--- title: "Enchanted April" year: 1991 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/enchanted-april" fi1m_id: "enchanted-april" imdb_id: "tt0101811" tmdb_id: 26561 wikidata_id: "Q1972135" fi1m_score: 65 critics_reviews: 3 published: "2026-10-04T21:57:26.412619+00:00" updated: "2026-10-04T21:57:26.969459+00:00" region: "AR" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Enchanted April (1991) Directed by Mike Newell · 1h 35m · Romance, Drama ## Identity Enchanted April - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/enchanted-april - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** enchanted-april - **IMDb ID:** tt0101811 - **TMDB ID:** 26561 - **Wikidata ID:** Q1972135 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0101811/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/26561, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1972135 **Fi1m score: 65** · Critics: 3 of 6 reviews so far *In a sentence:* Joan Plowright supplies the sharpness that April in Italy apparently cannot provide > Mike Newell’s *Enchanted April* offers agreeable company and Joan Plowright’s sharply delivered wit. Its romantic optimism comes too easily, but the performances make this slight drama worth considering for a quiet evening. ## Synopsis April in Italy provides the setting for this 95-minute romantic drama, directed by Mike Newell and adapted for the screen by Peter Barnes from a novel by Elizabeth von Arnim. Its central characters are Lottie Wilkins (Josie Lawrence), Rose Arbuthnot (Miranda Richardson), Caroline Dester (Polly Walker) and Mrs Fisher (Joan Plowright). Their story also involves Mellersh Wilkins (Alfred Molina), George Briggs (Michael Kitchen) and Frederick Arbuthnot (Jim Broadbent), with the possibility of love at the centre of the drama. ## Review Mike Newell’s *Enchanted April* is an agreeable romantic drama whose optimism comes too cheaply. April in Italy, with the possibility of love: the attraction needs little explaining. There is nothing embarrassing about wanting a film to offer that, and Mike Newell treats the wish with an affection that makes its gentleness welcome. We just wanted the writing to give its characters more convincing difficulties. Peter Barnes adapts a novel by Elizabeth von Arnim, and the film works most comfortably as a comedy of manners. Its wit gives the characters something to do while the romance gathers what momentum it can. Too often, however, a difficulty feels like a temporary inconvenience, with insufficient attention paid to what makes people reluctant to change. We need not demand misery, but a little more stubbornness would make the good humour more persuasive. Joan Plowright, as Mrs Fisher, supplies the sharpness that keeps the film from becoming merely pleasant. We laughed at the precision of her delivery, which gives the witty lines a welcome bite. There is authority in the performance, and she can command our attention without making the comedy seem laboured. Her contribution matters because the film needs someone capable of making a familiar observation entertaining through the way it is said. The ensemble gives us further reasons to stay, with Josie Lawrence as Lottie Wilkins and Miranda Richardson as Rose Arbuthnot. Alongside Polly Walker as Caroline Dester, they provide enough variety to keep the gentleness from becoming monotonous. The problem is how often the writing seems content to rely on the appeal of its performers. There is room here for more friction between people, and for a less accommodating account of how their difficulties might be overcome. Rex Maidment’s cinematography makes the Italian setting inviting, which matters in a film offering romantic escape. Malcolm Thornton’s production design is pleasing too, although the comfort of the surroundings contributes to the feeling that too little is at stake. These are successful choices for the kind of film Mike Newell wants to make. They also make the thinness of Peter Barnes’s dramatic writing easier to overlook for a while. Richard Rodney Bennett’s music helps sustain the agreeable mood, though it cannot make the romance more convincing by itself. Dick Allen’s editing keeps the film from feeling overlong, and the 95-minute running time is welcome. Yet there are stretches when the story needs development that pace alone cannot supply. A comedy of manners can remain gentle while asking more awkward questions about the people whose company it invites us to enjoy. The right appetite matters here. We would choose it for an evening when mild wit and the prospect of an Italian April are enough, rather than when we want a romance to surprise us. Its easy answers are a real limitation, and gentleness does not automatically excuse them. Let Joan Plowright be the reason for the evening, and the expectations are about right. *Fi1m score 65, published 4 October 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Enchanted April worth watching?** *Enchanted April* is worth considering for a quiet evening of mild wit and Italian scenery, and we score it 65 out of 100. Joan Plowright’s sharp delivery and the appealing ensemble keep us interested, but the romance resolves difficulties too easily to satisfy anyone wanting much friction or surprise. **How long is Enchanted April, and what is it rated?** *Enchanted April* runs 1h 35m. It is a romance and drama film. **Where can I watch Enchanted April in Argentina?** *Enchanted April* is not on any streaming or rental service in Argentina at the moment. It is available in 2 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How does Enchanted April compare to Local Hero?** *Enchanted April* offers gentler romantic escape than [*Local Hero*](https://film.one/film/local-hero), which we favour for its dry humour and sharper interest in money and motives. Both make appealing company through their performances and scenery, but *Enchanted April* asks less awkward questions of its characters, making it the choice for a less demanding evening. **Is Enchanted April based on a true story or a book?** *Enchanted April* is adapted by Peter Barnes from a novel by Elizabeth von Arnim, rather than presented as a true story. We find the adaptation most persuasive as a comedy of manners, with the cast giving its wit more bite than the writing gives its romantic difficulties. ### Reviews we read (3) - **Los Angeles Times**, MICHAEL WILMINGTON (75/100, inferred): Wilmington finds the film a charming, witty romantic escape, though its problems resolve too easily. He especially praises Joan Plowright’s commanding performance as Mrs. Fisher. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1992-08-21-ca-5443-story.html) - **Time Out**, CM (64/100, inferred): The page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is unavailable. No specific praise or complaint is visible in the accessible text. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/enchanted-april) - **Variety**, Variety Staff (35/100, inferred): The review finds the film an underwhelming comedy of manners, with familiar material and little dramatic development. It praises Joan Plowright’s delivery of the witty lines and notes that Michael Molina adds energy. [Read](https://variety.com/1990/film/reviews/enchanted-april-1200428927/) ## Details - **Director:** Mike Newell - **Director:** Mike Newell - **Screenplay:** Peter Barnes - **Novel:** Elizabeth von Arnim - **Cinematography:** Rex Maidment - **Editor:** Dick Allen - **Music:** Richard Rodney Bennett - **Production design:** Malcolm Thornton - **Costume design:** Sheena Napier - **Producer:** Ann Scott - **Cast:** Josie Lawrence as Lottie Wilkins; Miranda Richardson as Rose Arbuthnot; Polly Walker as Caroline Dester; Joan Plowright as Mrs Fisher; Alfred Molina as Mellersh Wilkins; Michael Kitchen as George Briggs; Jim Broadbent as Frederick Arbuthnot; Neville Phillips as Vicar - **Runtime:** 1h 35m - **First release (the UK):** 6 November 1991 - **Genres:** Romance, Drama - **Also in:** [Golden Globe Best Musical or Comedy winners](https://film.one/collections/golden-globe-comedy.md) (Nominee, 1992) - **Box office:** $13 million ## Where to watch in Argentina Not streaming, renting or buying in Argentina at the last check. Also available in: CA, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1993: Best Costume Design (nominated); Best Supporting Actress (nominated); Best Writing, Adapted Screenplay (nominated) ## If you liked this - *A Room with a View* (1985): Another Italian journey, with sharper social obstacles and rather more unruly desire. - *Local Hero* (1983), Fi1m 86: A change of scenery unsettles settled habits, with humour that stays dry. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/local-hero.md) - *Bread and Tulips* (2000): An Italian escape gives an overlooked woman room to reconsider her life. - *Our Little Sister* (2015): Patient attention to four women makes ordinary companionship worth spending time with. - *A Month in the Country* (1987): For the restorative quiet, with a deeper sense of what cannot heal. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/enchanted-april