Felt sorry for Clive
Specially in the book. The guy made his own cage and doesn't even know he's in. In the movie he seems more aware of what he's lost, but still, sad.
shareI agree totaly...
Hugh really rocks the melancolic look.
I typed the last sentences of the book somewhere on this Maurice board, "favorite scene" I guess.
I don't mean to incite hatred among all Clive fans, but I didn't feel sorry for him in the slightest - I rather felt he let Maurice down just as they were getting somewhere, and built himself a fortress he couldn't get out of.
shareI'm inclined to agree with you. I forget that not everyone has lived in the gay community as long as I have, but there is a type of person who is referred to a "Revolving Closet Door" case. It's my belief that the problem is not that most of them don't know what their true sexual orientation is, rather they get scared, have religious inhibitions, or don't want the world to know, so they suddenly shut themselves back in their closets.
The bit about Clive's friend getting "busted" for being gay isn't in the book, but was put in the movie to help modern audiences understand the dire consequences of being publicly revealed. Clive knew what it could do to his political aspirations, so he slams the door on his closet again. This, after his what we now call "gaydar" picked up on Maurice before Maurice really even knew himself, and Clive selfishly expected Maurice to act like nothing had ever passed between them.
Having said all that, I also want to also point out that laws and society's disapproval nothwithstanding, there was a quite active homosexual subculture in Edwardian times. Plenty of people in high places managed to carry on their affairs discreetly, and especially in the upper classes, many of them were known, and as long as there was no public scandal, nobody bothered them. Remember that in this era, upper class married couples frequently didn't even sleep in the same room, let alone the same bed.
I forget the exact details, but in the celebrated case of Oscar Wilde, there was a considerable delay between when the warrant was issued and when he was actually arrested. It was clear to almost everyone involved that the authorities were giving him time to leave the country, but in an act of sheer stupidity, he decided to stay and try to "beat the rap." He ended up in prison.
This is becoming quite a ramble, but I'm trying to make the point that if Clive had had the backbone, he still could have continued his relationship with Maurice. So no, I don't feel sorry for him. He was in a prison of his own making.