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1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Tremendous film, blu-ray quality not very exceptional Nov 18, 2009
The film itself is superb, beautifully directed, wonderfully acted, and elegantly staged. It is worth owning in your dvd/blu library. But let me tell you my story.....ordered this via prime, and it arrived in two days, I always look forward to Criterion releases, and love my blu-ray movies. I went about my business the day the blu arrived, and when the appointed hour arrived for me to finally relax, I opened the packaging, and put the disc in my player, and I was surrounded with all my snacks and looking oh so forward to this film, which I had seen several times before. The movie started, and Vanessa is walking outside Howard's End within a minute or so, and I see not film grain, but dreaded digital artifacting (noise) in that dark scene. It even went on as the movie moves into brighter scenes. I said to myself, they sent me a regular dvd in a blu-ray package, I'm sure of it. I stopped the movie, reexamined the packaging, it says blu on the back, what the hell. I went online to see if others had the same problem, nothing on the web, except i see on amazon one guy saying it looks bad. Sorry, this thing looks worse then the dvd. I read some glowing reviews about the blu quality of this release, they have to be crazy or my disc is defective. The odd thing about it, in the documentary on the disc, they show in standard def the opening scene I mention at the beginning of this entry, and it looks better in standard def, then the actual hi def scene in the movie, ie., it is certainly softer then the high def but it has no artifacting or noise. I would not be surprised if there is a re-pressing so to speak of this Criterion release in the future.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
 Disappointed Nov 18, 2009
5 stars for the movie. One star for this disc. I bought this to upgrade from the previous release on DVD which was a very good quality DVD. As this was Criterion and Blu-ray I expected the best print yet of one of my favorite films. To my disappointment this disc if full of snowy grain and flickering in any of the darker scenes. The opening shot of Vanessa Redgrave walking around the house in the evening is ruined with a blizzard of snowy grain. Some of the scenes have a grid-like band across them. I am assuming this is from a defective batch as I see other people are having similar problems. Yet other people seem to not have problems so obviously not all discs released are bad. I, however will be returning this piece of junk. If there is a better disc out there I would like a replacement otherwise I just want a refund.
 Soft whispers of elegance and beauty... Nov 17, 2009
What could easily be dismissed as a quiet love story (which it most certainly is) should never be dismissed at all, for `Howard's End' is so much more than meets the eye. Quiet, yes, but the emotional sentiments ring very loud. This marvelously crafted tale of love, loss and societies constant manipulations is just an outstanding and engrossing cinematic treat. Layered with profound and intriguing characters, outstanding performances, intelligent scripting and lush cinematography (not to mention authentic costumes and a beautifully subtle score), this beautiful film is a superb addition to any DVD library.
The film really tells a few stories in one. There is the budding friendship between Margaret, the eldest of two well-educated sisters, and a sickly matriarch. There is the romance between Margaret and a wealthy widower. There is the constant feuding between Margaret and her hot-headed and very opinionated sister Helen. There is the relationship between Helen and the poor yet charming (and married) Leonard.
There is a lot going on here, but thankfully everything is handled with enough precise detail to make it all understandable, intelligible and memorable.
The film's main plot revolves around a family home called Howard's End (thus the film title). When Margaret makes close acquaintances with the withering Ruth Wilcox (Vanessa Redgrave in a quietly powerful performance) she never expected the generosity that she would receive, but before her death Ruth made it clear to Margaret that she wanted her to take ownership of Howard's End, for she thought that she would appreciate it far more than her spoiled children. Once Ruth has died though, her family is not too keen on this last wish being carried out, and so the recently widowed Henry finds his loyalties tested as he opts to crush Margaret's plans to take over Howard's End.
It may seem like a trivial matter, but no matter is trivial when love, loyalty and integrity are at stake.
What really makes this film such a goldmine is the remarkable acting. Emma Thompson swept the awards circuit back in 92, winning nearly everything all the way up to the Oscar. Her performance is equal parts witty and charming as well as devastatingly serious. She has this period down pat, and this is her crowning achievement. Helena Bonham Carter is marvelous as the impetuous Helen. Her performance has been labeled shrill and annoying, but she is completely in character and does an effortless job at it. Vanessa Redgrave may not have deserved the Oscar nomination for her few moments on screen, but she is very, very effective and quite memorable, hauntingly so (the opening sequence of her walking through the dewy surface of Howard's End is one of my favorite scenes in movie history). Anthony Hopkins is just splendid here (why was he shafted on Oscar's supporting ballot?) and proves once again that when he is on, he is ON. Thompson and Hopkins make a marvelous team and really should consider teaming up again.
They possess a magic together that is rarely captured on-screen.
With spirited supporting performances by Susie Lindeman, Samuel West and James Wilby, `Howard's End' is a stewing pot of acting greatness, and should be regarded as such. Perhaps the greatest performance given is that of director James Ivory (who would work wonders with the two leads again the following year in `The Remains of the Day') who casts a stunning shadow over this briskly paced and effortlessly sunny film. One of the greatest films of the 90's, this beautifully crafted romance will leave you begging for more.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Fantastic film, BAD disc. Nov 17, 2009
I have loved this movie since I was a teenager. As far as Edwardian-set period films go, this is definitely one of the all time best. That's why it breaks my heart that after months of anticipating owning this film in high definition, the final product that I received is of extremely poor quality to say the least.
Unfortunately, it appears that there is a major issue with either the way this disc is being pressed over at Criterion or the way the HD master is being transferred onto the Blu-ray. The picture on my copy is FILLED with digital noise and snow. It's not just a mild amount that might proved mildly distracting, but a thick layer of white grain that looks as if I'm peering through a blizzard.
I logged on to amazon earlier today to see if anyone else was having this same issue and sure enough, others are reporting the same problem on varying levels. The issue is definitely not with my player. I have a magnificent Oppo BDP-83 which always delivers the finest High Definition picture possible on my new Samsung LCD. Should I return my defective disc in hopes of receiving a corrected copy or just inquire about receiving a full refund? I'm really not sure, but I am certainly sad that I am being deprived of enjoying one of my favorite films due to a production error from the otherwise phenomenal Criterion collection.
A moving painting. Nov 10, 2009
The film is wonderful and the Blu-ray transfer is fantastic. It's a clean image with oodles of detail and beautiful, natural colors. The only thing I didn't like so much is that the musical score is quite bright at times, which is disappointing being that I love the score. I don't know if that is due to the way it was originally mixed or if that is Criterion's fault. The audio mix in general is decent considering it's a low budget period drama. This is certainly the best presentation of Howard's End that I've ever experienced.
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