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I did enjoy the acting, beautiful location shooting, and laid-back story in which Helena Bonham Carter, as Lucy Honeycutt, must choose between a conventional marriage with a bookish and very innocent Daniel Day Lewis or a genuine love match with a parson's son, George, played by Julian Sands. During a trip to Florence, she checks into a lodging with her chaperone played by Maggie Smith, where they are able to get their "room with a view", thanks to another tourist abroad, played by Denholm Eliot, the father of George, the true romantic interest. It is there in Florence that the rivalry between the two suitors comes to the fore. The chaperone (Maggie Smith) has a total distaste for anything that defies the standards of the Victorian aristocracy. By her standards, marrying for love is not considered a realistic option. One must consider maintaining your position in society rather than risk disaster by marrying for love. The lush, green landscapes and ponds of Florence supply a lovely setting for the story.

I caught this movie on TCM with its gold mine of old movies. It was a superb portrait of a young man and his strong appetite for women and politics (with a few brews along the way). Rod Taylor delivers a great performance in what seemed like an unlikely role for this mid-century leading man, surrounded by a strong cast of British stage and screen actors. The story showed a character with great idealism and drive surrounded by his family and friends. His main love interest is Maggie Smith who was excellent in one of her early roles. The movie sparkles with great acting talent ranging from Michael Redgrave and Edith Evans to Flora Robson and Richard Attenborough, who played Taylor's mother and brother. The Irish countryside was well shown in this John Ford epic. I was pleasantly surprised to find this movie, which I had never heard of beforehand. To me it is a fine cinematic tribute the dream of Irish nationhood.

Watching this 2024 Christmas concert with Andre Rieu was total joy, with a healthy dose of comedy and emotion. The entertainment was electrifying and the response to the music, singing and dancing was overwhelming as shown in the cutaways to the audience. The music of Adeste Fideles and the Ave Maria brought on tears that welled up early in the show and continued for the duration. Why this strong response to a Christmas concert? It seems that Andre Rieu is a talent who can put together a production that touches the core of people's experience. Most of the audience was older but there were men and women and couples of all ages who were sharing their love of music and tradition and having great fun. This show is a Christmas classic.