Enchanted April 1992

      This a slow moving film about the civilizing influence of Italy on beleaguered Londoners both male and female.  It is based on a novel by Elizabeth von Armin.  It also has a civilizing influence on viewers.  It's almost like taking a little mini-trip to Italy with gorgeously filmed enchantment.

     Rose Arbuthnot (Miranda Richardson) and Lottie Wilkins (Josie Lawrence) are both British women and they are both married.  They decide to take a break in post WWI England from their respective spouses.  They stay at a castle in Italy for a quiet holiday.  Joining the ladies is Caroline Dester (Polly Walker) a young socialite and Mrs. Fisher (Joan Plowright) an older aristocrat.  Liberated from their daily routines, the four women ease into life in rural Italy and each finds herself transformed by the experience.

     There are moments of superior character insight, deep feelings and high comedy.  It’s optimistic from beginning to end and avoids  involvement with anything that might even hint at bleakness or despair.  Similar in tone to A Room with View and it is a standout in its genre.  It's a feel good movie that doesn't manipulate, overrun, underestimate or otherwise dupe its audience.  Viewers looking for a captivating film will like this movie.  4* (I really liked this movie)
 
95 min, Drama directed by Mike Newell and written by Elizabeth von Armin and Peter Barnes with Alfred Molina, Joan Plowright, Miranda Richardson, Polly Walker, Stephen Beckett, Matthew Radford, Davide Manuli, Vittorio Duse, Adriana Facchetti.

Note:  Imdb 7.4* out of 10* with 6094 reviews, Metacritic 78 out of 100 with 24 critic reviews, Amazon 4.7* out of 5* with 1644 reviews, Common Sense Media S.Jhoanna Robledo, 3* out of 5*, sage 13+, Rotten Tomatoes 84% with 32 critic reviews 83% 5000+ audience scores, relies.net 4* James Berardinelli.

Special Note:  The Italian castle scenes were filmed at Castello Brown in Portofino, Italy.  This is the same castle where Elizabeth von Arnim stayed in the 1920s when she wrote the novel this movie was based on and with the same title.  The scene in Mrs. Fisher's London home was filmed in a museum of Victorian life in Kensington, London.  This film was made for British television in 1991 but well-produced enough to be released in theaters in the United States in 1992.  Some of the flowers, especially the Wisteria (which forms an important part of the story) were not real?  The producers speak about this in the DVD commentary.  Alfred Molina was the only member of the cast and crew who could speak Italian and communicate with the Italian actors and locals during the shoot in Italy.  Because of his knowledge he ended up acting as a general interpreter for the production.  Featured Dame Joan Plowright’s only Oscar nominated performance.

Mistakes:  Near the beginning of the film, the vase of flowers at the dining table repeatedly changes between shots.  Rose selects a spray of pink flowers to place in her hair.  When she puts the flowers back into the vase, the straight plastic stems reveal them to be artificial.