A Room with a View

Question: While in Italy, the Anglican pastor tells a joke, and the punch line is about an American seeing a "yellow dog." Exactly what is he referring to?

raywest

Chosen answer: The joke is: The American girl asks her father "What did we see in Rome?" The man says "Rome was where we saw the yellow dog." Explanation: Americans can tour the Eternal City and all they will see that is memorable or of interest to them is a dog.

Myridon

I don't get it. It doesn't make sense.

What part doesn't make sense? Rome is filled with better things than a dog. To put it another way, it would be like if you went to one of the greatest sporting event live with on-field/court-side/ring-side tickets and when asked about the event you said "I thought the nachos were good."

Bishop73

It's a crude joke about Americans. It doesn't have to make sense. It's a joke that highlights the sense that Americans are crude, illiterate, with no culture. They believe a yellow dog (a common dog in the US) was the best thing to see.

odelphi

Question: In the scene in Florence with the two fighting Italians, does one of them die? In one shot he is still moving his jaw, in another shot he seems rather motionless.

Answer: It's unknown if he survived or not, nor is it important to the film's plot. The scene is about how witnessing a violent act affects Lucy. The entire trip to Italy has a powerful effect on her personality, opening her to new emotions and sensations that she's never experienced before, having lived a rather pleasant though constricted and conventional life in England.

raywest

Question: Why did Cecil tell Charlotte to give him the sovereign? Wasn't he owed only 15 shillings by Freddy? A sovereign's 20 shillings so was he gonna give Freddy back the other 5 shillings? I don't understand, please explain.

Answer: He was owed 15 shillings and a pound (in those days) was 20 shillings. Since he was owed most of a pound, he thought, "just give me the pound and call it even." He wasn't going to give change.

odelphi

Factual error: In the shot of Florence with several bridges and the river shown, cars and motorbikes can be seen going across the lowest bridge in the shot. (00:10:10)

riku2

More mistakes in A Room with a View

Cecil Vyse: I have no profession. My attitude - quite an indefensible one - is that as long as I am no trouble to anyone, I have the right to do as I like. It is, I dare say, an example of my decadence.

More quotes from A Room with a View

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