Howards End | | Cast : | Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins | | Director : | James Ivory | | Studio : | Home Vision Ent | | Format : | Color, Closed-captioned, Widescreen | | Released Date : | March 13, 1992 | | DVD Released Date : | February 15, 2005 | | Language : | English (Dubbed) | | Audience Rating : | PG (Parental Guidance Suggested) | | | BUY THIS DVD FROM AMAZON |
Customer Reviews
| Rating |  | | Date | August 02, 2005 | | Summary | Definitive adaptation of the novel | Content
 | EM Forster came out with the book of "Howards End" in 1910. This proved to be his breakthrough in establishing him as preeminent commentrator on the British class system. This movie was the best adaptation of the book. The cast is one of the most outstanding featuring, Emma Thompson, Anthony Hopkins and Helena Bonham Carter. The movie has great acting showing the injuriously rigid class system portrayed by Anthony Hopkins as Henry Wilcox who meets Emma Thompson as Margeret Schlegel. Mr. Hopkins is splendid and easy as the Edwardian era's equivalent to a corporate raider, outwardly tough and willful but, at heart, almost fatally fragile. I for one feel that these are two of the best actors of this generation. Emma Thompson, who comes into her own as the wise, patient Margaret Schlegel rightly won an oscar for her role as the "poor relation" who befriends Vanessa Redgrave as Ruth Wilcox. Hers is the film's guiding performance. Though Ruth Wilcox wills that her home be given to Margeret, it does not happen so.
Helena as Helen feels strongly about everything. The film is also a breakthrough for Ms. Bonham Carter. No more the pouty ingenue, she here gives a full-length portrait of a pretty young woman who, disappointed by life, gathers a sort of mad force as she ages and proudly assumes the role of one of society's outcasts. 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. The movie brings out the class distinctions beautifully and the screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is outstanding, earning her the second oscar. It is wonderfully filmed by Tony Pierce Roberts.
It is one of life's ironies that eventually Margeret gets the home that was willed to her. The grace with which this is accomplished is just one of the delights of this film, which is nothing if not symmetrical. Filmed with a modest budget, this movie was a great hit and was nominated for 9 academy awards, winning 3. This new 2 disc production by Criterion is outstanding and a great pleasure to watch. It has been beautifully remastered with none of the problems with earlier disc. It is the definitive production and a must buy for anyone interested in this movie. |
| Rating | | | Date | May 07, 2005 | | Summary | Merchant/Ivory's most accomplished production | Content
| The reviews and award nominations speak for themselves. It was nominated for nine academy awards (including Best Picture), and it won three (including a well-deserved win for Emma Thompson). It won the British Academy and various critic/review groups for best picture. In addition, many say that Howards End is director James Ivory most accomplished film. I would agree, even though it is not as picturesque as "A Room with A View", or as thought provoking as "Remains of the Day", it carries so much symbolism and I found myself just captured by the main characters (especially Emma Thompson, who shares with Vanessa Redgrave as being the soul of the film). There is plenty of irony and tragedy, but it is not sentimental. The restraint the actors put in the film is something I admire more than a scene-chewing exaggerated performance (you know the kind that usually win awards). The production values are incredible and the screenplay makes the material even more accessible than it was (no wonder it won the Oscar as well). I really recommend it for lovers of thoughtful dramas, and well-detailed period pieces. |
| Rating | | | Date | April 28, 2005 | | Summary | A Great Period Piece On Love, Money, Family Values. | Content
| I saw this film at the theater when it first came out, and I was so taken by the acting and the quality of the film in terms characters, costumes, and art directions. It's a great period piece featuring some of the finest English actors and actresses. I had to see this movie again, because I was too young(late teen) to "get" it back then. I enjoyed it more the second time I watched it. Vannessa Redgrave had minimal screentime in the early part of the film, and she's very wonderful and touching as Anthony's Hopkins dying wife. Emma Thompson deserved the Oscar she won for this film. She was brilliant, and the moment when she lost control of herself emotionally, and broke down in front of a mirror was absolutely mesmerizing to watch. This is definitely her movie, and her role and performance easily uppstaged Helena Bohem Carter and Hopkins. This film is by far the most captivating period drama of the '90s. |
| Rating | | | Date | February 22, 2005 | | Summary | The new 2005 two-disc set | Content
| I agree with J. Shands (below) that this new 2-disc set is now the definitive edition of this superb movie. This version was prepared with the help of the folks at Criterion (like most of the recent Merchant Ivory Collection DVDs), and the result is an excellent DVD on all counts: image, sound, extras, and packaging. I never owned the earlier DVD of Howards End, but I did rent it. My impression is that this version is superior in every way -- it's well worth the upgrade.
The extras: (1) The original theatrical trailer (standard issue and welcome); (2) The original 1992 5-minute featurette about the making of the movie (interesting mainly for the interviews of Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins); (3) A new 45-minute documentary about the making of the movie (detailed and informative, with some priceless bickering between director James Ivory and producer Isamail Merchant); (4) A more in-depth look at the costumes and award-winning set design (basically a 9-minute extension of the 45-minute documentary); (5) A 5-minute ad for Cinemax's March 1992 5-film celebration of Merchant Ivory's 30th anniversary (this is an easter egg that can be easily found on the main menu of disc 2); and (6) The 50-minute 1984 documentary The Wandering Company which covers the early history of the Merchant Ivory company (an unusual choice for inclusion in this set since it ends with 1984's The Bostonians, but welcome nonetheless).
Even if you don't consider Howards End one of the best films of the 1990s, as I do, it's still probably Merchant Ivory's crowning achievement, and this DVD treats it with the respect it deserves. Highest recommendation! |
| Rating | | | Date | February 18, 2005 | | Summary | Excellent Picture and Sound Quality on 2005 Release | Content
| I've been waiting for some time for this film to be back in print (I was almost at the point of buying a used copy of the Columbia/Tristar release when I saw it was about to be released by Home Vision Entertainment). The writing, acting, and production of the film are all amazing, have been thoroughly covered by other reviewers, so I'll keep my comments on the picture and audio quality of this DVD set. I've only watched the feature film (and not the second DVD filled with extras), and I'm impressed with the quality of the video and sound transfers on the disc. I can't compare the video transfer of this release directly to the previous release of "Howards End," but I can say that this release looks much better (contrast seems better balanced and the picture seems sharper) than another Merchant/Ivory production released by Columbia/Tristar ("Remains of the Day"). The sound transfer is also very good, although I only listened to the stereo mix. |
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