Merchant and Ivory films may make you think of lavish settings and complex emotions. James Ivory and Ismail Merchant collaborated on 43 films. Merchant Ivory, from director Stephen Soucy, is a look at their decades-long partnership, which was not only professional, but personal as well.
Films like Room with a View, Howard’s End, The Remains of the Day, Maurice, The Bostonians, Mr. and Mrs. Bridge, and Jefferson in Paris all have a wonderful visual style and often deal with people struggling with relationships. But their history goes back to films made in India in the 1960s, beginning with Shakespeare Wallah (which I just discovered is available an Kanopy). Merchant Ivory is made up of interviews with James Ivory and with many of the people that they collaborated with through the years.
The film also notes that the two men were partners in life as well. (Although, it seems they had a semi-open relationship.) That personal aspect often bled into the professional work they were doing. That they were a gay couple could be one of the reasons that they could zero in on difficult relationships.
The film also makes it clear that it wasn’t just Merchant and Ivory who made up this team. We also learn of screenwriter Ruth Jhabvala and composer Richard Robbins. Together, this team became a filmmaking powerhouse.
It should be noted, however, that most of their films were independent films. They did not have the luxury of large budgets. It turns out that it was almost always a great challenge to get the films made. Merchant (the producing part of the team) and Ivory (who directed) would often end up in shouting matches as money would be running short (or was even non-existent). It is noted that the studio films they made weren’t as good as what they did on their own.
For fans of Merchant/Ivory films, this will be an interesting way to revisit your favorite films. It may also be a way of discovering new films to explore. (For example, I’ve added Shakespeare Wallah to my view list.) The film also lets us see a little bit of the behind-the-scenes process (and often chaos) of filmmaking.
The film is also very much a story of a relationship—one that sometimes faced challenges. There are stories of jealousy, and feeling betrayed. There is also the understanding that the bond between the two men, while at times dysfunctional, was one that was based in a deep love.
Merchant Ivory is in select theaters.
Photos courtesy of Cohen Media Group.
