Starring James Mason and Madhur Jaffrey, this is one of the lesser-known Merchant Ivory titles but is a beautifully rendered portrait of two generations and their opinions on the world. Filled with rich archival detail it is a historical treat. An Indian princess long divorced and living in self-enforced exile in London, invites her father’s ex-tutor, Cyril Sahib, to an annual tea party, intended to celebrate a happier past. Together they reminisce and watch newsreel films of the height of Royal India, each revealing their own ingrained prejudices and recollections.
