Review of Howards End (1992) by Antonio A — 14 Nov 2007

Howards End is a quiet yet powerful drama that tackles so many issues at so many levels. Every person that I have ever discussed the novel with has had a different interpretation of it; oddly enough, it has always seemed to me that we were all right. There is so much going on in the fully dimensional lives of these wonderful (and sometimes not-so wonderful) characters. I was beyond happy to find that the film managed to capture much of what was so important to us in the novel.

I first saw the film in 1993 and have seen it many times since. It is one of those dramas that can leave you speechless at its end, despite a wonderful absence of anything sensational. It manages to capture so much of what happens in the novel.

The piece is stunning to the eye from beginning to end. The soundtrack is equally wonderful and photography, music and art all fit, thanks to what I imagine must have been first-rate direction. Emma Thompson brings Margaret Schlegel to life so perfectly for me, right down to the body language and tone of voice. One has the impression that here is true concern for other people. There is something so subtle about the character as portrayed, especially the way in which she carries herself, often lulling her head to one side when seemingly deep in thought, mulling over possibilities. Helena Bonham Carter is equally perfect in the role of Helen...brave, tempestuous, kind, impulsive...these are to amazing women, especially considering their period in time. Anthony Hopkins is so easy to mistake for the character he plays that at times you may despise Henry Wilcox far more than you could ever hate Hannibal the Cannibal.

This film has left me quite happy in its adaption from one medium to the other; It communicated what the book does and even what is most subtle for me in the novel....that Howards End is in many ways about a mystical little genus of justice, of people getting what is rightfully theirs and what has been promised to them. The fact that Howards End is the hub around which these characters dance and spin their respective lives, and is ultimately the prize to the most noble of character, seems only just enough. This adaption would have made Forster proud, of this I am sure.