Howards End (1992) (2nd time)

A man ignores his wife's deathbed wish to leave an estate to a woman friend. [imdb]

Nominated for 9 Oscars:

Best Picture
Best Director: James Ivory
Best Actress: Emma Thompson (WINNER)
Best Supporting Actress: Vanessa Redgrave
Best Adapted Screenplay (WINNER)
Best Cinematography
Best Original Score
Best Art Direction (WINNER)
Best Costume Design

Ever sincer since I first saw it, this film has been in my Top 50 ever. I might just keep it there. To me it's an almost perfect British drama: it has great performances, excellent technical work, sharp direction, a very interesting story and a good screenplay and... and it's a costume drama, as (I guess) the action takes place sometimes around the beginning of the 20th century.

All the Oscar nominations are well deserved. If it was up to me, it would've also won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best Original Score. The cinematography in particular is breathtaking, perfectly capturing the gorgeous England landscape. The direction is subtle and reassuring and the two Oscar nominated performances dead-on. Emma Thompson gives one of her best performances ever, even if for most parts it's low key. And Vanessa... she on the screen just for the first 40 minutes (playing the woman who dies), but her character is a crucial one and her performance is, I dare to say, the most memorable. The only wrong casting choice for me was Anthony Hopkins: a rather weak performance with clumsy acting choices.

My rating for the film: 9/10. A very relaxing drama; some might find it boring, but I am spelled. It fills my heart with romance, grace and arrogance. :D