Maurice

In Edwardian England, Maurice, a student at Cambridge, has a relationship with his classmate Clive. Clive chooses to protect his social position and marry. Maurice first tries to have himself cured, then meets Alec, a gamekeeper. James Ivory directed, from E. M. Forster's novel. Forster wrote the book in 1913 and 1914 and withheld it during his lifetime because of attitudes toward homosexuality; it was published in 1971. King's College Cambridge initially resisted allowing the filming, considering the novel inferior to Forster's major work. The success of Merchant Ivory's A Room with a View persuaded them. The lead changed at the last minute. When Julian Sands withdrew, the part opened for the then-unknown James Wilby. Hugh Grant had appeared in only one film; Ivory cast him as Clive immediately. Rupert Graves plays Alec. At the 1987 Venice Film Festival Ivory won the Silver Lion for direction, Wilby and Grant shared Best Actor and composer Richard Robbins won for his score. It was later nominated for the costume design Oscar. The first British reviews were mixed and its standing rose across three decades. The New Yorker noted that many gay viewers found it revelatory in their formative years. A 4K restoration screened in 2017 for the film's thirtieth anniversary. Who it is for: viewers who like period drama and the Merchant Ivory manner. Who it is not for: anyone wanting pace. It runs 140 minutes and most of its collisions happen in glances and silences.