. Their films were for the most part produced by the former, directed by the latter, and scripted by
, with the noted exception of a few films. The films were often based upon novels or short stories, particularly the work of
aimed at the international market," but the company ended up making many films set in England and America.
Some Bollywood and Hollywood actors and producers associated with the tightly-knitted Merchant Ivory film family include
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
. 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. The heyday of this genre was the 1980s and 1990s with such films as
. A typical "Merchant-Ivory film" would be a
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.
| Year |
Title |
Screenwriter |
Other notes |
| 1963 |
The Householder The Householder is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory, and direction of James Ivory. It is based upon the 1960 novel of the same name by Jhabvala....
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
screenplay, adapted from the novel by Jhabvala |
| 1965 |
Shakespeare Wallah Shakespeare Wallah is a 1965 Merchant Ivory Productions film. The story and screenplay are by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Madhur Jaffrey won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the 15th Berlin International Film Festival for her performance...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
screenplay |
| 1969 |
The Guru The Guru is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory.-Plot synopsis:A rock star, Tom Pickle , travels to India to learn to play the sitar with the great musician Ustad Zafar Khan...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
screenplay |
| 1970 |
Bombay TalkieBombay Talkie is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory. Bombay Talkies was a film studio that made films in the early part of the Hindi film industry.-Plot:...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
screenplay |
| 1972 |
Savages |
George Swift Trow and Michael O'Donoghue Michael O'Donoghue was a writer and performer. He was known for his dark and destructive style of comedy and humor, was a major contributor to National Lampoon magazine, and was the first head writer of Saturday Night Live.-Childhood:O'Donoghue was born Michael Henry Donohue in Sauquoit, New York...
|
written by |
| 1975 |
The Wild Party The Wild Party is a 1975 Merchant Ivory Productions film directed by James Ivory, produced by Ismail Merchant, and starring James Coco and Raquel Welch....
|
Walter Marks Walter Marks is an American film and musical theatre composer and lyricist.Walter Marks is noted for the Broadway musical scores for Bajour and Golden Rainbow. The song "I've Gotta Be Me" from Golden Rainbow was recorded by Sammy Davis, Jr...
|
based on a poem by Joseph Moncure March Joseph Moncure March was an American poet and essayist, best known for his long narrative poems The Wild Party and The Set-Up.- Life :...
|
| Autobiography of a Princess Autobiography of a Princess is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions , starring James Mason and Madhur Jaffrey.-Plot:...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
written by |
| 1977 |
Roseland Roseland is a 1977 Merchant Ivory Productions' portmanteau film with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. It was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant....
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
story and screenplay |
| 1978 |
Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions set in India, starring UK great stage actress Dame Peggy Ashcroft....
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
TV (story) |
| 1979 |
The Five Forty-Eight The Five Forty Eight is a 1979 US TV film Merchant Ivory Productions film for television, directed by James Ivory.-Credit:* A Teleplay by Terrence McNally* Based on a story by John Cheever * Produced by Peter Weinberg...
|
Terrance McNally |
based on the story "The Five-Forty-Eight" is a 1954 short story by John Cheever published in The Stories of John Cheever, though it may have been published previously. The story is about a businessman called Blake, who is accosted on a train at gunpoint by his former secretary, named Miss Dent...
by John CheeverJohn William Cheever was an American novelist and short story writer. He is sometimes called "the Chekhov of the suburbs." His fiction is mostly set in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the Westchester suburbs, old New England villages based on various South Shore towns around Quincy,...
|
| The Europeans The Europeans is a 1979 Merchant Ivory Film, directed by James Ivory, produced by Ismail Merchant, and with an adapted screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. It is based upon the novel, The Europeans, by Henry James. It was entered into the 1979 Cannes Film Festival.-Cast:*Lee Remick - Eugenia...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
based on the novel by Henry JamesHenry James, OM was an American-born writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James....
|
| 1980 |
Jane Austen in Manhattan Jane Austen in Manhattan is a Merchant Ivory Film made for LWT in 1980, but released for theatrical in UK and USA. It was the last theatrical film of Anne Baxter and the debut film of Sean Young.-Starring:*Anne Baxter - Lilliana Zorska...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
written by |
| 1981 |
QuartetQuartet is a 1981 Merchant Ivory Film, starring Isabelle Adjani, Maggie Smith, Anthony Higgins and Alan Bates, set in 1924 Paris. It premiered at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival and was an entry for the Selection Officielle...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
based on the novel by Jean Rhys Jean Rhys , born Ella Gwendolen Rees Williams, was a mid 20th-century novelist from Dominica. Educated from the age of 16 in Great Britain, she is best known for her novel Wide Sargasso Sea , written as a "prequel" to Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre.-Early life:Rhys was born in Roseau, Dominica...
|
| 1983 |
The Courtesans of Bombay The Courtesans of Bombay is a 1983 British docudrama directed by Ismail Merchant. A collaboration by Merchant, James Ivory, and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, the film focuses on a Bombay compound known as Pavan Pool, where women aspiring to work in the entertainment industry dance for donations from a male...
|
Ismail Merchant, James Ivory and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
TV feature; directed by Ismail Merchant |
Heat and DustHeat and Dust is a 1983 romantic drama film with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala based upon her novel, Heat and Dust. It was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
based on the novel by Jhabvala |
| 1984 |
The Bostonians The Bostonians is a 1984 Merchant Ivory film based on Henry James's novel of the same name. The film stars Vanessa Redgrave, Christopher Reeve, Madeleine Potter and Jessica Tandy. The movie received respectable reviews and showings at arthouse theaters in New York, London and other cities...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
based on the novel by Henry JamesHenry James, OM was an American-born writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James....
|
| 1985 |
A Room with a View A Room with a View is a 1985 British drama film directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant. The film is a close adaptation of E. M...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
based on the novel by E. M. ForsterEdward Morgan Forster OM, CH was an English novelist, short story writer, essayist and librettist. He is known best for his ironic and well-plotted novels examining class difference and hypocrisy in early 20th-century British society...
|
| 1986 |
My Little Girl My Little Girl is a 1986 American drama film that was released in the U.S. in 1987. The film was the directorial debut of Connie Kaiserman and Jennifer Lopez' first major motion picture. It was the final movie performance of Oscar-winning actress Geraldine Page.-Plot:Franny Bettinger has had a...
|
Connie Kaiserman |
original; directed by Kaiserman |
| 1987 |
MauriceMaurice is a 1987 British film based on the novel of the same title by E. M. Forster. It is a tale of homosexual love in early 20th century England, following its main character Maurice Hall from his school days through university until he is united with his life partner.It was produced by Ismail...
|
James Ivory & Kit Hesketh-Harvey Christopher John "Kit" Hesketh Harvey is a British musical comic performer, translator, composer and scriptwriter.Born in Nyasaland , he was educated as senior chorister at Canterbury Cathedral and then Tonbridge School in Kent before moving on as a choral scholar under John Rutter to Clare...
|
based on the novel by E. M. ForsterEdward Morgan Forster OM, CH was an English novelist, short story writer, essayist and librettist. He is known best for his ironic and well-plotted novels examining class difference and hypocrisy in early 20th-century British society...
|
| 1988 |
The Deceivers The Deceivers is a 1988 adventure film directed by Nicholas Meyer. It stars Pierce Brosnan and Saeed Jaffrey. The film is based on the 1952 John Masters novel of the same name.-Plot:...
|
Michael Hirst Michael Hirst is an English screenwriter, best known for his films Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age ....
|
based on novel by John Masters Lieutenant Colonel John Masters, DSO was an English officer in the British Indian Army and novelist. His works are noted for their treatment of the British Empire in India.-Life:...
|
| The Perfect Murder |
H.R.F. Keating and Zafar Hai |
based on the novel The Perfect Murder is a 1988 English language Indian film directed by Zafar Hai and produced by Merchant-Ivory. The film is based on the 1964 novel The Perfect Murder by British crime fiction writer HRF Keating and stars Naseeruddin Shah as Inspector Ghote, the leading character in Keating's novels...
by Keating |
| 1989 |
Slaves of New York Slaves of New York is a 1989 comedy-drama Merchant Ivory Productions film. It was directed byJames Ivory, produced by Ismail Merchant, and starred Bernadette Peters, Adam Coleman Howard, Chris Sarandon, Mary Beth Hurt, Mercedes Ruehl, Madeleine Potter, and Steve Buscemi.Based on the stories Slaves...
|
Tama Janowitz Tama Janowitz is an American novelist and a short story writer. The 2005 September/October issue of Pages magazine listed her as one of the four "brat pack" authors, along with Bret Easton Ellis, Mark Lindquist and Jay McInerney.-Life:Her parents, a psychiatrist father, Julian Janowitz, and...
|
based on collection of stories by Janowitz |
| 1990 |
Mr. & Mrs. BridgeMr. & Mrs. Bridge is a 1990 Merchant Ivory film based on the novels by Evan S. Connell of the same name. It is directed by James Ivory, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and produced by Ismail Merchant.-Plot:...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
based on novels by Evan S. Connell Evan Shelby Connell, Jr. is an American novelist, poet, and short story-writer. He has also published under the name Evan S. Connell, Jr. His writing has covered a variety of genres, although he has published most frequently in fiction.In 2009, Connell was nominated for the Man Booker...
|
| 1991 |
The Ballad of the Sad Cafe The Ballad of the Sad Café is a 1991 Merchant Ivory film, produced by Ismail Merchant and directed by Simon Callow, starring Vanessa Redgrave and Keith Carradine. Michael Hirst adapted the Edward Albee play, which in turn was based on a novella in a collection of short stories of the same title by...
|
Michael Hirst Michael Hirst is an English screenwriter, best known for his films Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age ....
|
play by Edward AlbeeEdward Franklin Albee III is an American playwright who is best known for The Zoo Story , The Sandbox , Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? , and a rewrite of the screenplay for the unsuccessful musical version of Capote's Breakfast at Tiffany's . His works are considered well-crafted, often...
(based on novel by Carson McCullersCarson McCullers was an American writer. She wrote novels, short stories, and two plays, as well as essays and some poetry. Her first novel The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter explores the spiritual isolation of misfits and outcasts of the South...
)
directed by Simon CallowSimon Phillip Hugh Callow, CBE is an English actor, writer and theatre director. He is also currently a judge on Popstar to Operastar.-Early years:...
|
| Street Musicians of Bombay |
|
directed by Richard Robbins |
| 1992 |
Howards End Howards End is a 1992 film based upon the novel of the same title by E. M. Forster , a story of class relations in turn-of-the-20th-century England...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
based on the novel by E. M. ForsterEdward Morgan Forster OM, CH was an English novelist, short story writer, essayist and librettist. He is known best for his ironic and well-plotted novels examining class difference and hypocrisy in early 20th-century British society...
|
| 1993 |
The Remains of the Day The Remains of the Day is a 1993 Merchant Ivory film adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from the novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. It was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, Mike Nichols and John Calley. It starred Anthony Hopkins as Stevens and Emma Thompson as Miss Kenton with James Fox,...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
based on the novel by Kazuo IshiguroKazuo Ishiguro OBE or ; born 8 November 1954) is a Japanese–English novelist. He was born in Nagasaki, Japan, and his family moved to England in 1960. Ishiguro obtained his Bachelor's degree from University of Kent in 1978 and his Master's from the University of East Anglia's creative writing...
|
| 1994 |
In Custody |
Shahrukh Husain Shahrukh Husain , born 28 April 1950, is an author of Pakistani origin who specializes in fiction, non-fiction, and screenwriting. She is also a psychotherapist, folklorist, and storyteller. She currently resides in London.-Select filmography:...
and Anita DesaiAnita Mazumdar Desai is an Indian novelist and Emeritus John E. Burchard Professor of Humanities at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology...
|
based on the novel by Desai
directed by Ismail Merchant |
| 1995 |
Feast of July Feast of July is a 1995 UK film produced by Merchant Ivory Productions, based on the novel by H. E. Bates, starring Embeth Davidtz and Ben Chaplin.-Plot:...
|
Christopher Neame Christopher Elwin Neame was a British film producer and screenwriter. He was the son of film director Ronald Neame and of Beryl Heanly...
|
based on a novel by H.E. Bates |
| Jefferson in Paris Jefferson in Paris is a 1995 Franco-American historical drama film directed by James Ivory . The screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is a semi-fictional account of Thomas Jefferson's tenure as the Ambassador of the United States to France prior to his Presidency, and his alleged relationships with...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
written by J. T. Hyndman |
| 1996 |
The Proprietor The Proprietor is a 1996 film. It is a U.S.-French co-production Merchant Ivory film, directed by Ismail Merchant for Jeanne Moreau's request.-Starring:*Jeanne Moreau - Adrienne Mark*Sean Young - Virginia Kelly*Sam Waterston - Harry Bancroft...
|
Jean-Marie Besset and George Swift Trow |
directed by Ismail Merchant |
| Surviving Picasso Surviving Picasso is a 1996 Merchant Ivory Film starring Anthony Hopkins as the painter Pablo Picasso. It was shot in Paris and southern France.It was directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant and David L. Wolper...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
screenplay (based on the book by Arianna Huffington Arianna Huffington is a Greek American author and syndicated columnist. She is best known as co-founder of the news website The Huffington Post. A popular conservative commentator in the mid-1990s, she adopted more liberal political beliefs in the late 1990s...
) |
| 1998 |
Side Streets Side Streets is a 1998 Merchant Ivory film directed by Tony Gerber.Ensemble cast included Valeria Golino, Shashi Kapoor, Shabana Azmi, Miho Nikaido, Art Malik, Victor Argo, Rosario Dawson, Jennifer Esposito.-Cast:*Valeria Golino - Sylvie Otti...
|
Tony Gerber, Lynn Nottage |
directed by Tony Gerber Tony Gerber is a filmmaker and the co-founder of Market Road Films, an independent production company. Gerber was born in New York City and lives in Brooklyn, New York with his wife, playwright Lynn Nottage, and their two children.-Career:...
|
A Soldier's Daughter Never CriesA Soldier's Daughter Never Cries is a French/U.S. film directed by James Ivory and written by James Ivory & Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. It stars Leelee Sobieski, Jesse Bradford, Kris Kristofferson, Barbara Hershey and Virginie Ledoyen...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
based on the novel by Kaylie Jones Kaylie Jones is an American novelist. She was raised in Paris.- Background :Kaylie Jones is an American writer, memoirist and novelist...
|
| 1999 |
Cotton Mary Cotton Mary is a 1999 film directed by Ismail Merchant, best known as the producer half of Merchant Ivory and Madhur Jaffrey, actress and author of cookery books. It was filmed in India.-Plot:...
|
Alexandra Viets |
directed by Ismail Merchant |
| 2001 |
The Golden Bowl The Golden Bowl is a 2000 American/British/French drama film directed by James Ivory. The screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is based on the 1904 novel of the same title by Henry James, who considered the work his masterpiece.-Plot:...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
based on the novel by Henry JamesHenry James, OM was an American-born writer, regarded as one of the key figures of 19th-century literary realism. He was the son of Henry James, Sr., a clergyman, and the brother of philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James....
|
| 2002 |
The Mystic Masseur The Mystic Masseur is a Merchant Ivory film based on the novel of the same title by V. S. Naipaul.It is one of relatively few films directed by Ismail Merchant who is better known as the producer in the Merchant Ivory partnership....
|
Caryl Phillips |
based on a novel by V. S. Naipaul Sir Vidiadhar Surajprasad "V. S." Naipaul, TC is a Nobel prize-winning Indo-Trinidadian-British writer who is known for his novels focusing on the legacy of the British Empire's colonialism...
|
| Merci Docteur Rey Merci Docteur Rey is a 2002 Merchant Ivory's gay comedy film directed by Andrew Litvack, starring Diane Wiest and Jane Birkin. Filmed in Paris.-Synopsis:...
|
Andrew Litvack |
directed by Andrew Litvack |
| 2003 |
Le Divorce Le Divorce is a 2003 Merchant Ivory Productions' film directed by James Ivory and the screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and Ivory, based on Diane Johnson's bestselling novel.-Summary:...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala & James Ivory |
based on the novel by Diane Johnson Diane Johnson is an American-born novelist and essayist whose satirical novels often feature American heroines living abroad in contemporary France....
|
| 2004 |
Heights |
Amy Fox |
directed by Chris Terrio Chris Terrio is an American film director and writer based in New York City. After joining the film festival circuit, his short film Book of Kings was shown on IFC in 2004....
|
| 2005 |
The White Countess The White Countess is a 2005 British/American/Chinese drama film directed by James Ivory. The screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro focuses on a disparate group of displaced persons attempting to survive in Shanghai in the late 1930s.-Plot:...
|
Kazuo IshiguroKazuo Ishiguro OBE or ; born 8 November 1954) is a Japanese–English novelist. He was born in Nagasaki, Japan, and his family moved to England in 1960. Ishiguro obtained his Bachelor's degree from University of Kent in 1978 and his Master's from the University of East Anglia's creative writing...
|
screenplay |
| 2007 |
The City of Your Final Destination The City of Your Final Destination is a novel by American writer Peter Cameron. Most of the story takes place in a small town in Uruguay. However, the Uruguay of the novel bears little relation to the geography or culture of the real country...
|
Ruth Prawer Jhabvala |
screenplay (based on book by Peter Cameron) |
| 2008 |
Before the Rains Before the Rains is a 2007 Indian-British period drama film directed by Santosh Sivan. The film adapted of a story from the 2001 anthology Israeli film Asphalt Zahov....
|
Cathy Rabin |
directed by Santosh Sivan |