Customer Reviews

Maurice

5 star:		(107)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The filmmakers did an incredible job of bringing E.M. Forster's touching novel to life -- and I suspect that was no easy task because so much of the novel involves the main character's innermost thoughts and feelings. However, Merchant and Ivory did a beautiful job conveying the loneliness, fear and desperation of the main character, Maurice Hall.

The movie follows Maurice (James Wilby) down his road of self-discovery; from his embarrassing teen years to Cambridge (where he gets his first exhilarating taste of love) to his post-collegiate years as a young man struggling to come to terms with his sexuality in a time when homosexuals were mercilessly persecuted.

The movie is also very much about class struggle. Maurice is a gentleman born and bred, with a penchant for snobbery. As he comes to terms with his sexuality, he is forced to deal with differences in class when he realizes he is in love with someone from the serving class.

Readers of the novel will be delighted as much of the wonderful dialogue from the book appears in the film.

The characters were perfectly cast, with Hugh Grant (before he was a mega star) as Clive Durham, the perfect young gentleman from Cambridge (and Maurice's first love), Rupert Graves as the smoldering, lower class hunk who wins Maurice's heart, and Ben Kingsley in a hilarious turn as Maurice's junk-psychologist. James Wilby was spot-on in the title role and he perfectly captures the isolation, sadness and ultimate joy of the conflicted Maurice.

"Maurice" is a touching love story that anyone -- straight or gay -- can enjoy. Romance knows neither of these terms. And, the movie *is* unabashedly romantic and optimistic -- your heart will soar when Maurice finally gives in, casts societal conventions aside and visits his beloved at the boathouse. The hopeful ending is inspiring, though the close-up of Clive at the window at the end of the movie will break your heart.

Beautifully filmed, superbly acted -- a must-see film.

Maurice is my all time favorite film. I own a copy on VHS and one on Laser Disc, and I'm eagerly awaiting its release on DVD. As (what some may consider) a senior gay person, this film speaks directly to me; it reflects wonderfully the frustrations that I felt growing up in the '50's. Although the movie is set in the Victorian era, the 1950's were really not that different in its attitude towards gay people. The film captures so very well the longings of Maurice (as a gay man) for love, affection and some meaning to his life--the things that he felt everyone else was having but were denied to him because of his inner hidden longings.
The film is beautiful to view and the sound tract is gorgeous--typical Merchant and Ivory--but, most of all, each actor is completely believable in his role. A very young Hugh Grant (long before becoming famous)is very good as Maurice's first love interest wanting a pure platonic love with Maurice even though Maurice wanted the "real" thing. My true feeling about Grant's character is that he really did not have the guts to deal with the ramifications of his true feelings (watch how he plays with Maurice's emotions and affections--I would have punched him!). Jame Wilby, as Maurice, is outstanding; he expresses the hurt, torture and longings of "the love that dare not speak its name" very well. However, the true standout for me is Rupert Graves (one of my favorite actors) who plays Scudder--he certainly shows what ladders are made for!(you'll have to see the movie to know what I'm talking about) He plays a man that knows what he wants and goes after it no matter what the cost--he redirects his life and alters his life's dream for the possibility (not, at the time of his decision, guaranteed) of love. Maurce and Scudder's final scene together when they have decided that love, no matter what, can conquer all, is truly the thing that we all dream about. Their "togetherness" points out another strong theme in the movie--the British Class System--not only did they have the "gay thing" to deal with but also the "class thing" to overcome. (Due to the fact that Scudder is from what is deemed a lower class being the Gamekeeper, he is , at first, completely ignored by Maurice until Scudder climbs into Maurice's bed, by the means of a ladder, and shows him what it's all about!!)
I read E.M. Forster's book when it was finally released in the 1970's and I feel the film is faithful to the book and that Forster would have been pleased with the film. I don't know how many times I have viewed this movie (many, many, times), it, nevertheless, is a movie that reaffirms, over and over again,, my very existence.
I have found, through out the years that a lot of heterosexuals find the movie to be boring; however, I feel that if you are an average gay male, (especially of a certain age) you will find it reflective of your life (or, at least, a portion thereof)--I do!
Believe me, my life would have been a great deal poorer if the film Maurice had not been a part of it.
I know my review is from an older person's perspective; however, I do believe that a younger person would have an appreciation for the movie if nothing more than gaining some knowledge of what it was like, not so very long ago, to be gay. In fact, I think anyone, no matter what his age happens to be, could certainly enjoy this film.

This Merchant Ivory production, though as deliciously beautiful as the others, has an edge in that it brings to life a novel which its author considered so controversial, he wouldn't publish it in his lifetime. The production values in this film are, as always, superb. But the acting especially is where it triumphs. The three leads are excellent. I especially admire James Wilby's wonderful performance, as indeed I do those of Rupert Graves and Hugh Grant. The ending is quite unlike most other gay-themed movies: the two characters we have followed from the outset turn out very differently: Hugh Grant's character capitulates to the societal "norm" and, at the end, is actually a little despicable, or would be, if one didn't feel so sorry that he "sold out". But the final scenes -- in which Maurice (Wilby) realizes that Scudder (Graves) has not left England and in consequence has risked his future to be with Maurice, and where finally, Maurice does the same for Scudder-- where they end up together, against the admittedly tough odds, and risk all for love-- is beautiful. As other reviewers have pointed out, the film is not only about Maurice's struggles with his gayness, but also with the expectations and presumptions of the British Class System: the servant, Scudder, turns out to be extremely intelligent and witty-- in the "afterglow" scene in the hotel, he quite incisively lampoons the condescending and perfunctory way he gets treated by people of Maurice's "station" -- and Maurice, if belatedly, realizes the quality in him. Both overcome temptations to give in to society -- (when Scudder is hurt by Maurice's cold-shouldering of him he hints that he might blackmail him -- the only power he might have over someone of Maurice's class---, but repents; Maurice flirts with the idea of accusing Scudder when he is terrified at the prospect of what he might lose) but in the end commit to each other, and society-be-damned. The complexities of the situation, though they relate to societal conditions no longer obtaining, still exist, though manifesting in different ways. An excellent movie about the triumph of love, of commitment, and most, of honesty.

There is no need to repeat the praise others here have heaped upon MAURICE and the DVD package. This is the way any film of quality should be treated.

For those who will surely find it entertaining, there's a very nice EASTER EGG on this DVD:

Go to Disc Two--select Deleted Scenes, page 2--select "May I ask you name?" and then right-arrow. A small icon will appear in the lower right hand corner of your screen. Click on that and enjoy a hidden deleted scene.

After seeing this movie I immediately ran to buy the book. Both book and film are so incredibly wonderful I hesitate to try to do justice to either in a review. The movie is really spectacular, staying impecably true to the book in pretty much every way. 99.9 percent of the movie's dialogue comes straight out of the book, unchanged. Besides the great script (thank you E. M. Fortster!) the acting is really amazing. There is not a single character in this movie who isn't perfectly portrayed. James Wilby as the title character gives a brilliantly multi-faceted performance and Rupert Graves as Alec Scudder makes you believe he has three times as many lines as he really does just through his expression and presence. I'll also give kudos to Hugh Grant because this was before his big break and therefore he actually gives a very admirable, non-egotisic performance. The only thing I resent is that the movie box has HIM on the cover... WHAT?! Ah, marketing. Sigh. But this movie is really a rare and beautiful piece of art. Like Forster, it is life and love-affirming. All of E. M. Forster's books have a beautiful quality of hope about them--they acknowledge that pain and suffering are parts of life, but they do not glorify them. This movie does a spectacular job of conveying that quality of the novel.

"Maurice" is not so much a film about being gay as it is a testimony to the importance of integrity and the courage of conviction. In an age and a society where acceptability and prominence reigned supreme, Maurice Hall choose love and happiness rather than banality and conformity; an utterly brave act considering what he risked losing in doing so. Beautiful and evocative throughout, with every scene resplendent and atmospheric, brimming with the essence of the age. The scenes in Cambridge were especially beautiful with the gothic architecture adding to the underlying, brooding sense of the film. James Wilby, Hugh Grant and Rupert Graves were equally marvelous in their respective roles, as was Denholm Elliot in his smaller, yet vital role. Merchant Ivory's made some extraordinary films in their day but "Maurice" is, in this viewer's opinion, their greatest film. In lesser hand's "Maurice" could have been relegated into clichéd obscurity. Their pace, sense of time and place and deep commitment to E.M. Forster's vision raise this great story to new and lofty heights.

This is the one of the most faithful novel-to-film adaptations that I have seen. American director James Ivory has a wonderfully British sensibility, and the movie vividly recreates late Edwardian England in muted autumnal colours. In particular, it gives the 21st century viewer a very real appreciation of what it must have been like to be gay in such a society.

The cast is uniformly excellent. James Wilby was not Ivory's first choice for the central role of upper-class Maurice (Daniel Day Lewis and Julian Sands were earlier contenders), but he gives an outstanding and totally plausible portrayal. Equally good is Hugh Grant, years before he found fame as the archetypal British twit. Grant's role is a difficult one; he must at first engage our sympathy and fondness, then gradually lose our respect as he seeks to enter "respectable" society. Ultimately, we come to despise his cowardice. Grant achieves all of this without descending into caricature - a considerable feat.

Rupert Graves makes a fine Alex Scudder, the lusty undergamekeeper who seduces and transforms Maurice. Apart from a slightly inconsistent accent, he, too. seems entirely plausible and fans of DH Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover should note that this full-blooded lad pre-dates Lawrence's own gamekeeper by many years!

An outstanding supporting cast of seasoned pros includes the late, great Denholm Elliot and Ben Kingsley in small, but pivotal roles as, respectively, a bullying doctor and a hypnotist, both of whom Maurice unsuccessfully seeks help from.

This movie has a superb period atmosphere, a leisurely but rewarding pace, plenty of understated passion, memorable music and great script-writing. Kudos to the scenarists for being so faithful to the spirit of Forster, while at the same time adding scenes to remind viewers of the real dangers for gay men in Edwardian England.

Outstanding.

My story is much similar to that of Mark from San Diego. It was "Maurice" that was the reason for me to become aware of the fact how the power of motion picture is above every limit. Back in 1991, when I was an university student, I suffered from the total identification crisis, spending long sleepless nights dealing with the suicidal thoughts and the question who and what am I... like Maurice, who found himself trapped in his own gayness, trying to find the answer on that eternal question: why me! I had terrible doubts in accepting myself as one of "them", just the thought of admiting my own homosexuality frightened me to death. Then, suddenly, like a gift from heaven, this film was shown on TV on a cold, january evening. After those two hours of watching it, I realised my life will never be the same again. "Maurice" threw me into a whirl of feelings, but in a way, I felt reliefed. No more pretending. Today, ten years after, I am proud to be gay, living with my friend and all those uncertainties, surmises and questions remained on the pages of my diary...

I have "Maurice" on tape and watch it every now and then. It still has a strong effect on me, even I know every dialogue in it by heart. I watched another ecranisations like "A room with a view" and "Howard's end", but the both acts of James Wilby and Hugh Grant are so persuadive here that this is almost an paradox, having in mind that Grant is a straight male-sex symbol. The word that comes to my mind first when mentioning "Maurice", is beautifulness. Maybe this was the reason it affected me in that way - homosexual love is presented as something beautiful, romantic, non-stereotypic, longing and truthfull. Another subject, strongly presented here, is sacrifice of Maurice, who subordinated all his career and needs just to be with a love he met in Alec Scudder. The end of the film is not a real end but just a beginning of viewer's interpretation and his explaining of question whether their love has made it through. It is left for him to decide what happened after. I'd point out that "Maurice", even acting like some kind of a fairy tale, represents all types of man approaching his own homosexuality and this hasn't changed a bit over the history. Clive's tightness into straight-acting world and common-sense lifestyle is just another sight of those gays who rather choose to get married and therefore ruin the life of another woman who, in this kind of relationship, can't be nothing but victim, trying to hide from the rest of the world, but as for Clive, this turns out to be just a short-termed solution. I have a strong sense that at the final scenes when Clive replays all his tender moments with Maurice when they were together at Cambridge, he is thinking: you can fool with the rest of the world, but you just can't fool yourself. Then, Maurice, who decided to live the way that will make him happy, no matter what the British Class system might think - it is a step someone can take now a days, prepared to struggle and fight with a confinement and intolerance of the straight-majority. It is true that being gay is no more being considered as an illness or blasphemy, but things haven't changed that much as they seemed to.

If you like "Maurice", then you're going to like the book, too. I suggest you read it. It is one of the best descriptions on gay love I've ever read, especially when you have in mind this novel was written in 1910 when noone even dared to think about writing and mention this theme in a literature. I only feel sorry that this review is limited to 1,000 of words, as here is so much more to tell about... A great movie!

I mean ME - I am obsessed with this film! I have fallen in love with beautiful Cambridge (so masculine and steeped in tradition), with the romantic Edwardian era, with the beauty of the story and especially with Maurice, the title character. Beware... if you're "susceptible" to romantic movies and is a highly sensitive person, chances are this movie will "get" to you in ways I can't fully describe. It doesn't matter if you are [...] or straight - against your will, scenes and images from the film will replay in you mind, stay in your heart and affect your mood and feelings (for days, in my case - which is not a good thing because I have a major examination coming up and half my mind is still on "Maurice"!). At times, I wished I was born male like the characters, and have the privilege of a Cambridge education... pure wishful thinking (though I've a girl friend who got into Cambridge on a scholarship, to my eternal envy really).

This film is a faithful adaptation of E.M. Forster's novel and brilliantly brought to life by the winning team of Merchant Ivory. The stellar cast comprises James Wilby, Hugh Grant and Rupert Graves; all 3 share great screen chemistry and there is no doubt that the actors gave it their "all" for this film.

This is the story about one man's journey of self discovery on his sexuality and having to live with the prejudices of the times including class distinction (which balks at intimacy with a social inferior, in this case Maurice's desire for Alec). Many reviews have already been written about the story so I would just like to share some of my thoughts and observations of the film:

1) the DVD (R1, released Feb 2004) is beautifully packaged and is chockful of special features including more than 10 deleted scenes, one of which is a most sensual scene involving Maurice and Alec (an "extended" scene of their first night together). The production notes/booklet also provides a treasure of information on the film.

2) James Wilby plays "Maurice" most beautifully and sensitively. He is imperfectly handsome but is still very attractive-looking. The thing that strikes me most about Wilby's "Maurice" is that he has the MOST beautiful hair color - it's practically "golden" - not the usual blonde. The color contracts nicely with the black suit he usually wears. In the novel, Maurice has dark hair, but I think a golden-haired Maurice is just perfect - a great contrast too to Clive's and Alec's dark locks!!

3) Clive (Hugh Grant) is a year older than Maurice. When they get together, Maurice is about 21. By the time they break off, Maurice is nearing 24. Nothing is mentioned in the book/movie about Alec (Rupert Graves)'s age - but I gather he is the youngest of the three (although most certainly the lustiest!!).

4) Maurice's character is passionate, loving, vulnerable and super-loyal. If Clive had not rejected him, Maurice would have been "his for life". What's with Clive anyway? He's got this idea that a relationship between 2 men should be strictly platonic - no kisses or caresses, even. (If I'm Clive, I don't think I'll be able to keep my hands off Maurice!). Thank goodness for the appearance of Alec later on, who is Clive's very opposite!

5) In the story, Maurice is horrified by his lust for and intimacy with Alec, who is only a servant. But one reason they are perfect for each other is because (in E.M. Forster's words): "chance had mated it (i.e. Maurice's body) too perfectly". The 2 characters' growing feelings for each other are a joy to watch.

6) For those who question the ending i.e. whether it is even possible for Maurice and Alec to stay together what with all the difficulties surrounding them, well, let me write that Forster intended the ending to be a happy one (and who would know better than the author himself?). In the "Terminal Note" at the end of his novel, Forster wrote: "A happy ending is imperative. I shouldn't have bothered to write otherwise. I was determined that in fiction anyway two men should fall in love and remain in it for the ever and ever that fiction allows, and in this sense Maurice and Alec still roam the greenwood..." Super, isn't it?

I don't want to forget this beautiful movie, and I can't forget it anyway. It is quite simply the most touching film I've ever seen. It deserved an armful of Oscar awards especially a Best Actor nod for Wilby (although in reality the film didn't do that well, receiving only Best Art Direction and Best Costume nominations). I've seen most of Merchant Ivory productions and "Maurice" is hands-down, the BEST. Don't miss it!

This is a beautifully crafted film, right up there with most other Merchant/Ivory productions. The sense of time and place, the performances, the lyrical mood, the music--all are far above the usual standards of "commercial" filmmaking. E.M. Forster conveyed a powerful message in his novel, and it's right there on the screen. Still....

NOTE TO SCREENWRITERS (with spoilers): As a writer, I was most fascinated by the deleted scenes included with the DVD. There are 2 in particular that I really think Ivory should have kept in the final cut. Watch the film, then watch the deleted material. I'm referring to the scene where Hugh Grant comes to James Wilby's bedroom, and especially the extended version of the final scene between the two on the terrace outside the house. The first scene tells us a lot we really should know about Grant's character. The extended final scene is most important: It is here (in the outtakes) where Maurice (Wilby) has his only moment of strength and resolve. He finally tells his tormentor exactly where to get off the train, and he grows immeasurably in the estimation of the audience. Grant reacts with (momentary) guilt, and when he tries to cover by heartily suggesting the usual lunch in town, Wilby is gone. Grant is left alone on the terrace, calling, "Maurice? Maurice?" into the empty dark. Now, *that's* an exit for the title character! And it really drives home the power of the (included) final image of Grant in his bedroom later, staring out the window while his clueless wife continues to be clueless in the background. If we'd seen the earlier incident in Maurice's bedroom and the full-length final confrontation, how much more powerful that last image would be! Why, oh why did Ivory cut them?!! See if you agree with me.

That aside, this is a remarkable film, one of the few major releases to face a difficult subject head-on (see also: SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY and BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN). But those outtakes are extraordinary--a lesson for screenwriters.