Maurice (1987)
Directed by James Ivory

Film Review

The international success of A Room with a View (1985) convinced its director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant that they should follow it up with another adaptation of an E.M. Forster novel, to capitalise on the popular craze at the time for period dramas.  The novel that James Ivory selected was Maurice, one of Forster's lesser known, less well-regarded works, an intimate portrait of a young man coming to terms with his homosexuality within the stifling social conformity of late Edwardian England.  At the time Forster wrote the novel in 1913-4, homosexuality was a criminal offence in England, punishable by a long prison sentence, with the possibility of flogging and hard labour.   Doubtful of the book's merit, Forster refused to allow it to be published during his lifetime; it only made it into print in 1971, a year after his death.

Whilst Maurice is not one of Forster's best novels, it has become a seminal work in gay literature, one that provides the most revealing insights into homosexuality ('the unspeakable vice of the Greeks') in the early part of the 20th century.  The book and James Ivory's highly sympathetic adaptation are not exclusively about homosexuality; rather, they address more general issues: (i) society's inability to accept human nature and its obsession with an arbitrarily decided notion of conformity; and (ii) the need for individuals to resist societal pressures in order to achieve personal fulfilment in their lives.  Consequently, Maurice is not only of interest to gay men; it is a work that speaks to every one of us, celebrating the worth of the individual and reminding us that we should never allow ourselves to be tyrannised by the cold dictates of convention.  Forster's main motivation for writing Maurice was to deliver a scathing critique of the shallow conventions of his day, not just attitudes towards homosexuals, but the class stratification that would have made Maurice's attraction for a working class girl as socially unacceptable as his attraction for a man in his own social sphere (perhaps even more so). Not only is Maurice one of the most sincere and well-crafted films to come out of the Merchant-Ivory partnership, it is also one of cinema's most eloquent expressions of the necessity to seek truth in our lives, to live according to our innate nobler instincts, not according to the narrow prejudices of others.

As we have come to expect of James Ivory's period dramas, Maurice is extremely well cast, and the decision to cast three virtually unknown actors (at the time) for the three lead roles paid off handsomely.  Ivory was eager to work with Rupert Graves and James Wilby again after he had given them minor roles in A Room With A View; Hugh Grant had only appeared in one film prior to this  - Michael Hoffman's Privileged (1982) (along with Wilby) - and was on the point of giving up acting.  All three actors were to receive a massive career boost through Maurice, although it wasn't until Grant appeared in Four Weddings and a Funeral (1994) that he found international stardom.  Wilby and Graves were rematched almost immediately after Maurice as rival lovers in Charles Sturridge's A Handful of Dust (1988).  As the deeply conflicted Maurice, James Wilby deserves credit for making his dull and largely unsympathetic character believable and (ultimately) likeable.  As the chinless wonder who first takes Maurice's fancy, Hugh Grant is no less impressive and gives a far more nuanced performance than he is generally known for.  Whilst Wilby and Grant took most of the acting plaudits when the film was first released, it is Rupert Graves who turns in the most solid performance - his character (Scudder) is the most complex, and the one that is most vividly and sympathetically rendered.  The distinguished supporting cast reads like an abridged Who's Who of 1980s British Drama, offering up such luminaries as Denholm Elliott, Billie Whitelaw, Ben Kingsley, Simon Callow and Phoebe Nicholls, all impeccable in their respective roles.

We shouldn't dwell on the acting - there is as much talent behind the camera as there is in front of it.  The arresting visual beauty of the film (which is so hauntingly evocative of the era in which the drama is set) owes much to Pierre Lhomme, the highly regarded French cinematographer who previously lent his services to some of the greatest auteur filmmakers in French cinema (Chris Marker, Jean-Pierre Melville, Jacques Doillon, Marguerite Duras and Bertrand Blier).  Richard Robbins' lush score is equally expressive of the conflicting forces that guide the three protagonists to their respective fates, the darker moments of trouble and anxiety marvellously counterpointed by the more spiritually uplifting interludes, building to the magnificent climax which manages to be both jubilant and tragic as it contrasts the emptiness of Clive's future life with the lasting happiness that Maurice has secured for himself (at a huge personal cost).  From E.M. Forster's undistinguished short novel, James Ivory draws a film of rare integrity, beauty and emotional power, one that is both inspiring and intensely involving.  Ivory and Merchant would maintain the same high standard for their third and last E.M. Forster adaptation, the equally wonderful Howards End (1992), which offers a similarly moving tale of class conflict and forbidden love.

Film Synopsis

Shortly after going up to Cambridge in 1909, Maurice Hall makes the acquaintance of Clive Durham, the handsome young heir to a large country estate.  When Clive tells his new friend that he is in love with him, Maurice gives him a cold rebuke, but then grows to realise that he feels the same way.  The two undergraduates pursue an intense love affair, although it remains, at Clive's insistence, purely platonic.  They stay in touch when Maurice is sent down by the Dean for skipping lectures.  As he starts to make a living as a stockbroker, Maurice becomes a frequent visitor to Clive's country house, Pendersleigh.  However, Clive calls an abrupt end to his relationship with Maurice when he learns that a contemporary of his at Cambridge has been imprisoned for homosexual soliciting.  After a holiday in Greece, Clive makes up his mind that he must get married and selects a wealthy heiress named Anne to be his society bride.  Although he initially feels betrayed by his lover, Maurice continues his friendship with Clive, whilst seeking treatment by a hypnotist to cure him of his attraction to men.  During one of his stays at Pendersleigh, Maurice is noticed by Clive's young gamekeeper, Alec Scudder.  Maurice is taken by surprise when, late one night, Scudder climbs through the window into his bedroom and gets into bed with him.  However, he puts up no resistance as Scudder begjns to fondle and kiss him.  In the days that follow, Maurice becomes suspicious of Scudder's motives for seducing him.  His fears are confirmed when the gamekeeper sends him a letter insisting that they should meet up again...