Directed by James Ivory and written by Ivory and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Bombay Talkie is the story about a British author who meets and falls for a Bollywood actor during her research on the Bollywood film industry. The film is an exploration into the world of Bollywood where an outsider tries to figure out its impact in Britain while finds herself in an affair that becomes very complicated. Starring Jennifer Kendal, Shashi Kapoor, Aparna Sen, Zia Mohyeddin, and Utpal Dutt. Bombay Talkie is an extraordinary film from the Merchant-Ivory team.
The film is about a British author who travels to Bombay to discover the world of Bollywood where she falls for one of the industry’s top actors as they would embark into a love affair that is complicated when an Indian writer also has feelings for her. There, things become more troubling as the actor’s marriage starts to fall apart as does his affair where the author goes into a spiritual retreat to find herself. It’s a film that explores a world of different cultures meeting together where the author Lucia Lane (Jennifer Kendal) goes to India to learn about the industry as accompanying her is a writer named Hari (Zia Mohyeddin) who has feelings for her. Yet, the presence of Vikram (Shashi Kapoor) would have Lucia go into places that would lead her to a lot of trouble as it would also create tension between Hari and Vikram.
The film’s screenplay doesn’t just play into a woman’s world where she is definitely an outsider that’s been through a lot as she wants to go somewhere that is unfamiliar. Though Lucia isn’t an entirely bad person as she often means well, she is very naïve over the way things are in India as her love for Vikram would cause a lot of trouble as Vikram’s marriage to Mala (Aparna Sen) is becoming rocky as she wants a child. Lucia’s presence only makes Mala very uneasy as Lucia is unaware of how much trouble she is causing where she briefly goes into a spiritual retreat causing Vikram to worry as Hari is the only person that knows where she went. While Hari at times can lose his cool, he is the most level-headed person in the film as opposed to the more self-involved Vikram who cares about living the good life yet complicates himself in his love for both Mala and Lucia.
James Ivory’s direction opens with this elaborate and rich credits sequence where a group of men are carrying the title card onto the streets and then feature pictures of cast and crew members involved in the film as it’s shot on location in Bombay. Much of it would feature some entrancing medium and wide shots as well as some striking close-ups to play into some of the emotional aspects of the film. There’s also moments of humor that is involved such as this extravagant set piece on the set of a film where Vikram is performing on a large typewriter for a dance number. While there’s elements of the film that does drag a bit such as Lucia’s own flightiness in her spiritual retreat as well as the way Vikram behaves when Lucia isn’t around. There is a payoff towards the end for a birthday celebration for Lucia where Vikram and Hari are taking part yet it would involve some very heavy moments for all three individuals. Overall, Ivory crafts a very delightful yet somber film about a love triangle in India that becomes very messy.
Cinematographer Subrata Mitra does excellent work with the film‘s very colorful cinematography with its use of natural lights for some of its exteriors to some exotic lighting schemes and moods for some of the film‘s nighttime interior/exterior scenes. Editor David Gladwell does wonderful work with the editing in creating something that is straightforward in its approach to cutting while going for methodical rhythms to build up some of the film‘s emotional moments. Production designer A. Rangaraj does brilliant work with the look of the homes that the characters live in as well as the large typewriter for a set piece that Vikram is dancing on.
Sound editor Prabhakar Supare does nice work with the sound to play into the natural atmosphere of the film‘s locations. The film’s music by Shankar Jalkishan is fantastic for its mixture of pop and traditional Indian music with some orchestral flourishes that include some lively Bollywood numbers as well as soothing opening theme that is composed by filmmaker Satyajit Ray while the soundtrack also includes some rock music from Santana and Janis Joplin.
The film’s superb cast includes appearances from producer Ismail Merchant as a producer on a film set, Nadira as a friend of Vikram who tries to get him to see reason, Pincho Kapoor as a swami that Lucia goes to in her spiritual retreat, and Utpal Dutt as a corrupt film producer who tries to stir things around for Mala and Vikram. Aparna Sen is wonderful as Vikram’s wife Mala as a woman who despises Lucia as she struggles with Vikram’s feelings for her as well as being barren. Zia Mohyeddin is excellent as the screenwriter Hari who is in love with Lucia as he tries to keep his feelings intact while noticing how erratic Vikram is as he tries to get him to be with Lucia.
Shashi Kapoor is terrific as the Bollywood star Vikram who has fallen for Lucia but deals with his marriage to Mala as he tries to comprehend everything only to give in to his own selfishness. Finally, there’s Jennifer Kendal in a radiant performance as Lucia Lane as this woman who tries to find herself in India only to be in a love triangle and unknowingly cause trouble for herself and the men she’s with.
Bombay Talkie is a rich and majestic film from James Ivory and the Merchant-Ivory team. Thanks to its excellent cast and a phenomenal film soundtrack, it’s a film that has a lot of charm and wit into the world of Bollywood with a dash of melodrama over a romantic love-triangle though the two stories do make it an uneven film. Still, Bombay Talkie is a superb film from James Ivory.
James Ivory Films: The Householder - (The Dehli Way) - Shakespeare Wallah - (The Guru) - (Adventures of a Brown Man in Search of Civilization) - (Savages (1972 film)) - (Autobiography of a Princess) - (The Wild Party) - (Roseland) - (Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie’s Pictures) - (The Five Forty-Eight) - (The Europeans) - (Jane Austen in Manhattan) - (Quartet (1981 film)) - (Heat and Dust) - (The Bostonians) - A Room With a View - Maurice - (Slaves of New York) - (Mr. & Mrs. Bridges) - Howards End - The Remains of the Day - (Jefferson in Paris) - (Surviving Picasso) - (A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries) - (The Golden Bowl) - (Le Divorce) - (The White Countess) - (The City of Your Final Destination)
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by James Ivory and written by Ivory and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, Shakespeare Wallah is the story of traveling acting family who arrive into India for work as they deal with dwindling audiences and the rise of Bollywood. The film is an exploration into the world of changing times as well as trying to see if there’s an audience for Shakespeare in India. Starring Shashi Kapoor, Felicity Kendal, Geoffrey Kendal, Madhur Jaffrey, and Laura Liddell. Shakespeare Wallah is a majestic film from the famed Merchant-Ivory team.
The film is about a world where times are changing in India as Bollywood starts to take center stage while a famed British acting troupe that is known for traveling from city to city to perform Shakespeare find themselves dealing with these changing times. Meanwhile, the daughter of the troupe’s leader falls in love with a playboy who is also attached to a very vain Bollywood actress as he starts to appreciate the world of theater despite its dwindling audience. It’s a film that plays into a world where old meets new and the struggle to keep an art form vital during these changing times. Especially as a young actress in Lizzie Buckingham (Felicity Kendal) is just starting to grow but has to face the reality that doing Shakespeare in India might not be her future as it’s the only thing she knows.
The film’s screenplay by James Ivory and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala not only explores the life of an acting troupe that is struggling to playing to small audiences who are becoming more interested with Bollywood. They’re also struggling with an uncertain future that would affect the troupe, led by Tony Buckingham (Geoffrey Kendal) and his wife Carla (Laura Liddell), where they contemplate about going to Britain to get work or stay in India to try and continue as they still have some respect from theater managers and agents. Among those who are interested in their work is the playboy Sanju (Shashi Kapoor) who witnesses one of their performances and falls in love with Lizzie.
Yet, he has to deal with his mistress Manjula (Madhur Jaffrey) who is becoming a major star who is annoyed by Sanju’s interested towards Lizzie. Even as she would try to humiliate Lizzie where she later attends the troupe’s performance of Othello late in show where her appearance would divert the audience’s attention towards her much to Sanju’s embarrassment. It would play into what Sanju wants and what Lizzie wants but also into the uncertain future they might face as Sanju would also have to deal with a very disruptive and ignorant Indian audience.
Ivory’s direction is quite entrancing for the way he presents India where the film is set at a time where the country had just gained independence from the United Kingdom and were starting to forge their own ideas of arts and culture. Ivory’s compositions and the way he presents India coming into its own is just amazing to look at while he also creates some very enchanting moments in the theatrical performances the Buckinghams do. Even as Ivory maintains that sense theatricality and intimacy in these productions as opposed to the more looser style of a film set where Manjula is acting in a film. The use of wide and medium shots allow Ivory to play into that sense of changing times but through subtle means while ensuring that sense of drama as he would create some beautiful scenes such as Sanju’s first kiss with Lizzie. Overall, Ivory crafts a very delicate and rich film about a family facing changing times in India.
Cinematographer Subrata Mitra does brilliant work with the film‘s black-and-white photography that has this look that is similar to the European films of the times where it is rich in its imagery as it includes some gorgeous lighting schemes. Editor Amit Bose does nice work with the editing to play into the rhythms of some of the moments that occur on stage as well as some of the drama in the film. Costume designer Jennifer Kendal does excellent work with the costumes from the costumes the troupe wears on stage to the posh clothes of Manjula. Sound editor Prabhakar Suqare does terrific work with the sound to play into the intimacy of the theater as well as some of the sounds of the locations the characters encounter. The film’s music by Satyajit Ray is superb for its mixture of orchestral music with traditional Indian folk music to play into that world of India.
The film’s amazing cast includes appearances from producer Ismail Merchant as a theater owner, Jennifer Kendal as a friend of the family, Partap Sharma as an Indian actor who joins the troupe, and Praveen Paul as an aging actor dealing with the changing times. Madhur Jaffrey is fantastic as Manjula as this very manipulative Bollywood star who tries to pull Sanju away from Lizzie as she would do whatever to embarrass him and make him come to her. Laura Liddell and Geoffrey Kendal as excellent as Lizzie’s parents in Clara and Tony Buckingham, respectively, as the troupe leaders trying to make sense of their dwindling fortunes.
Shashi Kapoor is superb as Sanju as this playboy who falls for a British girl as he struggles with his different love affairs and his newfound appreciation for Shakespearian theater. Finally, there’s Felicity Kendal in a radiant performance as Lizzie Buckingham as this young woman who starts to grow as an actress while dealing with her feelings for Sanju and the uncertainty of her acting career.
Shakespeare Wallah is a remarkable from the Merchant-Ivory team that features top-notch performances from Shashi Kapoor and Felicity Kendal. The film is definitely an intriguing look into the world of India coming into its own where Britons deal with changing times. Even as an Indian starts to find appreciation for the world of William Shakespeare as his people look towards something else. In the end, Shakespeare Wallah is a marvelous film from James Ivory and the Merchant-Ivory team.
James Ivory Films: The Householder - (The Dehli Way) - (The Guru) - Bombay Talkie - (Adventures of a Brown Man in Search of Civilization) - (Savages (1972 film)) - (Autobiography of a Princess) - (The Wild Party) - (Roseland) - (Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie’s Pictures) - (The Five Forty-Eight) - (The Europeans) - (Jane Austen in Manhattan) - (Quartet (1981 film)) - (Heat and Dust) - (The Bostonians) - A Room With a View - Maurice - (Slaves of New York) - (Mr. & Mrs. Bridges) - Howards End - The Remains of the Day - (Jefferson in Paris) - (Surviving Picasso) - (A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries) - (The Golden Bowl) - (Le Divorce) - (The White Countess) - (The City of Your Final Destination)
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by James Ivory and screenplay by Ivory and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala that is based on the novel by the latter, The Householder is the story about a Dehli college teacher whose recent arranged marriage to another woman gets into trouble as he tries to adjust to his new life as a married man. The film plays into the world of adulthood set in India as it marks the first of many films from the Merchant-Ivory company that would include producer Ismail Merchant. Starring Shashi Kapoor, Leela Naidu, and Durga Khote. The Householder is a superbly rich film from James Ivory.
When marriage first arrives to a new couple, it’s about two people trying to get to know each other and such as this film is about this college teacher in Dehli who tries to deal with his newfound life as a newlywed in an arranged marriage to a young woman. It’s a marriage wracked with difficulty which gets worse when the groom’s mother arrives observing and criticizing everything forcing him to deal with his role and what he wants in his life. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s script not only explores the difficulty of being newly married but also the expectations and sense of repression that Prem Sagar (Shashi Kapoor) is dealing with as the presence of his mother (Durga Khote) only causes trouble. Especially as she would make her new daughter-in-law Indu (Leela Naidu) very insecure while calling out on her husband as a mama’s boy. For Prem, the adjustment of being a newlywed and balancing it out with his work as a professor would force him to seek answers from many on what to do as it would be presented in a very simple narrative.
The direction of James Ivory is quite simple in the way he explores the sense of repression and expectations put upon a newlywed couple but also in how a man tries to find answers into dealing with his marriage. Much of the direction has Ivory shooting on location in Dehli where it’s this strange mix of a new world colliding with the old yet there are those seeking some answers in a spiritual form as Prem would meet an American visitor (Ernest Castaldo) who would be a catalyst for Prem’s personal journey. Many of the compositions that Ivory would create would be simple in terms of close-ups, medium shots, and some wide shots of the locations. All of which would play into the drama that would intensify throughout the film. Overall, Ivory creates a very compelling film about the newness of being married and the expectations that occurs in India.
Cinematographer Subrata Mitra does excellent work with the film‘s black-and-white photography to play into the look of Dehli as well as the way some of the nighttime interiors are shot. Editor Pran Meha, with additional contributions from Satyajit Ray, does nice work with the editing in creating some unique rhythmic cuts to play into some of the drama along with some stylish usage of dissolves. Costume designer Bettina Gill does terrific work with the clothes from the robes that the women wear to the clothes the men wear. The film’s music by Ustad Ali Akbar Khan and music supervisor Satyajit Ray is fantastic for its mixture of somber Indian orchestral music and some playful pieces that features additional contributions by Ali Akbar Khan and Jyotitindra Moitra where their pieces are featured in the opening moments of the film.
The film’s cast includes some notable small roles from Ernest Castaldo as an American-Indian tourist that Prem meets, Pahari Sanyal as a swami that Prem goes to late in the film, Romesh Tappar as the school principal that Prem works for, and Patsy Dance as a British tourist that Prem’s American friend was staying with. Durga Khote is wonderful as Prem’s very critical mother who always talks about how things were back then as she starts to be cruel towards Indu as she would make things uneasy for Prem. Leela Naidu is amazing as Indu as this young woman that is just trying to be a good wife while dealing with her mother-in-law as she becomes more insecure around her. Finally, there’s Shashi Kapoor in a superb performance as Prem where he brings in all of the anxieties and immaturity as a newlywed who tries to adjust to his new situation and the expectations to be a husband and a man of importance.
The Householder is an excellent film from the Merchant-Ivory team. Thanks to its great cast, a compelling screenplay, and the additional contributions from famed Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray. The film is definitely a solid debut film from the team that would redefine the period piece films in the years to come. In the end, The Householder is a brilliant film from James Ivory.
James Ivory Films: (The Dehli Way) - Shakespeare Wallah - (The Guru) - Bombay Talkie - (Adventures of a Brown Man in Search of Civilization) - (Savages (1972 film)) - (Autobiography of a Princess) - (The Wild Party) - (Roseland) - (Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie’s Pictures) - (The Five Forty-Eight) - (The Europeans) - (Jane Austen in Manhattan) - (Quartet (1981 film)) - (Heat and Dust) - (The Bostonians) - A Room With a View - Maurice - (Slaves of New York) - (Mr. & Mrs. Bridges) - Howards End - The Remains of the Day - (Jefferson in Paris) - (Surviving Picasso) - (A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries) - (The Golden Bowl) - (Le Divorce) - (The White Countess) - (The City of Your Final Destination)
© thevoid99 2014
