# My House in Umbria

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

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

* 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

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

## Awards and nominations

| Year | Award | Category | Nominee(s) | Result |
| 2003 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Motion Picture Made for Television | Best Motion Picture Made for Television | Nominated |
| 2003 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Maggie Smith | Nominated |
| 2003 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Chris Cooper | Nominated |
| 2003 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Best Ensemble in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated |
| 2003 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Richard Loncraine | Nominated |
| 2003 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Writing of a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Hugh Whitemore | Nominated |
| 2003 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Costume Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Best Costume Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Won |
| 2003 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Editing in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Best Editing in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated |
| 2003 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Lighting in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Best Lighting in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated |
| 2003 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated |
| 2003 | Online Film & Television Association Awards | Best Production Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Best Production Design in a Motion Picture or Miniseries | Nominated |
| 2003 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Made for Television Movie | Robert Allan Ackerman, Frank Doelger, and Ann Wingate | Nominated |
| 2003 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie | Maggie Smith | Won |
| 2003 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie | Chris Cooper | Nominated |
| 2003 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special | Richard Loncraine | Nominated |
| 2003 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special | Hugh Whitemore | Nominated |
| 2003 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special | Luciana Arrighi, Cristina Onori, and Alessandra Querzola | Nominated |
| 2003 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Casting for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special | Irene Lamb | Nominated |
| 2003 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special | Nicoletta Ercole, Rosa Palma, and M. Erminia Melato | Nominated |
| 2003 | Primetime Emmy Awards | 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 | Best TV Movie | Nominated |
| 2004 | 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 |
| 2004 | Directors Guild of America Awards | Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television | Richard Loncraine | Nominated |
| 2004 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Best Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television | Nominated |
| 2004 | Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television | Maggie Smith | Nominated |
| 2004 | 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 |
| 2004 | Satellite Awards | Best Motion Picture Made for Television | Best Motion Picture Made for Television | Nominated |
| 2004 | Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television | Maggie Smith | Nominated |
| 2004 | Satellite Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television | Chris Cooper | Nominated |
| 2004 | Young Artist Awards | Best Family Television Movie or Special | Best Family Television Movie or Special | Nominated |
| 2004 | Young Artist Awards | Best Performance in a TV Movie, Miniseries or Special – Supporting Young Actress | Emmy Clarke | Won |