Okay, full disclosure: when I started writing this post, Enchanted April was free to stream on Amazon Prime. Now, unfortunately, it appears as though you may have to pay to watch it. However, it is such a great film that I decided to go ahead and share this, because it is more than worth the $3.99, or whatever it costs.
As you may have guessed from that first paragraph, my favorite movie of all time is a 1993 film called Enchanted April. I first saw the movie in 1995, when my mother rented the VHS tape from Blockbuster video. (I put all that in italics to emphasize the ancientness of this practice.) No disrespect intended, but I remember that my mom had picked a few stinkers in the recent weeks, so she was really hoping that this one would be something amazing. When she put the tape in the VCR and pressed “Play,” she had no idea that she was about to show me the movie that would become my all-time favorite.
Now, just so you know, I am officially a Movie Buff. I love all genres, from all countries, in all languages. My dad was a movie projectionist, and he raised my sister and me on film. So when I say this is my favorite movie, I am really making a commitment. Yeah, sure, you’ve got your Citizen Kane and you’ve got your High Noon and you’ve got your Casablanca and your Star Wars. But you’ve also got this beautiful, perfect little film about four women who take a trip which changes their lives, simply by changing their state of mind.
The official description reads as follows: “Two proper Englishwomen, determined to get away from their drab lives and inattentive husbands, find paradise in the serene countryside of the Italian Riviera in this enchanting adventure starring Josie Lawrence and Miranda Richardson. When the pair rent a magnificent villa for a month, they share expenses with two unlikely companions – an austere widow and a bored socialite. At first, personalities clash, but the hideaway holds a special magic that soon sparks friendships and reminds the women of ways to live and love that have long eluded them.”
The phenomenal cast includes, as mentioned above, Josie Lawrence and Miranda Richardson, as well as Joan Plowright, Polly Walker, Alfred Molina, Michael Kitchen, and Jim Broadbent. The movie is based on the 1922 novel of the same name by Elizabeth Arnim, which I own but have not read. Here are a few of my favorite lines (some funny, some touchingly profound) from the film:
“In my day, husbands were taken seriously, as the only real obstacle to sin.”
Him: “You must forgive me. I used unpardonable language.” Her: “I thought it most appropriate in the circumstances.”
“It’s funny how the mind slips sideways in a place like this.”
“I’ve been thinking. Isn’t better to feel young somewhere than old everywhere?”
Her #1: “Did that really happen?” Her #2: “It doesn’t matter. It’s such a pretty story.”
And so it is. 💕
If you do watch the movie I hope you’ll let me know how you liked it!
Hugs and happy reading viewing,
Misha
