Merchant Ivory Productions is a film company founded in 1961 by producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory. 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 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. 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!" 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, its heyday was the 1980s and 1990s with such films as A Room with a View and Howards End. 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.
History
Merchant Ivory Productions was founded in 1961 by Ismail Merchant and James Ivory in India to produce English language films. 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 was an art-house hit in Europe, particularly in England. However, it was not until their work together on A Room with a View 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. Major film studio sought them out with Disney signing Merchant Ivory Productions in 1991 to a three year distribution deal. 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.
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
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
