UNITED KINGDOM: The premiere of film 'The White Countess' marks the end of the celebrated partnership between James Ivory and the late Ismail Merchant

Record ID: 220203

  • Title: UNITED KINGDOM: The premiere of film 'The White Countess' marks the end of the celebrated partnership between James Ivory and the late Ismail Merchant
  • Date: 23rd March 2006
  • Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) RALPH FIENNES, SAYING: "It's just sad that Ismail can't be here. And I think it was a film he was really passionate about and believed in and we had to fight very hard to get it made, it was difficult to finance, so it was a big sadness for everyone who's made it that he can't be here to celebrate." DIRECTOR JAMES IVORY TALKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) JAMES IVORY, SAYING: "Well, as you can imgaine it was a terrible shock and one that as a working relationship will never, can never be replaced. But, I have to go on, the best I can." NATASHA RICHARDSON TALKING TO MEDIA (SOUNDBITE) (English) NATASHA RICHARDSON, SAYING: "Well it's a honour really, it's an honour and I hope this film is a testament to Ismail and I'm glad I got the chance to work with them both."
  • Embargoed: 7th April 2006 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: United Kingdom
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Reuters ID: LVAEELZVF3418N6FXPN4R3WFX8YM
  • Story Text: Romantic drama 'The White Countess' premiered in London's Curzon Mayfair Cinema on Sunday (March 19).
    Set in mid-1930s China the film tells the story about two soul mates forging a bond on the brink of the Japanese invasion.
    Natasha Richardson plays Sofia Belinsky, a Russian countess who supports her exiled family, including her aunt Sara (Vanessa Redgrave).
    Her mother-in-law (Lynn Redgrave) and sister-in-law (Madeleine Potter) disaprove of her way of rising income as a club dancer in the near surrounding of her young daughter Katya (Madeleine Daly), but at the same time desperately need the money.
    One day Sofia meets a blind American diplomat Todd Jackson (Ralph Fiennes), who is devastated by the loss of his family in the political violence.
    In order to shut out the chaos and the tragedy that surrounds him, Jackson is determined to open a night club in Shanghai with the help of the countess.
    'The White Countess' becomes an establishment and functions as an unofficial League of Nations.
    Fiennes was immediately attracted to the story showing such strong characters.
    "Well, I think it was the mixture of the combination of working with Ismail (Merchant) and Jim (James Ivory) and the screenplay they had worked on with Kazuo Ishiguro, who is a great novelist as you know. This is an original screenplay and I loved the characters in it, particularly I loved the character they asked me to play, Todd Jackson," he told Reuters.
    His collegue also had no doubt about embarking upon this romantic epic.
    "Well, first of all an amazing story written by Ishiguro, who wrote 'The Remains of the Day', just a wonderful part and then I got to work with Ralph who is not only an actor I admire, but he's one of mine greatest friends, get to shoot it in China, work with Merchant-Ivory and then work with my mother and my aunt Lynn, how could I say 'no'?"
    The film involved a lot of research for the actors including training for an impeccable accent.
    "I did do a lot of work on the accent and it sounds a bit strange, but I wanted to not just have a Russian accent, but I wanted to have a Russian soul, so I spoke to a lot of Russian people tried to figure out what is the difference between being English and being Russian, so a lot of research."
    The film marks the end of the Merchant-Ivory partnership, which began in 1961 and spanned over forty four years.
    'The White Countess' was nearly completed when Ismail Mercant died in May 2005.
    "Well, as you can imgaine it was a terrible shock and one that as a working relationship will never, can never be replaced. But, I have to go on, the best I can," James Ivory said about his loss.
    The film duo made more than 40 films together, including 'A Room With A View', 'Howard's End' and 'The Remains Of The Day'.
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