Up At The Villa movie review & film summary (2000)
Does anyone read Somerset Maugham anymore? From the 1920s to the 1950s he was the most respected "popular" novelist in the world, or the most popular "respected" novelist (the praise was always tempered with quotation marks). He traveled the world to the haunts of British expatriates; his stories, whether set in Singapore or Italy, often dealt with the choice between prudent and passionate romance. He knew his characters; he had a deep knowledge of shallow people. Philip Haas' "Up at the Villa" is based on Maugham's novella about a group of British expats in Florence, enjoying their last days...
Source: rogerebert.com