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Howards End (film)

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Howards End is a 1991 (release delyed until March 1992 for New York's Paris Theatre's schedule) Merchant Ivory' Film with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala based on E.M.Forster's novel, directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant.

It is based upon E. M. Forster's novel "Howards End", first published in 1910, which tells a story of class struggle in turn-of-the-century England. His main theme in the novel is to show the importance and the difficulty of people connecting with each other.

Contents

Cast

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Plot

[Spoiler warningSpoiler warning]: Plot and/or ending details follow.
The plot takes place in England at the beginning of the twentieth century. It is about three families who represent three social classes: the Wilcoxes, who are rich Victorian capitalists and basically consider themselves as aristocrats; the Schlegel sisters, who represent the enlightened bourgeois class; and the Basts who are the working class, fighting to survive. The Schlegel sisters try to help the poor Basts and cajole the Wilcoxes to lower their prejudices.

The two sisters frequently encounter the Wilcoxes. The younger sister, Helen (Helena Bonham Carter), is rejected by the younger Wilcox. The older sister, Margaret (Emma Thompson), becomes friends with mother Ruth Wilcox (Vanessa Redgrave). Ruth's most prized personal possession is the cottage at Howards End. She wishes that Margaret could live there, as she feels that it might be in good hands with her. Possibly sensing her death because of illness, Ruth bequeaths the cottage to Margaret, which causes great consternation with the Wilcoxes. The Wilcox children burn the will without letting Margaret know of her inheritance. However, over the course of years, Margaret becomes friends with the widower Henry Wilcox (Anthony Hopkins), eventually marries him, even when she discovers that her soon to be husband had an affair with Leonard Bast's wife ten years ago. The children try to keep her from taking possession of Howards End, to no avail, so Ruth's wishes are finally fulfilled.

Because of Margaret's marriage into the Wilcoxes, the Schlegel sisters drift apart. Helen tries to help young Leonard Bast, but it all goes terribly wrong; he loses his position and disappears, leaving Helen carrying his child. Helen leaves England to travel through Germany but eventually returns to her sister to raise her child at Howards End.

Awards

Howards End won the following awards (list incomplete):

It was also nominated for the following awards (list incomplete):

Other adaptations

A television adaptation of the novel was broadcast in 1970 with Leo Genn and Glenda Jackson.

Trivia

External links

 

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