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If someone were to ask you which prestigious pair of filmmakers struggled their entire careers for money, tried to avoid paying their actors and crew, went back and forth between romantic partners, and had such intense arguments that their neighbors called the police, it may take awhile before you thought of “Merchant Ivory”. However, a new documentary that shows the flaws and all sides of Indian producer Ismail Merchant and American director James Ivory reveals that the emotions portrayed in their famous films, such as the EM Forster trilogy of A Room With a View, Maurice and Howards End, were nothing compared to the intense and unpredictable ones behind the scenes.
From their first encounter in New York City in 1961 until Merchant’s passing during medical procedure in 2005, the duo were inseparable, reflecting their brand name’s lack of a hyphen or ampersand. Despite this, their creative output was more diverse than they were given credit for. Their repertoire included insightful Indian dramas such as Shakespeare-Wallah, a 1965 portrayal of a troupe of traveling performers starring a young, whimsical Felicity Kendal. They also tackled societal issues with Savages, a satire on civilization and primitivism, and The Wild Party, a critique of excess in 1920s Hollywood that predated Damien Chazelle’s Babylon by almost 50 years.
During the 1980s and early 1990s, Merchant Ivory rose to prominence in the film industry by producing extravagant dramas featuring uptight British characters in historical period attire. This genre of literary adaptations launched the successful careers of Hugh Grant, Helena Bonham Carter, Rupert Graves, and Julian Sands, and contributed to the rise of Emma Thompson and Daniel Day-Lewis as stars. Screenplays for most of these films were written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who had been collaborating with them since their initial film in 1963, The Householder. She even resided in the same New York City apartment building as the duo. Richard Robbins, who was romantically involved with Merchant and also had feelings for Bonham Carter, composed the scores for many of these films. Through their work, Merchant Ivory helped revive the popularity of costume dramas, reminiscent of the era dominated by director David Lean. Their success in adapting Jane Austen novels paved the way for other period dramas, such as Bridgerton.
The process of creating uniform and aesthetically pleasing pictures was often a challenging and unpleasant experience due to a lack of funds. When questioned about how he would obtain the necessary funds for the next film, Merchant responded with a nonchalant attitude. After Jenny Beavan and John Bright received an Academy Award for their costume design in A Room With a View, Merchant made a joking comment about not needing to pay them since he got them their Oscar. As Ivory meticulously arranged each shot, Merchant would loudly urge him to continue filming by shouting, “Shoot, Jim, shoot!”
The production of Heat and Dust, featuring Julie Christie, was quite tumultuous. Only a portion of the budget was secured when filming began in India in 1982; to keep the actors in the dark about their agents’ pressure to strike, producer Merchant would wake up early to intercept their telegrams from the hotels. Interviewees in the documentary admit that Merchant was a “dishonest” and “mercenary” producer. However, he was also an irresistible charmer who freely doled out compliments, threw extravagant picnics, and arranged visits to magnificent temples and palaces. “He was the type of person you wanted to strangle at night, but couldn’t help but love,” says one close friend, journalist Anna Kythreotis.
Stephen Soucy, the director of the documentary, does not downplay the awfulness of the film sets. He reveals, “Every production was a struggle. People were not enjoying themselves.” There was a major conflict between Thompson and Ismail during the making of Howards End. Thompson had been working for 13 consecutive days and Ismail tried to cancel her weekend break. Making Jefferson in Paris was a terrible experience for Gwyneth Paltrow. She hated every moment of it. Similarly, Laura Linney was also unhappy while filming The City of Your Final Destination due to the chaotic nature of the production. However, when you watch the finished films, you would never sense any of these issues.
In Soucy’s film, old TV clips of the duo arguing are shown even during their efforts to promote a movie. Soucy remarks, “They were true to themselves, that’s for sure. They had a lot of clashes.” This authenticity also encompassed their sexualities. Discussing this matter publicly only came after Ivory was awarded an Oscar for writing “Call Me By Your Name”. Ivory explained in 2018, “You have to keep in mind that Ismail was an Indian citizen living in Bombay with a very conservative Muslim family.” However, the two were open about their relationship with those who knew them. Ivory clarifies, “I never felt guilty.” He also mentions that on the set of “The Householder”, the crew referred to them as “Jack and Jill”.
When Ivory released his honest and incomplete memoir, Solid Ivory, which delves into the sexual aspects of his past lovers and his time with Merchant, including his relationship with author Bruce Chatwin, Soucy had already started filming his documentary. This book gave Soucy the courage to ask questions on camera about the intricate love triangle between Jim, Ismail, and Dick (Robbins) that he may not have otherwise brought up.
Although the documentary has great value, its most important impact is highlighting Ivory’s role in promoting gay representation, which is often overlooked. While The Remains of the Day, based on Kazuo Ishiguro’s award-winning novel about a reserved butler, is considered their greatest work, it was their film Maurice, a love story between two men, that posed the greatest risk. Released in 1987, at a crucial time during the Aids epidemic and shortly before the Conservative government passed the discriminatory Section 28 law, the movie’s timing was significant.
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Ismail was not as motivated as Jim to create Maurice, according to Soucy. Ruth was also occupied and unable to write it. However, Jim persisted and ultimately succeeded. After the success of A Room with a View, he knew there was a small window of opportunity to make Maurice. Some questioned the decision, but Jim’s determination and perseverance paid off in the end. Paul Bradley, the associate producer, even had people asking him why they were making Maurice instead of any other film. Jim deserves credit for his foresight and persistence in bringing the film to fruition.
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Merchant Ivory is not typically included in discussions of LGBTQ+ cinema, but they have played a role in the community through their work, particularly with the film Maurice. Ron Peck, known for his movie Nighthawks, worked on The Bostonians as part of the crew. Andrew Haigh, who directed All of Us Strangers, had his start in the film industry as a poorly paid assistant in Merchant’s office in Soho in the late 1990s. In Haigh’s breakout film Weekend, one character even mentions pausing the scene of a naked Rupert Graves swimming in A Room With a View to admire his “juddering cock.” Merchant once even offered a part in Savages to Holly Woodlawn, the transgender star of Andy Warhol’s film Trash, but she turned it down due to the low pay offered.
The position of Merchant Ivory at the pinnacle of British cinema couldn’t last for ever. Following the success of The Remains of the Day, which was nominated for eight Oscars, the brand faltered and fizzled. Their films had already been dismissed by the director Alan Parker as representing “the Laura Ashley school” of cinema. Gary Sinyor spoofed their oeuvre in the splendid pastiche Stiff Upper Lips (originally titled Period!), while Eric Idle was plotting his own send-up called The Remains of the Piano. The culture had moved on.
While there was still a desire for British upper-class repression, it only gained success when combined with humor. Screenwriter Richard Curtis enlisted actors from Merchant Ivory’s ensemble such as Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson, and Simon Callow for a string of successful films, starting with Four Weddings and a Funeral. This film removed the high-class individuals from their traditional period attire and placed them in romantic comedy settings.
The group was dividing. Merchant started working on his own projects. When he and Ivory worked together, the outcomes were usually difficult to handle, lacking the strong base of literature found in their best work. Soucy points out, “Films such as Jefferson in Paris and Surviving Picasso were not based on character-driven novels like those by Forster, James, or Ishiguro. Jefferson and Picasso were not appealing figures to audiences.” Four years after Merchant passed away, Ivory’s individual project The City of Your Final Destination became entangled in legal battles, including one with Anthony Hopkins over unpaid earnings.
Soucy’s film, though, is a reminder of their glory days. It may also stoke interest in the movies among young queer audiences whose only connection to Ivory, now 95, is through Call Me By Your Name. “People walk up to Jim in the street to shake his hand and thank him for Maurice,” says Soucy. “But I also wanted to include the more dysfunctional side of how they were made. Hopefully it will be inspiring to young film-makers to see that great work can come out of chaos.”
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Merchant Ivory will be featured in the BFI Flare festival held at BFI Southbank in London on the 16th and 18th of March.
Source: theguardian.com
