Maurice (film)

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Maurice

Directed by	James Ivory
Produced by	Ismail Merchant Paul Bradley
Written by	E. M. Forster Kit Hesketh-Harvey James Ivory
Starring	James Wilby Hugh Grant Rupert Graves Denholm Elliott Simon Callow Billie Whitelaw
Music by	Richard Robbins
Cinematography	Pierre Lhomme
Editing by	Katherine Wenning
Distributed by	Cinecom Pictures (US)
Release date(s)	18 September 1987 (US)
Running time	140 min
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Followed by	Maurice 2
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Maurice is a 1987 film based on the novel of the same title by E. M. Forster. A tale of homosexual love in early 20th century England, it follows Maurice Hall from his school days, through university and beyond.

Produced by Merchant Ivory Productions and Channel Four Films, the film was directed by James Ivory and written by Ivory and Kit Hesketh-Harvey, produced by Ismail Merchant, with cinematography by Pierre Lhomme.

Starring James Wilby as Maurice, Hugh Grant as Clive and Rupert Graves as Alec. The supporting cast included Denholm Elliott as Dr Barry, Simon Callow as Mr Ducie, Billie Whitelaw as Mrs Hall and Ben Kingsley as Lasker-Jones.

1 Cast
2 Differences in the film
3 DVD
4 Awards
5 External links

[edit] Cast

James Wilby - Maurice Hall
Hugh Grant - Clive Durham
Rupert Graves - Alec Scudder
Denholm Elliott - Doctor Barry
Simon Callow - Mr. Ducie
Billie Whitelaw - Mrs. Hall
Barry Foster - Dean Cornwallis
Judy Parfitt - Mrs. Durham
Phoebe Nicholls - Anne Durham
Ben Kingsley - Lasker-Jones
Patrick Godfrey - Simcox
Mark Tandy - Risley
Kitty Aldridge - Kitty Hall
Helena Michell - Ada Hall
Catherine Rabett - Pippa Durham
Peter Eyre - Rev. Borenius
Michael Jenn - Archie
Mark Payton - Chapman
Orlando Wells - Young Maurice
Maria Britneva - Mrs. Sheepshanks
John Elmes - Hill
Alan Foss - Old Man on Train
Philip Fox - Dr. Jowitt
Olwen Griffiths - Mrs. Scudder
Chris Hunter - Fred Scudder
Gerald McArthur - Undergraduate
Breffni McKenna - Guardsman
Miles Richardson - Third Undergraduate
Phillida Sewell - Matron
Matthew Sim - Featherstonhaugh
Andrew St. Clair - Second Undergraduate
Harriet Thorpe - Barmaid
Julian Wadham - Hull
Richard Warner - Judge
Alan Whybrow - Mr. Scudder

Cameo

Helena Bonham Carter - Lady at Cricket Match
Adrian Ross Magenty - Dickie Barry

[edit] Differences in the film

Maurice is 11 at the beginning of the film, rather than 14. The film omits almost all of the novel's philosophical dialogue, and also many subplots such as Maurice's love for the schoolboy Dickie. It expands the Wildean character of Lord Risley and his 6-month imprisonment with hard labour for homosexual conduct (he is not imprisoned in the novel), in order to dramatise the dangers of Edwardian homosexuality and provide a plot device by which Clive feels he must reject Maurice. No such plot device was in the novel. In one deleted scene released in the 2002 edition, Risley actually ends up committing suicide, but this was not shown in the film.

While undergoing hypnosis by Dr. Lasker-Jones in a desperate attempt to "cure" himself, Maurice reveals to him that he has slept with Alec Scudder. Lasker-Jones warns Maurice that at one time homosexuals were executed in Britain. In spite of this warning, Lasker-Jones, especially in the film, seems to be the most affirming character. Despite most of society's condemnations, he suggests that Maurice consider relocating to a country where homosexuality is not illegal and more tolerated, like France or Italy. Maurice asks him if England will ever change its attitudes towards homosexuality, to which Lasker-Jones replied that "England has always been disinclined to accept human nature."

The place of the final tryst between Maurice and Alec Scudder has a certain homoerotic symbolism when seen in the movie; the pseudo-Elizabethan boathouse alludes both to the Arts and Crafts movement that was so associated with Edward Carpenter (a visit by E.M. Forster to Carpenter and his lover George Merrill inspired the writing of Maurice), and also to the Elizabethan England of Christopher Marlowe ("all they that love not tobacco and boys are fools") and the Sonnets of Shakespeare. In the novel the "greenwood and the night" serve as the place of refuge, and the boathouse is only alluded to.