Cohen Film Collection continues its restoration of classic Merchant Ivory productions, among them the 1963 “The Householder,” the first cinematic collaboration between Ishmael Merchant and James Ivory.
Cohen Media Group’s classic, Cohen Film Collection is lining up a four-title restoration that also includes the spin-off 1977 romance drama “Roseland” with Theresa Wright and Christopher Walken, and two Merchant-directed films, “In Custody” (1994), starring Shashi Kapoor, and ” The Owner” (1996), starring Jane Morrow.
Tim Lanza, Cohen Film Collection Vice President and Archive Specialist, says he chose “In Custody” – Merchant’s directorial debut – and “The Owner” in particular “because James Ivory was keen to re-release some of the films directed by Ishmael Merchant himself”.
“The Householder” and “In Custody” are also among the Merchant Ivory films set in India, which Lanza is also excited to bring back to audiences.
The Cohen Film Collection has acquired a number of Merchant Ivory films and has already brought back titles such as “Howards End”, “Maurice”, “Quartet”, “Heat and Dust” and “Shakespeare and God”.
Lanza says the new titles “are less well known as something like, for sure, ‘Howards End’ or ‘Morris,’ so we’re looking forward to reintroducing them, especially indie films.”
The Merchant Ivory nicknames have continued to attract international attention due to their enduring appeal.
In addition to being a leading martial arts brand, Merchant Ivory’s films have been distinguished for their “quality tradition, compelling storylines, outstanding cast and great performances,” Lanza notes.
“What really interests me is that while they had some sort of classic and big budget outer shell, they were really kind of a scattered bunch of filmmakers, pretty much independent in spirit,” he adds, noting that Merchant is often busy Raise money for films that have already been shot.
“I think that’s a lesser known part of their story which is really cool to me.” While Merchant Ivory’s work looks very polished and sober, in terms of production and storylines, it was “more subversive than people give it credit for.”
Merchant had gifted the original film elements of most of the Merchant Ivory films to the George Eastman Museum in Rochester, New York, which will survey the original negatives for the new restorations.
Cohen’s film collection also brought back “The Princess Autobiography” (1975), “Europeans” (1979), “Bostenians” (1984), “Pranksters” (1988).
The company still has 11 Merchant Ivory titles that must be restored, including four currently in progress. Her most recently completed movie, 1991’s “The Ballad of the Sad Café” by Simon Callow, hit theaters this year and is soon to be released on Blu-ray and streaming platforms.
Also slated for a home video release this year is Patrice LeConte’s 1989 film Hire a Master, due out October 25. Cohen’s film group will also release two other Leconte films that have not been released widely in the US, “Felix and Lola” (2001) and “Love Street” (2002).
Through its partnership with Studiocanal, the company is also releasing Diane Kurys’ French drama “Entre Nous” (1983) and Reinhard Hauff’s 1978 German film “Knife in the Head” with Bruno Ganz. The latter is “a movie that hasn’t been available here for decades,” Lanza notes.
As part of its North American deal with Celluloid Dreams for a number of restored Jacques Rivette films, Cohen Film Collection “Love on the Ground” (1984), “The Gang of Four” (1989), “Up , Down, Fragile” (1995) and “Secret Defense” (1998).
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