E.M. Forster’s 1910 novel is adapted for the screen by Merchant Ivory Productions in this masterful Edwardian Age romance directed by James Ivory. The dying Ruth Wilcox (Vanessa Redgrave) wishes to leave her country home, Howards End, to Margaret Schlegel (Emma Thompson in an Academy Award-winning role), a modest woman of little means who will soon be forced out of her own home in London. But Ruth’s husband, Henry (Anthony Hopkins), an upper middle class businessman, keeps secret her desire even after he and Margaret become friends. However, after Henry and Margaret marry, their class differences and philosophies threaten to cause them unhappiness. Margaret’s sister, Helen (Helena Bonham Carter), is disgusted by the Wilcox's snobbish ways and is attracted to helping struggling clerk Leonard Bast (Sam West) improve his position. Merchant-Ivory screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala was the force behind adapting this Forster novel into a film, winning her second Academy Award for her screenplay; her first Oscar was for A ROOM WITH A VIEW.
HOWARD'S END is the latest and, I think, the best film yet from the team of Merchant, Ivory, and Jhabvala. Their previous collaborations, of course, include two other Forster novels (ROOM WITH A VIEW and MAURICE), MR. AND MRS. BRIDGE, and THE BOSTONIANS (my least favorite). It doesn't hurt anyone that the source novel is Forster's masterpiece, but a less gifted writer than Jhabvala could easily have gotten lost in the many layers and characters, the scope, of the original. She is faithful to the spirit of the novel, she gives literal renditions of individual scenes and fearlessly condenses other pages into a gesture or a line of dialogue. The result is light, effortless, graceful, lively, funny, fascinating, and alarming. The production values are high, precise, and convincing. Ivory's direction is delicate and evocative. And the actors constitute a dream cast.
