Maurice is another fine Merchant-Ivory interpretation of an E.M. Forster novel. The semi-autobiographical novel remained unpublished until after Forster's death because he feared the pain it would cause friends and family. Maurice is a deeply personal exploration of a young man's discovery of what was then euphemistically referred to as 'the forbidden love' - homosexuality.
Maurice (James Wilby) and Clive (Hugh Grant) are two young men who meet at Cambridge. Their attraction is immediate, but in a world that imprisoned and pretty much killed Oscar Wilde for a similar predilection, the politically ambitious Clive suppresses his desires, marries and urges Maurice to also turn his back on homosexuality, something he is unable to do. In addition to this story of unrequited love there also lurks the rigid and uncompromising class system of Edwardian England. As we learn early in the film, to have their love exposed would mean not only imprisonment but also the loss of all the privileges that come with being a member of the upper class.
When the film studies the steadily evolving relationship between Clive and Maurice, it is fascinating. Unfortunately, the struggle between the platonic, realistic Clive and romantic, idealistic Maurice gradually ebbs away about two-thirds of the way through the film. A less-than-satisfying concluding reel sees Maurice forging a relationship with Clive's gamekeeper, the working class Scudder (Rupert Graves). Sadly, this latter development demeans the complex, conflicted relationship of Clive and Maurice by suggesting the most important issue is simply that of satisfying one's sexual desires.
The final frames of the movie suggest what could have been if Forster had stayed with the much more interesting story of Clive and Maurice: the lonely and melancholy Clive looks broodingly out on his estate. By sublimating his desire for Maurice, he has achieved his political ambitions, but at the expense of his happiness.
