Howards End

1992

Action / Drama / Romance

27
Rotten Tomatoes Critics - Rotten 81% · 71 reviews
Rotten Tomatoes Audience - Upright 81% · 10K ratings
IMDb Rating 7.4/10 10 38317 38.3K

london, england sibling relationship countryside based on novel or book empowerment sister

Plot summary

A saga of class relations and changing times in an Edwardian England on the brink of modernity, the film centers on liberal Margaret Schlegel, who, along with her sister Helen, becomes involved with two couples: wealthy, conservative industrialist Henry Wilcox and his wife Ruth, and the downwardly mobile working-class Leonard Bast and his mistress Jackie.

Director

James Ivory Photo
James Ivory

Top cast

Anthony Hopkins Photo
Anthony Hopkins as Henry Wilcox
Emma Thompson Photo
Emma Thompson as Margaret Schlegel
Helena Bonham Carter Photo
Helena Bonham Carter as Helen Schlegel
Robin Jones Photo
Robin Jones as Lecture Attendee
720p.BluRay 1080p.BluRay
1.18 GB
1280*544
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
2 hr 22 min
Seeds 5
2.28 GB
1920*816
English 2.0
NR
Subtitles us  
23.976 fps
2 hr 22 min
Seeds 23

Movie Reviews

Reviewed by onepotato2 7 / 10

Dense & intriguing

Reviewed by grantss 6 / 10

Okay, but a bit disappointing

England, early-1900s. Margaret Schlegel befriends Ruth Wilcox, the sickly wife of Henry Wilcox, a man of significant wealth. On her deathbed Ruth bequests her house, Howards End, to Margaret but this is deemed non-binding by her family and Margaret doesn't hear of the inheritance. Meanwhile, Margaret's sister Helen has taken a philanthropic interest in Leonard Bast, a poor, working class man. When Henry Wilcox and Margaret get engaged, Helen sees her chance to help out Leonard.Okay, but a bit disappointing. I enjoyed The Remains of the Day (1993) and A Room with a View (1985), the other two prominent Ismail Merchant-James Ivory productions. I was expecting something akin to The Remains of the Day, especially as both movies starred Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson.Unfortunately, Howards End doesn't quite have the same engagement levels as The Remains of the Day, nor the emotional impact. The Remains... was a great character drama with a powerful, poignant ending. Howards End is more about class divides and idealism than character depth.Engagement is limited, as there are no characters to really pique your interest. Margaret / Emma Thompson is the central character but her story is quite dull. The characters we should be engaged in - Helen and Leonard - just aren't likeable enough.Ultimately, however, it's a decent story with a poetic ending. The scenery and cinematography are amazing (as you would expect from Merchant-Ivory) and there are some top-notch performances. So is still watchable. Still, doesn't come close to The Remains of the Day in terms of quality and sheer engagement.
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