A Celebration of Hudson Valley's James Ivory

James Ivory, the film director, producer, and screenwriter whose partnership with producer Ismail Merchant and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala practically created a genre under the tent of Merchant Ivory Productions, will step out of his early 19th-century mansion home in the Hudson Valley, N.Y., and make a rare public appearance for a series of screenings and Q&As at Hudson Hall starting Thursday, Sept. 16.

The 95-year-old director was nominated three times over the course of the 1980s and 90s by the Academy Awards, but it was not until 2018 that he received the first Oscar of his career for his screenplay for Luca Guadagnino's film "Call Me By Your Name," adapted from André Aciman’s novel of the same name. At 89, he was the oldest-ever recipient of an Academy Award.

Beloved for their sensitively drawn yet emotionally accessible portraits of intellectuals tumbling headfirst into the thorny garden of love, it's strange to think that Merchant Ivory's upper-crust European romances came from an American director, an Indian producer, and a German-Jewish New York writer. Ivory, Merchant, and Jhabvala often adapted the work of English novelist E. M. Forster, including "A Room With A View" and "Howard's End." Ivory even dug up what was considered to be a minor, inferior work, published posthumously after Forster's death — he adapted the novel as the film "Maurice," a groundbreaking romance that served as Hugh Grant's first film role.

Decades later, Oscar in hand, Ivory in the last of his team. Ismail Merchant, not just a collaborator but Ivory's long-term domestic partner at his Hudson Valley home, died in 2005, and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, who won two Academy Awards for her Ivory directed screenplays, died in her home in New York City in 2013. Their intelligent, witty, and painterly-composed films redefined the genre of historical drama and have become inseparable from the novels they tenderly brought to the screen.

"The Bostonians" (1984) will screen on Saturday, Sept. 16, at 2 p.m. followed by a Q&A with Ivory. "Call Me By Your Name" (2017) will screen that evening at 7 p.m. with a discussion between Ivory and producer Peter Spears. "Shakespeare Wallah" (1965) will be screened on Sunday, Sept. 17, at 3 p.m., followed by a discussed between Ivory and the late Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's daughter, Firoza Jhabvala. For more go to www.hudsonhall.org

James Ivory at the 90th Academy Awards. Photo Featureflash Photo Agency

Ivory won his first Oscar for writing "Call Me By Your Name," starring Timothée Chalamet. Production still MovieStillsDB

James Ivory at the 90th Academy Awards. Photo Featureflash Photo Agency

Latest News

East Canaan's CowPots to face the 'Sharks'

Amanda Freund of East Canaan will appear on the television show "Shark Tank" on April 4 to pitch CowPots.

Photo by Ruth Epstein

CANAAN — Fans of the television show “Shark Tank,” stay tuned. On Friday, April 4, Amanda Freund of East Canaan will be facing the panel, imploring members to invest in her unique product: cow poop.

Freund and her father Matthew Freund produce and market CowPots, which are made from the abundance of manure found on their dairy farm. Matthew Freund, realizing cows were producing more manure — 100 pounds per cow per day — than was needed for fertilizing fields for crops, came up with the concept of the pots. Years of trial-and-error experimentation finally resulted in success. In 2006 he began selling the biodegradable pots using 100% composted manure to local stores. Now the pots can be found in outlets across the country, as well as internationally.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hotchkiss lacrosse ices Kingswood Oxford 19-0

LAKEVILLE — The Hotchkiss School opened the girls varsity lacrosse season with a big win in the snow against Kingswood Oxford School.

The Bearcats won 19-0 in a decisive performance March 26. Twelve different players scored for Hotchkiss, led by Coco Sheronas with four goals.

Keep ReadingShow less
HVRHS releases second quarter honor roll

FALLS VILLAGE — Principal Ian Strever announces the second quarter marking period Honor Roll at Housatonic Valley Regional High School for the 2024-2025 school year.

Highest Honor Roll

Grade 9: Parker Beach (Cornwall), Mia Belter (Salisbury), Lucas Bryant (Cornwall), Addison Green (Kent), Eliana Lang (Salisbury), Alison McCarron (Kent), Katherine Money (Kent), Mira Norbet (Sharon), Abigail Perotti (North Canaan), Karmela Quinion (North Canaan), Owen Schnepf (Wassaic), Federico Vargas Tobon (Salisbury), Emery Wisell (Kent).

Keep ReadingShow less
Thomas Ditto

ANCRAMDALE — Thomas Ditto of Ancramdale, born Thomas David DeWitt Aug. 11, 1944 in New York City changing his surname to Ditto at marriage, passed peacefully on Pi Day, March 14, 2025. He was a husband, father, artist, scientist, Shakespeare scholar, visionary, inventor, actor, mime, filmmaker, clown, teacher, lecturer, colleague, and friend. Recipient of numerous grants, awards and honors in both the arts and sciences, a Guggenheim and NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts fellow, he was a creative genius beyond his time. In addition to authoring scores of papers, he held several patents and invented the first motion capture system and the Ditto-scope, a radically new kind of telescope. He was a pioneer in computer generated video, film, and performance.

When not hard at work, he was always there to help when needed and he knew how to bring smiles to faces. He loved his family and pets and was supportive of his wife’s cat rescue work.

Keep ReadingShow less