a drama by
Merchant Ivory Productions
1987 | 140 mins | UK
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
Patrick Godfrey .... Simcox
Mark Tandy .... Risley
Ben Kingsley .... Doctor Lasker-Jones
Kitty Aldridge .... Kitty Hall
Helena Michell .... Ada Hall
Catherine Rabett .... Pippa Durham
Peter Eyre .... Reverend Borenius
Orlando Wells .... Young Maurice
Cameo appearance by
Helena Bonham Carter as
the Lady at the Cricket Match
Maurice
a luscious adaptation of the
E M Forster classic
love story
Available on DVD as part of the
Odyssey-Quest
Merchant Ivory Collection
www.merchantivory.com
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Largely written between 1913 and 1914 by E M Forster but not published until 1971, a year after
his death, this work of homosexual acceptance ranks as a classic Forster love story, just
as its screen adaptation in the assured hands of Merchant Ivory Productions,
marks a classic of modern cinema.
For with the sound of the drums of World War I becoming ever louder, the story of MAURICE is that
of a depiction of the life and times of Maurice Hall and inparticular his university education
that saw him as much in love with Cambridge life, as with fellow undergraduate Clive Durham.
Forced to quit university when a requisite apology is not forthcoming and ill-at-ease with his
sexuality, Maurice gets a job in the city, only to face the harsh reality of unrequited love
from a man intent on cementing his social reputation, family inheritance and political
advancement through the institution of marriage, inparticular when an earlier
screen episode saw a close friend arrested and socially disgraced for
'the unspeakable vice of the Greeks.'
Rejecting the 'temptation from the devil' counselling of the family doctor, Maurice comes to seek
the help of a hypnotist in order to exorcise the gay spirit that lies within, only for his
best efforts to be in vain when a subsequent stay on the Durhams' estate brings Maurice
in contact with under gamekeeper Alec Scudder in the most physical way possible.
Faced with a stark choice between social conformity or a love that is both illegal and
divided by class, Maurice must decide his future before the man he loves takes
a one-way ticket to Argentina. It is a decision that will forever change their lives.
Complete with an all-star list of players including the like of Simon Callow, Denholm Elliott,
Patrick Godfrey, Ben Kingsley, Judy Parfitt and Billie Whitelaw, this luscious adaptation by
Kit Hesketh-Harvey and James Ivory of the Forster classic is indicative of the first class
storytelling of the man himself. Inparticular Hugh Grant is perfectly cast as the English
gentleman of the piece, a performance that serves as one of his finest todate. Yet screen lovers
James Wilby and Rupert Graves give him a run for his money, creating a passionate cinematic
relationship that demanded a screen reunion and one that took place some twenty years
later in the form of the Channel 4 drama CLAPHAM JUNCTION.
Unlike that tale by Adrian Shergold, this was a narrative written at a time when it could not
be read. That Forster left the ending deliberately open, having later discarded an epilogue
that saw a dramatic meeting between Maurice and his sister Kitty take place at a time when
Maurice and Alec had become woodcutters, underlines the romanticism that Forster gave
this, his most personal work. Only given the class-conscious society of the day, let alone the
impending war, the optimistic 'never be parted' conclusion on offer here is, like many a work
of fiction, a literal improbability. Interestingly and inspite of its considerable running
time, the film was somewhat trimmed with Lord Risley's suicide, confirmation of Clive and
Maurice's chaste relationship and inparticular Maurice's 'I'm someone else's now'
unabridged farewell speech notably cast to the cutting room floor.
Yet the end result remains a story beautifully told, aided by the fine photography of Pierre
Lhomme, a lush score from Richard Robbins, together with James Ivory's ever-grand direction.
For period dramas, let alone gay ones, do not come any better than this, laced as it is
with first class acting and keen attention to period detail, namely the hallmarks
that are synonymous with Merchant Ivory Productions. Need more be said?
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