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The second in a trio of Merchant-Ivory adaptations of E.M. Foster novels, Maurice (d. James Ivory, 1987) remains true to the author's semi-autobiographical text, which was unpublished until after his death in 1971. Protagonist Maurice Hall (James Wilby) embarks on a journey of self-discovery when he meets and falls in love with Clive Durham (Hugh Grant) while studying at Cambridge University. Maurice is somewhat awkward - an outsider compared to the charming, self-assured object of his affections. As the film progresses, the two characters take opposite routes. Maurice's depth of character strengthens, while Clive's dissolves as he conforms to societal norms. Ivory explores similar themes around repression, class, society and the possibility of freedom in films such as The Bostonians (1984), A Room With A View (1985), Mr & Mrs Bridge (1990) and The Remains of the Day (1993). In Maurice, Ivory juxtaposes darkness and light to represent the characters' outward struggles and inner lives. Scenes inside Cambridge are moody, close and oppressive. Outdoors, the characters are no longer contrived and stifled. When the two worlds collide, one or another character is inevitably looking out of (or climbing in through) a window. Maurice is a 'heritage' film of the sort whose resurgence began in the 1980s and continues today. True to form, the story progresses at a leisurely pace, and the film's sweeping Cambridge exteriors, country house interiors and perpetual costume changes are as pivotal as the performances of Wilby and Grant, et al. Wilby gives the character of Maurice a quiet intensity. As Clive, Grant is at once affable and unbearable. Risley, whose arrest for acts of indecency mark the dramatic turn in the film, is played by Mark Tandy. The strong supporting cast includes quintessential Denholm Elliot (Dr Barry), Rupert Graves (Alec Scudder), Simon Callow (Mr Ducie), and Ben Kingsley (Lasker-Jones). Maurice was shot on location at Kings College. Interiors scenes at Clive's Penderleigh property were shot at Wilbury Park in Wilshire. Merchant Ivory revisited Wilbury Park for the country house scenes in The Remains of the Day. The film's atmospheric score won accolades for composer Richard Robbins. Vanessa McQuarrie
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