Rating: PG
Genre:
Drama
Theatrical Release: 02/28/1992(USA)
Release Date: 11/07/2006
Dubbed: English
Sound: DD5.1/DD2/DTS
Run Time: 112 Minutes
Flags: Suitable for Children
Distributor/Studio: Image Entertainment
A wealthy, upper-class British widow marries a much younger Italian man with disastrous results in this turn-of-the-century
costume drama based on the
E.M. Forster novel. After marrying into a wealthy family and then losing her husband, middle-aged
Lilia Herriton (
Helen Mirren) suffers under the disapproving yoke of her haughty mother-in-law (
Barbara Jefford). At the suggestion of family friend
Caroline Abbott (
Helena Bonham Carter),
Lilia leaves her young daughter and in-laws for a holiday in Italy, where she falls in love with the penniless but handsome
Gino Carella (
Giovanni Guidelli). When she announces her plans to marry
Gino, the family dispatches her brother-in-law,
Philip (
Rupert Graves), to prevent the union. But the alternately caddish and thoughtful
Philip fails in his mission.
Gino proves to be as charming to other women as he is to his wife, but he's genuinely bereaved when she dies in childbirth. Soon,
Philip and his high-strung sister,
Harriet (
Judy Davis), arrive in Tuscany in an attempt to spirit away
Lilia's son. But the principled
Caroline turns up, determined to stop them, setting the stage for unexpected realizations and unforeseeable tragedy.
Where Angels Fear to Tread reunites
Bonham Carter and
Graves, who co-starred in the previous
E.M. Forster adaptation,
A Room With a View. Each actor also starred in other
Forster films:
Bonham Carter in
Howards End and
Graves in
Maurice.
~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide