If I have any complaints about "Howards End," and they are minimal, it is that the ending plays a bit flat and that some of the transitions are a bit confusing. (Several critics have said "Howards End" is better than "A Room With a View," but "Room" remains my favorite in this genre.)

Still, there's no question that the Merchant-Ivory folk, chiefly producer Ismail Merchant, director James Ivory and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, are at the top of their form. They have been making movies together for 30 years, and it's hard to imagine anyone being able to pull off period ensemble stories with the same wit, charm and dramatic impact that this team manages.

The engaging cast could not possibly be better, from veterans Hopkins (in one of his best roles here), Redgrave (cast distinctly against type), Thompson (of "Dead Again," here given an opportunity to show many colors) and Bonham Carter (perfectly cast in yet another period role, after shining also in "A Room With a View" and "Where Angels Fear to Tread"), to newcomers West and Nicola Duffett, who evoke tremendous sympathy as the Basts.

"Howards End" is rated PG for a scene of violence toward the end, a couple of mild profanities and implied sex.