Autobiography of a Princess

Autobiography of a Princess is a 1975 film directed by James Ivory and starring James Mason and Madhur Jaffrey. It was written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and produced by Ismail Merchant.

Autobiography of a Princess
Directed by	James Ivory
Written by	R. Prawer Jhabvala
Produced by	Ismail Merchant
Starring	James Mason Madhur Jaffrey
Cinematography	Walter Lassally
Edited by	Humphrey Dixon
Music by	Vic Flick
Distributed by	Contemporary Films Ltd. (UK)
Release date	5 October 1975 (1975-10-05) (New York Film Festival)
Running time	60 minutes
Country	India
Language	English

Plot

An Indian princess (Madhur Jaffrey), long-divorced and living in self-enforced exile in 1970s London, spends time with her father's ex-tutor, Cyril Sahib (James Mason), watching film footage of Royal India and talking of a past world. There is a great deal of fascinating real-life footage and interviews with India's royalty: the Maharajas of India and the end they faced due to the 1960s socialist reforms introduced by India's then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

Revival

In 2014, the Oregon Cartoon Institute brought James Ivory to Portland, Oregon, to appear in person at the Hollywood Theatre, to present two films he had personally chosen from the dozens he had directed. On 11 October it was Autobiography of a Princess (1975), shown in 35mm. Mr. Ivory introduced the film to the audience.^[1]

References

1. James Ivory introduces his ...; retrieved 5 January 2016

Further reading

• Autobiography of a Princess: also being the adventures of an American film director in the land of the maharajahs; compiled by James ivory; photographs by John Swope and others; screenplay by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala. London: John Murray, 1975 ISBN 0-7195-3289-2

External links

• Autobiography of a Princess at IMDb 
• Merchant Ivory overview