Richard E. Grant, Daniel Battsek, Deborah Davis among attendees
Michael Howells, British Consul General in Los Angeles, and Screen International, hosted an afternoon tea to celebrate this year’s British Oscar nominees ahead of the Academy Awards on Sunday (24).
The We Are UK Film event was held at the British Consul General’s residence on Friday (22) with an illustrious guest list that included Richard E. Grant, Oscar-nominated for his performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me? (and an emotional best supporting actor winner at Saturday’s Film Independent Spirit Awards), Film4 chief Daniel Battsek, and The Favourite co-writer Deborah Davis.
Michael Howells, British Consul General in Los Angeles, and Screen International, hosted an afternoon tea to celebrate this year’s British Oscar nominees ahead of the Academy Awards on Sunday (24).
The We Are UK Film event was held at the British Consul General’s residence on Friday (22) with an illustrious guest list that included Richard E. Grant, Oscar-nominated for his performance in Can You Ever Forgive Me? (and an emotional best supporting actor winner at Saturday’s Film Independent Spirit Awards), Film4 chief Daniel Battsek, and The Favourite co-writer Deborah Davis.
- 2/24/2019
- by Screen staff
- ScreenDaily
The Earl and Countess Spencer hosted Whole Child International’s inaugural fundraising gala in Los Angeles at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel last week, along with Co-Chairs Giselle Fernandez, Teri & Ken Hertz, Nina & Harvey Karp, Lauren King, Deborah Klein, Fran & John Lasker, and Robin & Dr. Alfredo Trento.
Anthony Kiedis and Josh Klinghoffer
Credit/Copyright: Getty Images for Whole Child International
Sir Ken Robinson served as Master of Ceremonies for the event, which also included an acoustic performance by Anthony Kiedis and Josh Klinghoffer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and a very special live auction. Additional attendees included Shohreh Aghdashloo, Catherine Bach, Angie Harmon, British Consul General Michael Howells, Chandler Kinney, Frank Mancuso, Nancy Moonves, Renee Olstead, Terri Seymour, and Canadian Consul General James Villeneuve.
Sir Ken Robinson welcomed guests to the event with a few words about the importance of childcare and education, not just in our own homes, but globally.
Anthony Kiedis and Josh Klinghoffer
Credit/Copyright: Getty Images for Whole Child International
Sir Ken Robinson served as Master of Ceremonies for the event, which also included an acoustic performance by Anthony Kiedis and Josh Klinghoffer of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and a very special live auction. Additional attendees included Shohreh Aghdashloo, Catherine Bach, Angie Harmon, British Consul General Michael Howells, Chandler Kinney, Frank Mancuso, Nancy Moonves, Renee Olstead, Terri Seymour, and Canadian Consul General James Villeneuve.
Sir Ken Robinson welcomed guests to the event with a few words about the importance of childcare and education, not just in our own homes, but globally.
- 11/1/2017
- Look to the Stars
The film crews behind High-Rise, Rogue One, Victoria and Game Of Thrones scoop up awards at inaugural ceremony.
On Saturday January 28, the British Film Designers Guild (Bfdg) held its inaugural awards ceremony at Pinewood Studios.
The film crews behind films High-Rise and Rogue One and TV series Victoria and Game Of Thrones were among those to scoop awards.
The awards were presented by Bill Nighy and Jeremy Irons, with the latter making a moving tribute to John Hurt.
Liz Griffiths, who produced the event, said: “The quality of the nominations for crew and the high calibre of films and TV productions has proved yet again that the UK is still the leader in this field and that the Bfdg members are central to this amazing knowledge and skill base respected around the world.”
The lifetime achievement award went to production designer Gemma Jackson, the three-time winner of the Art Directors Guild excellence in production design award for her...
On Saturday January 28, the British Film Designers Guild (Bfdg) held its inaugural awards ceremony at Pinewood Studios.
The film crews behind films High-Rise and Rogue One and TV series Victoria and Game Of Thrones were among those to scoop awards.
The awards were presented by Bill Nighy and Jeremy Irons, with the latter making a moving tribute to John Hurt.
Liz Griffiths, who produced the event, said: “The quality of the nominations for crew and the high calibre of films and TV productions has proved yet again that the UK is still the leader in this field and that the Bfdg members are central to this amazing knowledge and skill base respected around the world.”
The lifetime achievement award went to production designer Gemma Jackson, the three-time winner of the Art Directors Guild excellence in production design award for her...
- 2/2/2017
- ScreenDaily
The film crews behind High-Rise, Rogue One, Victoria and Game Of Thrones scoop up awards at inaugural ceremony.
On Saturday January 28, the British Film Designers Guild (Bfdg) held its inaugural awards ceremony at Pinewood Studios.
The film crews behind films High-Rise and Rogue One and TV series Victoria and Game Of Thrones were among those to scoop awards.
The awards were presented by Bill Nighy and Jeremy Irons, with the latter making a moving tribute to John Hurt.
Liz Griffiths, who produced the event, said: “The quality of the nominations for crew and the high calibre of films and TV productions has proved yet again that the UK is still the leader in this field and that the Bfdg members are central to this amazing knowledge and skill base respected around the world.”
The lifetime achievement award went to production designer Gemma Jackson, the three-time winner of the Art Directors Guild excellence in production design award for her...
On Saturday January 28, the British Film Designers Guild (Bfdg) held its inaugural awards ceremony at Pinewood Studios.
The film crews behind films High-Rise and Rogue One and TV series Victoria and Game Of Thrones were among those to scoop awards.
The awards were presented by Bill Nighy and Jeremy Irons, with the latter making a moving tribute to John Hurt.
Liz Griffiths, who produced the event, said: “The quality of the nominations for crew and the high calibre of films and TV productions has proved yet again that the UK is still the leader in this field and that the Bfdg members are central to this amazing knowledge and skill base respected around the world.”
The lifetime achievement award went to production designer Gemma Jackson, the three-time winner of the Art Directors Guild excellence in production design award for her...
- 2/2/2017
- ScreenDaily
Director to curate four night season at Cornish festival with Brunel viaduct providing backdrop to outdoor screenings
Even legendary Hollywood director Martin Scorsese has never had a set like this to play with – a giant screen by a river under the stars, with a backdrop of trains rumbling across a towering viaduct designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
Scorsese, who is curating The Director's Cut, a unique four-night film season at the Port Eliot Festival in Cornwall this June, clearly agonised over an opening film that would live up to the grandeur of the setting in 4,000 acres of Humphry Repton-designed parkland.
Trains and clouds of steam were obviously essential ingredients, and he considered both Shanghai Express (1932), with the luminous Marlene Dietrich and Anna May Wong, or Hitchcock's thriller The Lady Vanishes (1938).
His final choice may surprise devotees of Raging Bull or Gangs of New York: his opener is Murder on the Orient Express...
Even legendary Hollywood director Martin Scorsese has never had a set like this to play with – a giant screen by a river under the stars, with a backdrop of trains rumbling across a towering viaduct designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
Scorsese, who is curating The Director's Cut, a unique four-night film season at the Port Eliot Festival in Cornwall this June, clearly agonised over an opening film that would live up to the grandeur of the setting in 4,000 acres of Humphry Repton-designed parkland.
Trains and clouds of steam were obviously essential ingredients, and he considered both Shanghai Express (1932), with the luminous Marlene Dietrich and Anna May Wong, or Hitchcock's thriller The Lady Vanishes (1938).
His final choice may surprise devotees of Raging Bull or Gangs of New York: his opener is Murder on the Orient Express...
- 3/26/2011
- by Maev Kennedy
- The Guardian - Film News
BAFTA and the Ica continue their unique series of master classes throughout March, led by award winning practitioners from the worlds of Film, Television and Video Games. A new series of events will also be introduced this month, entitled “Behind the Mask”, which will screen films selected and introduced by BAFTA members with discussions revealing the different crafts behind their creation.
The BAFTA/Ica master classes focus on Video Games in March, starting on 9 March when BAFTA welcomes David Hego to the Ica. David is Art Director of Rocksteady Studios, the London based games developer which won two BAFTAs including 'Best Game' for Batman: Arkham Asylum. David will explain how the team created the dark and gothic mood of the game, covering the theory and practice of the visual narration, lighting, colour schemes and the ‘hyper realistic’ look of the iconic comic book characters.
On 16 March, the series continues with...
The BAFTA/Ica master classes focus on Video Games in March, starting on 9 March when BAFTA welcomes David Hego to the Ica. David is Art Director of Rocksteady Studios, the London based games developer which won two BAFTAs including 'Best Game' for Batman: Arkham Asylum. David will explain how the team created the dark and gothic mood of the game, covering the theory and practice of the visual narration, lighting, colour schemes and the ‘hyper realistic’ look of the iconic comic book characters.
On 16 March, the series continues with...
- 3/5/2011
- by Daniel Green
- CineVue
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the Institute of Contemporary Arts (Ica) present a unique series of masterclasses led by award-winning practitioners from the worlds of film, television and video games at the Ica throughout February and March 2011.
The masterclasses examine the many roles that feed into the creation of award-winning work and will appeal to those seeking a career in the creative industries and anyone interested in gaining an exclusive insight into the work that takes place behind the scenes.
This is the first time BAFTA and the Ica have formed a partnership; two organisations that together represent excellence and innovation in creativity across the whole spectrum of artistic endeavour.
On 2 February, BAFTA welcomes Nicolas Chaudeurge to the Ica. Having trained at the National Film and Television School, Nicolas has been editing drama and documentary for seventeen years in the UK and France. His partnership...
The masterclasses examine the many roles that feed into the creation of award-winning work and will appeal to those seeking a career in the creative industries and anyone interested in gaining an exclusive insight into the work that takes place behind the scenes.
This is the first time BAFTA and the Ica have formed a partnership; two organisations that together represent excellence and innovation in creativity across the whole spectrum of artistic endeavour.
On 2 February, BAFTA welcomes Nicolas Chaudeurge to the Ica. Having trained at the National Film and Television School, Nicolas has been editing drama and documentary for seventeen years in the UK and France. His partnership...
- 2/9/2011
- by Daniel Green
- CineVue
Emma Thompson is on a mission to turn New York's Times Square into a mock detention centre for a hard-hitting protest about human trafficking.
The British actress and activist staged a similar art installation/protest on behalf of the Helen Bamber Foundation in London's Trafalgar Square last year, which featured seven individually designed containers that traced the journey of a woman from her home in Eastern Europe to a bloodstained bed in a London brothel, where she is enslaved.
Thompson designed the containers for the stirring Journey show, which was brought to life by artist Anish Kapoor and Michael Howells - and now she wants to bring the containers to New York.
Thompson, who is the chairwoman of the Helen Bamber Foundation, tells WENN, "I'm bringing it to New York in April. I'm trying to get a meeting with the Mayor to see if we could get Duffy Park or Times Square. We need a really good venue because we have seven shipping containers that hold these room replications."...
The British actress and activist staged a similar art installation/protest on behalf of the Helen Bamber Foundation in London's Trafalgar Square last year, which featured seven individually designed containers that traced the journey of a woman from her home in Eastern Europe to a bloodstained bed in a London brothel, where she is enslaved.
Thompson designed the containers for the stirring Journey show, which was brought to life by artist Anish Kapoor and Michael Howells - and now she wants to bring the containers to New York.
Thompson, who is the chairwoman of the Helen Bamber Foundation, tells WENN, "I'm bringing it to New York in April. I'm trying to get a meeting with the Mayor to see if we could get Duffy Park or Times Square. We need a really good venue because we have seven shipping containers that hold these room replications."...
- 11/19/2008
- WENN
This review was written for the theatrical release of "Death at a Funeral".At its best, British farce should seem effortless. In "Death at a Funeral", the effort shows. Subplots are contrived and relationships pat. Yet this topsy-turvy funeral produces a number of smiles, giggles, pleasant guffaws and several solid, sustained laughs. Not a bad batting average as comedies go.
Director Frank Oz always has been adept at building a comedy when he has the right script, and young Dean Craig has given him, in his first produced screenplay, a loony dark comedy that jibes well with Oz's comic sensibility.
Other than Peter Dinklage, the mostly British cast is unfamiliar to most American moviegoers, which might hamper boxoffice a tad. But the spirited effort should pick up steam in North American cinemas as reviews and word-of-mouth slowly build an over-25 audience who appreciates comic jabs at British decorum, upper-class manners and thoroughly embarrassing situations.
The film tips its comic hand right away when a funeral home delivers the wrong body to the household of the dearly departed. No, things will not go well at the final rites for the paterfamilias of a large and somewhat divided British family. From that point on, Oz and Craig tiptoe through a minefield of taboos and traditions that do not so much mock the dead as the foibles and follies of the living.
Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen), son of the deceased, still lives in his parents' comfortable country home with his wife, Jane (Keeley Hawes), who chafes under the not-always-subtle thumb of her mother-in-law, Sandra (screen veteran Jane Asher). She desperately wants to move out. Now.
Daniel, who has been writing and rewriting the same novel for several years, suffers in the shadow of brother Robert (Rupert Graves), a wildly successful novelist who has flown in from his New York penthouse for the funeral.
First cousin Martha (Daisy Donovan) is bringing her fiance, Simon (Alan Tudyk, actually an American), who is anxious to make a good impression on her disapproving doctor father, Victor (Peter Egan). But Martha's brother Troy (Kris Marshall), a Chemistry Student with a penchant for making designer drugs, has created a powerful hallucinogen that Martha -- believing the pill to be Valium -- gives to the nervous Simon. By the time he reaches the funeral, he is blissed out and prone to shedding clothes.
Daniel's mate Howard (Andy Nyman), an uptight hypochondriac with an obsession over physical ailments, arrives with two fairly unwelcome guests: His friend Justin (Ewen Bremner), who is equally obsessed with Martha, with whom he had a one-night fling, and Uncle Alfie (Peter Vaughan), a cantankerous antique who has lost all sense of social decorum.
But who is that strange little fellow Peter Dinklage) who shows up with a peculiar expression on his face and a secret that could tear the already estranged family apart?
Revelations and physical comedy arrive on an escalating schedule that reserves its more outrageous developments for the third act. The film at times does feel a bit airless, like a play caught on film, even though Oz moves the scenes of the many crimes and misdemeanors in and around the spacious house and its well-manicured gardens. One gag in particular might test the patience of those unamused by potty humor.
While there is no standout performance -- meaning that everyone has splendidly performed his character's faults to the comic hilt -- one most enjoys Macfadyen for bringing subtle drama and melancholy to the comic center of the tale and Tudyk for his bravery in performing in a state of delirium and quite often in the nude for so much of the movie.
Oz benefits from a solid crew of British craftsmen, who afford him sharp, well-composed cinematography (Oliver Curtis), a rich yet homey setting (Michael Howells) and stylish costumes (Natalie Ward).
DEATH AT A FUNERAL
MGM
MGM and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment present a Parabolic Pictures/Stable Way Entertainment production
Credits:
Director: Frank Oz
Screenwriter: Dean Craig
Producers: Diana Phillips, Share Stallings, Laurence Malkin, Sidney Kimmel
Executive producers: William Horberg, Bruce Toll, Andreas Grosch, Philip Elway
Director of photography: Oliver Curtis
Production designer: Michael Howells
Music: Murray Gold
Co-producers: Josh Kesselman, Alex Lewis
Costume designer: Natalie Ward
Editor: Beverly Mills
Cast:
Daniel: Matthew Macfadyen
Jane: Keeley Hawes
Howard: Andy Nyman
Justin: Ewen Bremner
Martha: Daisy Donovan
Simon: Alan Tudyk
Robert: Rupert Graves
Peter: Peter Dinklage
Sandra: Jane Asher
Victor: Peter Egan
Running time -- 90 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Director Frank Oz always has been adept at building a comedy when he has the right script, and young Dean Craig has given him, in his first produced screenplay, a loony dark comedy that jibes well with Oz's comic sensibility.
Other than Peter Dinklage, the mostly British cast is unfamiliar to most American moviegoers, which might hamper boxoffice a tad. But the spirited effort should pick up steam in North American cinemas as reviews and word-of-mouth slowly build an over-25 audience who appreciates comic jabs at British decorum, upper-class manners and thoroughly embarrassing situations.
The film tips its comic hand right away when a funeral home delivers the wrong body to the household of the dearly departed. No, things will not go well at the final rites for the paterfamilias of a large and somewhat divided British family. From that point on, Oz and Craig tiptoe through a minefield of taboos and traditions that do not so much mock the dead as the foibles and follies of the living.
Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen), son of the deceased, still lives in his parents' comfortable country home with his wife, Jane (Keeley Hawes), who chafes under the not-always-subtle thumb of her mother-in-law, Sandra (screen veteran Jane Asher). She desperately wants to move out. Now.
Daniel, who has been writing and rewriting the same novel for several years, suffers in the shadow of brother Robert (Rupert Graves), a wildly successful novelist who has flown in from his New York penthouse for the funeral.
First cousin Martha (Daisy Donovan) is bringing her fiance, Simon (Alan Tudyk, actually an American), who is anxious to make a good impression on her disapproving doctor father, Victor (Peter Egan). But Martha's brother Troy (Kris Marshall), a Chemistry Student with a penchant for making designer drugs, has created a powerful hallucinogen that Martha -- believing the pill to be Valium -- gives to the nervous Simon. By the time he reaches the funeral, he is blissed out and prone to shedding clothes.
Daniel's mate Howard (Andy Nyman), an uptight hypochondriac with an obsession over physical ailments, arrives with two fairly unwelcome guests: His friend Justin (Ewen Bremner), who is equally obsessed with Martha, with whom he had a one-night fling, and Uncle Alfie (Peter Vaughan), a cantankerous antique who has lost all sense of social decorum.
But who is that strange little fellow Peter Dinklage) who shows up with a peculiar expression on his face and a secret that could tear the already estranged family apart?
Revelations and physical comedy arrive on an escalating schedule that reserves its more outrageous developments for the third act. The film at times does feel a bit airless, like a play caught on film, even though Oz moves the scenes of the many crimes and misdemeanors in and around the spacious house and its well-manicured gardens. One gag in particular might test the patience of those unamused by potty humor.
While there is no standout performance -- meaning that everyone has splendidly performed his character's faults to the comic hilt -- one most enjoys Macfadyen for bringing subtle drama and melancholy to the comic center of the tale and Tudyk for his bravery in performing in a state of delirium and quite often in the nude for so much of the movie.
Oz benefits from a solid crew of British craftsmen, who afford him sharp, well-composed cinematography (Oliver Curtis), a rich yet homey setting (Michael Howells) and stylish costumes (Natalie Ward).
DEATH AT A FUNERAL
MGM
MGM and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment present a Parabolic Pictures/Stable Way Entertainment production
Credits:
Director: Frank Oz
Screenwriter: Dean Craig
Producers: Diana Phillips, Share Stallings, Laurence Malkin, Sidney Kimmel
Executive producers: William Horberg, Bruce Toll, Andreas Grosch, Philip Elway
Director of photography: Oliver Curtis
Production designer: Michael Howells
Music: Murray Gold
Co-producers: Josh Kesselman, Alex Lewis
Costume designer: Natalie Ward
Editor: Beverly Mills
Cast:
Daniel: Matthew Macfadyen
Jane: Keeley Hawes
Howard: Andy Nyman
Justin: Ewen Bremner
Martha: Daisy Donovan
Simon: Alan Tudyk
Robert: Rupert Graves
Peter: Peter Dinklage
Sandra: Jane Asher
Victor: Peter Egan
Running time -- 90 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 6/11/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
At its best, British farce should seem effortless. In Death at a Funeral, the effort shows. Subplots are contrived and relationships pat. Yet this topsy-turvy funeral produces a number of smiles, giggles, pleasant guffaws and several solid, sustained laughs. Not a bad batting average as comedies go.
Director Frank Oz always has been adept at building a comedy when he has the right script, and young Dean Craig has given him, in his first produced screenplay, a loony dark comedy that jibes well with Oz's comic sensibility.
Other than Peter Dinklage, the mostly British cast is unfamiliar to most American moviegoers, which might hamper boxoffice a tad. But the spirited effort should pick up steam in North American cinemas as reviews and word-of-mouth slowly build an over-25 audience who appreciates comic jabs at British decorum, upper-class manners and thoroughly embarrassing situations.
The film tips its comic hand right away when a funeral home delivers the wrong body to the household of the dearly departed. No, things will not go well at the final rites for the paterfamilias of a large and somewhat divided British family. From that point on, Oz and Craig tiptoe through a minefield of taboos and traditions that do not so much mock the dead as the foibles and follies of the living.
Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen), son of the deceased, still lives in his parents' comfortable country home with his wife, Jane (Keeley Hawes), who chafes under the not-always-subtle thumb of her mother-in-law, Sandra (screen veteran Jane Asher). She desperately wants to move out. Now.
Daniel, who has been writing and rewriting the same novel for several years, suffers in the shadow of brother Robert (Rupert Graves), a wildly successful novelist who has flown in from his New York penthouse for the funeral.
First cousin Martha (Daisy Donovan) is bringing her fiance, Simon (Alan Tudyk, actually an American), who is anxious to make a good impression on her disapproving doctor father, Victor (Peter Egan). But Martha's brother Troy (Kris Marshall), a Chemistry Student with a penchant for making designer drugs, has created a powerful hallucinogen that Martha -- believing the pill to be Valium -- gives to the nervous Simon. By the time he reaches the funeral, he is blissed out and prone to shedding clothes.
Daniel's mate Howard (Andy Nyman), an uptight hypochondriac with an obsession over physical ailments, arrives with two fairly unwelcome guests: His friend Justin (Ewen Bremner), who is equally obsessed with Martha, with whom he had a one-night fling, and Uncle Alfie (Peter Vaughan), a cantankerous antique who has lost all sense of social decorum.
But who is that strange little fellow Peter Dinklage) who shows up with a peculiar expression on his face and a secret that could tear the already estranged family apart?
Revelations and physical comedy arrive on an escalating schedule that reserves its more outrageous developments for the third act. The film at times does feel a bit airless, like a play caught on film, even though Oz moves the scenes of the many crimes and misdemeanors in and around the spacious house and its well-manicured gardens. One gag in particular might test the patience of those unamused by potty humor.
While there is no standout performance -- meaning that everyone has splendidly performed his character's faults to the comic hilt -- one most enjoys Macfadyen for bringing subtle drama and melancholy to the comic center of the tale and Tudyk for his bravery in performing in a state of delirium and quite often in the nude for so much of the movie.
Oz benefits from a solid crew of British craftsmen, who afford him sharp, well-composed cinematography (Oliver Curtis), a rich yet homey setting (Michael Howells) and stylish costumes (Natalie Ward).
DEATH AT A FUNERAL
MGM
MGM and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment present a Parabolic Pictures/Stable Way Entertainment production
Credits:
Director: Frank Oz
Screenwriter: Dean Craig
Producers: Diana Phillips, Share Stallings, Laurence Malkin, Sidney Kimmel
Executive producers: William Horberg, Bruce Toll, Andreas Grosch, Philip Elway
Director of photography: Oliver Curtis
Production designer: Michael Howells
Music: Murray Gold
Co-producers: Josh Kesselman, Alex Lewis
Costume designer: Natalie Ward
Editor: Beverly Mills
Cast:
Daniel: Matthew Macfadyen
Jane: Keeley Hawes
Howard: Andy Nyman
Justin: Ewen Bremner
Martha: Daisy Donovan
Simon: Alan Tudyk
Robert: Rupert Graves
Peter: Peter Dinklage
Sandra: Jane Asher
Victor: Peter Egan
Running time -- 90 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Director Frank Oz always has been adept at building a comedy when he has the right script, and young Dean Craig has given him, in his first produced screenplay, a loony dark comedy that jibes well with Oz's comic sensibility.
Other than Peter Dinklage, the mostly British cast is unfamiliar to most American moviegoers, which might hamper boxoffice a tad. But the spirited effort should pick up steam in North American cinemas as reviews and word-of-mouth slowly build an over-25 audience who appreciates comic jabs at British decorum, upper-class manners and thoroughly embarrassing situations.
The film tips its comic hand right away when a funeral home delivers the wrong body to the household of the dearly departed. No, things will not go well at the final rites for the paterfamilias of a large and somewhat divided British family. From that point on, Oz and Craig tiptoe through a minefield of taboos and traditions that do not so much mock the dead as the foibles and follies of the living.
Daniel (Matthew Macfadyen), son of the deceased, still lives in his parents' comfortable country home with his wife, Jane (Keeley Hawes), who chafes under the not-always-subtle thumb of her mother-in-law, Sandra (screen veteran Jane Asher). She desperately wants to move out. Now.
Daniel, who has been writing and rewriting the same novel for several years, suffers in the shadow of brother Robert (Rupert Graves), a wildly successful novelist who has flown in from his New York penthouse for the funeral.
First cousin Martha (Daisy Donovan) is bringing her fiance, Simon (Alan Tudyk, actually an American), who is anxious to make a good impression on her disapproving doctor father, Victor (Peter Egan). But Martha's brother Troy (Kris Marshall), a Chemistry Student with a penchant for making designer drugs, has created a powerful hallucinogen that Martha -- believing the pill to be Valium -- gives to the nervous Simon. By the time he reaches the funeral, he is blissed out and prone to shedding clothes.
Daniel's mate Howard (Andy Nyman), an uptight hypochondriac with an obsession over physical ailments, arrives with two fairly unwelcome guests: His friend Justin (Ewen Bremner), who is equally obsessed with Martha, with whom he had a one-night fling, and Uncle Alfie (Peter Vaughan), a cantankerous antique who has lost all sense of social decorum.
But who is that strange little fellow Peter Dinklage) who shows up with a peculiar expression on his face and a secret that could tear the already estranged family apart?
Revelations and physical comedy arrive on an escalating schedule that reserves its more outrageous developments for the third act. The film at times does feel a bit airless, like a play caught on film, even though Oz moves the scenes of the many crimes and misdemeanors in and around the spacious house and its well-manicured gardens. One gag in particular might test the patience of those unamused by potty humor.
While there is no standout performance -- meaning that everyone has splendidly performed his character's faults to the comic hilt -- one most enjoys Macfadyen for bringing subtle drama and melancholy to the comic center of the tale and Tudyk for his bravery in performing in a state of delirium and quite often in the nude for so much of the movie.
Oz benefits from a solid crew of British craftsmen, who afford him sharp, well-composed cinematography (Oliver Curtis), a rich yet homey setting (Michael Howells) and stylish costumes (Natalie Ward).
DEATH AT A FUNERAL
MGM
MGM and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment present a Parabolic Pictures/Stable Way Entertainment production
Credits:
Director: Frank Oz
Screenwriter: Dean Craig
Producers: Diana Phillips, Share Stallings, Laurence Malkin, Sidney Kimmel
Executive producers: William Horberg, Bruce Toll, Andreas Grosch, Philip Elway
Director of photography: Oliver Curtis
Production designer: Michael Howells
Music: Murray Gold
Co-producers: Josh Kesselman, Alex Lewis
Costume designer: Natalie Ward
Editor: Beverly Mills
Cast:
Daniel: Matthew Macfadyen
Jane: Keeley Hawes
Howard: Andy Nyman
Justin: Ewen Bremner
Martha: Daisy Donovan
Simon: Alan Tudyk
Robert: Rupert Graves
Peter: Peter Dinklage
Sandra: Jane Asher
Victor: Peter Egan
Running time -- 90 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 6/11/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
August Strindberg may have been "the only genuine Shakespearean modern dramatist," as George Bernard Shaw claimed, but unlike the Bard, his works translate into movies awkwardly at best.
His characters, trapped by strict class and gender roles dictated by society, are often confined in close quarters, where raw feelings finally boil over. In the right hands, this can make for great theater, but its cinematic qualities are negligible.
Mike Figgis' film version of Strindberg's "Miss Julie" has everything going for it: A new translation by Helen Cooper brushes away the archaic language and the digressions to get to the heart of the story. And Figgis has cast the three major roles with actors who can play 19th century characters with modern touches. But for all his hand-held camerawork and use of split-screen, his "Miss Julie" is still very much a filmed play.
Even for the art house, UA has a tough sell on its hands. "Miss Julie" is, let's face it, a vanity piece by an accomplished director and is likely to attract only ardent Figgis fans, along with those who appreciate finely modulated though static drama recorded on film.
Figgis sees "Miss Julie" as a series of power plays between two desperate characters -- the title character (Saffron Burrows), the willful and beautiful daughter of a nobleman, and Jean (Peter Mullan), her father's handsome and ambitious footman.
Miss Julie is a sexual predator with a wild streak of romanticism. Jean is bitter over his station in life, but he sees in Miss Julie's amorous attentions the means to escape Sweden and its class barriers to become a hotelier on the continent.
There is a third party to this dangerous affair, which takes place during one midsummer night in 1894. Christine Maria Doyle Kennedy), the cook who happens to be Jean's fiancee, is wise to the ways of the world -- more so than the other two characters -- but can do little to head off the developing tragedy.
Figgis uses the baronial kitchen as his only set. To his credit, he keeps the action lively and his hand-held 16mm camera roams freely about the kitchen, pantry, china room and corridor in the sturdy set created by production designer Michael Howells. But when Miss Julie asks Jean to go into the woods with her -- an invitation he manages to put off -- an audience member can be forgiven for crying out, go, get out of that damn kitchen!
Burrows, who has appeared in Figgis' two previous films, "The Loss of Sexual Innocence" and "One Night Stand", projects all the haughty arrogance and callow innocence of a high-born lady who has absolutely no idea how to relate to human beings, especially those from the lower classes.
Mullan carries himself with dignity in every moment. Yet his restless energy flares up in his eyes and cruel mouth. (But who slipped up on the set to allow a key prop, a bottle of Bordeaux wine purloined from the count's cellar, to be called a Burgundy by Jean, who supposedly once worked as a wine steward?)
And while a height discrepancy allows Burrows to tower over Mullan, this pretty much works to the movie's advantage, given the extreme differences in their class status.
Kennedy is very much the third banana in this duel. But she brings rough country wisdom and common sense to the role of the cook.
Along with Howells' large set, Sandy Powell's excellent costumes and Benoit Delhomme's fluid camera work make "Miss Julie" a first-class presentation.
MISS JULIE
United Artists
Moonstone Entertainment
presents a Red Mullet Production
Producers:Mike Figgis, Harriet Cruickshank
Director:Mike Figgis
Writer:Helen Cooper
Based on the play by:August Strindberg
Executive producers:Annie Stewart, Willi Baer, Etchie Stroh
Director of photography:Benoit Delhomme
Production designer:Michael Howells
Music:Mike Figgis
Costume designer:Sandy Powell
Editor:Matthew Hood
Color/stereo
Cast:
Miss Julie:Saffron Burrows
Jean:Peter Mullan
Christine:Maria Doyle Kennedy
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
His characters, trapped by strict class and gender roles dictated by society, are often confined in close quarters, where raw feelings finally boil over. In the right hands, this can make for great theater, but its cinematic qualities are negligible.
Mike Figgis' film version of Strindberg's "Miss Julie" has everything going for it: A new translation by Helen Cooper brushes away the archaic language and the digressions to get to the heart of the story. And Figgis has cast the three major roles with actors who can play 19th century characters with modern touches. But for all his hand-held camerawork and use of split-screen, his "Miss Julie" is still very much a filmed play.
Even for the art house, UA has a tough sell on its hands. "Miss Julie" is, let's face it, a vanity piece by an accomplished director and is likely to attract only ardent Figgis fans, along with those who appreciate finely modulated though static drama recorded on film.
Figgis sees "Miss Julie" as a series of power plays between two desperate characters -- the title character (Saffron Burrows), the willful and beautiful daughter of a nobleman, and Jean (Peter Mullan), her father's handsome and ambitious footman.
Miss Julie is a sexual predator with a wild streak of romanticism. Jean is bitter over his station in life, but he sees in Miss Julie's amorous attentions the means to escape Sweden and its class barriers to become a hotelier on the continent.
There is a third party to this dangerous affair, which takes place during one midsummer night in 1894. Christine Maria Doyle Kennedy), the cook who happens to be Jean's fiancee, is wise to the ways of the world -- more so than the other two characters -- but can do little to head off the developing tragedy.
Figgis uses the baronial kitchen as his only set. To his credit, he keeps the action lively and his hand-held 16mm camera roams freely about the kitchen, pantry, china room and corridor in the sturdy set created by production designer Michael Howells. But when Miss Julie asks Jean to go into the woods with her -- an invitation he manages to put off -- an audience member can be forgiven for crying out, go, get out of that damn kitchen!
Burrows, who has appeared in Figgis' two previous films, "The Loss of Sexual Innocence" and "One Night Stand", projects all the haughty arrogance and callow innocence of a high-born lady who has absolutely no idea how to relate to human beings, especially those from the lower classes.
Mullan carries himself with dignity in every moment. Yet his restless energy flares up in his eyes and cruel mouth. (But who slipped up on the set to allow a key prop, a bottle of Bordeaux wine purloined from the count's cellar, to be called a Burgundy by Jean, who supposedly once worked as a wine steward?)
And while a height discrepancy allows Burrows to tower over Mullan, this pretty much works to the movie's advantage, given the extreme differences in their class status.
Kennedy is very much the third banana in this duel. But she brings rough country wisdom and common sense to the role of the cook.
Along with Howells' large set, Sandy Powell's excellent costumes and Benoit Delhomme's fluid camera work make "Miss Julie" a first-class presentation.
MISS JULIE
United Artists
Moonstone Entertainment
presents a Red Mullet Production
Producers:Mike Figgis, Harriet Cruickshank
Director:Mike Figgis
Writer:Helen Cooper
Based on the play by:August Strindberg
Executive producers:Annie Stewart, Willi Baer, Etchie Stroh
Director of photography:Benoit Delhomme
Production designer:Michael Howells
Music:Mike Figgis
Costume designer:Sandy Powell
Editor:Matthew Hood
Color/stereo
Cast:
Miss Julie:Saffron Burrows
Jean:Peter Mullan
Christine:Maria Doyle Kennedy
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 9/16/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The crowd-pleasing, relatively lightweight closing-night film of the dramatically uneven 52nd Cannes International Film Festival, "An Ideal Husband" is a late-19th-century romantic comedy based on an Oscar Wilde play. The upcoming Miramax release has solid boxoffice potential with adult audiences.
Cate Blanchett and Rupert Everett headline the small but fine cast allowed to pitch the material at an involvingly brisk pace under the light-handed direction of Oliver Parker ("Othello"). Lushly mounted but largely a chamber piece, "Ideal Husband" concerns the efforts of eligible bachelor Lord Arthur Goring (Everett) to preserve the marriage and career of his friend, politician Sir Robert Chiltern (Jeremy Northam).
Married to Lady Gertrude Chiltern (Blanchett), Robert is blackmailed by devious Mrs. Cheveley (Julianne Moore), who possesses knowledge of a secret in his past. She wants his support for an expensive boondoggle, knowing that Gertrude will be devastated if she learns Robert deceived her in any way.
The privileged lives of the upper crust leads are shaken by forged notes, conversations overheard by the wrong parties and shocking revelations. While Robert struggles with his conscience, Cheveley sets her sights on becoming Lady Arthur Goring. Unaware of the simmering scandal, Arthur's Father John Wood) encourages the reluctant bachelor to choose a wife.
Robert's sister Mabel (Minnie Driver) also has a crush on Arthur, but he is tempted by Cheveley's seductive final offer and wrongly assumed of betraying Robert before things get sorted out in the happy ending.
Underplaying the character but looking fabulous in formal wear, Everett stands to gain the most from such a plum role as he embodies the kind of wily but impossibly well-groomed rogue to which one's attention naturally gravitates. The scenario's most resonant, serious emotional material is reserved for Robert and Gertrude's marital crisis when she realizes he's not the ideal husband and waits to see how he resolves the threat posed by Cheveley.
Blanchett, Driver and Moore are well-cast and look great in Caroline Harris' costumes. Filmed on location and at Leavesden Studios in Herts, England, "Ideal Husband" is an evocative re-creation of the times, thanks to the luxurious production design of Michael Howells ("Ever After").
AN IDEAL HUSBAND
Miramax Films
Icon Entertainment International presents
a Fragile Film in association with Icon Prods.,
Pathe Pictures, the Arts Council of England
Writer-director: Oliver Parker
Producers: Barnaby Thompson, Uri Fruchtmann, Bruce Davey
Executive producers: Susan B. Landau, Ralph Kamp, Andrea Calderwood
Director of photography: David Johnson
Production designer: Michael Howells
Editor: Guy Bensley
Costume designer: Caroline Harris
Music: Charlie Mole
Color/stereo
Cast:
Lady Gertrude Chiltern: Cate Blanchett
Lord Arthur Goring: Rupert Everett
Mrs. Cheveley: Julianne Moore
Sir Robert Chiltern: Jeremy Northam
Mabel Chiltern: Minnie Driver
Lord Caversham: John Wood
Running time -- 97 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Cate Blanchett and Rupert Everett headline the small but fine cast allowed to pitch the material at an involvingly brisk pace under the light-handed direction of Oliver Parker ("Othello"). Lushly mounted but largely a chamber piece, "Ideal Husband" concerns the efforts of eligible bachelor Lord Arthur Goring (Everett) to preserve the marriage and career of his friend, politician Sir Robert Chiltern (Jeremy Northam).
Married to Lady Gertrude Chiltern (Blanchett), Robert is blackmailed by devious Mrs. Cheveley (Julianne Moore), who possesses knowledge of a secret in his past. She wants his support for an expensive boondoggle, knowing that Gertrude will be devastated if she learns Robert deceived her in any way.
The privileged lives of the upper crust leads are shaken by forged notes, conversations overheard by the wrong parties and shocking revelations. While Robert struggles with his conscience, Cheveley sets her sights on becoming Lady Arthur Goring. Unaware of the simmering scandal, Arthur's Father John Wood) encourages the reluctant bachelor to choose a wife.
Robert's sister Mabel (Minnie Driver) also has a crush on Arthur, but he is tempted by Cheveley's seductive final offer and wrongly assumed of betraying Robert before things get sorted out in the happy ending.
Underplaying the character but looking fabulous in formal wear, Everett stands to gain the most from such a plum role as he embodies the kind of wily but impossibly well-groomed rogue to which one's attention naturally gravitates. The scenario's most resonant, serious emotional material is reserved for Robert and Gertrude's marital crisis when she realizes he's not the ideal husband and waits to see how he resolves the threat posed by Cheveley.
Blanchett, Driver and Moore are well-cast and look great in Caroline Harris' costumes. Filmed on location and at Leavesden Studios in Herts, England, "Ideal Husband" is an evocative re-creation of the times, thanks to the luxurious production design of Michael Howells ("Ever After").
AN IDEAL HUSBAND
Miramax Films
Icon Entertainment International presents
a Fragile Film in association with Icon Prods.,
Pathe Pictures, the Arts Council of England
Writer-director: Oliver Parker
Producers: Barnaby Thompson, Uri Fruchtmann, Bruce Davey
Executive producers: Susan B. Landau, Ralph Kamp, Andrea Calderwood
Director of photography: David Johnson
Production designer: Michael Howells
Editor: Guy Bensley
Costume designer: Caroline Harris
Music: Charlie Mole
Color/stereo
Cast:
Lady Gertrude Chiltern: Cate Blanchett
Lord Arthur Goring: Rupert Everett
Mrs. Cheveley: Julianne Moore
Sir Robert Chiltern: Jeremy Northam
Mabel Chiltern: Minnie Driver
Lord Caversham: John Wood
Running time -- 97 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 5/28/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Picture-postcard pretty but emotionally vapid, "Talk of Angels" has all the elements of a classy romantic drama -- an exotic locale, political intrigue and, of course, illicit love -- minus any convincing substance.
It's based on Irish author Kate O'Brien's controversial 1936 novel "Mary Lavelle", which was banned in Ireland on charges of "immorality." (O'Brien was subsequently kicked out of Spain by the Franco regime.) The film adaptation, marking the feature debut of theater director Nick Hamm, itemizes all the key personalities and events without giving viewers much to truly care about.
While it may be enough to satisfy those looking for a Harlequin Romance-style quick fix, "Talk of Angels'" will likely take speedy flight to the video heavens.
Taking its name from an Irish phrase that's equivalent to "speak of the devil," the film tells the story of Lavelle (the beauteous Polly Walker), a young convent girl who leaves Ireland behind to work as a governess in Spain at one of those ultra-bourgeois households with which Luis Bunuel would have had a field day.
Presided over by hovering matriarch Dona Consuelo (Marisa Paredes), a woman who has clearly seen too many Joan Crawford movies, the Areavaga clan is just one of your average wealthy Spanish families on the verge of disintegration as civil war looms large.
As her husband, the idealistic Dr. Vicente Franco Nero) secretly tends to injured radicals, her son Francisco (Vincent Perez), trapped in a loveless marriage, eyes the comely Mary and the laws of mutual attraction take over.
Despite the counseling of a colorful group of fellow expatriate Irish women who function as the picture's Greek chorus -- including the big-sisterly O'Toole (Ruth McCabe) and the tormented Conlon (Frances McDormand), who confidentially admits to having a forbidden crush on Mary -- our heroine finds herself at a tricky crossroads in a city on the brink of irrevocable change.
Romantic leads Walker and Perez certainly make a photogenic pair and have done fine work elsewhere (she in "Enchanted April", he in "Queen Margot"), but they fail to ignite a convincing spark chemistry-wise, which is obviously crucial to the story's effectiveness.
Director Hamm is underserved by the perfunctory script credited to Ann Guedes and Frank McGuinness. But he tries to compensate with artful framing and thoughtful composition, for which he is richly served by the contributions of cinematographer Alexei Rodionov ("Orlando") and production designer Michael Howells ("Ever After").
But in the end, it's all very attractive frosting on an unsatisfying, underbaked cake -- angel food or otherwise.
TALK OF ANGELS
Miramax Films
Director: Nick Hamm
Producer: Patrick Cassavetti
Executive producers: Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, Donna Gigliotti
Screenwriters: Ann Guedes, Frank McGuinness
Director of photography: Alexei Rodionov
Production designer: Michael Howells
Editor: Gerry Hambling
Costume designers: Liz Waller, Lala Huete
Color/stereo
Cast:
Mary Lavelle: Polly Walker
Francisco Areavaga: Vincent Perez
Dr. Vicente Areavaga: Franco Nero
Conlon: Frances McDormand
O'Toole: Ruth McCabe
Dona Consuelo: Marisa Paredes
Pilar: Penelope Cruz
Beatriz: Ariadna Gil
Running time -- 97 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
It's based on Irish author Kate O'Brien's controversial 1936 novel "Mary Lavelle", which was banned in Ireland on charges of "immorality." (O'Brien was subsequently kicked out of Spain by the Franco regime.) The film adaptation, marking the feature debut of theater director Nick Hamm, itemizes all the key personalities and events without giving viewers much to truly care about.
While it may be enough to satisfy those looking for a Harlequin Romance-style quick fix, "Talk of Angels'" will likely take speedy flight to the video heavens.
Taking its name from an Irish phrase that's equivalent to "speak of the devil," the film tells the story of Lavelle (the beauteous Polly Walker), a young convent girl who leaves Ireland behind to work as a governess in Spain at one of those ultra-bourgeois households with which Luis Bunuel would have had a field day.
Presided over by hovering matriarch Dona Consuelo (Marisa Paredes), a woman who has clearly seen too many Joan Crawford movies, the Areavaga clan is just one of your average wealthy Spanish families on the verge of disintegration as civil war looms large.
As her husband, the idealistic Dr. Vicente Franco Nero) secretly tends to injured radicals, her son Francisco (Vincent Perez), trapped in a loveless marriage, eyes the comely Mary and the laws of mutual attraction take over.
Despite the counseling of a colorful group of fellow expatriate Irish women who function as the picture's Greek chorus -- including the big-sisterly O'Toole (Ruth McCabe) and the tormented Conlon (Frances McDormand), who confidentially admits to having a forbidden crush on Mary -- our heroine finds herself at a tricky crossroads in a city on the brink of irrevocable change.
Romantic leads Walker and Perez certainly make a photogenic pair and have done fine work elsewhere (she in "Enchanted April", he in "Queen Margot"), but they fail to ignite a convincing spark chemistry-wise, which is obviously crucial to the story's effectiveness.
Director Hamm is underserved by the perfunctory script credited to Ann Guedes and Frank McGuinness. But he tries to compensate with artful framing and thoughtful composition, for which he is richly served by the contributions of cinematographer Alexei Rodionov ("Orlando") and production designer Michael Howells ("Ever After").
But in the end, it's all very attractive frosting on an unsatisfying, underbaked cake -- angel food or otherwise.
TALK OF ANGELS
Miramax Films
Director: Nick Hamm
Producer: Patrick Cassavetti
Executive producers: Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, Donna Gigliotti
Screenwriters: Ann Guedes, Frank McGuinness
Director of photography: Alexei Rodionov
Production designer: Michael Howells
Editor: Gerry Hambling
Costume designers: Liz Waller, Lala Huete
Color/stereo
Cast:
Mary Lavelle: Polly Walker
Francisco Areavaga: Vincent Perez
Dr. Vicente Areavaga: Franco Nero
Conlon: Frances McDormand
O'Toole: Ruth McCabe
Dona Consuelo: Marisa Paredes
Pilar: Penelope Cruz
Beatriz: Ariadna Gil
Running time -- 97 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 10/26/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
An old yarn has been restitched with '90s lacing in 20th Century Fox's "Ever After", a captivating new spin on the classic "Cinderella" story. Featuring Drew Barrymore as a sprightly, decidedly feisty Cinderella figure, the sumptuous film should especially delight young girls. Enchantingly lensed, adults will find it appealing as well, and down the line it should be a hit as a slumber-party rental.
Danielle (Barrymore) is no ordinary 16th century girl: She is prone to quoting Sir Thomas More when not scampering about her father's castle, climbing trees and tossing apples at itinerant princes. But Danielle's world is shattered by the death of her kindly father, and she must endure the treachery of her cruel stepmother (Anjelica Huston) and two stepsisters -- one a manipulative beauty (Megan Dodds) and the other a lethargic tattletale (Melanie Lynskey). While Danielle is subjugated to servantlike duties, her high spirits remain intact: In the '90s lexicon of much of the script, she is no victim.
Narratively, "Ever After" is ever amusing. It's a refreshing blend of adventurous escapades, personal treachery and individual growth. Screenwriters Susannah Grant, Andy Tennant (who also directed) and Rick Parks have concocted a frothy blend of all the best fairy tale ingredients and condensed it to a keen story of one girl's valiant personal battles against great odds. It will surely be an inspirational grid for young girls everywhere -- not to mention us older coots -- as they follow Danielle's daily battles.
Barrymore is enchanting and charismatic as the young girl who must survive the backbiting of her siblings and stepmother. Her spunky, athletic performance imbues her Cinderella-esque character with a dimension we haven't seen before. Huston is wonderful as her evil stepmother, while Dodds is well-cast as vainglorious, beautiful stepsister Marguerite. Dougray Scott is both dashing and humble as the apple of Danielle's eye, Prince Henry, while Lynskey brings particularity to the other stepsister, Jacqueline. Jeanne Moreau graces the production briefly, fittingly playing a Grande Dame.
Adorning the central story and magnifying it to its fullest dimension are superb technical contributions. Director Tennant ("Fools Rush In") has magically mustered his cinematic palette to most vivid scope. Under his wise, spry hand, "Ever After" is a visual treat. Cinematographer Andrew Dunn's atmospheric lensings of magnificent, castlelike settings truly give the film a sparkling air, while Michael Howells' production design is fittingly earthy, both harrowing and funny. Costume designer Jenny Beavan's adornments are eye-popping and clue us to the characters' personalities; in particular, Huston's intimidating hats are both amusing and forbidding. Topping it off is George Fenton's robust but dreamy score, another technical high note in this well-spun old/new tale.
EVER AFTER
20th Century Fox
A Mireille Soria production
An Andy Tennant film
Producers: Mireille Soria, Tracey Trench
Director: Andy Tennant
Screenwriters: Susannah Grant and Andy Tennant & Rick Parks
Director of photography: Andrew Dunn
Production designer: Michael Howells
Editor: Roger Bondelli
Costume designer: Jenny Beavan
Co-producers: Kevin Reidy, Timothy M. Bourne
Music: George Fenton
Casting: Priscilla John, Lucinda Syson
Sound mixer: Simon Kaye
Color/stereo
Danielle: Drew Barrymore
Rodmilla: Anjelica Huston
Prince Henry: Dougray Scott
Leonardo: Patrick Godfrey
Marguerite: Megan Dodds
Jacqueline: Melanie Lynskey
King Francis: Timothy West
Queen Marie: Judy Parfitt
Auguste: Jeroen Krabbe
Paulette: Kate Lansbury
Gustave: Lee Ingleby
Running time -- 121 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Danielle (Barrymore) is no ordinary 16th century girl: She is prone to quoting Sir Thomas More when not scampering about her father's castle, climbing trees and tossing apples at itinerant princes. But Danielle's world is shattered by the death of her kindly father, and she must endure the treachery of her cruel stepmother (Anjelica Huston) and two stepsisters -- one a manipulative beauty (Megan Dodds) and the other a lethargic tattletale (Melanie Lynskey). While Danielle is subjugated to servantlike duties, her high spirits remain intact: In the '90s lexicon of much of the script, she is no victim.
Narratively, "Ever After" is ever amusing. It's a refreshing blend of adventurous escapades, personal treachery and individual growth. Screenwriters Susannah Grant, Andy Tennant (who also directed) and Rick Parks have concocted a frothy blend of all the best fairy tale ingredients and condensed it to a keen story of one girl's valiant personal battles against great odds. It will surely be an inspirational grid for young girls everywhere -- not to mention us older coots -- as they follow Danielle's daily battles.
Barrymore is enchanting and charismatic as the young girl who must survive the backbiting of her siblings and stepmother. Her spunky, athletic performance imbues her Cinderella-esque character with a dimension we haven't seen before. Huston is wonderful as her evil stepmother, while Dodds is well-cast as vainglorious, beautiful stepsister Marguerite. Dougray Scott is both dashing and humble as the apple of Danielle's eye, Prince Henry, while Lynskey brings particularity to the other stepsister, Jacqueline. Jeanne Moreau graces the production briefly, fittingly playing a Grande Dame.
Adorning the central story and magnifying it to its fullest dimension are superb technical contributions. Director Tennant ("Fools Rush In") has magically mustered his cinematic palette to most vivid scope. Under his wise, spry hand, "Ever After" is a visual treat. Cinematographer Andrew Dunn's atmospheric lensings of magnificent, castlelike settings truly give the film a sparkling air, while Michael Howells' production design is fittingly earthy, both harrowing and funny. Costume designer Jenny Beavan's adornments are eye-popping and clue us to the characters' personalities; in particular, Huston's intimidating hats are both amusing and forbidding. Topping it off is George Fenton's robust but dreamy score, another technical high note in this well-spun old/new tale.
EVER AFTER
20th Century Fox
A Mireille Soria production
An Andy Tennant film
Producers: Mireille Soria, Tracey Trench
Director: Andy Tennant
Screenwriters: Susannah Grant and Andy Tennant & Rick Parks
Director of photography: Andrew Dunn
Production designer: Michael Howells
Editor: Roger Bondelli
Costume designer: Jenny Beavan
Co-producers: Kevin Reidy, Timothy M. Bourne
Music: George Fenton
Casting: Priscilla John, Lucinda Syson
Sound mixer: Simon Kaye
Color/stereo
Danielle: Drew Barrymore
Rodmilla: Anjelica Huston
Prince Henry: Dougray Scott
Leonardo: Patrick Godfrey
Marguerite: Megan Dodds
Jacqueline: Melanie Lynskey
King Francis: Timothy West
Queen Marie: Judy Parfitt
Auguste: Jeroen Krabbe
Paulette: Kate Lansbury
Gustave: Lee Ingleby
Running time -- 121 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 7/27/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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