A Room With A View

Beautifully made movie poster

We recently had to watch the 1985 film "A Room With A View" for our English Lit class. It's based on the 1908 book by E.M. Forster that goes by the same name. I'll try to write a brief synopsis and talk about class issues in the movie.

SYNOPSIS

The first part of the film takes us to Florence; where two cousins from Victorian/Edwardian England, Lucy Honeychurch and Charlotte Bartlett are vacationing. Charlotte is Lucy’s chaperone while they travel along the Italian city. Whilst there, they stay at a pensione, a type of lodging or hotel, where they had requested a room with a view towards the river, but didn't actually get it. At dinner they were talking about it when the other guests heard about their predicament. A man, Mr. Emerson, along with his son George offers to exchange rooms with the ladies. After some convincing Charlotte agrees to the exchange. A friendship forms between Charlotte and Eleanor Lavish, a novelist also staying at the pensione. Other guests include two elderly sisters, the Miss Alans and the reverend Mr. Beebe. At some point the group goes on an outing to the country, and this is where George kisses Lucy. 

What an awkward, awkward kiss

The second part of the story, brings us to England, where Lucy lives with her brother Freddie and their mother Mrs. Honeychurch. It is here where we meet Cecil Vyse for the first time when he proposes to Lucy. By a turn of events, George and his father move to the countryside, nearby Lucy's home. George and Freddy become friends, and after a tennis match George kisses Lucy a second time. 

More awkward kissing

After this kiss Lucy calls off her engagement to Cecil, and starts planning a trip to Greece with the Miss Alans. George, brokenhearted and without knowledge of Lucy's broken engagement, decides to move away with his father. Lucy has a talk with Mr. Emerson who makes her realize that she loves George. After this, we see George and Lucy back at the pensione. Back at their room with a view.

Finally happy together

CLASS ISSUES

Charlotte Bartlett 

Charlotte's an old maid who seems too uptight most of the time, but we have to remember that women from the Victorian era were groomed to be good, serious wives. Victorian women tend to be portrayed as more serious and proper than what we're accustomed in more modern times. She looks down at people who are different from her and think differently than she does, for example Mr. Emerson and George.

Lucy

Lucy, on the other hand, is more open to new experiences and new people. She's not as uptight as her cousin Charlotte. Lucy's more open minded and free-spirited. At times she reminded me of Rose from Titanic, wanting to leave the prim and proper girl behind and blossom into a new woman. 

Mr. Emerson with Lucy

George enjoying nature

Even though Mr. Emerson and his son George, have a noticeable age gap between them, they are as free spirited as Lucy is, maybe even more. They just want to enjoy the finest things that life has to offer for them. And don't feel the need to act uptight or snobbish to get them. Not very common on Victorian men.

Cecil listening to Lucy play the piano

As for my most hated character, Cecil Vyse, he is the epitome of snob. He thinks he is better than everyone else, even his own finacee's brother. Cecil literally looks down his nose when talking to others he thinks are below him, which is what tipped me off, apart from the outfits, that I was watching a Victorian era period film. All Cecil cares about is impressing others.

Eleanor and Charlotte lost in the streets of Florence

Eleanor Lavish, the novelist, is by far the most feminist of women in the film. She has no problem going out by herself, or talking about themes not intended for women. She's strong and knows about love and life, and she's not afraid to show it.  When she walks with Charlotte through the back streets of Florence they get lost, and instead of doing the tourist thing and checking their guides, she just keeps calm and like a true traveler goes back and tries to find themselves. 

The Reverend, Mr. Beebe

We meet two clergymen during the film, and they couldn't be more opposites. The Reverend, Mr. Eager, is a serious, cranky old man who doesn't seem to approve of fun. The other, The Reverend, Mr. Beebe is friendly, and helpful. He's even portrayed as playful when he jumps nude in a pond along with Freddie and George.

Something I noticed in this film is that there's quite a few opposites; like the before mentioned Mr. Eager and Mr. Beebe, where one is serious and the other is more playful. Charlotte Bartlett and Eleanor Lavish, who are polar opposites, regardless of their friendship. And of course, Cecil Vyse and George Emerson, Lucy's love interests, who without knowing were competing for her heart. One being an arrogant snob, and the other a more playful, young at heart man. 

Dear reader, here I leave you with the trailer, now I urge you to watch this film.

Tourist for a Day

“Hi, I’m Anne Marie from Florida and it’s my first time here.” I said as I greeted the young man at the entrance of the Bacardi Distillery tour in Cataño.

Entrance to the Bacardi Distillery Tour

I was a tourist for a day, looking at my country through a visitor’s eyes. Since I was supposed to be something different from what I really am, my fiancée and I decided to have a little fun and play a part. In our little role play I was Anne Marie, Joel’s long distance girlfriend visiting from Ocala, Florida. We only spoke English between us, but he communicated with strangers in Spanish if they didn't understand me whenever I spoke. We decided to to this, because I've been in situations where I'm in a country where English nor Spanish are spoken. It can get quite frustrating for all parties involved. I don't like being in socially awkward situations, especially with strangers.  

We did our little experiment on the 28^th of February, which happened to be my birthday. We decided to take the Bacardi Distillery tour because it’s something that neither of us had done before; and even though I don’t normally drink, my birthday is the only day of the year when I let loose and drink in moderation.

In front of the Bacardi barrels

When we got to the Bacardi plant, I noticed that the surrounding courtyards were very well manicured and clean. Cleanliness is something I have always noticed whenever I travel. We made a short line and the staff spoke to us in Spanish. I looked at Joel and quietly told the employee that I was visiting the island and that I didn't speak any Spanish. He apologized and asked me in perfect English where I was visiting from. Since I know Ocala pretty well I told him I was from there. He was very friendly, but he switched to Spanish a couple of times when he spoke to Joel and whenever he did so I felt a little left out. Did I just experience "othering"? Although I don't think he did it on purpose, it's kind of rude to basically exclude someone just because they don't speak the language.    

We took the tour in English with two other couples. One from New York and the other from Ohio. I actually heard them commenting on how clean the place was and how well mannered and informed the tour guide was. I honestly felt very proud when I heard that.

Since there were only six of us on the tour it was very quiet and we could understand and hear everything the tour guide said. When the tour ended we went back to the pavilion where the tour started. Almost everyone there waiting for another tour to start was Puerto Rican. It was interesting to see the difference between the tourists, which kept mainly to themselves, and Puerto Ricans, most of whom were walking around and talking loudly and excitedly, Because it was so full it was obviously very noisy. I could hardly hear what Joel was telling me. I guess that the stereotype about Puerto Ricans being loud is true! 

The beautiful Bacardi Coin.
I really wanted to keep one

  Everyone gets a Bacardi coin, with which you can get a free drink. I chose Rum Punch and it tasted amazing. They also served Cuba Libres, but the cans of Coke were already open and it tasted a little flat.

After the tour we were going to walk around Old San Juan but finding a parking spot was such a hassle we almost left. A police officer told us about the Cuartel de Ballaja parking, the one under the totem. Since I was the one asking, he tried to speak English, but could hardly form a sentence. It was really frustrating, and I honestly almost started speaking Spanish. But he managed to mention a smart phone app called Vive San Juan with maps and information on how to get around and the different attractions nearby. For a person who's never been to San Juan, that app would be VERY helpful. I wish every country or at least major city had this.

Joel, my fiancee and partner in crime

Since it was raining quite a bit, we couldn’t walk around very much. My fiancée treated me to a birthday dinner in a Mexican restaurant called Aureola located on San Sebastian Street. The restaurant was pretty empty, it was only us two, and another couple when we got there. After about half an hour three young men came in and sat at the bar. It was a lovely place, and the staff were very friendly, but our waitress couldn’t speak a word of English. Which became a bit of a problem, but at least I had my trusty translator with me.

After dinner we came out of the restaurant and it had stopped raining, so we walked towards El Morro to check out the view. We sat and talked for a bit while we looked at families flying kites and having fun.

Candid picture of me looking at the kites

Our biggest problem was finding a public restroom; I had to ask a few people until I finally found a security guard who spoke English and told me about the restrooms in Cuartel de Ballaja. I have traveled to different places and I can honestly say I had never seen such a dirty restroom. I couldn't even use it. I told a nearby coffee shop employee and she wasn't even apologetic. She understood me, but when my fiancée spoke Spanish she basically told him “Oh well, that’s how things are here.” and laughed. This infuriated me. 

Dirtiest restroom I've ever seen

I'm all up for promoting tourism in Puerto Rico, but I just wish things were cleaner here. Some streets and squares were littered. Even though there were trash cans, there was trash in the actual cans and all around them. The underground parking lot we used smelled like urine and was basically a hotel for homeless people. I've been a tour guide for people visiting Puerto Rico and I've just accepted the fact that "That's the way things are here", but seeing it from an outsiders point of view really made me feel embarrassed about it. 

    Apart from the "restroom fiasco" I can say that I had an awesome day acting as a tourist. It might have been one of the best birthdays I've ever had.  

An amazing day with the love of my life

  

Identity in the Caribbean

By definition, identity means the qualities, beliefs, etc., that make a particular person or group different from others (Merriam-Webster). For example, the qualities that identify me as a Puerto Rican woman are my gender (female) and my nationality (Puerto Rican).

            According to Peter Roberts “Language therefore establishes bonds between all communities of human beings but at the same time set up barriers between communities. Human beings, however, are not restricted to use of a single language and cross barriers.”

            I personally disagree with Peter Robert’s  statement. I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, this is the community that saw me grow up. But, sometimes I feel extremely out of place. This happens mostly whenever I’m with people around my age, they tend to use certain words and express themselves in a manner that is very Puerto Rican, yet I can hardly understand what they mean. This becomes a language barrier in my own community, even if we’re talking the same language.

            As a person living in the Caribbean, this language barrier becomes more defined because there’s different nations, and most nations have different dialects. For example a word might mean something completely innocent in Puerto Rico, yet in the Dominican Republic it might mean something very naughty, this happens even though we speak the same language. If a person that speaks only Spanish were to go to Guadeloupe, they would have a very big problem, because in that island they speak French and Dutch, but very little English.

            As for home, “…home embodies a psychological factor of attachment, which probably issues from the basic animal instinct of territoriality, but is more an emotional bond created through experience of a place. Because the human being does not necessarily remain in one place through a lifetime, home is a variable and may be place of birth, place of residence or may be defined by the popular notion ‘where the heart is’.”

            How can I feel so out of place in the country that I’ve called home my whole life? Sometimes I just wish I could pack my bags and leave. Where? I really have no idea. I think I understand what the writer means when he says that home is “where the heart is”. My body may be here in Puerto Rico but my heart is somewhere else.

            People in the Caribbean call this territory home, but still move away from their countries to other places, be it because of economical problems, or just different points of view from their fellow countrymen. There’s been a exodus of Puerto Ricans leaving to the United States and some even to Europe, mostly because life on the island is getting more expensive and dangerous. But most of these people will always call Puerto Rico home.  

            “Sameness among human beings is commonly judged under certain basic categories- how people look, how they sound, where they were born and bred and how they behave” Sameness could be a big cultural barrier breaker. Not liking what’s “in” at the moment might sometimes make me feel like an outcast in my own culture. But at the same time I’ve met people from other places in the Caribbean, like Jamaica for example, that actually share some of my tastes. One of the things I like, that’s not very known in Puerto Rico is the TV series Doctor Who. My friend Jario is Jamaican, and is also a fan of this series. We don’t have a lot of things in common, but we have that shared taste. I feel like this has somehow broken that cultural barrier.

            As for Caribbean identity, language breaks us up between countries. The concept of home means something very different for each one of us. Sameness may not exist in every single household, but we are all one. Caribbean people are known for being hospitable. It doesn’t really matter where you stand in the Caribbean, we will greet you with a smile. Our cultures may be different, our traditions may not be the same, but we are one big culture, accustomed to the warm Caribbean sun.