Howards End [1992] [DVD]

My varied Video Library consists largely of original DVD and Blue -Ray discs , with a few 4K Ultra Blue-Ray having recently been added ....in all about 500 discs. Some of my favourite DVD's have been replaced by the Blu -ray upgraded version. Howards End in particular ranks amongst my Top Twenty films. It is a wonderful adaptation of the book, brilliantly cast and acted, and truly visually stunningIt should have certainly worthy of an upgrading to the Blu-ray version which I recently purchased. How very disappointed I was!I would accept that some critics felt that the dulling down of the lighting and colour intensity to pastel levels was more in keeping with the period and dourness of the films plot. However for me the joy of this film were thechosen outdoor locations , the meticulous detail and colours of internal sets, and the brilliant cinematography in this truly beautiful restoration. These simply deserves to be seen ..Albeit I viewed this disc on an upgraded 4K Ultra Blu-ray machine but it does deliver the brightest and most brilliant colour of ANY disc in my whole collection. And for a give away of £6.21 !

At last a Blu-ray release for this cinematic gem, to my mind the finest of the Merchant and Ivory collaborations skillfully adapted from E M Forster's1910 novel by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala ,deservedly winning an Oscar for the screenplay. Ably directed by James Ivory this biting, sharp observation of the Edwardian class structure is beautifully played by a superb cast headed by Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins,their scenes together are marvelous, the proposal on the staircase for example is sublime interplay between two great actors it seems intuitive and natural (just as they did in "Remains of the day",it is the heart of the film. Mention must be made of the great look of the film,by production designer Luciana Arrighi evoking the Edwardian age and the under-pinning of Richard Robbins's superb score, An absolute classic!

I bought this recently and watched it last night and although i purchased it purely on ratings and the fact that Anthony Hopkins was in it rather than reading reviews as to what it was about i found myself watching a truly amazing film.Hopkins is as ever pure gold but was even outshone on this occasion by the acting talents of Emma Thompson (won an Oscar for her role too!!) who i really hadn't seen much of before,for most of the film i felt that i was actually back in time and in the scene.Beautifully shot and acted,a very good film to add to anyone's collection.Howards End [1992] [DVD]

Very high production values for a low-budget movie. As always, Merchant and Ivory cast all superb actors. Video transfer and color print of this DVD infinitely superior to the washed-out USA Criterion Collection version which would not track half-way through the film and had to be returned.

Delightful film and well adapted. Merchany Ivory quality production - unrequited love, subtle class behaviours that are both a help and hindrance. Emma Thompson & Anthony Hopkins are wonderfully paired (& again in Remains of the Day - another 5* film)and the repressed emotion adds delicate tension that adds to a powerful and very moving performance. The angst of being in a democratic society but completely bound by unwritten rules and the chaos that ensues when one of those rules is broken is well presented, often without words. Great cast and just sublime.

Howards End is a must see. Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson and Vanessa Redgrave, ably supported by Helena B-C are first-rate. I can't really choose between the three of them - they are clearly feeding off each other and have produced mind-bogglingly great perfomances - you haven't lived until you've seen Howards End! Ok I will choose - Vanessa Redgrave - what an extraordinary character she plays! When she says 'I'm only thankful that I haven't got the vote' (or words to that effect) it is a real scene stealer.

Very slow moving, excellent acting, but the story line is poor.

This is a wonderful adaptation of the classic E.M.Forster novel,with brilliant performances by Emma Thompson,Helena Bonham Carter and Anthony Hopkins.The story is about two contrasting families;the cosmoplitan,artistic Schlegel sisters,Margaret and Helen,and the wealthy,conventional Wilcox family.The dying Mrs Wilcox leaves her country house, Howard's End,to Margaret.Henry Wilcox destroys his wife's `unofficial' will to preserve his family's property.But as the lonely,repressed Henry falls in love with Margaret,and Helen challenges conventional attitudes towards class and sex,both families are forced to accommodate each other's values.Highly recommended.

thanks

Un film già visto ma di cui adoro la ambientazione e la bella fotografia, oltre agli attori strepitosi

beau film, les 2 acteurs sont magnifiques

Ich habe den Film vor Jahren gesehen ohne das Buch zu kennen. Er hatte mich sehr berührt: schöne Bilder, dieses wunderbare athmosphärische Haus, die Darbietung von Emma Thompson und Helena Bonham-Carter, die Geschichte und die Charaktere selber - Stärken und Schwächen der Menschen mit ihren unterschiedlichen gesellschaftlichen Prägungen ohne Schwarz-Weiß-Malerei, und auch das Ende der Geschichte. Nun hatte ich das Buch als Vorbereitung gelesen. Der Film ist sehr genau an der Vorlage - im Interview mit James Ivory (Extras) spürt man auch daß ihm das sehr wichtig war. Leider hatte ich übersehen, daß es keine englischen Untertitel gibt - hätte ich bei dieser Premium-Ausgabe erwartet - ich sehe einen Film gern im Originalton mit Orginalsprache-Untertitel. Die deutschen Untertitel machen mein Sprachstudium zunichte,aber bei dem Genuschel von Helena B.-C. ohne UT keine Chance etwas zu verstehen. Emma T. spricht dagegen sehr deutlich. Trotzdem hat sich der Kauf gelohnt.

Ismail Merchant and James Ivory will probably be best remembered for their gorgeous productions of E.M. Forster novels, of which 'Howard's End' is second to none. How can one fail, given their winning formula of lush period settings, perfect musical accompaniment, and flawless matching of character to actor? This particular Merchant/Ivory film was nominated for countless awards, including nine Academy Awards, among them Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actress.The story revolves around the Schlegel sisters, Margaret and Helen, and their involvement with various characters including a ruthless businessman and his dying wife, and a down-on-his-luck day clerk. Margaret is the sensible sister, caring but careful, while Helen is the idealist, out to save the world, without realising how condescending she can be in attempting to do so. Their brother is almost an afterthought in the story. Margaret is portrayed by Emma Thompson, veteran Shakespearean and British actress; Helen is played by Merchant-Ivory veteran Helena Bonham Carter. Other players include Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins, James Wilby (also in other Merchant-Ivory productions), Samuel West, and the great Vanessa Redgrave. (Look for Prunella Scales, best known as Sybil Fawlty from 'Fawlty Towers' in what might be described as an extended cameo role.)The characters show some of the principal social class divisions of late Victorian/Edwardian England. The Wilcoxes are a successful business family, unlettered and conservative; the Schlegels are genteel aristocrats with an idealistic bent but slowly declining economic fortunes; the Basts are underprivileged but yearning for more. One of the better lines comes from the aunt of the Schlegel sisters, as she explains their upbringing: 'Of course, they are British to the backbone, but their father is German, which is why they care for literature and art.' This is a world in which everyone expects to have a discernable and well defined role, but the world around these social classes is changing rapidly.At first, Helen is engaged to the younger Wilcox son. In short order, this relationship breaks, but not before the Wilcoxes and the Schlegels are intertwined in continuing social encounters. Eventually, the elder Schlegel sister Margaret gets a marriage proposal from the patriarch Wilcox, after his wife dies of a long illness. Helen has, in the meanwhile, become pregnant from the underprivileged Leonard Bast, whose wife, we discover, had a brief fling with the elder Wilcox in the past. If this sounds like a soap opera, you might be on to something. However, no daytime drama was ever so lavishly and well appointed.The title for 'Howard's End' comes from the country home of the Wilcoxes, in fact the property of Mrs. Wilcox, which she means for Margaret to have. She willed it to Margaret when they became friends, but Henry Wilcox suppressed the will after his wife's death. In the end, Howard's End comes to the Schlegels in a different way, as the world continues its unsteady path between Victorian/Edwardian sensibilities and the new world to come.This is a flawless film in many ways - well acted, well designed, well directed. This is a visual treat indeed.