From Publishers Weekly
Oscar nominee Ivory, one-third of the celebrated Merchant Ivory film team, discusses his approach to movies with Long (
The Films of Merchant Ivory), revealing his thoughts on his work, the machinations of studios and the mistakes he's made, including casting Raquel Welch in
The Wild Party. Classy fare is a Merchant Ivory trademark, what Ivory dubs "sophisticated entertainment." The production team—director Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant and writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala—has created such classics as
A Room with a View,
Howard's End and
The Remains of the Day. Long groups the team's films according to production location, such as India, England, America and France. Given this format, a filmography would be helpful in putting Ivory's career in context, since the book covers his work from college documentaries to 2003's
Le Divorce; alas, there is none. Long provides only two-line plot descriptions for each film; he's more interested in providing an appreciation of Ivory's triumph over difficulties (from ornery actors to scathing reviews) and an insightful interpretation of his movies. Structured as an informal chat between two friends, the book is quite readable, a solid resource for scholars of Merchant Ivory films as well as an in-depth study of Ivory's directorial sensibilities. 70 b&w photos.
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--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Review
"Ivory is a robust and intelligent man, interested in all sorts of things and a good observer of what goes on around him." - The Times "This series of conversations... informs and engages. Ivory charmingly speaks about a career that includes credits ranging from 'A Room with a View' to 'Surviving Picasso.' He offers insight into his technique and artistic approach, selection of subject matter, choice of actors, and interactions with associates like producer Ismail Merchant and writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.... Illuminating and often humorous." - Carol J. Binkowski, Library Journal "James Ivory is one of our greatest living directors, and these pages, deliciously poised between diplomacy and indiscretion, brim with his vast experience of every nook and cranny of the film world. Offering precious insights into how the cinematic cultures of Europe, Asia and America, of Arthouse and Hollywood, came to be blended into a ravishingly beautiful body of work, Ivory also draws for us a vivid picture of what it really feels like to put together an independent movie." - Kazuo Ishiguro"