Maurice

In this adaptation of EM Forster's posthumously published novel, a gay man in Edwardian England is seen to have three choices. Like Durham (Grant), he can opt for frigid, respectable marriage; like Viscount Risley (Tandy), he can solicit soldiers in bars and be grateful for six months' hard labour; or, most bravely, like Maurice (Wilby), he can risk everything for requited love. It takes a long time for Maurice to reach this point; only in the arms of his game-keeping bit of rough (Graves) does he realise that he's been taught 'what isn't right'. The initial stages, set in Brideshead country, are jerky, but thereafter the original's social comedy and serious passion are superbly evoked. The performances are excellent, the period trappings, like the love scenes, in the best possible taste.