My House in Umbria

Academy Award Winners MAGGIE SMITH and CHRIS COOPER (Adaptation) star alongside TIMOTHY SPALL (Secrets and Lies) and RONNIE BARKER in an adaptation by Richard Loncraine of the novel from acclaimed author William Trevor.

Eccentric but wealthy English novelist Emily Delahunty (Maggie Smith) is travelling by train from Umbria to Milan when a terrorist bomb explodes in her carriage. In a kindly gesture she offers her fellow passengers residence at her house in Umbria to recover from the ordeal. Amidst the luscious olive-green beauty of the peaceful Italian countryside this unlikely group, Mrs D, her Irish house odd-job man Quinty (Spall), retired British General (Barker), a German student and Aimee, (Emily Clarke), a young traumatized American girl orphaned by the blast find solace in one another and seem to form an odd family together.

As the young girl begins to recover under Emily’s care, it emerges that the girl has an uncle Tom Riversmith (Cooper), and conflict thankfully arrives once the Uncle comes over from America aiming to take young Aimee back with him. Given he’s a cold uptight man, Mrs D naturally has differing ideas of what is best for young Aimee and if the uncle expects to just turn up and take her back to America, he’s got one or two lessons to learn about Italian charm.

My House in Umbria is a meandering affair made originally for the HBO TV channel in the States and in many ways it has a TV feel about it. Since much of it is taken up with the recuperation of folk in the delightful idyllic setting of Umbria, some of it seems inanely predictable and without many surprises, it leaves you wondering why its received a cinema release at all. Maggie Smith does her best to justify that calculated risk, giving a decent performance here as the quick-witted Mrs Delahunty and newcomer Emily Clarke is quite captivating as the little girl Aimee. Without that spark, its likely that most wouldn’t find it that interesting, but in all honesty, I’d have to say wait till the video release unless seeing Maggie Smith dominate a film set in the Umbrian idyll is really your thing, in which case of course do go along and see it.

Matt Arnoldi