The movie critique portion of this review was written by my colleague Michele Arbir.
Exquisitely crafted with an all-star cast, Howards End takes you back in time to an era of Edwardian England of tradition, convention, and class tensions, seen through the eyes of three families of different social rank. Based upon the 1910 novel of the same name by E. M. Forster and beautifully adapted.
Helen Schlegel falls for Paul Wilcox but is turned down. Her sister Margaret becomes friends with his mother, who promises her the family house, Howards End. Unfortunately, after her death, the will disappears and it appears the inheritance will disappear. Until the widower, Henry Wilcox becomes attracted to Margaret.
Howards End won the 45th Anniversary Cannes International Film Festival Award. In 1993, the film received nine Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. The film won three awards, including for Best Art Direction, Best Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published, and Emma Thompson won the 1992 Academy Award for Best Actress.
Let’s start with what is good about this film. The characters’ dialogue is written so solidly that you can’t help but believe they have no other choice but to forge ahead with their class-driven decisions. Anthony Hopkins is completely believable as someone who thinks he’s truly doing the right thing from the beginning to the end of the film. The use of imagery, cinematography, and music to complement the development of the plot was masterful.
Howards End is Jane Austen without romanticism. Downton Abbey without the soap opera drama. The production values are top-notch, especially with the acting. But 144 minutes of overly privileged white people finding things to bitch about does grow tiresome. That said this family was one of the worst families ever on-screen and to me represented what was wrong with former elite British/French society and why they fell from power.
Howards End is a perfect film about the class difference and how people react when they are exposed to a different class when they probably should have been there in the first place. If you are a fan of Britts taking themselves apart because they follow stupid morals, this film is for you.
Video Quality
Howards End has been granted a 4K restoration from the original camera negative via the Cohen Film Collection for this gorgeous new Blu-Ray disc. The film grain present is beautifully natural and consistent while allowing fine details to shine through. Facial features are detailed with fine lines and pores detectable alongside natural skin tones. Colors are vibrant without being unnatural for the environment. The general aesthetic of the movie is subdued, but the transfer affords several opportunities for colors to pop off the screen at specific points. Black levels are slightly raised thanks to an incorrect gamma level, but the brighter image never ruined the film for me personally. Subtle details stand out with greater clarity than ever before, especially in clothing or elements of the production design. Exploring these locations with this new transfer almost makes it feel like a whole new film. While there is an unfortunate flaw to this transfer with the gamma level, the disc remains a beautiful presentation of the film.
Audio Quality
The Blu-Ray disc comes with a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track, along with an LPCM 2.0 mix and a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The first, default track is the preferred one that accurately captures the intended sound of the film. The sumptuous score from Richard Robbins is used well to establish the mood of the story, and this track handles it elegantly throughout the duration of the film. There is never a moment where it threatens to overwhelm competing sounds, and it maintains a good balance so that dialogue comes through clearly. The environmental sounds such as the wind are rendered well alongside everything else. There does not seem to be any majorly noticeable instances of age-related wear and tear. The Cohen Film Collection has given this film a perfectly preserved audio presentation that brings the movie to life in a most pleasing manner.
Special Features
The Cohen Film Collection Blu-Ray of Howards End includes a nice booklet featuring an introductory letter from James Ivory, as well as the the essay “Howards End” by John Pym in which he provides a great amount of context and insight into the film that helps you understand on a deeper level the themes on display. Finally, there is a letter from Production Designer Luciana Arrighi about her work on the film. The on-disc special features are as follows:
- Audio Commentary: Film Critics Wade Major and Lael Lowenstein provide a really informative and breezy commentary track that details the work of Merchant Ivory around this period of time, the camera techniques employed to convey themes, the new use of aspect ratios for the production team, careers of performers before and after this film, and so much more that fans will truly appreciate. A really great track all around.
- 2016 Conversation: James Ivory and Laurence Kardish, Former Senior Curator of Film, MOMA, engage in a fascinating conversation in which the two discuss adapting the source material for the silver screen, finding the right performers for the characters, the production process and many more great insights that are very worthwhile.
- 2016 Interview: An eight-minute interview with James Ivory and Vanessa Redgrave at the Cannes Film Festival in celebration of the debut of the restoration. There are some lovely memories shared about past experiences at the Cannes Film Festival, the unique casting process, the legacy of the film and more. This is a breezy piece that is quite enjoyable.
- 2016 On-Stage Q&A: A 27-minute Q&A with James Ivory and Critic Michael Koresky at Lincoln Center in which Ivory discusses his impression of E.M. Forster, the qualities certain performers brought to their characters, the logistics of lawn upkeep on set and more fun tidbits that fans will love.
- 1992 Behind-The-Scenes Short Featurette: A nearly five-minute vintage piece in which the cast and crew discuss the themes of the narrative.
- Building Howard’s End: A 43-minute documentary featurette on the production history of the film with Merchant and Ivory. The dynamic between these two involves some amiable sparring as they discuss how the film came to be, favorite scenes that were cut from the film, the performances, the costumes and more. There are also interviews with cast members such as Helena Bonham Carter along with various crew members.
- The Design of Howard’s End: A nine-minute piece in which Production Designer Luciana Arrighi and Costume Designer Jenny Beavan discuss their work on the film in loving detail. There are some interesting insights provided that help showcase the detail that was put into bringing the film to life.
- James Ivory Remembers Ismail Merchant: A twelve-minute featurette in which James Ivory lovingly speaks about his late filmmaking partner.
- Original Theatrical Trailer: The two-minute trailer from the initial release of the film is provided which gives you a good sense of the film.
- 2016 Re-Release Trailer: A new two-and-a-half minute trailer is provided for the lovely restoration of the film.
Final Thoughts
Howards End is a lovely adaptation of the E.M. Forster novel that is brought to live thanks to magnificent performances all around. The Merchant Ivory films of yore had a special sensibility about them that few narratives capture these days. The level of care that was put into bringing these worlds to life on screen is quite a wonder. The Cohen Film Collection has released a Blu-Ray with a 4K restoration that has a pretty great A/V presentation and an expansive array of special features. If you are a fan of the film, this release should be very pleasing to you. Recommended
Howards End is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and DVD.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: The Cohen Film Collection and Kino Lorber have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.