Synopsis
The pinnacle of the decades-long collaboration between producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory, Howards End is a luminous vision of E. M. Forster’s cutting 1910 novel about class divisions in Edwardian England. Emma Thompson won an Academy Award for her dynamic portrayal of Margaret Schlegel, a flighty yet compassionate middle-class intellectual whose friendship with the dying wife (Vanessa Redgrave) of rich capitalist Henry Wilcox (Anthony Hopkins) commences an intricately woven tale of money, love, and death that encompasses the country’s highest and lowest social echelons. With a brilliant, layered script by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (who also won an Oscar) and a roster of gripping performances, Howards End is a work of both great beauty and vivid darkness, and one of cinema’s best literary adaptations.
Cast
| Margaret Schlegel | Emma Thompson |
| Henry Wilcox | Anthony Hopkins |
| Ruth Wilcox | Vanessa Redgrave |
| Helen Schlegel | Helena Bonham Carter |
| Leonard Bast | Samuel West |
| Charles Wilcox | James Wilby |
| Aunt Juley | Prunella Scales |
| Evie Wilcox | Jemma Redgrave |
| Paul Wilcox | Joseph Bennett |
| Tibby Schlegel | Adrian Ross Magenty |
| Dolly Wilcox | Susie Lindeman |
| Jacky Bast | Nicola Duffett |
| Miss Avery | Barbara Hicks |
Credits
| Director | James Ivory |
| Screenplay | Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
| Producer | Ismail Merchant |
| Based on the novel by | E.M. Forster |
| Associate producer | Donald Rosenfeld |
| Music | Richard Robbins |
| Cinematography | Tony Pierce-Roberts |
| Editing | Andrew Marcus |
| Costumes | Jenny Beavan and John Bright |
| Production Design | Luciana Arrighi |
| Art Direction | John Ralph |
Disc 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 on the Blu-ray edition)
- New video appreciation of the late Ismail Merchant by director Ivory (available only on the Blu-ray edition)
- Building “Howards End,” a documentary featuring interviews with Ivory, Merchant, Helena Bonham Carter, costume designer Jenny Beavan, and Academy Award–winning production designer Luciana Arrighi
- The Design of “Howards End,” a detailed look at the costume and production designs for the film, including original sketches
- The Wandering Company, a 50-minute documentary about the history of Merchant Ivory Productions
- Original 1992 behind-the-scenes featurette
- Original theatrical trailer
- PLUS: An essay by critic Kenneth Turan (available only with the Blu-ray edition)
From the Current
Howards End: All Is Grace
by Oct 28, 2009Who speaks of Howards End these days? Who expounds on the virtues of this magnificent drama, whose traditional style seems almost as distant as its Edwardian setting? Seen today, years...
Related Films
The Auteurs Forum
Displaying 1 discussion topic.
Merchant Ivory
24 posts by 15 people updated 1 day ago
