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By
NICK ZEGARAC
Merchant Ivory's 1992
masterpiece "Howards End" is based on E.M.
Forster's novel about snobbery and friction
between the English classes. The story concerns
itself with the middle-class Schlegel sisters,
Margaret (Emma Thompson) and Helen (Helena Bonham
Carter). Seems Helen had once put it into her head
to fall in love with Paul Wilcox (Joseph Bennett),
the son of an affluent family presided over by
stalwart patriarch, Henry (Anthony Hopkins) and
the fragile and whimsical, Ruth (Vanessa
Redgrave). The romance is short lived and
considered an embarrassment amongst the Wilcoxes,
who marry off Paul to a woman of his own social
standing. However, upon Ruth's death, Henry
pursues a romantic relationship with Margaret that
eventually blossoms into marriage. Prior to her
death, Ruth had left the family's country estate
-- Howards End -- to Margaret in her will.
But Henry and the family have decided that this
will never do and do not tell Margaret about her
inheritance. Henry's family, including Paul, his
other son, Charles (James Wilby), daughter Evie
(Jemma Redgrave) and daughter-in-law Dolly (Susie
Lindeman) do not approve of their father's
dalliances with Margaret, and even less of the
resulting marriage. Enter Leonard Bast (Samuel
West) -- a poor cockney working in a bank. Through
a series of misadventures he befriends Helen -- a
pairing that will eventually lead to his demise.
Leonard is instructed by Margaret and Helen to
decamp for another position at the insistence of
Henry -- who has ulterior motives that concern his
own indiscretions with Leonard's wife, Jackie
(Nicola Duffett).
Ruth Prawler Jhabvala's brilliant screenplay never
allows the pace of all these intrigues to lapse,
interweaving lust, desire, contempt and disaster
into a seamless and exhilarating blend. James
Ivory directs with panache for elegance and
stylishly glamorous film making in the vein of the
very best from Hollywood's golden age.
Sony Classics originally made "Howards End"
available in a bare bones anamorphic transfer that
was very nicely rendered. Now Criterion has put
out its own deluxe edition, at a more than deluxe
price. The transfer -- while being advertised as
newly remastered, is on par with the previously
issued disc -- showing only marginal improvements
in film grain reduction and perhaps a tad more
saturation in colors. Colors on both editions are
bold, vibrant and nicely contrasted. Blacks are
deep, velvety an solid. Whites are, on the whole,
clean. Minor dirt and scratches appear but do not
distract. The audio is 5.1 Dolby and represents a
very stirring palette of music and effects. But
this is primarily a dialogue driven film, so don't
expect your speakers to get a work out. Where
Criterion's edition excels is in its extra
features: two comprehensive making of
documentaries that tackle different aspects of the
production, deleted scenes, an audio commentary
and theatrical trailer. If that justifies the
nearly triple price tag that Criterion is asking,
then I suppose the new edition is worth every
penny. Both versions come highly recommended by
this reviewer. |
