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Howards End

Howards End

Drama · Romance · 1992

A saga of class relations and changing times in an Edwardian England on the brink of modernity, the film centers on liberal Margaret Schlegel, who, along with her sister Helen, becomes involved with two couples: wealthy, conservative industrialist Henry Wilcox and his wife Ruth, and the downwardly mobile working-class Leonard Bast and his mistress Jackie.

Movie details

Howards End

“Based on the Novel by E.M. Forster”

1992 Drama · Romance 2h 22m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

7.0 / 10

Community rating

A saga of class relations and changing times in an Edwardian England on the brink of modernity, the film centers on liberal Margaret Schlegel, who, along with her sister Helen, becomes involved with two couples: wealthy, conservative industrialist Henry Wilcox and his wife Ruth, and the downwardly mobile working-class Leonard Bast and his mistress Jackie.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over Howards End?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

James Ivory

Written by

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

Emma Thompson

Emma Thompson

Margaret Schlegel

Helena Bonham Carter

Helena Bonham Carter

Helen Schlegel

Anthony Hopkins

Anthony Hopkins

Henry J. Wilcox

Samuel West

Samuel West

Leonard Bast

Vanessa Redgrave

Vanessa Redgrave

Ruth Wilcox

Adrian Ross Magenty

Adrian Ross Magenty

Tibby Schlegel

Prunella Scales

Prunella Scales

Aunt Juley

Court is in session

Put Howards End on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Sincerity is not manipulation.”

The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.

The prosecution The Adrenaline Seeker

“The strings are showing.”

Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.