Heat and Dust (1983)

Anne is investigating the life of her grand-aunt Olivia, whose destiny has always been shrouded with scandal. As Anne delves into the history of her grand-aunt, she is led to reconsider her own life.

Director:

James Ivory

Writers:

Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (novel), Ruth Prawer Jhabvala (screenplay)

Stars:

Julie Christie, Greta Scacchi, Christopher Cazenove

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 1 win & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Christopher Cazenove	...	Douglas Rivers, the Assistant Collector (The Nineteen Twenties in the Civil Lines at Satipur)
Greta Scacchi	...	Olivia, his wife (The Nineteen Twenties in the Civil Lines at Satipur)
Julian Glover	...	Crawford, the District Collector (The Nineteen Twenties in the Civil Lines at Satipur)
Susan Fleetwood	...	Mrs. Crawford, the Burra Mensahib (The Nineteen Twenties in the Civil Lines at Satipur)
Patrick Godfrey	...	Saunders, the Medical Officer (The Nineteen Twenties in the Civil Lines at Satipur)
Jennifer Kendal	...	Mrs. Saunders (The Nineteen Twenties in the Civil Lines at Satipur)
Shashi Kapoor	...	The Nawab (At the Palace in Khatm)
Madhur Jaffrey	...	Begum Mussarat Jahan, the Nawab's mother (At the Palace in Khatm)
Nickolas Grace	...	Harry Hamilton-Paul (At the Palace in Khatm)
Barry Foster	...	Major Minnies, the Political Agent (At the Palace in Khatm)
Julie Christie	...	Anne (1982 in Satipur Town)
Zakir Hussain	...	Inder Lal, Anne's landlord (1982. In Satipur Town)
Ratna Pathak Shah	...	Ritu, Inder Lal's wife (1982. In Satipur Town) (as Ratna Pathak)
Tarla Mehta	...	Inder Lal's mother (1982. In Satipur Town)
Charles McCaughan	...	Chid (1982. In Satipur Town)

Storyline

Anne is investigating the life of her grand-aunt Olivia, whose destiny has always been shrouded with scandal. The search leads back to the early 1920s, when Olivia, recently married to Douglas, a civil servant in the colonial administration, comes to live with him in India. Slowly, Olivia becomes fascinated by India and by the local ruler, a nawab who combines British distinction with Indian pomp and ruthlessness. This fascination is not without risks: the region is being ransacked by a group of sanguinary bandits, and intrigues are opposing the prejudiced British community led by Major Minnies and Dr. Saunders against the nawab. As Anne delves into the history of her grand-aunt, she is led to reconsider her own life.

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Plot Keywords:

india | 1920s | flashback | interracial relationship | prince | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Part of an early 1980s cycle of British productions set in India. These included Gandhi (1982), Heat and Dust (1983), The Far Pavilions (1984), A Passage to India (1984), Octopussy (1983) and The Jewel in the Crown (1984).

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Quotes

Olivia, his wife (The Nineteen Twenties in the Civil Lines at Satipur): You have these set notions about what English women are supposed to stand. Why should anybody tell me what I can stand and what I can't stand? Well, if you want to know, the only thing I can't stand is English women. Memsahibs.

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Connections

Featured in Howards End: Featurette (1992)

User Reviews

East, West and Everything In Between : A BONAFIDE CLASSIC --

Based on Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's Booker Prize winning novel of the same name, this film is not so much as being about India but rather using the country as an effective setting to tell a story spanning approximately 3 generations. Two story lines - one set in the past and one in the present - are juxtaposed and connected by the narrative of a young British woman who seeks to uncover the truth about an ancestor who once caused quite a scandal by having an affair with a local Nawab. The story lines examine the impact of Western and Indian cultures as lifestyles, social mores, and centuries of history clash and collide. A tapestry of India is woven, as seen through the eyes of the narrator, a foreigner, who sincerely attempts to grasp and interpret her observations. The story and the screenplay for this movie speak volumes about Ms. Jhabvala's extraordinary literary and cinematic talents as a social and historical commentator, storyteller, and screenwriter.

Details

Official Sites:

Merchant Ivory Productions [United States]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 1983 (UK)

Also Known As:

Heat and Dust

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$10,289, 3 September 2017

Gross USA:

$1,761,291

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,772,889

Company Credits

Production Co:

Merchant Ivory Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1