England, early-1900s. Margaret Schlegel befriends Ruth Wilcox, the sickly wife of Henry Wilcox, a man of significant wealth. On her deathbed Ruth bequests her house, Howards End, to Margaret but this is deemed non-binding by her family and Margaret doesn't hear of the inheritance. Meanwhile, Margaret's sister Helen has taken a philanthropic interest in Leonard Bast, a poor, working class man. When Henry Wilcox and Margaret get engaged, Helen sees her chance to help out Leonard.
Okay, but a bit disappointing. I enjoyed The Remains of the Day (1993) and A Room with a View (1985), the other two prominent Ismail Merchant-James Ivory productions. I was expecting something akin to The Remains of the Day, especially as both movies starred Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson.
Unfortunately, Howards End doesn't quite have the same engagement levels as The Remains of the Day, nor the emotional impact. The Remains... was a great character drama with a powerful, poignant ending. Howards End is more about class divides and idealism than character depth.
Engagement is limited, as there are no characters to really pique your interest. Margaret / Emma Thompson is the central character but her story is quite dull. The characters we should be engaged in - Helen and Leonard - just aren't likeable enough.
Ultimately, however, it's a decent story with a poetic ending. The scenery and cinematography are amazing (as you would expect from Merchant-Ivory) and there are some top-notch performances. So is still watchable. Still, doesn't come close to The Remains of the Day in terms of quality and sheer engagement.
Okay, but a bit disappointing. I enjoyed The Remains of the Day (1993) and A Room with a View (1985), the other two prominent Ismail Merchant-James Ivory productions. I was expecting something akin to The Remains of the Day, especially as both movies starred Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson.
Unfortunately, Howards End doesn't quite have the same engagement levels as The Remains of the Day, nor the emotional impact. The Remains... was a great character drama with a powerful, poignant ending. Howards End is more about class divides and idealism than character depth.
Engagement is limited, as there are no characters to really pique your interest. Margaret / Emma Thompson is the central character but her story is quite dull. The characters we should be engaged in - Helen and Leonard - just aren't likeable enough.
Ultimately, however, it's a decent story with a poetic ending. The scenery and cinematography are amazing (as you would expect from Merchant-Ivory) and there are some top-notch performances. So is still watchable. Still, doesn't come close to The Remains of the Day in terms of quality and sheer engagement.