Howard's End (BD)
Criterion set up a voting mechanism for the first time in April, 2009, through the Amazon.com Web site asking its fans to vote for a future Blu-ray release. Five titles were up for the vote: Louis Malle’s “Au Revoir Les Enfants” (1987) , Jim Jarmusch’s “Down by Law” (1986), James Ivory’s “Howards End” (1992), Masaki Kobayashi’s “Kwaidan” (1964), and Peter Weir’s “Picnic at Hanging Rock” (1975). As a fan of Peter Weir’s works, I voted for “Picnic at Hanging Rock.” So when “Howard’s End” was selected as the final choice, I was crushed. I thought “Picnic at Hanging Rock” was in need of a proper restoration and it not getting selected meant there was no special-edition release in the foreseeable future. To me, “Howard’s End” was an odd final choice, nevertheless….
I was introduced to the world of Merchant-Ivory films when I saw “Shakespeare Wallah” (1965), “The Guru” (1969), and “Bombay Talkie” (1970). One can conclude that their filmmaking career is divided into two parts. The first part started in early 1961 and involved movies for which original screenplays were specifically written. The latter part started after 1981, and it focused on creating films adapted from literary sources. More so, the second half of their filmmaking years focused mainly on social commentaries about the class structure and social attitudes in Britain.
Tightly based on the 1910 E.M. Forster book by the same name, “Howard’s End” is a story that touches on three families in different classes: The Wilcoxes, Henry Wilcox (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife, Ruth (Vanessa Redgrave), are rich capitalists; the Schlegels sisters, Margaret (Emma Thompson) and Helen (Helena Bonham Carter), are educated and progressive upper-middle-class London socialites who are doing well but are not as rich as the Wilcoxes; and the Basts are struggling to make ends meet and are part of the lower economic class of London. The story begins with Helen being rejected by Wilcox’s eldest son, Paul. As the story unfolds, the Wilcoxes move to London and take up residence in the immediate neighborhood where Margaret and Helen live.
Margaret becomes friends with Henry’s wife, Ruth, who is terminally ill. Soon after, Ruth invites Margaret to see her house at Howard’s End and thus gets introduced to Henry. Meanwhile, Helen inadvertently takes an umbrella belonging to Leonard Bast (Samuel West). This sets off a chain of events by which the Basts get connected to the Schlegels sisters and the Wilcoxes. Henry recommends that Leonard quit his job as a clerk in the insurance company that he is working for. The decision leaves Leonard unemployed. The Schlegels somehow feel the guilt of Leonard being unemployed. Ruth passes away, and shortly thereafter, Henry proposes to Margaret and they get engaged. An explosive revelation at Henry’s daughter’s wedding occurs, and Margaret realizes that Henry had had an extramarital affair with Leonard’s wife while Ruth was still alive. Helen feels very badly for Leonard, their mutual sympathy leads to a brief affair, and Helen gets pregnant with his child. Eventually, all of this culminates in a violent and unexpected climax at Howard’s End.
Emma Thompson steals the show with her captivating performance. She perfectly transforms herself into a middle-class London spinster who is sensitive, respectful, sincere, and at the same time firm on various issues. With relative ease she portrays multiple emotions convincingly. In fact, she is the glue of the entire movie and the central character in all the overlapping story lines and subplots. After seeing her performance, it does not come as a surprise to me that she would win an Oscar in the “Best Actress” category several years later in 1995. Even though Anthony Hopkins enters the story after the first forty minutes, he still manages to deliver a memorable performance as a successful British capitalist. His characterization of a rich businessman who is distant, insensitive, and prejudiced against the lower classes is well delivered on the screen. The supporting cast led by Helena Bonham Carter, Vanessa Redgrave, and Samuel West is equally impressive.
The script, written by Ruth Jhabvala, is brilliant and textured winning the 1992 Academy Award in the Best Writing Adapted Screenplay category. Of course, a lot of times adapted screenplays do not work because of the complexity of the source material. However, it appears that Jhabvala preserved key elements from the book in translating it for the screen and that nothing got lost in the translation.
Having said this, Jhabvala’s script allows characters to settle into their roles without compromising the pace of the movie. The script gives detailed insights into each character, their feelings and vulnerabilities brought out beautifully in various situations. Further, each character is well developed in that you feel emotionally invested in them. The story touches three families, each associated in a different class structure where characters are inexorably linked through situations. The script ties all these threads together very well.
Likewise, the script incorporates historical details in the form of the class structure prevalent in Britain in the early 1900s. Not only does the movie show how deeply entrenched the class structure was in British culture, but it also demonstrates the changing attitudes of people divided according to pre-defined class structures. The last heartbreaking scene sums up the class divide in which the Wilcoxes had the power to dictate the crime-scene investigation and their dismissive attitude to a life of a person from the lower classes.
Video:
As promised, Criterion created a new transfer specifically for this release. The video transfer is supervised and approved by the cinematographer, Tony-Pierce Roberts. The video is encoded using an MPEG-4 codec that averages 25 Mpbs. As compared to the previous edition, the new Blu-ray release is significantly better. The print used for this transfer seems to be in pristine condition, free of blemishes or dust specks. The image is sharp throughout the running time, and costumes are better defined as a result of the higher resolution. Although the movie does not have a bright palette, the subtle variations in the muted colors come through quite well. The transfer has a more film-like appearance as some grain has been retained. I did not notice any signs of DNR or halos, so, overall, an impeccable HD transfer of “Howard’s End” by Criterion.
Audio: Criterion has included a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack for this release. As a dialogue-driven movie, “Howard’s End” directs most of its audio to the front channels. However, there are times when the movie’s soundtrack kicks in and comes to life in the surround speakers as well. The dialogue is crisp and clear throughout, and the audio track is adequate and performs well.
Extras:
Included in the extras is a new video appreciation of the late Ismail Merchant by Ivory. In addition, there is “Building Howard’s End” (43 minutes, 1080p), interviews with James Ivory, Ismail Merchant, Helena Bonham Carter, costume designer Jenny Beavan, and production designer Luciana Arrighi. Here, Merchant discusses the difficulty of getting funding for this project, and Ivory talks about his relationship with Merchant, the movie, and his thought process through the eyes of the movie characters. Beavan talks about costumes of the early 1900 and how challenging it was to bring some of it in the movie.
Next is “The Design of Howard’s End” (9 minutes, 1080p), a discussion with the production designer, Luciana Arrighi, on the aesthetics, set, and costume designs included in the film. Also included is a documentary, “The Wandering Company” (50 minute, 4x3), that chronicles the Merchant Ivory Productions’ history over the last thirty years.
The extras also retain an original 1992 behind-the-scenes featurette, along with an original theatrical trailer and an essay by film critic Kenneth Turan.
Parting Thoughts:
Merchant/Ivory’s “Howard’s End” is a complex tale that is wonderfully written, acted, and directed. Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson shine in their respective roles, and the movie heralded the start of a team. The duo returned in “The Remains of the Day,” which to me is the best work from the Merchant/Ivory team. “Howard’s End” moves at a brisk pace, presenting viewers with meticulous period details. Moreover, it is a biting social commentary on British class structure, social prejudices, and biases. And this Criterion release bolsters a terrific video and audio presentation with a slew of insightful extras.
Video = 8/10
Audio = 7/10
Extras = 7/10
Movie = 8/10
I was introduced to the world of Merchant-Ivory films when I saw “Shakespeare Wallah” (1965), “The Guru” (1969), and “Bombay Talkie” (1970). One can conclude that their filmmaking career is divided into two parts. The first part started in early 1961 and involved movies for which original screenplays were specifically written. The latter part started after 1981, and it focused on creating films adapted from literary sources. More so, the second half of their filmmaking years focused mainly on social commentaries about the class structure and social attitudes in Britain.
Tightly based on the 1910 E.M. Forster book by the same name, “Howard’s End” is a story that touches on three families in different classes: The Wilcoxes, Henry Wilcox (Anthony Hopkins) and his wife, Ruth (Vanessa Redgrave), are rich capitalists; the Schlegels sisters, Margaret (Emma Thompson) and Helen (Helena Bonham Carter), are educated and progressive upper-middle-class London socialites who are doing well but are not as rich as the Wilcoxes; and the Basts are struggling to make ends meet and are part of the lower economic class of London. The story begins with Helen being rejected by Wilcox’s eldest son, Paul. As the story unfolds, the Wilcoxes move to London and take up residence in the immediate neighborhood where Margaret and Helen live.
Margaret becomes friends with Henry’s wife, Ruth, who is terminally ill. Soon after, Ruth invites Margaret to see her house at Howard’s End and thus gets introduced to Henry. Meanwhile, Helen inadvertently takes an umbrella belonging to Leonard Bast (Samuel West). This sets off a chain of events by which the Basts get connected to the Schlegels sisters and the Wilcoxes. Henry recommends that Leonard quit his job as a clerk in the insurance company that he is working for. The decision leaves Leonard unemployed. The Schlegels somehow feel the guilt of Leonard being unemployed. Ruth passes away, and shortly thereafter, Henry proposes to Margaret and they get engaged. An explosive revelation at Henry’s daughter’s wedding occurs, and Margaret realizes that Henry had had an extramarital affair with Leonard’s wife while Ruth was still alive. Helen feels very badly for Leonard, their mutual sympathy leads to a brief affair, and Helen gets pregnant with his child. Eventually, all of this culminates in a violent and unexpected climax at Howard’s End.
Emma Thompson steals the show with her captivating performance. She perfectly transforms herself into a middle-class London spinster who is sensitive, respectful, sincere, and at the same time firm on various issues. With relative ease she portrays multiple emotions convincingly. In fact, she is the glue of the entire movie and the central character in all the overlapping story lines and subplots. After seeing her performance, it does not come as a surprise to me that she would win an Oscar in the “Best Actress” category several years later in 1995. Even though Anthony Hopkins enters the story after the first forty minutes, he still manages to deliver a memorable performance as a successful British capitalist. His characterization of a rich businessman who is distant, insensitive, and prejudiced against the lower classes is well delivered on the screen. The supporting cast led by Helena Bonham Carter, Vanessa Redgrave, and Samuel West is equally impressive.
The script, written by Ruth Jhabvala, is brilliant and textured winning the 1992 Academy Award in the Best Writing Adapted Screenplay category. Of course, a lot of times adapted screenplays do not work because of the complexity of the source material. However, it appears that Jhabvala preserved key elements from the book in translating it for the screen and that nothing got lost in the translation.
Having said this, Jhabvala’s script allows characters to settle into their roles without compromising the pace of the movie. The script gives detailed insights into each character, their feelings and vulnerabilities brought out beautifully in various situations. Further, each character is well developed in that you feel emotionally invested in them. The story touches three families, each associated in a different class structure where characters are inexorably linked through situations. The script ties all these threads together very well.
Likewise, the script incorporates historical details in the form of the class structure prevalent in Britain in the early 1900s. Not only does the movie show how deeply entrenched the class structure was in British culture, but it also demonstrates the changing attitudes of people divided according to pre-defined class structures. The last heartbreaking scene sums up the class divide in which the Wilcoxes had the power to dictate the crime-scene investigation and their dismissive attitude to a life of a person from the lower classes.
Video:
As promised, Criterion created a new transfer specifically for this release. The video transfer is supervised and approved by the cinematographer, Tony-Pierce Roberts. The video is encoded using an MPEG-4 codec that averages 25 Mpbs. As compared to the previous edition, the new Blu-ray release is significantly better. The print used for this transfer seems to be in pristine condition, free of blemishes or dust specks. The image is sharp throughout the running time, and costumes are better defined as a result of the higher resolution. Although the movie does not have a bright palette, the subtle variations in the muted colors come through quite well. The transfer has a more film-like appearance as some grain has been retained. I did not notice any signs of DNR or halos, so, overall, an impeccable HD transfer of “Howard’s End” by Criterion.
Audio: Criterion has included a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack for this release. As a dialogue-driven movie, “Howard’s End” directs most of its audio to the front channels. However, there are times when the movie’s soundtrack kicks in and comes to life in the surround speakers as well. The dialogue is crisp and clear throughout, and the audio track is adequate and performs well.
Extras:
Included in the extras is a new video appreciation of the late Ismail Merchant by Ivory. In addition, there is “Building Howard’s End” (43 minutes, 1080p), interviews with James Ivory, Ismail Merchant, Helena Bonham Carter, costume designer Jenny Beavan, and production designer Luciana Arrighi. Here, Merchant discusses the difficulty of getting funding for this project, and Ivory talks about his relationship with Merchant, the movie, and his thought process through the eyes of the movie characters. Beavan talks about costumes of the early 1900 and how challenging it was to bring some of it in the movie.
Next is “The Design of Howard’s End” (9 minutes, 1080p), a discussion with the production designer, Luciana Arrighi, on the aesthetics, set, and costume designs included in the film. Also included is a documentary, “The Wandering Company” (50 minute, 4x3), that chronicles the Merchant Ivory Productions’ history over the last thirty years.
The extras also retain an original 1992 behind-the-scenes featurette, along with an original theatrical trailer and an essay by film critic Kenneth Turan.
Parting Thoughts:
Merchant/Ivory’s “Howard’s End” is a complex tale that is wonderfully written, acted, and directed. Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson shine in their respective roles, and the movie heralded the start of a team. The duo returned in “The Remains of the Day,” which to me is the best work from the Merchant/Ivory team. “Howard’s End” moves at a brisk pace, presenting viewers with meticulous period details. Moreover, it is a biting social commentary on British class structure, social prejudices, and biases. And this Criterion release bolsters a terrific video and audio presentation with a slew of insightful extras.
Video = 8/10
Audio = 7/10
Extras = 7/10
Movie = 8/10
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