Merchant Ivory Productions

Merchant Ivory Productions is a film company founded in 1961 by producer Ismail Merchant (1936–2005) and director James Ivory (b. 1928). Merchant and Ivory were life and business partners from 1961 until Merchant's death in 2005. During their time together they made 44 films. The films were for the most part produced by Merchant and directed by Ivory, and 23 of them were scripted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (1927–2013) in some capacity. The films were often based upon novels or short stories, particularly the work of Henry James, E. M. Forster, and Jhabvala herself.

Merchant Ivory Productions

Industry	filmmaking
Founded	1961
Founder	Ismail Merchant James Ivory
Headquarters	London  , United States of America
Website	www.merchantivory.com/

The initial goal of the company was "to make English-language films in India aimed at the international market." The style of Merchant Ivory films set and photographed in India became iconic. The company also went on to make films in the United Kingdom and America.

Some actors and producers associated with Merchant Ivory include Maggie Smith, Leela Naidu, Madhur Jaffrey, Aparna Sen, Shashi Kapoor, Jennifer Kendal, Hugh Grant, James Wilby, Rupert Graves, Simon Callow, Anthony Hopkins, Glenn Close, Uma Thurman, Emma Thompson, Vanessa Redgrave, Natasha Richardson, Ralph Fiennes, Colin Firth, 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. While 1965's Shakespeare Wallah put this genre on the international map,[2] its heyday was the 1980s and 1990s with such films as A Room with a View (1985) and Howards End (1992). 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 disillusionment and tragic entanglements. The main theme often surrounded a house, which took on a particular importance in many Merchant Ivory films.[3][4]

History

Merchant Ivory Productions was founded in 1961 by Ismail Merchant and James Ivory[5] in India to produce English language films.[6]

After early, modest successes with films such as The Householder, Shakespeare Wallah, and Bombay Talkie, Merchant and Ivory suffered a lean period during the 1970s. Films such as Jane Austen in Manhattan and The Wild Party failed to find an audience. Their fortunes revived dramatically in 1979 when they made an adaptation of Henry James' novel The Europeans. Their film Heat and Dust (1983) was an art-house hit in Europe, particularly in England. However, it was not until their work together on A Room with a View (1985) that they broke out from the art house into broader success.

Around 1990, they moved their productions to England and the United States. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala became their frequent collaborating writer.[6] Major film studio sought them out with Disney signing Merchant Ivory Productions in 1991 to a three year distribution deal.[7][8]

In October 2015, Cohen Media Group acquired the Merchant Ivory brand and library, 21 films and 9 documentaries including worldwide distribution, for restoration and rerelease as a part of the Cohen Film Collection. Ivory would be creative director on the films' restoration, re-release and promotion.[6]

Members

James Ivory

James Ivory was often known for directing the films of the Merchant Ivory productions. He received three Oscar nominations for his work with Merchant Ivory but never won. He received his first Academy Award at the age of 89 for his screenplay for Call Me by Your Name, becoming the oldest person to win an Academy Award for writing.

Academy Awards

Year	Film	Category	Result
1986	A Room with a View	Best Director	Nominated
1993	Howards End	Best Director	Nominated
1994	The Remains of the Day	Best Director	Nominated
2018	Call Me by Your Name	Best Adapted Screenplay	Won

Ismail Merchant

Merchant was known for producing the films of Merchant Ivory. Despite receiving four Oscar nominations, he never won.

Academy Awards

Year	Film	Category	Result
1960	The Creation of a Woman	Live Action Short Film	Nominated
1986	A Room with a View	Best Picture	Nominated
1993	Howards End	Best Picture	Nominated
1994	The Remains of the Day	Best Picture	Nominated

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala was known for adapting the screenplays for the films of Merchant Ivory. She received three Oscar nominations, winning 2 Oscars.

Academy Awards

Year	Film	Category	Result
1986	A Room with a View	Best Adapted Screenplay	Won
1993	Howards End	Best Adapted Screenplay	Won
1994	The Remains of the Day	Best Adapted Screenplay	Nominated

Filmography

Compiled works from Merchant Ivory Productions.

Year	Title	Screenwriter	Other notes
1963	The Householder[6]	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	screenplay, adapted from the novel by Jhabvala
1965	Shakespeare Wallah[6]	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	screenplay
1969	The Guru	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	screenplay
	The Night of Counting the Years	Shadi Abdel Salam	written and directed by Shadi Abdel Salam
1970	Bombay Talkie	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	screenplay
1972	Savages	George W. S. Trow and Michael O'Donoghue	written by
1975	The Wild Party	Walter Marks	based on a poem by Joseph Moncure March
	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 Five Forty-Eight	Terrence McNally	based on the story by John Cheever
	The Europeans	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	based on the novel by Henry James
1980	Jane Austen in Manhattan	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
1981	Quartet	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	based on the novel by Jean Rhys
1983	The Courtesans of Bombay	Ismail Merchant, James Ivory, and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	TV feature; directed by Ismail Merchant
	Heat and Dust	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala[7]	based on the novel by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
1984	The Bostonians	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	based on the novel by Henry James
1985	A Room with a View	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala[7]	based on the novel by E. M. Forster
1986	My Little Girl	Connie Kaiserman	original; directed by Kaiserman
1987	Maurice	James Ivory & Kit Hesketh-Harvey	based on the novel by E. M. Forster
1988	The Deceivers	Michael Hirst	based on the novel by John Masters
	The Perfect Murder	H. R. F. Keating and Zafar Hai	based on the novel by Keating
1989	Slaves of New York	Tama Janowitz	based on a collection of stories by Janowitz
1990	Mr. & Mrs. Bridge	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	based on novels by Evan S. Connell
1991	The Ballad of the Sad Café	Michael Hirst	play by Edward Albee (based on the novel by Carson McCullers) directed by Simon Callow
	Street Musicians of Bombay		directed by Richard Robbins
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 Desai directed by Ismail Merchant
	The Remains of the Day	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala[7]	based on the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro
1995	Feast of July	Christopher Neame	based on a novel by H. E. Bates
	Jefferson in Paris	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	written by J. T. Hyndman
1996	The Proprietor	Jean-Marie Besset and George W. S. Trow	directed by Ismail Merchant
	Surviving Picasso	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	screenplay (based on the book Picasso: Creator and Destroyer by Arianna Huffington)
1998	Side Streets	Tony Gerber, Lynn Nottage	directed by Tony Gerber
	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 the novel by V. S. Naipaul
2002	Merci Docteur Rey	Andrew Litvack	directed by Andrew Litvack
2003	Le Divorce	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory	based on the novel by Diane Johnson
2005	Heights	Amy Fox	directed by Chris Terrio
	The White Countess	Kazuo Ishiguro	screenplay
2007	Before the Rains	Cathy Rabin	directed by Santosh Sivan
2009	The City of Your Final Destination	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	screenplay (based on book by Peter Cameron)
2017	Call Me by Your Name	James Ivory	based on the novel by André Aciman, directed by Luca Guadagnino
2020	Make the Wiseguys Weep	Ric Menello, Neil Jesuele	based on a book by David Evanier

Academy Award wins and nominations

The Europeans

Year	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
1979	Best Costume Design	Judy Moorcroft	Nominated	[9]

The Bostonians

Year	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
1984	Best Actress	Vanessa Redgrave	Nominated	[10]
	Best Costume Design	Jenny Beavan, John Bright	Nominated

A Room with a View

Year	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
1986	Best Picture	Ismail Merchant	Nominated	[11]
	Best Director	James Ivory	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actor	Denholm Elliott	Nominated
	Best Supporting Actress	Maggie Smith	Nominated
	Best Adapted Screenplay	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	Won
	Best Cinematography	Tony Pierce-Roberts	Nominated
	Best Production Design	Gianni Quaranta, Brian Ackland-Snow Brian Savegar, Elio Altamura	Won
	Best Costume Design	Jenny Beavan, John Bright	Won

Maurice

Year	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
1987	Best Costume Design	Jenny Beavan, John Bright	Nominated	[12]

Mr. and Mrs. Bridge

Year	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
1990	Best Actress	Joanne Woodward	Nominated	[13]

Howards End

Year	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
1993	Best Picture	Ismail Merchant	Nominated	[14]
	Best Director	James Ivory	Nominated
	Best Actress	Emma Thompson	Won
	Best Supporting Actress	Vanessa Redgrave	Nominated
	Best Adapted Screenplay	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	Won
	Best Cinematography	Tony Pierce-Roberts	Nominated
	Best Production Design	Gianni Quaranta, Brian Ackland-Snow Brian Savegar, Elio Altamura	Won
	Best Costume Design	Jenny Beavan, John Bright	Nominated
	Best Original Score	Richard Robbins	Nominated

The Remains of the Day

Year	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
1994	Best Picture	Ismail Merchant	Nominated	[15]
	Best Director	James Ivory	Nominated
	Best Actor	Anthony Hopkins	Nominated
	Best Actress	Emma Thompson	Nominated
	Best Adapted Screenplay	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala	Nominated
	Best Production Design	Gianni Quaranta, Brian Ackland-Snow Brian Savegar, Elio Altamura	Nominated
	Best Costume Design	Jenny Beavan, John Bright	Nominated
	Best Original Score	Richard Robbins	Nominated

Call Me by Your Name

Year	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref.
2017	Best Picture	Luca Guadagnino, Emilie Georges, Peter Spears, Marco Morabito	Nominated	[16]
	Best Actor	Timothée Chalamet	Nominated
	Best Adapted Screenplay	James Ivory	Won
	Best Original Song	Mystery of Love – Sufjan Stevens	Nominated

Footnotes

1. "Ismail Merchant" Archived 21 November 2008 at Archive.today, The Times, 26 May 2005.
2. Kaur, Harmanpreet. "The Wandering Company: Merchant-Ivory Productions and Post-Colonial Cinema" Archived 10 June 2013 at the Wayback Machine, Projectorhead Film Magazine, 10 January 2013.
3. LaSalle, Mick. "Merchant-Ivory's final film a refined delight. Naturally" Archived 25 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine, San Francisco Chronicle, 13 January 2006.
4. Ebert, Roger. "Ismail Merchant: In Memory" Archived 16 July 2012 at the Wayback Machine, 26 May 2005.
5. Fristoe, Roger. "Introduction to 50 Years of Merchant Ivory". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
6. McNary, Dave (12 October 2015). "'Howards End,' Merchant Ivory Library Bought by Cohen Media Group". Variety. Archived from the original on 15 April 2017. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
7. "Ismail Merchant". Telegraph Obituaries. 25 May 2005. Archived from the original on 21 January 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
8. "Disney Buys Miramax In Leap Toward Industry Lead -- 60 Movies A Year Goal For Studio". Seattle Times. AP. 1 May 1993. Archived from the original on 13 April 2019. Retrieved 15 March 2019.
9. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079123/awards?ref_=tt_awd
10. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086992/awards?ref_=tt_awd
11. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091867/awards?ref_=tt_awd
12. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093512/awards?ref_=tt_awd
13. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0100200/awards?ref_=tt_awd
14. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091867/awards?ref_=tt_awd
15. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091867/awards?ref_=tt_awd
16. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5726616/awards?ref_=tt_awd

External links

• Official website
• Merchant Ivory Productions on IMDb
• Merchant Ivory Productions at the Criterion Collection