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May 26, 2005
Ismail Merchant - Dies at 68
I was sad to hear about the death of Ismail Merchant -- I'm a big fan of Merchant/Ivory films, most particularly The Remains of the Day, a terrific adaptation of the brilliant Iziguro novel. I also very much liked their Howards End and A Room with a View. Maybe I'll take some time this month and rent their adaptation of Ruth Praber Jhabvala's Heat and Dust -- I've been meaning to watch it for some time (and read the book).
Based on Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's Booker Prize winning novel of the same name, this film is not so much as being about India but rather using the country as an effective setting to tell a story spanning approximately 3 generations. Two story lines - one set in the past and one in the present - are juxtaposed and connected by the narrative of a young British woman who seeks to uncover the truth about an ancestor who once caused quite a scandal by having an affair with a local Nawab. The story lines examine the impact of Western and Indian cultures as lifestyles, social mores, and centuries of history clash and collide. A tapestry of India is woven, as seen through the eyes of the narrator, a foreigner, who sincerely attempts to grasp and interpret her observations.
I can't think of a better way to mark the passing of a tremendously influential man. Merchant wrote a charming cookbook too, which really gives a sense of him as a person, as well as including some fine recipes.
Posted by Mary Anne Mohanraj at May 26, 2005 08:16 AM
Comments
I watched Heat and Dust the other day. A superb story of two women and the different in choices ooen to them just because of the era they are born in. An excellent script directed wonderfully.
Posted by: Soniah Kamal at May 27, 2005 12:34 PM
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