Maurice Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Maurice Blu-ray Movie Review

Br(UK)eback Mountain?

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman August 30, 2017

A lot of critical praise was heaped upon Brokeback Mountain when it was released in 2005, with many reviewers and even audience members lauding the film’s courage in depicting a homosexual relationship featuring probably the most stereotypically “manly” character type in American history — the cowboy. But how courageous was it, really, to offer an honest portrayal of a gay relationship in 2005, when societal morés had shifted enough so that so-called “forbidden” love like this was already at least beginning to be accepted by many? For real courage, Maurice perhaps provides a better example, since it was released in 1987 when tolerance for gay relationships was considerably less sanguine than it had become by 2005, not to mention the fact that the 80s were still reeling from the onslaught of the AIDS epidemic. It’s probably instructive to note that E.M. Forster originally wrote Maurice circa 1913-14 (with several reported revisions considerably later in his career), but that the noted author chose not to publish it during his lifetime, not necessarily due to its then quite shocking subject matter, but perhaps more due to Forster’s qualms about the book’s inherent literary qualities. I can only imagine the cause célèbre that would have ensued had Maurice been published around the time World War I broke out, or even somewhat later, in an era when “proper” British men simply didn’t discuss things like homsexuality, at least not in public. Even as late as the film’s 1987 release the fact that a film would not just portray gay relationships but offer a mostly happy (if somewhat bittersweet) ending is notable, and perhaps gave a morsel of hope for real life gay men who were still experiencing rampant discrimination and, possibly, the ravages of a horrifying disease. Maurice may not have aged perfectly, since some plot elements seem unnecessarily contrived, even if they’re based on what were undoubtedly events culled from Forster’s knowledge of his cultural milieu and “techniques” that were being utilized to “cure” homosexuality, but the film still packs a considerable emotional wallop as it details the travails of Maurice Hall (James Wilby), a middle class British lad who has to deal not just with his inner conflict at being attracted to males, but with the whole British class system, which in Forster’s formulation has probably arguably as much blame for Maurice’s psychological discomfort as anything to do with his sexuality.

Maurice is introduced as a young pre-teen boy on a visit to the seaside with a group which includes his teacher Mr. Ducie (Simon Callow). Mr. Ducie is aware that Maurice is fatherless, and decides to take advantage of some time alone with the boy to offer a brief lesson in “the birds and the bees”, replete with diagrams etched into the sand at the beach. It’s a scene that is both hilarious and intentionally awkward, but when the young Maurice says that he doesn’t think he’ll ever marry, there’s a hint that even at that tender age the boy knows he’s “different”, somehow.

The film then segues forward several years to find Maurice as a young man enrolled at Cambridge, where he’s interacting with people probably above his social status, including the arrogant and proto-Nietzschean Lord Risley (Mark Tandy), an officious sort who is in love with the sound of his own voice. When Risley rather unexpectedly invites Maurice to a get together with a bunch of other men Risley tells Maurice he’ll “find interesting”, Maurice is intrigued, ultimately showing up at Risley’s room, only to find Risley gone and another student named Clive Durham (Hugh Grant) rummaging around trying to find a score for one of Tchaikovsky’s symphonies. Clive and Maurice strike up a friendship, and soon enough the relationship morphs into something at least somewhat more intimate, though Clive, perhaps more aware of society’s strictures and England’s class requirements than Maurice is, insists they not “go all the way”.

While the whole illicit love angle informs the bulk of Maurice’s plot mechanics, there are broader social critiques that are offered. When Risley is arrested for “inappropriate” behavior, the whole discriminatory attitude that took down everyone from Oscar Wilde to Alan Turing is brought viscerally home to both Clive and Maurice. But there are perhaps none too subtle swipes at comfortable and conforming domesticity once Clive decides to get married, and, later, an even more overt allusion to Britain’s class system when a young groundskeeper named Scudder (Rupert Graves) has more than a passing interest in Maurice. The era’s ridiculous “cures” are emphasized by Maurice’s trips to a tough talking American hypnotist (Ben Kingsley), but the failure of such techniques is front and center in one of the film’s most emotionally overwrought scenes, when Maurice confides in a family friend, Doctor Barry (Denholm Elliott). There's also some interesting, if relatively tangential, content dealing with the fraying of Britain's Christian tendencies during the Edwardian Era.

Maurice is as handsomely appointed as any Merchant Ivory production, but it also is perhaps a bit too languorous for its own good, taking close to two and a half hours to get Maurice to something akin to happily ever after. The film is nonetheless a rather incisive critique of attitudes of its timeframe, though it perhaps doesn’t build to the emotional catharsis it’s obviously aiming for. The most notable thing about Maurice is that in fact has the courage to talk about “the love that dare not speak its name”.

Maurice Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Maurice is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Cohen Film Collection with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. Some brief verbiage included on the back cover of the release touts "a gorgeous new 4K restoration from the original camera negative, overseen and approved by the director James Ivory and cinematographer Pierre Lhomme". From a damage perspective, this is an unqualified home run, with either a pretty pristine source element or restoration that has ameliorated virtually any signs of age related wear and tear. Grain resolution is also commendably organic looking, though it was a bit heavier than I personally was expecting. There are some slight variances in clarity along the way, not necessarily due to changing locations or lighting conditions — one notable moment occurs right after a hypnotism session when Maurice is in consultation with the hypnotist, when things suddenly look a bit more roughhewn than the bulk of the presentation. As should probably be expected, some of the brightly lit outdoor moments, including the sumptuous scene between Clive and Maurice in a beautiful field, offer the best general fine detail levels. There are some very brief issues with differentiation of dark tones that don't quite approach crush but come close. My one qualm with this transfer, and one that has to be subsumed under the implied imprimatur of Ivory and Lhomme, is the grading, which just looks a tad too yellow to me. The entire film has a slightly "aged", slightly blanched, looking palette in this transfer that almost looks like a daguerrotype at times.

Maurice Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Maurice's DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track doesn't have a whale of a lot of opportunity to exploit over the top sonics, but there's a nice wash of sound in the string drenched cues that make up part of the underscore, as well as good placement of environmental effects in several outdoor scenes, as in the opening seaside sequence or the later aforementioned scene in the field between Clive and Maurice. Dialogue is always presented cleanly and clearly with smart prioritization. There are no issues of any kind with regard to damage, dropouts or distortion. Cohen has also provided an LPCM 2.0 and Dolby Digital 5.1 track on this release.

Maurice Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

All of the supplements in this package are housed on a second Blu-ray disc, which has two submenus:

Extras

• James Ivory and Pierre Lhomme on the Making of Maurice (1080p; 15:44) is an enjoyable sit down with the director and cinematographer, conducted by Gavin Smith at Cohen's New York facility.


• New On Stage Q & A with James Ivory and Pierre Lhomme Moderated by Nicholas Elliott, US Correspondent for Cahiers du Cinema (1080p; 22:59) is another interesting conversation with the duo, conducted at the French Institute Alliance Francaise.


• The Story of Maurice (480i; 30:29) features some great interviews with everyone from screenwriter Kit Hesketh Harvey to co-stars James Wilby and Hugh Grant.


• Conversation with the Filmmakers (480i; 12:51) is an archival piece with James Ivory, Ismael Merchant and Richard Robbins interspersed with quite a few clips from the film.


• A Director's Perspective (1080p; 40:08) offers a conversation between James Ivory and Tom McCarthy, the director of Spotlight.


• Original Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 3:27)


• 2017 Re-Release Trailer (1080p; 2:21)

Deleted Scenes

• Deleted Scenes and Alternate Takes (480i; 39:03) feature optional commentary by Director James Ivory.

Cohen also offers a nice insert booklet with writing, along with a heavy cardstock insert reproducing the cover image along with a list of Cohen's holdings of Merchant Ivory properties (more Blu-rays, please).

Maurice Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

One of the most refreshing things I've experienced over the course of my lifetime is the increasing tolerance for those with "alternative" lifestyles, in what I personally commend as a "live and let live" philosophy. It's actually kind of remarkable that Forster first wrote his original version over 100 years ago, and perhaps only slightly less remarkable that this frank, unflinching look at "illicit" gay love was made in 1987. The film may come off as just slightly quaint from more open contemporary points of view, but it's bolstered by typically luxe Merchant Ivory production design and some excellent performances. Technical merits are strong, the supplementary package very enjoyable, and Maurice comes Highly recommended.