Based on the novel by E.M. Forester, Howard’s End concerns the relationship between middle class woman Margaret Schlegel (Best Actress Oscar-winner Emma Thompson) and Ruth Wilcox (Oscar-nominee Vanessa Redgrave), the dying wife of rich capitalist Henry (Anthony Hopkins), and how that relationship effects both their families over the succeeding years.

CRITIQUE

There’s not much I have to say about Howard’s End. Nominated for nine 1993 Academy Awards and the winner of three (Best Actress, Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Art Direction-Set Direction), this movie from producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory canon (others include A Room with a View, The Remains of the Day and A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries) is arguably my personal favorite of all their works. It is a master class of screenwriting, direction and acting that is nearly without par, watching it a whirlwind of emotional responses that last long after the picture has come to an end.

Granted they had great source material. Forester’s novel is a complexly nuanced marvel, it’s depiction of class distinctions in Edwardian England at times as menacing and as vindictive as a serial killer stalking a rainy moonlit back alley. But the book is also full of love and friendship, the relationship between Wilcox sisters Margaret and Helen (played beautifully in the movie by Helena Bonham Carter) as pure and as heartfelt as any in all of literature.

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s screenplay is a divine adaptation, justly deserving of its Oscar. It manages to turn Forester’s prose into a workable theatrical construct, hitting all the novel’s highpoints without cutting away any of its emotional power or delicately refined structure in the process.

But beyond the superlative storytelling, Ivory’s confident direction and the universal excellence of the cast, it is the movie as a whole that makes it a shimmering classic of the genre. Tony Pierce-Roberts’s (Separate Lies) cinematography is arguably the best work of his entire career (Criterion’s superlative Blu-ray showing it off to perfection), while Richard Robbins’ (The White Countess) piano-driven score is the perfect accompaniment to all of the emotional action taking place onscreen. Luciana Arrighi’s (Being Julia) production design is also superb, the titular house a beauteous marvel and it’s easy to see why so many of the Schlegels fight so dearly (and underhandedly) to make sure the Wilcoxs never possess it.

There is plenty more I could say here but I don’t think it is particularly necessary on my part to do so. This movie is a mesmerizing marvel worthy of all its acclaim. Thompson is remarkable, but then so are Carter, Hopkins, Redgrave and Simon West (playing the middle class catalyst of much of the story’s climactic drama), the entire cast working in tandem to achieve a superlative balance between light and dark that makes discovering the Edwardian shades of grey lying between the families so much more delicious. Howard’s End is a tremendous film that has already proven to be able to stand the test of time, and I imagine in another two decades we’ll be talking about it just as passionately then as we happen to be doing now. 

THE VIDEO

Howard’s End is presented in 2.35:1/1080p on a 50GB disc, the aspect ratio supervised and approved by director James Ivory and cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts. The movie looks simply great, this high-def transfer bordering on the outstanding.

THE AUDIO

The film is presented in English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. Not my favorite mix ever by Criterion, sometimes feeling a bit off with Richard Robbins sensational score occasionally drowning out the dialogue forcing me to adjust levels and volume more than a couple of times. Not as big a problem as you’d think it would be, though, the rest of the presentation here so fantastic I’m willing to overlook it.

THE EXTRAS

There is a lot here, the majority of it worthy of multiple looks. These extras include:

• A terrific 12-Minute Appreciation of the Late Ismail Merchant by Director James Ivory
• The great documentary Building “Howard’s End” featuring interviews with Ivory, Merchant, Helena Bonham Carter, costume designer Jenny Beavan and production designer Luciana Arrighi
• The intriguing featurette The Design of “Howard’s End featuring detailed looks at the costume and production designs for the film
• The outstanding 50-minute documentary The Wandering Company which concerns itself with the history and lasting cinematic import of Merchant Ivory Productions
• The Original 1992 Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
• Original Theatrical Trailer
• The always wonderful Criterion booklet this one featuring an Essay by Los Angeles Times Film Critic Kenneth Turan 

FINAL THOUGHTS

Howard’s End is my favorite of the director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant collaborations. My issues with the volume aside, this is a masterful motion picture and an outstanding Blu-ray that would make a fine addition to anyone’s DVD library.