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.

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Plot Keywords:

homosexuality | male full frontal nudity | forbidden love | male rear nudity | london england | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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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:

$2,600,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$49,284, 20 September 1987, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$3,130,592

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).

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Goofs

Maurice Hall and Clive Durham are shown attending a concert at the Wigmore Hall in London in 1911. This renowned concert venue was originally called Bechstein Hall, having been built by the famous German piano firm, and was not renamed Wigmore Hall until after the First World War, when anti-German feeling had caused the owners to sell up and Westminster Council renamed the venue.

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Quotes

Archie: Oh, cheer up, old man! What's gotten into you?
Maurice Hall: Would you believe - it's my birthday.

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Alternate Versions

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

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Connections

Referenced in Sam Fooi (1999)

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Soundtracks

Symphony No.6 (Pathétique)
(uncredited)
Music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Arranged by Richard Robbins

User Reviews

Simply a must!!!!

I ran into this movie a long, long time ago, watching the TV news one evening back in 1987. I felt as I couldn't miss it as soon as I realized it had been shot in Cambridge, my favorite place in the world, but all my feelings went much beyond that when I saw it. I didn't feel uneasy about homosexuality at all but it was with that movie that I finally realized it was only love, no matter whether it involved a man and a woman, or two men, or two women.... The set is magnificent, the actors at their best (a great Hugh Grant who was so great as to show how Mr E.M.Forster had become tired with Clive...), and I must say that Mr Ivory did a pretty good job with his version of the story, very well adapted. In fact I do believe the book is superior in many moments but, on the other hand, the film is far far superior in many other moments, and you can't really say this all the times. I suggest everybody should watch it and enjoy it, no matter what your sexual preferences are. A masterpiece, indeed!