She may have been known in her later career for her role as Violet Crawley in the Downton Abbey franchise, but Maggie Smith has a long and storied career with the period drama genre.
One of those is A Room with a View, a 1985 film from the legendary Merchant Ivory Productions. Based on EM Forster’s 1908 novel of the same name, the story takes place in both England and Italy.
The narrative focuses on Lucy Honeychurch, a repressed young woman who falls for George, a free-spirited young man. Despite their palpable chemistry, societal norms come between them in their bid for love.
Boasting a stacked cast and plenty of awards success, the period drama is one of the most acclaimed projects in Smith’s career. So without further ado, here’s everything you need to know about A Room with a View.
Merchant Ivory/Goldcrest
Who is in A Room with a View?
• Helena Bonham Carter as Lucy Honeychurch
• Julian Sands as George Emerson
• Maggie Smith as Charlotte Bartlett
• Denholm Elliott as Mr Emerson
• Daniel Day-Lewis as Cecil Vyse
• Judi Dench as Eleanor Lavish
What did the critics say about A Room with a View?
With a perfect 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 37 reviews, the period drama is the highest-rated project in Smith’s career (along with The Missionary and The Lonely Passion of Judith Hearne).
“A Room with a View is an outstanding period piece. It captures Forster’s characters in their milieu with a temperament that effectively stirs modern-day sensitivities,” said Tampa Bay Times, while The Times called it a “lush wallow in nostalgic romanticism”.
Furthermore, the period drama had plenty of success on the awards circuit. It garnered eight nominations – including Best Picture and Best Supporting Actress (for Smith) – at the 59th Academy Awards, ultimately winning three on the night.
At the 40th BAFTAs, it won Best Film and Best Actress (for Smith), while Dench won Best Supporting Actress. It was also nominated for Best Direction (for James Ivory), while it gained a further three nods in acting categories.
Merchant Ivory/Goldcrest
Where can I stream A Room with a View?
A Room with a View is currently available to stream in the UK for free, with it recently being added to Channel 4’s streaming service.
You have just under a month to view it with the period drama set to be removed from the streaming service in 25 days at the time of writing.
Merchant Ivory/Goldcrest/Kobal/Shutterstock
Other Maggie Smith movies that you can stream right now
If you don’t fancy a period drama, you can check out Gosford Park on BBC iPlayer right now or for something a lot lighter, Nanny McPhee & the Big Bang is available to watch for free on ITVX.
A Boy Called Christmas, Hook, Oh! What a Lovely War, Quartet and The First Wives Club are all streaming on Sky Cinema, while Sister Act is now on Disney+.
A Room with a View is streaming now on Channel 4.
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Reporter, Digital Spy George is a freelance writer who specialises in Movies and TV. After graduating with a degree in Film Studies and Journalism from De Montfort University, in which he analysed the early works of Richard Linklater for his dissertation, he wrote for several websites for GRV Media. His film tastes vary from blockbusters like Mission: Impossible and John Wick to international directors such as Paolo Sorrentino and Hirokazu Kore-eda, and has attended both the London and Berlin film festivals.