Anne (Julie Christie) follows in the path of her great aunt Olivia who lived in India in the 1920s as the wife of an official employed by the British Raj; bored by the routines, Olivia fell in love with a Nawab… Another collaboration between James Ivory and Ruth Prawer Jhabvala; some of their previous India chronicles also had good roles for Shashi Kapoor who’s cast here as the eloquent Nawab. The film tells two stories simultaneously and the 60-year time difference offers contrasting views of India. Interesting and well acted, but less heat than you might expect from Anne and Olivia’s experiences.
1983-Britain. 130 min. Color. Produced by Ismail Merchant. Directed by James Ivory. Screenplay, Novel: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Cinematography: Walter Lassally. Cast: Julie Christie (Anne), Greta Scacchi (Olivia Rivers), Christopher Cazenove (Douglas Rivers), Julian Glover, Susan Fleetwood, Shashi Kapoor.
