Maurice (1987)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

James Ivory

Writers:

E.M. Forster (novel)
Kit Hesketh-Harvey (writer)

Release Date:

18 September 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Two male English school chums find themselves falling in love at Cambridge. To regain his place in society...

Plot Keywords:

Love | Gamekeeper | Restaurant | Homosexual | Dining Hall

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 4 wins

Cast

James Wilby	...	Maurice Hall
Hugh Grant	...	Clive Durham
Rupert Graves	...	Alec Scudder
Denholm Elliott	...	Doctor Barry
Simon Callow	...	Mr. Ducie
Billie Whitelaw	...	Mrs. Hall
Barry Foster	...	Dean Cornwallis
Judy Parfitt	...	Mrs. Durham
Phoebe Nicholls	...	Anne Durham
Patrick Godfrey	...	Simcox
Mark Tandy	...	Risley
Ben Kingsley	...	Lasker-Jones
Kitty Aldridge	...	Kitty Hall
Helena Michell	...	Ada Hall
Catherine Rabett	...	Pippa Durham

Runtime:

140 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Portugal:M/16 | Singapore:(Banned) | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Hong Kong:III | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Ireland:15

Filming Locations:

Assyrian Saloon, British Museum, Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London, England, UK

Company:

Merchant Ivory Productions

Trivia:

Just before filming the nude bed scene in the hotel, the bed that Rupert Graves and James Wilby were in collapsed.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: When Maurice and Clive enter the auditorium at the Wigmore Hall, the boom mic is reflected in the polished wooden panels on the wall behind them.

Quotes:

Alec Scudder: Stop with me. Sleep the night with me.
Maurice Hall: I can't. I've got an engagement. Full business dinner. It's my job. Meet me another evening instead.
Alec Scudder: I can't come to London again. My father and Mr. Borenius will be passing remarks.
Maurice Hall: What does it matter if they do?
Alec Scudder: What does your engagement matter?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Comic Relief Does University Challenge (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Miserere Psalm 51

An Impeccably Produced Adpatation

E. M. Forster's novel, "Maurice," is given a first-rate screen adaptation by this British production. James Ivory's direction is very cinematic, conveying the multi-layered story through a series of dramatic scenes, with just a bit of over-voice narration. Its impact comes through an incremental effect, reaching moving proportions by the end of the lengthy presentation. James Wilby, Hugh Grant, Rupert Graves and Helena Bonham Carter are all excellent, heading a superior cast. Every aspect of the production has been carefully prepared and executed.

What emerges for me is the tragedy of societal constraint, under the guise of virtue. It is a tightrope to walk for the free-wheeling, independent thinker in this society: he who steps outside the bounds of regularity is subject to scorn and persecution. That the drama's heros do not fall into the mode of so-called "normalcy" leave them open to a lifestyle of tension and risk. Forster beautifully conveys this in the novel, and Ivory transfers it to the screen with great skill.

Certainly "Maurice" is one of the top motion pictures of the 80s. Kudos to all who took part in bringing this poignant novel to the screen.