James Ivory’s A ROOM WITH A VIEW Screening

Possibly James Ivory's best film, A Room with a View boasts excellent production values, a literate screenplay (Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, from E.M. Forster's novel), several first-rate supporting performances (Maggie Smith, Denholm Elliott, and, surprisingly, Daniel Day-Lewis), and a dreamlike atmosphere of romance. The film's only drawback is the casting of the two inadequate leads, Helena Bonham-Carter and Julian Sands.

The duo might have become a black hole at the heart of the story, but Ivory's direction manages to circumvent that handicap. The director's touch, in fact, is just right: his film is neither cloying nor cold. Instead, A Room with a View exudes warmth mixed with a tinge of sadness for a world that's long since disappeared.

A Room with a View will have a special New York screening on Aug. 21. See below for details.

Press Release

New York, NY —  James Ivory, the three-time Oscar®-nominated director and one-half of the legendary Merchant Ivory production team, will be the special guest at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 20th anniversary screening of A Room with a View, on Monday, August 21, at 7 p.m. (earlier time) at the Academy Theater at Lighthouse International in New York City.

Hosted by film scholar Brian Rose, a professor in the Department of Communication and Media Studies at Fordham University, this screening will be the first big-screen presentation of A Room with a View since its initial theatrical run in 1986.

Adapted from the E.M. Forster novel by two-time Academy Award® winner Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, A Room with a View is a romantic comedy that examines the class system of early 20th century England. After a life-changing vacation in Florence, young Lucy Honeychurch (Helena Bonham Carter) finds herself in an emotional dilemma: Does she follow through with her engagement to dispassionate, snobbish, upper-class gentleman Cecil Vyse (Daniel Day-Lewis) or follow her heart and accept the loving advances of George Emerson (Julian Sands), a free-spirited, eccentric young man she met in Florence?

The film also stars Maggie Smith as chaperone Charlotte Bartlett and Denholm Elliott as Mr. Emerson.

In addition to a Directing nomination for Ivory, A Room with a View earned a total of eight Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture (Ismail Merchant, producer), Actor in a Supporting Role (Elliott), Actress in a Supporting Role (Smith) and Cinematography (Tony Pierce-Roberts).

The film won Oscars for Adapted Screenplay (Prawer Jhabvala), Art Direction (Gianni Quaranta, Brian Ackland-Snow; Set Decoration: Brian Savegar, Elio Altamura) and Costume Design (Jenny Beavan, John Bright).

Preceding the feature, the Academy will present Luxo Jr. (1986), the first computer-animated short film to receive an Academy Award nomination (John Lasseter and William Reeves).

"Monday Nights with Oscar" is a monthly series showcasing high-quality prints of films that have been nominated for or won Academy Awards.

The Academy Theater at Lighthouse International is located at 111 East 59th Street in New York City. Tickets for the screening are $5 for the general public and $3 for Academy members and students with a valid ID.

Tickets may be reserved by calling 1-888-778-7575. Depending on availability, tickets may be purchased the night of the screening. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. For more information, visit www.oscars.org/events.