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Ismail Merchant

Born Ismail Noormohamed Abdul Rehman
December 25, 1936
Died May 25, 2005 (aged 68)
Years active 1960 - 2005

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. Events 274 - Roman Emperor Aurelian Year 1936 ( MCMXXXVI) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1085 - Alfonso VI of Castile takes Toledo Spain back from the Moors. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country A film producer is a person who creates the conditions for making movies. Collaboration is a recursive process where two or more people or organizations work together toward an intersection of common goals — for example an intellectual Merchant Ivory Productions (1961-) is a film company founded by director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant. A film director, or filmmaker, is a person who directs the making of a Film. James Francis Ivory (born June 7, 1928) is an award-winning American Film director, best known for the results of his long Collaboration Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, CBE (born May 7, 1927) is a Booker prize-winning Novelist Short story writer and two-time Their films won six Academy Awards. "The Oscar" redirects here for the film see The Oscar (film.

Merchant succeeded as an independent producer in Hollywood for more than 40 years. His strength lay in funding his projects, particularly in his ability to produce films for several million dollars less than those of his contemporaries. [1]

Ivory was Merchant's long-term life partner [1]. James Francis Ivory (born June 7, 1928) is an award-winning American Film director, best known for the results of his long Collaboration A life partner is a romantic partner for life This can be same-sex or opposite-sex married or without marriage and monogamous or polygamous.

Contents

Background

Born Ismail Noormohamed Abdul Rehman in Mumbai, he was the son of Hazra Memon and Noormohamed Haji Abdul Rehman, a Mumbai Memon textile dealer. Mumbai ( Marathi:,, IPA: formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial Memon (મેમણ میمن मेमन an Ethnic group originating from Pakistan and India trace their roots largely to Sindh,a province He grew up bilingual in Gujarati and Urdu, and learned Arabic and English at school. Gujarati (ગુજરાતી Gujǎrātī ? Urdu ( ur '''{{Nastaliq اردو}}''' trans Urdū, historically spelled Ordu) is a Central Indo-Aryan language Urdu is a standardised [1] When he was 11, he and his family were caught up in the 1947 partitioning of India. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country His father was president of the Muslim League, and refused to move to Pakistan. Pakistan () officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country located in South Asia, Southwest Asia, Middle East and Merchant later said that he carried memories of the "butchery and riots" into adulthood. [2]

He studied at St. Xavier's College, Bombay [2] and it was here that he developed his love of film. This article is about the college in Mumbai For other schools called St [1]

When he was 22, he traveled to the United States to study at New York University, where he earned an MBA. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the New York University ( NYU) is a private, Nonsectarian, Coeducational Research University in New York City. The Master of Business Administration ( MBA) is a Master's degree in Business administration, which attracts people from a wide range of academic disciplines He supported himself by working as a messenger for the United Nations and used this opportunity to persuade Indian delegates to fund his film projects. The United Nations ( UN) is an International organization whose stated aims are to facilitate cooperation in International law, International security [1] He said of this experience that "I was not intimidated by anyone or anything". [2]

In 1961, he made a short film, The Creation of Woman. Year 1961 ( MCMLXI) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. It was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and also received an Academy Award nomination. The Cannes Film Festival (le Festival de Cannes founded in 1946 is one of the world's oldest most influential and prestigious Film festivals alongside Venice,

Merchant was also Ivory's long-term life partner. Their professional and romantic partnership lasted from the early 1960s until Merchant's death in 2005. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. [3]

Merchant Ivory Productions

In 1961, Merchant and director James Ivory formed the film production company Merchant Ivory Productions. James Francis Ivory (born June 7, 1928) is an award-winning American Film director, best known for the results of his long Collaboration Merchant Ivory Productions (1961-) is a film company founded by director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant. Their partnership has a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest partnership in independent cinema history. Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records (and in previous U Until Merchant's death in 2005, they produced nearly 40 films, including a number of award winners. Novelist Ruth Prawer Jhabvala was the screenwriter for most of their productions. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, CBE (born May 7, 1927) is a Booker prize-winning Novelist Short story writer and two-time

In 1963, MIP premiered its first production, The Householder, based upon a novel by Jhabvala (she also wrote the screenplay). Year 1963 ( MCMLXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. The Householder (1963 is a film by Merchant Ivory Productions, with a screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and James Ivory. This feature became the first Indian-made film to be distributed internationally by a major American studio, Columbia Pictures. }} Columbia Pictures Industries Inc is an American Film production and distribution company However, it wasn't until the 1970s that the partnership "hit on a successful formula for studied, slow-moving pieces . . . Merchant Ivory became known for their attention to period detail and the opulence of their sets". [1] Their first success in this style was Jhabvala's adaptation of Henry James's The Europeans. Henry James, OM ( –) son of theologian Henry James Sr, brother of the philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James They won Oscars for A Room with a View and Howard's End.

In addition to producing, Merchant directed a number of films and two television features. For television, he directed a short feature entitled Mahatma and the Mad Boy, and a full-length television feature, The Courtesans of Bombay made for Britain’s Channel Four. Channel 4 is a public-service Television and Radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom centred around a television channel of the same name which began Merchant made his film directorial debut with 1993's In Custody based on a novel by Anita Desai, and starring Bollywood actor Shashi Kapoor. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Anita Mazumdar Desai (born June 24, 1937) is an Indian novelist and Emeritus John E Bollywood (बॉलीवूड بالی وڈ is the informal term popularly used for the Mumbai -based Hindi-language Film industry in India Shashi Kapoor ( Hindi: शशि कपूर born Balbir Raj Kapoor on March 18, 1938 in Calcutta is an Indian film actor and Filmed in Bhopal, India, it went on to win National Awards from the Government of India for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Costume and Best Production Design. Bhopāl ( Hindi: भोपाल bʰoːpɑːl, Marathi -भोपाळ is a city in central India. His second directing feature, "The Proprietor," starred Jeanne Moreau, Sean Young, Jean-Pierre Aumont and Christopher Cazenove and was filmed on location in Paris. Jeanne Moreau (French ʒan mɔˈʁo born 23 January, 1928) is a BAFTA Awards -winning French Actress, Screenwriter Sean Young (born November 20, 1959) is an American actress. Early life Young was born as Mary Sean Young in Jean-Pierre Aumont (5 January 1911 – 30 January 2001 was a French Actor. Christopher Cazenove (born December 17 1943) is a British cinema television and stage actor Paris (ˈpærɨs in English; in French) is the Capital of France and the country's largest city

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. Someone once described us as a three-headed god. Maybe they should have called us a three-headed monster!" [4].

Cooking and writing

Merchant was also well known for his "lavish private parties". [1] He was fond of cooking, and he wrote several books on the art including Ismail Merchant’s Indian Cuisine; Ismail Merchant’s Florence; Ismail Merchant’s Passionate Meals and Ismail Merchant’s Paris: Filming and Feasting in France. 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 . Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) . . The Proprietor. His most recent book is entitled, My Passage From India: A Filmmaker’s Journey from Bombay to Hollywood and Beyond.

Awards

In 2002, he was awarded the Padma Bhushan. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. The Padma Bhushan award is an Indian civilian decoration established on January 2, 1954 by the President of India.

Mr. Merchant was a recipient of The International Center in New York's Award of Excellence.

Death

Merchant died in London, aged 68, following surgery for abdominal ulcers[5]. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom. In Vertebrates such as Mammals the abdomen (belly constitutes the part of the body between the Thorax (chest and Pelvis. Ulcers are healing wounds that develop on the skin mucous membranes or eye

He was buried in the Bada Kabrestan in Marine Lines, Mumbai, on 28 May 2005, in keeping with his wish to be laid to rest with his ancestors. Marine Lines (मरीन लाईन्स is an area in South Mumbai. Mumbai ( Marathi:,, IPA: formerly Bombay, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the financial Events 585 BC - A Solar eclipse occurs as predicted by Greek philosopher and scientist Thales, while Alyattes is battling Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Filmography

Director

Producer

External links

Notes

  1. ^ a b c d e f Cheek of the devil
  2. ^ a b cited in Cheek of the devil

References

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