Rent Howards End (1992)
3.8 of 5 from 156 ratings
2h 16min
- General info
- Available formats
- Synopsis:
- A dying woman's impulsive wish marks a turning point in the relationship between the cosmopolitan Schlegel sisters, Margaret (Emma Thompson) and Helen (Helena Bonham Carter), and the wealthy Wilcox family when Ruth Wilcox (Vanessa Redgrave) bequeaths her idyllic country house, Howards End, to Margaret. Convinced that he is acting in the best interests of his family, the patriarchal Henry Wilcox (Anthony Hopkins) destroys his wife's "unofficial" will. But, as the lonely repressed Henry falls in love with Margaret, and Helen's willful attacks on class and convention strike at the very heart of the Wilcox family, fate decrees that Henry must pay dearly for his deceit.
- Actors:
- Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Vanessa Redgrave, Helena Bonham Carter, Joseph Bennett, Prunella Scales, Adrian Ross Magenty, Jo Kendall, James Wilby, Jemma Redgrave, Ian Latimer, Samuel West, Mary Nash, Siegbert Prawer, Susie Lindeman, Nicola Duffett, Mark Tandy, Andrew St. Clair, Anne Lambton, Emma Godfrey
- Directors:
- James Ivory
- Producers:
- Ismail Merchant
- Writers:
- E.M. Forster, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
- Others:
- Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Luciana Arrighi, Ian Whittaker, Jenny Beavan, John Bright, Ismail Merchant, Christine Beveridge, Tony Pierce-Roberts, Andrew Marcus, Richard Robbins
- Aka:
- Howards End
- Studio:
- Odyssey Quest
- Genres:
- Classics, Drama, Romance
- Collections:
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- Awards:
- BBFC:
- Release Date:
- 27/11/2017
- Run Time:
- 143 minutes
- Languages:
- English Dolby Digital 5.1, English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
- Subtitles:
- English Hard of Hearing
- Formats:
- Pal
- Aspect Ratio:
- Widescreen 2.35:1
- Colour:
- Colour
- BLU-RAY Regions:
- B
- Bonus:
- Feature length audio commentary
- Cohen Merchant Ivory reel
- 2016 Conversation between James Ivory and Laurence Kardish
- 2016 Interview with James Ivory and Vanessa Redgrave at Cannes Film Festival
- 2016 On-stage Q&A with James Ivory and Michael Koresky at Lincoln Center
- 1992 Behind the Scenes Short Featurette with comments by cast and crew
- Original Theatrical trailer
- 2016 re-release trailer
- Disc 1:
- This disc includes the main feature
- Special Features - Disc 2:
- This disc includes special features
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Reviews (1) of Howards End
An excellent romantic drama - Howards End review by Philip in Paradiso
Set in Edwardian England, and very faithful to the novel by the same name, written by E M Forster, the film is very good. It has become a classic in its own right.
Helen Schlegel is an arty non-conformist while her sister, Margaret, is more realistic; both are intellectuals. Margaret meets Henry Wilcox, a rich, widowed businessman involved in the colonial trade. Helen, because she wants to help him, gets involved with a lower-middle-class clerk, Leonard Bast, but he is married already. ‘Howards End’, the Wilcox family property in the country, plays a central part in the story.
The reconstitution of the period is remarkably good and the actors (e.g.: Anthony Hopkins) are outstanding -- including the supporting roles, it must be stressed. The film dwells on the mentality at the time and class differences between strata of society that live in parallel universes. When Helen Schlegel attempts to break down those social barriers, everything ends up destabilized with unexpected consequences.
It is most probably one of the best British historical and sentimental dramas ever turned into films.
3 out of 3 members found this review helpful.