VHS : Maurice [1987]

Rating: - Century Later the Feeling Is Still Strong
Over twenty years after it was made "Maurice" has changed into a classic but did not age at all. This coming-of-age and coming-to-terms story faithfully taken from E. M. Forster's novel was transferred into the screen with such adroitness that with the passage of time it rather increases its appeal.
We are transferred to the Edwardian England some years before the outbreak of the Great War. The main hero Maurice is an average student (it is funny to note that everybody including Maurice considers his studies a commendable pastime but generally a waste of time as he should go into business) who falls for a fellow student, an impoverished aristocrat Clive. Their romance is purely platonic which seems to suit Clive (who finally decides to change his minds and gets married which puts an end to their little fling) survives their Cambridge period but is clearly insufficient for Maurice. After failed attempts to cure himself of his illness (both medicine and hypnosis are used) he visits Clive in his estate and falls in love again - this time for a game-keeper. This love is consummated and provides an opening for a happy ending which neither Forster nor the movie does not really offer.
The movie tells this story rather slowly, indulging in beautiful landscapes and period interiors, but one can hardly mind. It is simply a great movie with very decent performance from the cast - including Hugh Grant with a moustache.

---

Rating: - A Wonderful Film
Maurice, which is based on E.M. Forster's heartbreaking and beautiful semi-autobiographical novel of the same name is a wonderful Merchant Ivory productions.

James Wilby stars as Maurice, a young man at Cambridge who begins to develop feelings for his friend and fellow student Clive (Hugh Grant). The feeling turns out to be mutual and the friends soon fall in love with one another, but must keep their relationship secret because of the strict Edwardian society which they inhabit.

Clive maintains that the pair should keep their relationship purely "platonic" which Maurice accepts, despite feeling a need to seal their love physically. When Clive goes on a trip to Greece, he seems to snub Maurice and it soon becomes clear that he has different feelings about their affair.

Maurice is understandably heartbroken, but his ordeal is not over there. He soon discovers that Clive is engaged to be married to a woman named Anne. He is devestated. The question is, will he recover from the break-up and find love elsewhere or is he doomed to forever be without love in a society that does not accept people of his kind?

The film, which was directed by James Ivory, is a heartbreaking account of one man's struggle to accept his sexuality in a world that tells him that everything about his true inclination is wrong. It also highlights the plight of homosexuals everywhere who were forced to hide their identities because of laws against homosexuality in Britain and around the world.

The film is a joy to look at - the cinematography, the art direction and the costume design being a particular highlight - and is very beautiful, capturing the Edwardian period perfectly. James Wilby is excellent as Maurice and Hugh Grant performs well acting against type. Rupert Graves is wonderful in his supporting role as Alec Scudder, who may or may not prove to be Maurice's eventual saviour.

The actors inhabit their characters effortlessly and it is easy to feel sympathy for all of them in different ways - Maurice, Clive, Alec and even Anne, for that matter - which creates an emotional journey filled with both highs and lows.

An often overlooked and forgotten film, Maurice is brilliant and despite the long running time, should appeal to almost anyone with an open mind, a love of E.M. Forster or even of Merchant Ivory productions in general. This is a must see!

---

Rating: - My personal Merchant Ivory favourite
One of the other reviewers of this film mentioned that this was important to them when they were struugling with issues relating to their own sexuality. I too have a belief that most lesbian and gay people have either a film or a book that is important to them in their formative 'coming out' stages - Maurice was mine. I sneaked into a late night showing in central London with the woman who was, and still is my best friend: and at that time there was no way it was going to be screened in working class South London where we were from.

Essentially the film covers the gradual 'awakening' of Maurice (played by James Wilby) to his true - gay - self starting in his late teenage years and ending sometime one supposes in his mid-twenties. Maurice is from an upper-middle class family and is exposed to all the privileges that go with being from that background. At university he meets Clive (Hugh Grant), an intense, intelligent and handsome young man from the landed gentry. After a few clumsy blunders and misunderstandings the two embark upon a secret relationship (well it has to be). Clive though is unwilling to partake in a sexual aspect to the relationship - thinking that it would 'bring them down'.

After several years of a close, but sexually unfulfilling relationship a mutual aquaintance of Maurice and Clive is caught soliciting a soldier outside a pub. At the subsequent trial he is essentially stripped of the reputation, career and status he enjoyed as a member of the upper class. This is a turning point in the relationship between Maurice and Clive, and Clive calls an end to the relationship in a particularly emotional sequence. Maurice gets on with life, existing from a day to day level, but emotionally his life is barren.

Sometime later - one assumes a year or two has passed with no contact, Maurice receives a phone call from Clive who has an announcement to make. Clive and Maurice are reunited - platonically - but not reconciled. While staying at Clive's country estate he meets Alec Scudder, the under-gamekeeper, a bit of rural, working-class, rough trade who fulfills Maurice in the way Clive never did. The remainder of the film deals with Maurice and Clive dealing with new states of affairs and has as much to do with issues of classism as it does with homosexuality.

The ending scene of the film for me is the most powerful - combined with the evocative music and the symbolic closing of the shutter windows it is very movingly done and always brings a lump to my throat whenever I watch it. Clive and Maurice bring a finality to their relationship at all levels, neither seems happy or satisfied, it seems that happiness for both hangs by a thread. Clive has sacrificed complete fulfillment in order to safeguard his position and wealth, Maurice has sacrificed position and wealth in order for a fulfilling relationship.

Rent it, buy it, watch it once every 5 years or so when it appears on Channel 4. You may find it refreshing to see gay men who are not drag queens or dying of and HIV related illness or drugged-up, club bunnies.

---

Rating: - Starched stiff saga on sexuality in stilted society...
Great tale that I recently hazarded into... and indeed a tremendous delight to behold!!!

Good to see that Hugh Grant built his career on a worthy performance... that brings into question his true sexuality... all gossip aside - it tells a stirring tale of a young man's coping with his sexuality in a conservative society!

THe main character is played with complete diligence that lends you to his plight almost immediately - he delivers himself to the audience and you can only empathize with him and his battle...

The game keeper serves as redeeming feature for the main character - to reassure us that love is a pure, simple, boundless and without prejudice.

Great viewing - not for the faint-hearted or feeble of mind... and brings to bear, that there could be ground-breaking cinema before the likes of Brokeback Mountain!!!

Gem worthy of repeated veiwings...

---

Rating: - Overlong but interesting
This was rather beautiful to watch but to be frank, insufficiently sexual. Hugh Grant kissing James Wilby is an odd thing to behold but throughout the sensual/sexual stuff seemed jilting and hesitant. I wished this would either be an adult gay film or not, fully, one way or the other. Both actors are very good indeed though most of the time and Rupert Graves steals the show. Overall, this film needed to say more than "homosexuality was once dangerous, you know". Merchant hoped the film would speak generally to all our concerns about the nature of self and choice but really, it just speaks to our contemporary desire to see outrageous wealth & beauty and to the official straightness of the era. More thought needed to go into the screenplay. It's not enough that you have two good actors, they need lines to say that reverberate through time. Then again, the novel was apparently weak also - perhaps too autobiographical on Forster's part.