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(out of 5)
A troupe of English actors, led by a mother, father and daughter (played by real-life family Geoffrey Kendal, Laura Liddell and Felicity Kendal) travel through India performing classic Shakespeare plays for gradually dwindling audiences. Their popularity has waned so much in recent years that they have begun to consider the possibility of packing up and returning to England, a country that they haven’t been to since before their daughter was born. Complicating matters is a romance between the young lady and a rich Indian playboy (Shashi Kapoor, in real life Felicity’s brother-in-law) and the jealousy of his Bombay movie queen cousin (a rich performance by Madhur Jaffrey). Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s intelligent screenplay uses the rejection of the troupe as a reflection of India’s burgeoning independence from colonial British influence, and James Ivory directs with class and gets terrific performances from everyone involved.
USA, 1965
Directed by James Ivory
Screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, James Ivory
Cinematography by Subrata Mitra
Produced by Ismail Merchant
Music by Satyajit Ray
Costume Design by Jennifer Kendal
Film Editing by Amit Bose
