Description: Merchant Ivory Productions, The Criterion Collection, and Home Vision Entertainment are proud to present The Merchant Ivory Collection
The Householder is the story of a shy, young, underpaid Delhi schoolteacher (Shashi Kapoor) who marries and then, little by little, gets to know his young wife during their first year together. She is a charmer with a mind of her own, yet is as little prepared for marriage as he. Their story is full of a variety of subtle but shining pleasures and charming touches of humor. The characters they encounter are unforgettable, especially his mother-in-law, a tearful tyrant who comes to live with them, and the platitudinous headmaster and obsequious senior master at the school. The wonder of this story derived from the culture of modern, middle-class India is that it is able to transcend national boundaries and relate to the problems common to young couples everywhere. This landmark film also marks the first collaboration between producer Ismail Merchant, director James Ivory, and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (adapting her acclaimed novel for the screen), a productive artistic relationship that has continued for forty years and produced many award-winning films.
The Perfect Working Team The Ivory-Merchant-Jhabvala team established a particular style in their film productions. This film and HEAT AND DUST are even more special because they are based on novels written by Jhabvala herself.
Don't expect the usual Merchant-Ivory quality! This movie has a low-budget, homemade feel to it. I guess it was one of their very first films. It's in black and white and the sound quality is so poor that sometimes it's difficult to understand what the characters are saying. The Indian background music is often shrill and jarring, like fingernails on a blackboard. Also, the acting seemed pretty amateurish to me. The story is quite slow, too, and for me it dragged a bit. I would say this is only for the SERIOUS Merchant-Ivory scholar!
Great Film!! This is a great film from India about a newlywed husband being troubled by his independent wife who seeks advice from his overbearing mother and his American friend.It's a must see great film!!
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