Review of Maurice (1987) by Jenna I — 03 Oct 2017

What a beautiful movie.

Beautifully shot with a perfectly English color palette and chiaroscuro lighting - like Barry Lydon its completely out of time, there's no gives that this was made in the late 80s. Whenever I think of Brideshead Revisited I always think of the world "lush"; besides a similar plot, Maurice also does an excellent job of capturing the beauty of the turn of the century pre-WWI lifestyle of the rich. Cambridge feels like as much of a character in the film as anybody else.

Beautiful story, it's just anguish in three parts - the anguish of wanting, the anguish of having and the anguish of moving on. The best period dramas live in small gestures and looks, and Maurice is chalk full of electric minutiae. Furtive glances. Putting on cuff links. A hand raked through hair. It's all scandalous when straight people do it, but the layer of homosexuality - at a time in which you would ruin your life over such things - just amplifies everything x10. I dare you to watch this and your heart not flutter.

And lastly beautiful people. What an excellently cast film with beautiful people giving their all. Hugh Grant, James Wilby and Rupert Graves just knock it out of the park. And phew, young High Grant in this almost rivals young Jude Law in Wilde in Stressfully Hot looks.

Really a beautiful gem of a movie with a happier ending than I expected. Though with the impending war and life in general none of it feels permanent - though perhaps that's part of the point, forcing the audience to, like Maurice, appreciate the moments that have happened instead of anticipating what will or could happen in the future.