Claim: Maggie Smith is person who acts.

A Room with a View is a 1985 British romance film , directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant , of E. M. Forster 's 1908 novel of the same name . The film closely follows the novel by use of the chapter titles to section the film into thematic segments . Set in England and Italy , it is about a young woman named Lucy Honeychurch in the restrictive and repressed culture of Edwardian era England and her developing love for free-spirited young George Emerson . It stars Helena Bonham Carter as Lucy , Julian Sands as George and Maggie Smith , Denholm Elliott , Daniel Day-Lewis , Judi Dench and Simon Callow in supporting roles .   The film was a success at the box office as well as receiving universal critical acclaim . At the 59th Academy Awards it was nominated for eight awards including Best Picture , winning three ; Best Adapted Screenplay , Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design . It also won five British Academy Film Awards and one Golden Globe Award . In 1999 the British Film Institute voted A Room with a View the 73rd greatest British film of the 20th Century .