Enchanted April (1991) Reviews

• Enchanting Film Will Have You Dreaming of Sunny Italy

  
  By A3BIWTN2DA0YY2 on 2001-04-12
  The movie opens in rain-drenched England as down-hearted and dispirited Lottie Wilkins trudges through her day. An advertisement in the paper promising "Wisteria and Sunshine" at an Italian castle catches her eye. She seeks out another forlorn soul, Rose Arbuthnot, and convinces her to share this villa for the month of April. Because of expenses, they are forced to also take in two strangers to share the load. Joining them will be Mrs. Fisher, an elderly woman who is hoping to remember "better times and better men," and the beautiful Lady Caroline who is tired of the constant attention she receives and longs for a restorative quiet time. When they arrive it is still raining, but at least as one of them so aptly puts it, "This is Italian rain." When morning dawns, the sun comes out and remains with them for the month.

  Enchanted with the peace and tranquility of her new surroundings, Lottie longs to share her joy with her husband. When he arrives, Lottie urges Rose to invite her husband as well, but Rose fears that her husband, an author of racy novels under a pen name, will not come. Imagine her surprise when he shows up immediately. Of course, the catch is that he had no idea his wife was there but was hoping to have a dalliance with Lady Caroline.

  In the peaceful Italian sun, marriages heal, new love blossoms, and unlikely friendships are born. The movie is light, filled with delicious humor and profound sentiments to stir your heart and soul.

  Most enchanting of all may be the beautiful scenes filmed on location in Portofino. This is a great movie for self-medication in the gloom of winter when you want to seek greener pastures or just plain wonderful any day.
  
  

• Be Enchanted...

  
  By A36EW68H08UOCS on 2005-08-08
  Mike Newell's film casts a seductive, mesmerizing spell on its audience. I strongly encourage you to see it if you have not.
  
  Josie Lawrence leads a strong cast as Lottie Wilkins, a dowdy London housewife who we meet in the film's first frames trudging through post-WW I London. We meet Alfred Molina as her overbearing husband, Mellersh, who eyes all relationships as potential business opportunities, and sees his wife as not much more than a pet.
  
  Lottie is riding on the bus in the dreary rain one day when she sees an advertisement on the back of the paper for an Italian Castle to be let for the month of April among the "Wisteria and Sunshine". Lottie's life hasn't allowed her much love or friendship, but she decides that she MUST take this April Holiday at San Salvatori. She approaches Rose Arbuthnot, who she barely knows, but has seen looking sad at Church services.
  
  Rose is played by Miranda Richardson in a performance that suggests, if anything, that she has had her happiness even more suppressed than Lottie. Her husband, Arthur, is played by Jim Broadbent in full ruddy-faced glory. Arthur is a hedonistic author who writes pulpy trash novels with names like "Theodocia, the Slave Princess". He also chases after other young women who come closer to meeting his ideal of fun than his pious wife.
  
  Lottie and Rose secure the rent of the villa and decide to advertise for a couple of other ladies to share the expense. Joan Plowright plays Mrs. Fisher, an older lady who grew up bouncing on the knee of the great English Poets of the day. Blundering Lottie asks "Oh, did you know Keats?" a century and a half after Keat's day.
  
  "No", Mrs. Fisher replies with disdain. "And I didn't know Shakespeare or Chaucer either."
  
  Polly Walker is the poster-girl of the group as Lady Caroline Dester, daughter of an extremely rich and aristocratic English Lord. Caroline moves in the most social of circles, but she has grown tired of being around men who paw and grab after her. She just wants a little time to "smooth her feathers".
  
  Michael Kitchen plays George Briggs, the owner of the Italian Castle. Mr. Briggs is something of a mystery, as it appears that he is a wealthy English businessman, but he is also a gifted musician in addition to owning an Italian Castle, complete with a full staff. He is extremely short-sighted and doesn't bother to keep his immediate surroundings tidy. His few scenes are among the best of the movie.
  
  These 4 ladies converge upon the Italian Castle and there... magic happens. I could go into detail, but I'd spoil you the pleasure of finding out for yourself. There are several times when the plot throws a wrench into the works, and in a different, lesser story, the movie would have degenerated into hysterical "drama". The way this film reveals and resolves these confrontations is like.... a breath of fresh Italian breeze through the Wisteria. I would ask only that you consider the shots of the moon in the penultimate scene - consider what the size and location of the moon means with regard to the tone of what is happening in the scene in the foreground. It is delightful.
  
  If you can watch "Enchanted April" and not be charmed I feel truly sorry for you. It is on my very short list of very favorite films.
  
  It is inexcusable that such a fine, recent release is not available on dvd.
  
  

• Still waiting for this on DVD:

  
  By A32U96RR2TCPA3 on 2007-02-01
  Thank goodness I purchased this on laser disc and can still watch it. And, watch it I do about 3 to 4 times a year just because it makes me feel really good. It is in my top 5 favorite movies of all time! (I'm 65 so that covers a lot of movies! Great cast, great acting the perfect balance of visuals is achieved in gorgeous Italy. Somehow you almost feel the sun and smell the flowers. At least you'll want to call your travel agent after first viewing this marvelous movie. Buy it on VHS if that's all you can because it isn't out on DVD in US yet and may never be. A shame! Such junk can get exposure on DVD and a lovely film like this with some of the best actors in England can't. Buy it! Everyone I've shown it to just loves it!
  
  

• Good News, DVD To Be Released Soon!

  
  By AK1RRYVTC8D5J on 2008-07-18
  Many thanks to another review that provided a contact name and email address. I sent an email to Stuart Snaith many weeks ago, and just received a reply today (18 July 2008) from Liz Hammond. Liz said the problems over film rights have been resolved and the Enchanted April DVD is due to be released as soon as December 2008 or possibly as late as Spring 2009. I trust our long wait is coming to a close.
  
  

• I LIKE ACTION MOVIES!!!

  
  By A20WTU3528YVOC on 2003-12-18
  I'm a guy. I love action. My DVD Collection is filled with mostly Matrix, Star Wars, Indiana Jones and Lord of the Rings type movies. I crave violence, guns, fast cars, hot chicks, and super expensive Special Effects!

  So why am I reviewing this movie that has absolutely nothing to do with any of the above? Because I also looooove a good vacation!! And even though this movie is about two women who take a holiday in Italy, that's not what I was referring to. ACTUALLY WATCHING this little movie is literally like taking a mini-vacation!!

  I've seen this movie in theatres and had it on VHS at one time (recorded from cable) and I came on here hoping to find it available on DVD. Sadly, tragically it's not, but hopefully it will be soon. I read some of the reviews of this and I must say every single one (positive one anyways) is spot on. If you're wondering whether or not to get this, I'd say trust what you read here and take a chance. You won't be sorry. In this review I wont give any spoilers or much plot details. Because this movie is so much more than a mere plot...

  Whether it's a cold rainy day, or too much is going on in life, or you've watched one too many action movies lately, or for ANY reason at all, grab a bowl of popcorn, a pillow and your favorite blankey, have a seat and pop this movie in. And then prepare to be healed! ;)

  The experience of watching this movie is like this: It starts of gray and dreary, kinda like how things in your life may be going. The plot is wonderfully simple and very easy to follow, while engaging enough to immediately cause you to be concerned and interested about the main characters. Basically two "friends" are sick of how things are going and want to get away. Then after a while you are whisked away to this scenic, majestic world of peaceful serenity and mysterious beauty, and to this ancient Italian chateau, which actually becomes one of the stars in the movie. Once you're there, you are comforted, catered to, entertained, intrigued, and overally refreshed! The movie's slower than snail pace in this colorful otherworld, while retaining it's magical engagement suddenly casts a spell on you before you even know it, and you find yourself absorbed, relaxed, and essentially ON VACATION! As the movie winds up and things get resolved, the rest of the cast of characters comes in and things get a little rompous. But it never breaks its hold on you and you really get a kick out of some of the resulting scenes! And at the end what seals the whole experience before returning you back to your life is a small bit of the only special effects in the movie concerning a certain "tree". The last bit of magic in a fully magical movie. As you return to life you feel as though your soul has taken a holiday and you feel supremely good!

  Now for me, that's about the time to pop in another 007 DVD!!

  This movie, as you can see, is a rare treat and has an even rarer enchantment within it. There is simply no other movie like it and you owe yourself at least a viewing! You will be enchanted... Enjoy!
  
  

• Do I have to stop at five stars?
  By A1K7Q5Y4OO3LDS on 2003-02-04
  This is my favorite movie of all. I watch it at least once a month, sometimes once a week. Watching this movie is like taking a mini-vacation. Turn on the VCR, put up your feet, and take at trip to paradise.
  Two women in post-war England decide to run away from their responsibilities and husbands for a month. They rent a villa ("a kind of castle, reallyÉ") in sunny Italy. Both women are short of funds, so they advertise for two others to share the holiday. A sleek, young ingenue and a stuffy curmudgeon join them. No men allowed. They wake up in paradise and their personalities unfold like the carpet of flowers on the hillsides, all in their own way and in their own time.
  Watching this occur is soul-fulfilling. Watch for the scenes when Lottie opens the window out to her first view of her surroundings. After the night's storm, her face shows her utter disbelief. And when Ruth cries alone in the glade. Oh! I know those feelings! I know how that is! "Delicious!" The men in the film are wonderful and are there to strickly support the female cast. The music is also calming and beautiful - especially the oboe piece.
  I wish I knew women like this. I wish I had their wardrobe. Okay, I wish I was in this movie!
  A beautiful film to watch, cry, laugh, dream, and wish over. Lovingly directed, acted, slow as molasses in January, but that's why I like it. A lovely break from the crazy world outside. Enjoy!
  
  
• Could a film adaptation be BETTER than the novel?
  By A1M110RB5W86Q1 on 2001-09-20
  In this case, I think it could be true! There are a few twists the movie takes that reconcile a couple of minor lingering threads in the book. I find that they make the story more satisfying for me, but you may not agree...a reason to read the book AND see the movie!

  Enchanted April is one of those stories that makes life seem good again. In the warm spring air of Italy, four very different Englishwomen cast off their doubts and their demons to become fast friends. The cinematography is grand, the locations enchanting (I think the movie was actually shot at the castle where Elizabeth von Arnim wrote the novel!), the costumes delightful, and the acting superb. Miranda Richardson, Josie Lawrence, Joan Plowright, and Polly Walker are wonderful, as is the rest of the cast. SEE THIS MOVIE!
  
  

• Warm, Heartfelt, and just Great
  By AK7RQ7PLRFHQ5 on 2005-04-08
  There is not a lot to say that hasn't been said about this movie. It rates in my top 5 all time favorites. I have everything from the Die Hard collection to Godzilla, but this is the DVD I'm waiting for. I like art-house, and pretty much anything that is good, and that has style. This movie is great and has a lot of style. The characters have been brought back through time, the acting is superb, the scenery is stunning. The opening scenes portray a dreary England: Dismal weather and almost desperate people. All that changes in the second part of the film. The characters find a new zest for life and leave Italy much happier people. Only a machine could not be warmed, even a little, by this movie.
  Please consider letting Amazon know that you are interested in this film being available on DVD. There is a box on the right side of the screen allowing Amazon to notify you when the film's available. This interest on our parts may encourage the studio to release this wonderful movie on DVD in all its widescreen splendor. Thanks. Ciao.
  
  
• Enchanting and lovely. A perfect holiday.
  By A31LMJXQWZ1JD9 on 2000-04-22
  I had never seen this movie before I bought it, nor had I read the book. I bought it soley because of the title and picture on the cover. It was a beautiful movie, full of warmth and love. Everything about it was terrific. The gardens at the villa were absolutely lovely. And I love the villa itself. While watching the film, I, too, spent an April in quietude and peace with the four very different women who rent the villa. It's a magical place where each woman finds something within herself that had long slept, and as a result, they bloom, just as the oleander. You can really feel the magic of the place. A truly remarkable film. This for everyone who is a romantic. I just can't write enough praise. It's a must-see film.
  
  
• A Truly Magical, Timeless Film
  By AAZ13GJZSNE7K on 2004-10-31
  I rented this movie several years ago -- and FELL IN LOVE! It starts out dreary, but soon changes, and, by the end of the film, you are enveloped in this warm cocoon of hope. The characters are very real, and you fall in love with each of them as they discover themselves and grow.
  
  There are many, many wonderful moments in this movie, but here are two I especially prize:
  Lottie and Rose have left a rainy, dreary London, and arrive in Italy at night amid even worse weather. Rose asks, "How is this different?" and Lottie replies,"Well, this is ITALIAN rain." What a wonderful attitude- You just have to laugh!
  
  Another moment has Rose discovering her estranged husband softly snoring in one of the rooms. She awakens him, and as he opens his eyes, smiles and says her name, there is no doubt in your heart that he truly, truly loves her. What a lovely, and very subtle moment, captured on film.
  
  This is the perfect movie for a rainy afternoon, or if you are feeling just a little "blue". I have watched it often under these circumstances, & it never fails to give me the "Warm Fuzzies ;-)
  
  
  
  
  
• Refreshing- beautfiul scenery-great choice of actresses
  By A2WMEDQT6EL5FM on 2000-10-06
  Breathtaking and charming- that's the best adjectives I can find for this movie. Miranda Richardson was fabulous, and it was nice to see Josie Lawrence in something more serious then "Whose Line is it Anyway". Four women retreat to a lovely Italian villa and change in very different ways. The beautiful 20-something girl finds peace from the ever growing gaggle of men always wanting to touch her and realizes that beauty isn't everything. 2 unhappily married women re-discover themselves and what they want, and receive surprise visits from the said husbands; even the men cannot escape the transformation this magical place performs. And an older woman, who has lost all her contemporaries to death, finds new friendships with these women and loses her protective gruffness to open herself up to new experiences and life itself. Fabulous adaptation from novel to screen. One for the personal video library. (And, as I always say, READ THE BOOK, TOO!)
  
  
• Anything Is Possible at San Salvatore
  By ATCJCYVNJCAXS on 2006-11-07
  This wonderful movie doesn't just tell a terrific story, it is a parable with deep psycho-emotional - and if you are willing to see them, even spiritual - implications. What does it mean? I don't want to spoil your fun by spelling it out in too much detail, but let me give you a few hints.
  
  When the movie begins all the major characters - and there are a number of them, for this is an ensemble piece in which several characters are of more or less equal importance - are seen to be suffering from that almost universal affliction of fallen man, broken relationships. Each is, in his or her own way, either lacking the relationships they desire or unable to relate successfully to the most significant other in their lives. As a result, they are all more or less miserable, as Lottie Wilkins says to her newfound friend Rose Arbuthnot early in the movie.
  
  The story this movie goes on to tell is essentially about how all this brokenness gets healed. Thematically that puts it in the same class with some of my other favorite movies, like A Christmas Carol (I prefer the old black & white Alistair Sim version) and Groundhog Day. Although less obviously than those two, Enchanted April is also a bit of a fantasy, for it takes some powerful magic to get these unhappy people out of their deeply entrenched ruts, just as it took magic (or would you prefer to call it divine intervention?) to save Scrooge and Phil Connors the weatherman.
  
  In this case the magic is provided by a place: A castle in Italy called San Salvatore. But the fantasy is deeply rooted in reality, and we have no trouble believing that at San Salvatore anything really is possible, even that all these miserable people would find the healing and happiness they long for in one miraculously "enchanted April." For anyone with whom this theme resonates, the movie thereby provides not merely a happy ending, but one that is truly joyful.
  
  Another thing that makes this movie a treat to watch is that it is full of wit and good humor. Much of it is rather subtle, but if you don't laugh out loud numerous times either you are not paying attention or your sense of humor is very different from my own. Be sure to watch for the hilarious little sermon fragment in an early scene, which is easy to overlook but priceless if you catch it.
  
  It also doesn't hurt that Enchanted April is marvelously written, acted, and directed. Tom Keogh's editorial review mentions a "particularly sensitive" performance by Alfred Molina, and a "very funny one" by Jim Broadbent. I agree on both counts, but hasten to point out that even these are surpassed by the brilliant performance of Joan Plowright, for which she deservedly received a Golden Globe award and an Academy Award nomination. The cinematography is also of the highest quality, particularly the gloriously beautiful scenes set in sunny Italy. These would be even more beautiful on DVD, and it seems disgraceful to me that this terrific movie has not yet been released in that format!
  
  In conclusion, I can only add that while both my wife and I could mention a great many movies we have enjoyed over the years, we both agree that this one is our absolute favorite. If you haven't seen it yourself, and if anything I have said makes you suspect you might possibly enjoy it, or has even piqued your interest in any way, I encourage you to see it as soon as possible. It may not be easy to find at your local video store, but I urge you to make whatever effort it takes. I'm almost certain you won't be disappointed!
  
  
• A Rare Gem
  By A1ZGIJG6187SO9 on 2002-06-14
  This is the kind of movie that American studios loathe to make. It has too much charm. It was made on a shoestring budget and the major American studios seem to salivate at only the big budget type films. It's a story about women. It's a love story with no sex. It's a remarkable movie, deftly directed by Mike Newell, with no major stars, yet it shines.

  Each of the actors, from Alfred Molina to Joan Plowright to the little known but charming Josie Lawrence, give fine performances. Based on the Elizabeth von Arnim novel, two repressed English women seek adventure and find it when they vacation in an Italian villa. The villa seems to change everyone's mood and outlook in life. It's similar in theme to "A Room With A View".

  Shot on what had to be a shoestring production, the story, the actors and the camerawork more than make up for any limitations of budget. The film tops off with a satisfying ending that will leave you in a mood quite the opposite of what most films do today. When was the last time that happened?
  
  

• Perfect!
  By A2JP0WR6NHYDES on 2005-03-30
  In my top ten of Most Beloved Movies, this one rates very, very high. It's a movie about unhappy people. They are unhappy because they've closed their minds, indeed their whole beings, from being happy. Lottie feels her husband doesn't truly love her, and as a consequence refuses to love him. Rose disapproves of her husbands work (he writes racy novels) and tries to lose herself in her Church and Helping The Poor. Her husband, as a consequence drifts further and further away from her and casts roving eyes elsewhere. Rose and Lottie meet over a newspaper ad about a castle in Italy which is for rent for the month of April. To cut costs they advertise for two other women to join their holiday, away from home and husbands. The two other women are mrs Fisher, an old crusty lady who seemingly has no friends, just the memories of beloved and literary friends of the past, who've all died, and Lady Caroline Dexter, a raving beauty who tires of all the men that are always fighting for her attentions (whilst she still grieves for a man who died in the War - the First World War, that is)
  Any American movie, to which even we in Europe are starting to get conditioned to, would give Lottie and Rose Italian lovers, or would insist they'd divorce their husbands. What makes this movie so delightful is that none of this happens. All four women end up very happy, not because of some outside reason but because they themselves open up to the people around them. They find out that, in order to be loved, one should be lovable herself. And it turns out that the menfolk are not the horrid, cold or roving monsters they were made out to be. Rose's husband, confronted with a Rose who doesn't reject him or his livelihood, practically throws himself in her arms. Lotti's husband will never be a dashing charmer, but he, in his own quit way, does love her, finds her beautiful. "Why couldn't I see it before?", he asks her. Mrs Fisher bursts open and finds out that all her old friends have one great disadvantage: they are all dead. "I want the living", she decides. And Caroline? Caroline finds somebody who doesn't care about superficial beauty and is finally freed to love. Each and every one of the characters blossom. Yes, Italy is beautiful after dreary London, but what really changes is not the scenery but the way the characters think and percieve themselves. They are no longer victims of their own lives, but actors. They free themselves to love and to be loving. Every time I need to be cheered up, this movie does the trick.
  
  
• I Adore This Movie
  By A3GJ76PAUR5BTS on 2007-03-01
  This is one of my favorite movies ever, and I watch it as frequently as I am able. It is very disappointing to me that this wonderful film has YET to be released on DVD when such deplorable ones hit the Block Buster store every five minutes. Not only is the story written with brillence, but the cast is impecible, the direction flawless, and the cinematography breathtaking. I love these "odd couples" who find their inner kindness and fearless selves in an era awakening from the horror of the external world war and the internal socially appropriate war each has faced. This film demonstrates the strength to change and grow, make better choices for life, repulsing death, and rediscovery. It is truely a lovely, lovely film, and I WANT IT RELEASED ON DVD to enjoy for my lifetime and share with others I love.
  
  
• A most beautiful movie.
  By on 2004-02-24
  This is an enchanting and most beautiful movie that speaks to us of slowing down the pace of life.....to stop and smell the roses "so to speak" and the importance of connecting with nature and others in a more beautiful and honorable way. I found this movie years ago and have considered it an important movie in my small but soothing collection. It also helped me to realize how far I was removed from living the more peaceable life and since then, I have consciously made an effort to align my own life so that it is a reflection of more peace and serenity. I have never been to Italy.....nor have I stayed in a villa.....but I have made my own home beautiful and relaxing in simple ways.....and have made more time for myself by cancelling commitments and obigations....giving myself more time to do the things I truly love and admire. This movie has helped to change and reshape my life and my values.....perhaps you will likewise allow it to do the same for you... I highly recommend this movie. It provides sanctuary from what we know as society and the ills of same.
  
  
• Outstanding.
  By A2K7ETEIA4AB5R on 2005-03-27
  What everyone says about this splendid film is true. Why is this not on DVD, but everything Jennifer Lopez has made, is? Does there really need to be any further evidence that we live in a fallen world?
  
  
• Where's the DVD???
  By A2AKL7ETCXYEED on 2005-12-11
  Why must we be inundated with trash being released on DVD, yet classic timeless films like this are overlooked?? I have this on VHS and have watched it about 100 times and never tire of it. The title is spot on... Enchanted, yes this is what this film is, totally enchanting. I sometimes think that if a film is not a blockbuster or filled with sex and violence than the powers that be feel no one would bother to buy it on DVD. With all the garbage being released daily, I wish someone would get it through their heads that there IS a market for classic films!
  
  
• Drum up the DVD: Write to this company
  By ARTNPZDFN6XMQ on 2008-03-25
  I contacted the BBC films division, which still appears to own the rights to Enchanted April. I was told that the retailing of BBC properties is now being done by a British media marketing firm which has started releasing some recent BBC productions as well as older ones. Here's the name of the company's managing director -- worth sending him an email. I wrote a few weeks ago and suggested he look at all the Amazon postings crying out for this release on DVD. I didn't hear back, but maybe shouts of "Soldi! Soldi!" will attract his attention. Contact:
  Stuart Snaith
  Managing Director DVD & Video
  stuart.snaith@2entertain.co.uk
  
  
• Sunshine and Wisteria
  By A3TYH5ZE1JG7J9 on 2006-05-28
  Enchanted April is my all-time favorite movie. I love the scenery so much I had a mural of my favorite scene painted as a mural on a bathroom wall. It truly takes you away from your troubles and puts you in 19th Century England, with horse-drawn carriages, long dresses, gorgeous scenery and many, many flowers. How can you not like it?
  
  Four women of different cultural status share an Italian villa for the month of April. They learn strengths and weaknesses of themselves and of each other. It's springtime in Italy! The plot is so wonderful, I don't want to give it away. It truly deserves to be discovered by each viewer for themselves.
  
  Please, please, come out with the DVD. It will sell - I assure you.
  
  
• I keep on being Enchanted....
  By AB4CUAS3W8J2 on 2006-06-14
  This is my absolute favorite movie and I have just finished watching it for over the 100th time.OK-- Call me obsessed.I wanted a bit of a spiritual lift tonight and I wasn't disappointed. It is magic each and every time I see that metamorphosis go on between the characters.All in due time, each character finds a way to eventually renew existing relationships as well as begin new ones--which only transpires once in magical Italy of course... I have never watched a movie this many times and yet I still find it as joyful to watch as the first time . It is sweet and gentle , humerous and magical...
  Not to mention I have all of my beautiful Italia to look at!
  Che bella!
  
  I must say that my two VHS versions are beginning to look a little fuzzy from over use. I know I 've not been the only one screaming for the DVD!! C'mon already!!!!Who do you have to know???
  
  
  
• Enchanted April
  By A2IJZY9VEJ11EO on 2006-11-07
  How could this movie not be on DVD in the U.S.? It is such a nice story. I have had this on VHS for years and would really like it on DVD but cannot believe I cannot purchase it and watch it without so much hassle. How come there is so much trash you can buy on DVD but the nicer movies you cannot? Does not make any sense.
  
  
• WHAT A TRULY GREAT MOVIE. A FILM THAT WE ALL NEED.
  By on 1999-09-22
  I don't think I was the type that was envisioned when they made this but man did I benefit from it. At the beginning these characters look as angry and detatched from life as most of us do and that alone got to me. Then an impulse vacation to Italy manages very subtly but realisticly to guide them to see things in their true light. They realize blindness and hate can criple people without really noticing it. GREAT performances by the legend Joan Plowright and Miranda Richardson. A campy but loving job by Polly Walker and a truly excellent one by Josie Lawrence (of the original "Whose line is it Anyway?"). This film changes you and to risk sounding corny it's great for the soul. C'mon DVD. Buy this film.
  
  
• A great film that should be on DVD
  By A3PWVRO1PK8OBD on 2004-09-19
  I love British film and this one tops my list. I stumbled across it in a video store's'previously viewed' section years ago. What a buy! Truly the whole planet could benefit from it's release on DVD. Trust me; it will actually offer a 'tub of love' for your soul to bathe in.
  
  
• ABSOLUTELY GREAT MOVIE BEST OF THE BEST DVD RELEASED IN EUROPE
  By A2CL818RN52NWN on 2005-10-27
  AS TO BE EXPECTED THERE IS NO US RELEASE ON DVD I HAVE THE VIDEO AND THE IMPORT DVD.PLEASE RELEASE THIS TITLE NOT KILLER MICE ON MARS OR KILLER TOMATO TRILOGY
  
  
• The sweetest movie!
  By A4S5Y1U0A9RHI on 2006-12-12
  This is such a sweet movie. It's one of my all-time favorites. I saw it many years ago and have always wanted to own it. I checked it out of the library not long ago and still loved it. I decided to find a copy to own. A very good story in friendships, women deciding to discover themselves and the meaning of their roles in marriage. It's a good story about self awareness for the husbands and the wives. It has incredible scenery and is romantic. Very good acting by all. Heart warming and lifting.
  
  
• A wonderful heartwarming movie.
  By A1EB3EO0NZ1LO on 2000-12-22
  Enchanted April is a wonderful movie about four woman who rent an Italian castle to get away from their dull lives. Josie Lawrence plays Lottie Wilkins, who meets Rose Arbuthnot (Miranda Richardson). She insists they stay in the castle and finally Rose agrees. To cut down on expenses, they advertise for two more people to come and stay with them. Mrs Fisher(Joan Plowright) and Lady Caroline Dester (Polly Walker) are the only two who respond, not leaving them with much choice. After being there a while, Lottie and Rose decide to invite their husbands to stay and the owner of the castle, Mr Briggs visits to see them. In time, they all become very good friends.

  To sum it up, Enchanted April is a wonderful movie and is also a very heartwarming one.
  
  

• A Wonderful Surprise
  By A2GY8ACB6OI1ZF on 2003-09-06
  The cover is a really horrible way to judge this film. I did judge it by this method (as I do most things) for months before I was perusing my local video store's library with a recent acquaintance. She demanded we watch the film with her roommates (my long-time friends), so I reluctantly rented it. It is horribly feminine, and I felt my masculinity threatened by it. Nonetheless, the film was surprisingly enjoyable. I doubt most men would enjoy the film, but I found it to be as enchanting to the audience as it was to the characters.

  There was a certain sort of narcotic in the film that made me long to be in Italy, anywhere in Italy, to feel and to see the wonders of that mystical place that the English-speaking world so splendidly reports of.

  The characters are varied in their social customs and ranks, but they all share the same desire to escape the world in which they normally reside to recoup. An actress, an old woman, and two unhappy wives unite in a villa in Italy to learn from each and from the seaside estate for a month. The hair comes down and the facades wear off, creating a family from strangers.

  It is a lesson in learning to find relaxation in life and in keeping relationships are a greater priority than earning a living or keeping house or whatever. Enchanted April is a magnificent film.
  
  

• A Castle to rent for a month in Italy...?
  By A1DI3PU62K8KZ0 on 2004-01-29
  Where do I sign up. This film was simply enchanting. Perfectly slow and dreamy, it's a vacationer's dream trip come true. I have read the book and the film follows it closely, though the biggest change is in the character of Mr. Briggs, the owner of "San Salvatory". Most guys would shy away form this type of film. Pity that they do, but understandable.

  Watch this film on a rainy day, sunny day, cloudy, cold day, anyday when you want to go away for a quick holiday to Italy. It's worth every second.
  
  

• A true spirit lifter
  By A3L61DJ8SWSQDF on 2005-10-20
  This is one of the best films to watch when you're feeling down. It's a great testament to the power of friendship and the importance of just smelling the roses (or the wisteria in this case). Why they will put trash like American Pie on DVD and not this film is beyond me.
  
  

• A Month by the Lake
• The Enchanted April (New York Review Books Classics)
• My House in Umbria
• Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont
• Tea With Mussolini