Howards End, a film review.
Based on the sublime novel by E M Forster, circa 1910, it is about empire and Englishness, class and the differences between class, rich and poor, and the wider gulf between. It's also about the clash of cultures, the theme of ideas, the gap between men and women, country and town, and the poetry and the prose that colours much of everyday life.
Based around two very different families, the practical, robust and wealthy Wilcoxes and the more dreamy, intellectual and well-off Shlegel's, it is also about contrast, very opposing veiws of life and varying sets of values. Sisters Margaret and Helen Shleagel represent the inspirational and daring intellectuals, whilst the Wilcox family, very male, conservative and old school, are represented mainly by patriarch Henry Wilcox and eldest son Charles Wilcox. Ruth Wilcox, Henry's ailing first wife, is something of a dreamer though; she is nothing like her practical, and entitled off-spring, nor her obtuse, business-minded but well-meaning husband.
The other main character in this story is the impoverished Leonard Bast, a clerk in a London insurance office, who is weighed down by his much older, needy and dull wife. His life is a dreary and almost penniless one, a tale of desperate survival, but he dreams and hopes for better things. He is interested in more than the outside of books; attending lectures and concerts when time and money permits, hoping to educate himself out of the abyss, to escape the greyness of his dreary life. Leonard Bast searches and longs for 'music and meaning', though his struggles seem to be in vain.
The Wilcoxes and the Shlegels cross paths, as do Leonard Bast and the two spirited sisters, which leads to dire consequences. Margaret marries Henry Wilcox, both to the dismay of the other family members on both sides, whilst Leonard Bast, due to poor advice from Henry Wilcox, loses his office post and becomes virtually penniless, becoming a professional beggar in order that his wife, whom he does not love, will not have to starve.
Helen tries to help Leonard, by actually giving him a large sum of money, but in his pride and decency, he turns this down, pulling himself and his wife down into dire and total poverty, and eventually, to his own demise.
There is far more to this film, and many themes are covered. 'Only Connect' was one of Forster's main ideas for his novel, connecting the prose and the passion, the path between two very opposite families and people with opposing ideas and pursuits. Much of the story is centred around Howard's End, which is a large coutnry cottage, owned by Henry's late wife, Ruth Wilcox, for whom she was searching for a spiritual heir. Ruth Wilcox is perhaps the most insightful character, followed closely by the heroic and great Margaret Schlegel. Helen Shlegel too is very appealing, and she is certainly the more charming of the two sisters, though far more reckless and impulsive.
The film itself is lush and illustrious, with gorgeous period detail, giving it great romantic appeal. Yet is is so much more than just a costume drama. The sets throughout are stunning, the acting, Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham Carter , Samuel West and Vanessa Redgrave, especially, are all suburb, the soundtrack is sutble yet fitting, and it's one of those films where one feels one is inside the story, almost as one of the characters. A timeless story with seductive and fascinating themes, Howards End never tires nor grows old; it is a film of endless relevance and eye-watering beauty, yet it is full of depth and rare candour, with layered and with many interesting themes. A real gem of a picture, and one to be enjoyed with either a glass of chardonnay or a decent aromatic blend of long black coffee...'only connect'...what passion!
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