Perhaps no filmmakers in cinematic history have attained the status of Ismail Merchant and James Ivory, whose 44-year collaboration holds the Guinness World Record for the longest partnership in independent film history. Their company, Merchant Ivory Productions, created some of the most beloved, sophisticated films of the 1980s and 1990s.
Using top British actors and luscious sets, the company created movies that portrayed an early 20th-century world of privilege and beauty—an imaginary place filled with cultured, genteel, inhibited characters who occupied splendid country houses set in sublime landscapes. Curt’s lecture will examine the magical settings of Merchant Ivory’s four most memorable English films: A Room with a View, Maurice, Howards End, and The Remains of the Day and how their influential legacy remains with us today.
Join the Live Broadcast
Click here to join the live broadcast: https://zoom.us/j/92308835236
Friday, August 7 4:00 - 5:15 PM ET
If you are unable to attend the live session, you will be able to view a recording on this webpage for the foreseeable future.
About the Speaker
Curt DiCamillo, who joined American Ancestors in February of 2016 as the organization’s first Curator of Special Collections, is an internationally recognized authority on British historic houses and the decorative arts (his award-winning website on British country houses can be found here: TheDiCamillo.com). Before coming to American Ancestors, Curt was the Executive Director of The National Trust for Scotland Foundation USA, where he successfully raised more than $7 million and initiated many innovative programs. As Curator of Special Collections, he provides strategic direction for organizing and exhibiting our extensive collection of fine art and family history-related artifacts, leads the Society’s Heritage Tours, and provides educational outreach through American Ancestors' extensive webinar series. In recognition of his work, Curt has been presented to the late Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and The Prince of Wales. He is an alumnus of the Royal Collection Studies program, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a member of the Council of the American Museum in Britain. Curt’s book, Villa Astor: Paradise Restored on the Amalfi Coast, was published in 2017 by Flammarion. He is also the brother of the award-winning author Kate DiCamillo, something of which he’s extraordinarily proud.
Other Resources
Curt DiCamillo's Country House Database
Pronunciation Guide
Historic Houses Website