Roseland (1977) By: Jenna Townsend, Ryan Stefan, Jon Bowman, Genevieve Alison, Ian Secord

Introduction of Roseland (1977) – by Jenna Townsend, Ryan Stefan, Jon Bowman, Genevieve Alison, Ian Secord

Roseland Dance-Hall

Roseland, the historical New York dance-hall, ended it’s rein this past year, as a location that holds strong and dear to the many of its patrons, specifically New Yorkers, since 1919, scraping at a century of entertainment with dance routines such as the Waltz, the Hustle, and the final bow of the Peabody.  Roseland, the Merchant Ivory Production film, depicts the energy and kinship towards the Roseland dance-hall through stories of the landmark’s deeper meanings felt within men and women, both young and old, through their stories and tribulations detailed elegantly through Ruth Jhabvala story lines and characters.  Beyond the stories and characters of the film, examined are processes and examples of efforts towards presenting this image of the Roseland in a format that aligns with its patron’s emotions, the film’s audience, Ruth Jhabvala’s depiction, Ismail Merchant’s production process, and a strong direction under James Ivory.

Through studies of the film industry and the emerging changes to the New Hollywood Era there is no greater example of an early artistic ambitious movement than those of James Ivory and specifically for our studies, the Roseland.  Through the stories portrayed by Ruth Jhabvala, in Roseland, of alternative and changing social values that were consistent with the changes to political and social movements in American culture, the shift in the film industry and society is clearly displayed.  James Ivory, himself, battled with the changes of the times, enveloped in communication and alterations to styles based on old practices, related to the Screen Actors Guild guidelines, that hindered authenticity Ivory sought to achieve with Roseland, standardized review format promotions which may have halted great acceptance in national and international markets, and the complications related to the detailed shifts in character attributes for matters of casting.  New York City, itself, plays a deeper role than the surface exposes; being that this is the first for both Ruth Jhabvala and James Ivory through gaining inspiration and creating an American screenplay adaptation, casting and production far away from the Hollywood studios, innovation of cultural shifts and diversification of the standard characters and roles, and finally failing distribution formats that aligned greater with the view points of New Yorkers rather than classical Hollywood and national markets.

Synopsis of film – Roseland (1977, James Ivory)

Roseland Movie Poster Featuring Christopher Walken and Joan Copeland

Roseland, three varying stories connected within the Roseland dance-hall are separated through classical ballroom dance routines; the Waltz, the Hustle, and the Peabody.

The Waltz: Tale of loneliness and finding a second love. May, a widow, seeking accompaniment while visiting the famous dance-hall, eventually accepts a dance suitor, Stan. Together through dancing the Waltz, May, regains her youthful memories and eventually finds she can love again.

The Hustle: Russell the playboy studio dancer is trapped in his own makings; the love of an older women who has kept him, his connection to former dance instructor who still loves him, and a younger women, Marilyn, in which he has become kin to her accompaniment.

The Peabody: Rosa, an older patron, sits waiting for the proper suitor for her final triumphant dance.  Through tribulations, finally, the Master of Ceremony, her ideal partner, asks Rosa to dance, she gives her final, perfect, fulfilling performance before collapsing to her death, her ideal departure.

Genevieve Alison – Roseland Dance-Hall and Roseland the Film

The pieces I chose from the archives include articles written for New York City publications, The Village Voice and Daily News, which examine the aging icon of the Roseland Dance Hall. Both articles detail the Roseland in such an evocative way that it is easy to see how the dancehall becomes a character unto itself. Writer, Barbara Harrison who penned the Village Voice article describes the “whiff of glittery geriatric excitement in the ballroom” and this easily seen through Ivory’s direction in Roseland; the very heart of the New York dancehall is illuminated on screen.

This is important to consider when discussing the production and promotion of the movie. The Roseland Dance Hall is an extremely well-known New York landmark and Ivory/Merchant have used this iconography as a marketing tool. The entire movie was filmed inside the dancehall over a 4-week period and the Daily News article notes how Ismail Merchant visited Roseland regularly for several months prior to making the film to get a feel for the atmosphere and meet the regular customers and even using some as extras.

The setting of the Roseland itself is also what inspired the screenplay as The Village Voice article writes:

Ruth, a polish Jew who’d lived in India for 25 years, was, from the moment she entered the front door, overwhelmed by the physicality of Roseland. Here, she found the raw material for her first ‘American’ screenplay. (The Village Voice)

Although Roseland was not Ivory/Merchant’s first American film, it was the duo’s first contemporary American story. Screenwriter, Ruth Jhabvala uses the setting of the historic ballroom to create a romanticized albeit lonely world in which these characters and stories exist.
As a result of this concentrated marketing of Roseland in New York city, New Yorkers embraced the film that showcased their beloved dancehall. As noted in a press release from Cinema Shares International Distribution – the company which distributed the film in the US, Roseland was the only film to receive a 7 minute standing ovation at the New York Film Festival, proving that using this landmark as a major selling point in the promotion of the film, paid off. However, it is also important to consider that whilst the film was successful in New York, this was not necessarily the case outside of the city. It could be argued that this concentration on New York and its well-loved dancehall, potentially isolated audiences and limited a wider reception.

Ryan Stefan – Roseland Production, New York, and the Screen Actors Guild

SAG – Screen Actors Guild

The movie Roseland presented new challenges to James Ivory and Merchant Ivory Productions. Ivory quickly saw he would need to use real dancers instead of actors to make the film look real. However, working in New York proved to have some challenges that annoyed Ivory and pushed him to write down some messages about shutting down the movie that may or may not have been seen by Screen Actors Guild. One of the three stories included a role that had problems getting a woman to fill it. For all of the hardships that went on prior to the movie, they were all solved to thread together these three short stories.

Ivory in preparation for the filming of the movie with an authentic look attended a dance competition. One of the competition was “The Hustle” which may have led to the naming of the second story. Upon inspection of the backside of the program, I saw Ivory had written a short note about using real dancers. He also noted that he would need to make a distinction between social dancing and professional dancing in the movie, but using the correct people would bring challenges to the production.

James Ivory filming in NYC during production of Roseland.

Working in New York’s Roseland dance hall, Ivory wanted to use actual dancers that still danced cheek-to-cheek. Quickly Ivory found out he was going to be fined $250 a day for each extra he used that was not a part of the Screen Actors Guild. S.A.G. is a union of entertainers partnering together to protect the wages they have earned over the years. Ivory, who had become an accomplished film maker by this time, was unhappy with the idea of paying fines for non-S.A.G. extras. In his response to notification of fines, Ivory wrote,

Your budget agreement means ’New York does not need this production… I’d just as soon shut it down. (James Ivory)

However, Ivory must have realized the iconic Roseland could not be recreated, while keeping the budget for the film. The problem that arose then was no actor wanted to play the role of Marilyn in the movie. Marilyn was casted as a middle aged woman that had been left by her husband. Before the production company found Geraldine Chaplin for the part, Ismail Merchant exchanged telegrams with Ruth Jhabvala to change the script for a more elegant look. He wrote,

Nobody wants to play Marilyn. Can you think about writing entirely new story but retaining Russell, Cleo, and A Pauline. We are doing that story. (James Ivory)

Jhabvala wrote back that she could write the character for a woman in her 20’s with few changes. I could not find if the changes were made prior to the production company finding Geraldine Chaplin.

Jon Bowman – Pre-Production: Casting and Character Evolution Of Marilyn

Geraldine Chaplin and Christopher Walken in Roseland.

In the original screenplay, Ruth Jhabvala saw the role of Marilyn as a divorcee reaching a mid-life turning point seeking a new exciting lifestyle that could shroud her crumbling circumstances.  The character of Marilyn sought to shift her recent tribulation towards a greater acceptance of herself while shadowing the downfalls of divorce and starting over, once again.

Through investigation of the special collections of James Ivory, specific to Roseland, the implicit process of casting, adaptation of scripts, shifts in character attributes, and production maneuvers are displayed throughout personal notes by Ivory along with communication records between the Ruth, Ismail and James.

Bylthe Danner near the time of casting for the Roseland.

With difficulties in casting the proper actor for the role, the ever present issues with creating authenticity due to the SAG’s perimeters, and a distinct disconnect in the story line, James Ivory sought to shift the character of Marilyn to a younger girl, a sort of schoolgirl type, excited for her new life, in the Hustle.  During this time, telegram letters between James, Ismail, and Ruth discussed the role of Marilyn and the difficulties of finding the right fit for the character’s role, desperately needed for the film. This exchange between the screenplay writer, producer and director display how a character’s attributes are altered, scripts rewritten, along with storyline adjustment beginning from the earliest stages of casting, production, and screenplay writing in order to show the concepts of the film properly in Ivory’s vision.

Through further exploration, a letter to Blythe Danner, displays James Ivory’s desire to find the right fit, explaining in detail why he wanted Blythe to play the role and, in doing so, gave extra insight into the character and her important position in the film. Blythe Danner later turned down the role, which eventually went to Geraldine Chaplin, where through Ivory’s personal notes he explains that Blythe felt too old for the role, quite the reverse of the original problem at hand.  These hand written notes and personal letter of Ivory’s seem to encapsulate the difficulties and obstacles of casting, production, and the creation of a story in which one desires to depict during a period of changes in society and Hollywood.

Jenna Townsend – International Distribution and the INA

Through my research of the distribution and promotion of Roseland, I came across many interesting things regarding the film that lead to further research to learn more. Unfortunately, as the papers only provide a small look into some aspects of the film, one area that I was interested in finding out more about wasn’t available. That area was in distribution, when I came across a paper that was in regards to the distribution to other countries, namely France.

 

Institute of National Audio and Visuals of France

When distributing the film, Cinema Shares Internal Distribution Company faced setbacks from the I.N.A, which, after further research, I discovered to be the Institute of National Audio and Visuals in France. However, what sorts of problems were raised or how they were resolved – an assumption based on the subsequent promotional materials of the film in France – were not included in the papers and are virtually impossible to find on the internet.

More things that I discovered while researching the distribution and promotion of the film was the lack of comment on the film as a whole being three separate parts coming together. More often than not, I came across reviews and promotional material separating the three episodes within the film, but never putting them into context of what all three films represented as a whole. Only one article did that, and surprisingly it was from a pamphlet comprised of mostly images of highly regarded news companies and magazines who had reviewed the film.
On that same note, most of the promotional materials I came across were handouts or booklets promoting the film with a large emphasis on New York City and the fact that the film was created at a well known New York Landmark. Noting this was important, especially when advertising to different cities or countries, because while the film received a large standing ovation when opening in New York, that same support and spirit wouldn’t be there in places such as Paris or London or Chicago. I found it really intriguing and telling that the promotional material revolved primarily around New york opinions and reviews, and when juxtaposing that against current films, the difference seen is huge. Gone are the days of having to promote the film simply because of the city. With films opening in wide releases all across the country, all across the globe, the hard work of promoting a film in regards to locations is really only left to smaller named film companies or indies, and rarely seen from current studios and their blockbuster hits.

Ian Secord – The Review Effect in Publication and Promotion

After researching the materials from the Roseland project in the Ivory pages, there was not very much national, let alone international press on the release of the film. However, from London, there were a couple of special screening advertisements in the collection. A small theater called The Screen on the Hill played a special screening of the film four times in one night. The film was also being shown in the 21st London Film Fest; a list of what the film fest would be playing along with reviews and plot summaries was included in the book. The final piece from the collection is an article from The Village Voice, a local newspaper that reported on the happenings of neighborhoods in New York City. The article examines real life attendees of the Roseland dancehall. The question is; did the film Roseland, get promoted to a broad audience or just the small community of competitive dance?

The Screen on the Hill played Roseland for a one night showing and the advertisement is an 8×11 piece of paper with a few film critic reviews along with stills from the film. This sort of advertising tends to be found on college campuses, or coffee houses where only a few people are able to see the advertisement meaning only a few of those people might go to see the film. That sort of advertising leans heavily on word of mouth which could potentially lead to worldwide success.

Roseland was being screened in the 1977 London Film Fest; the festival produced a pamphlet with all of the films and a description of it and the times the film was to be shown. The pamphlet was intended for the audience or anyone else interested in the films that were being played during the 21st London Film Fest. Films from around the world were shown in the London Film Fest which provided the largest media for Roseland to gain notoriety.

The article written by Barbara Grizzuti Harrison for The Village Voice newspaper chronicles the lives of two women who attend the real Roseland dancehall in New York City and at the same time, gives a somewhat depressing review of the film. This negative review by Harrison, more than likely hindered the amount of people in the greater NYC area that would see the movie. If this article had been written with more of a positive light on Roseland, there could have been more interest drawn to the dancehall and to the film.

The three items from the Roseland box in the James Ivory papers included two documents that advertised show times for the film, but only to exclusive audiences that were knowledgeable of what and when films were having special showings. The limited access to the film was not highly publicized in one of the largest, most diverse cities in the world, is not a very intelligent way to get your films noticed. With negative reviews in the states and limited showings of Roseland in London, leads one to believe that more people would have seen the film if it were properly publicized and not kept in the dark from so many people.

Summary of Research and Conclusion:

Through research we discovered that the Roseland received lackluster results based primarily on the shifts within the early stages of New Hollywood, resulting in a clear example of challenges associated with past procedures and practices and the need to change them.  Merchant Ivory Productions adaptation of Roseland, a screenplay by Ruth Jhadvala, signaled the blaring necessity to alter filmmaking towards the emerging movements sweeping across America and across the world.  During its release in the 1977 social and political movements were at the forefront of society forcing individuals to question standards and practices commonly accepted previously, which through our research can be seen subtly displayed throughout the documents within the James Ivory Papers, in either conceptual or contextual examples.  The archives provided from Ivory’s paper are exceptional resources that explains Hollywood’s desire and necessity to change and produce films that were meaningful and represented the current social and political changes by not conforming to traditional standards that were failing at the time.

If recent studies of classical Hollywood have taught us anything, it is that we cannot consider either the filmmaking process or films themselves in isolation from their economic, technological, and industrial context. – (Stringer, 17)

Filmmaking and the films themselves, of the time, directly stated the changes to society and most importantly for the context of this course, Hollywood. Roseland was at the forefront of this change and may have contributed to the need for alteration to the process. With great performances, constructively written story lines, and a clear director’s eye for creating feeling and meaning in films, Roseland may have formed the movement through issues pertaining to the “Old Hollywood” standards and guidelines, film distribution, along with national and international promotion as stated in our research through it’s own failures and lack of recognition.  As a group our research shows how James Ivory, Ismail Merchant and Ruth Jhadvala were leaders in this movement of bringing economic, technological, and industrial context of film to the forefront. Roseland, and the supporting papers of James Ivory, are a period piece that will be marked in history as a key factor in the movement towards a socially diversified America, a shifting era in Hollywood, and a politically charged world.

Work Cited:

Friedman, Arnold. Roseland Press Release, 1977, Box 13, Folder 17, Coll 283 James Ivory Papers, Special Collections & University of Oregon Libraries, Eugene, Or. Date accessed 5th May 2014.

Harrison, Barbara. ‘The Subject is ‘Roseland’, The Village Voice, September 26 1977, Box 13, Folder 17, Coll 283 James Ivory Papers, Special Collections & University of Oregon Libraries, Eugene, Or. Date accessed 5th May 2014.

Institute of National Audio and Visuals of France, INA France. 2014, Website. May 11th 2014. <http://www.ina.fr/>

Ivory, James. Box 13, Folder 8, Item 5. Roseland Distributor Publicity Flyer. James Ivory Papers, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 12 May 2014.

Ivory, James. Box 13, Folder 9, Item 10. Roseland Distributor Publicity Booklet. James Ivory Papers, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, 12 May 2014.

Ivory, James. Letter to Blythe Danner. Box 13 Folder 13, Roseland-James Ivory Papers. University of Oregon, Eugene Oregon, 8th May 2014.

Ivory, James; Ismail Merchant; Ruth Jhabvala. Telegraph Communication. Box 13 Folder 2, Roseland-James Ivory Papers. University of Oregon, Eugene Oregon, 9th May 2014.

Ivory, James. Synopsis of Roseland. Box 13 Folder 1, Roseland-James Ivory Papers. University of Oregon, Eugene Oregon, 9th May 2014.

Screen Actors Guild, SAG. 2013, Public Website. May 10th 2014. <http://www.sagaftra.org/>

Stringer, Julian “Hollywood in Transition, The New Hollywood.” Movie Blockbusters. (Oct. 18, 2013) Routledge Editorial. New York, NY. 17-55.

Stephen, Beverly. ‘The last romantic dance hall’, Daily News, October 14 1977, Box 13, Folder 17, Coll 283 James Ivory Papers, Special Collections & University of Oregon Libraries, Eugene, Or. Date accessed 5th May 2014.

The Screen on the Hill advertisement for Roseland, James Ivory papers, Coll. 283, Box 13, Folder 8, Special Collections & University Archives, University Libraries, Eugene, Or.  8th May 2014

The Village Voice, Newspaper Article. James Ivory papers, Coll. 283, Box 13, Folder 8, Special Collections & University Archives, University Libraries, Eugene, Or. 5th May 2014

21st London Film Fest Playbill, James Ivory papers, Coll. 283, Box 13, Folder 8, Special Collections & University Archives, University Libraries, Eugene, Or.  5th May 2014

Further Reading and Outside Links

“Blythe Danner.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, March 1 2014. Web media. 10 May 2014.

Institute of National Audio and Visuals of France: http://www.ina.fr/

“New Hollywood.” Google Books. Google Corp. 2003. eBook Format. 13 May 2014; <http://books.google.com/books>

“Roseland.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 07 February 2014. Web media. 12 May 2014.

Screen Actors Guild: http://www.sagaftra.org/

Special Note: The individuals of this group, the cinema studies class, and the University of Oregon, as whole, would like to thank James Ivory and Merchant Ivory Productions for allowing access to these special collections of materials from such an exceptional director and an outstanding film-making career.