‘Hyde Hall Talks’ To Launch with Director James Ivory
(Photo provided)
By ERIC SANTOMAURO-STENZEL
COOPERSTOWN
The 2026 “Hyde Hall Talks” series will begin with famed director James Ivory and a screening of his film “The Remains of the Day” (1993). The event is scheduled for Saturday, May 23 at 4 p.m. The series will include four more talks with other guest speakers through the summer, in addition to four movies.
“This is really great that he’s coming here to speak about his film, and his long, varied career,” said Verna Everitt, events manager for Hyde Hall. “He’s had several Academy Awards, BAFTA awards, Cannes Film festival awards, so he’s quite amazing.”
Ivory, now in his 90s, has a filmmaking career spanning over half a century. Along with the late Ismail Merchant, Ivory ran the India-based production company Merchant Ivory Productions and created dozens of films. Many won awards.
(Photo provided)
“The Remains of the Day,” adapted from a 1989 novel of the same name by Kazuo Ishiguro, focuses on the stories of a group of British servants and political intrigue surrounding World War II.
“It’s about the servants in a mansion like Hyde Hall,” Everitt said. “So the relationship was extremely tight, and we had 20 servants living here at one time, and we had servants that lived on local farms.”
Other talks slated for the rest of the summer are:
- Betsy Jacks, executive director emerita, Thomas Cole Site, on July 18
- Alexis Boylan, author of “Ellen Emmet Rand: Gender, Art, and Business,” on August 15
- Nancy Newman, professor of music, University at Albany, and author of “Songs and Sounds of the Anti-Rent Movement in Upstate New York,” on September 6
- Peter John Brownlee, author of “Gallery of the Louvre,” on September 19
Learn more and purchase tickets at hydehall.org.
