Maurice (1987)

Maurice (1987)

James Ivory’s coming-of-age drama examines not only who we fall in love with, but how we choose to love them—tenderly, honestly, wildly

7.4

Movie

United Kingdom
English, Latin
Drama, Romance
1987
JAMES IVORY
Alan Foss, Arthur Whybrow, Barry Foster
140 min

What it's about

After his lover rejects him, Maurice, a young man in early 20th-century England, trapped by the oppressiveness of Edwardian society, tries to come to terms with and accept his sexuality.

The take

In this romantic drama, James Ivory adapts E.M. Forster's novel Maurice. Set in the early 20th century, Maurice Hall befriends Clive Durham while studying at Cambridge. Clive is rich, handsome, endlessly charming—and in love with Maurice. The two’s relationship blossoms quietly as they steal intimate moments in lush pastures and empty hallways. Fans of Call Me By Your Name will recognize some of the most tender and tense scenes, wherein Clive and Maurice lie together in the grass, surrounded only by weeds and flowers, as if they were the only two lovers left in the world. 

But their love story is stunted and complicated by notions of class and etiquette in an oppressive, conservative England. This is a coming-of-age story in which Maurice must ask himself not only who he is, but also who he wants to become, and how to live an earnest, honest life in the light.

Comments

Add a comment

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

UP NEXT 

The Glass Castle (2017)

A disjointed, but still touching, adaptation of the audacious family memoir

6.7

How to Have Sex (2023)

A drunken summer vacation turns melancholy in this sober observation of teenage rites of passage

7.7

Betty Blue (1986)

Artistic frustration is only temporarily sated by love in this erotic, supposedly psychological, drama

6.5

The Beautiful Game (2024)

A heartwarming lesson in belonging and humility following the sports movie formula

7.0

The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)

A star-studded and riveting legal drama with a blockbuster feel.

8.1

The Guilty (2018)

A minimalist, razor-sharp thriller that will have you gasping for air.

9.0

Forgotten Love (2023)

The stunning third take of the classic Polish pre-war melodrama

7.7

Falling in Love Like in Movies (2023)

A contemplative Indonesian romance film that rewrites and re-examines the genre’s conventions

8.4

System Crasher (2019)

A tale of trauma and one of the most talked about movies on Netflix in 2020.

9.0

Bray Wyatt: Becoming Immortal (2024)

WWE’s best effort to pay tribute to Windham “Bray Wyatt” Rotunda

8.5

Curated by humans, not algorithms.

agmtw logo

© 2024 agoodmovietowatch, all rights reserved.