My House in Umbria
2003
Based on the novella by William Trevor, MY HOUSE IN UMBRIA is set in the sprawling Italian countryside. After a tragic train accident, four survivors find solace in the villa of an English writer, Mrs. Delahunty (Maggie Smith). The other survivors--an American girl (Emmy Clarke), a British general (Ronnie Barker), and a young .. Read more
| Starring | Maggie Smith, Chris Cooper, Timothy Spall, Ronnie Barker |
|---|---|
| Director | Richard Loncraine |
| Genres | Drama |
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My House in Umbria
Based on the novella by William Trevor, MY HOUSE IN UMBRIA is set in the sprawling Italian countryside. After a tragic train accident, four survivors find solace in the villa of an English writer, Mrs. Delahunty (Maggie Smith). The other survivors--an American girl (Emmy Clarke), a British general (Ronnie Barker), and a young German (Benno Furmann)--struggle to come to terms with the disaster, as an inspector (Giancarlo Giannini) tries to figure out exactly what happened. Eventually, the young girl's uncle (Chris Cooper) shows up, bringing the film to a climax.
| Starring | Maggie Smith, Chris Cooper, Timothy Spall, Ronnie Barker |
|---|---|
| Director | Richard Loncraine |
| Studio | MOMENTUM PICTURES |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 39 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 07 Mar 2005 Production year: 2003 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (2)
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Maggie Smith won an Emmy Award for her typically mannered performance as an English romance novelist in this adaptation of William Trevor's 1991 novella. On a trip to Milan, Smith's train compartment is wrecked by an explosion and she is one of the few survivors. She invites the others to recover at her palatial country house in Umbria, while detective Giancarlo Giannini gets to the bottom of the bombing. Director Richard Loncraine's HBO cable movie features glorious vistas but is a weak-kneed and overly sentimental tale of tea and terrorism. It's best to forget the artificiality of the lazy plot and just focus on the high standard of acting from the ever-dependable Smith, Timothy Spall, Chris Cooper and, on dottily eccentric form, Ronnie Barker.
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Lushly photographed story of a temporary family that takes advantage of the Italian setting; despite its opening in death and destruction, nostalgia is the dominant emotion so that, although set in the present day, it has the feeling of a period film.
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Most helpful member's review
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38 out of 39 people found this review helpful
A MARVELOUS FILM
If you have ever watched 'Hotel DuLac' or 'Enchanted April' or'A Month by the Lake'
and enjoyed them, then this film is for you.
After the explosive opening, this film becomes a gentle layered story about loss and recovery.
The enchanting countryside where it is set works its magic on all the players.
Maggie Smith is as marvelous as ever, her life is the seen and the unseen.
Timothy Spall, Ronnie Barker and all the supporting characters are excellent.
A film to watch over again and enjoy. -
Most recent members' review
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24 out of 24 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Superior but still sentimental chick-flick
This is a film marred by its deeply unrealistic sentimentality. Which is not to say it doesn't have its moving moments, or indeed fairly good acting (the least you could expect, given the cast), but it's essentially as romantic as the protagonist's novels.
And, being presumably an adaptation of a written story, it suffers enormously from its reliance on an extensive voiceover; if the mark of a good film is that it SHOWS US, DOESN'T TELL US, then unfortunately this film fails.
There are worse ways to spend a couple of hours, but there are better ones as well. -
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Based on the novella by William Trevor, MY HOUSE IN UMBRIA is set in the sprawling Italian countryside. After a tragic train accident, four survivors find solace in the villa of an English writer, ... -