The movie centered on a young man, Prem (Shashi Kapoor), who is newly married to a woman he barely knows, Indu (Leela Naidu). The couple had a traditional wedding, as arranged by their relatives, and never had the ability to see if they were compatible with one another. Both of them led sheltered lives before marriage and now that they are on their own, they are finding their lot in life a bit stressful. He is employed as a college teacher at a low-rate school led by a cheap headmaster, Mr. Khanna, who takes advantage of his employees by paying them far less than they're worth. His landlord, Mr. Saigal, rejects Prem's pleas for lower rent in order to keep drunk and in gambling money. His fellow teachers are so browbeaten that they tell Prem they will back him but leave him hanging when it comes time to help. One of the teachers is a petty tyrant that takes great pleasure in bossing the junior instructors around, including Prem. Of all the people in his life though, Prem's mother is the worse. Alternating between constantly scolding him for not treating her well enough and attacking Indu for being far beneath her son's standing, the woman is a classic mother-in-law as far as stereotypes go.

Prem's main troubles though come from Indu herself. She has never been cultivated in the arts of the household and doesn't seem very intent on learning the skills of the position. She's a terrible cook, doesn't clean house very well, and lazes around the house like she hasn't a care in the world. This causes great distress for Prem since he very much wants to fit into society and do what "he's supposed to do". As the movie progresses, both of them learn more about the other and start to appreciate one another more fully, which is one of the morals of the story I believe. There were other characters in the movie that impacted the young couple but, for the most part at least, they weren't really integral to the story and not nearly as well thought out.

The themes of the movie revolved around societal expectations, personal goals, and living one's life as a couple instead of the selfishness way most live for themselves. As a slice of life movie, The Householder succeeds more often than not because the expectations are not set overly high. Ivory's direction is competent and Jhabvala's screenplay is said to have lightened up her original story substantially, making the movie more accessible than if it were to have been an ode to married slobs everywhere. Even though the setting was on the other side of the planet, the problems facing the young couple were universal and stand the test of time even today. By examining such matters through use of film, Ivory shows that he's aware of the troubles of married life, wherever they make be.

The movie was not, however, without it's limitations. While most of the lead characters were instantly identifiable, they were also stereotypical caricatures in many ways. The humor of such people tends to fall a bit flat when presented in such a deadpan way as the movie did and the technical limitations of the movie (Ivory claimed in the interview that the movie costs $90,000 to make and that was for two versions-one in English and one in Hindi), even with the extensive restoration of the folks at Criterion, sometimes grated on my nerves. In any case, it was an enjoyable film for all the minor problems and I think it was worth a rating of Recommended.

Picture: The picture was presented in the original aspect ratio of 1.33:1 full frame, Black & White. For a movie made over forty years ago in India on a tiny budget, it looked pretty good but had all the grain and scratches one might expect, even though it was restored. The new digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm composite fine-grain, and the MTI Digital Restoration System was used to improve it as much as possible. I wish Pather Panchali had received such a restoration as it was nearly unwatchable compared to this one. The movie even used Mitra, Satyajit Ray's cameraman, in order to prevent some of the freshman mistakes the director might have made (so fans of Ray's works might want to check this one out as it relates stylishly in some ways). For the most part, the picture was reasonably clear considering such limitations and shouldn't dissuade you from watching it.

Sound: The audio was presented in the original monaural English (remember, there were two versions made) and it was remastered from the 35mm optical track. I don't think as much work went into restoring the audio as the video aspects of the movie but other than the varying levels of the vocals and hollowness of several scenes, it didn't seem in as much need of fixing as the picture did. The music was interesting to hear but cut in and out too often for my tastes. There were English subtitles for the deaf and hearing impaired as well.

Extras: Like most Merchant Ivory movies released on DVD, the extras were pretty solid. Personally, I enjoyed the lengthy interviews with Ivory, Merchant and even actor Kapoor as they discussed the film and the company in general. Some of the anecdotes were presented in a tongue in cheek fashion (sometimes making it difficult to determine when one of them were putting the viewer on), but other than the absence of Jhabvala, it was well received.

The next extra I liked was a short film, The Sword And The Flute, Ivory's second short film and one that led to the Merchant Ivory company being formed. The subject matter was on Indian miniature paintings and their history. Done in a documentary fashion, the film traced the history of such paintings over a number of cultural influences, like Moghul invasions, and their historical ramifications.

The other extra was a short film produced by Ismail Merchant (his first), The Creation Of Woman. Using famed Indian dancer Bhasker Roy Chaudhuri, it told the story of the Hindu God Brahma. Essentially, it is another culture's version of Adam & Eve, and the story of man's creation. It was nominated for an Academy Award and served to further Merchant's ability to start up the company with Ivory, but also proved his ability to get things done with limited resources.

Final Thoughts: While this wasn't the best movie made by Merchant Ivory, it served as a good starting point for them and still manages to poke some fun at the universal truths of marriage. If you're a fan of well-made Indian movies, this should be in your collection but it also has a lot to like for those willing to see how much alike such diverse cultures are as India and the USA (the couple serve almost as the equivalent of Married With Children, sans the children of course). The observations made by Jhabvala in her story, as supported by the solid acting, still compare favorably to movies made recently about the subject of marriage and the life of a young couple.