Project Detail

Cotton Mary

Synopsis

Post-colonial India of 1950's, and Cotton Mary, (Madhur Jeffrey) an Anglo-Indian nurse befriends expatriate Lily Macintosh (Greta Scacchi) at the premature birth of her baby. Lily's husband John, (James Wilby) a BBC correspondent, is away working, and she is exhausted and emotional after the birth, and further devastated after realising she is unable to breast feed her child.

Mary provides a vital lifeline by taking the baby on daily trips to her crippled sister, Blossom, a wet nurse who provides milk for the infant.

The success that Mary has in arranging for the feeding of the baby makes her indispensable to Lily, who offers her a permanent position in her home as a Nanny working with her family. Mary's relationship to the baby and her burgeoning friendship with Lily gives her a unique position to operate.

Mary abuses this relationship, and deviously does everything she can to gain control of the house and achieve the prestige of being both associated with, and of extreme importance to a British family.

Cotton Mary offers a thought provoking insight into the ambitions of an Anglo-Indian woman trapped in a class-ridden, status conscious society.

Details

Year: 2000
Type of project: Features
Running time: 126 mins
Format: 35mm Fuji
Director: Ismail Merchant
Producer: Paul Bradley
Executive Producer: Paul Bradley
Editor: John Allen
Screenwriter: Alexandra Viets
Director of Photography: Pierre Lhomme
Sound: Giovanni Desimone
Composer: Richard Robbins
Principal cast: Greta Scacchi, Madhur Jaffrey, James Wilby

Genre

Asian Drama

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

Merchant Ivory Productions

Contact: Paul Bradley
46 Lexington St
London W1R 3LH
UK

T 020 7437 1200/ 020 7439 4335

miplondon@merchantivory.demon.co.uk

Sales Company

Universal

Universal Studios
100 Universal Plaza
Universal City
CA 91608
USA

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