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Valentine's Day (2010 film)

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Valentine's Day
Valentines day poster 10.jpg
Directed by
Garry Marshall
Produced by
Mike Karz
 Wayne Allan Rice
Screenplay by
Katherine Fugate
Story by
Katherine Fugate
 Abby Kohn
Marc Silverstein
Starring
Jessica Alba
Kathy Bates
Jessica Biel
Bradley Cooper
Eric Dane
Patrick Dempsey
Hector Elizondo
Jamie Foxx
Jennifer Garner
Topher Grace
Anne Hathaway
Ashton Kutcher
Queen Latifah
George Lopez
Shirley MacLaine
Emma Roberts
Julia Roberts
Taylor Swift
Taylor Lautner
Music by
John Debney
Cinematography
Charles Minsky
Editing by
Bruce Green
Studio
New Line Cinema
Distributed by
Warner Bros. Pictures
 Walker Pictures
Release date(s)
February 12, 2010

Running time
124 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$52 million[1]
Box office
$216,485,654[2]
Valentine's Day is a 2010 American ensemble romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall. The screenplay and the story were written by Katherine Fugate, Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein.
It is the first film to be co-produced by New Line Cinema along with sister studio, Warner Bros. All other films post-"Valentine's Day" would become New Line/Warner Bros. co-productions from that point forward.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Cast 2.1 Main
2.2 Minor
3 Music
4 Reception 4.1 Box office
4.2 Critical response
4.3 Awards and nominations
5 Home media
6 Related film
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
Plot[edit]
It is Valentine's Day and florist Reed Bennett (Ashton Kutcher) proposes to his girlfriend Morley Clarkson (Jessica Alba), who accepts. Reed’s closest friends, Alfonso Rodriguez (George Lopez) and Julia Fitzpatrick (Jennifer Garner), aren't surprised when Morley changes her mind and leaves Reed the same day. On an airplane to Los Angeles, Kate Hazeltine (Julia Roberts), a captain in the U.S. Army on a one-day leave, befriends Holden Wilson (Bradley Cooper). When the plane lands and Kate has to wait hours for the taxi, Holden offers his limousine, which Kate accepts.
Julia, an elementary school teacher, has fallen in love with Dr. Harrison Copeland (Patrick Dempsey), but does not know that he is married to Pamela (Katherine LaNasa). Harrison tells her that he needs to go to San Francisco for a business trip. Wanting to surprise him and despite Reed warning her not to go, Julia flies to San Francisco holding onto hope that Reed was wrong. Julia finds out that he is married and gets the name of the restaurant where he and his wife will be dining that evening. The restaurant's owner allows her to dress as a waitress, and Julia makes a scene at the restaurant, making Pamela suspicious. One of Julia’s students, Edison (Bryce Robinson), orders flowers from Reed, to be sent to his teacher. Julia suggests to Edison to give the flowers to a girl named Rani in his class who has a crush on him after telling Edison the meaning of love.
Edison's babysitter Grace Smart (Emma Roberts) is planning to lose her virginity to her boyfriend Alex Franklin (Carter Jenkins). The planned encounter goes awry when Grace's mother discovers a naked Alex in Grace's room, rehearsing a song he wrote for Grace. Edison’s grandparents, Edgar (Héctor Elizondo) and Estelle Paddington (Shirley MacLaine) are facing the troubles of a long marriage. Estelle admits to Edgar about an affair she had with one of his business partners long ago. Although she is deeply sorry, Edgar is very upset. Grace’s high school friends, Willy Harrington (Taylor Lautner) and Felicia Miller (Taylor Swift), are experiencing the freshness of new love, and have agreed to wait to have sex.
Sean Jackson (Eric Dane), a closeted gay professional football player, is contemplating the end of his career with his publicist Kara Monahan (Jessica Biel) and his agent Paula Thomas (Queen Latifah). Kara is organizing her annual "I Hate Valentine's Day" party, but soon becomes interested in sports reporter Kelvin Moore (Jamie Foxx), who was ordered to do a Valentine's Day report by his boss Susan Moralez (Kathy Bates), and who shares Kara's hatred of the holiday. Paula has hired a new receptionist named Liz Curran (Anne Hathaway), who dates mail-room clerk Jason Morris (Topher Grace). Jason is shocked when Liz turns out to be moonlighting as a phone sex operator. Liz explains that she is only doing this because she has a $100,000 student loan to pay off. Jason is upset, but eventually reconciles with her after seeing Edgar forgive Estelle.
Sean comes out on national television, and Holden, Sean's lover, goes back to him. Kate goes home to greet her son Edison. Willy drops Felicia off at home after a date and they kiss. Kelvin and Kara hang out at Kelvin's news station where they later kiss. Alfonso dines with his wife, and Grace and Alex agree to wait to have sex. Edgar and Estelle redo their marriage vows, Harrison eats pizza alone after Pamela leaves him, and Morley tries to call Reed, while Julia and Reed begin a romantic relationship.
Cast[edit]
Main[edit]
Jessica Alba as Morley Clarkson
Kathy Bates as Susan Moralez
Jessica Biel as Kara Monahan
Bradley Cooper as Holden Wilson
Eric Dane as Sean Jackson
Patrick Dempsey as Dr. Harrison Copeland
Héctor Elizondo as Edgar Paddington
Jamie Foxx as Kelvin Moore
Jennifer Garner as Julia Fitzpatrick
Topher Grace as Jason Morris
Anne Hathaway as Elizabeth "Liz" Curran
Carter Jenkins as Alexander "Alex" Franklin
Ashton Kutcher as Reed Bennett
Queen Latifah as Paula Thomas
Taylor Lautner as William "Willy" Harrington
George Lopez as Alfonso Rodriguez
Shirley MacLaine as Estelle Paddington
Emma Roberts as Grace Smart
Julia Roberts as Cpt. Katherine "Kate" Hazeltine
Bryce Robinson as Edison Hazeltine
Taylor Swift as Felicia Miller
Minor[edit]
Jonathan Morgan Heit as Tough Franklin
Beth Kennedy as Ms. Claudia Smart
Katherine LaNasa as Pamela Copeland
Joe Mantegna as Angry Driver
Brooklynn Proulx as Madison Copeland
Kristen Schaal as Ms. Gilroy
Christine Lakin as Heather
Aramis Knight as Voice[3]
Music[edit]
 The score to Valentine's Day was composed by John Debney, who recorded his score with the Hollywood Studio Symphony at the Sony Scoring Stage. He also wrote a song for the film, "Every Time You Smiled", with award-winning lyricist Glen Ballard which was performed by Carina Round.[4]
The movie's official soundtrack was released on February 9, 2010 via Big Machine Records. It features the movie's leading song, Jewel's "Stay Here Forever", which was released as a single on January 19, 2010 and has charted on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. The soundtrack also includes "Today Was a Fairytale" by Taylor Swift, which debuted at #2 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, breaking a record for highest first-week sales by a female artist. Taylor Swift's song "Jump Then Fall" from the Platinum edition of her album Fearless also featured on the soundtrack. Debney's score album, including "Every Time You Smiled", (written by Debney and Glen Ballard, and not included on the song CD) was released digitally on April 7, 2010 by Watertower Music.
Jamie Foxx also recorded a song for the film which is called "Quit Your Job". It appears in the film but not on the soundtrack however, because of profanity in the verses.
"I Gotta Feeling" by The Black Eyed Peas was used for the film's trailer.
Track listing for the score album:
1."The Proposal/Trying to Tell Her" – 2:20
2."The Makeup/First Kiss" – 2:25
3."Apartment Dwelling/Hollywood Loft" – 0:48
4."Arrival/Airport/Catching Julia/Gotta Stop Them" – 2:55
5."Flower Shop Talk/To the Restaurant/The Realization/Mi Familia" – 3:27
6."Light Conversation/Chivalrous Gestures/He's Married/Forget Me Not" – 3:25
7."Liz Leaves/Having Sex/I Have No Life" – 3:10
8."Julia Sees the Light/Edgar & Estelle/Young Love/First Time" – 3:31
9."She Said No/Don't Go/I Like Her" – 3:50
10."My Life's a Mess/This Is Awkward" – 1:22
11."Ride Home/Guys Talk" – 1:47
12."Mom's Home/Soccer Practice/Bike Ride" – 2:23
13."Reed and Julia" – 2:26
14."Valentine's Day" – 2:31
15."Every Time You Smiled" (Carina Round) – 2:53
16."Today was a Fairytale" (Taylor Swift) - 3:58
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
The film debuted with $52.4 million its opening weekend, grabbing the number 1 spot over the holiday that shares its name.[5] The film ousted two other high-profile openings; 20th Century Fox's action fantasy Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, which debuted at number 2 with $31.1 million over three days, and Universal's werewolf film The Wolfman, with $30.6 million.[6] It is currently the third-highest opening weekend in February. On Monday, February 15th, 2010, Valentine's Day went down to #2 behind Percy Jackson and the Olympians:The Lightning Thief, but then went back up #1 on Tuesday. On Friday, February 19, it went down to #2 behind Shutter Island then to #3 the next day. By Friday, February 26, it went down to #5 behind Shutter Island, The Crazies, Cop Out and Avatar. By March 18, it went down to #14. It stayed in theaters until May 6, 2010.[7] With that record, it is the second biggest opening for a romantic comedy film behind Sex and the City with $57 million. The passing of the Valentine's Day holiday later had the film's box office results quickly declining with a total of $110 million in the United States and Canada as well as an additional $106 million overseas for a grand total of $216 million worldwide.
Critical response[edit]
 Despite being a box office success, Valentine's Day received generally negative reviews from critics.[8] Review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a rating of 18% based on 163 reviews, with an average score of 3.8/10.[9] Its consensus states: "Eager to please and stuffed with stars, Valentine's Day squanders its promise with a frantic, episodic plot and an abundance of rom-com cliches."[9] Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 top reviews from mainstream critics, calculated an average score of 34%, based on 33 reviews.[8] Yahoo movies critics averaged the film's grade as a C-.[10]
Giving the film 3/4 stars, the overall opinion of Carrie Rickey's review for The Philadelphia Inquirer is that "It is a pleasant, undemanding movie that takes place over 18 hours on V-Day and considers Very Attractive People whose romantic destinies converge, diverge, and cloverleaf like the interstates threading through California's Southland".[11] Betsy Sharkey of the Los Angeles Times commented that "The effect of all those spinning songs, stars and scenarios is merry-go-round-like, producing a sort of dizzying collage that no doubt some will adore, while others will just get nauseous...".[12]
British film critic Mark Kermode called the film a "greeting card full of vomit". Rene Rodriguez for the Miami Herald gave the film 2/4 stars, describing the film as "surfing through the channels of an all-chick-flick cable service".[13] Rodriguez also criticized the film's blandness, stating the film should have "shed some of its blander plotlines[…] and spent a little more time exploring the thrill and elation of being in love – or at least just being horny".[13] Slate movie critic Dana Stevens wrote that the film "lacks in charm, humor, and intelligence...".[14] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone gave the film one star out of four.[15] Travers' analysis of the film simply states that "Valentine's Day is a date movie from hell".[15] Jonathan Ross was not complimentary either on his Film 2010 show. He said "I thought the film was just awful".[16]
Valentine's Day is noted for sharing similarities with the British film Love Actually,[17][18][19][20][21] particularly the basic premise of multiple storylines occurring around a popular holiday, and sometimes identical subplots.[18] Many British bloggers[22] and online critics described Valentine's Day as "an American copycat version of Love Actually", focusing on how Valentine's Day, like Love Actually, has an all-star cast whose characters' storylines intertwine with one another.
Time named it one of the top 10 worst chick flicks.[23]
Awards and nominations[edit]


Award
Category
Recipients
Result
2010 MTV Movie Awards[24] Best Kiss Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner Nominated
2010 Teen Choice Awards[25][26] Choice Movie: Romantic Comedy Film Won
Choice Movie Actor: Romantic Comedy Ashton Kutcher Won
Choice Movie Actress: Romantic Comedy Queen Latifah Nominated
Choice: Chemistry Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner Nominated
Choice: Breakout Female Taylor Swift Won
Choice: Liplock Taylor Swift and Taylor Lautner Nominated
Choice: Scene Stealer - Female Anne Hathaway Nominated
Choice: Scene Stealer - Male George Lopez Nominated
Choice: Hissy Fit Jessica Biel Nominated
37th People's Choice Awards[27] Favorite Comedy Movie Film Nominated
31st Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Actor Ashton Kutcher Won
Worst Actor Taylor Lautner Nominated
Worst Supporting Actor George Lopez Nominated
Worst Supporting Actress Jessica Alba Won
Home media[edit]
 Valentine's Day was released on Region 1 DVD, iTunes and Blu-ray Disc on 18 May 2010.
Related film[edit]
Main article: New Year's Eve (film)
In 2010 Garry Marshall directed a film called New Year's Eve that also featured Jessica Biel, Ashton Kutcher and Hector Elizondo, but playing different characters. However, the film, which was released on December 9, 2011, is not a sequel to Valentine's Day.[28][29]
See also[edit]
Valentine's Day (soundtrack)
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "'Valentine's Day,' 'Percy Jackson' and 'Wolfman': The more they cost, the less they made". Los Angeles Times (Tribune Company). February 15, 2010. Retrieved February 16, 2010. "Valentine's Day" cost Warner Bros.' New Line Cinema unit just $52 million to produce, making it a huge hit out of the gate."
2.Jump up ^ "Valentine's Day (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved July 26, 2010.
3.Jump up ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm2026536/ "Aramis Knight IMDB"
4.Jump up ^ Goldwasser, Dan (2010-02-02). "John Debney scores Valentine's Day". ScoringSessions.com. Retrieved 2010-02-02.
5.Jump up ^ Germain, David (2010-02-14). "'Valentine's Day' courts $52.4M opening weekend". Associated Press. Miami Herald. Retrieved 2010-02-15.[dead link]
6.Jump up ^ ‘Valentine’s Day’ courts $52.4 million debut - Entertainment - Movies - TODAYshow.com
7.Jump up ^ "Top February Opening Weekends at the Box Office". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2010-02-15.
8.^ Jump up to: a b "Valentine's Day (2010): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
9.^ Jump up to: a b "Valentine's Day Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
10.Jump up ^ Valentine's Day (2010)
11.Jump up ^ Rickey, Carrie. "Bonbons for moviegoers of all ages and persuasions". philly.com. Retrieved 2010-02-11. 3/4 stars
12.Jump up ^ Sharkey, Betsy (2010-02-12). "'Valentine's Day - latimes.com". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
13.^ Jump up to: a b Rodriguez, Rene (2010-02-11). "Review – Valentine's Day (PG-13) ** – Starry cast can't banish the blandness". The Miami Herald. Retrieved 2010-02-11. 2/4 stars
14.Jump up ^ Stevens, Dana (2010-02-11). "Valentine's Day – Fine, mush your boring faces together already.". Slate. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
15.^ Jump up to: a b Travers, Peter (2010-02-11). "Valentine's Day : Review :Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 2010-02-11.
16.Jump up ^ "Film 2010". 10 Feb. 2010. 6 minutes in. BBC.
17.Jump up ^ Movie Review: “Valentine’s Day” - The Screening Log - blogging film 24/7
18.^ Jump up to: a b Love Actually and Valentines's Day : There Were Things That I Noticed | Enzo Emmanuel Toledo - Variety in General
19.Jump up ^ Valentine’s Day | BrandonFibbs.com
20.Jump up ^ Amelie Gillette (September 8, 2009). "Evidence That Valentine's Day Might Be The Worst Movie Of All Time. Or at least since Love, Actually.".
21.Jump up ^ Silver Chips Online : No love for "Valentine's Day"
22.Jump up ^ Marston, Karen (2012-02-14). "Film Review : Valentine's Day". Prestige Flowers. Retrieved 2012-02-14.
23.Jump up ^ Fitzpatrick, Laura (May 26, 2010). "Top 10 Worst Chick Flicks - Valentine's Day". Time. Retrieved March 28, 2012.
24.Jump up ^ "MTV Movie Awards: When Twilight & Betty White Collide!".
25.Jump up ^ "First Wave of "Teen Choice 2010" Nominees Announced". The Futon Critic. June 14, 2010. Retrieved 2010-06-15.
26.Jump up ^ "Winners of ‘Teen Choice 2010‘ Awards Announced; Teens Cast More Than 85 Million Votes".
27.Jump up ^ "Diggs, Margulies, GLEE, Neil Patrick Harris & More Earn 2011 People's Choice Noms.".
28.Jump up ^ Rottenberg, Josh (December 8, 2010). "Jessica Biel joins the cast of 'New Year's Eve'". Entertainment Weekly.
29.Jump up ^ "Soderbergh's Contagion Contaminates 2011 in 3D!". ComingSoon.com. May 15, 2010. Retrieved 2010-11-20.
External links[edit]
Official website
Valentine's Day at the Internet Movie Database
Valentine's Day at AllRovi
Valentine's Day at Box Office Mojo
Valentine's Day at Rotten Tomatoes
Valentine's Day at Metacritic

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Categories: 2010 films
English-language films
American films
2010s romantic comedy films
Valentine's Day fiction
American LGBT-related films
American romantic comedy films
Films directed by Garry Marshall
Films set in Los Angeles, California
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Pretty Woman

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

  (Redirected from Pretty Woman (film))
Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the film. For the song sometimes known as "Pretty Woman", see Oh, Pretty Woman. For the song in the musical Sweeney Todd, see Pretty Women.
Not to be confused with Pretty Lady.

Pretty Woman
A man in a suit stands back to back with a woman wearing a short skirt and thigh high boots.
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Garry Marshall
Produced by
Arnon Milchan
Steven Reuther
Gary W. Goldstein
Written by
J.F. Lawton
Starring
Richard Gere
Julia Roberts
Music by
James Newton Howard
Cinematography
Charles Minsky
Editing by
Raja Gosnell
 Priscilla Nedd
Studio
Touchstone Pictures
Distributed by
Buena Vista Pictures
Release date(s)
March 23, 1990

Running time
119 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$14 million
Box office
$463,407,268
Pretty Woman is a 1990 American romantic comedy film set in Los Angeles. Written by J.F. Lawton and directed by Garry Marshall, the film stars Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and features Hector Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy (in his final performance), and Jason Alexander in supporting roles. The story of Pretty Woman centers on the down-on-her-luck Hollywood prostitute Vivian Ward who is hired by a wealthy businessman, Edward Lewis, to be his escort for several business and social functions, and their developing relationship over the course of Vivian's week-long stay with him.
Originally intended to be a dark cautionary tale about class and prostitution in Los Angeles, this motion picture was reconceived as romantic comedy with a large budget. It was widely successful at the box office, and it became one of the highest money-makers of 1990.
Today it is one of the most financially successful entries in the romantic comedy genre, with an estimated gross income of $463.4 million.[1] It is considered by many critics to be the most successful movie in the genre.[2]
Pretty Woman is one of the most popular films of all time; it saw the highest number of ticket sales in the US ever for a romantic comedy,[3] with Box Office Mojo listing it as the #1 romantic comedy by the highest estimated domestic tickets sold at 42,176,400, slightly ahead of My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) at 41,419,500 tickets.
The film received a moderate amount of critical praise, particularly for the performance of Roberts, for which she received a Golden Globe Award, and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. In addition, the screenwriter J.F. Lawton was nominated for a Writers Guild Award and a BAFTA Award. This movie was followed by a string of similar romantic comedies, including Runaway Bride (1999), which re-united Gere and Roberts under the direction of Garry Marshall once again.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Development
3.2 Casting
3.3 Filming
4 Reception 4.1 Box office
4.2 Critical response
4.3 Accolades
5 Music 5.1 Soundtrack
6 See also
7 References
8 External links
Plot[edit]
Edward Lewis (Gere), a successful businessman and "corporate raider", takes a detour on Hollywood Boulevard to ask for directions. Receiving little help, he encounters a prostitute named Vivian Ward (Roberts) who is willing to assist him in getting to his destination.
The morning after, Edward hires Vivian to stay with him for a week as an escort for social events. Vivian advises him that it "will cost him," and Edward agrees to give her $3,000 and access to his credit cards. Vivian then goes shopping on Rodeo Drive, only to be snubbed by saleswomen who disdain her because of her unsophisticated appearance. Initially, hotel manager Barnard Thompson (Hector Elizondo) is also somewhat taken aback. But he relents and decides to help her buy a dress, even coaching her on dinner etiquette. Edward returns and is visibly amazed by Vivian's transformation. The business dinner does not end well, however, with Edward making clear his intention to dismantle Morse's corporation once it was bought, close down the shipyard which Morse spent 40 years building, and sell the land for real estate. Morse and his grandson abandon their dinner in anger, while Edward remains preoccupied with the deal afterward. Back at the hotel, Edward reveals to Vivian that he had not spoken to his recently deceased father for 14 and half years. Later that night, the two make love on the grand piano in the hotel lounge.
The next morning, Vivian tells Edward about the snubbing that took place the day before. Edward takes Vivian on a shopping spree. Vivian then returns, carrying all the bags, to the shop that had snubbed her, telling the salesgirls they had made a big mistake.
The following day, Edward takes Vivian to a polo match where he is interested in networking for his business deal. While Vivian chats with David Morse, the grandson of the man involved in Edward's latest deal, Philip Stuckey (Edward's attorney) wonders if she is a spy. Edward re-assures him by telling him how they met, and Philip (Jason Alexander) then approaches Vivian and offers to hire her once she is finished with Edward, inadvertently insulting her. When they return to the hotel, she is furious with Edward for telling Phillip about her. She plans to leave, but he apologizes and persuades her to see out the week. Edward leaves work early the next day and takes a breath-taking Vivian on a date to the opera in San Francisco in his private jet. She is clearly moved by the opera (which is La Traviata, whose plot deals with a rich man tragically falling in love with a courtesan).
While playing chess with Edward after returning, Vivian persuades him to take the next day off. They spend the entire day together, and then have sex, in a personal rather than professional way. Just before she falls asleep, Vivian admits that she's in love with Edward. Over breakfast, Edward offers to put Vivian up in an apartment so he can continue seeing her. She feels insulted and says this is not the "fairy tale" she wants. He then goes off to work without resolving the situation. Vivian's friend, Kit De Luca (Laura San Giacomo), comes to the hotel and realizes that Vivian is in love with Edward.
Edward meets with Mr. Morse, about to close the deal, and changes his mind at the last minute. His time with Vivian has shown him another way of living and working, taking time off and enjoying activities for which he initially had little time. As a result, his strong interest towards his business is put aside. He decides that he would rather help Morse than take over his company. Furious, Philip goes to the hotel to confront Edward, but only finds Vivian there. He blames her for changing Edward and tries to rape her. Edward arrives in time to stop Philip, chastising him for his greed and ordering him to leave the room.
Edward tends to Vivian and tries to persuade her to stay with him because she wants to, not because he's paying her. She refuses once again and returns to the apartment she shares with Kit, preparing to leave for San Francisco to earn a G.E.D. in the hopes of a better life. Edward gets into the car with the chauffeur that took her home. Instead of going to the airport, he goes to her apartment arriving accompanied by music from La Traviata. He climbs up the fire escape, despite his fear of heights, with a bouquet of roses clutched between his teeth, to woo her.
His leaping from the white limousine, and then climbing the outside ladder and steps, is a visual urban metaphor for the knight on white horse rescuing the "princess" from the tower, a childhood fantasy Vivian told him about. The film ends as the two of them kiss on the fire escape.
Cast[edit]
Richard Gere as Edward Lewis, a rich, ruthless businessman from New York who is alone on business for a week in Los Angeles. At the start of the film, he borrows a Lotus Esprit from his lawyer and, not being able to drive it well, winds up lost in the red-light district. While asking for directions back to the Beverly Wilshire Hotel he meets a hooker named Vivian.
Julia Roberts as Vivian Ward, a beautiful, kind-hearted prostitute on Hollywood Boulevard, who is independent and assertive—refusing to have a pimp and fiercely reserving the right to choose her customers and what she would do and not do when with them. She runs into Edward, a wealthy businessman, when he asks her for directions to Beverly Hills. Edward hires Vivian for the night and offers her $3,000 to spend the week as his escort to business social engagements.
Ralph Bellamy as James Morse, a businessman and owner of an underperforming company that Edward is interested in buying and breaking up. Edward later has a change of heart and offers to partner with Morse for a Navy shipbuilding contract that would effectively make his company strong again.
Jason Alexander as Philip Stuckey, Edward's insensitive lawyer. Philip pesters Edward after he sees Vivian and David Morse getting along. After learning that Vivian is a prostitute, Philip propositions her (to her dismay). After a lucrative deal falls through because of Edward's feelings for Vivian, he angrily tries to force himself on her but is stopped by Edward. The epitome of corporate greed, Philip represents what Edward might have become had he not met Vivian and changed his outlook on life.
John David Carson as Mark Roth, a businessman in Edward's office.
Laura San Giacomo as Kit De Luca, Vivian's wisecracking friend and roommate, who spent their rent money on drugs. After Vivian gives her rent money and a little more, while telling her that she has 'potential', an inspired Kit begins to plan for a life off the streets.
Alex Hyde-White as David Morse, James Morse's grandson, who is smart and is being groomed to take over the Morse Company when his grandfather either dies or retires. He plays polo and might have feelings toward Vivian as he shows her his horse during the game that Edward and Vivian attend.
Amy Yasbeck as Elizabeth Stuckey, Philip's wife, who likes to be the center of attention in everything. She is quite sarcastic to Vivian when they first meet at the polo game, although she does tell Edward that Vivian is sweet.
Elinor Donahue as Bridget, a friend of Barney Thompson who works in a women's clothing store and is asked by Barney to help Vivian purchase a dress after Vivian has an encounter with two snobby women in another dress store.
Hector Elizondo as Barnard "Barney" Thompson, the stuffy but golden-hearted manager of the hotel. At first, Barnard does not hide his disdain for Vivian, but he eventually befriends her, helps her buy a cocktail dress, and gives her lessons in table manners.
Judith Baldwin as Susan, one of Edward's ex-girlfriends, with whom Edward reunites at the beginning of the film. She has married and reveals to Edward that his secretary was one of her bridesmaids.
Laurelle Brooks Mehus as the night desk clerk where among other scenes she shared the opening hotel scene with Vivian and Edward.
James Patrick Stuart as the day bellhop who carries Vivian's new clothes for her after her shopping spree.
Dey Young as a snobby saleswoman in a dress store.
Larry Miller as Mr. Hollister, the salesman in the clothing store where Vivian buys her cocktail dress and many other outfits using Edward's credit card.
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
Pretty Woman was initially conceived to be a dark drama about prostitution in Los Angeles in the 1980s.[4] The relationship between Vivian and Edward also originally harboured controversial themes, including the concept of having Vivian addicted to drugs; part of the deal was that she had to stay off cocaine for a week, because she needed the money to go to Disneyland. Edward eventually throws her out of his car and drives off. The movie was scripted to end with Vivian and her prostitute friend on the bus to Disneyland.[4] These traits, considered by producer Laura Ziskin to be detrimental to the otherwise sympathetic portrayal of her, were removed or incorporated into the character of Vivian's friend, Kit. These "cut scenes" have been found in public view, and some were included on the DVD released on the film's 15th anniversary.[4] One such scene has Vivian offering Edward, "I could just pop ya good and be on my way", indicating a lack of interest in "pillow talk". In another, she is confronted by drug dealers outside The Blue Banana, and rescued by Edward and Darryl.
Pretty Woman bears striking resemblances to Pygmalion myths: particularly George Bernard Shaw's play of the same name, which also formed the basis for the Broadway musical My Fair Lady. It was then-Disney Studio President Jeffrey Katzenberg who insisted the film should be re-written as a modern-day fairy tale with qualities of a love story, as opposed to being the dark drama it was originally developed as. It was pitched to Touchstone Pictures and re-written as a romantic comedy. The original script was titled $3,000, however this title was changed because executives at Touchstone thought it sounded like a title for a science fiction film.[5] It also has unconfirmed references to That Touch of Mink, starring Doris Day and Cary Grant.
Casting[edit]
Casting of Pretty Woman was a rather lengthy process. Marshall had initially considered Christopher Reeve, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Denzel Washington for the role of Lewis, and Al Pacino turned it down.[6] Pacino went as far as doing a casting reading with Roberts before turning the leading role down.[7] Gere agreed to the project. Reportedly, Gere started off much more active in his role, but Garry Marshall took him aside and said "No, no, no. Richard. In this movie, one of you moves and one of you does not. Guess which one you are?"[citation needed] Julia Roberts was not the first-choice for the role of Vivian, and was not wanted by Disney. Many other actresses were considered at the time. Marshall originally envisioned Karen Allen for the role. When she declined, it went to many better-known actresses of the time including Molly Ringwald,[8] who turned it down because she felt uncomfortable with the content in the script, and did not like the idea of playing a prostitute. Winona Ryder, a popular box-office draw at the time, was considered, and auditioned, but turned down because Marshall felt she was "too young". Jennifer Connelly was also dismissed for the same reason.[4]
Meg Ryan, who was a top choice of Marshall's, turned it down. According to a note written by Marshall, Mary Steenburgen was the first choice to play Vivian Ward. Michelle Pfeiffer turned the role down as well, because she did not like the "tone" of the script.[9] Daryl Hannah was also considered, but turned the role down because she believed it was "degrading to women".[9] Valeria Golino also turned it down as she did not think the movie could work with her thick Italian accent. Jennifer Jason Leigh had auditioned for the part, but later decided not to do the movie after she read the script because she felt it was sexist.[10] When all the other actresses turned down the role, 21-year-old Julia Roberts, who was relatively unknown at the time, with the exception of her Oscar-nominated performance in the film Steel Magnolias (1989), won the role of Vivian. Her performance made Roberts a star.
Filming[edit]
Pretty Woman's budget was not limited, therefore producers could acquire as many locations as possible for shooting on the film's estimated budget of $14 million.[4] The majority of the film was shot on location in Los Angeles, California, specifically in Beverly Hills, and inside soundstages at Walt Disney Studios in Burbank. The escargot restaurant called "The Voltaire" was shot at the restaurant "Rex", now called "Cicada". The filming of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel lobby was shot at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles. Filming commenced on July 24, 1989, but was immediately plagued by countless problems, including issues with space and time. This included Ferrari and Porsche, who had declined the product placement opportunity of the car Edward drove, because the manufacturers did not want to be associated with soliciting prostitutes.[4] Lotus Cars saw the placement value with such a major feature film. This company supplied a Silver 1989.5 Esprit SE (which was later sold). This gamble paid off as the sales of the Lotus Esprit tripled during 1990-91.[citation needed]
The film's primary shooting commenced on July 24, 1989. Shooting was a generally pleasurable and easy-going experience for those involved, the film's budget was broad and the shooting schedule was not tight.[4] While shooting the scene where Vivian is lying down on the floor of Edward's penthouse, watching re-runs of I Love Lucy, in order to achieve a genuine laughter, Garry Marshall had to tickle Roberts' feet (out of camera range) to get her to laugh so hysterically, which is featured in the film. Likewise the scene in which Gere playfully snaps the lid of a jewelry case on Roberts' fingers was improvised by Gere, and Roberts' surprised laugh was genuine, while the dress worn by Roberts in that scene is considered one of the most unforgettable dresses of all time.[11]
During the scene in which Roberts sings along to Prince in the bathtub sliding down and dunking her head under the bubbles, Roberts came up and opened her eyes and saw that everyone had left except the cameraman, who got the shot. In addition, during the love-making scene between Roberts and Gere, Roberts got so nervous that a vein visibly popped out on her forehead. She also developed a case of hives, and calamine lotion was used to clear them until shooting could resume.[4] The filming was completed on October 18.
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
In its opening weekend, Pretty Woman opened at #1 at the box office grossing $11,280,591 and averaging $8,513 per theater.[12] Despite the film dropping to number two in its second weekend, it grossed more in its second weekend, grossing $12,471,670.[12] It remained number one at the box office for four non-consecutive weeks and on the top ten for sixteen weeks.[12] The film has grossed $178,406,268 in the United States and $285,000,000 in other countries for a total worldwide gross of $463,406,268.[13] It was also the fourth highest-grossing film of the year in the United States[14] and the third highest-grossing worldwide.[15]
Critical response [edit]
The film received decidedly mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 62% of 55 film critics have given the film a positive review, with a rating average of 5.7 out of 10.[16] Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average score out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, gives the film a score of 51 based on 17 reviews.[17]
Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave the film a D, stating that the film "starts out as a neo-Pygmalion comedy" and with "its tough-hooker heroine, it can work as a feminist version of an upscale princess fantasy." Gleiberman also said that it "pretends to be about how love transcends money" and that it "is really obsessed with status symbols."[18] On the movie's twentieth anniversary, Gleiberman wrote another article explaining his review, ultimately saying that although he felt he was right, he'd have given it a B today.[19] Carina Chocano of The New York Times said that movie wasn’t a love story, it was a money story. Its logic depended on a disconnect between character and narrative, between image and meaning, between money and value, and that made it not cluelessly traditional but thoroughly postmodern.[20]
Accolades[edit]
AwardsNominationsCesar Awards 1991 Best Foreign Film
63rd Academy Awards Best Actress - Julia Roberts
48th Golden Globe Awards Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical)
Best Actor - Richard Gere
Best Actress - Julia Roberts
Best Supporting Actor - Hector Elizondo
Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay - J.F. Lawton
Music[edit]
Pretty Woman is noted for its musical selections and hugely successful soundtrack. The film features the song "Oh, Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison, which inspired the movie's title. Roxette's "It Must Have Been Love" reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 in June 1990. The soundtrack also features "King of Wishful Thinking" by Go West, "Show Me Your Soul" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, "No Explanation" by Peter Cetera, "Wild Women Do" by Natalie Cole and "Fallen" by Lauren Wood. The soundtrack went on to be certified three times platinum by the RIAA.[21]
The opera featured in the movie is La Traviata, which also served as inspiration for the plot of the movie. The highly dramatic aria fragment that is repeated in the movie is from the end of "Dammi tu forza!" ("Give me strength!") from the opera. The piano piece which Richard Gere's character plays in the hotel lobby was composed by and performed by Gere. Julia Roberts sings the song "Kiss" by Prince while Richard Gere's character is on the phone. Background music is composed by James Newton Howard. Entitled "He Sleeps/Love Theme", this piano composition is inspired by Bruce Springsteen's "Racing in the Street."
Soundtrack[edit]

Pretty Woman

Soundtrack album by Various artists

Released
February 14, 1990
Genre
Pop, Rock
Length
43:36
Label
Capitol

Professional ratings

Review scores

Source
Rating
Allmusic 3/5 stars link
The soundtrack was released on February 14, 1990[22][23] and featured a snapshot of up-and-coming acts of the 90s.
Track listing
No.
Title
Length

1. "Wild Women Do" (performed by Natalie Cole) 4:06
2. "Fame '90" (performed by David Bowie) 3:36
3. "King of Wishful Thinking" (performed by Go West) 4:00
4. "Tangled" (performed by Jane Wiedlin) 4:18
5. "It Must Have Been Love" (performed by Roxette) 4:17
6. "Life in Detail" (performed by Robert Palmer) 4:07
7. "No Explanation" (performed by Peter Cetera) 4:19
8. "Real Wild Child (Wild One)" (performed by Christopher Otcasek) 3:39
9. "Fallen" (performed by Lauren Wood) 3:59
10. "Oh, Pretty Woman" (performed by Roy Orbison) 2:55
11. "Show Me Your Soul" (performed by Red Hot Chili Peppers) 4:20
Total length:
 43:36 
See also[edit]
Runaway Bride, a 1999 film reuniting director Marshall with stars Roberts, Gere, and Elizondo.

References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Box Office Mojo". Retrieved 2007-07-12.
2.Jump up ^ Mandell, Zack (2012-05-18). "Julia Roberts' Romantic Comedy Career Flourishes with Time". Yahoo! Voices.
3.Jump up ^ Prince, Rosa (2012-03-21). "Richard Gere: Pretty Woman a ‘silly romantic comedy’". The Daily Telegraph.
4.^ Jump up to: a b c d e f g h Pretty Woman: 15th anniversary (DVD). Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Touchstone. 2005.
5.Jump up ^ Stewart, James B (2005). DisneyWar. New York: Simon & Schuster. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-7432-6709-0.
6.Jump up ^ Pretty Woman casting information and trivia at IMDB; accessed May 17, 2007.
7.Jump up ^ "Al Pacino interview by Larry King transcript". CNN.
8.Jump up ^ Corcoran, Monica (June 28, 2008). "Molly Ringwald: Pretty in Pucci". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 8, 2013.
9.^ Jump up to: a b "Darly Hannah pleased to decline Pretty Woman".
10.Jump up ^ Boris Kachka (December 4, 2005). "Lone Star. Jennifer Jason Leigh plays an extroverted striver in Abigail’s Party. Now, that’s a stretch.". New York Magazine (New York Media Holdings, LLC.): 2.
11.Jump up ^ Dumas, Daisy. "From Pretty Woman and Atonement to The Seven Year Itch, the most unforgettable dresses of all time". Dailymail.
12.^ Jump up to: a b c "Pretty Woman (1990) - Weekend Box Office". Box Office Mojo (Amazon.com). Retrieved 2009-09-29.
13.Jump up ^ "Pretty Woman (1990)". Box Office Mojo (Amazon.com). Retrieved 2009-09-29.
14.Jump up ^ "1990 Yearly Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo (Amazon.com). Retrieved 2009-09-29.
15.Jump up ^ "1990 Yearly Box Office Results". Box Office Mojo (Amazon.com). Retrieved 2009-09-29.
16.Jump up ^ "Pretty Woman". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixter. Retrieved February 14, 2013.
17.Jump up ^ "Pretty Woman reviews at Metacritic.com". Metacritic. Retrieved 2009-09-29.
18.Jump up ^ Owen Gleiberman (1990-03-23). Pretty Woman. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2009-09-29. Unknown parameter |unused_data= ignored (help)
19.Jump up ^ Gleiberman, Owen. "'Pretty Woman': 20 years after my most infamous review (yes, I gave it a D), here's my mea culpa -- and also my defense". Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 15 July 2011.
20.Jump up ^ Chocano, Carina (2011-04-11). "Thelma, Louise and All the Pretty Women". The New York Times.
21.Jump up ^ "Pretty Woman's soundtrack RIAA multi platinum award". www.riaa.com. Retrieved 2009-10-12.
22.Jump up ^ "Pretty Woman Original Soundtrack". Amazon.com. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
23.Jump up ^ "Pretty Woman Original Soundtrack". Allmusic.com. Retrieved 21 February 2011.
External links[edit]
 Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Pretty Woman
Pretty Woman at the Internet Movie Database
Pretty Woman at AllRovi
Pretty Woman at Rotten Tomatoes
Pretty Woman at Box Office Mojo

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Categories: 1990 films
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Maurice (film)

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Maurice
Maurice Theatrical release poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
James Ivory
Produced by
Ismail Merchant
 Paul Bradley
Screenplay by
Kit-Hesketh-Harvey
 James Ivory
Based on
Maurice
 by E. M. Forster
Starring
James Wilby
Hugh Grant
Rupert Graves
Ben Kingsley
Denholm Elliott
Simon Callow
Billie Whitelaw
Music by
Richard Robbins
Cinematography
Pierre Lhomme
Editing by
Katherine Wenning
Studio
Merchant Ivory Productions
Film Four International
Distributed by
Cinecom Pictures (US)
Release date(s)
15 September 1987 (TIFF)
18 September 1987 (US)

Running time
140 minutes [1]
Country
United Kingdom
Language
English
Budget
$2.6 million
Box office
$2,438,304[2]
Maurice (pronounced Morris) is a 1987 British romantic drama film based on the novel of the same title by E. M. Forster. It is a tale of homosexual love in early 20th century England, following its main character Maurice Hall from his school days through university until he is united with his life partner.
Maurice was produced by Ismail Merchant via Merchant Ivory Productions and Film Four International, directed by James Ivory, and written by Ivory and Kit Hesketh-Harvey, with cinematography was by Pierre Lhomme. In the style of Merchant Ivory's A Room with a View, old book endpapers accompany the theme music played in minor scale at the beginning and in major scale at the end to bracket the film as a cinematographic novel.
The film stars James Wilby as Maurice, Hugh Grant as Clive and Rupert Graves as Alec. The supporting cast included Denholm Elliott as Dr Barry, Simon Callow as Mr Ducie, Billie Whitelaw as Mrs Hall, and Ben Kingsley as Lasker-Jones.

Contents
  [hide] 1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production 3.1 Background
3.2 Writing
3.3 Casting
3.4 Filming
4 Differences in the film
5 Release 5.1 Critical reception
6 Home media
7 Awards
8 See also
9 Notes
10 References
11 External links
Plot[edit]
During a trip to a windswept beach, Maurice Hall, an 11-year-old schoolboy, receives instructions about the "sacred mysteries" of sex from his teacher, who wants to explain to the fatherless boy the changes he would experience in puberty.
Years later, in 1909, Maurice is attending Cambridge, where he strikes a friendship with two fellow students: the aristocratic Lord Risley and the rich and handsome Clive Durham. Durham falls in love with his friend and surprises Maurice by confessing his feelings. At first, Maurice does not react favorably to the revelation. Soon, however, he realizes that he reciprocates his friend's feelings. The two friends embark in a love affair but, at Clive's insistence, their relationship remains platonic. To go further, in Durham's opinion, would diminish them both. Clive, a member of the upper class, has a promising future ahead of him and does not want to tarnish his future. Their close relationship continues after Maurice is expelled from Cambridge, and begins a new career as a stockbroker in London.
The two friends keep their feelings secret, but are frightened when Lord Risley is arrested and sentenced to six months hard labor after soliciting sex from a soldier. Clive, afraid of being exposed as a homosexual, breaks with Maurice. After his return from a trip to Greece, Clive, under pressure from his widowed mother, marries a naive rich girl named Anne, and settles into placid domesticity.
Heartbroken, Maurice looks for help from the family physician, Dr Barry, who dismisses Maurice's doubts as "rubbish". Maurice then turns to Lasker-Jones, who tries to cure his homosexual longings with hypnosis. During his visits to Clive's estate of Pendersleigh, Maurice attracts the attention of Alec Scudder, the under-gamekeeper who is due to emigrate with his family to Argentina. Maurice not only fails to notice Scudder's interest in him, but initially treats him with contempt. This does not discourage Scudder, who spies on Maurice at night. Simcox, the butler at Pendersleigh, suspecting the true nature of Maurice and Clive's past relationship, gave some clues to Scudder. On a rainy night, Scudder boldly climbs a ladder and enters Maurice's bedroom through an open window. Scudder kisses Maurice, who is completely taken by surprise, but does not resist his advances.
After their first night together, Maurice, after receiving a letter from Scudder proposing they meet at Pendersleigh's boathouse, believes that Scudder is blackmailing him. Maurice returns to Lasker-Jones, who warns Maurice that England is a country which "has always been disinclined to accept human nature". When Maurice fails to appear at the boathouse, Scudder travels to London to find him.
Maurice and Scudder meet at the British Museum and the blackmail misunderstanding is resolved. Maurice begins to call Scudder by his first name, Alec. They go to a hotel room. However, their prospects for a long-term relationship seem dim. Alec is leaving for Argentina. Maurice decides to give Alec a sendoff. He is taken aback when he does not find Alec at the port. Maurice goes to Pendersleigh and talks to Clive, telling him about Alec. Clive, who was hoping that Maurice would marry, is bewildered after hearing what has transpired. The two friends depart and Maurice goes to the boathouse looking for Alec, who is there waiting for him. Scudder tells him that he sent a telegram to Maurice stating that he was to come to the boathouse. Alec has left his family, and his plans to emigrate, to stay with Maurice, telling him, "Now we shan't never be parted."
Cast[edit]
James Wilby as Maurice Hall
Hugh Grant as Clive Durham
Rupert Graves as Alec Scudder
Denholm Elliott as Doctor Barry
Simon Callow as Mr. Ducie
Billie Whitelaw as Mrs. Hall
Barry Foster as Dean Cornwallis
Judy Parfitt as Mrs. Durham
 Phoebe Nicholls as Anne Durham
Ben Kingsley as Lasker-Jones
Patrick Godfrey as Simcox
Mark Tandy as Risley
Kitty Aldridge as Kitty Hall
Helena Michell as Ada Hall
Catherine Rabett as Pippa Durham
Peter Eyre as Rev. Borenius

Production[edit]
Background[edit]
E. M. Forster wrote Maurice from 1913 onwards. He did not intend to publish it while his mother was alive. He showed the manuscript to selected friends, such as Christopher Isherwood. Forster resisted publication during his lifetime because of public and legal attitudes to homosexuality — a note found on the manuscript read: "Publishable, but worth it?" The novel was only published in 1971 after Forster's death. It was written as a traditional bildungsroman, or novel of education. Forster, takes on a subject the problem of coming of age as a homosexual in a restrictive society. He was keen that his novel should have a happy ending. It is considered to be a minor work, in comparison with his novels Howards End (1910) and A Passage to India (1924).
James Ivory was interested in making a screen adaptation after the critical and box office success achieved with another of Forster's novels, A Room with a View. While involved in this earlier project Ivory had read all of Forster's books, and eventually came to Maurice.[3] "I thought," Ivory said, "that it was interesting material and would be enjoyable to make – and also something we could make in that it wouldn't require too much organization and wouldn't cost all that much."[3] The situation it explores seemed to him to be still relevant: "People's turmoil and having to decide for themselves how they want to live and what their true feelings are and whether they're going to live honestly with them or deny them. That's no different. Nothing's any easier, for young people. I felt it was quite relevant."[3]
Following Forster's death, the self-governing board of fellows of King's College at Cambridge inherited the rights to his books.[4] They were initially reluctant to give permission to film Maurice.[5] Not because of the subject matter of the novel but because it was held to be an inferior work.[5] A film that called great attention to it would not do any good to his reputation.[5] Ismail Merchant, the producer of the film, conferred with them and he was very persuasive. They were favourably impressed with Merchant Ivory Productions adaptation of A Room with a View and relented in the end.[4][6]
Writing[edit]
After purchasing the rights to the novel, the next step was a screenplay. Ivory's usual witting partner, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, was unavailable because she was busy writing her novel Three Continents. Ivory wrote the screenplay with Kit Hesketh-Harvey, who had become connected with Merchant Ivory productions since his sister, journalist and author Sarah Sands (born Sarah Harvey), was the then wife of Julian Sands, the leading man in A Room with a View. Hesketh-Harvey had previously written documentaries for the BBC.[4] He had gone to Tonbridge School and to Cambridge University, where Forster was educated, and knew the background. Jhabvala was shown the script, however, and made suggestions for changes.[7] On her advice, Clive Durhams's unconvincing conversion to heterosexuality during a trip to Greece was justified by creating an episode in which Clive's university friend Risley is arrested and imprisoned after a homosexual entrapment – enough to frighten Clive ultimately into marrying.[7]
Casting[edit]
Julian Sands, who had played the male lead in Merchant's Ivory previous film A Room with a View, was originally cast for the title role.[7] He had separated from his wife leaving her and their son back in England to move to New York. Sands backed out at the last minute. John Malkovich was due to take the role of Lasker-Jones. He had become a friend of Julian Sands after making together The Killing Fields. After Sands left the project Malkovich lost interest in the film and was replaced by Ben Kingsley.[8]
James Wilby had auditioned for the role of Clive Durham's brother-in-law. When Sands left the project, Ivory considered two unknown actors for the role of Maurice: James Wilby and Julian Wadham.[8] Since he had already cast the dark-haired Hugh Grant as Clive, Ivory decided on the blond James Wilby over the dark-haired Julian Wadham, who was given the role as one of Maurice's stockbroker friends.[8]
Hugh Grant, who later found international stardom with Four Weddings and a Funeral, had appeared only in one previous film, Privileged. He was doing review comedy at the time and had lost interest in professional acting when Celestia Fox, the casting director, sent Grant to Ivory who immediately gave him the role of Clive.[9] It helped that Grant and Wilby had worked together in Grant's only previous film, made at Oxford. Rupert Graves was cast as Alec Scudder, Maurice's working-class lover. He had appeared as Lucy Honeyhurch's young brother in A Room with a View, a performance with which he was unsatisfied, and so he appreciated the opportunity to deliver a better performance.
The supporting cast included: veterans Denholm Elliott as Dr Barry and Simon Callow as the pedagogue Mr Ducie, both from A Room with a View; Ben Kingsley as Lasker-Jones; Patrick Godfrey as the butler Simcox; and Billie Whitelaw as Maurice's mother.
Filming[edit]
The film was made on a budget of $2.6 million that included investment by Cinecom and England's Channel 4. Maurice proved more complicated to make than Ivory had anticipated. Its fifty-four day shooting schedule, which involved working six day weeks, proved long and grueling. There was no rehearsal period, only a read-through before shooting began.
Maurice was shot on location largely in the halls and quadrangles of King's College, Cambridge including interiors in the college's chapel, where Forster was educated and later returned as a Fellow. The other interiors were primarily shot at Wilbury Park, a Palladian house in Wiltshire. Its owner, Maria St. Just, an actress and trustee of the estate of Tennessee Williams, was a friend of Merchant and Ivory. In 1979 they had been weekend guests at Wilbury Park, which made an impression on James Ivory, who, when Maurice was being prepared, chose it to be Pendersleigh in the film, the country house where Maurice visits his friend Clive.
Differences in the film[edit]
Maurice is 11 at the beginning of the film, rather than 14. The film omits almost all of the novel's philosophical dialogue, and also many subplots, such as Maurice's desire for the schoolboy Dickie (the scenes dealing with this subplot were deleted from the final cut). It expands the Wildean character of Lord Risley and his 6-month imprisonment with hard labour for homosexual conduct (he is not imprisoned in the novel), in order to dramatise the dangers of Edwardian homosexuality, and provide a plot device explaining why Clive feels he must reject Maurice. In one deleted scene released in the 2002 edition, Risley commits suicide, but this was not shown in the film.
In the novel, the Durham family seat is Penge, on the border of Wiltshire and Somerset. In the film the country house is set in Pendersley Park.
While undergoing hypnosis by Dr. Lasker-Jones in an attempt to "cure" himself, Maurice reveals to him that he has slept with Alec Scudder. Lasker-Jones warns Maurice that at one time homosexuals were executed in Britain. In spite of this warning, Lasker-Jones, especially in the film, seems to be the most affirming character. He suggests that Maurice relocate to a country where homosexuality is more tolerated, like France or Italy.
Release[edit]
The film had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 1987, where Ivory was awarded a Silver Lion as Best Director, sharing the prize with Ermanno Olmi.[10] James Wilby and Hugh Grant were jointly awarded Best Actor, and Richard Robbins received the prize for his music.[11] The film received favourable reviews when it opened in New York City. Maurice received an Academy Award nomination in the Best Costume Design category.
Critical reception[edit]
The film received universal acclaim from film critics; review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 90% of critics gave the film a positive review.[12] Ken Hanke from Mountain Xpress said it was probably Merchant-Ivory's best film.
In the New York Times Janet Maslin observed "The novel's focus is predominantly on the inner life of the title character, but the film, while faithful, is broader. Moving slowly, with a fine eye for detail, it presents the forces that shape Maurice as skillfully as it brings the character to life. " [13]
Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times rated the film three stars out of a possible four, commenting: " Merchant and Ivory tell this story in a film so handsome to look at and so intelligently acted that it is worth seeing just to regard the production. Scene after scene is perfectly created: a languorous afternoon floating on the river behind the Cambridge colleges; a desultory cricket game between masters and servants; the daily routine of college life; visits to country estates and town homes; the settings of the rooms... Although some people might find Wilby unfocused in the title role, I thought he was making the right choices, portraying a man whose real thoughts were almost always elsewhere".[14]
Dale Winogoura in Frontiers called the film "Passionate yet civilized candid yet dignified, Maurice is among the few genuinely romantic gay films ever made and a landmark of the genre".
Commenting Maurice’s character in Entertainment This Week, Bonnie Rtockwell reflected :" This time out you discover yourself, your loving and sexual nature, and you find out how unfair Society is. You almost make the mistake of marriage for appearance’s sake – as your friend Clive does. Clive, who is no friend to you, to your kind, to society, or to himself or his poor, duped wife".
Home media[edit]
In 2002, a special edition DVD of the film was released with a new documentary and deleted scenes with director's commentary.
Awards[edit]
Venice Film Festival1987 Won, Best Actor for James Wilby & Hugh Grant
1987 Won, Silver Lion (Best Director) for James Ivory
1987 Won, Golden Osella (Best Music) for Richard Robbins
Academy Awards
1988 Nominated, Best Costume Design (Jenny Beavan, John Bright)
See also[edit]

Portal icon Film portal
Portal icon LGBT portal
List of lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender-related films by storyline
Notes[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "MAURICE (15)". British Board of Film Classification. 1987-08-21. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
2.Jump up ^ Maurice at Box Office Mojo
3.^ Jump up to: a b c Long, The Films of Merchant Ivory, p. 147
4.^ Jump up to: a b c Long, James Ivory in Conversation, p. 211
5.^ Jump up to: a b c Long, The Films of Merchant Ivory, p. 150
6.Jump up ^ Long, The Films of Merchant Ivory, p. 151
7.^ Jump up to: a b c Long, James Ivory in Conversation, p. 212
8.^ Jump up to: a b c Long, James Ivory in Conversation, p. 213
9.Jump up ^ Long, James Ivory in Conversation, p. 214
10.Jump up ^ Long, The Films of Merchant Ivory, p. 153
11.Jump up ^ Long, The Films of Merchant Ivory, p. 154
12.Jump up ^ Maurice - Rotten Tomatoes
13.Jump up ^ Maslin, Janet (September 18, 1987). "Maurice". New York Times. Retrieved 2013-08-01.
14.Jump up ^ Ebert, Roger (October 9, 1987). "Maurice". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 2013-08-01.
References[edit]
Long, Robert Emmet. The Films of Merchant Ivory. Citadel Press. 1993, ISBN 0-8065-1470-1
Long, Robert Emmet. James Ivory in Conversation. University of California Press, 2005, ISBN 0-520-23415-4.
External links[edit]
Maurice at the Internet Movie Database
Maurice at AllRovi
Maurice at Box Office Mojo
Maurice at Rotten Tomatoes
Maurice at Merchant Ivory Productions.

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Categories: 1987 films
English-language films
E. M. Forster
1980s drama films
British films
British drama films
British LGBT-related films
Films directed by James Ivory
Films set in the 1900s
Films set in the 1910s
Merchant Ivory Productions films



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