Merchant Ivory (15) |Close-Up Film Review

December 9, 2024 Carlie Newman

Dir: Stephen Soucy, US, 2023, 112 mins.

Cast: James Ivory, Ismail Merchant, Ruth Prawer habvala, Helena Bonham Carter, Simon Callow, Hugh Grant, Daniel Day-Lewis, James Fox, Rupert Graves, Anthony Hopkins, Felicity Kendal, Natascha McElhone, Vanessa Redgrave, Emma Thompson

Review by Carlie Newman

When we hear the name Merchant Ivory, many of us think of the period films, A Room with a View, Howards End, and the wonderful The Remains of the Day. But as this superb documentary, shows there was much more to them than these later films.

A fascinating documentary, the film gives a good overview of the three people who gave us such super films under the banner of Merchant Ivory. Director, James Ivory, producer Ishmail Merchant and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala were later joined by Richard Robbins, the composer. The four made them one of the foremost independent film production companies.

Merchant and Ivory started the company in 1961. They had an intimate but open relationship as well as being business partners from then until Merchant’s death in 2005. Soon joined by Jhabvala, their early films included the lovely Indian movie, Shakespeare Wallah.

This documentary has interviews with the leading collaborators on the Merchant Ivory films including the actors, Helena, Bonham Carter, Vanessa Redgrave, Simon, Callow, Emma Thompson, Hugh Grant and, of course, James Ivory himself.

Apart from stories about the films and the people they worked with, we learn a lot about the private lives of Merchant and Ivory. They were very different characters. Merchant was in charge of the financial aspect of the company and was able to get funding for productions by all sorts of means, including deferring payment to the actors and crew. Ivory had a gentle personality and was a sensitive director

It’s a fascinating film and a must see for anyone interested not just in Merchant and Ivory, but also in the history of film.