Rating: 
Summary: Simply heart renching,vividly romantic,explosively relevant.
Review: I am overwhelmy mesmerised at this MAURICE art of creation.Absolutely wonderful.Exquisitely perfor- mance by James wilby(my favourite)and Hugh Grant. I find it very relating to my Past love experience.Although i relate much to "Hugh Grant's character more,i can't help but admire the cour- age of James wilby's character.Bottom line this film has 'scurred' me forever.Bravo!
Rating:
Summary: Tragic, Beutifull, Longing and Inspiring!
Review: Having seen the film many times I am still amazed that I should still find it a completely enriching experience. The performances of both Hugh Grant and James Wilby evoked intense emotions in me as I observed their characters turbulent journeys through sexual awakening. To see Maurice finally find peace within himself as he not only realises that he cannot deny his homosexuality but that he triumphs where Clive does not, in wanting to express his sexuality through his love for Scudder, is one of the films strongest points. The portrayal of heartache to liberation - I haven't seen it portrayed so poignantly in any other film exploring the nightmare existence for gay men who struggle to come to terms with their sexuality.It is an Absaloutly Super Film - Merchant Ivory does it again!!
Rating:
Summary: Forbidden romance portrayed in exquisite taste
Review: A serious film that treats homosexuality in the Greek perspective - emphasis on friendship / romance rather than mindless promiscuity. It's so refreshing to see sex as the final culmination of a love affair rather than its empty beginning. In the spirit of author Mary Renault, we find ourselves centered on characters of real depth and intelligence, though flawed and wounded like we all are. A film with innuendo, style and grace, radient in its genre.
Rating:
Summary: Great Dialogue,Great Costumes
Review: I first saw this movie in the plush Paris theater just off NYC's 5th Avenue. The theater was very apropriate since this movie was exquisite in every detail. The acting and costumes worked so well for this movie. A great love story and already a gay film classic.
Rating:
Summary: In the grand tradition of filmmaking
Review: Lush, with score, cinematography, acting, costumes that are all top drawer. Two young men meet while attending college and fall in love. At first, it is all very platonic but soon things change..A very realistic account of gay life in turn of the century England with all its laberynthine hypocrisy. Hugh Grant gives and excellent portrayal of someone who would rather not buck the system, despite the cost. James Wilby as Maurice is radiant, beautiful and quixotic in a very 1920's way. Rupert Graves, as his street-savvy gamekeper-lover draws Wilby out of his sexual hell. All is done with a degree of realism which is extraordinarily romantic. A great ensemble cast. Watch it with your finger on the rewind button. You won't want to miss anything!
Rating:
Summary: Dream come true
Review: If you liked a "Room with a View" this will not disappoint. It's lavishly done and impeccably acted in a decidedly British manner. Hugh Grant turns a great performance as both a sexual pioneer and a confused man. James Wilby is in top form as his lover, a Victorian man struggling with the hypocrisy and prejudice of the time. Their intimacy is depicted in impeccable taste. Judy Parfitt is exquisite as Hugh Grant's manipulative mother. Gorgeous cinematography and music. Superlative.
Rating:
Summary: Exquisite Masterpiece
Review: One common complaint of the critics of this film is that the ending is rather unrealistic - that two homosexual men in English Edwardian society wouldn't *in reality* be able to fall in love and continue their romance as depicted in this mesmerizing film because of the unfortunate obstacles of being from different social classes and being completely different in their interests and unbringing. Although I feel that these critics are correct, I overlook that detail because I recognize that this film was obviously made with love by director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant and the cast. Another case in point: my favorite film is Alfred Hitchcock's 1958 masterpiece, "Vertigo," which depicts a retired police detective falling in love for the first time in his life and becoming obsessed with a woman whom he only meets only because of a murder plot she had agreed to take part in. Is that plot so realistic? Not particularly, although it *could* happen, just as this romance *could* have happened. Just because the plot does not immediately strike one as "realistic" does not mean that the beauty or the power of a film like "Vertigo" or "Maurice" is diminished. The film is very well cast with the two best performances coming from James Wilby as Maurice Hall and Rupert Graves as Alec Scudder. In reality, as shown on the second disc containing lengthy interviews with the filmmakers and the lead actors of this film, the three lead actors playing the homosexual characters, James Wilby, Rupert Graves and Hugh Grant, are heterosexual. Consequently, it is admirable that they are so convincing and uninhibited in their roles. In addition, the score by Richard Robbins is very memorable: it is indeed one of the two most beautiful I have ever heard, the other score being composer Bernard Herrmann's work of art - his score for "Vertigo." 10/10. A.
Rating:
Summary: Obsessed!
Review: I mean ME - I am truly obsessed with this film! I have fallen in love with beautiful Cambridge (so masculine and steeped in tradition), with the romantic Edwardian era, with the beauty of the story and especially with Maurice, the title character. Beware... if you're "susceptible" to romantic movies and is a highly sensitive person, chances are this movie will "get" to you in ways I can't fully describe. It doesn't matter if you are gay or straight - against your will, scenes and images from the film will replay in you mind, stay in your heart and affect your mood and feelings (for days, in my case - which is not a good thing because I have a major examination coming up and half my mind is still on "Maurice"!). At times, I wished I was born male like the characters, and have the privilege of a Cambridge education... wishful thinking really (though I've a girlfriend who went to Cambridge on a scholarship, to my eternal envy really). This film is a faithful adaptation of Forster's novel and brilliantly brought to life by the winning team of Merchant Ivory. The stellar cast comprises James Wilby, Hugh Grant and Rupert Graves; all 3 share great screen chemistry and there is no doubt that the actors gave it their "all" for this film. This is the story about one man's journey of self discovery about his sexuality and having to live with the prejudices of the times including class distinction (which balks at intimacy with a social inferior, in this case Maurice's desire for Alec). Many reviews have already been written about the story so I would just like to share some of my thoughts and observations of the film: 1) the DVD (R1, released Feb 2004) is beautifully packaged and is chockful of special features including more than 10 deleted scenes, one of which is a most sensual scene involving Maurice and Alec (an "extended" scene of their first night together). The production notes/booklet also provides a treasure of information on the film. 2) James Wilby plays "Maurice" most beautifully and sensitively. He is imperfectly handsome but is still very attractive-looking. The thing that strikes me most about Wilby's "Maurice" is that he has the MOST beautiful hair color - it's practically "golden" - not the usual blond. The color contracts nicely with the black suit he usually wears. In the novel, Maurice has dark hair, but I think a golden-haired Maurice is just perfect - a great contrast too to Clive's and Alec's dark locks!! 3) Clive (Hugh Grant) is older than Maurice by a year. When they get together, Maurice is around 21 years of age. By the time they break off, Maurice is nearing 24. Nothing is mentioned in the book/movie about Alec (Rupert Graves)'s age - but I gather he is the youngest of the three (although most certainly the lustiest!!). 4) Maurice's character is passionate, loving, vulnerable and super-loyal. If Clive had not rejected him, Maurice would have been "his for life". What's with Clive anyway? He's got this idea that a relationship between 2 men should be strictly platonic (no kisses or caresses, even). Thank goodness for the appearance of Alec later on, who is Clive's very opposite! 5) In the novel, Maurice is horrified by his lust for and intimacy with Alec, who is only a servant. But one reason they are perfect for each other is because (in Forster's words): "chance had mated it (i.e. Maurice's body) too perfectly". The 2 characters' growing feelings for each other are a joy to watch. 6) For those who question the ending i.e. whether it is even possible for Maurice and Alec to stay together what with all the difficulties surrounding them, well, let me write that Forster intended the ending to be a happy one (and who would know better than the author himself?). In the "Terminal Note" at the end of his novel, Forster wrote: "A happy ending is imperative. I shouldn't have bothered to write otherwise. I was determined that in fiction anyway two men should fall in love and remain in it for the ever and ever that fiction allows, and in this sense Maurice and Alce still roam the greenwood..." Super, isn't it? 7) The final scene ("In the Boathouse") is wonderfully romantic and is alone worth the price of the whole DVD, so to speak. I don't want to forget this beautiful movie, and I can't forget it anyway. It is quite simply the most touching film I've ever seen. It deserved an armful of Oscar awards (although in reality it didn't do that well, receiving only Art Direction and Best Costume nominations). I've seen most of Merchant Ivory productions and "Maurice" is hands-down, the BEST. Don't miss it!
Rating: 
Summary: Sterling adaptation of EM Forster's novel
Review: In what must surely be a great milestone in the history of homosexuality and mainstream cinema, Maurice (James Wilby) is a young man coming to terms with being gay in Edwardian society. The rest of the excellent cast includes Hugh Grant, Rupert Graves, Denholm Elliot and Ben Kingsley.
Beautifully shot, with exactly the production values we have come to expect of a Merchant-Ivory production, Maurice is an engaging film that touches on themes of sexuality, class and religion frankly, convincingly and with much poignancy. The central romance is handled movingly.
DVD extras are pretty good: About half an hour of unused footage with an admittedly rather sparse commentary by director James Ivory; and a fairly interesting documentary featuring interviews with cast and crew.
Rating:
Summary: excellent, high quality movie
Review: Wow! That was an awesome movie! The story was beautiful, the scenery was very pretty, and the acting was excellent. This is the best gay-themed movie I have ever seen. I bought this movie and don't regret it. I will watch it again in the near future.
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