Amygdalia's Blog

Movie Review Monday returns with Maurice!

England has always been disinclined to accept human nature.

Based on the novel by E. M. Forster, and set in Edwardian Britain, Maurice is the story of a young man struggling to find peace and acceptance in a world that views homosexuality as the worst sin in the calendar.

Maurice Hall and Clive Durham meet at Cambridge fall in love.  The pressures of society combine with a scandal that hits fairly close to home.  Clive breaks off the relationship in an effort to conform to the social standards that his gentry position in society requires.

James Wilby, with his boyish charm, is wonderful as the passionate Maurice.  A very young Hugh Grant is Clive Durham, heir to Pendersleigh Hall.  Durham marries, leaving Maurice lost but unable to stay away from Clive and Pendersleigh Hall. 

Rupert Graves is Alec Scudder, canny gamekeeper at Pendersleigh.  What develops between he and Maurice will change both of their lives.  Graves’ onscreen presence is powerful, though I cannot decide whether his accent is horrible, or he’s such a powerful actor that the accent serves as a stunning contrast between the classes.

I first saw this film when it was released in the theaters, in 1987.  The effect on me was quite powerful at that time, and I watched it several times after that.  It had been many years however, and I’d forgotten just how much I love this movie, until watching it again last week, with dareng.  The music is beautiful and haunting, and will stay with the viewer long after the film has ended. 


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