Ismail Merchant (1936–2005)

I had not previously seen this Merchant Ivory costume drama although it was made over 30 years ago. Nor have I read the Forster novel upon which it is based, so I can say nothing about how well the film encapsulates the book. But on its own terms at least there is much to admire about the film. It is rather like a beautifully-made watch. Everything works – the direction and cinematopgraphy are perfect, the casting is spot-on, not just for the lead roles but for supporting parts as well, the locations are lush but seem perfectly natural for the story.

This was a fairly brave film to make in the 1980s, when public sentiment towards male homosexuality had turned negative again in the wake of the AIDs crisis.

So there are many things to commend. However, for me there are two glaring problems. And I cannot say whether these arise from the film or the original text. The first is that the relationship between Maurice and Scudder seems so unlikely. Not because it is between two men but because they are so incompatible in every way except lust. Scudder is portrayed as a nasty amoral little man, the very opposite of Maurice.

Secondly, although the film ends romantically with Maurice and Scudder holed up in the boathouse making love by firelight, a none too subtle contrast with the (presumed) unsatisfactory marriage of Durham and Anne, that totally avoid the questions which Duham has posed earlier in the film – how are two men in such a relationship to actually live together in that world, a world which has rejected them socially and legally? Maurice proclaims that he is an outlaw, and that is precisely what he is getting into; but the implications of that are never shown. The problems would be compounded by the incompatibility already mentioned. It's difficult to avoid comparisons with the ending of the same team's film of Forster's 'A Room With A View', where a couple also defy convention – but where the same societal problems will never arise in such an overwhelming way, especially as the male hero of that is far less dependent anyway on society's approval for practical things like money. Maybe at the end of the day the difference is the point; but it would have been braver still to have confronted these issues head on.… (meer)

I loved this film when I saw it in the cinema, and very much enjoy re-watching it on DVD. Set in the early part of the 20th century, based on a book by EM Forster, it is set in both Italy and the UK, with gorgeous scenery. A comedy of manners with one or two places where I laughed aloud, an education in art, and also a love story.

An all-star cast with Helena Bonham-Carter as the young Lucy, accompanied by her older cousin Charlotte, played brilliantly by Maggie Smith. An excellent production which won well deserved Oscars.

Rated PG although 12 would probably be more appropriate, but unlikely to appeal to young children anyway.

Longer review here: https://suesdvdreviews.blogspot.com/2021/09/room-with-view-helena-bonham-carter....… (meer)

One of the most overused words in my vocabulary has always been "process". I think this must be because it seems that all sorts of works from all sorts of genres require their respective processes so as to be able to grow, evolve, and develop; as do all sorts of people. The finished product may be a published book, a film, a healed person. Thanks to process (there I go again) the finished product is often the result of some transformation from a spark of intuition to story and dialogue to the the finished work.

This book is not only a short chronicle of of the process (this time Merchant did not have a house to work around as in Howards End, but the face, stature and unmistakeable voice of the legendary Jeanne Moreau) but also a sort of sample of the finished film, its script. Not only is the reader treated to intimate details of the obstacles at every step of this particular process (!) but the triumph at the end. The book, script and film are thus rather special. They are a peek into a world of creation that we, the movie audiences, are rarely given access to. If only there were more accounts such as these written around such special films.

… (meer)