Married Life

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Married Life MMAARRRRIIEEDD LLIIFFEE East Coast Publicity West Coast Publicity Distributor Donna Daniels PR Block Korenbrot Sony Pictures Classics Donna Daniels Melody Korenbrot Carmelo Pirrone Lauren Schwartz Leila Guenancia 1375 Broadway, Suite 403 110 S. Fairfax Ave, #310 550 Madison Ave New York, NY 10018 Los Angeles, CA 90036 New York, NY 10022 212-869-7233 tel 323-634-7001 tel 212-833-8833 tel 212-869-7114 fax 323-634-7030 fax 212-833-8844 fax MARRIED LIFE A strong blend of suspense, star-crossed romance, and wry comedy of manners, Married Life is an unconventional human drama about the irresistible power and utter madness of love. Harry (Chris Cooper) decides he must kill his wife Pat (Patricia Clarkson) because he loves her too much to let her suffer when he leaves her. Harry and his much-younger girlfriend Kay (Rachel McAdams) are head over heels in love, but his best friend Richard (Pierce Brosnan) wants to win Kay for himself. As Harry implements his awkward plans for murdering his wife, the other characters are occupied with their own deceptions. Like Harry, they are overwhelmed by their passions. but still struggle to avoid hurting others. Married Life is an uncommonly adult film that surprises and confounds expectations. While it plays with mystery and intrigue, its ultimate concern is: “What is married life?” In its sly way, Married Life poses perceptive questions about the seasonal discontents and unforeseen joys of all long-term relationships. 2 ABOUT THE PRODUCTION Writer/director Ira Sachs (Forty Shades of Blue, Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner, 2005) is an ardent film buff, with a particular love for 1940s and 1950s movies, particularly ones starring Joan Crawford and Bette Davis. “What I like about those movies is that the dramas can be so extreme and outrageous and yet they deal with people’s personal lives in ways that communicate powerfully with audiences,” says Sachs. “I wanted to do a film that would talk frankly and directly about the complexities and intricacies of marriage and intimate life—and I thought that in today’s film context, a movie like this could be a fresh way to do so.” Looking for a story to adapt, Sachs pored over stacks of little-known mystery and pulp novels, until he came upon John Bingham’s Five Roundabouts to Heaven. “It was exactly what I was looking for—a really great story about being married,” he says. “I thought this story could be a very intriguing vehicle for me to explore what it’s like to share a bed with someone, over a long period of time.” When Sachs began working with his co-writer, Oren Moverman, they agreed that the film should have a playful tone. “I tried to signal that right away, in the credit sequence,” says Sachs. “The credits give a sense that there is whimsy in the very serious things to follow. I wanted the audience to understand that they don’t need to take every action too literally. Now that doesn’t deny the serious nature of what happens between these characters, and I certainly don’t want to undercut the effect of going through these experiences with them, I just don’t want the audience to over-think the story.” “Every time I describe the film in a one-sentence line—people smile,” Sachs continues. “And there’s a reason for that. It’s over-the-top. A gentle, middle-aged man who falls in love decides to kill his wife because divorce would cause her too much pain. You could maybe find it hard to understand the decision our protagonist, Harry (Chris Cooper) makes, but that’s looking at the story too literally. It’s really more of a metaphor. I find Harry very familiar—all too many people have difficulty choosing themselves over their marriage. All the same, he’s not an easy character to make sympathetic, and I needed someone to play him that the audience would always empathize and identify with. And Chris Cooper makes a very good Everyman.” 3 Harry’s assumption that his wife Pat (Patricia Clarkson) can’t live without him is based on a complete misunderstanding of who she is. “There’s immense narcissism to his actions,” says Sachs. “He considers himself of such importance that he thinks Pat would be better off dead than without him—and he’s totally wrong. He’s lost and he doesn’t know his way out, but instead of choosing an honest way, he chooses a dishonest one and that leads him into a lot of trouble. But as it turns out, Harry turns out to not be a particularly good murderer, which is part of the humor of the film.” “I think Harry’s big flaw is that he expects too much,” says Cooper. “When Kay comes to meet Harry and Richard at the restaurant, it caps what Harry wants all the time. In Noel Coward’s words, he’s looking for that ‘first, fine careless rapture.’ I think he had it with his wife, but it didn’t last, and now Harry is carried away by his curious need for something more. He could be going through what we all call a mid-life crisis.” “Harry starts out in the film like a young man in love,” says Sachs. “He’s like a kid in a candy store. And then things get more serious for him because adult life is not like that adolescent joy from first love—there are too many complications that spring from all the history that’s come before.” Sachs sees Harry’s friend Richard (Pierce Brosnan) as the most fun character in the film. “He’s intelligent, he’s charming, he has a wicked, dry sense of humor,” says Sachs, “he gives pleasure to everyone around him. And Pierce Brosnan brings lightness and a mischievous energy to Richard, while also showing you his vulnerability. He makes him a cad you hopefully will come to love.” Richard is involved in what might be seen as the biggest betrayal in the film—trying to seduce and steal away Kay (Rachel McAdams), the love of Harry’s life and the woman he sees as his sole hope for happiness. “I’m not going to try to defend what Richard does,” says Sachs, “but this story is about how people pursue their desires, and each of these characters pursues them with great passion. And that’s not necessarily when people are the most kind to everyone around them. And to be honest, haven’t we all done things for ourselves at some point, rather than for the people we love?” 4 “Richard really is intoxicated by Kay,” says Brosnan, “but at the same time it’s his best friend, so there’s a little tug of guilt in his heart. But he doesn’t have any burden of conscience, that’s the mantra of Richard. He talks about the burden of conscience, but basically he wants Kay. Also, Harry and Pat are Richard’s only true friends—they really know him. And if Harry goes off with Kay, and breaks up his marriage, Richard loses everything.” For the role of Kay, Sachs needed an actress who would leave no doubt about her ability to enchant Harry and Richard. “The whole drama turns on Kay,” says Sachs. “She’s the star in the middle of the universe between these two men. When Kay walks into the Cloud Room restaurant in the opening of the movie, you needed to have someone with whom these two men could believably fall in love with. Obviously Rachel McAdams has the loveliness, but more importantly, she has a mystery—and that’s what holds your interest. She’s very touching and sympathetic, but at the same time, she holds things back. There’s always something going on just under the surface.” Kay is a character who has suffered an incredible amount of loss—her father died when she was young, and she recently lost both her mother and her husband. “She’s spent a lot of time with herself, and I think she’s lost touch with reality a little bit,” says McAdams. “I think she’s drawn to Harry because they’re both a little bit broken, and need mending—and they comfort each other.” “Kay sees Harry as someone who can give her a home, security and love” says Sachs, “and that means economic security, strength, consistency, and a kind of paternal comfort. It’s a feeling of paternal love that she has transformed into a romantic love for Harry. I think that at the start of the film she believes that she has met the man of her life. Unfortunately, she then meets a man who might be even better. I think things would have been good for her and Harry, but when she meets Richard, it suddenly seems the world could not only be safe, but big.” “When Richard comes along,” says McAdams, “Kay starts to feel the wind in her hair and the leather seats in his car. He brings her out of her shell.” Harry’s wife, Pat (Patricia Clarkson), is also someone who’s trying to find her way in life. “She doesn’t know what she wants,” says Sachs. “She’s in great conflict. She’s someone who has come to the point in her life where she feels the need for a little more, but she can’t make a decision.” “Pat has lived a rather conventional life,” says Clarkson, “but she isn’t conventional 5 herself.
Recommended publications
  • Bruce Beresford's Breaker Morant Re-Viewed
    FILMHISTORIA Online Vol. 30, núm. 1 (2020) · ISSN: 2014-668X The Boers and the Breaker: Bruce Beresford’s Breaker Morant Re-Viewed ROBERT J. CARDULLO University of Michigan Abstract This essay is a re-viewing of Breaker Morant in the contexts of New Australian Cinema, the Boer War, Australian Federation, the genre of the military courtroom drama, and the directing career of Bruce Beresford. The author argues that the film is no simple platitudinous melodrama about military injustice—as it is still widely regarded by many—but instead a sterling dramatization of one of the most controversial episodes in Australian colonial history. The author argues, further, that Breaker Morant is also a sterling instance of “telescoping,” in which the film’s action, set in the past, is intended as a comment upon the world of the present—the present in this case being that of a twentieth-century guerrilla war known as the Vietnam “conflict.” Keywords: Breaker Morant; Bruce Beresford; New Australian Cinema; Boer War; Australian Federation; military courtroom drama. Resumen Este ensayo es una revisión del film Consejo de guerra (Breaker Morant, 1980) desde perspectivas como la del Nuevo Cine Australiano, la guerra de los boers, la Federación Australiana, el género del drama en una corte marcial y la trayectoria del realizador Bruce Beresford. El autor argumenta que la película no es un simple melodrama sobre la injusticia militar, como todavía es ampliamente considerado por muchos, sino una dramatización excelente de uno de los episodios más controvertidos en la historia colonial australiana. El director afirma, además, que Breaker Morant es también una excelente instancia de "telescopio", en el que la acción de la película, ambientada en el pasado, pretende ser una referencia al mundo del presente, en este caso es el de una guerra de guerrillas del siglo XX conocida como el "conflicto" de Vietnam.
    [Show full text]
  • Neues Textdokument (2).Txt
    Filmliste Liste de filme DVD Münchhaldenstrasse 10, Postfach 919, 8034 Zürich Tel: 044/ 422 38 33, Fax: 044/ 422 37 93 www.praesens.com, [email protected] Filmnr Original Titel Regie 20001 A TIME TO KILL Joel Schumacher 20002 JUMANJI 20003 LEGENDS OF THE FALL Edward Zwick 20004 MARS ATTACKS! Tim Burton 20005 MAVERICK Richard Donner 20006 OUTBREAK Wolfgang Petersen 20007 BATMAN & ROBIN Joel Schumacher 20008 CONTACT Robert Zemeckis 20009 BODYGUARD Mick Jackson 20010 COP LAND James Mangold 20011 PELICAN BRIEF,THE Alan J.Pakula 20012 KLIENT, DER Joel Schumacher 20013 ADDICTED TO LOVE Griffin Dunne 20014 ARMAGEDDON Michael Bay 20015 SPACE JAM Joe Pytka 20016 CONAIR Simon West 20017 HORSE WHISPERER,THE Robert Redford 20018 LETHAL WEAPON 4 Richard Donner 20019 LION KING 2 20020 ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW Jim Sharman 20021 X‐FILES 20022 GATTACA Andrew Niccol 20023 STARSHIP TROOPERS Paul Verhoeven 20024 YOU'VE GOT MAIL Nora Ephron 20025 NET,THE Irwin Winkler 20026 RED CORNER Jon Avnet 20027 WILD WILD WEST Barry Sonnenfeld 20028 EYES WIDE SHUT Stanley Kubrick 20029 ENEMY OF THE STATE Tony Scott 20030 LIAR,LIAR/Der Dummschwätzer Tom Shadyac 20031 MATRIX Wachowski Brothers 20032 AUF DER FLUCHT Andrew Davis 20033 TRUMAN SHOW, THE Peter Weir 20034 IRON GIANT,THE 20035 OUT OF SIGHT Steven Soderbergh 20036 SOMETHING ABOUT MARY Bobby &Peter Farrelly 20037 TITANIC James Cameron 20038 RUNAWAY BRIDE Garry Marshall 20039 NOTTING HILL Roger Michell 20040 TWISTER Jan DeBont 20041 PATCH ADAMS Tom Shadyac 20042 PLEASANTVILLE Gary Ross 20043 FIGHT CLUB, THE David
    [Show full text]
  • International Casting Directors Network Index
    International Casting Directors Network Index 01 Welcome 02 About the ICDN 04 Index of Profiles 06 Profiles of Casting Directors 76 About European Film Promotion 78 Imprint 79 ICDN Membership Application form Gut instinct and hours of research “A great film can feel a lot like a fantastic dinner party. Actors mingle and clash in the best possible lighting, and conversation is fraught with wit and emotion. The director usually gets the bulk of the credit. But before he or she can play the consummate host, someone must carefully select the right guests, send out the invites, and keep track of the RSVPs”. ‘OSCARS: The Role Of Casting Director’ by Monica Corcoran Harel, The Deadline Team, December 6, 2012 Playing one of the key roles in creating that successful “dinner” is the Casting Director, but someone who is often over-looked in the recognition department. Everyone sees the actor at work, but very few people see the hours of research, the intrinsic skills, the gut instinct that the Casting Director puts into finding just the right person for just the right role. It’s a mix of routine and inspiration which brings the characters we come to love, and sometimes to hate, to the big screen. The Casting Director’s delicate work as liaison between director, actors, their agent/manager and the studio/network figures prominently in decisions which can make or break a project. It’s a job that can't garner an Oscar, but its mighty importance is always felt behind the scenes. In July 2013, the Academy of Motion Pictures of Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) created a new branch for Casting Directors, and we are thrilled that a number of members of the International Casting Directors Network are amongst the first Casting Directors invited into the Academy.
    [Show full text]
  • Executive Producer)
    PRODUCTION BIOGRAPHIES STEVEN SODERBERGH (Executive Producer) Steven Soderbergh has produced or executive-produced a wide range of projects, most recently Gregory Jacobs' Magic Mike XXL, as well as his own series "The Knick" on Cinemax, and the current Amazon Studios series "Red Oaks." Previously, he produced or executive-produced Jacobs' films Wind Chill and Criminal; Laura Poitras' Citizenfour; Marina Zenovich's Roman Polanski: Odd Man Out, Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired, and Who Is Bernard Tapie?; Lynne Ramsay's We Need to Talk About Kevin; the HBO documentary His Way, directed by Douglas McGrath; Lodge Kerrigan's Rebecca H. (Return to the Dogs) and Keane; Brian Koppelman and David Levien's Solitary Man; Todd Haynes' I'm Not There and Far From Heaven; Tony Gilroy's Michael Clayton; George Clooney's Good Night and Good Luck and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind; Scott Z. Burns' Pu-239; Richard Linklater's A Scanner Darkly; Rob Reiner's Rumor Has It...; Stephen Gaghan'sSyriana; John Maybury's The Jacket; Christopher Nolan's Insomnia; Godfrey Reggio's Naqoyqatsi; Anthony and Joseph Russo's Welcome to Collinwood; Gary Ross' Pleasantville; and Greg Mottola's The Daytrippers. LODGE KERRIGAN (Co-Creator, Executive Producer, Writer, Director) Co-Creators and Executive Producers Lodge Kerrigan and Amy Seimetz wrote and directed all 13 episodes of “The Girlfriend Experience.” Prior to “The Girlfriend Experience,” Kerrigan wrote and directed the features Rebecca H. (Return to the Dogs), Keane, Claire Dolan and Clean, Shaven. His directorial credits also include episodes of “The Killing” (AMC / Netflix), “The Americans” (FX), “Bates Motel” (A&E) and “Homeland” (Showtime).
    [Show full text]
  • Cinematic Hamlet Arose from Two Convictions
    INTRODUCTION Cinematic Hamlet arose from two convictions. The first was a belief, confirmed by the responses of hundreds of university students with whom I have studied the films, that theHamlet s of Lau- rence Olivier, Franco Zeffirelli, Kenneth Branagh, and Michael Almereyda are remarkably success- ful films.1 Numerous filmHamlet s have been made using Shakespeare’s language, but only the four included in this book represent for me out- standing successes. One might admire the fine acting of Nicol Williamson in Tony Richard- son’s 1969 production, or the creative use of ex- treme close-ups of Ian McKellen in Peter Wood’s Hallmark Hall of Fame television production of 1 Introduction 1971, but only four English-language films have thoroughly transformed Shakespeare’s theatrical text into truly effective moving pictures. All four succeed as popularizing treatments accessible to what Olivier’s collabora- tor Alan Dent called “un-Shakespeare-minded audiences.”2 They succeed as highly intelligent and original interpretations of the play capable of delight- ing any audience. Most of all, they are innovative and eloquent translations from the Elizabethan dramatic to the modern cinematic medium. It is clear that these directors have approached adapting Hamlet much as actors have long approached playing the title role, as the ultimate challenge that allows, as Almereyda observes, one’s “reflexes as a film-maker” to be “tested, battered and bettered.”3 An essential factor in the success of the films after Olivier’s is the chal- lenge of tradition. The three films that followed the groundbreaking 1948 version are what a scholar of film remakes labels “true remakes”: works that pay respectful tribute to their predecessors while laboring to surpass them.4 As each has acknowledged explicitly and as my analyses demonstrate, the three later filmmakers self-consciously defined their places in a vigorously evolving tradition of Hamlet films.
    [Show full text]
  • A Dangerous Method
    A David Cronenberg Film A DANGEROUS METHOD Starring Keira Knightley Viggo Mortensen Michael Fassbender Sarah Gadon and Vincent Cassel Directed by David Cronenberg Screenplay by Christopher Hampton Based on the stage play “The Talking Cure” by Christopher Hampton Based on the book “A Most Dangerous Method” by John Kerr Official Selection 2011 Venice Film Festival 2011 Toronto International Film Festival, Gala Presentation 2011 New York Film Festival, Gala Presentation www.adangerousmethodfilm.com 99min | Rated R | Release Date (NY & LA): 11/23/11 East Coast Publicity West Coast Publicity Distributor Donna Daniels PR Block Korenbrot Sony Pictures Classics Donna Daniels Ziggy Kozlowski Carmelo Pirrone 77 Park Ave, #12A Jennifer Malone Lindsay Macik New York, NY 10016 Rebecca Fisher 550 Madison Ave 347-254-7054, ext 101 110 S. Fairfax Ave, #310 New York, NY 10022 Los Angeles, CA 90036 212-833-8833 tel 323-634-7001 tel 212-833-8844 fax 323-634-7030 fax A DANGEROUS METHOD Directed by David Cronenberg Produced by Jeremy Thomas Co-Produced by Marco Mehlitz Martin Katz Screenplay by Christopher Hampton Based on the stage play “The Talking Cure” by Christopher Hampton Based on the book “A Most Dangerous Method” by John Kerr Executive Producers Thomas Sterchi Matthias Zimmermann Karl Spoerri Stephan Mallmann Peter Watson Associate Producer Richard Mansell Tiana Alexandra-Silliphant Director of Photography Peter Suschitzky, ASC Edited by Ronald Sanders, CCE, ACE Production Designer James McAteer Costume Designer Denise Cronenberg Music Composed and Adapted by Howard Shore Supervising Sound Editors Wayne Griffin Michael O’Farrell Casting by Deirdre Bowen 2 CAST Sabina Spielrein Keira Knightley Sigmund Freud Viggo Mortensen Carl Jung Michael Fassbender Otto Gross Vincent Cassel Emma Jung Sarah Gadon Professor Eugen Bleuler André M.
    [Show full text]
  • Christopher Plummer
    Christopher Plummer "An actor should be a mystery," Christopher Plummer Introduction ........................................................................................ 3 Biography ................................................................................................................................. 4 Christopher Plummer and Elaine Taylor ............................................................................. 18 Christopher Plummer quotes ............................................................................................... 20 Filmography ........................................................................................................................... 32 Theatre .................................................................................................................................... 72 Christopher Plummer playing Shakespeare ....................................................................... 84 Awards and Honors ............................................................................................................... 95 Christopher Plummer Introduction Christopher Plummer, CC (born December 13, 1929) is a Canadian theatre, film and television actor and writer of his memoir In "Spite of Myself" (2008) In a career that spans over five decades and includes substantial roles in film, television, and theatre, Plummer is perhaps best known for the role of Captain Georg von Trapp in The Sound of Music. His most recent film roles include the Disney–Pixar 2009 film Up as Charles Muntz,
    [Show full text]
  • David Stratton's Stories of Australian Cinema
    David Stratton’s Stories of Australian Cinema With thanks to the extraordinary filmmakers and actors who make these films possible. Presenter DAVID STRATTON Writer & Director SALLY AITKEN Producers JO-ANNE McGOWAN JENNIFER PEEDOM Executive Producer MANDY CHANG Director of Photography KEVIN SCOTT Editors ADRIAN ROSTIROLLA MARK MIDDIS KARIN STEININGER HILARY BALMOND Sound Design LIAM EGAN Composer CAITLIN YEO Line Producer JODI MADDOCKS Head of Arts MANDY CHANG Series Producer CLAUDE GONZALES Development Research & Writing ALEX BARRY Legals STEPHEN BOYLE SOPHIE GODDARD SC SALLY McCAUSLAND Production Manager JODIE PASSMORE Production Co-ordinator KATIE AMOS Researchers RACHEL ROBINSON CAMERON MANION Interview & Post Transcripts JESSICA IMMER Sound Recordists DAN MIAU LEO SULLIVAN DANE CODY NICK BATTERHAM Additional Photography JUDD OVERTON JUSTINE KERRIGAN STEPHEN STANDEN ASHLEIGH CARTER ROBB SHAW-VELZEN Drone Operators NICK ROBINSON JONATHAN HARDING Camera Assistants GERARD MAHER ROB TENCH MARK COLLINS DREW ENGLISH JOSHUA DANG SIMON WILLIAMS NICHOLAS EVERETT ANTHONY RILOCAPRO LUKE WHITMORE Hair & Makeup FERN MADDEN DIANE DUSTING NATALIE VINCETICH BELINDA MOORE Post Producers ALEX BARRY LISA MATTHEWS Assistant Editors WAYNE C BLAIR ANNIE ZHANG Archive Consultant MIRIAM KENTER Graphics Designer THE KINGDOM OF LUDD Production Accountant LEAH HALL Stills Photographers PETER ADAMS JAMIE BILLING MARIA BOYADGIS RAYMOND MAHER MARK ROGERS PETER TARASUIK Post Production Facility DEFINITION FILMS SYDNEY Head of Post Production DAVID GROSS Online Editor
    [Show full text]
  • The Implications of Space and Mobility in James Cameronâ•Žs Titanic
    Florida State University Libraries Electronic Theses, Treatises and Dissertations The Graduate School 2013 The Implications of Space and Mobility in James Cameron's Titanic Cindy Stewart Follow this and additional works at the FSU Digital Library. For more information, please contact [email protected] FLORIDA STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION AND INFORMATION THE IMPLICATIONS OF SPACE AND MOBILITY IN JAMES CAMERON’S TITANIC By CINDY STEWART A Thesis submitted to the School of Communication in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Degree Awarded: Fall Semester, 2013 Cindy Maria Stewart defended this thesis on October 14, 2013 The members of the supervisory committee were: Davis Houck Professor Directing Thesis Jennifer Proffitt Committee Member Michael Neal Committee Member Stephen McDowell Committee Member The Graduate School has verified and approved the above-named committee members, and certifies that the thesis has been approved in accordance with university requirements. ii To my mom, Maria: thank you so much for all your sacrifice so that I could earn a good education, and for guiding me to make the best choices possible in my life. Also, thank you for discussing the themes of Titanic with me. To my dad, Jim, and brother, Jose: thank you for ultimately acknowledging the relevance of the issues addressed in a “chick flick” like Titanic. iii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my thesis director, Professor Davis Houck, for his dedication to helping me think critically about my favorite movie, Titanic. I greatly appreciate the time he has taken to discuss my thesis topic with me, and continuously prompt me with questions and ideas that furthered the improvement of this project.
    [Show full text]
  • Black Nights Stars Programme
    %ODFN 1RYHPEHU 1LJKWV ,QGXVWU\#7DOOLQQ %DOWLF(YHQW 6WDUV Black Nights Stars is designed to support young actors from ‘It was a tremendously gratifying experience to serve on the the Baltic Sea region, to make their next steps into the in- BLACK NIGHT STARS Jury to select stellar talent from the ternational arena by connecting them to key international Baltics. Though all unique, they share an amazing presence, film professionals, such as casting directors, casting agents, an unexpected force, mystery, soulful beauty, fierce inten- producers and the press and acquire various practical skills sity, intricate sensuality, and deepness which feels unique needed in their future international careers. to their countries and still universal in their sincerity. It is of great value to the film industry to discover these marvellous The five-day online event, highlights the emerging talent of and fresh artists who will shine, not just in their country, but eight young actors and actresses, all selected by an interna- internationally. To bring them to the film industry’s atten- tional jury of experts, based on their first feature films and TV tion so they can further enrich our experience as audiences roles. The program consists of masterclasses, workshops and and bring us closer together is a treasure’. networking events with international casting professionals from Europe and the USA and focuses on the future of cast- Lina Todd, Lina Todd Casting Agency, New York ing and auditioning online, presenting oneself at industry and media events, how to make your best Self Video and about ‘Black Nights Stars is a wonderful way to celebrate local Intimacy in Front of the Camera.
    [Show full text]
  • Production Notes
    A Film by John Madden Production Notes Synopsis Even the best secret agents carry a debt from a past mission. Rachel Singer must now face up to hers… Filmed on location in Tel Aviv, the U.K., and Budapest, the espionage thriller The Debt is directed by Academy Award nominee John Madden (Shakespeare in Love). The screenplay, by Matthew Vaughn & Jane Goldman and Peter Straughan, is adapted from the 2007 Israeli film Ha-Hov [The Debt]. At the 2011 Beaune International Thriller Film Festival, The Debt was honoured with the Special Police [Jury] Prize. The story begins in 1997, as shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel (played by Academy Award winner Helen Mirren) and Stephan (two-time Academy Award nominee Tom Wilkinson) about their former colleague David (Ciarán Hinds of the upcoming Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy). All three have been venerated for decades by Israel because of the secret mission that they embarked on for their country back in 1965-1966, when the trio (portrayed, respectively, by Jessica Chastain [The Tree of Life, The Help], Marton Csokas [The Lord of the Rings, Dream House], and Sam Worthington [Avatar, Clash of the Titans]) tracked down Nazi war criminal Dieter Vogel (Jesper Christensen of Casino Royale and Quantum of Solace), the feared Surgeon of Birkenau, in East Berlin. While Rachel found herself grappling with romantic feelings during the mission, the net around Vogel was tightened by using her as bait. At great risk, and at considerable personal cost, the team’s mission was accomplished – or was it? The suspense builds in and across two different time periods, with startling action and surprising revelations that compel Rachel to take matters into her own hands.
    [Show full text]
  • A Reappraisal of Three Character Actors from Hollywood’S Golden Age
    University of the Incarnate Word The Athenaeum Theses & Dissertations 12-2015 Second-Billed but not Second-Rate: A Reappraisal of Three Character Actors From Hollywood’s Golden Age Candace M. Graham University of the Incarnate Word, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://athenaeum.uiw.edu/uiw_etds Part of the Communication Commons, and the Film and Media Studies Commons Recommended Citation Graham, Candace M., "Second-Billed but not Second-Rate: A Reappraisal of Three Character Actors From Hollywood’s Golden Age" (2015). Theses & Dissertations. 70. https://athenaeum.uiw.edu/uiw_etds/70 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by The Athenaeum. It has been accepted for inclusion in Theses & Dissertations by an authorized administrator of The Athenaeum. For more information, please contact [email protected]. SECOND-BILLED BUT NOT SECOND-RATE: A REAPPRAISAL OF THREE CHARACTER ACTORS FROM HOLLYWOOD’S GOLDEN AGE by Candace M. Graham A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of the University of the Incarnate Word in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS University of the Incarnate Word December 2015 ii Copyright 2015 by Candace M. Graham iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank Dr. Hsin-I (Steve) Liu for challenging me to produce a quality thesis worthy of contribution to scholarly literature. In addition, thank you for the encouragement to enjoy writing. To Robert Darden, Baylor University communications professor, friend, and mentor whose example in humility, good spirit, and devotion to one’s passion continues to guide my pursuit as a classic film scholar.
    [Show full text]