Wiedersehen in Howards End

Eine weitere schöne Kombination aus Forsters Roman, Ivorys Regie und Helena Bonham Carters Talent. Der Roman "Wiedersehen in Howards End" wurde hierzulande nur zweimal veröffentlicht (1982 und 1993), und ich spüre deutlich die Kluft zwischen dem hiesigen Verständnis von Forsters Welt aus dem Jahr 1910 und der heutigen Rezeption, denn selbst die hartnäckigsten Bewunderer des historischen Genres haben gewisse Vorbehalte. Wenn Sie ihm jedoch eine Chance geben und diesen Film z. B. mit der neueren Serie ergänzen, werden Sie vielleicht mit einer wirklich entspannenden Erfahrung belohnt, die sich aus der lyrischen Beschreibung der Umgebung eines äußerst banalen Skandals ergibt. Es ist zärtlich, und man muss die Psychologie der Hauptfiguren verstehen, um die Grundlagen auch unserer Gesellschaft zu erkennen. (31.05.2020)

The Remains of the Day, from the same director, was made just a year later and I consider it a genre gem, a film that can only be written about in superlatives. Therefore, I approached Howards End with the feeling that Ivory could not significantly disappoint me and that the film was a safe bet. The same director, the same genre, and actually the same cast. Nevertheless, the result is fundamentally different. Both films have a similar duration and slow narrative pace, but while with The Remains of the Day, I felt the great tension and internal dramas and dilemmas of its protagonists, despite the seemingly melancholic peaceful atmosphere, with Howards End I felt more indifference, and attacks of boredom with each passing minute. The Remains of the Day works for me as an artistic statement about the changing social atmosphere of Britain in the 1930s and 1940s, while Howards End, which attempts to do the same by going back a few decades earlier, fails in the same endeavor. It feels scattered, diluted, and tired. I could talk about the high production value and notable actors involved, but only because I cannot find a reason to say anything positive about the story and characters. I consider Howards End to be Ivory's creative defeat. While I would cautiously recommend The Remains of the Day to a wider range of viewers (because its slow pace may present an insurmountable obstacle for today's teenagers), Howards End only has significance for genre enthusiasts and fans of Ivory's creative style. Overall impression: 40%. (04.02.2017)

Excellent acting performances and a good example of how relationships between people can become complicated simply because some people are inherently evil and that evil just comes to the surface, whether it is in the form of envy or in another way. Well-directed film that has a classically timeless message. (28.02.2018)