To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Merchant-Ivory productions, Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is holding a month-long tribute, airing movies every Thursday night for the month of September. Unfortunately I was unable to watch the first night of movies (9/8) because I was attending a wedding but I am determined to go all in starting tonight.
The lineup for this evening’s programming is:
- Remains of the Day, The (1993) – currently on
- Howards End (1992)
- A Room With a View (1985)
- Maurice (1987)
The directing/producing team of James Ivory and Ismail Merchant. Their trademark is a collection of films that are understated adaptations of novels. Often these films were written for the screen by long time collaborator Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.
Easily my favorite of the bunch is A Room With a View with Howards End and Remains of the Day. I do however easily concede that these films are not for everyone. For some, the pacing and restraint shown in several of their films can leave one feeling a bit overanxious for something more active to appear on screen. For me the strength of the performances more than makes up
Consult the TCM Program Guide for a full layout of the schedule.
I love the movies on this list that I’ve seen. The only one I haven’t watched, except for snippets, here and there, is HOWARD’S END.
I am a big fan of ROOM WITH A VIEW and MAURICE, especially.
One of the things about the Merchant/Ivory magic that always endeared itself to me was the acute attention to detail.
Yvette – ARWAV was my breakthrough film from them. I have slowly tried to see some of their earlier works as well.