Howards End [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

One of the best Ismail Merchant/James Ivory films, this adaptation of E. M. Forster's classic 1910 novel shows in careful detail the injuriously rigid British class consciousness of the early 20th century. The film's catalyst is "poor relation" Margaret Schlegel (Emma Thompson), who inherits part of the estate of Ruth Wilcox (Vanessa Redgrave), an upper-class woman whom she had befriended. The film's principal characters are divided by caste: aristocratic industrial Henry Wilcox (Anthony Hopkins); middle-echelon Margaret and her sister Helen (Helena Bonham Carter); and working-class clerk Leonard Bast (Sam West) and his wife (Nicola Duffett). The personal and social conflicts among these characters ultimately result in tragedy for Bast and disgrace for Wilcox, but the film's wider theme remains the need, in the words of the novel's famous epigram, to "only connect" with other people, despite boundaries of gender, class, or petty grievance. Filmed on a proudly modest budget, Howards End offers sets, spectacles, and costumes as lavish as in any historical epic. Nominated for 9 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, the film took home awards for Thompson as Best Actress, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's adapted screenplay, and Luciana Arrighi's art direction. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: A
• Number of Discs: 1
• Screen: Color
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Surround
• Features:
  • High-definition digital transfer, supervised by cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts and approved by director James Ivory, with DTS-HD master audio 5.1 soundtrack
  • New video appreciation of the late Ismail Merchant by Ivory
  • Building "Howards End," a documentary featuring interviews with Ivory, Merchant, Helena Bonham Carter, costume disogner Jenny Beavan, and Academy Award-winning production designer Luciana Arrighi
  • The design of "Howard End," a detailed look at the costume and production designs for the film, including original sketches
  • The Wanderitng company, a 50-minute documentary about the history of Merchant Ivory productions
  • Original behind-the-scenes featurette
  • Original theatrical trailer
  • An essay by critic Kenneth Turan

AWARDS

• Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

•     Won Best Actress - 1992 (Emma Thompson)
•     Won Best Adapted Screenplay - 1992 (Ruth Prawer Jhabvala)
•     Won Best Art Direction - 1992 (Ian Whittaker, Luciana Arrighi)
•     Nominated Best Cinematography - 1992 (Tony Pierce-Roberts)
•     Nominated Best Costume Design - 1992 (John Bright, Jenny Beavan)
•     Nominated Best Director - 1992 (James Ivory)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1992 (Ismail Merchant)
•     Nominated Best Score - 1992 (Richard Robbins)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actress - 1992 (Vanessa Redgrave)

• American Society of Cinematographers

•     Nominated Best Cinematography - 1992 (Tony Pierce-Roberts)

• British Academy of Film and Television Arts

•     Nominated Best Costume Design - 1993 (John Bright)
•     Nominated Best Picture - 1993 (James Ivory)
•     Nominated Best Actress - 1992 (Emma Thompson)
•     Nominated Best Adapted Screenplay - 1992 (Ruth Prawer Jhabvala)
•     Nominated Best Cinematography - 1992 (Tony Pierce-Roberts)
•     Nominated Best Production Design - 1992 (Luciana Arrighi)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actor - 1992 (Samuel West)
•     Nominated Best Supporting Actress - 1992 (Helena Bonham Carter)
•     Nominated David Lean Award - 1992 (James Ivory)
•     Nominated Editing Award - 1992 (Andrew Marcus)

• Cannes Film Festival

•     Won Special 45th Anniversary Prize - 1992 (James Ivory)

• Directors Guild of America

•     Nominated Best Director - 1992 (James Ivory)

• Hollywood Foreign Press Association

•     Won Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama - 1992 (Emma Thompson)
•     Nominated Best Director - 1992 (James Ivory)
•     Nominated Best Picture - Drama - 1992
•     Nominated Best Screenplay - 1992 (Ruth Prawer Jhabvala)

• Independent Spirit Awards

•     Nominated Best Foreign Film - 1992 (James Ivory)

• Los Angeles Film Critics Association

•     Won Best Actress - 1991 (Emma Thompson)

• National Board of Review

•     Won Best Actress - 1992 (Emma Thompson)
•     Won Best Director - 1992 (James Ivory)
•     Won Best Picture - 1992

• National Society of Film Critics

•     Won Best Actress - 1992 (Emma Thompson)
•     Won Best Actress - 1991 (Emma Thompson)

• New York Film Critics Circle

•     Won Best Actress - 1992 (Emma Thompson)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Anthony Hopkins - Henry Wilcox
       Emma Thompson - Margaret Schlegel
       Vanessa Redgrave - Ruth Wilcox
       Helena Bonham Carter - Helen Schlegel
       James Wilby - Charles Wilcox
       Samuel West - Leonard Bast
       Jemma Redgrave - Evie Wilcox
       Nicola Duffett - Jacky Bast
       Prunella Scales - Aunt Juley Mund
       Barbara Hicks - Miss Avery
       Joseph Bennett - Paul Wilcox
       Jo Kendall - Annie
       Mark Payton - Percy Cahill
       Simon Callow - Music Lecturer
       Adrian Ross - Magenty - Tibby Schlegel

• Director:

  James Ivory

• Producer:

  Ismail Merchant

• Screenwriter:

  Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

• Book Author:

  E.M. Forster

• Cinematographer:

  Tony Pierce-Roberts

• Composer (Music Score):

  Richard Robbins

• Editor:

  Andrew Marcus

• Production Designer:

  Luciana Arrighi

• Art Director:

  John Ralph

• Co-producer:

  Ann Wingate

• Executive Producer:

  Paul Bradley

• Set Designer:

  Ian Whittaker

• Costume Designer:

  Jenny Beavan, John Bright

• First Assistant Director:

  Christopher Newman

• Casting:

  Celestia Fox

REVIEW:

• Praised almost as often as its source, Ismail Merchant and James Ivory's version of E.M. Forster's best novel is also widely recognized as the most accomplished filmization of Forster's work. Like Merchant/Ivory's other Forster adaptations, Howards End is saturated with petticoats, stiff upper lips, suffocating class consciousness, and enough repressed longing to blow a hole through Buckingham Palace. But strip away the tasteful facade, and what remains is a bracing critique of the English class system. The film's Oscar-winning script, by frequent Merchant/Ivory collaborator Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, is largely faithful to Forster's original work, capturing the spirit of his prose without making it seem outdated. The lead performances are instrumental in the film's timely feel; Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins earned well-deserved praise for their roles, and Thompson won an Oscar and numerous other awards. Equally remarkable but not as lavishly recognized were Helena Bonham Carter, all righteous fire and headstrong will as Helen Schlegel, and Samuel West, touchingly awkward as Leonard Bast, the cause around whom the war between the Schlegels and Mr. Wilcox revolves, and also its ultimate casualty. Thanks to the work of the entire cast, the film manages to be consistently engaging; thanks to the efforts of its production team as a whole, it is one of the rarest of paradoxes, a topical period piece. It was nominated for 9 Oscars overall, including Best Picture and Best Director, and it also won for Luciana Arrighi's art direction. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx, Rovi