Review of Maurice

Young British man in the early 1900s must come to terms with his homosexuality, a lifestyle which brought forth criminal charges in turn of the century England. Plodding, overlong, overly-sensitive piece from director James Ivory, who also co-adapted the script with Kit Hesketh-Harvey, based on E.M. Forster's novel. It is certainly pretty enough, and the performances by James Wilby and a very green Hugh Grant are commendable, but where are the roller-coaster highs and lows of living a taboo sexual life? "Maurice" is nurtured along in a tableaux style which gives us factual details but none of the emotion. ** from ****