Maurice (1987)

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E.M. Forster`s provocative 1914 novel, published posthumously in 1971, is brought to the screen by director James Ivory in this beautifully photographed film. Set in pre-World War I England, the film concerns the coming of age of two young men who meet at Cambridge University and fall in love. Maurice (James Wilby, who played Anthony Hopkins`s son, Charles Wilcox, in REMAINS OF THE DAY) and Clive (Hugh Grant) struggle with their hearts within the confines of a rigid society`s moral hypocrisy. Clive eventually succumbs to a traditional life after witnessing the social banishment and imprisonment endured by another gay friend, Viscount Risley (Mark Tandy). But Maurice struggles with his sexual desires and chooses a more difficult, but honest, way of life. When a young gamekeeper (Rupert Graves) returns his affections, Maurice experiences his first real happiness. The film deals with trademark Merchant-Ivory themes involving individuals who are trapped by their society`s strict conventions and who often attempt to break free, with varying consequences of fulfillment or disaster.