Davis Film Series: A Grand Tour

A Room with a View

Based on the novel by E.M. Forster, this sweeping romantic drama finds young Lucy Honeychurch, played by Helena Bonham Carter, and her chaperone, played by Maggie Smith, on holiday in Florence, ensconced at a small pension amidst free-thinking fellow travelers. Back at home, Lucy is wooed by an affluent and cultured suitor, and must decide whether to abide by the conventions of Edwardian England or follow her heart.

The Davis spring film series considers the “Grand Tour”—a rite of passage for young aristocrats (men, and some women) coming of cultural age from the mid-17th through the mid-19th centuries. The Grand Tour itinerary linked passion for touristic adventure to the cultural legacies of classical antiquity and the Renaissance, informed tastes in art and collecting, and reinforced notions of class status and empire. These four films vary in source material, genre, and time period, from modern psychological horror to classic romantic comedy, yet have one thing in common: a life-changing visit to Italy, though perhaps not as “grand” as expected.

This series is generously supported by the Davis Museum Film Program Gift.

Photo: Still from A Room with a View (1985)