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The Remains of the Day (1993)

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3 articles from 2005

27 May 2005 | From wenn.com | See recent WENN news

A galaxy of stars, including Sir Anthony Hopkins and Ralph Fiennes, have paid emotional tributes to veteran movie producer Ismail Merchant, who died from a stomach-related illness Wednesday at the age of 68. Merchant garnered critical acclaim for Oscar-winning period films like Howards End and The Remains Of The Day, which he made with long-term Merchant Ivory partner James Ivory. Hopkins and Fiennes are devastated by the film entrepreneur's death, and credit him with inspiring them to approach movies in a more inventive and passionate way. Hopkins, who starred in Howards End and Remains of the Day, says, "I'm deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Ismail Merchant. He was the one and truly great maverick producer, a law to himself. He could charm the birds out of the trees, which had its very positive side and sometimes he could get you to work for nothing." Fiennes says of his time shooting Merchant's latest movie The White Countess, "Having just finished working with Ismail and James Ivory in Shanghai, I was full of admiration for their passion and commitment to the film we were making. There was no one like him."

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25 May 2005 | From IMDb News

Producer <N N="0580337">Ismail Merchant</N>, who, along with <N N="0412465">James Ivory</N>, brought such acclaimed literary adaptations as <T T="0091867">A Room with a View</T> and <T T="0104454">Howards End</T> to the screen, died Wednesday in London; he was 68. Reports on Merchant's death cited that he had been ill for some time and had undergone surgery for abdominal ulcers, and passed away at a London hospital surrounded by family and friends. Born in Bombay and educated both there and in New York, Merchant studied film at USC and early in his career produced and directed a number of acclaimed shorts. His film work brought him to the attention of New York's Asia Society, which commissioned him to make a documentary about Delhi. In India, he met American director <N N="0412465">James Ivory</N>, and in 1961 the two embarked on a career together (both personally and professionally) that would result in more than 40 films; the first was <T T="0057162">The Householder</T> (1963), based on the novel by <N N="0695609">Ruth Prawer Jhabvala</N>, who, as their longtime screenwriter, was effectively the third "partner" in Merchant-Ivory Films. Initially, Merchant-Ivory was formed with the charter of making English-language films in India for international release, and their films reflected the conflicts between Indian and British culture. In the early '70s, they tentatively explored new territory &#150; specifically 1920s Hollywood &#150; with <T T="0073903">The Wild Party</T>, but wouldn't find success outside of India-based films until 1979's <T T="0079123">The Europeans</T>, based on the <N N="0416556">Henry James</N> novel, which marked their first major literary adaptation. <p> Small but acclaimed films followed, including <T T="0080945">Jane Austen in Manhattan</T> and <T T="0084058">Heat and Dust</T>, but Merchant-Ivory made a name for itself in the mid-'80s with two Oscar-nominated films: 1984's <T T="0086992">The Bostonians</T>, featuring an Academy Award-nominated performance by <N N="0000603">Vanessa Redgrave</N>, and their breakout hit, 1985's <T T="0091867">A Room With a View</T>, the sublime adaptation of <N N="0286950">E.M. Forster</N>'s novel. The film made a star of a young ing&#233;nue named <N N="0000307">Helena Bonham Carter</N>, established Merchant-Ivory as <I>the</I> highbrow literary filmmakers, and received eight Oscar nominations, including Best Picture (it won three). Taking on Forster again, Merchant-Ivory made the groundbreaking gay-themed drama <T T="0093512">Maurice</T> in 1987 before unsuccessfully trying on modern-day Manhattan in <T T="0098347">Slaves of New York</T>. After that film, Merchant-Ivory returned to classic literary adaptations including <T T="0100200">Mr. and Mrs. Bridge</T> and two back-to-back Best Picture nominees, <T T="0104454">Howards End</T> (eight Oscar nominations and three wins, including Best Actress for <N N="0000668">Emma Thompson</N>) and <T T="0107943">The Remains of the Day</T> (also eight nominations). Merchant's remaining films, from <T T="0113463">Jefferson in Paris</T> (1995) to <T T="0306734">Le Divorce</T> (2003) were relatively well-received, but never achieved the heights of his previous films. No further details regarding Merchant's death were forthcoming, and a statement was expected to be released later in the day. <I>--Prepared by IMDb staff</I>

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25 May 2005 | From Studio Briefing | See recent Studio Briefing news

Producer-director Ismail Merchant, half the team of Merchant and Ivory, whose films included such critically acclaimed films as Howard's End, The Remains of the Day and A Room With a View, has died in London at the age of 68. Cause of death was not disclosed. At the time of his death, Merchant was completing work on the film The Goddess, starring Tina Turner and Matthew Modine, which he had directed in his native India earlier this year. In an interview with the BBC, producer David Puttnam remarked, "What's gone is a major character and a unique film producer -- someone who completely defined independence in the film industry."

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3 articles from 2005