Foster is a famous British novelist in modern times. His novels are characterized by reflecting and exposing British hierarchical concepts and racial prejudice. In recent years, they have been frequently adapted into films by British filmmakers. Foster wrote six works reflecting British social issues in his life, but he considers this work to be the best among them.
The 60-year-old British director Avery has worked with the three old partners of Indian producer Merchant and Indian dramatist Jabwala for more than 20 years. Their works mainly reflect British social issues and historical costumes. They used to co-produce films such as "European", "Bostonian" and "Heat and Dust". Their works always have a literary atmosphere, and they are targeted at intellectual audiences, without much consideration of the commercial and popular nature of the film.
The surface of the film depicts the heroine Lucy falling into the emotional whirlpool when choosing two completely different men as life partners. In fact, it reflects whether she is a victim of a feudal audience, or she is seeking true love and daring. The problem of the master who breaks through the shackles of old concepts and controls his own destiny. The film flogged Britain's hypocritical concepts of feudal hierarchy and family status with a mocking brushstroke. Because Lucy was born into a high society, she received the so-called good education since she was a child. It is actually a rigid education that confines people's mind and body. But her heart is fierce, so her face always presents a melancholy expression. When she was at home, she liked to sit in a room with a view of the scenery, playing the piano for self-entertainment, expressing her inner distress, and when she arrived in Florence, she insisted on living in a room with a view of the scenery. This shows how much her self-enclosed and depressed heart needs to be opened to absorb the open and romantic atmosphere of the Holy Land during the Italian Renaissance era. But Lucy's tragedy is that she has been imprisoned by feudal ideas for a long time and has become the defender of that set of old habits. Although she fell in love with the sincere George at first sight, she thought his kissing behavior was frivolous. George came from a civilian, so she should quickly avoid this young man who broke into her peaceful life. She hated Cecil's arty, hypocritical and arrogant look that treated her as a plaything, but because he was an aristocratic and "cultivated" gentleman, she agreed to be engaged, but she was not willing in her heart. When George confessed his love to her again, she still deceived herself and refused, asking him to leave as soon as possible and stop pestering him. But at this time she could not bear Cecil's contempt for her mother and the machismo attitude towards her, she decided to break the marriage contract with Cecil. In order to escape the emotional vortex and confusion, and at the same time maintain the moral code of the time, she chose to travel abroad to resolve the emotional conflict. If it weren't for her cousin Charlotte to persuade her to combine with George, who really loves her, and the open-minded Mr. Emerson's heart-to-heart advice, she would always deceive herself like this. For a young girl who has been educated in hierarchy for a long time, this description is true and credible. From the beginning of not daring to admit loving George to finally making up her mind to break with Cecil, Lucy has experienced a hard ideological struggle. As Foster said in the original work: "It is useless to deceive yourself, to accommodate reality, and to escape reality. Only when you muster the courage to face reality, and dare to break through the layers of shackles can you get real happiness." The director is through Lucy. The character's emotional confusion vividly highlights this theme.
An important role for Lucy to achieve her final happiness was her cousin Charlotte, who was also very successful in portraying this character. Charlotte is an old maiden born in poverty, who accompanied Lucy to Florence as a guardian. She was conservative in her thinking and was naturally dissatisfied with George's behavior, so she hurriedly brought Lucy back home. But she later discovered that Cecil and Lucy did not love each other. She felt that this kind of marriage contract might be broken, so when she learned that George had come to woo Lucy again and Lucy hesitated, she turned her back on her past attitude. Persuade Lucy to unite with George. The reason why Charlotte, who has always been conservative, took a turn for the worse, was because she had lost her chance of getting married because of her hierarchy in the past. Now she has learned from her own lessons and doesn't want people she likes to repeat the same mistakes.
It is also worth mentioning in the film that Emerson and his sons are journalists with free-thinking origins from civilians. His father is wealthy, smart and capable, and his son George is a handsome young man who is frank and sincere, not good at talking. It was George's innocent feelings that opened Lucy's heart that had been imprisoned for many years, and made her realize that there are such unpretentious people in the world. Old Emerson's heart-warming persuasion gave Lucy the courage to disregard the family's censure and social public opinion, from evading reality to facing reality, and getting true love. The choreographer obviously praised these two characters.
The success of the film also lies in the actors selected by the director, both in appearance and temperament, which meet the requirements of Foster's original work. For example, Helena Carter, who plays the heroine Lucy, is very similar to Foster's Lucy in appearance and temperament. The director Avery chose Helena because she was not only from a famous family, but her great-grandfather was Herbert Asquith, who was the prime minister of the United Kingdom. My father is a banker and my grandmother is also a politician. Helena went to aristocratic school since she was a child, and she was educated by the upper class. She has a kind of elegant demeanor, plus she has a kind of classical beauty. 19-year-old Helena has thick brown hair, a round face full of childishness, and a petite and lovely figure. As soon as director Avery saw her, he decided she was the best candidate. Although Julian Sands has not acted in many plays like Helena, he has performed just the right kind of noble, natural, innocent and candid youth image in Foster's dream.
Compared with the two young actors, the old actor Maggie Smith, who played his cousin Charlotte, seemed to have profound skills. Smith brought to life an old maiden who was born poor, conservative, pretentious, withdrawn and enthusiastic. She is both concerned and jealous about Lucy's marriage. From the initial dissatisfaction with George's behavior to the change in her thoughts and behaviors of matching their marriage, she was able to express it clearly.
The film shows the fascinating scenery of Florence, the Holy Land of the Renaissance era, from the perspective of Lucy and his cousin visiting Italy. At the same time, it also allows an innocent, frank, helpful young man such as George and an enlightened Mr. Emerson to appear in this background. It can be in strong contrast with the dignified buildings of the British Victorian era, the traditional conservative morality of the upper class, and the countless red tapes. Although families in the upper class are luxurious and comfortable, their interpersonal relationships are very cold, full of hypocrisy and intrigue. Obviously, the director intends to compare the open Florence with the closed London, the frank and sincere George and the hypocritical and ridiculous Cecil. The title of the film also has an implication of "spring in the garden can't be shut down" in response to Lucy's self-confidence.
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