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My House in Umbria

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My House in Umbria
Original theatrical poster
GenreDrama
Mystery
Romance
Thriller
Based onMy House in Umbria
by William Trevor
Screenplay byHugh Whitemore
Directed byRichard Loncraine
StarringMaggie Smith
Ronnie Barker
Chris Cooper
Timothy Spall
Giancarlo Giannini
Benno Fürmann
Music byClaudio Capponi
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
ProducerRobert Allan Ackerman
CinematographyMarco Pontecorvo
EditorHumphrey Dixon
Running time109 minutes
Production companiesHBO Films
Canine Films
Panorama Films
Original release
NetworkHBO
ReleaseMay 25, 2003 (2003-05-25)

My House in Umbria is a 2003 American made-for-television drama mystery film, based on the 1991 novella of the same name by William Trevor and published along with another novella in the volume Two Lives. The film stars Maggie Smith and Chris Cooper, and was directed by Richard Loncraine.

Plot

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Emily Delahunty (Maggie Smith) is an eccentric British romance novelist who lives in Umbria in central Italy, where she runs a pensione for tourists. Mrs Delahunty settled in Italy to flee from a somewhat traumatic past which still haunts her, and lives alone apart from a few servants and her manager Quinty (Timothy Spall). One day while taking a shopping trip to Milano, the train she is on is bombed by terrorists. After she wakes up in a hospital, she invites three of the other survivors of the disaster to stay at her villa for recuperation. Of these are "the General" (Ronnie Barker) a retired British Army veteran, Werner (Benno Fürmann), a young German photographer, and Aimee (Emmy Clarke), a young American girl who has now become mute after her parents were both killed in the explosion.

As the group recover from their ordeal (in which the General lost his daughter, and Werner lost his girlfriend and suffered considerable burns to his arm and torso), the explosion is being investigated by Inspector Girotti (Giancarlo Giannini), a local policeman. Responding to the warmth and kindness of Mrs Delahunty and the others, Aimee begins to speak again, while the local authorities seek out any relatives who might be able to take her in. They eventually locate her uncle, Thomas Riversmith (Chris Cooper), a university professor in the US. He agrees to take Aimee back to the USA to live with his wife and himself, though they have little time for (and no experience with) raising children and are particularly concerned about trying to raise a child who has been through such a traumatic experience. Via flashbacks it is revealed that Mrs. Delahunty was an orphan who was molested as a child by her adoptive father. At a young age she fled England with a travelling salesman and spent years living as a prostitute before Quinty convinced her to move to Italy.

Mrs Delahunty grows to like her new housemates and invites the General and Werner to stay indefinitely. She also works hard to find common ground with Aimee's uncle and tries to convince him to leave Aimee with her in Italy rather than taking the child back to America to a loveless home. Meanwhile, Inspector Girotti discovers that Werner was involved in the terrorist attack on the train. Mrs Delahunty reluctantly admits that she has come to the same conclusion, but Werner departs in secret before he can be confronted. Although disappointed by the revelation, Mrs Delahunty is delighted to learn that the General intends to stay on and that Thomas has allowed Aimee to remain as well. The film ends with Mrs Delahunty embracing her new circumstances, having finally resolved her inner turmoil.

The plot departs substantially from that of William Trevor's somber novella.

Cast

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Production

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Awards and nominations

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Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result Ref.
2003
Online Film & Television Association Awards Best Motion Picture Made for Television Nominated [1]
Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Maggie Smith Nominated
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Chris Cooper Nominated
Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Richard Loncraine Nominated
Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries Hugh Whitemore Nominated
Best Costume Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Won
Best Editing in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Lighting in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Best Production Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries Nominated
Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Made for Television Movie Robert Allan Ackerman,
Frank Doelger, and
Ann Wingate
Nominated [2]
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie Maggie Smith Won
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie Chris Cooper Nominated
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special Richard Loncraine Nominated
Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special Hugh Whitemore Nominated
Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Luciana Arrighi,
Cristina Onori, and
Alessandra Querzola
Nominated
Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Irene Lamb Nominated
Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Nicoletta Ercole,
Rosa Palma, and
M. Erminia Melato
Nominated
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special Maria Teresa Corridoni,
Desiree Corridoni,
Gianna Viola, and
Anna De Santis
Nominated
2004
AARP Movies for Grownups Awards Best TV Movie Nominated [3]
Cinema Audio Society Awards Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Mini-Series David Stephenson,
Robin O'Donoghue,
Mike Dowson,
and Mark Taylor
Nominated [4]
Directors Guild of America Awards Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television Richard Loncraine Nominated [5]
Golden Globe Awards Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television Nominated [6]
Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television Maggie Smith Nominated
Producers Guild of America Awards David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television Frank Doelger,
Robert Allan Ackerman,
and Ann Wingate
Won [7]
Satellite Awards Best Motion Picture Made for Television Nominated [8]
Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television Maggie Smith Nominated
Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television Chris Cooper Nominated
Young Artist Awards Best Family Television Movie or Special Nominated [9]
Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special – Supporting Young Actress Emmy Clarke Won

References

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  1. ^ "7th Annual TV Awards (2002-03)". Online Film & Television Association. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  2. ^ "My House in Umbria". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  3. ^ "Movies for Grownups Awards 2004 with Bill Newcott". AARP Movies for Grownups Awards. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  4. ^ "Nominees/Winners". IMDb. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  5. ^ "56th DGA Awards". Directors Guild of America Awards. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  6. ^ "My House in Umbria". Golden Globe Awards. Retrieved May 11, 2024.
  7. ^ "Producers Guild Awards 2004". Producers Guild of America. Archived from the original on December 15, 2008. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  8. ^ "Nominees & Winners – Satellite™ Awards 2004 (8th Annual Satellite™ Awards)". International Press Academy. Archived from the original on February 2, 2008. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  9. ^ "25th Young Artist Awards". Young Artist Awards. Retrieved November 21, 2023.
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