Ismail Merchant
Ismail Merchant, together with director James Ivory, belonged to one of the most prolific teams in filmmaking history. Working in tandem, Merchant and Ivory virtually cornered the market on the mannered parlor drama with films like 'A Room with a View' and 'Howards End,' to the point that the mere mention of their names carries the power to instantly conjure up sounds of rattling teacups and rustling corsets. While common themes and locations often resurface in the duo's best work, few can question the sheer breadth of human experience covered over the span of their four-decade collaboration. Before his death, Merchant shared with us five films that inspired their film Le Divorce, a Parisian romance set in the present day (it's the only Merchant Ivory film ever to feature a snippet of a 'Simpsons' episode). Merchant also produced 'Heights,' an ensemble drama about modern New York relationships from first-time director Chris Terrio, opening later this summer, along with Ivory's forthcoming 'The White Countess,' which opens in November.
Gone With the Wind
Gone With the Wind (1939)
| (dir: Victor Fleming, starring: Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable) I saw it as a child in Bombay, queuing up, and then I came [to the States] and saw it. All that was so extraordinary for me. I admire the whole story, which is just so fascinating. It's full of such wonderful information about American history, the South, the Civil War and Atlanta burning. I was fascinated by the formidable women in the story, the love and passion and intense sort of relationship which Scarlett O'Hara desires, not so much from her husband, Rhett Butler, but from Ashley. And Melanie, the other sister who also suffered through all this but didn't say very much. It was such a wonderful thing to see, the contrasting characters of these two women, both from the South, and yet both so different. Scarlett O'Hara was ready to go and do anything she could, particularly in that remarkable scene where she lifts the earth of Tara and vows, "I'll never go hungry again." It was an amazingly magical film. There is some connection with 'Heat and Dust,' the film [James Ivory and I] made in India with Julie Christie. I think it is because one has had such influential films in one's lifetime that you draw upon them and want to make films that give you a lasting impression. |
An American in Paris
An American in Paris (1951)
| (dir: Vincente Minelli, starring: Gene Kelly, Leslie Caron) I think the reason I'm drawn to 'An American in Paris' has to do with seeing Paris reconstructed on the MGM backlot. The movie never went beyond the studio, and yet you saw the bohemian Paris, the painters and the American's love for it. That was another thing that appealed to me very much. 'Le Divorce' is also set entirely in Paris (with Leslie Caron), but it was all shot on location in Paris. Every single thing, including the Eiffel Tower, the streets and cafés and the atmospheres of the Left and Right Banks, all of that is real. If we were to make this film 30 years ago, we would have done it in one of the studio lots, but it would not have been the same. With 'An American in Paris,' it was all fabricated in a studio, and the real Paris was left out. Of course, you can fabricate anything, but we believe in the reality, where you are really entrenched in a location. The whole thing about using the real room with furniture, tapestries, those four solid walls and the window with a view, that gives you a real feeling of a place and time. |
The Apu Trilogy
The Apu Trilogy (1955-1959)
| (dir: Satyajit Ray, starring: Soumitra Chatterjee, Sharmila Tagore) The Apu Trilogy, starting with 'Pather Panchali,' 'Aparajito' and finally 'Apur Sansar,' tells the journey of this young man's journey from a poor Bengali village to a university, where he studies and then becomes a writer, has a relationship and marries this girl who just comes into his life. He goes to visit a friend's sister's wedding, and then he becomes the bridegroom. You discover such an amazing world in this wonderful trilogy. For me, 'Apur Sansar' is a great, great movie, and I have learned a lot from this master, Satyajit Ray, who has directed many, many films, and was given an honorary Oscar for his body of work some years ago. The particular thing I admire about his films is their human drama. He makes these wonderful connections with human life, getting at the real core of life and emotions. It's a very intense drama, and it unfolds like the chapters of a wonderful book. That is why the Apu Trilogy has been considered among the greatest movies ever made. |
Nashville
Nashville (1975)
| (dir: Robert Altman, starring: Lily Tomlin, Ned Beatty) I think 'Nashville' is the great American movie and an amazing way of showing something about America, where different characters come to Nashville and speak out about political campaigns and music and relationships with people. Robert Altman has really created the grandest tapestry, and it is one of the most remarkable movies made here. In 'Le Divorce,' we managed to do the same thing Altman does with the actors, a sort of improvisation. When the actors felt they could bring something creative and wonderful, we took it immediately. Like Matthew Modine in the film, there's a wonderful scene in the bookstore. When we were doing the rehearsal, he came up with the idea of asking Kate Hudson's character, "Have you ever loved anyone? Do you love your puppy?" He came up with that to underline how he's suffering because the person he loves has betrayed him. We are very lucky that apart from writing good stories and characters, we have had the benefit of all these marvelous actors bringing them to life. From Vanessa Redgrave to Maggie Smith to Michael Godfrey to Shekhar Kapur to Greta Scacchi to Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward, it's just an amazing ensemble really. |
The Remains of the Day
The Remains of the Day (1993)
| (dir: James Ivory, starring: Anthony Hopkins, Emma Thompson) Kazuo Ishiguro's novel is such a layered story about the English relationship with the Nazis before World War II. Anthony Hopkins gives the most brilliant performance as this butler who is so loyal to his master that he cannot allow himself to speak against him, while his own love is thwarted. He loves Emma Thompson's character, but he doesn't get to say, "I love you." The whole atmosphere of the film is so beautifully evoked, the cast and the music is amazing. All those things for me, it was like, you know, sometimes you do a painting and it is the perfect painting? The strokes are right, the color is right, the feeling is right, everything about it. If I could only select one film from my collaboration with James Ivory and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, it is a perfect, perfect movie. Of course, we've done so many films, and our history is 42 years of collaboration, so it is really quite rich. People should go and look into it because all these films are coming out on DVD, so audiences really have a chance to see it as a complete work. |
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