"Howards End" is permeated with an elegant flavor of English literature. The film uses implicit interpersonal relationships to portray the embarrassment and helplessness of life to the smallest degree . Through dramatic irony, the film expresses Leonard's cultural pursuit as a non-utilitarian spiritual yearning and emotional sustenance, and shows the beauty and light that cultural pursuits may bring through the concrete function of audio and video. The first part of the film deliberately beautifies the social function of culture, so that when different classes talk about literature and art, they seem to eliminate the communication barriers caused by class differences. However, at the end of the film, this superficial illusion of cultural reconciliation of class contradictions is completely subverted. The creation of this superficial illusion and the subversion of irony in the film are prominently embodied in the image of walking in the wild in the three imaginations of Leonard. The first two walking images were inspired by reading and mainly served the creation of superficial illusions, while the last walking image was born from memories, accompanied by sad self-deprecation and confession, thus subverting the illusion and profound irony.
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The film's beautification of culture is not limited to the vivid display of walking imagery and the effective use of symbolic sights, but more emphasis on the contrast and conflict between real life and cultural pursuits with the help of superimposed images. By introducing and spreading out the image of walking, the film opens a beautiful segment full of poetry and hope in Leonard's trivial and annoying daily life. This clip not only embodies Leonard’s desire to escape reality, but also shows the spiritual comfort of cultural pursuits for the middle and lower classes of society.
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The success of the movie "Howards End" is largely due to its selection of actors that match the temperament of the characters in the novel. In the movie, both the main actors and supporting actors have shown a high level of performance. Secondly, the additions and deletions to the plot of the novel serve the theme of the original work, and the complex story clues and profound social and historical connotations of the original work are displayed as comprehensively as possible. The adapted script is not only fast-paced but not rushing, but also full of characters. Another feature of "Howards End" is the use of color to vividly contrast the gap between ideal and reality, rural and urban areas, thus expressing the ideological tendency of the film. Because the film is harmonious and unified with the novel in terms of cultural ideas and artistic connotation, and the characters, pictures, and soundtrack of the film are relatively perfect, this film is also considered to be one of James Ivory's best works.
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