Quick takes on The Bostonians and other Merchant Ivory films

Over the last couple years, I’ve been working my way through the Merchant Ivory films (see a quick blurb about them here and here), after having started with a couple film adaptations of books I had read. Continuing in that endeavor, I’ve got five more up today, starting with 1975’s Autobiography of a Princess. Part fiction, part documentary, this short film (about an hour) has just two actors: Madhur Jaffrey plays an Indian princess living in England in the 70s, who is visited by an old friend of her father’s, Cyril (the incomparable James Mason). The two get together every year to reminisce about old times, and watch home videos of their time in India. The movies they watch, and commentary on, are of true maharajas and dignitaries from India. It is a fascinating glimpse into a way of life that no longer exists, and ultimately it shows the disparity in how that era is remembered. The princess recalls her father fondly and talks of him in glowing terms, but Cyril, an employee and English tutor to the man, remembers him much differently, dashing her reveries with a contemporary adult’s perspective. I was enchanted the whole way through. ★★★★

The Courtesans of Bombay is cut from the same cloth. This time, the focus is on people living in an enclosed compound in Bombay, filled with woman who have dreams (or at least, once had dreams) of making it big in the local film and entertainment industry. Instead, they find themselves dancing for men during the day, and (implied) prostituting at night. Again, just a handful of professional actors, including a man playing the rent collector in the compound, and another portraying an older lady and former courtesan, but everyone else in the movie are real residents of the apartments. They are interviewed, and their stories told, through the lens of a “fictional” setting. No real plot to speak of, other than the tales told by the actors, so the movie comes off as more of a straight documentary as compared to the film above. There are some good moments, but being not a huge fan of docs, I wasn’t as engrossed. ★★½

The Bostonians, based on the famous Henry James book (which I, ahem, did not enjoy so much), is a fairly faithful adaptation of the book. But unlike the novel, I liked the movie quite a bit. Madeleine Potter is Verena, a beautiful young woman with charisma and a knack for public speaking, who has been made the poster girl for the women’s rights movement. She catches the eye of Olive (Vanessa Redgrave), who takes Verena into her circle. Like the book, Olive’s lesbianism is implied but never confirmed. Olive’s main competition for Verena’s attention is Basil Ransom (Christopher Reeve), a southerner who doesn’t care a whit for women’s rights; he wants to marry Verena to quiet her voice and make her a housewife. Like the other Merchant Ivory films taking place in this era, this movie is beautifully filmed and visually gorgeous, and the trio of main actors are all spot-on in their portrayals here. Redgrave, already established in the industry, is marvelous, and Reeve, who already had three Superman movies under his belt by 1984, is solid too. Minor supporting roles for Jessica Tandy, Linda Hunt, and Wallace Shawn round out the all-star cast. ★★★½

I read four EM Forster novels during my 100 book quest (and enjoyed 3 of the 4 immensely), but did not read Maurice, published posthumously due to its content. The eponymous Maurice (James Wilby) is a young man at Cambridge in the early 20th century when we get to know him. He becomes good friends with a rich student from a storied family there, Clive (Hugh Grant, in one of his first films and his first leading role). The two begin to show physical affection for each other, until Clive admits to Maurice that he is in love with him. Maurice is at first repulsed, due to the era’s religious and legal ramifications of homosexuality, but he slowly begins to reciprocate. However, Clive doesn’t want to ever allow their relationship to go too far, knowing that his family has high expectations for him in the future, and he can’t do anything to mess that up. After a few years, Clive begins to distance himself from Maurice, and even gets married, leaving Maurice in limbo. Maurice is left to find his own path on his own. It’s a very daring film for when it was made (1987). While the acting is superb and the sets are dazzling, as you’d expect from a Merchant Ivory production, I didn’t quite connect to the sometimes aimless-feeling story. Maurice’s life just sort of meanders along, and as a viewer, I started to feel as lost as he was. ★★½

Ismail Merchant stepped out of the producer role and directed his first film 1993. In Custody is about a college teacher, Deven, who’s real passion is preserving the Urdu language, especially its poetry, which he sees dying out and little discussed. With backing from a couple colleagues, he sets out to interview Nur Shahjenabadi, one of Urdu’s most famous poets. When he gets to Nur’s mansion though, he finds a household in chaos. Nur’s first wife and much-younger second wife are at odds, and Nur has surrounded himself with admirers and sycophants who praise his every word and entice him to spend money on lavish parties and booze. Nur has gotten old and fat, and Deven’s hero has become a drunken sot. Deven purchases a cheap tape recorder, not even knowing how to properly use it, and tries to record Nur reading some of his own poetry, for posterity’s sake, but his attempts are met with disaster in the tumultuous house. The film is obviously a metaphor for the changing times in India, with the Urdu language lovers (Deven, Nur, and others in the film) unable to grasp modern technology, while the younger generation doesn’t seem to care about the past. A fair enough movie, though the whole subplot of Deven trying to get his hands on a working tape recorder, and the problems that come with it, dragged on for far too long. I think it was meant to be humorous, but whole sections should have ended up on the cutting room floor. The movie does have a nice, poignant ending, signifying the end of an era. ★★★

• TV series currently watching: Godless (miniseries)
• Book currently reading: Children of Dune by Frank Herbert