Howards End Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Howards End Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 30, 2016

Considering the abhorrence that certain kinds of animal parts smuggling understandably engenders, it’s probably a good thing that Ismail Merchant and James Ivory decided to feature the producer’s surname first in their now legendary partnership, since calling it Ivory Merchant Productions may have raised undue concern in some quarters. Merchant Ivory Productions has been responsible for some of the most lauded films of the past several decades, with such beloved films as A Room with a View and The Remains of the Day offering prime examples of what became an almost identifiable niche for Merchant Ivory, namely well appointed historical films, often with upper crust British types having to overcome various emotional tribulations, personal traumas which are set against an often elegiac environment that perhaps subliminally suggests the waning of the once mighty British Empire. Howard’s End was the third Merchant Ivory production to be based on a novel by E.M. Forster (along with the aforementioned A Room with a View, there’s the somewhat lesser remembered Maurice, which has yet to see a Blu-ray release), and it may in fact be at the top of any list attempting to “define” whatever the Merchant Ivory paradigm is. Howards End has already had an acclaimed Blu-ray release from Criterion, a label whose efforts are often paradigmatic themselves. Cohen is touting a new 4K scan of the original camera negative for this release, with color grading supervised by cinematographer Tony Pierce-Roberts and director James Ivory.

I’ve had a veritable glut of re-releases in my review queue lately, and as I’ve now stated repeatedly, I’m assuming that those coming to this review are going to be more concerned with comparisons to the Criterion release in terms of video and audio quality, as well as supplemental material, than they will be with a rehashing of the film’s plot. For those wanting an overview of Howards End’s story, I refer you to Svet’s Howards End Blu-ray review of the Criterion version. That said, I’d add that the film is in some ways an allegory of the decline and fall (or at least transformation) of the British Empire, with England’s entrenched but crumbling class system at the center of the story. In a way, Howards End traffics in some of the same ideas that would make Downton Abbey: The Complete Collection such a phenomenon years later, and it’s no coincidence that both stories (at least) begin at around the same time in the Edwardian Era.

Howards End Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Howards End is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Cohen Film Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.50:1. Cohen is touting a new 4K restoration culled from the film's original camera negative, and there are some subtle but noticeable differences between this version and the previous Criterion release. I've tried to come close to replicating the first ten screenshots from Svet's review of the Criterion version so that those interested can do a side by side comparison (try as I might, I could not get our screencapture unit to properly stop at the "newspaper over head" moment in Svet's second screencapture, and so the one in this review is from just a second or so later). The Cohen release is a bit brighter than the Criterion, and as a result the Criterion appears to have a slightly more burnished palette at times, though I have to say in watching the Cohen, neither the brightness nor the color grading struck me as unusual or inauthentic looking. While contrast is good in the Cohen version, the increased brightness can tend to slightly blanch some scenes, but again I found nothing overly problematic in the presentation. Detail levels are excellent throughout and arguably at least marginally more precise levels than the Criterion version. Fine detail is routinely high in close-ups, where everything from the weathered crags of Vanessa Redgrave's face to some of the opulent fabrics in the sumptuous costumes attain an almost palpable ambience. Grain is a bit finer looking in the Cohen release, and resolves naturally, though it has moments of definite uptick in some selected scenes (see screenshot 11). The biggest difference here and one I suspect may generate the most discussion is the 2.50:1 aspect ratio. The film was released in 2.39:1 and Criterion's version is framed at 2.35:1, with at least a little more image at the bottom of the frame than the Cohen version offers, as can clearly be seen in several of the screenshots which replicate those in the review of the Criterion version. I'm sure there will be no dearth of opinions about which is "correct", but when the director and cinematographer are involved in the transfer I tend to defer to their decision making process (though of course there have been odd decisions made by various directors and cinematographers for some Blu-ray releases). That said, I find this aspect ratio and the framing decisions to be at least a little unusual, though there was nothing that struck me as "missing" from the bottom of the frame as I watched the film. Finally, as I've stated before when I've reviewed re-releases that were initially covered by another reviewer, I would caution against comparing scores between the reviews. There's no guarantee that I would have given the Criterion the same grades that Svet did, and conversely Svet may very well have graded this release differently than I have. My attempt to offer comparitive screenshots is also an attempt to give interested fans some visual "tools" to come to their own conclusions about which look they prefer.

Howards End Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Howards End features a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track (as did the Criterion release), along with an LPCM 2.0 mix and a Dolby Digital 5.1 track. The preferable option is of course the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track, one that fully supports the gorgeous music of Richard Robbins, while also offering good if sometimes subtle immersion with ambient environmental effects like the wind that blows through the memorable scene on the bluff between Hopkins, Bonham-Carter and Thompson. Dialogue is presented cleanly and clearly and the track shows no signs of any damage. In what may be an interesting sidebar for those who have read my repeated "scoldings" of Cohen for releasing Blu-rays either with only lossy audio or with discs authored to default to lossy tracks even when lossless options are available, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is authored as the third track on the disc (though it's shown as the first on the audio menu), but the disc is authored to default to it rather than either of the other two tracks.

Howards End Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This new two disc set ports over some of the supplements from the Criterion release while also offering some new bonus material.

Disc One

• Audio Commentary with Film Critics Wade Major and Lael Lowenstein. This is a well done commentary that manages to be conversational while also imparting a lot of information. Major and Lowenstein get into a number of different topics, including Merchant Ivory (of course), but also some interesting technical data like the use of Kodak stock on the shoot. The two occasionally talk over each other, but for the most part, this is a well disciplined conversation that's a real treat for the film's fans.

Disc Two

• 2016 Conversation Between James Ivory and Laurence Kardish, Former Senior Curator of Film, MOMA (1080p; 26:43). I'm not sure if this was simply authored a bit clunkily, but this actually begins with a trailer of sorts (1080p; 2:39) touting Cohen's re-release of the Merchant Ivory catalog. Once the conversation actually kicks in, this is a far reaching discussion about things like the adaptive process and elements of the shoot.


• 2016 Interview with James Ivory and Vanessa Redgrave at the Cannes Film Festival (1080p; 8:08) is culled from something called Cannes Rendezvous featuring host Genie Godula. Ivory and Redgrave are pretty laid back here, and the piece is amiable if not overly informative.


• 2016 On Stage Q & A with James Ivory and Critic Michael Koresky at Lincoln Center (1080p; 27:17) is from a post screening discussion, which gets into (once again) adapting Forster as well as anecdotes about the cast and shoot.


• 1992 Behind the Scenes Short Featurette with Comments by the Cast and Crew (1080p; 4:32) is a brief EPK which looks like it was sources from upscaled video.


• Building Howards End: Documentary Featurette on the Production History of the Film (1080p; 42:37) features some pretty funny sparring between Merchant and Ivory.


• The Design of Howards End: Luciana Arrighi and Jenny Beavan Discuss Their Work on the Film (1080p; 8:58) focuses on the film's impeccable production and costume design. This also looks like it was sourced from older video.


• Short Featurette: James Ivory Remembers Ismail Merchant (1080p; 12:11) is a very sweet and heartfelt piece with Ivory discussing his longtime partner.


• Original Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:05)


• 2016 Re-Release Trailer (1080p; 2:26)

Additionally this 25th Anniversary Edition comes housed in a handsome slipcase which also contains a nice glossy booklet with essays by James Ivory, John Pym and Luciana Arrighi. What might really get fans' pulse rates quickened, though, is a heavy cardstock insert advertising the ultimate release of "beautiful new restorations" of a whole slew of Merchant Ivory productions.

Howards End Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Howards End is the very definition of a "prestige picture," but that's not to suggest it's overly stodgy, despite its emphasis on stiff upper lip British types. There's both pathos and a perhaps surprising amount of humor in the film, and everything from the performances to the stupendous production design elevate the already inherently literary source material. Cohen is offering a beautiful overall package, even if I suspect that the aspect ratio of this release is going to generate some significant gnashing of teeth. Technical merits are first rate, the supplementary package outstanding, and Howards End comes Highly recommended.