Maurice (1987)

After his lover rejects him, a young man trapped by the oppressiveness of Edwardian society tries to come to terms with and accept his sexuality.

Director:

James Ivory

Writers:

E.M. Forster (from the novel by), Kit Hesketh-Harvey (screenplay)

Stars:

James Wilby, Rupert Graves, Hugh Grant

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 3 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
James Wilby	...	Maurice Hall
Hugh Grant	...	Clive Durham
Rupert Graves	...	Alec Scudder
Denholm Elliott	...	Doctor Barry
Simon Callow	...	Mr. Ducie
Billie Whitelaw	...	Mrs. Hall
Barry Foster	...	Dean Cornwallis
Judy Parfitt	...	Mrs. Durham
Phoebe Nicholls	...	Anne Durham
Patrick Godfrey	...	Simcox
Mark Tandy	...	Risley
Ben Kingsley	...	Lasker-Jones
Kitty Aldridge	...	Kitty Hall
Helena Michell	...	Ada Hall
Catherine Rabett	...	Pippa Durham

Storyline

Two male English school chums find themselves falling in love at Cambridge. To regain his place in society, Clive gives up his forbidden love, Maurice (pronounced "Morris") and marries. While staying with Clive and his shallow wife, Anne, Maurice finally discovers romance in the arms of Alec, the gamekeeper. Written from personal pain, it's E.M. Forster's story of coming to terms with sexuality in the Edwardian age.

---

Plot Keywords:

homosexuality | male full frontal nudity | one word title | forbidden love | male rear nudity | 

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Merchant Ivory Productions [United States]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

18 September 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Морис

Filming Locations:

Sicily, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

GBP1,577,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$49,278, 20 September 1987

Gross USA:

$2,484,230

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,534,641

Company Credits

Production Co:

Merchant Ivory Productions, Cinecom Pictures, Film Four International

Technical Specs

Runtime:

140 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Helena Bonham Carter and James Wilby appeared in A Room with a View (1985) and Howards End (1992).

---

Goofs

Wigmore Hall, where the boys meet in one scene, was known as Bechstein Hall until 1917. It was owned and operated by the German piano manufacturer Carl Bechstein & Sons. In1916 Britain seized German property in Britain. The hall was renamed Wigmore Hall on its reopening in 1917. So "Wigmore Hall" did not exist when the scene in the film (pre-war) takes place.

---

Quotes

Alec Scudder: You shouldn't treat me like a dog! You were just amusing yourself. I've never come like that to a gentleman before. You said 'Call me Maurice' but you never even wrote to me. You made a fool of me and I can make you sorry for that!

---

Alternate Versions

Some NTSC versions are scanned at 25fps and the running time is short and seems edited but the movie is intact.

---

Connections

Featured in A Bit of Scarlet (1997)

---

Soundtracks

Miserere Psalm 51
Written by Gregorio Allegri
Sung by The Choir of Kings College Cambridge
Courtesy of The Decca Record Company LTD.

User Reviews

Tasteful, beautifully filmed British-style work...

Before Hugh Grant became a mega-star he appeared in this Merchant Ivory adaptation of an E.M. Forster novel about two Cambridge students who fall in love--and out of love--each going separate ways at the end. Hugh Grant, James Wilby and Rupert Graves give well crafted performances that show respect for their roles. Graves, in particular, is especially well cast as the dark-haired gamekeeper and gives the film its only real sense of sexual urgency. James Wilby is a bit too repressed--even in the sexual moments--to bring the character fully to life. Somehow one feels that of the three, he is the least convincing--but overall he is a more than competent actor. Grant is excellent in an unusual role for him--his sly charm displayed in a less obvious way than when he does comedy.

If the film has one flaw, it's a bit overlong with the kind of story that could have been covered in two hours of running time. But everything about it is exquisite--the photography, the sets, the costumes, all in the impeccable style we're accustomed to from Merchant Ivory. A nice coming of age story of sexuality that cannot remain dormant when close "chums" are sharing close quarters.