‘Howards End’ Review: Kenneth Lonergan’s Starz Adaptation Is Way More Fun Than You’d Expect

For fans of costume dramas, “Howards End” is like a quick hit of “Downton Abbey” cut with the cinematic beauty of any Keira Knightley flick.

For everyone else, it’s even better.The first thing you’ll notice about Kenneth Lonergan’s superb adaptation is its speed — which is an odd and exciting quality for a four-hour British period drama that begins with, ends on, and is titled after an old house.

The focus may be a stationary locale, but the pace is aptly quick.

Before you can you stop to think “Why do we need another adaptation of ‘Howards End’?”, 15 minutes have flown by and you’re already enraptured by the Wilcox and Schlegel families.Credit goes to all the elements that make similar genre fare stand out — the costumes, performances, telling glances, and detailed sets — but what makes this Starz limited series feel all its own is a conscious dismissal of certain civilities.

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