63
At its best, the film is moving and thought-provoking, but at other moments it is unintentionally silly. It is not the story but the telling of it that is the problem; at 140 minutes, Maurice simply goes on too long.
What are people saying?
What are critics saying?
75
Christian Science Monitor by David Sterritt
In this forthright screen version of E.M. Forster's posthumously published novel. Directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, who show the same literate skill and the same fidelity to their source that marked "A Room With a View."
90
The New York Times by Janet Maslin
Mr. Ivory and Ismail Merchant have long since learned to breathe life into their material without excessive reverence, in a manner that is as decorous as it is dramatic. As might be expected, the costumes, settings and cinematography are once again ravishing.
60
Chicago Reader by Jonathan Rosenbaum
The dissection of Edwardian repression never gets beyond the dutiful, tasteful obviousness of a BBC miniseries.
80
Maurice, based on a posthumously published novel by E.M. Forster, is a well-crafted pic on the theme of homosexuality.
50
Maurice (pronounced Morris) is all high-mindedness and good taste. It has no emotional tension or - heaven forfend - strong expression of frustration or need.
75
Chicago Sun-Times by Roger Ebert
The film is so well made and acted, because it captures its period so meticulously.
Ripped my heart out and stomped on it, then gently placed it back in my chest. Truly an astounding work of adaptation, also particularly compelling having just read Lady Chatterley's Lover, an infamous novel that was inspired by the E.M. Forster's manuscript for Maurice, which was unpublished for decades. One of Merchant-Ivory's finest achievements, cementing their status as icons of queer cinema.
A beautiful adaptation of Forster's work. Grant and Willby's acting is wonderfully touching. One of Merchant-Ivory's better films.