The 1993 adaptation of E.M. Forster’s 1910 novel ranks among the best cinematic work of director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant, and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Amidst sumptuous settings, three British families with incompatible values play out turn-of-the-20th-century themes of class, wealth, and hypocrisy. At question is the fate of a country estate named Howards End. Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins head a stellar cast contributing to the movie’s nine Academy Award nominations. This film presentation immediately follows George Stewart’s four-session course on Forster’s novel (beginning April 23). Participation in the literature course is not requisite to attending the film, nor essential to enjoying it.