There are special series that, once purchased, remain on the 'active' shelf for frequent viewing, so fine are they in literally every aspect of production. HOWARDS END is certainly one of those rare UK series that is intelligent, richly evocative of a period of history passed, brilliantly acted and filmed, and succeeds in taking a great novel to an even higher level of appreciation.
EM Forster's fine novel was ably adapted for the four part series by Kenneth Longeran and the fine direction is by Hettie Macdonald that is a visualization of Forster's Edwardian England. The story is well known - the juxtaposition of social classes in conflict as played out by the wealthy and stuffy Wilcox family (who owns a country house called Howards End) and represents the staid, controlled mentality of the rich versus the more worldly wise and enlightened Schlegel sisters - women concerned with feminism, social causes, cultural pursuits, and the plight of the disenfranchised. Neither side of this battle is free of gray zones: the matriarch of the Wilcox family is gentle Ruth (Julia Ormond) who befriends the elder Meg Schlegel (Hayley Atwell) and shares her love for Howard's End and all that truly fine and meaningful life it represents, while husband Henry (Matthew Macfadyen) remains a cold controlling isolate. When Ruth dies Henry and Meg oddly marry in a cold relationship. Meg's sister Helen (Philippa Coulthard), the free spirit, entangles her family with a poor clerk (Joseph Quinn) and his wife (Rosalind Eleazar) out of generosity based on the arts, and allows herself to engage in the Edwardian taboo of becoming pregnant before marriage! Many characters intertwine in this match of classes with tragic consequences and struggles for rights, and always at the core of the climaxes is the existence of the meaningful controversy over money and position and title and property (Howards End). The masterful way in which Forster keeps this symbol in the foreground in the midst of the complex story of people at odds is one of the finer achievements of 20th century literature, and the director and cast and production team bring the epic to life with great dignity, beauty, and sensitivity.
There are endless reviews of the storyline of the novel and the film and repeating any of that is superfluous. To fully appreciate the story one must read the novel and see the film and series, there is that much value to be gained. The performances are all first rate in that extraordinary British acting style of understatement. There are moments of natural beauty in the gardens and grounds of Howards End that remain etched in memory as though they were paintings in a museum. Not only is this series a 'must see' for all audiences, it is a one that should be part of the cinematic library of all who love film. Highly Recommended.
EM Forster's fine novel was ably adapted for the four part series by Kenneth Longeran and the fine direction is by Hettie Macdonald that is a visualization of Forster's Edwardian England. The story is well known - the juxtaposition of social classes in conflict as played out by the wealthy and stuffy Wilcox family (who owns a country house called Howards End) and represents the staid, controlled mentality of the rich versus the more worldly wise and enlightened Schlegel sisters - women concerned with feminism, social causes, cultural pursuits, and the plight of the disenfranchised. Neither side of this battle is free of gray zones: the matriarch of the Wilcox family is gentle Ruth (Julia Ormond) who befriends the elder Meg Schlegel (Hayley Atwell) and shares her love for Howard's End and all that truly fine and meaningful life it represents, while husband Henry (Matthew Macfadyen) remains a cold controlling isolate. When Ruth dies Henry and Meg oddly marry in a cold relationship. Meg's sister Helen (Philippa Coulthard), the free spirit, entangles her family with a poor clerk (Joseph Quinn) and his wife (Rosalind Eleazar) out of generosity based on the arts, and allows herself to engage in the Edwardian taboo of becoming pregnant before marriage! Many characters intertwine in this match of classes with tragic consequences and struggles for rights, and always at the core of the climaxes is the existence of the meaningful controversy over money and position and title and property (Howards End). The masterful way in which Forster keeps this symbol in the foreground in the midst of the complex story of people at odds is one of the finer achievements of 20th century literature, and the director and cast and production team bring the epic to life with great dignity, beauty, and sensitivity.
There are endless reviews of the storyline of the novel and the film and repeating any of that is superfluous. To fully appreciate the story one must read the novel and see the film and series, there is that much value to be gained. The performances are all first rate in that extraordinary British acting style of understatement. There are moments of natural beauty in the gardens and grounds of Howards End that remain etched in memory as though they were paintings in a museum. Not only is this series a 'must see' for all audiences, it is a one that should be part of the cinematic library of all who love film. Highly Recommended.