To be honest, whenever I saw a trailer or commercial for a Merchant Ivory movie the first thought that would come to my mind was “BORING!”. Granted, I was in elementary school and these movies did not appeal to me but, I knew there was something about them because they were so critically acclaimed and kept winning awards. It wasn’t until I was older and finally saw The Remains of the Day that I realized what was so special about these movies.
These were not flashy action-packed movies but they told relatable stories. This was the magic of Merchant Ivory. They told stories that took place in different eras but anyone could see themselves in the characters. In the new documentary, Merchant Ivory, we get to see how this partnership between Ismail Merchant and James Ivory led to some incredible movies. Their friendship and relationship helped propel the lives of many great actors and actresses and make Merchant Ivory an Oscar contender with all of their films.
While watching the documentary you also get the sense of all the panic and mayhem that goes into making the movies. During the interviews with some of the talent involved like Vanessa Redgrave, Hugh Grant, and Helen Bonham Carter, we hear about all of the tension behind the scenes. Many of the actors call the experiences some of the hardest things they ever did in their lives but would go back and work with them if they had the opportunity. When talking about the actors who worked on these movies, Vanessa Redgrave is described as hard to work with. During one of her interviews with the creators of the documentary it gets pretty brutal and we get a glimpse of what was discussed.
The movie is broken down into five chapters and each chapter gives us a look into different aspects of Merchant Ivory. We start off learning about the separate lives of the two men and how their worlds united. We slowly learn how the team began to grow with the addition of Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and Richard Hawley. Ruth was responsible for adapting the screenplays and Richard was a director who later turned into a producer of some of the movies. The breakdown of the chapters helps ease the information to the viewer and does not overwhelm them. Within the chapters, we also learn about the movies that were created in that timeframe and how those movies influenced the movies to come. As the movie continues we see the decline of the studio. After the last movie in 2009, James Ivory finally won an Oscar in 2018 for Call Me By Your Name.
Final Thoughts: Merchant Ivory is a stunning documentary about the incredible history of this movie studio. Through the documentary, we see how this friendship leads to more and also leads to the creation of this magnificent movie studio. The filmmakers interview various actors and they give us a first-hand account of how it was making these movies. Merchant Ivory is a great peek inside this studio and might have you going back and watching their films.
Kid-Friendly: If your children like learning about film history this would be a great watch. The history of Merchant Ivory is interesting and shows how friendships can create amazing things.
Violence: There is no violence in this movie.
Merchant Ivory is a feature documentary film produced and directed by Stephen Soucy in collaboration with Oscar-winner, Director, and Screenwriter, James Ivory.
The film is the definitive presentation and tribute to the Merchant Ivory partnership, anchored by interviews with James Ivory and forty-one Merchant Ivory close collaborators detailing and celebrating their experiences of being a part of the “wandering company” helmed by legendary producer Ismail Merchant.
With six Academy Award-winners among the notable artists participating, including Emma Thompson and Vanessa Redgrave, the documentary provides new and compelling perspectives on a unique partnership that produced seminal films over four decades.