Design in Mind: On Location with James Ivory

The ICAA's original documentary is now available to view on classicist.org

After a career spent making films inside beautiful historic houses, legendary director James Ivory allows the cameras to enter his own home for an intimate portrait of his life and career. Ivory speaks candidly about how architecture, particularly traditional architecture, has shaped his films. From the historic Hudson Valley home where many of his films were edited, to the decaying mansions of colonial India that inspired his early work, to the grand English country manors that characterize his most famous films, Ivory takes us on a journey through his career, which is shaped at every turn by the architecture of his surroundings.

Accompanied by illustrative scenes from his films, a private look inside his home, and never-before-seen photos provided by Ivory himself, On Location with James Ivory is the first documentary to chronicle the career of this award-winning filmmaker.

James Ivory (born 1928) is a film director, producer, and screenwriter who is most famous for his work with Merchant Ivory Productions, which he formed in 1961 with the late Ismail Merchant (1936-2005), his partner of 44 years.

Ivory produced films across Europe, India, and North America, and is perhaps best known for award-winning literary adaptations from writers like E.M. Forster (Room with a View, Maurice), Henry James (The Europeans, The Golden Bowl), and Kazuo Ishiguro (The Remains of the Day). He has also worked with renowned actors such as Anthony Hopkins, Maggie Smith, Emma Thompson, and more.

Merchant Ivory films have won six Academy Awards, with Ivory himself receiving Best Director nominations for A Room with a View (1985), Howards End (1992), and The Remains of the Day (1993). He recently won the ‘Best Adapted Screenplay’ Academy Award for Call Me by Your Name (2017).

This film was made possible by the estate of Christopher H. Browne and the Orville Gordon Browne Foundation.

On Location with James Ivory is part of the ICAA's original documentary series, Design in Mind.

Watch the first film in the series, Robert A.M. Stern: Always a Student, here.