By Jonathan Monovich.
Chronicling both the hits and lesser known entries in the Merchant/Ivory catalogue, Soucy’s film thrives due to its expansive presence of recurring cast and crew collaborators.”
The glam/art rock icon, Bryan Ferry, famously said “other bands wanted to wreck hotel rooms; Roxy Music wanted to redecorate them.”1 Analogously, Ferry’s film counterparts would be James Ivory and Ismail Merchant. Possessing a background in architecture with an initial desire to be a film set designer, Ivory in particular had an impeccable eye for interior design. Though the Merchant/Ivory signature is surely known for the enclosed beauty of tastefully furnished households, their films also possess striking representations of the beauty of the natural world. Defined by elegance, class, and delicacy, the Merchant/Ivory duo created one of the most recognizable styles in the history of independent cinema. Though many Merchant/Ivory films are opulent period pieces, it is crucial to recognize that when you listen to the dialogue there is often criticism of the aristocracy. Stephen Soucy’s documentary, Merchant Ivory (2024), offers an entertaining history of the duo and their long spanning career. Chronicling both the hits and lesser known entries in the Merchant/Ivory catalogue, Soucy’s film thrives due to its expansive presence of recurring cast and crew collaborators. Throughout, there are plenty of amusing anecdotes that help define the essence of these men and their work. Merchant Ivory is a worthwhile watch that plays like a companion piece to Robert Emmet Long’s book, The Films of Merchant Ivory, and James Ivory’s memoir, Solid Ivory. Unfortunately, with Merchant having passed in 2005, his presence is limited to archival footage. With that being said, Soucy was successfully able to convince Ivory to be a part of the project, which greatly aids in personalizing the story. Merchant Ivory occasionally seems unfocused, trying to do too much. Ironically, the same can be said about the Merchant/Ivory films. Nonetheless, there is an undeniable charm to the forty plus Merchant/Ivory films that spanned from 1961-2007 and their retelling by Soucy.
What makes Merchant Ivory unique is its recognition that the Merchant/Ivory films were very much a team effort. Often times, documentaries centered on filmmaking solely fetishize directors, yet Soucy (pictured below with James Ivory) appropriately credits screenwriters, composers, actors, costume designers, and more for their contributions. In the film’s opening, it is pridefully asserted that Merchant produced forty-two films and Ivory directed thirty. Simultaneously, Ruth Prawer Jhablava wrote twenty-three and Richard Robbins scored twenty-one. Provided that many of the Merchant/Ivory films were made on limited budgets, Merchant Ivory makes it very clear that Ismail Merchant was a miracle worker in finding ways to modestly finance their films. His business degree from NYU paired with his passion for film helped him to be an incredibly successful producer. Merchant would even personally cook meals on set to help save on cost. This had additional positive effects as it also helped to develop a sense of family amongst the Merchant/Ivory troupe. Though the interviewed collaborators speak very positively of both Merchant and Ivory, Emma Thompson jokingly states that after production wraps on a Merchant/Ivory film “everyone always says never again.” Stories about costume designer Jenny Beaven having to cut and sew the clothes for 150 actors for A Room with a View (1985) while pregnant, Vanessa Redgrave fueling coworkers to protests over low pay for The Bostonians (1984), and Anthony Hopkins suing for unpaid wages over The City of Your Final Destination (2009) help explain why that is. Despite the difficulties that Merchant/Ivory faced, it is very apparent that the reason why so many desired to work with them was both in wanting to embrace challenge and as a labor of love to be a part of their artistry. Particularly, actors were incredibly fond of Ivory for it is said that “he doesn’t direct. He trusts.”
Soucy structures Merchant Ivory into five chapters with animated title cards, which helps organize the herculean task of condensing the Merchant/Ivory oeuvre in less than two hours. As a result, films like Roseland (1977), A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries (1998), Le Divorce (2003), The White Countess (2005), and others are given little attention. Understandably, the primary emphasis of Merchant Ivory is on their most famous films with A Room with a View onward to Maurice (1987), Howard’s End (1992), The Remains of the Day (1993), etc. Soucy is also keen to recall the origin of the Merchant/Ivory relationship and their early Indian-set films like Shakespeare-Wallah (1965), The Guru (1969), and Bombay Talkie (1970) that Wes Anderson playfully referenced in The Darjeeling Limited (2007). Merchant Ivory is a star-studded affair with Hugh Grant, Helena-Bonham Carter, and many more making appearances, but perhaps the most interesting aspect of Merchant Ivory is in deciphering the great contrast between these men. Merchant is described as a “firecracker” and “vivacious,” while Ivory is described as “quietly determined.” The yin/yang quality of their relationship is also compared to Laurel and Hardy. Going further, the secrecy of Merchant and Ivory’s romantic partnership is studied as are the reasons for the privacy. Ivory at first seems hesitant in discussing his love life, but opens up over time in Merchant Ivory. Soucy respectfully approaches the subject matter and does so to help reiterate how greatly times have changed from Merchant and Ivory’s first meeting in New York City in 1961 to the release of Call Me By Your Name (2018) for which Ivory finally won an Oscar. Ivory further discusses his personal life in revealing the autobiographical nature of Mr. & Mrs. Bridge (1990) and the similarities of his upbringing and Douglas Bridge’s (Robert Sean Leonard).
Though the Merchant/Ivory films grew with ambition and became more and more grandiose over time, they also became less successful after veering from independence to working with giants like Disney and Warner Bros. Both Merchant and Ivory also faced difficulties in jealousy due to their involvements with multiple partners. Despite their setbacks and obstacles, the Merchant/Ivory brand is one that continues to influence contemporary cinema. At 96 years old, Ivory continues to work and is currently in process of adapting the novel The End of Eddy for the screen. Though Soucy’s Merchant Ivory documentary has its ups and downs like the Merchant/Ivory filmography, its pacing and professionalism should be applauded. For a first time feature-length documentary, Merchant Ivory is quite good.
Merchant Ivory is exclusively in theaters, starting August 30th, via Cohen Media Group.
Note
- Buckley, David. “Chapter 3: The Sixties End Today: 1972.” The Thrill of It All: The Story of Bryan Ferry & Roxy Music, Chicago Review Press, Chicago, Illinois, 2004, p. 57.
Jonathan Monovich is a Chicago-based writer and a regular contributor for Film International. His writing has also been featured in Film Matters, Bright Lights Film Journal, and PopMatters.