By Gary Kramer–
The name Merchant Ivory is synonymous with classy period films, especially their E.M. Forster adaptations that achieved critical and/or commercial success: A Room With a View, Maurice, and Howard’s End. But their personal and professional relationships lasted for decades, producing more than three dozen films, and a devoted fanbase.
The affectionate new documentary, Merchant Ivory, directed by Stephen Soucy, opening September 6 at the Opera Plaza Cinemas 4, chronicles this extraordinary collaboration, which includes screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, and composer Richard Robbins.
Soucy interviews many of the famous faces that have graced the screen in Merchant Ivory films over the years to talk about their experiences. Emma Thompson recounts James Ivory giving her what may have been the best note she ever received as an actress when he commented that her getting into a carriage was “boring”; it prompted her to do it again in an interesting way. And Hugh Grant reveals he almost didn’t audition for Maurice.
Several interviewees remember Merchant as being irresistibly charming, and also imploring his partner to, “Shoot, Jim, shoot!” to get the films done on time and within budget. Additional discussions by costume designers Jenny Beavan and John Bright also contribute to the behind-the-scenes stories about how Merchant Ivory productions worked DIY miracles on incredibly low budgets.
Alas, the attention to detail is largely glossed over. Viewers who swoon over the carefully appointed interiors and costumes will learn little about them here. Nevertheless, many of these anecdotes are pleasing, and as they are supported by clips from the films themselves, viewers will likely want to rewatch their favorite Merchant Ivory films or discover new ones.
Inasmuch as Merchant Ivory is a celebration of the couple’s filmmaking achievements, this documentary, coproduced by Ivory, is uneven, cherry picking what it presents. Soucy starts in the 1960s with their feature debut, The Householder, which was completed with some assistance from filmmaker Satyajit Ray, as well as their subsequent feature, Shakespeare-Wallah, which helped them establish their reputation.
Then the documentary skips ahead to their 1975 film, The Wild Party, and 1984’s The Bostonians, which are mentioned for showcasing LGBT characters. While Greta Scacchi, star of the 1983 film Heat and Dust, appears several times as a talking head in Merchant Ivory, almost nothing is said about her film, other than it was adapted from Jhabvala’s own novel.
A few bon mots from Vanessa Redgrave about her collaboration with the filmmakers provide context on her difficulties working with Merchant Ivory, whom she admired but also disagreed with. What’s more, the occasional mention about friction between Merchant and Ivory on set, or in production of their films, sparks interest, but it, too, is raised without much investigation.
Soucy’s interest appears to be squarely on the director’s heyday, which began with A Room With a View. The couple developed a series of films about “outsiders” with Jhabvala, and this unifying theme might prompt a greater evaluation. Had Soucy taken that approach to their ouvre, Merchant Ivory might have been really valuable to fans.
Instead, the documentary delves into the couple’s private life, which, at times, feels invasive. James Ivory is questioned repeatedly on camera by Soucy about his relationship with Merchant. He explains that their relationship was kept secret for decades, in part, because of Merchant’s traditional Muslim family.
But the two men did live together for 40 years. It was clearly understood by their families and coworkers that they were partners; they just didn’t talk about it. Soucy keeps bringing the topic up at various times, bordering on inappropriate when the film discusses the affair Merchant had with composer Richard Robbins. Ivory, who had affairs himself, put a stop to it, firing Robbins. It left Merchant heartbroken. Somehow, this dish feels too gossipy for such a genteel portrait.
Curiously, a discussion of why the filmmakers chose to adapt Maurice, E. M. Forster’s “gay” novel, after their breakout hit, A Room With a View, relies mostly on screenwriter Kit Hesketh-Harvey to recount. Jhabvala felt it was inappropriate for her to pen the screenplay, but she did contribute something that improved on the original novel. More revelations like this would have been appreciated.
Instead, other novelists including the gay author Peter Cameron as well as Tama Janowitz effuse about having their contemporary books, The City of Your Final Destination and Slaves of New York, respectively, both turned into Merchant Ivory films. But neither film made much of an impact, and City, made after Merchant’s death, nearly bankrupted the company. (Actor Anthony Hopkins is seen in a clip announcing what a marvelous experience he had making the film, but then turned around and sued for unpaid wages.)
Soucy does touch on the handful of films Merchant directed on his own between 1994 and 2001, as well as the ones Merchant and Ivory made when they worked for studios starting in the 1990s–2000s: Jefferson in Paris, Surviving Picasso, A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries, The Golden Bowl, and The White Countess. Despite the fact that there was more money for these productions, these features all underperformed with critics and audiences. (Le Divorce, also made in this period, goes unmentioned.)
In the end, the emphasis here seems to be on Merchant Ivory’s greatest hits. That may be catnip for devotees, but real aficionados of Merchant Ivory will demand more insights into the filmmakers and filmmaking. Soucy’s documentary feels like the cinematic equivalent of a coffee table book—nice to flip through, because it triggers fond memories, but ultimately, not very deep.
© 2024 Gary M. Kramer
Gary M. Kramer is the author of “Independent Queer Cinema: Reviews and Interviews,” and the co-editor of “Directory of World Cinema: Argentina.” He teaches Short Attention Span Cinema at the Bryn Mawr Film Institute and is the moderator for Cinema Salon, a weekly film discussion group. Follow him on Twitter @garymkramer
Film
Published on September 5, 2024
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