Monteriano - Dove gli angeli non osano metter piede

I believe I've seen every film adaptation of Forster's work, and I have to say that this is probably the worst of the lot. It has none of the charm of "A Room With a View", and none of the poignancy of "Howards End". Instead, it's a long, slogging story with shrill characters that I could not muster a shred of empathy for. Many of the characters (particularly the elderly Mrs. Harriton and Harriet) are played so far over-the-top that they border on farce. The character of Gino is underdeveloped, which makes the way some characters come to feel about him ring utterly false.

Forster was a homosexual, an Italophile, and scornful of Edwardian British mores and (perceived) hypocrisy. I have no problem with any of those things, but in this, his first novel, it's as if his main intention was to telegraph these things to the audience, and he sets his characters up to that end, but it's never convincing as the natural actions of real humans. If you must watch it, enjoy the Tuscan scenery while you can, but you may want to fast forward through the second-half. For completists only.

I was almost more impressed by Charles Storridge's treatment of E,M,Forster than by James Ivory's, since everything is perfect in this film: the acting, the story, the drama, the photography, perhaps most outstanding of all, and the composition of the film building up to an inevitable dramatic climax, turning the enchantingly idyllic scenery into relentless disaster and tragedy. It's acrtually all about a child, while the crook here is a lady, who can't control herself. It's true, the Italian husband also runs out of control sometimes, while Rupert Graves is a consistent paragon of diplomacy. Helena Bonham Carter is the one of them who actually succeeds in understanding the Italians, while all the others are hopelessly at a loss in getting entangled in inexricable complications of the Italian mentality. Helen Mirren is the rich English lady of a mature age who gets hopelessly mixed up with a young Italian man, which triggers the drama, as her family gets more and more upset about it and acts more and more awkwardly to do something about it. It is in fact a shocker, but invaluable for charting cultural clashes between the English and the Italian way, and although you can understand Helen Mirren's initiative and accept her risk, one has to agree with the others whether it actually was so very wise. I haven't read Forster's novel, but it ought to be one of his most interesting ones.

The first time I watched this movie I kept saying to myself.. this movie seems so familiar.. Then I realized that I had read the book the summer before.. This is a great credit to the screenwriter and director as the story is followed precisely and each page is brought to life on the screen.. A must for Forester fans, Anglophiles or those who want to enjoy a true tale of human souls intertwined. The prejudices and self importance of the English upper class are superbly charactered by all.. You'll laugh , cry and wonder at their actions.. You will become part of them... This is definitely one that I will be adding to my "Sunday Night Movie and Tea" collection.

Charles Sturridge's 1991 film, "Where Angels Fear to Tread," beautifully adapts E. M. Forster's novel, vividly exploring the clash between rigid English decorum and vibrant Italian passion. The Herriton family's shock when widowed Lilia (Helen Mirren) impulsively marries Italian Gino Carella (Giovanni Guidelli) drives the plot, leading to their desperate attempts to reclaim her child. Rupert Graves as Philip Herriton and Helena Bonham Carter as Caroline Abbott navigate this cultural divide, but it's Judy Davis as the xenophobic Harriet whose actions lead to tragedy. The film excels visually, with stunning Tuscan landscapes contrasting sharply with English restraint. While occasionally deliberate in pace and with a sometimes underdeveloped Gino, it effectively conveys Forster's themes of cultural misunderstanding and social hypocrisy. Ultimately, it's a solid, compelling, and often tragic portrayal of human prejudice.

Where Angels Fear to Tread is not the best E. M. Forster novel to be written, and it is certainly not the best to be made into a movie, but it is well worth watching for another superb performance by Helena Bonham Cater and her supporting cast.

Rupert Graves (V for Vendetta) is excellent as an Edwardian aristocrat who becomes enchanted with the Italian way of living. Helen Mirrewn (The Queen) is equally good in her small role as the flighty Lilia. Judy Davis (Marie Antoinette , The Beak-up) provides the comic relief as a proper lady who cannot abide a half-English child being brought up by Italians.

It all makes for a good movie with fine performances.