's a bit flighty, impulsive, expressive and has empathy and shows warmth. Her characteristics singularly or put together do not represent Asperger's at all. If Lottie demonstratively exhibited Asperger's characteristics I don't think she would have been a very interesting or fun person to watch.
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Amazing to think that this thread started almost 10 years ago and it's still quite interesting and relevant. I have a nephew who is autistic and have known others diagnosed within the autism spectrum. What is so consistent about autism and Asperger's is inconsistency. Autistic people can surprise you. One minute they can be completely mute, the next minute, introduce them to a dog, or a flower, or something else that they love, and they can become completely different people. Demonstrative, outgoing, dare I say even chatty. I don't necessarily agree that Lottie had Asperger's, however, if she did, I can see how her personality and characteristics could reflect the influences of her passions and her environment.
Wherever you go, there you are.
This is 9 years late but had to respond!! Didn't even read past the first sentence! Lottie was just a sweet, simple (YES they do exist!!) soul unencumbered by politically correct talk and duplicity! She had a beautiful, loving, sincere soul that only saw the good in people! Something rare indeed today and not understood!!! People like yourself probably, unfortunately, have not known this type of simplicity of heart and if more people had it, the world would be a much kinder and livable place! Because one may be different does NOT mean they have some type of mental problem!!! This is now on DVD, own it and relive how people can change when/if opened up to love!! 10 stars
share8 months later, and I'm in agreement with your post. Although, IMO Lottie was more than a sweet and simple soul. She had wisdom that the others didn't, and what was so great about her character is to begin with she comes off as sweet, but rather dotty.
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