Merchant Ivory Productions is a film company founded in 1961 by director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant. Their films were for the most part directed by the former, produced by the latter, and scripted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (a noted exception of a few films). The films were often based upon novels or short stories, particularly the work of Henry James, E. M. Forster, and two novels by Jhabvala herself.

The initial goal of the company was "to make English-language films in India aimed at the international market," but the company ended up making many films set in England and America.

Some Hollywood actors and producers associated with the tightly-knitted Merchant Ivory film family include Uma Thurman, Madhur Jaffrey, Aparna Sen, Shashi Kapoor, Jennifer Kendal, Hugh Grant, James Wilby, Rupert Graves, Anthony Hopkins, Glenn Close, Emma Thompson, Vanessa Redgrave, 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!".^[1]

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. The heyday of this genre 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 disillusion and tragic entanglements.^{[2] [3]}

[edit] Selected filmography

[edit] Notes

[edit] External links

• Official website
• Merchant Ivory Productions at the Internet Movie Database

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