The films in contention for the 2024 Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar are “American Fiction,” “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer,” “Poor Things,” and “The Zone of Interest.” Our odds currently indicate that “American Fiction” (7/2) will win the award, followed in order of likelihood by “Oppenheimer” (18/5), “Barbie” (4/1), “Poor Things” (9/2), and “The Zone of Interest” (9/2).
This marks only the 14th instance in 96 years of all five Best Adapted Screenplay-nominated films also being in the running for Best Picture. Prior to the last time in 2017 – the year “Moonlight” achieved dual victories – this had happened only twice during the 21st century (2011; 2013) and once during the latter half of the 20th (1965). The bulk of cases occurred almost annually from 1934 to 1943, with the only inapplicable year being 1937.
Respective “The Zone of Interest” and “Oppenheimer” writers Jonathan Glazer and Christopher Nolan are simultaneously nominated for Best Director, while Nolan is also set to face off against “American Fiction” scripter Cord Jefferson in the Best Picture race.
This marks only the 14th instance in 96 years of all five Best Adapted Screenplay-nominated films also being in the running for Best Picture. Prior to the last time in 2017 – the year “Moonlight” achieved dual victories – this had happened only twice during the 21st century (2011; 2013) and once during the latter half of the 20th (1965). The bulk of cases occurred almost annually from 1934 to 1943, with the only inapplicable year being 1937.
Respective “The Zone of Interest” and “Oppenheimer” writers Jonathan Glazer and Christopher Nolan are simultaneously nominated for Best Director, while Nolan is also set to face off against “American Fiction” scripter Cord Jefferson in the Best Picture race.
- 3/7/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: The WGA East is honoring Tony Gilroy at the upcoming Writers Guild Awards with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement.
With the award, which was established in 1992, the Andor creator will be following in the footsteps of his father Frank D. Gilroy, who was honored with the Hunter Award in 2011.
“Tony embodies the best of what it means to be a Writers Guild member. He is an extraordinary talent who has written some of the most thought-provoking and exciting screenplays of the last 30 years,” Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, President of the Writers Guild of America East, said in a statement. “He is also a staunch union ally, one of our most trusted voices when it comes to advocating for writers’ rights, and he gave one of the best damn speeches on the picket lines last summer. We all wish we were Tony, but short of that we are...
With the award, which was established in 1992, the Andor creator will be following in the footsteps of his father Frank D. Gilroy, who was honored with the Hunter Award in 2011.
“Tony embodies the best of what it means to be a Writers Guild member. He is an extraordinary talent who has written some of the most thought-provoking and exciting screenplays of the last 30 years,” Lisa Takeuchi Cullen, President of the Writers Guild of America East, said in a statement. “He is also a staunch union ally, one of our most trusted voices when it comes to advocating for writers’ rights, and he gave one of the best damn speeches on the picket lines last summer. We all wish we were Tony, but short of that we are...
- 2/27/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
There’s often been unfair snobbery about the films of Merchant Ivory, the production banner founded in 1961 by producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory, which gives Stephen Soucy’s entertaining documentary study its title. The British costume drama was widely considered a wheezing genre — fusty, middlebrow and too calcified in its literary sources to acquire much cinematic vitality — when A Room with a View came along in 1986 and became a global art-house crossover hit. At their best, notably in Howards End and Remains of the Day, Merchant Ivory’s films stand the test of time as influential works that removed the starch from the stodgy period piece.
Contemporaries reductively dismissed their output as “Laura Ashley filmmaking,” referencing the design firm known for its pretty Romantic Victorian inspirations. But Merchant Ivory did more than anyone from the mid-1980s to the early ‘90s to popularize and legitimize the thematically and emotionally rich costume drama.
Contemporaries reductively dismissed their output as “Laura Ashley filmmaking,” referencing the design firm known for its pretty Romantic Victorian inspirations. But Merchant Ivory did more than anyone from the mid-1980s to the early ‘90s to popularize and legitimize the thematically and emotionally rich costume drama.
- 11/13/2023
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The best moments of Merchant Ivory––a documentary directed by Stephen Soucy concerning the legendary production company––feel like their most-successful pictures: restrained and revealing at the same time. Mostly told chronologically and split into chapters with talking heads to drive the narrative, the film dutifully recounts the agony and ecstasy of Merchant Ivory Productions. Sections are devoted to producer Ismail Merchant, director James Ivory, writer Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, and composer Richard Robbins. Dedicated crew members and stars sing their praises while softly criticizing their methods of madness, most of the latter directed at Merchant. Highlights include recollections of Merchant’s culling together funds for each production, often starting a film before all the money was put together. Or Jhabvala’s brutal judgment: Ivory recalls her dislike of Maurice from pre-production onward, all because the novel wasn’t, in her opinion, up to snuff. Somewhat ironically, Maurice is perhaps the...
- 11/13/2023
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Cohen Media Group has acquired worldwide rights to Merchant Ivory, a documentary about the cinematic and personal partnership of filmmakers James Ivory and Ismail Merchant. The film directed by Stephen Soucy makes it world premiere on Saturday at Doc NYC.
Merchant Ivory became synonymous with quality filmmaking over a period of more than 40 years, earning particular acclaim for A Room with a View (1985), Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990), Howards End (1992), and The Remains of the Day (1993). They were life partners from 1961 until Merchant’s death in 2005.
Soucy’s film features interviews with major stars of Merchant Ivory productions, including Emma Thompson, Vanessa Redgrave, Helena Bonham Carter, and Hugh Grant. Ivory, who turned 95 in June, and Charles S. Cohen, Cmg Chairman and CEO, serve as executive producers.
Director James Ivory (L) with actor Anthony Hopkins and producer Ismail Merchant on the set of ‘The Remains of the Day’ in 1993.
“Merchant Ivory...
Merchant Ivory became synonymous with quality filmmaking over a period of more than 40 years, earning particular acclaim for A Room with a View (1985), Mr. and Mrs. Bridge (1990), Howards End (1992), and The Remains of the Day (1993). They were life partners from 1961 until Merchant’s death in 2005.
Soucy’s film features interviews with major stars of Merchant Ivory productions, including Emma Thompson, Vanessa Redgrave, Helena Bonham Carter, and Hugh Grant. Ivory, who turned 95 in June, and Charles S. Cohen, Cmg Chairman and CEO, serve as executive producers.
Director James Ivory (L) with actor Anthony Hopkins and producer Ismail Merchant on the set of ‘The Remains of the Day’ in 1993.
“Merchant Ivory...
- 11/10/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Director James Ivory became an art house favorite thanks to a series of lofty literary adaptations produced by his partner Ismail Merchant. He shows no signs of slowing down in his twilight years. In fact, he recently become the oldest Oscar winner in history for penning the script to “Call Me by Your Name” (2017).
Although the majority of his work takes place overseas, Ivory was born in Berkeley, CA, in 1928. After cutting his teeth as a documentarian, he kicked off a professional and romantic relationship with Merchant, and together they formed the production company Merchant Ivory. Together, with screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala serving as the third member of their team, they produced a series of acclaimed films based on the works of E. M. Forster, Henry James, Kazuo Ishiguro and other seemingly unadaptable sources.
They struck Oscar gold with a trio of films that earned nominations for Best Picture, Best Director,...
Although the majority of his work takes place overseas, Ivory was born in Berkeley, CA, in 1928. After cutting his teeth as a documentarian, he kicked off a professional and romantic relationship with Merchant, and together they formed the production company Merchant Ivory. Together, with screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala serving as the third member of their team, they produced a series of acclaimed films based on the works of E. M. Forster, Henry James, Kazuo Ishiguro and other seemingly unadaptable sources.
They struck Oscar gold with a trio of films that earned nominations for Best Picture, Best Director,...
- 6/2/2023
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
When writer-director Sarah Polley won her well-deserved Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 95th Academy Awards last night, her speech started with a clever callout. "I want to thank the Academy for not being mortally offended by the words 'women' and 'talking' put so close together like that!" she said, before speaking about the themes of democratic womanhood in Miriam Toews' novel. While the reference to "Women Talking" could easily apply to a half-dozen different areas of improvement the Oscars still has to work on when it comes to supporting women, it also gets to the truth of Polley's category: in over 90 years, Polley is only the 10th woman to receive the trophy. This is also the first time in Oscar history that it's gone to a woman two years in a row.
Past winners of what's currently known as the Best Adapted Screenplay race include plenty of writers...
Past winners of what's currently known as the Best Adapted Screenplay race include plenty of writers...
- 3/14/2023
- by Valerie Ettenhofer
- Slash Film
Sarah Polley’s Oscar win gives Best Adapted Screenplay back-to-back female champs for the first time
“Women Talking”? More like women (are) winning. Sarah Polley took home the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar on Sunday, making her one of the category’s few female winners and giving the category back-to-back female champs for the first time.
With Polley’s victory, Best Adapted Screenplay has now gone to women nine times — and twice to the same person, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who triumphed for 1986’s “A Room with a View” and 1992’s “Howards End.” Polley joins Jhabvala as one of four women who’ve won as solo writers. The others are Emma Thompson (1995’s “Sense and Sensibility”) and last year’s winner, Sian Heder (“Coda”).
The category’s other female winners prevailed as part of writing teams. Sarah Y. Mason was the first woman to win adapted screenplay for co-writing 1933’s “Little Women” with her husband Victor Heerman. Claudine West shared her award for 1942’s “Mrs. Miniver” with George Froeschel,...
With Polley’s victory, Best Adapted Screenplay has now gone to women nine times — and twice to the same person, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who triumphed for 1986’s “A Room with a View” and 1992’s “Howards End.” Polley joins Jhabvala as one of four women who’ve won as solo writers. The others are Emma Thompson (1995’s “Sense and Sensibility”) and last year’s winner, Sian Heder (“Coda”).
The category’s other female winners prevailed as part of writing teams. Sarah Y. Mason was the first woman to win adapted screenplay for co-writing 1933’s “Little Women” with her husband Victor Heerman. Claudine West shared her award for 1942’s “Mrs. Miniver” with George Froeschel,...
- 3/13/2023
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
The films in contention for the 2023 Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar are “All Quiet on the Western Front,” “Glass Onion,” “Living,” “Top Gun: Maverick,” and “Women Talking.” Our odds currently indicate that “Women Talking” (10/3) will win the award, followed in order of likelihood by “All Quiet on the Western Front” (37/10), “Glass Onion” (9/2), “Top Gun: Maverick” (9/2), and “Living” (9/2).
“Glass Onion” and “Top Gun: Maverick,” which are, respectively, the first sequels to 2019’s “Knives Out” and 1986’s “Top Gun,” are the first pair of continuation films ever nominated against each other in this category. Included among the seven sequels that have contended here before are winners “The Godfather Part II” (1975) and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2004) and nominees “Before Sunset” (2005), “Toy Story 3” (2011), “Before Midnight” (2014), “Logan” (2018), and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (2021).
Of the 11 individual writers in this year’s lineup, only Sarah Polley (“Women Talking”) has competed for this particular award before.
“Glass Onion” and “Top Gun: Maverick,” which are, respectively, the first sequels to 2019’s “Knives Out” and 1986’s “Top Gun,” are the first pair of continuation films ever nominated against each other in this category. Included among the seven sequels that have contended here before are winners “The Godfather Part II” (1975) and “The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King” (2004) and nominees “Before Sunset” (2005), “Toy Story 3” (2011), “Before Midnight” (2014), “Logan” (2018), and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (2021).
Of the 11 individual writers in this year’s lineup, only Sarah Polley (“Women Talking”) has competed for this particular award before.
- 3/11/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
It’s been a rocky road for “Women Talking,” having underperformed or been overlooked completely at various precursors, but it managed to earn two Oscar nominations: Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay for Sarah Polley. The latter category has long been predicted to be the one that the drama could win and it is currently out in front with 16/5 odds. If Polley does pull through, she’ll join a short list of not just female winners in the category but an even shorter list of female writers who’ve won individually.
As is the case with most non-gendered categories, female champs are rather infrequent in Best Adapted Screenplay. In the 94-year history of the Oscars, the award has gone to women just eight times — and twice to the same person, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who prevailed for 1986’s “A Room with a View” and 1992’s “Howards End.” Jhabvala is one of...
As is the case with most non-gendered categories, female champs are rather infrequent in Best Adapted Screenplay. In the 94-year history of the Oscars, the award has gone to women just eight times — and twice to the same person, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who prevailed for 1986’s “A Room with a View” and 1992’s “Howards End.” Jhabvala is one of...
- 1/30/2023
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Filmmaker Spike Lee is set to receive the Ian McClellan Hunter Award from the Writers Guild of America East at the Writers Guild Awards in March.
The kudo recognizes writers who have made significant contributions to film and TV through a body work that takes on timely issues and social concerns. Past recipients include Robert Benton, Tom Fontana, Geoffrey Ward, Andrew Bergman, John Sayles, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, John Waters, Richard Lagravenese, Nora Ephron and Walter Bernstein.
“For nearly forty years, Spike Lee has written and directed some of the most meaningful and creative films in cinema,” said WGA East president Michael Winship. “With a unique ability to challenge, entertain, and inform, his narratives spotlight the racism and bigotry that too often have defined the Black experience in America. Spike Lee is a moviemaker and storyteller greatly deserving to be honored with the WGA East’s Hunter Award for Career Achievement.
The kudo recognizes writers who have made significant contributions to film and TV through a body work that takes on timely issues and social concerns. Past recipients include Robert Benton, Tom Fontana, Geoffrey Ward, Andrew Bergman, John Sayles, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, John Waters, Richard Lagravenese, Nora Ephron and Walter Bernstein.
“For nearly forty years, Spike Lee has written and directed some of the most meaningful and creative films in cinema,” said WGA East president Michael Winship. “With a unique ability to challenge, entertain, and inform, his narratives spotlight the racism and bigotry that too often have defined the Black experience in America. Spike Lee is a moviemaker and storyteller greatly deserving to be honored with the WGA East’s Hunter Award for Career Achievement.
- 1/12/2023
- by William Earl
- Variety Film + TV
Spike Lee will be this year’s recipient of the WGA East’s Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement.
The award, which will be presented March 5 at the 75th anniversary WGA Awards in New York City, is named after the famed writer who fronted for Dalton Trumbo and Ring Lardner Jr. during the Hollywood Blacklist before being blacklisted himself. In announcing Lee’s selection, the guild described him as “one of the greatest writer/directors in film history.”
“For nearly 40 years, Spike Lee has written and directed some of the most meaningful and creative films in cinema,” said WGA East President Michael Winship. “With a unique ability to challenge, entertain and inform, his narratives spotlight the racism and bigotry that too often have defined the Black experience in America.”
Lee began his storied career in the 1980s as a writer-director of such films as She’s Gotta Have It,...
The award, which will be presented March 5 at the 75th anniversary WGA Awards in New York City, is named after the famed writer who fronted for Dalton Trumbo and Ring Lardner Jr. during the Hollywood Blacklist before being blacklisted himself. In announcing Lee’s selection, the guild described him as “one of the greatest writer/directors in film history.”
“For nearly 40 years, Spike Lee has written and directed some of the most meaningful and creative films in cinema,” said WGA East President Michael Winship. “With a unique ability to challenge, entertain and inform, his narratives spotlight the racism and bigotry that too often have defined the Black experience in America.”
Lee began his storied career in the 1980s as a writer-director of such films as She’s Gotta Have It,...
- 1/12/2023
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Ian Whittaker, the British actor turned Oscar-winning set decorator known for his work on such films as Alien, Howards End, Tommy and Anna and the King, died Oct. 16 of prostate cancer, The Guardian reported. He was 94.
Whittaker also served as set dresser on Charlie Chaplin’s A Countess From Hong Kong (1967), James Clavell’s To Sir, With Love (1967), Tony Richardson’s The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) and Jim Sharman’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and as art director on Michael Ritchie’s Downhill Racer (1969) and Derek Jarman’s The Tempest (1979).
He collaborated with director Ken Russell on nine features, from the 1971 releases The Music Lovers, The Boy Friend and The Devils to Tommy (1975), Lisztomania (1975) — both featuring The Who’s Roger Daltrey — and the Rudolf Nureyev-starring Valentino (1977).
Whittaker received his Oscar — shared with his production designer Luciana Arrighi, with whom he...
Ian Whittaker, the British actor turned Oscar-winning set decorator known for his work on such films as Alien, Howards End, Tommy and Anna and the King, died Oct. 16 of prostate cancer, The Guardian reported. He was 94.
Whittaker also served as set dresser on Charlie Chaplin’s A Countess From Hong Kong (1967), James Clavell’s To Sir, With Love (1967), Tony Richardson’s The Charge of the Light Brigade (1968) and Jim Sharman’s The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975) and as art director on Michael Ritchie’s Downhill Racer (1969) and Derek Jarman’s The Tempest (1979).
He collaborated with director Ken Russell on nine features, from the 1971 releases The Music Lovers, The Boy Friend and The Devils to Tommy (1975), Lisztomania (1975) — both featuring The Who’s Roger Daltrey — and the Rudolf Nureyev-starring Valentino (1977).
Whittaker received his Oscar — shared with his production designer Luciana Arrighi, with whom he...
- 10/27/2022
- by Mike Barnes
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Set decorator who worked for Merchant Ivory productions, and with Ken Russell and Ridley Scott
The set decorator Ian Whittaker, who has died of prostate cancer aged 94, won an Oscar for the 1992 screen version of Em Forster’s Howards End. This was among the best in a string of literary adaptations directed by James Ivory, produced by Ismail Merchant and scripted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Whittaker was in the running for another Oscar for the same team’s film of Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day (1993), though his career was not confined to costume drama. “Council houses, stately homes, spaceships, I’ve done them all,” he said.
His first nomination was for Ridley Scott’s intergalactic horror smash Alien (1979). To build the futuristic interior of the Nostromo spacecraft, where most of the action takes place, he assembled bits and bobs of old washing machines: “We just stuck them...
The set decorator Ian Whittaker, who has died of prostate cancer aged 94, won an Oscar for the 1992 screen version of Em Forster’s Howards End. This was among the best in a string of literary adaptations directed by James Ivory, produced by Ismail Merchant and scripted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Whittaker was in the running for another Oscar for the same team’s film of Kazuo Ishiguro’s The Remains of the Day (1993), though his career was not confined to costume drama. “Council houses, stately homes, spaceships, I’ve done them all,” he said.
His first nomination was for Ridley Scott’s intergalactic horror smash Alien (1979). To build the futuristic interior of the Nostromo spacecraft, where most of the action takes place, he assembled bits and bobs of old washing machines: “We just stuck them...
- 10/26/2022
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
The press blurb for “A Cooler Climate,” a 75-minute documentary from veteran director and writer James Ivory, calls it “deeply personal,” but this is a relative term in his case. At 94 years of age, Ivory is an extraordinarily reticent man, and that is partly a result of being born in a certain time and place. There is only so much he can or will reveal about himself before retreating and closing several doors firmly behind him.
The impetus behind “A Cooler Climate” was the chance to showcase color footage that a young Ivory shot in Afghanistan in 1960 with the idea of making a documentary. This was a few years before he made his first narrative feature with his longtime partner and producer Ismail Merchant, with whom he eventually made a series of prestigious literary adaptations in the 1980s and 1990s with screenplays by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.
Ivory’s literary adaptations...
The impetus behind “A Cooler Climate” was the chance to showcase color footage that a young Ivory shot in Afghanistan in 1960 with the idea of making a documentary. This was a few years before he made his first narrative feature with his longtime partner and producer Ismail Merchant, with whom he eventually made a series of prestigious literary adaptations in the 1980s and 1990s with screenplays by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.
Ivory’s literary adaptations...
- 10/8/2022
- by Dan Callahan
- The Wrap
Sian Heder‘s Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar win for “Coda” earlier this year marked the first time in 17 years that the award went to woman. But we may not have to wait that long for the next one. Sarah Polley currently leads the Best Adapted Screenplay odds for her adaptation of Miriam Toews‘ 2018 novel “Women Talking.” If she prevails, it’ll be the ninth time a woman has won and the first time the category has seen back-to-back female winners.
Even though the first woman to win adapted screenplay was Sarah Y. Mason for co-writing 1933’s “Little Women” with her husband Victor Heerman, it will not shock you to learn that, like most non-gendered categories, female winners are few and far in between here. There have been just eight instances total, with Ruth Prawer Jhabvala accounting for two of them. Jhabvala is also one of three women who’ve won as individuals,...
Even though the first woman to win adapted screenplay was Sarah Y. Mason for co-writing 1933’s “Little Women” with her husband Victor Heerman, it will not shock you to learn that, like most non-gendered categories, female winners are few and far in between here. There have been just eight instances total, with Ruth Prawer Jhabvala accounting for two of them. Jhabvala is also one of three women who’ve won as individuals,...
- 9/21/2022
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Variety's Awards Circuit is home to the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies from film awards editor Clayton Davis. Following history, buzz, news, reviews and sources, the Oscar and Emmy predictions are updated regularly with the current year's list of contenders in all categories. Variety's Awards Circuit Prediction schedule consists of four phases, running all year long: Draft, Pre-Season, Regular Season and Post Season. The eligibility calendar and dates of awards will determine how long each phase lasts and is subject to change.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Oscars Collective
Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Oscars Hub
Revisit the prediction archive of the 2021 season The Archive
Link to television awards is atTHE Emmys Hub
2022 Oscars Predictions:
Best Adapted Screenplay
Updated: March 24, 2022
Awards Prediction Commentary:
For the majority of the awards season, no...
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Oscars Collective
Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Oscars Hub
Revisit the prediction archive of the 2021 season The Archive
Link to television awards is atTHE Emmys Hub
2022 Oscars Predictions:
Best Adapted Screenplay
Updated: March 24, 2022
Awards Prediction Commentary:
For the majority of the awards season, no...
- 3/25/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Last year, Emerald Fennell won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar for “Promising Young Woman,” becoming the first female champ in either writing category in 13 years. And an even longer drought has three chances to end this year.
For the first time, Best Adapted Screenplay features three individual female nominees representing three different films (read: no writing teams): Jane Campion for “The Power of the Dog,” Maggie Gyllenhaal for “The Lost Daughter” and Sian Heder for “Coda.” They are up against Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe for “Drive My Car,” and Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth for “Dune.” If Campion, Gyllenhaal or Heder prevails, they’d be the category’s first female winner since Diana Ossana, co-writer of 2005’s “Brokeback Mountain” with Larry McMurtry, and the first solo female winner since Emma Thompson, who won for 1995’s “Sense and Sensibility.”
As is the case with nearly all non-gendered categories at the Oscars,...
For the first time, Best Adapted Screenplay features three individual female nominees representing three different films (read: no writing teams): Jane Campion for “The Power of the Dog,” Maggie Gyllenhaal for “The Lost Daughter” and Sian Heder for “Coda.” They are up against Ryusuke Hamaguchi and Takamasa Oe for “Drive My Car,” and Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve and Eric Roth for “Dune.” If Campion, Gyllenhaal or Heder prevails, they’d be the category’s first female winner since Diana Ossana, co-writer of 2005’s “Brokeback Mountain” with Larry McMurtry, and the first solo female winner since Emma Thompson, who won for 1995’s “Sense and Sensibility.”
As is the case with nearly all non-gendered categories at the Oscars,...
- 3/8/2022
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
Nearly three decades have passed since Jane Campion reaped a pair of Oscar bids for directing and writing “The Piano.” She was the second woman to pull off this double play after Lina Wertmüller. Campion won Best Original Screenplay but lost Best Director to Steven Spielberg (“Schindler’s List”).
Now, she and Spielberg face off in a long-awaited rematch, having earned nominations for helming “The Power of the Dog” and “West Side Story,” respectively. She is now the first two-time female nominee in the history of the Best Director category. The prize has only gone to two women in the past, and it took 82 years for that glass ceiling to be broken. Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”) achieved that historical feat in 2010, and Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”) followed in her footsteps just last year.
In addition to Wertmüller, the directing category’s small group of female also-rans consists of Sofia Coppola, Greta Gerwig,...
Now, she and Spielberg face off in a long-awaited rematch, having earned nominations for helming “The Power of the Dog” and “West Side Story,” respectively. She is now the first two-time female nominee in the history of the Best Director category. The prize has only gone to two women in the past, and it took 82 years for that glass ceiling to be broken. Kathryn Bigelow (“The Hurt Locker”) achieved that historical feat in 2010, and Chloe Zhao (“Nomadland”) followed in her footsteps just last year.
In addition to Wertmüller, the directing category’s small group of female also-rans consists of Sofia Coppola, Greta Gerwig,...
- 2/9/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Back in 1994, Jane Campion became only the second woman to reap Oscar bids for writing and directing with “The Piano”; Lina Wertmüller had broken this glass ceiling in 1977 with her dual nominations for “Seven Beauties.” Campion won Best Original Screenplay and became the 12th female champ across the two writing categories but lost Best Director to Steven Spielberg (“Schindler’s List”). Campion’s current contender, “The Power of the Dog,” could bag her that elusive directing Oscar (Spielberg is also in contention for his remake of “West Side Story”) plus awards for her adapted screenplay and producing.
Should she prevail for penning a script based on Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel, she’d become the first woman to conquer both writing categories. To date, the only female writers to have won twice at all are Frances Marion and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.
A Best Director bid would make Campion the category’s first two-time female nominee,...
Should she prevail for penning a script based on Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel, she’d become the first woman to conquer both writing categories. To date, the only female writers to have won twice at all are Frances Marion and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.
A Best Director bid would make Campion the category’s first two-time female nominee,...
- 1/27/2022
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
The fight for women to be recognized for their directorial achievements stretches back for decades, but, too often, the screenwriters aren’t given that same spotlight. However, this year presents a unique situation where female filmmakers have also penned the top awards contenders for adapted screenplay. These leading contenders include Jane Campion (“The Power of the Dog”), Maggie Gyllenhaal (“The Lost Daughter”), Rebecca Hall (“Passing”) and Siân Heder (“Coda”).
If three of the writer-directors are nominated for best adapted screenplay, it’ll be the most female-written films recognized since 1991, which included “Europa Europa” (Agnieszka Holland), “Fried Green Tomatoes” (Fannie Flagg and Carol Sobieski) and “The Prince of Tides”. If all four manage to receive noms, it would be the most in Academy history, as well as the most that have been directed by women.
Three of the women were recognized by the USC Scripter Awards, whose previous nominees have a solid translation to Academy attention.
If three of the writer-directors are nominated for best adapted screenplay, it’ll be the most female-written films recognized since 1991, which included “Europa Europa” (Agnieszka Holland), “Fried Green Tomatoes” (Fannie Flagg and Carol Sobieski) and “The Prince of Tides”. If all four manage to receive noms, it would be the most in Academy history, as well as the most that have been directed by women.
Three of the women were recognized by the USC Scripter Awards, whose previous nominees have a solid translation to Academy attention.
- 1/23/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
At 93, the Merchant Ivory director – and oldest ever Oscar winner – reflects on enduring love, delighting in his sexuality and defying film-making expectations
James Ivory’s movies revel in the elegance of the swan and simultaneously show how frantically its feet are paddling beneath the water. In the films for which he is best known – 1985’s A Room With a View, 1987’s Maurice, 1992’s Howards End and 1993’s The Remains of the Day, a fraction of his output – we see the effort put into making those rooms look so beautiful; the human cost of controlling your emotions. Cecil (Daniel Day-Lewis) pretending to clean his spectacles after Lucy (Helena Bonham Carter) breaks their engagement in A Room With a View; Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) looking at Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson) as she takes the book out of his hand: Ivory knows that an ocean of emotions can be contained in the smallest gesture.
James Ivory’s movies revel in the elegance of the swan and simultaneously show how frantically its feet are paddling beneath the water. In the films for which he is best known – 1985’s A Room With a View, 1987’s Maurice, 1992’s Howards End and 1993’s The Remains of the Day, a fraction of his output – we see the effort put into making those rooms look so beautiful; the human cost of controlling your emotions. Cecil (Daniel Day-Lewis) pretending to clean his spectacles after Lucy (Helena Bonham Carter) breaks their engagement in A Room With a View; Stevens (Anthony Hopkins) looking at Miss Kenton (Emma Thompson) as she takes the book out of his hand: Ivory knows that an ocean of emotions can be contained in the smallest gesture.
- 10/29/2021
- by Hadley Freeman
- The Guardian - Film News
Since the first ceremony, Oscar voters have honored the importance of the first step in the filmmaking process by awarding screenwriters on an annual basis. The Best Adapted Screenplay award is given in recognition of each year’s most outstanding script derived from an existing work. Academy rules allow for a variety of source materials, including fiction and nonfiction books, plays, and even previous short and feature films.
The films in contention for the 2021 Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar are “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “The Father,” “Nomadland,” “One Night in Miami,” and “The White Tiger.” Our odds currently indicate that “Nomadland” (82/25) will win the award, followed in order by “The Father” (37/10), “One Night in Miami” (9/2), “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (9/2), and “The White Tiger” (9/2).
In adapting his play “The Father” from stage to screen, Florian Zeller teamed with Christopher Hampton, who previously won this award in 1989 for “Dangerous Liaisons.” Hampton is now one of...
The films in contention for the 2021 Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar are “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” “The Father,” “Nomadland,” “One Night in Miami,” and “The White Tiger.” Our odds currently indicate that “Nomadland” (82/25) will win the award, followed in order by “The Father” (37/10), “One Night in Miami” (9/2), “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” (9/2), and “The White Tiger” (9/2).
In adapting his play “The Father” from stage to screen, Florian Zeller teamed with Christopher Hampton, who previously won this award in 1989 for “Dangerous Liaisons.” Hampton is now one of...
- 4/19/2021
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
This year Sofia Coppola could make Oscar history with her newest film “On The Rocks.” Unfortunately, the significance of these potential accomplishments is a reminder of the academy’s legacy of female underrepresentation. She directed and wrote the film, in which Rashida Jones stars opposite Bill Murray in a father-daughter caper. It’s a delicate and delightful film that touches on relationships, insecurity and the voices of women.
Coppola last directed Murray 17 years ago in the 2003 film “Lost in Translation.” It was famously shot in less than a month with a slim $4 million budget. It received critical acclaim and comfortably broke $100 million at the global box office. That movie not only earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, but Coppola became the third woman in history to score a Best Director nomination. She went on to win the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
SEERashida Jones (‘On the Rocks’) on getting...
Coppola last directed Murray 17 years ago in the 2003 film “Lost in Translation.” It was famously shot in less than a month with a slim $4 million budget. It received critical acclaim and comfortably broke $100 million at the global box office. That movie not only earned an Oscar nomination for Best Picture, but Coppola became the third woman in history to score a Best Director nomination. She went on to win the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.
SEERashida Jones (‘On the Rocks’) on getting...
- 2/10/2021
- by Matt Noble
- Gold Derby
“Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” “Promising Young Woman” and “Nomadland” have made strong impacts in the early awards season, including for their screenplays by Eliza Hittman, Emerald Fennell and Chloe Zhao, respectively. If any of them go all the way to the Oscar podium, it’ll only be the third time that a woman wins a writing prize for a movie she wrote and directed herself.
Only seven women have ever won Best Adapted Screenplay in the history of the Oscars; of those, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is the only one to win twice, for “A Room with a View” (1986) and “Howards End” (1992). Women have had slightly better luck in the Best Original Screenplay contest, where 11 female scribes have won, with Frances Marion prevailing twice for “The Big House” (193) and “The Champ” (1931).
See‘Promising Young Woman’: Will the Oscars respect female rage like they usually do male rage?
Prawer Jhabvala and...
Only seven women have ever won Best Adapted Screenplay in the history of the Oscars; of those, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala is the only one to win twice, for “A Room with a View” (1986) and “Howards End” (1992). Women have had slightly better luck in the Best Original Screenplay contest, where 11 female scribes have won, with Frances Marion prevailing twice for “The Big House” (193) and “The Champ” (1931).
See‘Promising Young Woman’: Will the Oscars respect female rage like they usually do male rage?
Prawer Jhabvala and...
- 1/25/2021
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
by Cláudio Alves
Director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant met in 1959, and quickly started a romantic and professional partnership. It lasted for 44 years until Merchant's death. Along with screenwriter, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, they made a name for themselves with the production of prestigious literary adaptations. Their first brushes with success came in the late 70s and early 80s, but it was in 1985 and 1986 that their lives changed. A Room With a View, their first E.M. Forster adaptation was a huge hit, both with critics and audiences. The picture even won three Oscars, including for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Following such a triumph, one would expect Merchant & Ivory to bask in their glory, perchance repeating the formula of their success. They did end up adapting another of Forster's works, though they chose what, at the time, was the author's least known and least respected book. The result of this unexpected...
Director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant met in 1959, and quickly started a romantic and professional partnership. It lasted for 44 years until Merchant's death. Along with screenwriter, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, they made a name for themselves with the production of prestigious literary adaptations. Their first brushes with success came in the late 70s and early 80s, but it was in 1985 and 1986 that their lives changed. A Room With a View, their first E.M. Forster adaptation was a huge hit, both with critics and audiences. The picture even won three Oscars, including for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Following such a triumph, one would expect Merchant & Ivory to bask in their glory, perchance repeating the formula of their success. They did end up adapting another of Forster's works, though they chose what, at the time, was the author's least known and least respected book. The result of this unexpected...
- 11/14/2020
- by Cláudio Alves
- FilmExperience
The Raj was all the rage in 1980s Britain with The Jewel In The Crown (1984) notching up critical acclaim and viewers on ITV, while Richard Attenborough's Gandhi (1982) won eight awards at the 1983 Oscars. Sandwiched between the two is this elegant and sweeping Merchant Ivory film, which sees regular collaborator Ruth Prawer Jhabvala adapt her Booker-prize winning novel for the big screen. Told across a dual timeline of the Twenties and the contemporary Eighties India from the time the film was shot, this is an exploration of sexual politics and transgressive relationships that skewers various types of colonialism along the way.
Back in the Twenties, the drawing rooms and gossip bubbles of Britain have been transported to the "Civil Lines" of India, the very name of which drips with the prejudice and privilege the senior British officers and their families were steeped in. Olivia (Greta Scacchi, making a big impact in.
Back in the Twenties, the drawing rooms and gossip bubbles of Britain have been transported to the "Civil Lines" of India, the very name of which drips with the prejudice and privilege the senior British officers and their families were steeped in. Olivia (Greta Scacchi, making a big impact in.
- 5/21/2020
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Greta Gerwig is trying to follow in Emma Thompson‘s footsteps in more ways than one. Just like at the Oscars, should Gerwig win adapted screenplay at Saturday’s Writers Guild of America Award for “Little Women,” she’d be the first solo female winner in the category since Thompson was honored for “Sense and Sensibility” (1995) — yup, nearly a quarter of a century ago.
Gerwig, who’s in first place in our predictions, would also be only the third solo female champ in the category since the WGA Awards established adapted and original fields in 1970; the first was Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who received the prize for “A Room with a View” (1986).
Including writing teams, Gerwig would be the eighth female winner. Elaine May was the first, prevailing for her “Heaven Can Wait” (1978) script with Warren Beatty in the adapted comedy category, which, along with adapted drama, was discontinued after 1984. Seven years later,...
Gerwig, who’s in first place in our predictions, would also be only the third solo female champ in the category since the WGA Awards established adapted and original fields in 1970; the first was Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who received the prize for “A Room with a View” (1986).
Including writing teams, Gerwig would be the eighth female winner. Elaine May was the first, prevailing for her “Heaven Can Wait” (1978) script with Warren Beatty in the adapted comedy category, which, along with adapted drama, was discontinued after 1984. Seven years later,...
- 1/31/2020
- by Joyce Eng
- Gold Derby
The Best Adapted Screenplay at this year’s Oscars is harder to call than usual, but there is reason to believe Greta Gerwig might just pick up her first little gold man for writing “Little Women.” The film faces stiff competition between “The Irishman,” “Jojo Rabbit,” “Joker” and “The Two Popes” in that category, but Gold Derby odds currently have her out in front to win. Here are four reasons why Gerwig is in a good spot to win Best Adapted Screenplay for “Little Women.”
SEEScarlett Johansson and Saoirse Ronan are the only ones who can break this 15-year-old Oscar curse
1. She is beloved.
With just her first two solo outings as a director, Gerwig’s films have resonated with audiences, critics and awards voters. “Lady Bird” (2017) landed with five Oscar nominations including Best Picture and a pair of noms for Gerwig in Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. She...
SEEScarlett Johansson and Saoirse Ronan are the only ones who can break this 15-year-old Oscar curse
1. She is beloved.
With just her first two solo outings as a director, Gerwig’s films have resonated with audiences, critics and awards voters. “Lady Bird” (2017) landed with five Oscar nominations including Best Picture and a pair of noms for Gerwig in Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. She...
- 1/20/2020
- by Kevin Jacobsen
- Gold Derby
Richard Price, the acclaimed screenwriter of The Color of Money and co-creator of HBO’s limited series The Night Of, will be the recipient of the WGA East’s Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement. The award will be presented February 1 at the 72nd annual Writers Guild Awards at New York’s Edison Ballroom.
The author of nine novels, Price joined the guild in 1984 after writing the screenplay for The Color of Money, which was directed by Martin Scorsese, starred Paul Newman and Tom Cruise and earned Price an Oscar nomination. He worked with Scorsese again in 1987 for his segment in New York Stories, a three-part film that also featured contributions from Francis Ford Coppola and Sofia Coppola, and Woody Allen.
Widely acclaimed for writing some of the most thought-provoking crime dramas, Price ‘s film work throughout the 1990s continued to receive critical and box office success. He wrote...
The author of nine novels, Price joined the guild in 1984 after writing the screenplay for The Color of Money, which was directed by Martin Scorsese, starred Paul Newman and Tom Cruise and earned Price an Oscar nomination. He worked with Scorsese again in 1987 for his segment in New York Stories, a three-part film that also featured contributions from Francis Ford Coppola and Sofia Coppola, and Woody Allen.
Widely acclaimed for writing some of the most thought-provoking crime dramas, Price ‘s film work throughout the 1990s continued to receive critical and box office success. He wrote...
- 12/20/2019
- by David Robb
- Deadline Film + TV
Starting next week, one can bask in the glory of another restored Merchant Ivory production in theaters. Timed with its 40th anniversary this year, the 1979 drama The Europeans is returning to theaters, opening next Friday at the Quad in NYC and the Laemmle Royal in La. Courtesy of Cohen Media Group, we’re pleased to unveil the new trailer and beautiful watercolor poster.
Starring the Oscar-nominated actress Lee Remick (the subject of a concurrent retrospective at the Quad), the film set a benchmark for Merchant Ivory, marking their first European “prestige” period piece and the first of three Henry James adaptations they produced. Directed by James Ivory (who will appear for Q&A at the Quad on December 20) and scripted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, the Cannes premiere follows the puritanical Wentworth family in New England and how their lives change when their more worldly European cousins arrive in town.
Check...
Starring the Oscar-nominated actress Lee Remick (the subject of a concurrent retrospective at the Quad), the film set a benchmark for Merchant Ivory, marking their first European “prestige” period piece and the first of three Henry James adaptations they produced. Directed by James Ivory (who will appear for Q&A at the Quad on December 20) and scripted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, the Cannes premiere follows the puritanical Wentworth family in New England and how their lives change when their more worldly European cousins arrive in town.
Check...
- 12/12/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: The 26th Annual Austin Film Festival & Writers Conference is putting some shine on the often unsung and overlooked heroes of film: the writer. This year, the fest revealed that they will be honoring Oscar-winning screenwriters James Ivory with the “Extraordinary Contribution to Film” Award and Ron Bass with the “Distinguished Screenwriter” Award. The fest, which takes place October 24-31, also unveiled their programming which includes conversations with Lulu Wang, director and writer of the critically acclaimed dramedy The Farewell and Sofia Alvarez, the scribe behind the Netflix hit To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before.
Ivory has received multiple Oscar nominations for directing and writing. He won the Oscar for adapting Andre Aciman’s novel Call Me by Your Name which was directed by Luca Guadagnino. He also received the BAFTA and the Writers Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In addition, he received d Best Director Oscar...
Ivory has received multiple Oscar nominations for directing and writing. He won the Oscar for adapting Andre Aciman’s novel Call Me by Your Name which was directed by Luca Guadagnino. He also received the BAFTA and the Writers Guild Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. In addition, he received d Best Director Oscar...
- 9/4/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Henry James novels have made terrific movies; this precise, strongly-felt adaptation expresses interior feelings that James — the master of ambiguity — may not have intended, yet seem essential to the story. A dynamic young female public speaker transfixes all around her, and is taken in and mentored by an activist for the women’s movement. But will a conventional, confining, repressive romance undo a perfect political relationship? The Merchant-Ivory-Jhabvala combination does a powerful book full justice; Vanessa Redgrave got the awards attention but it’s also one of the best films by Christopher Reeve.
The Bostonians
Blu-ray
Cohen Film Collection
1984 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 122 min. / Street Date May 21, 2019 / 30.98
Starring: Christopher Reeve, Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Tandy, Madeleine Potter, Nancy Marchand, Wesley Addy, Barbara Bryne, Linda Hunt, Charles McCaughan, Nancy New, Jon Van Ness, Wallace Shawn, Peter Bogyo.
Cinematography: Walter Lassally
Film Editor: Mrk Potter Jr., Katherine Wenning
Original Music: Richard Robbins
Written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala,...
The Bostonians
Blu-ray
Cohen Film Collection
1984 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 122 min. / Street Date May 21, 2019 / 30.98
Starring: Christopher Reeve, Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Tandy, Madeleine Potter, Nancy Marchand, Wesley Addy, Barbara Bryne, Linda Hunt, Charles McCaughan, Nancy New, Jon Van Ness, Wallace Shawn, Peter Bogyo.
Cinematography: Walter Lassally
Film Editor: Mrk Potter Jr., Katherine Wenning
Original Music: Richard Robbins
Written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala,...
- 6/11/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
James Ivory celebrates his 91st birthday on June 7, 2019. The director, who became an art house favorite thanks to a series of lofty literary adaptations produced by his partner Ismail Merchant, shows no signs of slowing down in his twilight years. In fact, he recently become the oldest Oscar winner in history for penning the script to “Call Me by Your Name” (2017). In honor of his birthday, let’s take a look back at 15 of his greatest films, ranked worst to best.
Although the majority of his work takes place overseas, Ivory was born in Berkeley, CA, in 1928. After cutting his teeth as a documentarian, he kicked off a professional and romantic relationship with Merchant, and together they formed the production company Merchant Ivory. Together, with screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala serving as the third member of their team, they produced a series of acclaimed films based on the works of E.
Although the majority of his work takes place overseas, Ivory was born in Berkeley, CA, in 1928. After cutting his teeth as a documentarian, he kicked off a professional and romantic relationship with Merchant, and together they formed the production company Merchant Ivory. Together, with screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala serving as the third member of their team, they produced a series of acclaimed films based on the works of E.
- 6/7/2019
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Most cinephiles associate the Merchant Ivory catalogue with English dramas like “A Room With a View” and “Howards End” — even the film company’s own Wikipedia page makes amusing note of how many of their best-known features follow “genteel characters who suffer from disillusionment and tragic entanglements” and often involve some kind of house — but with 44 films in its library, Merchant Ivory contains its own vastly different multitudes.
One such unexpected entry: the Jean Rhys adaptation “Quartet,” inspired by the “Wide Sargasso Sea” author’s own experiences as an up-and-comer in swinging Paris. While the film’s pedigree is classic Merchant Ivory — written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, directed by James Ivory, produced by Ismail Merchant — its subject matter and tone are a fair bit different than some of the more staid dramas in the company’s oeuvre. For one thing, it’s a surprisingly dramatic story of a love triangle gone darkly awry.
One such unexpected entry: the Jean Rhys adaptation “Quartet,” inspired by the “Wide Sargasso Sea” author’s own experiences as an up-and-comer in swinging Paris. While the film’s pedigree is classic Merchant Ivory — written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, directed by James Ivory, produced by Ismail Merchant — its subject matter and tone are a fair bit different than some of the more staid dramas in the company’s oeuvre. For one thing, it’s a surprisingly dramatic story of a love triangle gone darkly awry.
- 4/24/2019
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
This flawed Merchant Ivory gem picks apart imperial and sexual politics to reveal a story of forbidden love – but of what kind?
Those two obliterating forces in the title are what officers of the British Raj famously and self-pityingly resented. Other colonialists saw empire as a personal adventure and an arena of secret delight and shame, a personal drama obscured by the dazzling glare and discomfiting dustclouds.
Heat and Dust, the 1983 movie adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from her own Booker-winning novel, directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, is now revived in British cinemas. It emerges from literary and cinematic styles that haven’t been fashionable for many a year: the Anglo-Indian world made famous by Em Forster, Paul Scott and Jg Farrell and the costumed Edwardian period-prestige movies that came out under the Merchant Ivory banner.
Those two obliterating forces in the title are what officers of the British Raj famously and self-pityingly resented. Other colonialists saw empire as a personal adventure and an arena of secret delight and shame, a personal drama obscured by the dazzling glare and discomfiting dustclouds.
Heat and Dust, the 1983 movie adapted by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala from her own Booker-winning novel, directed by James Ivory and produced by Ismail Merchant, is now revived in British cinemas. It emerges from literary and cinematic styles that haven’t been fashionable for many a year: the Anglo-Indian world made famous by Em Forster, Paul Scott and Jg Farrell and the costumed Edwardian period-prestige movies that came out under the Merchant Ivory banner.
- 3/8/2019
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Barry Jenkins and Spike Lee made history this year as the first black writers to earn multiple nominations at the Oscars. They’re both up for Best Adapted Screenplay, Jenkins for “If Beale Street Could Talk” and Lee for “BlacKkKlansman.” But Jenkins previously won this category for “Moonlight” (2016), so if he prevails again he will become the first black writer to claim multiple awards, and he would join an elite group of scribes with multiple Best Adapted Screenplay trophies on their mantels.
The auspicious list of multiple champs already includes Joseph L. Mankiewicz (“A Letter to Three Wives” and “All About Eve”), George Seaton (“Miracle on 34th Street” and “The Country Girl”), Robert Bolt (“Doctor Zhivago” and “A Man for All Seasons”), Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo (together for both “The Godfather” and “The Godfather Part II”), Alvin Sargent (“Julia” and “Ordinary People”), Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (“A Room with a View...
The auspicious list of multiple champs already includes Joseph L. Mankiewicz (“A Letter to Three Wives” and “All About Eve”), George Seaton (“Miracle on 34th Street” and “The Country Girl”), Robert Bolt (“Doctor Zhivago” and “A Man for All Seasons”), Francis Ford Coppola and Mario Puzo (together for both “The Godfather” and “The Godfather Part II”), Alvin Sargent (“Julia” and “Ordinary People”), Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (“A Room with a View...
- 2/14/2019
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
The Writers Guild of America, East will present Tom Fontana, the creator of HBO’s “Oz,” with the Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement at the 71st Annual WGA Awards. The awards ceremony will be held at New York’s Edison Ballroom on Feb. 17, 2019.
Fontana, who joined the guild in 1982 as a writer on the NBC medical drama “St. Elsewhere,” is the creator of several groundbreaking shows including “Oz,” “The Philanthropist,” “Copper” and Netflix’s “Borgia,” and was a writer on “Homicide: Life on the Street.” He is currently the showrunner for “City on a Hill,” a drama created by Chuck MacLean, which will premiere on Showtime in 2019.
“I’m extremely grateful to the men and women in our Guild for thinking me worthy of the award. Now, everything I write will have to be better than before,” Fontana said in a statement.
Also Read: WGA East 2018 Council Election...
Fontana, who joined the guild in 1982 as a writer on the NBC medical drama “St. Elsewhere,” is the creator of several groundbreaking shows including “Oz,” “The Philanthropist,” “Copper” and Netflix’s “Borgia,” and was a writer on “Homicide: Life on the Street.” He is currently the showrunner for “City on a Hill,” a drama created by Chuck MacLean, which will premiere on Showtime in 2019.
“I’m extremely grateful to the men and women in our Guild for thinking me worthy of the award. Now, everything I write will have to be better than before,” Fontana said in a statement.
Also Read: WGA East 2018 Council Election...
- 12/5/2018
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Tom Fontana, creator of “Oz” and “Homicide: Life on the Street,” will be honored with the Writers Guild of America East’s Ian McLellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement.
Fontana will be presented with the honor at the 71st annual Writers Guild Awards, which will be held at New York’s Edison Ballroom on Feb. 17.
The award is presented to a WGA East member in honor of their body of work as a writer in motion pictures or television. Past recipients include Geoffrey Ward, Andrew Bergman, John Sayles, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, John Waters, Richard Lagravenese, John Patrick Shanley, and Nora Ephron.
“I’m extremely grateful to the men and women in our guild for thinking me worthy of the award,” Fontana said. “Now, everything I write will have to be better than before.”
Fontana joined the WGA East in 1982 as a writer on the series “St. Elsewhere,” for which he received three Emmy Awards,...
Fontana will be presented with the honor at the 71st annual Writers Guild Awards, which will be held at New York’s Edison Ballroom on Feb. 17.
The award is presented to a WGA East member in honor of their body of work as a writer in motion pictures or television. Past recipients include Geoffrey Ward, Andrew Bergman, John Sayles, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, John Waters, Richard Lagravenese, John Patrick Shanley, and Nora Ephron.
“I’m extremely grateful to the men and women in our guild for thinking me worthy of the award,” Fontana said. “Now, everything I write will have to be better than before.”
Fontana joined the WGA East in 1982 as a writer on the series “St. Elsewhere,” for which he received three Emmy Awards,...
- 12/5/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
No, Daniel Day-Lewis is not backing out of his retirement from acting, but if it was up to James Ivory, he would be. In a recent conversation with Film Comment, the 90-year-old director and Oscar-winning Call Me By Your Name scripter explained that he’s “been thinking about doing an adaptation of the novel Coral Glynn by Peter Cameron, which I’d like to direct, set in England in the 1950s.” He continued, “There is a sharp detective in the story which would suit Daniel Day-Lewis, just as there are very good parts for Helena Bonham Carter, Julian Sands, and Rupert Graves, now all in their fifties.” While Carter, Sands, and Graves are all still working, it seems ambitious to recruit Daniel Day-Lewis, who announced last year that his role as Reynolds Woodcock in Paul Thomas Anderson’s Phantom Thread would be his last. When asked the inevitable question about this matter,...
- 6/20/2018
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
James Ivory became one of the most acclaimed writer/directors of his generation after making such films as “A Room with a View” and “The Remains of the Day,” but it wasn’t a Merchant Ivory film that won him an Oscar. That would be “Call Me by Your Name,” the screenplay for which Ivory adapted from André Aciman’s novel of the same name. Now 90, he has his sights set on at least two new projects — and wants Daniel Day-Lewis to come out of self-imposed retirement for one of them.
Ivory is currently writing “The Judge’s Will,” based on longtime collaborator Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s short story of the same name, for director Alexander Payne; he isn’t content to simply write, however: “I’d also been thinking about doing an adaptation of the novel ‘Coral Glynn’ by Peter Cameron, which I’d like to direct, set in England in the 1950s,...
Ivory is currently writing “The Judge’s Will,” based on longtime collaborator Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s short story of the same name, for director Alexander Payne; he isn’t content to simply write, however: “I’d also been thinking about doing an adaptation of the novel ‘Coral Glynn’ by Peter Cameron, which I’d like to direct, set in England in the 1950s,...
- 6/18/2018
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Since any New York City cinephile has a nearly suffocating wealth of theatrical options, we figured it’d be best to compile some of the more worthwhile repertory showings into one handy list. Displayed below are a few of the city’s most reliable theaters and links to screenings of their weekend offerings — films you’re not likely to see in a theater again anytime soon, and many of which are, also, on 35mm. If you have a chance to attend any of these, we’re of the mind that it’s time extremely well-spent.
Film Society of Lincoln Center
The lush, inventive, enveloping cinema of Luchino Visconti is highlighted in a new, extensive series.
Anthology Film Archives
Films by Orson Welles, Satyajit Ray, Claire Denis, Manoel de Oliveira and more play in “Documentarists for a Day.”
Metrograph
Two generations of Coppola: Dementia 13 and Lick the Star play on a two-for-one bill.
Film Society of Lincoln Center
The lush, inventive, enveloping cinema of Luchino Visconti is highlighted in a new, extensive series.
Anthology Film Archives
Films by Orson Welles, Satyajit Ray, Claire Denis, Manoel de Oliveira and more play in “Documentarists for a Day.”
Metrograph
Two generations of Coppola: Dementia 13 and Lick the Star play on a two-for-one bill.
- 6/7/2018
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
Academy Award-winning screenwriter James Ivory will adapt the family drama “The Judge’s Will” for Fox Searchlight, with Alexander Payne directing.
The movie is based on a New Yorker story that was the final article written by Ivory’s frequent collaborator Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who won Oscars for “Howards End” and “A Room With a View.”
Conde Nast Entertainment’s Jeremy Steckler and Dawn Ostroff will produce with Ad Hominem Enterprises, the company that Payne runs with Jim Burke and Jim Taylor. Fox Searchlight picked up the rights to “The Judge’s Will” in 2013.
“The Judge’s Will” details the relationship between an ailing Delhi judge and his wife, each leading separate lives. It begins, “After his second heart attack, the judge knew that he could no longer put off informing his wife about the contents of his will. He did this for the sake of the woman he had been keeping for twenty-five years,...
The movie is based on a New Yorker story that was the final article written by Ivory’s frequent collaborator Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who won Oscars for “Howards End” and “A Room With a View.”
Conde Nast Entertainment’s Jeremy Steckler and Dawn Ostroff will produce with Ad Hominem Enterprises, the company that Payne runs with Jim Burke and Jim Taylor. Fox Searchlight picked up the rights to “The Judge’s Will” in 2013.
“The Judge’s Will” details the relationship between an ailing Delhi judge and his wife, each leading separate lives. It begins, “After his second heart attack, the judge knew that he could no longer put off informing his wife about the contents of his will. He did this for the sake of the woman he had been keeping for twenty-five years,...
- 5/29/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Months after becoming the Oscars’ oldest winner for adapting Call Me By Your Name, James Ivory has found a follow-up. He’ll adapt for director Alexander Payne and Fox Searchlight The Judge’s Will, based on an article in the New Yorker. It is a special assignment, given that the article was written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who was screenwriter on 23 films Ivory directed in their long partnership with producer Ismael Merchant. Now, he’ll adapt the last article she wrote before she died.
Conde Nast Entertainment’s Jeremy Steckler and Dawn Ostroff will produce with Ad Hominem Enterprises, the company Payne runs with Jim Burke and Jim Taylor.
Jhabvala wrote the article about the final moments in the chess game relationship between an ailing Delhi judge and his Bombay wife. Each had separate lives even though they lived under the same roof and, as he nears death, the...
Conde Nast Entertainment’s Jeremy Steckler and Dawn Ostroff will produce with Ad Hominem Enterprises, the company Payne runs with Jim Burke and Jim Taylor.
Jhabvala wrote the article about the final moments in the chess game relationship between an ailing Delhi judge and his Bombay wife. Each had separate lives even though they lived under the same roof and, as he nears death, the...
- 5/29/2018
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
This is the second part of Gold Derby’s coverage of the 9th Annual TCM Classic Film Festival where Oscar winners and film fans gathered at Hollywood’s famed Chinese Theater. (Read Part 1 of our report here.) Every day was filled with Oscar winners sharing stories and here are some of the best.
Martin Scorsese (2006 Best Director for “The Departed”) received the first Robert Osborne Award on the opening night of the festival from Leonardo DiCaprio (2015 Best Actor for “The Revenant”) and gave an impassioned speech about the importance of preserving film culture. He also joked that he refuses to stay in a hotel that doesn’t have TCM on their cable television and that he and DiCaprio’s film “The Aviator” is probably the only film of his that TCM would be able to show unedited.
SEEEmmys 2018 exclusive: PBS ‘Masterpiece’ categories for ‘Little Women,’ ‘The Child in Time’ and...
Martin Scorsese (2006 Best Director for “The Departed”) received the first Robert Osborne Award on the opening night of the festival from Leonardo DiCaprio (2015 Best Actor for “The Revenant”) and gave an impassioned speech about the importance of preserving film culture. He also joked that he refuses to stay in a hotel that doesn’t have TCM on their cable television and that he and DiCaprio’s film “The Aviator” is probably the only film of his that TCM would be able to show unedited.
SEEEmmys 2018 exclusive: PBS ‘Masterpiece’ categories for ‘Little Women,’ ‘The Child in Time’ and...
- 5/29/2018
- by Robert Pius
- Gold Derby
The 89-year-old Room with a View director won his first Oscar for his adaptation of the impassioned gay romance novel
• Oscars 2018: the red carpet, the winners, the speeches
James Ivory has won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay at the 90th Academy awards for his work on the film Call Me By Your Name, adapted from André Aciman’s novel of the same name. At 89, Ivory is the oldest ever winner of an Academy award; it is his first win after three previous nominations in the best director category, for the films A Room with a View, Howard’s End, and The Remains of the Day.
Wearing a shirt emblazoned with the face of Call Me By Your Name star Timothée Chalamet, Ivory thanked his deceased Merchant-Ivory partners Ismail Merchant and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala as well as André Aciman.
• Oscars 2018: the red carpet, the winners, the speeches
James Ivory has won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay at the 90th Academy awards for his work on the film Call Me By Your Name, adapted from André Aciman’s novel of the same name. At 89, Ivory is the oldest ever winner of an Academy award; it is his first win after three previous nominations in the best director category, for the films A Room with a View, Howard’s End, and The Remains of the Day.
Wearing a shirt emblazoned with the face of Call Me By Your Name star Timothée Chalamet, Ivory thanked his deceased Merchant-Ivory partners Ismail Merchant and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala as well as André Aciman.
- 3/5/2018
- by Jake Nevins
- The Guardian - Film News
At 89, James Ivory isn't done yet.
The American filmmaker, whose collaboration with producer Ismail Merchant (and their longtime screenwriter, the late Ruth Prawer Jhabvala) made Merchant Ivory a byword for classy cinema in the mid-1980s and early '90s, has staged a dramatic late-career comeback with Call Me by Your Name, which Ivory wrote and co-produced for director Luca Guadagnino.
The touching gay love story, based on Andre Aciman's acclaimed 2007 novel, earned Ivory his first-ever BAFTA nomination for best adapted screenplay, and it's a near certainty he'll pick up his first Oscar nomination in the same category, adding to...
The American filmmaker, whose collaboration with producer Ismail Merchant (and their longtime screenwriter, the late Ruth Prawer Jhabvala) made Merchant Ivory a byword for classy cinema in the mid-1980s and early '90s, has staged a dramatic late-career comeback with Call Me by Your Name, which Ivory wrote and co-produced for director Luca Guadagnino.
The touching gay love story, based on Andre Aciman's acclaimed 2007 novel, earned Ivory his first-ever BAFTA nomination for best adapted screenplay, and it's a near certainty he'll pick up his first Oscar nomination in the same category, adding to...
- 1/19/2018
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Don Rosenfeld on Cate Blanchett and Emma Thompson: "They've never been in a movie together. I think they need to be." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Over sea bass at Sette Mezzo on New York's Upper East Side, Don Rosenfeld, founder of Sovereign Films (with Andreas Roald) and the former head of Merchant Ivory Productions, discussed with me his upcoming projects and the twisting history behind filming Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains Of The Day, which included Mike Nichols, Anjelica Huston, Jonathan Pryce, Anthony Hopkins, Susan Sarandon, Harold Pinter, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, and James Ivory.
Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins in Remains Of The Day
Rosenfeld, who worked as producer on Howards End, The Remains Of The Day, and Richard Laxton's Effie Gray (starring and written by Emma Thompson), sees her teaming up with Cate Blanchett (who narrated Terrence Malick's fantastic Voyage Of Time: Life's Journey) on a film...
Over sea bass at Sette Mezzo on New York's Upper East Side, Don Rosenfeld, founder of Sovereign Films (with Andreas Roald) and the former head of Merchant Ivory Productions, discussed with me his upcoming projects and the twisting history behind filming Kazuo Ishiguro's The Remains Of The Day, which included Mike Nichols, Anjelica Huston, Jonathan Pryce, Anthony Hopkins, Susan Sarandon, Harold Pinter, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, and James Ivory.
Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins in Remains Of The Day
Rosenfeld, who worked as producer on Howards End, The Remains Of The Day, and Richard Laxton's Effie Gray (starring and written by Emma Thompson), sees her teaming up with Cate Blanchett (who narrated Terrence Malick's fantastic Voyage Of Time: Life's Journey) on a film...
- 12/17/2017
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Emma Thompson and Anthony Hopkins star in a gorgeous restoration of the Merchant Ivory period drama
A new 4K restoration to celebrate its 25th anniversary means director-producer duo James Ivory and Ismail Merchant’s 1992 period drama is back on the big screen. Their gorgeous, textured adaption of Em Forster’s 1910 novel is fierce and deeply romantic, political, emotion-led, respectful of music and literature, impeccably dressed and, in one of the characters’ own words, “overexpressive”. A bit like its heroines, then, the Schlegel sisters, Margaret (Emma Thompson) and Helen (Helena Bonham Carter), champagne socialists whose progressive values and philanthropic impulses are tested by their emotional connections to men who sit both above and below them on the socioeconomic ladder. “The poor are poor; one is sorry for them, but there it is,” growls the wealthy Henry Wilcox (Anthony Hopkins), the wealthy owner of Howards End and Margaret’s eventual suitor.
But...
A new 4K restoration to celebrate its 25th anniversary means director-producer duo James Ivory and Ismail Merchant’s 1992 period drama is back on the big screen. Their gorgeous, textured adaption of Em Forster’s 1910 novel is fierce and deeply romantic, political, emotion-led, respectful of music and literature, impeccably dressed and, in one of the characters’ own words, “overexpressive”. A bit like its heroines, then, the Schlegel sisters, Margaret (Emma Thompson) and Helen (Helena Bonham Carter), champagne socialists whose progressive values and philanthropic impulses are tested by their emotional connections to men who sit both above and below them on the socioeconomic ladder. “The poor are poor; one is sorry for them, but there it is,” growls the wealthy Henry Wilcox (Anthony Hopkins), the wealthy owner of Howards End and Margaret’s eventual suitor.
But...
- 7/30/2017
- by Simran Hans
- The Guardian - Film News
Emma Thompson, Helena Bonham Carter and Anthony Hopkins star in the rereleased Merchant-Ivory wealth tragedy based on Em Forster’s novel
Twenty-five years on, Howards End is rereleased in cinemas: a sumptuous piece of heritage prestige cinema produced by Ismail Merchant, directed by James Ivory and adapted from Em Forster’s 1910 novel by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. It looks as handsome and high-minded as ever, and not dated, though it is for me slightly difficult to recapture the euphoric enthusiasm which made this such a multi-Oscar triumph: nine nominations, three wins, including Emma Thompson’s best actress, which was to make her, after her Sense and Sensibility best adaptation win three years later, still the only person to receive Academy Awards in both writing and acting.
Related: Vanessa Redgrave: ‘I’m stunned anyone ever said a word against Howards End’
Continue reading...
Twenty-five years on, Howards End is rereleased in cinemas: a sumptuous piece of heritage prestige cinema produced by Ismail Merchant, directed by James Ivory and adapted from Em Forster’s 1910 novel by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. It looks as handsome and high-minded as ever, and not dated, though it is for me slightly difficult to recapture the euphoric enthusiasm which made this such a multi-Oscar triumph: nine nominations, three wins, including Emma Thompson’s best actress, which was to make her, after her Sense and Sensibility best adaptation win three years later, still the only person to receive Academy Awards in both writing and acting.
Related: Vanessa Redgrave: ‘I’m stunned anyone ever said a word against Howards End’
Continue reading...
- 7/28/2017
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
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