A nostalgic, but also thought-provoking, documentary.
The names James Ivory and Ismail Merchant immediately summon up images of brilliant, very British, cinema. And yet Ivory was born and raised in the United States, where he met the Indian-born US-educated Merchant at the Indian Consulate in New York. Along with writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala this team went on to give the world such cinematic masterpieces as Room With a View, Heat and Dust, Howard’s End, and The Remains of the Day.
Director Stephen Soucy along with writer Jon Hart has crafted an intelligent, respectful, gently interrogatory documentary. Although Merchant sadly died in his early 60s, James Ivory is still very much alive, and his interviews to camera form the backbone of the film.
Soucy particularly delves into the craziness of Merchant Ivory productions, many of which were made on shoestring budgets, or even began shooting before any money was secured. Cast and crew were often not paid for weeks, and Anthony Hopkins once even had to sue them to get his wages. Foundational to this creative madness was the relationship between Ismail and James. The fact that they were also life-partners was well-known within their circle, but not touted in the wider community, especially to Ismail’s conservative Muslim family. Together for decades, their relationship also weathered infidelities and Platonic romances on both sides.
Around this framework, Soucy builds a picture using archival footage and contemporary interviews with people such as Helena Bonham Carter, Hugh Grant, Felicity Kendal, and Ava Jhabvala Wood.
A fascinating portrait of a brilliant, if chaotic, creative team, and a trip down nostalgia avenue for many film-lovers, Merchant Ivory is an engaging and often surprising, documentary feature.
Merchant Ivory is currently showing as part of the Russell Hobbs British Film Festival until December 8th.
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