Ismail Merchant - Merchant Ivory Productions, Cooking, Death, Filmography

Film producer, born in Mumbai (Bombay), W India. In 1961 he collaborated with James Ivory in setting up a film production company, Merchant-Ivory Productions. They made their first film, The Householder, in 1963, and achieved international success with Shakespeare Wallah (1965). Later works include The Bostonians (1984), the Oscar-nominated A Room With A View (1985), Howards End (1992), The Remains of the Day (1993), Surviving Picasso (1996), and Goldfish Bowl (2000). He also worked as a director, his films including The Proprietor (1996) and Cotton Mary (1999). In 2002 he was awarded, with James Ivory, a BAFTA Fellowship for outstanding contributions to world cinema. A memoir, My Passage from India, appeared the same year.

Ismail Merchant (December 25, 1936 – May 25, 2005) was an Indian-born film producer, best known for the results of his famously long collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions which included director James Ivory and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.

Ivory was also Merchant's long-term life partner .

In 1961, he made a short film, The Creation of Woman.

Merchant Ivory Productions

In 1961, Merchant created the film production company, Merchant Ivory Productions, with James Ivory. Until Merchant's death in 2005, the company produced a number of award winning films.

In addition to producing, Merchant has directed a number of films and two television features. It was filmed in Bhopal, India, and went on to win National Awards from the Government of India for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Costume and Best Production Design.

Of his partnership with Ivory and Jhabvala, 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.

Cooking

Fond of cooking, he wrote several books on the art including Ismail Merchant’s Indian Cuisine; He also wrote books on film-making, including a book about the making of the film The Deceivers in 1988 called Hullabaloo in Old Jeypur, and another about the making of The Proprietor called Once Upon a Time .

Death

Merchant died in London, aged 68, following surgery for abdominal ulcers.

Filmography

Director

The Mystic Masseur (2002) Cotton Mary (1999) The Proprietor (1996) Lumière and Company (1995, segment "Merchant Ivory, Paris") co-director with James Ivory In Custody(1993) (feature debut) The Courtesans of Bombay (1983, documentary) Mahatma and the Mad Boy (1974, short)

Producer

The White Countess (2005) Heights (2004) Le Divorce (2003) Merci Docteur Rey (2002) The Golden Bowl (2001) Cotton Mary (2000) A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (1998) Side Streets (1998) - executive producer Surviving Picasso (1996) Lumière and Company (1995, segment) Jefferson in Paris (1995) Feast of July (1995) - executive producer The Remains of the Day (1993) Howards End (1991) Street Musicians of Bombay (1991) - executive producer Mr & Mrs Bridge (1990) The Ballad of the Sad Café (1990) Slaves of New York (1989) The Perfect Murder (1988) - executive producer The Deceivers (1988) Maurice (1987) My Little Girl (1986) - executive producer A Room with a View (1985) Noon Wine (1985, TV) - executive producer (not Merchant Ivory) The Bostonians (1984) Heat and Dust (1983) The Courtesans of Bombay (1983) - also director Quartet (1981) Jane Austen in Manhattan (1980) The Europeans (1979) Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures (1976) Roseland (1977) Sweet Sounds (1976, short) The Wild Party (1975) Autobiography of a Princess (1975) Mahatma and the Mad Boy (1974, short) - also director Helen: Queen of the Nautch Girls (1973, short) Savages (1973) Adventures of a Brown Man in Search of Civilization (1972, TV) Bombay Talkie (1970) The Guru (1969) Shakespeare Wallah (1965) The Householder (1963) The Creation of Woman (1960, short)