Merchant Ivory

Synopsis

When budding filmmakers James Ivory and Ismail Merchant, both quietly but openly gay, met in London in 1961, sparks flew — “not love at first sight, maybe at second,” says Ivory in this revelatory documentary.
As a couple, they made 43 films over four decades — including A Room with a View (1985), Howards End (1992), and groundbreaking gay romance Maurice (1987).
Ivory, buttoned-up son of an Oregon lumber baron, was a fastidious director, finessing every detail down to the haircuts on the extras. Producer Merchant, born to Muslims in Mumbai, was dashing and charismatic. After Merchant’s untimely death, Ivory won a screenwriting Oscar for Call Me by Your Name, embracing overdue recognition as a beacon of queer cinema.

"Merchant Ivory" is synonymous with sumptuous costumes, slyly subversive scripts, and legendary performances from Helena Bonham Carter, Emma Thompson, and Vanessa Redgrave — all giving dishy interviews here.