BOOK VS MOVIE: Maurice

Opinions have changed within the last hundred years. Before, we lived in a society that if you weren't a straight white male, you weren't going to get very far in life. Granted, that's still somewhat a situation nowadays but the amount of bigotry has lessened considerably.

Such opinions on homosexuality have altered since the days of Stonewall and days before. Indeed, people have become more open (pun not intended) on the matter in recent years. But even before this was no longer a taboo, people like Tennessee Williams and Gore Vidal were daring enough to write about it. (Strictly writing. They had limitations back then unsurprisingly.)

E.M. Forster was one of several names to focus on homosexuality in their work. For Forster, it was in the form of Maurice, which surely would have sparked outrage had it been published in the era it was written in. (Forster wrote it after Howards End but it wasn't published until 1971, a year after his death.) The scandal that would have ensued aside, it's a quiet yet deeply moving piece of literature.

James Ivory's film keeps the spirit of Forster's novel very much alive (albeit there are a few minor tweaks here and there). Like the other Ivory-directed Forster adaptations (A Room with a View and Howards End), it displays a defiant nature beneath the genteel veneer. And seeing as how the film was made in a more liberal time than Forster's, it allows Ivory to depict what Forster could merely allude to.

So which of the two is better? Both Forster's novel and Ivory's film are achingly beautiful pieces of work and neither have a weak point. So again, it's hard to determine which is the victor. Then again, there is another choice...

What's worth checking out?: Both.

The Remains of the Day

Anthony Hopkins is best known for his Oscar-winning role in The Silence of the Lambs. But before and after that film's release, he has done several prolific dramatic roles.

Here in James Ivory's The Remains of the Day, he delivers his best work as Stevens. In a performance that's very much a far cry from Hannibal Lecter, Hopkins displays a subtly with his emotions. He clearly has them; he just doesn't show them.

He buries his personal life by focusing on his work. It's that sort of quirk of his that manages to stir some curiosity in Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson). Yet Stevens keeps his true feelings very well hidden. This is an ability only the finest of actors possess. Hopkins is one such actor.

But The Remains of the Day isn't memorable solely for Hopkins and his brilliant performance. It's also notable for its mature and lovely depiction of a restrained love. Like In the Mood for Love several years later, this provides a heartbreaking portrait of a romance that could have been. Bravo, Mr. Ivory.

The Remains of the Day is just very lovely. Along with Hopkins, there is some great work from Thompson, Christopher Reeve and (surprise, surprise) Hugh Grant. Oh, and the cinematography by Tony Pierce-Roberts is gorgeous. Thank you, Mr. Ivory. I now have a new film to add to my list of favorites.

My Rating: *****

Howards End

As I've stated a number of times before, most period pieces tend to bore me. I think it's because the frequent topic of the social class war that made me express a disinterest. However, those that veer away from the subject manage to catch my eye.

This is the case with James Ivory's Howards End. Sure, the social class war is acknowledged but never overemphasized. If it weren't for the presentation of the characters and the flow of the script, I probably wouldn't have liked it as much.

Speaking of the script, it just works. Rather than feeling stuffy and pretentious (sorry, Andrew), it feels as though it could be applied to modern day society. (Yes, I know it's based on a book. No, I haven't read it.)

The actors are just divine. They all play their roles wonderfully. Of them, my favorites were Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins and Helena Bonham Carter, all completely different from the other.

Man, that was a very good film. It has the right balance of elegance and posh, and doesn't make it appear too British. (Yeah, I can't believe I said that last bit either.) To sum things up, I very much enjoyed Howards End. (Happy, Andrew?)

My Rating: *****

A Room with a View

Oy, the things I do to garner the approval of a fellow blogger. Foreign films for Tyler, British period pieces for Andrew...it gets tiresome after a while, but what the hell. I like doing it.

For Andrew, I saw James Ivory's Room with a View. I knew of it, but not very well apart from a few names in its very British cast. Once I started watching it, I sensed it would be about romance (since that's what most British period pieces are about), and guess what? I was right.

That doesn't mean I didn't like it. I thought it was quite good. It's just I want to find a period piece where love and romance aren't the main themes. (I did find that in Topsy-Turvy however.)

One thing I did like about the film was the acting. Of the prolific names, my favorite performances came from Daniel Day-Lewis and Maggie Smith. Day-Lewis possesses an arrogant air underneath a refined persona, something not many actors can do in a low key. (Most actors would ham it up like it's nobody's business.) Smith on the other hand shows a quieter side to human behavior. There's a reason for why they're both two-time Oscar winners; they're good at what they do.

All in all, I liked Room with a View. I probably would have loved it had the pacing been a little faster. The acting is the focal point of the film (at least in my eyes). Also, Andrew, I do wish you would watch more contemporary-set British films.

My Rating: ****1/2