Howards End (1992)
- Starring:
- Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, (more)
- Director(s):
- James Ivory
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- PG
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One of the best Ismail Merchant/James Ivory films, this adaptation of E. M. Forster's classic 1910 novel shows in careful detail the injuriously rigid British class consciousness of the early 20th century. The film's catalyst is "poor relation" Margaret Schlegel (Emma Thompson), who inherits part of the estate of Ruth Wilcox (Vanessa Redgrave), an upper-class woman whom she had befriended. The film's principal characters are divided by caste: aristocratic industrial Henry Wilcox (Anthony Hopkins); middle-echelon Margaret and her sister Helen (Helena Bonham Carter); and working-class clerk Leonard Bast (Sam West) and his wife (Nicola Duffett). The personal and social conflicts among these characters ultimately result in tragedy for Bast and disgrace for Wilcox, but the film's wider theme remains the need, in the words of the novel's famous epigram, to "only connect" with other people, despite boundaries of gender, class, or petty grievance. Filmed on a proudly modest budget, Howards End offers sets, spectacles, and costumes as lavish as in any historical epic. Nominated for 9 Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Director, the film took home awards for Thompson as Best Actress, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's adapted screenplay, and Luciana Arrighi's art direction. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Theatrical Feature Running Time:
- 142 mins
Complete Cast:
- Anthony Hopkins - Henry Wilcox
- Vanessa Redgrave - Ruth Wilcox
- James Wilby - Charles Wilcox
- Jemma Redgrave - Evie Wilcox
- Prunella Scales - Aunt Juley Mund
- Joseph Bennett - Paul Wilcox
- Mark Payton - Percy Cahill
- Crispin Bonham Carter - Col. Fussell
- Rodney Rymell - Chauffeur
- Atlanta White - Maid at Howards End
- Siegbert Prawer - Man Asking a Question
- Anne Lambton - Luncheon Guest
- Barr Heckstall-Smith - Helen's Child
- Brian Lipson - Police Inspector
- Peter Cellier - Colonel Fussell
- Bridget Duvall - Blue Stocking
- Alan James - Porphyrion Chief Clerk
- Luke Parry - Tom-the Farmer's Boy
- Mary McWilliams - Wilcox Baby
- Terence Sach - Delivery Man
- Peter Darling - Doctor
- Susie Lindeman - Dolly Wilcox
- Ian Latimer - Station Master
- Emma Thompson - Margaret Schlegel
- Helena Bonham Carter - Helen Schlegel
- Samuel West - Leonard Bast
- Nicola Duffett - Jacky Bast
- Barbara Hicks - Miss Avery
- Jo Kendall - Annie
- Simon Callow - Music Lecturer
- David Delaney - Simpson's Carver
- Lucy Freeman - Blue Stocking
- Harriet Stewart - Blue Stocking
- Tina Leslie - Blue Stocking
- Mary Nash - Pianist
- Allie Byrne - Blue Stocking
- Jocelyn Cobb - Telegraph Operator
- Margery Mason - Wedding Guest
- Jim Bowden - Marlett
- Sally Geoghegan - Blue Stocking
- Mark Tandy - Luncheon Guest
- Patricia Lawrence - Wedding Guest
- Gerald Paris - Porphyrion Supervisor
- Andrew St. Clair - Luncheon Guest
- Adrian Ross-Magenty - Tibby Schlegel
- Antony Gilding - Bank Supervisor
- Director(s):
- James Ivory
- Writer(s):
- Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
- Producer(s):
- Ismail Merchant
- Theatrical MPAA Rating:
- PG(Adult Language, Adult Situations)
- Closed Captioning:
- Check All Versions
- Subtitles:
- Check All Versions
- 1992 - Howards End - Cannes Film Festival - Special 45th Anniversary Prize
- 1992 - Howards End - Hollywood Foreign Press Association - Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama
- 1991 - Howards End - Los Angeles Film Critics Association - Best Actress
- 1992 - Howards End - National Board of Review - Best Director
- 1992 - Howards End - National Board of Review - Best Actress
- 1992 - Howards End - National Board of Review - Best Picture
- 1991 - Howards End - National Society of Film Critics - Best Actress
- 1992 - Howards End - National Society of Film Critics - Best Actress
- 1992 - Howards End - New York Film Critics Circle - Best Actress
