Enthusiasts of period dramas seeking their next binge-watch should consider one particular title currently available on Amazon Prime Video that has enchanted viewers worldwide. This recommendation follows others who have relished a “perfect” television series, a film adapted from a “timeless” novel, and a “hauntingly atmospheric” programme, reports the Manchester Evening News.
The historical drama originally premiered in 1992 and has garnered widespread acclaim from IMDb users. One reviewer proclaimed it a “delicious adaptation from a superb novel” whilst drawing comparisons to acclaimed works like Return to Brideshead and Gosford Park, positioning it amongst the genre’s finest offerings.
Meanwhile, one perfect 10/10 review declared: “The screenplay has no lapses of any kind and never falls into the usual traps. Loyal to its source material and yet, cinematic in the most revolutionary traditional sense of the word.”
A second top-rated review, entitled “close to perfection”, celebrated the “masterful performances” that rendered the film essential viewing. They continued: “One of the few good movies that does justice to the great book from which it was taken.”
A third maximum-score review commended the film for being “so subtle, yet so very clever”. The reviewer elaborated: “If you love excellence then you’ll love this film, because it it is filled with excellence. It’s not fast paced like a thriller, but not a single moment of the film is wasted.”
They concluded: “This is probably the most nuanced film you’ll ever see, and it is a masterpiece… [sic].”
Another viewer passionately encouraged people to experience the film, declaring: “The literary period piece is a difficult genre to master, requiring a difficult balancing between restraint and flowing emotion. Few films effectively achieve this as beautifully as Merchant-Ivory’s astounding HOWARDS END, making it probably the best period film of the 1990’s.”
Drawing from E. M. Forster’s 1910 novel bearing the same title, Howards End unfolded at the dawn of the 20th century in England, chronicling the interconnected stories of three distinct families: the Wilcoxes, the Schlegel sisters, and the Basts. The Wilcox clan represented affluent capitalists who had amassed their fortune through colonial enterprises, whilst the Schlegels embodied the spirit of the Bloomsbury Group, endeavouring to assist the struggling Bast family and confront societal prejudices.
Love Actually and Sense and Sensibility actress Emma Thompson embodied the role of the principled elder sister Margaret Schlegel, whilst The Crown’s Helena Bonham Carter portrayed her spirited younger sibling Helen Schlegel. Legendary Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins commanded the screen as the imposing wealthy patriarch Henry Wilcox, who clashed with the Schlegel sisters as they sought to transform his attitudes towards those from humbler backgrounds.
The cast also boasted renowned British actress Vanessa Redgrave as Ruth Wilcox, Maurice’s James Wilby as Charles Wilcox, Doctor Who and Bramwell star Jemma Redgrave as Evie Wilcox, Samuel West of All Creatures Great and Small as Leonard Bast, McQueen’s Joseph Bennett as Paul Wilcox, and the legendary British actress Prunella Scales as Aunt Juley.
Howards End (1992) was a product of the iconic Merchant Ivory Productions, a collaboration between producer Ismail Merchant, director James Ivory, and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. The trio were also the creative force behind other successful films such as A Room with a View, The Bostonians, The Remains of the Day, and Surviving Picasso, among others.
The film received nine Oscar nominations and clinched Best Actress for Thompson, Best Screenplay, and Best Art Direction. It also garnered 11 BAFTA Film nominations, ultimately winning Best Actress for Thompson and Best Film.
Howards End (1992) is streaming on Prime Video for a fee now