i like short hair best

and Clive to sort things out or in the worst case get that sad ending we’re used to see in these movies. When Alec arrived the plot focused on him and Maurice only and Clive was kinda left out? It’s like I couldn’t get attached to this plot twist because it was unexpected and it was all too fast. I feel happy that things worked out for Maurice and all but not how they made this happen. I just can’t get it up for Alec; maybe because he popped up all of a sudden without any backstory, he did whathe did all so quickly and he kinda stole the plot I don’t know ahaha we don’t know anything about his personality, story. I mean if he popped up way before and they made us know him and kinda get used to him it would’ve been (maybe) different (for me). The thing that most irritated me tho (don’t hate me) was that Maurice comes up with “I’m in love with Alec” while talking to Clive. I mean ok, I’m not saying he had to be still in love with Clive (I guess he got used to the fact they couldn’t be a thing since Clive got married and all) but falling in love after a… fuck? I don’t know… they didn’t have any kind of conversation, they basically didn’t even know each other if not bc they shared a few lines “good night sir”, “you have to pay”, “I don’t want your money”. I get that Maurice finally felt something by getting physical with another man and I understand that but falling in love? That’s another story. I don’t wanna criticise a novel in any way (it surely is a masterpiece and I would never), I’m just talking about the movie, that could be different. Also I think that Clive had the biggest regret of his life and also that he’s still lowkey in love with Maurice and will always be. What do you think about this? I’m sorry for this rant but I saw you answered a question about the movie and I thought that maybe I could share this with you bc apparently on tumblr we don’t talk too much about this movie. I’m sorry again 😭🤧            

wow there’s a lot to get to here! no reason to apologize for the ask. i wish i could devote more time to talking about this movie and book but unfortunately i have to Adult so i don’t have the kind of free time i did when i started this blog. and i also don’t think there’s anything wrong with critiquing media regardless of its masterpiece status.

i think some of your issues can be addressed if you think both about the historical context and about what e.m. forster was trying to accomplish. he has said on many occasions that he would not have bothered to write the novel if there was no happy ending. so your worst case scenario of a sad maurice/clive focused ending was never going to happen, and imo the story is better for it; a happy ending for homosexuals was and still remains revolutionary.

the novel isn’t just about the interpersonal relationships or even about homosexuality, it’s also hugely about class struggle. and the three main characters embody some of that class critique in their personality and actions. clive is really unable to shed his upper class morality and he ends up choosing status over his care or love for maurice. maurice starts out trying to be more like clive, which is exactly what the newly founded edwardian middle class as a whole attempted to do at the time this work is set, and why clive’s mentorship and friendship with maurice was so accepted and encouraged. alec is of course lower class and this fully colors his interactions with clive and maurice – unlike the lofty proclamations clive and maurice share, his verbal interactions must be more subtextual, but additionally he is more action-orientied than clive is able to be because he has less to lose and is less beholden to society’s expectations. this is, by the way, a gross simplification of the class conflicts in the novel and how they manifest in the characters, but it gives you a baseline on why alec’s interactions seem sort of minimal and abrupt, because alec is given less berth in that society to express himself to maurice. he insinuates himself into the story fairly early but it’s so subtle that it can seem like he came out of nowhere. that’s especially what merchant ivory was going for in the movie version.

i think regardless of that, we do get a lot about alec’s personality, but it’s less overt. we see him as somewhat iconoclast and willing to break rules, seeing the way he refuses tips and speaks out, and the way he flirts with lots of characters fairly brazenly. he’s willing to forge a new life for himself in the argentine, so he’s fairly fearless and capable of making big changes for the better. despite his lack of formal education he is fairly sharp and smart. he’s bold and decisive and goes for what he wants, which is in stark contrast to clive. in many ways i think he’s meant to be opposite to clive, especially in respect to the “words vs deeds” concept that maurice and risley debate earlier in the work. risley thinks words are deeds and i think clive does too, but maurice doesn’t feel that way, and neither does alec. it’s one of the reasons they ultimately are better for each other, and also why they are able to choose each other so quickly and decisively.

i also want to talk about the fact that this is not a society in which even men and women have a great deal of romantic or sexual interaction prior to marriage. so to belittle the huge huge act of maurice and alec making love as just a fuck is a big disservice. it’s an absolutely monumental step for a relationship at this time, any relationship, and the additional risk of it being an illegal act makes it even more impactful.

additionally, in this one act maurice is finally able to shed all of the suffering and conflict he has had for literally his whole life and become whole as a person. it’s something he’s wanted for years and clive has been unable to provide, and he’s been told for years by clive that it’s somehow better and purer, but to actually get it with alec and discover how much it matters and changes everything? that alec is willing to risk his whole life to be with him and vice versa? and also sometimes when something is right, you know, and you have to just surrender to it. so i think a lot of factors really add up to why the two of them were able to fall for each other so quickly and really go for it.

Found a pastel pencil portrait of James Wilby by Tina West @ Pinterest.

but hold on, that’s not it!!

after seeing her kindness and compassion towards him, alyosha ALSO experiences a heart/mind rewiring process himself and goes from thinking grunshenka is an evil woman to believing there’s still love and goodness in her heart and that she’s a true sister.