Movies

I love the films of Merchant Ivory, especially The Remains of the Day, and Maurice is no exception. It is not my favourite of theirs, there are one or two occasional dull spots for me, but I cannot deny that Maurice(adapted from EM Forster's autobiographical novel) is beautiful. As always, the production values are truly immaculate with the cinematography skillful and the scenery and, costumes and interiors/exteriors gorgeous. The music is also hypnotic and of real beauty, the film is lovingly directed, the script is superbly written and the story is compelling and resonates emotionally with me. Also I think Maurice deals with the theme of homosexuals very well. The acting is excellent, James Wilby especially is very powerful, but I shouldn't dismiss Simon Callow, Patrick Godfrey, Judy Parfitt, Hugh Grant and Rupert Graves either, they are all wonderful. So overall, Maurice is a beautiful film. 9/10 Bethany Cox

This is the most under-rated of the Merchant-Ivory films, I suspect because of its gay content. It is the equal of "Room With A View" and "Howard's End".It is the best depiction I have seen of how a gay man can suppress his sexuality and the pain that that causes to himself and the men who love him. Hugh Grant and James Wilby are excellent as the troubled lovers - but the film is stolen by Rupert Graves as Scudder, the completely un-repressed gardener. Who can forget Rupert crawling through Wilby's window in the night? Every gay man's dream!

This is the most emotional love story I have ever viewed. I first saw the film when I was about 14, and I had no problem sitting through the entire two and a half hours of rich period drama. Merchant and Ivory are two of the best filmmakers ever, and they treat this delicate subject with grace and tact. It makes being a gay teenager a little more bearable, because it is one of the few movies in which the gay lead finds love, and survives. An altogether edifying experience.