In Conversation James Ivory and Phillip Lopate
Kaylie Jones’s autobiographical novel, A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries, is based on her life with her father, author James Jones (From Here To Eternity). James Ivory was drawn both to the saga of expatriate family life in Paris and to the character of Francis, a dramatic young boy. Told from the vantage point of the daughter, Channe, the film is broken into three chapters, each set in a different time and centered on an important person in Channe’s life—her adopted brother Billy, her school friend Francis, and her father. “Rarely has family life been presented with such refined precision” (TIFF).
Written by Ivory, Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, based on the book by Kaylie Jones. Photographed by Jean-Marc Faber. With Kris Kristofferson, Barbara Hershey, Leelee Sobieski, Jane Birkin. (124 mins, Color, In English and French with English subtitles, 35mm, From Universal)
(In conjunction with) James Ivory Three Films from Novels
If the phrase “Merchant Ivory Productions” is among the opening credits of a film, you are guaranteed that an intelligent, beautifully visualized film will follow. Director James Ivory, who was born in Berkeley and lived in India, had a long and fruitful collaboration with producer Ismail Merchant, who was born in India and studied in America. Perhaps this cross-cultural exchange led them to one of their central themes, that of the expatriate, which often intertwines with another focus, the family. Throughout their fifty-year collaboration, Merchant (who died in 2005) and Ivory were best known for their adaptations of literature, including luscious visual renditions of Henry James’s The Europeans and E. M. Forster’s Howard’s End. Our tribute to James Ivory focuses on their adaptations of contemporary American novels, Mr.& Mrs. Bridge, Le Divorce, and A Soldier’s Daughter Never Cries. Ivory’s “body of work really is literary, and not just because he has tackled such a remarkably diverse group of book adaptations. His films are literate in their own right, united by a style that overrides the source material” (Janet Maslin).
As part of our ongoing series Afterimage: Filmmakers and Critics in Conversation, we are delighted that James Ivory will join us in conversation with renowned essayist Phillip Lopate to discuss the art of adapting novels into films following the screening on Saturday, April 7. Lopate will also introduce a special screening of Chekhov for Children, a documentary that looks at the lasting impact of his projects with elementary-school children. Lopate’s books include Art of the Personal Essay, Notes on Sontag, and Totally Tenderly Tragically (film criticism); he runs the graduate nonfiction program at Columbia University.
Kathy Geritz, Film Curator
This presentation is part of our ongoing series Afterimage: Filmmakers and Critics in Conversation, which is made possible by generous funding from the Hollywood Foreign Press Association and the continued support of the BAM/PFA Trustees. James Ivory’s visit is cosponsored by the Asian Art Museum, San Francisco. Special thanks to Graeme Vanderstoel and Deborah Clearwaters.
Theater Admission Prices
Single Feature
$5.50 BAM/PFA Members, UC Berkeley Students
$9.50 Adults (18-64)
$6.50 UC Berkeley faculty, staff, and retirees
Non-UC Berkeley students
Senior citizens (65 & over)
Disabled persons
Youth (17 & under
Additional Feature $4.00 All Patrons
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