EM Forster again
Mar. 10th, 2002 12:24 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
burntcopperRight, if you scroll back to the beginning of this journal, you'll find me complaining bitterly about what a disappointment E. M. Forster's Maurice was as a book.
Watched the film tonight. I utterly blame![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
dolores for me seeking it out on ebay. And the Baftas for showing clips of it. Sat down, Mum came in after about fifteen minutes, started watching Hugh Grant being all floppy haired and repressed as Clive and James Wilby being utterly adorable as Maurice. *Much* better than the book, for a start. Not bogged down in the language and stuttering, even though it's almost completely faithful - although it does expand on some scenes just mentioned obliquely in the book, which make it more enjoyable and less frustrating, and cut out the growing up scenes, which means Maurice isn't shown as such an utter repressed wanker, more innocent and joyful. And damn, so cute. Much bigger part for Alec Scudder, the groundskeeper he falls in love with (Rupert Graves), which can only be a good thing.
BTW, *yes*, Dol, there is definitely full-frontal nudity from Rupert Graves. And James Wilby. And a whole shower scene with rough-housing at the boxing club you didn't remember. Tut. I'd have thought better of you than that. And mmmm, nice sex scenes only alluded to in one line by the book.
But the ending - both Mum and me sat there going "Whaaaaa?" It's left completely and utterly unresolved. Yes, Alec and Maurice are together. Yes, Clive is left disturbed after being told that Maurice is in love with his groundskeeper and musing on what he's lost by rejecting Maurice and getting married. But... you're still left confused, because it ends so abruptly. You have no idea what happened to Maurice and Alec, because the last you saw they were kissing and hugging in Clive's bathhouse. Utterly, utterly odd.
Watched the film tonight. I utterly blame
dolores for me seeking it out on ebay. And the Baftas for showing clips of it. Sat down, Mum came in after about fifteen minutes, started watching Hugh Grant being all floppy haired and repressed as Clive and James Wilby being utterly adorable as Maurice. *Much* better than the book, for a start. Not bogged down in the language and stuttering, even though it's almost completely faithful - although it does expand on some scenes just mentioned obliquely in the book, which make it more enjoyable and less frustrating, and cut out the growing up scenes, which means Maurice isn't shown as such an utter repressed wanker, more innocent and joyful. And damn, so cute. Much bigger part for Alec Scudder, the groundskeeper he falls in love with (Rupert Graves), which can only be a good thing.BTW, *yes*, Dol, there is definitely full-frontal nudity from Rupert Graves. And James Wilby. And a whole shower scene with rough-housing at the boxing club you didn't remember. Tut. I'd have thought better of you than that. And mmmm, nice sex scenes only alluded to in one line by the book.
But the ending - both Mum and me sat there going "Whaaaaa?" It's left completely and utterly unresolved. Yes, Alec and Maurice are together. Yes, Clive is left disturbed after being told that Maurice is in love with his groundskeeper and musing on what he's lost by rejecting Maurice and getting married. But... you're still left confused, because it ends so abruptly. You have no idea what happened to Maurice and Alec, because the last you saw they were kissing and hugging in Clive's bathhouse. Utterly, utterly odd.
