tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5577490778732005247.post5272478943896797663..comments2008-06-09T08:20:16.648-07:00Jamie S. Richhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10574127694740978803noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5577490778732005247.post-53973757087561628902008-06-09T08:20:00.000-07:002008-06-09T08:20:00.000-07:00Very good review of the Criterion "Howards End." I've had a love/hate relationship with this film for a long time, being a fan of the novel. It's both an extraordinary and disappointing adaptation of a novel I'm fond of. Ultimately, though, it stands as MIP's greatest achievement and, like Ivory says at the end of the documentary Building Howards End, "It is what it is."<BR/><BR/>I was shocked to hear of Merchant's death. To me it seemed the end of something we will never see again. So many filmmakers these days like to call themselves independent, but the Merchant Ivory team was that in its purist sense. In fact, I do believe Howards End was their last truly independent film, because The Remains of the Day was for Columbia and everything else after that was for a major studio, or "independent" studio in some capacity.<BR/><BR/>This is a great dvd set. Glad to own it (and just revisited it yesterday). It's a shame that Room With a View was not released through Criterion, because BBC/Warners merely did a PAL to NTSC conversion, which resulted in a 4% speed up, raising the pitch of the sound by a semi-octave. And the framing is off, and the entire thing looks like video rather than film. A tragedy, since Room is such a classic.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, sorry for the ramble! Great review. Now I want to watch the docs again, perhaps tonight!Seanmyspace.com/sean1966adnoreply@blogger.com