Maurice

by David Greven

Maurice, James Ivory’s 1987 adaptation of the E.M. Forster novel, follows an Edwardian man’s journey from the awakening of his desire for and love of men to self-acceptance. One of the most politically resistant films of the 1980s, Maurice dared to depict a young man’s coming-out story and a happy ending for its lovers, Maurice and Alec. James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, a couple whose cinema is synonymous with period film adaptation, released Maurice during the first AIDS decade, a time of flagrant transatlantic homophobia. Criticism following its release described Ivory as a superficial and staid director, while the film was received as a regression to the uncinematic and overly faithful style that characterized the early adaptations by Merchant Ivory Productions. Offering a close reading of Forster’s novel and an analysis of Ivory’s distinctive visual style, Richard Robbins’s indelible score, and the performances of James Wilby, Hugh Grant, and Rupert Graves, David Greven argues that the film is a model of sympathetic adaptation. This study champions the film as the finest of the Merchant Ivory works, making a case for Ivory’s underappreciated talents as a director of great subtlety and intelligence, and for the film as one worth recuperating from its detractors. Understanding Maurice as a fully realized work of art and adaptation, this volume offers insight into how a stunning novel of gay love became a classic of queer film.

208 pages, Paperback

Published September 15, 2023

Reviews

[Dylan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Insightful and detailed exploration of the Merchant-Ivory film Maurice and the context in which it was released. The book begins with a detailed analysis of Merchant-Ivorys output, including a lively discussion of other adaptions with queer themes, such as The Bostonians. Greven also included some critical discussion of films that were released prior to Maurice, which had direct influences - Another Country and My Beautiful Laundrette.
Greven provided a detailed analysis of Forester's novel, followed by a scene by scene analysis of the film, with wonderful insights throughout. Greven discussed the deleted scenes of Maurice (which are available to watch on YouTube), and argued why they should have been included in the final cut - I tend to agree. I appreciated the last chapter's discussion of Maurice's reception and the similarities between Maurice and Call Me By Your Name.

Greven provided a detailed discussion of the Heritage Film, which encompasses much of Merchant-Ivory's work - and also contributed to much of their criticism. I find this extensive world building, care to detail, one of the strengths of their output and certainly what sets them apart from other historical period pieces.

[Rosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was really helpful for my essay for my “Queer Adaptations” seminar at uni. Greven explains the connections between Forster’s novel and the film in a clear and interesting way, and he brings in a lot of useful points about queer representation and adaptation. I liked how well-organized the book was and how it combined close analysis with background information on queer cinema. It gave me several ideas and quotes that fit perfectly into my essay and helped me understand the film on a deeper level.

[Pat T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the fact that this book exists and brings attention the genius and place of Maurice in the gay literary canon. I found the linear study in this book very exciting at times and dull in part. Overall, this reads like a reflective study rather than a fully critical review of Maurice as it almost feels like Greven seems to introduce other perspectives as he remembers of them. I'd have liked to read a more detailed engagement with the critics of Maurice like Cynthia Ozick's disgusting review of Maurice or Alan Hollinghurst's pronouncements that Maurice hides homosexuality when the narrative is fully focused on the life of a gay man as a complete person and maybe not as a champion of identity politics. I also couldn't really connect with the superficial parallels that Greven drew between Forster & Ivory and Melville, or David Leavitt's anthology. Overall, this book is a good read on "Maurice" but it could definitely be a bit more comprehensive.