Synonymous with literary, turn of the century stories about class distinction, inheritance, duplicity, and circumstance, the name Merchant Ivory generates images of lofty and intricate dramas set against lush, slow paced Edwardian England. Despite the production company’s Academy Award-winning successes, the films were criticized their formulaic nature and absolute loyalty to original sources; Forster, Henry James, and long time screenwriting collaborator Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, to name a few. While ever prolific, the company’s cinematic range was often charged with being too stuffy and sedate, and the performances strained and one note. 

Thirty years after their original collaboration, Ismail Merchant and James Ivory finally succeeded in countering the naysayers with their 1992 adaptation of the EM Forster novel Howards End, starring Vanessa Redgrave, Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, and Helena Bohnam Carter. The film was celebrated for compelling performances by Redgrave, whose shadowlike rendering of the ashen Ruth Wilcox opens the film, and Thompson, whose poised portrayal of Margaret Schlegel evokes the nervous versatility of a woman caught trying to mediate divided worlds. Redgrave's passion is startlingly contained in her departed, nostalgic stare, whereas Thompson as Margaret is steadfast and alert, involved in London’s cultural and intellectual discourse. She is chatty and inquiring, offering tea and scones, delighting in the company of her two siblings. (Bonham Carter and Adrian Ross Magenty). However, she is exposed and often on the brink, subtly grasping at the sides of her dress as she struggles to quiet her tears, offering more jelly to avoid rising tension. 

The Criterion Collection's DVD release of the film includes a discussion with both director and producer; a long-time collaboration that recalls Odd Couple repartee and jousting. But more interesting are the interviews with costume designer Jenny Beavan and production designer Luciana Arrighi, who were confined by an eight million dollar budget, and yet managed to fashion an elaborate and historically accurate world. Included in the special features are the designers' watercolor visions and interpretations, as well as insight into their process and improvisations. In one enchanting scene, a sea of vibrant bluebells bewitches a field. Here, the film's sometimes oppressive air vanishes and a cool, dreamy moment comes alive. Arrighi describes the research and ingenuity involved in designing Howards End, but also remembers the serendipitous nature of scenes, like the final one, where one afternoon, she simply stumbled upon a meadow that perfectly matched the vision in Forster's classic novel.

Howards End is available today on Criterion Blu-Ray and DVD.