My House in Umbria

2003 television film by Richard Loncraine

This article is about the 2003 television film. For the 1991 novella on which it is based, see Two Lives (novel).

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
Find sources: "My House in Umbria" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (May 2019) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

|

My House in Umbria

Original theatrical poster

Genre| Drama
Mystery
Romance
Thriller
Based on| My House in Umbria
by William Trevor
Screenplay by| Hugh Whitemore
Directed by| Richard Loncraine
Starring| Maggie Smith
Ronnie Barker
Chris Cooper
Timothy Spall
Giancarlo Giannini
Benno Fürmann
Music by| Claudio Capponi
Country of origin| United States
Original language| English
Production
Executive producers|

* Robert Allan Ackerman
* Frank Doelger

Producer| Ann Wingate
Cinematography| Marco Pontecorvo
Editor| Humphrey Dixon
Running time| 109 minutes
Production companies| HBO Films
Canine Films
Panorama Films
Original release
Network| HBO
Release| May 25, 2003 (2003-05-25)

My House in Umbria is a 2003 American made-for-television drama mystery film, loosely 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.

An unlikely group of people come together to support one another in solace and friendship, after being thrown together in the wake of a terrorist attack of the train carriage they were sharing in Italy.

## Plot

[edit]

Emily Delahunty 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.

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" a retired British Army veteran, Werner, a young German photographer, and Aimee, an American child 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 local policeman Inspector Girotti. 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 Aimee's uncle Thomas Riversmith, a university professor in the US. He agrees to take her back to the USA to live with his wife and himself, though they have little time for (and no experience with) raising children. They 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 he 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.

## Cast

[edit]

* Maggie Smith as Mrs. Emily Delahunty
* Chris Cooper as Thomas Riversmith
* Timothy Spall as Quinty
* Emmy Clarke as Aimee
* Ronnie Barker as The General
* Benno Fürmann as Werner
* Giancarlo Giannini as Inspector Girotti
* Libero De Rienzo as Dr. Innocenti
* Cecilia Dazzi as Rosa Crevelli

## Production

[edit]

* Much of the film was made on location in Italy, including Cinecittà, Rome, Lazio, Siena and Tuscany.

## Awards and nominations

[edit]

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

[edit]

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.

## External links

[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to My House in Umbria.

* My House in Umbria at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Richard Loncraine

* Slade in Flame (1975)
* Full Circle (1977)
* Secret Orchards (1979)
* Blade on the Feather (1980)
* The Missionary (1982)
* Brimstone and Treacle (1982)
* Bellman and True (1987)
* Wide-Eyed and Legless (1993)
* Richard III (1995)
* The Gathering Storm (2002)
* My House in Umbria (2003)
* Wimbledon (2004)
* Firewall (2006)
* My One and Only (2009)
* The Special Relationship (2010)
* 5 Flights Up (2014)
* Finding Your Feet (2017)

* v
* t
* e

William Trevor

Novels and novellas|

* The Old Boys (1964)
* Mrs. Eckdorf in O'Neill's Hotel (1969)
* The Children of Dynmouth (1976)
* Two Lives (1991)
* Felicia's Journey (1994)
* The Story of Lucy Gault (2002)
* Love and Summer (2009)

Short story collections|

* The Hill Bachelors (2000)
* A Bit on the Side (2004)

Adaptations|

* The Ballroom of Romance (1982)
* Attracta (1983)
* Fools of Fortune (1990)
* Felicia's Journey (1999)
* My House in Umbria (2003)

Other|

* Secret Orchards (1979)
* The Old Curiosity Shop (1979–1980)

* v
* t
* e

Producers Guild of America Award for Best Long-Form Television

* World War II: When Lions Roared (1994)
* Truman (1995)
* Prime Suspect: The Lost Child (1996)
* Miss Evers' Boys (1997)
* From the Earth to the Moon (1998)
* Tuesdays with Morrie (1999)
* Death of a Salesman (2000)
* Band of Brothers (2001)
* Live from Baghdad (2002)
* My House in Umbria (2003)
* Angels in America (2004)
* The Life and Death of Peter Sellers (2005)
* Elizabeth I (2006)
* Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007)
* John Adams (2008)
* Grey Gardens (2009)
* The Pacific (2010)
* Downton Abbey, series 1 (2011)
* Game Change (2012)
* Behind the Candelabra (2013)
* Fargo, season 1 (2014)
* Fargo, season 2 (2015)
* The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story (2016)
* Black Mirror, season 4 (2017)

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template