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Ismail Merchant

Ismail Merchant

Producer and director · Died May 25, 2005, aged 68 · Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India

Ismail Merchant (born Ismail Noor Muhammad Abdul Rahman; 25 December 1936 – 25 May 2005) was an Indian-born film producer and director. He worked for many years in collaboration with Merchant Ivory Productions which included director (and Merchant's longtime professional and domestic partner) James Ivory as well as screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Their films won six Academy Awards.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
December 25, 1936
Died
May 25, 2005 (aged 68)
From
Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India
Works as
Producer and director
Titles
29 on MovieCove · 50 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 63 days to Oct 26Down 14% in 30 days

What are Ismail Merchant's films like?

Across their 28 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Drama17 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 59th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Drama movies
Comedy6 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 33rd percentile
: browse their Comedy movies
Biography2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 39th percentile
: browse their Biography movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
26%
Bonds
23%
Society
17%
Power
13%
Morality
10%
Ideas
6%
Survival
5%
Romantic love10 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity9 titles, browse their movies with this themeClass7 titles, browse their movies with this themeTradition vs change3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds4 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIsolation5 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception4 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 28 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 12 · Stylized 14 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

A split, not a type: Gentle 17 · Charged 9 · Intense 2

Steady: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their steady movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 21 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 19 · Some laughs 8 · Funny 1

Slow burn: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their slow burn movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 22 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 8 · Engaged 19 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 10 · Affecting 11 · Heavy 7

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 11 · Open-ended 15 · Ambiguous 2

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Melancholic
20
Contemplative
16
Tense
10
Bittersweet
9
Romantic
8
Other
14

How their films linger

Bittersweet21 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking10 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteWistful7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHaunting5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet19
  • Tragic2
  • Ambiguous4

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Ismail Merchant's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 20 of their 29 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (14).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Ismail Merchant's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

50 credits, 29 with a MovieCove page; 9 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • The White Countess(2005)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films

  • Heights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

    Producer

  • Thank You, Doctor Rey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    Executive Producer

  • The Divorce(2003)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films

  • The Mystic Masseur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

    Director

  • The Golden Bowl(2000)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films

  • Cotton Mary (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    Director

  • A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries(1998)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Side Streets(1998)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Mrs Dalloway(1997)

    Thanks

    Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films

  • HARDtalk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

    Show 1 episode · Actor

  • The Proprietor(1996)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • Surviving Picasso(1996)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films

  • Lumière and Company(1995)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films

  • Feast of July(1995)

    Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Jefferson in Paris(1995)

    Producer · as Royal Indian Man

    Midcredits score: 26th percentile of all films

  • Street Musicians of Bombay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

    Producer

  • In Custody(1994)

    Director

    Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all films

  • The Remains of the Day(1993)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films

  • Howards End(1992)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films

  • The Ballad of the Sad Cafe(1991)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films

  • Mr. & Mrs. Bridge(1990)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films

  • Slaves of New York(1989)

    Producer · as Party Guest (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films

  • The Deceivers(1988)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • The Perfect Murder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

    Executive Producer

  • Maurice(1987)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • My Little Girl (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

    Executive Producer

  • A Room with a View(1986)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • Noon Wine (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

    Executive Producer

  • The Bostonians(1984)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Heat and Dust(1983)

    Producer · as Indish Guy (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films

  • The Courtesans of Bombay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1983)

    Director · Producer · Writer

  • Quartet(1981)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films

  • Jane Austen in Manhattan(1980)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films

  • The Europeans(1979)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Hullabaloo Over Georgie and Bonnie's Pictures (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Producer

  • Roseland(1977)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films

  • Sweet Sounds (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Producer

  • Autobiography of a Princess(1975)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • The Wild Party(1975)

    Producer

    Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films

  • Mahatma and the Mad Boy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Director · Producer

  • Helen, Queen of the Nautch Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)

    Producer

  • Savages (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Producer

  • Adventures of a Brown Man in Search of Civilization (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1972)

    Producer

  • Bombay Talkie (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)

    Producer · as Fate Machine Producer

  • The Guru (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Producer

  • Shakespeare-Wallah(1965)

    Producer · as Theater Owner (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films

  • The Householder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1963)

    Producer · as Extra

  • The Creation of Woman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Executive Producer

  • Refuge (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Executive Producer

Career shape

A full career of 49 titles, 48 of them dated from 1961 to 2005.

Biggest box office

Howards End (1992)

$26M worldwide

Highest rated

The Remains of the Day (1993)

Midcredits 97th

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting7 of 49: 1 only acting, 6 with another roleDirecting7 of 49: 5 only directing, 2 with another roleWriting1 of 49: 0 only writing, 1 with another roleProducing42 of 49: 34 only producing, 8 with another role · typical Midcredits score47thOther crew1 of 49: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

49 titles, 8 with more than one role — producing and acting overlap on 6 of them.

By decade

1960s4 · 2 acting · 4 crew1970s11 · 1 acting · 11 crew1980s12 · 2 acting · 12 crew1990s15 · 2 acting · 14 crew2000s6 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Ismail Merchant's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 47th percentile, the median of all 29; across their 28 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 28

Approval · how many liked their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 28

Reach · how many have seen their films

64thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 28

Midcredits score across 29 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th10
  • 25th to 49th12
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

13 of their 29 titles are Mixed.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser11
  • Broadly Agreed2
  • Mixed13

Most divisive · director

The Proprietor (1996)

74th percentile spread · 33% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · producer

The Remains of the Day (1993)

Midcredits 97th · 86% liked

Reviewers score the atmosphere 76/100 and the pacing 40/100 in their films, across 26 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Ismail Merchant's work okay for kids?

Across up to 9 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity runs heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore4 titlesmedian 10 · minimalMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity9 titles14–56 · median 50 · moderateheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity4 titlesmedian 8 · minimalMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs4 titlesmedian 28 · mildMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense4 titlesmedian 15 · mildMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Ismail Merchant work with?

People who share at least 2 of Ismail Merchant's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; James Ivory shares the most, 22.

Directors

  • James Ivory22 titles    See newest 12 of 22 shared titles with James Ivory

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles