The Merchant Ivory Collection: Heat and Dust

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

Two women, related but separated by one generation and 60 years, have parallel experiences in the evocative mystical environment of India in this period drama from producer Ismail Merchant and director James Ivory. Although a little slow-paced for some, and slightly confusing because the stories of the two women are intercut, the scenery and script evoke a time and place that mesmerize. Based on the 1975 novel by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, a long-time collaborator in Merchant-Ivory Productions, the story begins with Ann (Julie Christie) who discovers some letters written by her grandfather's first wife Olivia (Greta Scacchi) that open up a whole new world as Ann travels to India to continue researching her grandmother's past. The letters reveal that when she was young, the free-spirited grandmother fell in love with an Indian nobleman (Shashi Kapoor) and left her husband -- an administrator in the British colonial government -- for her lover. After Ann arrives in India, her life and the modern rush of cars and people are played off against flashbacks to Olivia's life in a colonial setting. When the environment of each woman is compared and the nature of their momentous decisions placed side-by-side, their rites of passage and the society that dominated their choices stand out in high relief. Ruth Prawer Jhabvala won "Best Adapted Screenplay" at the 1983 British Academy Awards for her script of Heat And Dust. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 1
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Screen: Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1 (Alternate Wide Screen)
• Features:
  • New digital transfer, enhanced for widescreen televisions
  • Commentary on Heat and Dust By Ismail Merchant, Greta Scacchi, Nickolas Grace
  • Conversation with the filmmakers, part of a new series of interviews with Ismail Merchant, James Ivory, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, and Richard Robbins
  • Original theatrical trailer
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired

AWARDS

• British Academy of Film and Television Arts

•     Won Best Adapted Screenplay - 1983 (Ruth Prawer Jhabvala)

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Julie Christie - Anne
       Christopher Cazenove - Douglas Rivers
       Greta Scacchi - Olivia
       Julian Glover - Mr. Crawford
       Susan Fleetwood - Mrs. Crawford
       Shashi Kapoor - The Nawab
       Madhur Jaffrey - The Begum
       Nickolas Grace - Harry
       Zakir Hussain - Inder Lal
       Barry Foster - Maj. Minnies
       Patrick Godfrey - Dr. Saunders
       Jennifer Kendal - Mrs. Saunders
       Sudha Chopra - Chief Princess
       Ratna Pathak - Rita, Lal's Wife
       Tarla Mehta - Mother, Inder Lal's
       Jayut Kripilani - Dr. Gopal
       Leelabhai - Leelavati
       Charles McCaughan - Chid
       Praveen Paul - Maji
       Amanda Walker - Lady Mackleworth

• Director:

  James Ivory

• Producer:

  Connie Kaiserman, Ismail Merchant

• Screenwriter:

  Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

• Book Author:

  Ruth Prawer Jhabvala

• Cinematographer:

  Walter Lassally

• Composer (Music Score):

  Richard Robbins

• Editor:

  Humphrey Dixon

• Production Designer:

  Wilfred Shingleton, Ram Yedekar

• Art Director:

  Maurice Fowler, Ram Yadekar

• Costume Designer:

  Barbara Lane

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Ray Beckett

• First Assistant Director:

  David Nichols