View Advanced Movie Data

View box office forecast and results and data from online trends

Merchant Ivory(2024)

1h 52m
- Documentary

Release Date: Aug 30, 2024 | Limited

Follows the history of the Merchant Ivory partnership, featuring interviews with James Ivory and close collaborators detailing and celebrating their experiences of being a part of the company.

Official Website

Releases

Original Release | Aug 30, 2024

Director & Top Cast

Stephen Soucy
Director

John David Allen
Self

David Bahanovich
Self

Jenny Beavan
Self

Helena Bonham Carter
Self

Paul Bradley
Self

John Bright

Self - Costume Designer

Simon Callow

Self

Peter Cameron

Self

Daniel Day-Lewis

Self

Humphrey Dixon

Self

Celestia Fox

Self

James Fox

Self

Catherine Freeman

Self

Joe Friedman

Self

Patrick Godfrey

Self

Nickolas Grace

Self

Hugh Grant

Self

Other Details

Country of Origin: United States

Language: English

Summaries

Storyline

In hearing the phrase "Merchant Ivory", most would arguably first think of lush period drama films of the late 1980s and 1990s adapted from literary sources. For those in the know, many of those insiders who are interviewed for this documentary, it was an independent film company from the early 1960s to the mid 2000s centered on four creatives, most specifically the first two, and each's primary role: producer Ismail Merchant , director James Ivory , screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala , and the latest to join the group, composer Richard Robbins . Its filmography largely in chronological order, and which does not solely consist of these period dramas, but which were arguably its most successful, are presented. Their business and personal relationships are discussed, both which are intertwined in that Merchant and Ivory were in a personal relationship for that entire period, Merchant, Ivory and Jhabvala lived together for much of that time, and Merchant and Robbins also embarked on a personal relationship together in Merchant and Ivory's relationship being filled with somewhat open "extramarital" (i.e. they never having married) liaisons. Specifically with Merchant and Ivory, the yin and the yang between the two is also presented, Merchant described as the "con man" who did anything both to secure funding and reduce costs (their films made on a shoestring, especially considering the expense associated with costume pieces), and Ivory the soft spoken perfectionist. Their method of working also led to the familial atmosphere of their productions, albeit most of the time a dysfunctional family, but one where there was an overall mentality by all involved of making an end product of which they all would be proud. With Ivory the sole surviving member of the foursome at the production of this film, an epilogue of sorts is provided in showing Ivory's professional life, especially since Merchant's unexpected passing in 2005. — Huggo

Headlines

Space Thriller ‘Slingshot’, Little League Drama ‘You Gotta Believe’, Docs ‘Me...

Deadline Hollywood
30-Aug-2024

Merchant Ivory(2024)

Director & Top Cast

Stephen Soucy

John David Allen

David Bahanovich

Jenny Beavan

Helena Bonham Carter

Paul Bradley

John Bright

Simon Callow

Peter Cameron

Daniel Day-Lewis

Humphrey Dixon

Celestia Fox

James Fox

Catherine Freeman

Joe Friedman

Patrick Godfrey

Nickolas Grace

Hugh Grant

Other Details

Summaries

Storyline

Headlines

Space Thriller ‘Slingshot’, Little League Drama ‘You Gotta Believe’, Docs ‘Me...