Customer Reviews

Howard's End [VHS]

5 star:		(81)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(12)

 

 

Most of us connect the notion of "home" or "childhood home" with one particular place, that innocent paradise we have since had to give up and keep searching for forever after. In Ruth Wilcox's world, Howards End is that place; the countryside house where she was born, where her family often returns to spend their vacations, and which, everyone assumes, will pass on to her children when she is dead.

And it is through Ruth Wilcox (Vanessa Redgrave)'s eyes that we first see Howards End; approaching the house after an evening walk through her beloved meadow, her long dress trailing in the grass, as she goes nearer, we see the open windows letting out warm light from inside, and hear the voices and laughter from the family's dinner table. And while Mrs. Wilcox returns to join her family's company, two others are leaving the house and its serene world: Helen Schlegel (Helena Bonham Carter) and Paul Wilcox, embarking on a passionate romance which is not even to survive the next morning - not before, however, Helen has informed her sister Margaret (Emma Thompson) that she and Paul are "in love," and thus set in motion the first of a series of confusing and controversial meetings between their families.

While both families belong to the middle class, they are nevertheless separated by several layers of society and politics - the Wilcox, led by pater familias/businessman Henry (Anthony Hopkins), rich, conservative and without any sympathy whatsoever for those less fortunate than themselves ("It's all part of the battle of life ... The poor are poor; one is sorry for them, but there it is," Henry Wilcox once comments); the Schlegels, on the other hand, with just enough income to lead a comfortable life, brought up by their Aunt Juley (Prunella Scales), supporting suffrage (women's right to vote) and surrounding themselves with actors, "blue-stockings" (feminists), intellectuals and other members of the avantgarde. Further complexity is added when Helen brings to the Schlegel home Leonard Bast (Samuel West), a poor but idealistic young clerk who loves music, literature and astronomy - and with him, his working class wife Jacky (Nicola Duffett), the embarrassment of having to interact with her, and the even more embarrassing revelation she has in store for Henry Wilcox; eventually leaving her disillusioned husband to comment that "books aren't real," and that in fact they and music "are for the rich so they don't feel bad after dinner."

An allegory on the question who will ultimately inherit England - the likes of the Wilcox, the Schlegels, or the Basts - E.M. Forster's novel on which this movie is based is a masterpiece of social study and character study alike: with empathy and a fine eye for detail, Forster brings his protagonists and their environment to life, and James Ivory matches his accomplishment in this screen realization, finding the perfect cast and production design (Luciana Arrighi) to reproduce the novel's Edwardian society; although he superstitiously declined the offer to film at Forster's boyhood home Rooks Nest, the model for the fictional Howards End. The movie brings together many of Britain's best-known actors, all trained in the English school which, as Anthony Hopkins once explained, unlike Lee Strasberg's Method Acting, is primarily based on restraint: there are no outbursts of emotion, self-control reigns supreme, and even a simple word like "yes" is reduced even further to "hmm," leaving it to the actor's intonation alone to convey the word's (or sound's) deeper meaning in a given context. And yet, vocal intonation, looks and little gestures often speak louder than dramatic actions ever could, and they are as essential to the movie's sense of authenticity as are production design, cinematography (Tony Pierce-Roberts), soundtrack (Richard Robbins) and the selection of the movie's non-scored music: excerpts from Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, a favorite with the "educated" Edwardian middle class, and pieces by period composers Andre Derain and Percy Grainger.

The story centers around Margaret (Meg) Schlegel, who is "filled with ... a profound vivacity, a continual and sincere response to all that she encounter[s] in her path through life," as Forster described her, and portrayed to perfection by Emma Thompson. Meg's friendship with Ruth Wilcox brings the families back together after Helen's near-scandalous episode with Paul; and the two women become so close that Ruth eventually decides to give Meg "something worth [her] friendship" - none other than Howards End, a wish that has her panicking family scramble ungentlemanly for every reason in the book to invalidate the codicil setting forth that bestowal, from its lacking date and signature to the testatrix's state of mind, the ambiguity of the writing's content, the question why Meg should want the house in the first place since she already has one, and the fact that the writing is only in pencil, which "never counts," as Dolly, wife of the Wilcox' elder son Charles is quick to point out, only to be reprimanded by her father in law "from out of his fortress" (Forster) not to "interfere with what you do not understand." And so it is that Meg will only see the house (and be instantly mistaken for Ruth because she has "her way of walking around the house," as the housekeeper explains) when she and her siblings have to look for a new home and Henry Wilcox, who has started to court her after Ruth's death, suggests that the Schlegel's furniture be temporarily stored there - a fateful decision. And while Meg and Henry slowly and painfully learn to adjust to each other, the complexity of their families' relations, and their interactions with the Basts, finally come crashing down on them in a dramatic conclusion.

Howards End deservedly won 1992's Academy Awards for Best Actress (Thompson), Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Art Direction; and it was also nominated in the Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Redgrave), Best Original Score, Best Cinematography and Best Costume Design categories. Unfortunately, its subtle tones have recently been muted somewhat by the louder sounds now filling movie theaters. I for one, however, will take this sublime movie over any summer action flick anytime.

Also recommended:
Great Novels and Short Stories of E. M. Forster
E. M. Forster: A Life (A Harvest Book)
The Remains of the Day (Special Edition)
Shadowlands
A Room with a View (Two-Disc Special Edition)
Where Angels Fear to Tread
The Wings of the Dove
Brideshead Revisited (25th Anniversary Collector's Edition)
Gosford Park
Sense & Sensibility (Special Edition)

The DVD edition at last does visual justice to this film, one of the great films in English of the last twenty years. James Ivory's painterly eye can be appreciated only in the widescreen format: one can see details here (and hear the rich layers of the soundtrack) that have been absent for years in the VHS version. This film will remind you why you invested in a DVD player and why Merchant-Ivory has become synonymous with the period film. Subtle, inspired, and moving.

This movie is a must-watch for everyone who loves meaningful dramas. The cast is first-rate, the acting brilliant all round. Emma Thompson gave a definitely Oscar-worthy portrayal of a gentlewoman, Margaret Schlegel who is generous, honest, kind but torn between love for her sister, Helen (played by Helena Bonham Carter) and her pompous-and-brute-of-a-husband, Henry Wilcox (played by Anthony Hopkins). At the centre of the story is Howard's End, the beautiful country house/cottage which is a Wilcox's family jewel.

The story reminds me of an Asian belief that if something is meant to be yours (eg. Howard's End rightfully belongs to Margaret as it was actually "willed" to her by the first Mrs Wilcox before she died), then you will get it in the end, no matter what. Everything comes a full circle in the end, that's what it means.

This is one of the best period dramas I've ever watched - it's definitely worth your 2-1/2 hours.

BRILLIANT!

For those of us out there who know the difference between digital noise and actual film grain, this standard def version of the recent blu ray disaster is as good as it's ever going to get. It is the very same high def master used for the 2005 Criterion dvd release (whatever Criterion may be claiming) as well as the 2009 blu ray, only cleaned up and sharper.

The blu ray of this title has been a serious disappointment to fans of the film. Tony Pierce-Roberts' handsomely muted, smoky cinematography was transformed by edge sharpening and god knows what else into a chalky, brittle xerox copy that looked like it was going to crumble at any moment. Digital noise marched throughout the image like a game of Tetris and a strange screen door-like grid could be seen in the darker shadows, which were washed out beyond acceptability.

But here we have the same master in standard def release which renders those flaws invisible. The blu ray's one advantage, the extraordinary surround dts-hd sound, is here on this dvd merely very good dolby digital. But, at least, the image is watchable.

So there we have it: this release is a happy medium between the very good dvd release of 2005 and the appalling blu ray of 2009. The image is sharper and cleaner than 2005, but holds together warmly and solidly far better than the 2009 blu ray. Yes, I've ended up buying yet another manifestation of Howards End on home video, but this time it seems to have worked, at least for now. I consider my spent money a donation to the spotty blu ray department of Criterion. Too harsh a judgement, perhaps, but then I know exactly what this movie looks like projected on film in a theatre, and the blu ray wasn't even close.

I have loved this movie since I was a teenager. As far as Edwardian-set period films go, this is definitely one of the all time best. That's why it breaks my heart that after months of anticipating owning this film in high definition, the final product that I received is of extremely poor quality to say the least.

Unfortunately, it appears that there is a major issue with either the way this disc is being pressed over at Criterion or the way the HD master is being transferred onto the Blu-ray. The picture on my copy is FILLED with digital noise and snow. It's not just a mild amount that might have proved mildly distracting, but a thick layer of white grain that looks as if I'm peering through a blizzard.

I logged on to amazon earlier today to see if anyone else was having this same issue and sure enough, others are reporting the same problem on varying levels. The issue is definitely not with my player. I have a magnificent Oppo BDP-83 which always delivers the finest High Definition picture possible on my new Samsung LCD. Should I return my defective disc in hopes of receiving a corrected copy or just inquire about receiving a full refund? I'm really not sure, but I am certainly sad that I am being deprived of enjoying one of my favorite films due to a production error from the otherwise phenomenal Criterion collection.

The filmmaking duo of Merchant-Ivory score yet again with this wonderful rendition of the E. M. Forster novel. There are many ideas that flow smoothly throughout the film: how fate has a way of catching up; how what is meant to be will be; how one can pay for the consequences of one's acts in totally unimagined ways. But beyond being a thought provoking film, this film also succeeds at every level as just a film. The absolute top acting talent is used for every role, with Emma Thompson deservedly winning the Oscar for hers. Anthony Hopkins renders the British capitalist of this time period flawlessly. His best line is, "The poor are poor because they are and there you have it." This is said in dismissing the plight of a young man to whom he gave the wrong advice. The opening scenes with Vanessa Redgrave and Emma Thompson showcase two different generations of English acting powerhouses on stage and screen. They are a delight to watch together. The costumes are out of this world and were obviously well researched and made to conform to every detail of the period. The same is done with the settings both in London and the country so that you feel as if you are back in that era yourself.

The film itself is superb, beautifully directed, wonderfully acted, and elegantly staged. It is worth owning in your dvd/blu library. But let me tell you my story.....ordered this via prime, and it arrived in two days, I always look forward to Criterion releases, and love my blu-ray movies. I went about my business the day the blu arrived, and when the appointed hour arrived for me to finally relax, I opened the packaging, and put the disc in my player, and I was surrounded with all my snacks and looking oh so forward to this film, which I had seen several times before. The movie started, and Vanessa is walking outside Howard's End within a minute or so, and I see not film grain, but dreaded digital artifacting (noise) in that dark scene. It even went on as the movie moves into brighter scenes. I said to myself, they sent me a regular dvd in a blu-ray package, I'm sure of it. I stopped the movie, reexamined the packaging, it says blu on the back, what the hell. I went online to see if others had the same problem, nothing on the web, except i see on amazon one guy saying it looks bad. Sorry, this thing looks worse then the dvd. I read some glowing reviews about the blu quality of this release, they have to be crazy or my disc is defective. The odd thing about it, in the documentary on the disc, they show in standard def the opening scene I mention at the beginning of this entry, and it looks better in standard def, then the actual hi def scene in the movie, ie., it is certainly softer then the high def but it has no artifacting or noise. I would not be surprised if there is a re-pressing so to speak of this Criterion release in the future.

I believe anyone who has read Forster's, "Howard's End", would agree that this dramatic portrayal is the novel come to life. This brilliant interpretation hits squarely on Forster's central theme, "Only Connect!". The Merchant/Ivory/Jhabvala/Robbins collaboration is perfectly cast - all of the characters from the novel are portrayed just as Forster must have envisioned them ninety years ago. Emma Thompson is exquisitely awkward as Margaret Schlegel and Helena Bonham-Carter breaks her ingenue mold with this performance. Anthony Hopkins epitomizes the Ewardian, gentleman mogul in the role of Henry Wilcox while Vanessa Redgrave embodies the role of Ruth, his compliant, soulful wife. Samuel West evokes pity and scorn as the doomed Leonard Bast. I don't know the other actors names but they all performed as if they stepped out of the book. The locations, set decorations and costumes are luscious - while Robbins' haunting and melancholy score follows the drama perfectly. I love this film and it inspired me to read the novel - as well as Forster's five other novels (four of which have been made into marvelous films like this one). When you view "Howard's End" - let yourself get beyond the distance in time and place. These same people and situations are around us even now - I encounter Wilcoxes and Schlegels and Basts every day. However, my cast of characters is not presented by Merchant/Ivory - but I try to be imaginative!

As a motion picture industry professional, I am appalled at this transfer. Given the overall flatness of the base image, it was obvious that the transfer was from the original negative, or internegative (IP/IN). There is extreme noise in the shadows, manifested by a breathing oscillation in those areas, as if the Criterion/DI colorist was working with bad calibration parameters and either deliberately or unwittingly jacking up the shadows to an extreme - and artificial - level.

It is unwatchable.

I would have given it a rating of zero stars, but that was not an option in the dropdown textbook.

What is wrong with Criterion, anyway? Their black-and-white transfers (SEVENTH SEAL and 8 1/2) are utterly sublime. On my Pioneer Elite Kuro plasma I feel as if these films have that wonderful motion picture film-theater look-and-feel. Color materials, however, seem to be problematic for them; THE LAST EMPEROR was abominable: blown out highlights and very murky shadows.


- Scott Brock

This movie is pitch perfect in almost all respects. It is beautiful to look at,the parts are all well cast and the acting is brilliant. The happy redeeming ending made me feel good about myself and life though it comes after several tragic events. Some important themes are well examined in the plot and though melodramatic the story is well told and holds the viewer's interest throughout. I had to read the book after seeing the movie and was surprised how very faithful the movie was to it. The book and movie really enhance each other!