Shakespeare Wallah
1965
Director James Ivory based his black-and-white 1965 film, SHAKESPEARE WALLAH, about a struggling English troupe of Shakespearan actors touring India, on an actual theater company called Shakespeariana. Shakespeariana's director, Geoffrey Kendal; his wife, Laura Liddell; and their daughter, Felicity Kendal, play Tony, Carla and .. Read more
| Starring | Shashi Kapoor, Felicity Kendal, Madhur Jaffrey |
|---|---|
| Director | James Ivory |
| Genres | Drama |
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Shakespeare Wallah
Director James Ivory based his black-and-white 1965 film, SHAKESPEARE WALLAH, about a struggling English troupe of Shakespearan actors touring India, on an actual theater company called Shakespeariana. Shakespeariana's director, Geoffrey Kendal; his wife, Laura Liddell; and their daughter, Felicity Kendal, play Tony, Carla and Lizzie Buckingham, respectively. The Buckinghams tour postindependence India at a time when English influence is dying and the world of Indian filmmaking is beginning to achieve mass popularity. In the midst of their travels, the troupe's caravan breaks down, and an Indian playboy, Sanju (Shashi Kapoor), stops to help. A romance quickly starts between Lizzie and the handsome Indian. True to his nature, however, the playboy also carries on an affair with a popular Indian film actress, Manjula (Madhur Jaffrey).
The familiar Merchant Ivory theme of misplacement within a society is here in full force. The film explores the dichotomy between the two worlds: Old British rule versus an independent India as well as the world of staged theater versus the newer medium of film. Felicity Kendal was actually the sister-in-law of her romantic lead; Kapoor was married to her sister, the actress Jennifer Kendal (appearing here as Jennifer Kapoor in the role of Mrs. Bowen), whom he would star with in Ivory's 1970 movie BOMBAY TALKIE.
| Starring | Shashi Kapoor, Felicity Kendal, Madhur Jaffrey |
|---|---|
| Director | James Ivory |
| Studio | ODYSSEY VIDEO |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 55 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 28 Apr 2003 Production year: 1965 |
| Format | DVD |
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Critics' reviews (3)
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With its gentle pacing and keen eye for atmospheric detail, anyone seeing this delightful film for the first time could be forgiven for thinking it had been directed by Satyajit Ray. But while he provided both the score and the cinematographer (Subrata Mitra), this tale of strolling players was, in fact, the second collaboration between Merchant Ivory and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. Based on their own experiences performing the Bard around the subcontinent, Geoffrey and Felicity Kendal effortlessly avoid condescension, while Shashi Kapoor is suitably dashing as Felicity's culture-crossed lover. But no one stands a chance alongside Madhur Jaffrey's hilarious Bollywood bitch.
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Interesting but sluggish drama on an unusual subject. Not by any means a classic, but it set off this partnership on an enduring wave of critical acclaim and public indifference.
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Most helpful member's review
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7 out of 7 people found this review helpful
Quiet and unassuming... and well worth it
Shakespeare Wallah is not what you'd expect from a Merchant-Ivory film if your experience of their output is restricted to literary adaptations such as Howard's End and A Room With A View. Before they became a cinematic brand (much lambasted by certain sectors of the film community) they concentrated on small, delicate, narrowly-focused films like this one.
Inspired by the life of Felicity Kendal and her travelling actor parents, Shakespeare Wallah tells the story of a romance developing between a young English woman and a somewhat frivolous Indian man at a time in the country's history when the old-fashioned British ideals represented by the girl's parents are losing their social currency.
As they trek from city to city - putting on their painfully traditional productions of Hamlet, Twelfth Night and Romeo And Juliet - they become increasingly aware that their presence is no longer required and that their daughter is feeling more displaced with each passing day.
Of course, things aren't helped by the fact that the young woman's new boyfriend has also got a vixenish Bollywood queen hanging on his every whim.
The film feels like some less frenetic A Bout De Souffle set in India - with Shashi Kapoor using several cigarettes to do a passable Jean-Paul Belmondo - although its sentiments are surprisingly downbeat. The visuals are absorbing and the themes unforced, although the resolution of the narrative does feel clunky.
Point worth noting: the musical score is by none other than Satyajit Ray. -
Most recent members' review
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1 out of 1 person found this review helpful
Real reminisence
This is a wonderful atmospheric film that launched Felicity Kendall. Partly biographical its setting in India is like a video diary of a bygone era. This film has real sense of place and is worth seeing. In black and white it is one for the film buffs - enjoy.
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Shakespeare Wallah
Director James Ivory based his black-and-white 1965 film, SHAKESPEARE WALLAH, about a struggling English troupe of Shakespearan actors touring India, on an actual theater company called Shakespeariana. Shakespeariana's director, Geoffrey Kendal; his wife, Laura Liddell; and their daughter, Felicity ...
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