Howards End

This magnificent adaptation of E.M. Forster's novel from Merchant and Ivory concerns the loves and class struggles of three families in England in 1910: the wealthy, capitalist Wilcoxes, the philanthropic Schlegels, and the impoverished Basts. Academy Award-winner Emma Thompson and Helena Bonham Carter are sisters Margaret and Helen Schlegel, whose lives become entwined with the Wilcox clan, headed by Henry J. (Anthony Hopkins), and the needy Basts family. Co-stars Vanessa Redgrave, Prunella Scales, Samuel West. 142 min. Widescreen; Soundtrack: English; audio commentary.