Page 57 - Southern Oregon Magazine Winter 2019

While screening his third documentary, The
Sword and the Flute, in 1959, Ivory met Ismail
Merchant, who wanted to make feature films
from India that would be shown internation-
ally. That led to their first feature film, The
Householder in 1963. “I think we assumed we
would make it,” Ivory says of teaming with
Merchant. Their film company, Merchant
Ivory Productions, led to a professional and
romantic partnership that resulted in 40 films
until Merchant’s death in 2005.

Success, he says, was never guaranteed. While
filming A Room With A View, which catapulted
them to commercial success, Ivory was told
there wasn’t enough money to complete the
film. Merchant, the team’s producer, even-
tually obtained the funds. The film earned
Ivory the first of three best director Academy
Award nominations. Room was nominated for
seven other awards, including best picture,
and won three.

Reflecting on Call Me, Ivory says there
were plans for him to co-direct with Luca
Guadagnino, but only on the stipulation
that Ivory write the screenplay. It was later
decided that Guadagnino would be the sole
director, “which was fine with me,” using Private Creekside Cottage
Ivory’s screenplay.
In Jac k son ville
In discussing his process for writing and
adapting, Ivory explains, “You have to think
about it and make notes. You sit down with
the book and start at page one. You take from
the book what you need.” Ivory says he takes
notes in longhand, and then types those up.
For Call Me, he put together more than 100
pages of notes over the three-plus months of
developing the screenplay.

Asked to name the favorite film he’s helped
produce, Ivory answered, “There are no films I
dislike,” noting his opinions change and evolve.
He listed Mr. and Mrs. Bridge and A Soldier’s
Daughter Never Cries as personal favorites
because both are semi-autobiographical.

During his stays at Lake of the Woods,
Ivory has been involved in the Ashland Film
Festival, where he was honored with the fes-
tival’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2017,
and he frequently sees plays at the Oregon
Shakespeare Festival. Last summer he enjoyed Book your Wine Country stay now!
Henry IV, a play he described as “extremely
clever and original.” In recent years he also 205 W. D St. Jacksonville | www.standishcottage.com

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