A Room With A View
Describe an important idea/theme in the text and explain how verbal/visual features of the text help you to understand this idea.
The romantic, social comedy “A Room With a View”, directed by James Ivory, explores love and prim propriety among an eccentric cast of characters. The conflict between social convention and passion is a central theme of the film. Lucy Honeychurch is a young woman who is brought up in an upper-middle class Edwardian family. The main conflict between passion and propriety happens within Lucy as she enters a state of confusion – whether to marry Cecil – a socially safe, conventional man and thus conform to everything society expects of her, or to marry George – a socially lower “free-thinking” radical who questions the rules of society. Passion, propriety and how they conflict if expressed through verbal and visual features such as costuming, the soundtrack, dialogue and different camera shots.
James Ivory effectively portrays the restrictive conventions Lucy has lived under. One way these restrictions are shown is by the costumes at Lucy and Cecil’s engagement party. The tight, enclosed attire such as gloves, veils, long dresses and high necklines symbolise the limitations that exist in their similar society. Initially Lucy is controlled by these conventions and Mr. Emerson calls her a ‘poor girl’. At the time Lucy doesn’t understand this and is surprised by being pitied by someone with a lower social status.
The movie contrasts the symbolic differences between Italy and England. James Ivory idealized Italy as a place of freedom and raw, natural expression. This is the place to escape the restrictions of English society. During Lucy’s visits to Italy she is faced with things that she was brought up shielded from. High camera shots looking down at her are used to convey her vulnerability in this new word full of love, passion, anger, rage and violence. Ivory shows us...
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