Producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory were one of the most formidable pairs in cinema history. Their films, although lacking big studio budgets, displayed impeccable production values, most visible in period dramas based on the literary classics. That approach brought many prestigious awards and “Merchant Ivory” became synonymous with quality film making. One such film is period drama Howards End.
This was the third Merchant Ivory adaptation based on the novel by English author E. M. Forster (following A Room with a View and Maurice). The plot is set in Edwardian England and deals with two families from upper strata of the society – Schelegels, which are part-German and enthusiastic about art and literature; and Wilcoxes, which are conservative, richer and more oriented towards making money. Their first interaction happens when Helen Schlegel (played by Helena Bonham Carter) in a moment of passion gets engaged to Paul Wilcox (played by Joseph Bennett) before young man is talked out of it by his family. This nevertheless results in embarrassment, but when Schlegels some time later in London discover that Wilcoxes are their new neighbours, Helen’s older sister Margaret (played by Emma Thompson) befriends Paul’s mother Ruth (played by Vanessa Redgrave). Ruth is so enthusiastic about the friendship that she decides to leave Howards End, her beloved country estate, to Margaret in her will. This is something Ruth's husband Henry (played by Anthony Hopkins) won’t accept, so, following Ruth’s death he and the rest of family destroy the document. When Henry meets Margaret, he is, however, instantly smitten with her and offers to marry her. Margaret agrees while Helen is intrigued by young impoverished clerk Leonard Bast (played by Samuel West) who, despite modest background and having wife Jacky (played by Nicola Buffett) with questionable past, dreams of improving his social position.
Merchant and Ivory, despite their past successes, had problems of getting proper financing for Howards End, but when they succeeded in that effort they made sure that those resources are visible on the screen. Film features impressive period reconstruction of Edwardian England, with costumes, props and carefully selected locations that recreate the world where the forces of old encounter forces of the new, partly symbolised in streets and country roads where horse carriages meet first motor cars. Probably the most impressive of those scenes features reconstruction of famous Harrods department during Christmas shopping season. But the main asset of this film is truly remarkable cast. Emma Thompson as sensitive, conscientious but ultimately more level-headed of two Schlegel sisters is marvellous in her performance and it is easy to understand how she won Oscar for Best Actress. Anthony Hopkins, on the other hand, tries very hard to create villain quite different from Hannibal Lector. His Henry Wilcox is obsessed with his class status and money and, despite his aristocratic manners, is actually a hypocrite which ultimately criticises people from lower classes for the very things he is ready to forgive himself. Thompson and Hopkins have good chemistry together, with would later use in another Merchant Ivory film The Remains of the Day.
The rest of cast is also impeccable. Helena Bonham Carter, despite being reduced to second tier character and often having disheveled looks, is quite good as more passionate and idealistic of Schlegel sisters. Samuel West is also very good as young man who tries to escape his monotonous life in poverty through imagination and becomes the most tragic of all characters in the film. Vanessa Redgrave, although appearing for a relatively short time, brings a lot of aristocratic gravitas, but also warmth, to Howards End.
While flawlessly directed and well-acted, Howards End is far from perfect. The main problem is in the script by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala which tries a little bit too hard to be faithful to Forster’s novel. There are many characters with different interactions, and their introduction requires too much time, making the film going too slow, especially in first half and requiring a lot patience from viewers. This approach, which would have worked better in form of miniseries, is mitigated only by plot actually moving forward in the second half, although even at that times it looks somewhat soapy. Jhabvala nevertheless got Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay. Howards End, despite those shortcomings, is still a good film that could be recommended even to viewers who aren’t fans of period dramas or similar content associated with Merchant Ivory.
RATING: 6/10 (++)
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