Gorgeous, breathtaking acting tour de force This is certainly one of the most beautiful films I have ever seen, from an aesthetic point of view. I felt swept up by the scenery, the music, the costumes. But, aside from the surface beauty, there beats underneath the heart of a true classic. This is one of Merchant/Ivory's most under-rated films. It is the adaptation of the E.M. Forster novel, 'Maurice', which itself remained un-published until after his death. The film is completely faithful to the book, so faithful, in fact, that it stretches to two and a half hours what could have been told in under two hours. But, no matter. It never ceases to amaze me how the British can produce films of such breath-taking detail and clarity, and spend only a fraction of the budget that their American counterparts do.
James Wilby stars as Maurice Hall, who falls in love with his classmate, Clive Durham, portrayed by Hugh Grant. They are both undergraduates at Cambridge. The time is the Edwardian era, and they must keep their feelings under wraps. Clive is much more reserved than Maurice, in the long run. Eventually Clive gives in to the pressures from his mother (an icily perfect Judy Parfitt) and marries the pretty but uninteresting Anne (Phoebe Nichols). Maurice and Clive never consummated their relationship, and from the looks of things, there isn't much of a sexual relationship between Clive and his wife.
Maurice finds his solace and his savior in Alec Scudder, the gamekeeper on Clive's estate, played with ferociously understated sensuality by Rupert Graves. Indeed, the second half of this film belongs to Rupert Graves. He is young, baby-faced, but with a deep voice and a confident swagger, and the simmering sexuality about ready to explode. You can see his feelings in his eyes. It would be impossible for Maurice to turn him down. This is where the film received some criticism; since Maurice and Alec are from different classes, backgrounds and education, surely their relationship would wither and fade once the passion had ended? E.M. Forster received the same criticism when he shared his manuscript with a few select friends. But, part of the reason the book succeeds is because of the belief and fervent hope that the relationship between Maurice and Alec will work. It must work, against all the odds of society.
The portrayal of the period's homophobia is exquisite. There is a heartbreaking scene where Maurice tries to confide in the family doctor, portrayed by Denholm Elliott. Dr. Barrie merely reacts to Maurice in disgust. Maurice turns to a quack hypnotist, played by Ben Kingsley, but finds he cannot deny his true nature.
Since Hugh Grant has become mega famous in the 10 plus years since the film was made, it is often referred to as a "Hugh Grant film." Grant is extremely reserved in the role, showing no signs of his future as a comic actor. I would have preferred him to portray Maurice Hall, however. James Wilby is sweet and believeable, but he lacks something in the role. Although he does balance well with the erotic Rupert Graves, as Maurice seems as confused and searching as he is intended to be.
A breath-taking, entertaining and extremely intelligent film; I highly recommend it.