Merchant Ivory Productions

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James Ivory (left) and Ismail Merchant (right) in New York City in 1974.

Merchant Ivory Productions (1961- ) is a film company founded by director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant. Their films were for the most part directed by the former, produced by the latter and scripted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (a noted exception was the 1993 film In Custody, directed by Merchant and based upon a novel by Anita Desai). The films were often based upon novels, particularly the work of Henry James, E. M. Forster, and two novels by Jhabvala.

The goal of the company was "to make English-language films in India aimed at the international market," but the company ended up making many films set in England and America. Some actors who have appeared in more than one Merchant Ivory film include Madhur Jaffrey, Aparna Sen, Shashi Kapoor, Jennifer Kendal, Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson, Vanessa Redgrave and Helena Bonham-Carter.

Of this collaboration, Merchant once commented: "It is a strange marriage we have at Merchant Ivory...I am an Indian Muslim, Ruth is a German Jew, and Jim is a Protestant American. Someone once described us as a three-headed god. Maybe they should have called us a three-headed monster!" [1].

The expression "Merchant-Ivory film" has made its way into common parlance, to denote a particular genre of film rather than the actual production company. The heyday of this genre was the 1980s and 1990s. A typical "Merchant-Ivory film" would be a period piece set in the early 20th century, usually in Edwardian England, featuring lavish sets and top British actors portraying genteel characters who suffer from disillusion and tragic entanglements.[2][3]

[edit] Selected filmography

Year	Title	Screenwriter	Other notes
1963	The Householder	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	screenplay, adapted from the novel by Jhabvala
1965	Shakespeare Wallah	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	screenplay
1969	The Guru	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	screenplay
1972	Bombay Talkie	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	screenplay
1975	Autobiography of a Princess	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	written by
1977	Roseland	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	story and screenplay
1978	Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	tv (story)
1979	The Europeans	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	based on the novel by Henry James
1980	Jane Austen in Manhattan	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	written by
1981	Quartet	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	based on the novel by Jean Rhys
1983	Heat and Dust	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	based on the novel by Jhabvala
1984	The Bostonians	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	based on the novel by Henry James
1985	A Room with a View	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	based on the novel by E. M. Forster
1986	My Little Girl		directed by Connie Kaiserman
1987	Maurice	James Ivory & Kit Hesketh-Harvey	based on the novel by E. M. Forster
1990	Mr. & Mrs. Bridge	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	based on novels by Evan S. Connell
1991	The Ballad of the Sad Cafe	Michael Hirst	play by Edward Albee (based on novel by Carson McCullers) directed by Simon Callow
1992	Howards End	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	based on the novel by E. M. Forster
1993	In Custody	Shahrukh Husain and Anita Desai	based on the novel by Anita Desai directed by Ismail Merchant
1993	The Remains of the Day	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro
1995	Jefferson in Paris	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	written by
1996	Surviving Picasso	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	screenplay (based on book by Arianna Huffington)
1998	A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	based on the novel by Kaylie Jones
1999	Cotton Mary	Alexandra Viets	directed by Ismail Merchant
2000	The Golden Bowl	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	based on the novel by Henry James
2001	The Mystic Masseur	Caryl Phillips	based on a novel by V. S. Naipaul
2002	Merci Docteur Rey		directed by Andrew Litvack
2003	Le Divorce	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala & James Ivory	based on the novel by Diane Johnson
2004	Heights	Amy Fox	directed by Chris Terrio
2005	The White Countess	Kazuo Ishiguro	screenplay