Howards End – 1992 | 142 mins | Drama | Colour

Plot Synopsis

The Merchant/Ivory team of director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala who brought us A Room With A View and Maurice, also based on Forster’s novels, returned with this masterful adaptation of Howards End. Nominated for nine Academy Awards, the sumptuous period drama won awards for Emma Thompson as Best Actress, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s adapted screenplay, and Luciana Arrighi’s art direction.

Set in Edwardian Kent, England, ‘Howards End’ is the name of a country house owned by the Wilcox family; the film follows two diametrically opposed middle-class families, the pompous Wilcoxes and liberated Schlegels. At the Wilcoxes’ country house, the impulsive Helen Schlegel (Helena Bonham-Carter) falls in love with the younger Wilcox son, Paul (Joseph Bennett), and writes home that she’s engaged. It soon becomes clear that the penniless Paul has no intention of marrying Helen, and relations between the families turn sour. Several months later while in London, Ruth Wilcox (Vanessa Redgrave), pays a visit to Margaret Schlegel (Emma Thompson) and the two kindred spirits immediately become friends. Later Ruth dies due to illness, and the Wilcoxes discover an unsigned coda to her will that bequeaths ‘Howards End’ to Margaret – the Wilcoxes destroy the note, keeping the mansion in their possession.

While attending a lecture, Helen meets Leonard Bast (Sam West); he declines her invitation to tea but does, however take Margaret’s card. The card is discovered by Bast’s coarse fiancée, Jacky (Nicola Duffet), she becomes convinced he’s having an affair with Margaret and goes to the Schlegels’ home to confront her – Bast returns later to the Schlegels to apologize for Jacky’s intrusion. Acting upon the advice of Henry Wilcox (Anthony Hopkins), Ruth’s widowed husband, Bast leaves his current employers for a new job with a company that soon folds. During various social occasions and over time Henry develops a love interest in Margaret, they begin a relationship and despite both families’ objections make plans to marry. Prior to the wedding, Bast informs Margaret he is nearly penniless, she pleads with Henry to hire him because it was his bad advice that created the situation – but Henry is indifferent to Bast’s plight.

Eight months after Margaret and Henry are married, Helen sends her sister a message from Germany saying she wishes to return to ‘Howards End’ to retrieve her books, and then immediately return to Germany. Margaret confronts Helen at the house and discovers Helen is pregnant after a night of passion Bast. An outraged Henry sends his self-righteous son Charles (James Wilby) to deal with the situation; Charles arrives the next morning and realizes that Bast is the father of Helen’s child – a fight breaks out that ends with Bast dying beneath a falling bookcase. The following summer Henry gathers his family inside ‘Howards End’ to read them his new will. All his money will go to his children, but he leaves ‘Howards End’ to his wife and, after her death, to her nephew, Helen’s illegitimate child.