Oscar-Winning Oregon Movie Director Features on Turner Classic Movies Channel

Oscar-winning Oregon movie director, James Ivory, will be in front of the camera instead of directing from the rear when he features in a documentary about his life’s work on Turner Classic Movies next week.

The Oregonian has directed highly rated movies such as ‘The Remains of the Day,’ ‘A Room with a View,’ and ‘Howard’s End.’

James Ivory could have been mistaken by many a movie lover as a Brit because of his penchant to make films set in England but he is very much an Oregonian.

James Ivory Spent Childhood in Klamath Falls

Now 96 years old, James Ivory spent his childhood in Klamath Falls, was a student at the University of Oregon in Eugene, and to this day regularly visits a family-owned cabin at the Lake of Woods in the unincorporated community of Klamath County.

The Turner Classic Movies documentary is entitled ‘Merchant Ivory’ by director Stephen Soucy. The title was derived from Ivory’s long personal and professional partnership with producer Ismail Merchant. Over the years, Merchant Ivory Productions released several classic movies.

The documentary is star-studded with actors such as Vanessa Redgrave, Helena Bonham Carter, Emma Thompson, and High Grant who share their memories of the Merchant Ivory film-making process, and the ingenious methods of the late Ismail Merchant to raise the cash needed to finance their projects.

Apart from insightful commentary and entertaining anecdotes about the production company, the documentary also reveals how willing Merchant Ivory Productions was to portray LGBTQ+ lifestyles.

This is illustrated by ‘Maurice,’ a 1987 feature that was adapted from the E.M. Foster novel of the same name that looks into the lives of gay men during the repressive Edwardian era.

Ivory Directed Oscar-Winning ‘The Remains of the Day’

James Ivory had a $15 million budget to direct ‘The Remains of the Day’ for which he won an Oscar for Best Director. The stellar cast included Anthony Hopkins and Emma Thompson, who were both Oscar winners – Hopkins as Best Actor and Thompson as Best Actress. The movie was released in 1993.

‘Howard’s End’ was another Oscar-winning Ivory-directed box office hit. Released in 1992 with a $32 million budget, the movie won three Oscars – Emma Thompson again exceled as Best Actress in a Leading Role, and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium, and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration.

Movie Buffs are in for a Treat

Movie buffs are in for a treat.

After viewing the ‘Merchant Ivory’ documentary on Turner Classic Movies on Tuesday, October 15, at 7.30 p.m., they can watch the Oscar-winning director’s ‘A Room with a View.’

For viewers without cable or satellite, stream DirecTVStream, Sling, or Hulu Live TV.