One of the most significant strands at Rome’s Mia market is its Co-Production Market and Pitching Forum, which has fast become one of the leading co-production forums in the industry calendar.
This year more than 500 projects were submitted for the industry section for animation, documentary, drama and film from 80 countries. This was a 30% uptick of countries compared to 2022 and of these, 62 were selected from 36 countries.
“We build everything around content,” says Mia director Gaia Tridente. “We have built a program that really fits the needs of the industry and the co-production market is the perfect place for people to come and discover good partners for international co-productions.”
While the forum has a global reach, European projects remain at the heart of this year’s event with projects such as Leitzia Battaglia: Her Name is Battle, a documentary about the late photographer that...
This year more than 500 projects were submitted for the industry section for animation, documentary, drama and film from 80 countries. This was a 30% uptick of countries compared to 2022 and of these, 62 were selected from 36 countries.
“We build everything around content,” says Mia director Gaia Tridente. “We have built a program that really fits the needs of the industry and the co-production market is the perfect place for people to come and discover good partners for international co-productions.”
While the forum has a global reach, European projects remain at the heart of this year’s event with projects such as Leitzia Battaglia: Her Name is Battle, a documentary about the late photographer that...
- 10/2/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Rome’s Mia market dedicated to international TV series, animation, feature films, and documentaries is set to feature a panoply of 62 projects from 36 countries for its upcoming 9th edition.
Though European content remains the core of the curated pre-Mipcom event that will run Oct. 9-13 in the central Rome’s Palazzo Barberini – which besides being Italy’s National Ancient Art gallery, is also the market’s main hub – organisers on Thursday announced that this year more than 500 entries were submitted from 80 countries which they said marks a 30% increase in terms of national provenance.
Mia (whose whose acronym stands for the Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo or International Audiovisual Market) is headed by Gaia Tridente.
Standout projects that made the cut for Mia comprise groundbreaking Romanian animator Anca Damian’s “Motherhood,” described as a poetic journey into female body and desire, illustrated by Italian artist Virginia Mori and co-produced by French studio Miyu Productions...
Though European content remains the core of the curated pre-Mipcom event that will run Oct. 9-13 in the central Rome’s Palazzo Barberini – which besides being Italy’s National Ancient Art gallery, is also the market’s main hub – organisers on Thursday announced that this year more than 500 entries were submitted from 80 countries which they said marks a 30% increase in terms of national provenance.
Mia (whose whose acronym stands for the Mercato Internazionale Audiovisivo or International Audiovisual Market) is headed by Gaia Tridente.
Standout projects that made the cut for Mia comprise groundbreaking Romanian animator Anca Damian’s “Motherhood,” described as a poetic journey into female body and desire, illustrated by Italian artist Virginia Mori and co-produced by French studio Miyu Productions...
- 9/21/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: It’s a scorching 90 degrees in Rome at the end of July, but producer Lorenzo Mieli isn’t breaking a sweat.
In the course of three days, he’s fully booked, first working into the night with Luca Guadagnino on the filmmaker’s new Daniel Craig movie, Queer, which wrapped shooting in June at Rome’s Cinecittà. Then Mieli’s presence is required in Naples the next day on the set of Paolo Sorrentino’s new untitled movie centering around the character, Parthenope. There’s talk of the production shooting on the water — which is always complicated for any movie. While there were ocean shots in Sorrentino’s Oscar-nominated international film, Hand of God, what’s required here on Parthenope is a whole other level. Then Mieli will make a pitstop on the fourth and final season of the HBO series My Brilliant Friend in Caserta, outside Naples, which he executive produces.
In the course of three days, he’s fully booked, first working into the night with Luca Guadagnino on the filmmaker’s new Daniel Craig movie, Queer, which wrapped shooting in June at Rome’s Cinecittà. Then Mieli’s presence is required in Naples the next day on the set of Paolo Sorrentino’s new untitled movie centering around the character, Parthenope. There’s talk of the production shooting on the water — which is always complicated for any movie. While there were ocean shots in Sorrentino’s Oscar-nominated international film, Hand of God, what’s required here on Parthenope is a whole other level. Then Mieli will make a pitstop on the fourth and final season of the HBO series My Brilliant Friend in Caserta, outside Naples, which he executive produces.
- 9/3/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Pablo Larraín’s Maria Callas biopic starring Angelina Jolie, a mystery thriller penned by Bridgerton’s Sarah Dollard and a revenge drama created by Jim Keeble and Dudi Appleton are the first projects to emerge from Fremantle and Ibi Investment House’s €150M ($162.7M) Scripted Fund.
Unveiled today, the fund will see Fremantle label’s high-end TV and film projects funded via a bespoke model by the Israeli investor, which will “fast-track the production of each project,” according to the pair. Ibi, which is making its first foray into international film and TV production, will work closely with Fremantle and talent to greenlight each project and find the best route to market.
As CEO of the fund, Fremantle-owned Abot Hameiri boss Guy Hameiri will oversee the pot. He spearheaded the deal with Fremantle Group COO and Continental Europe CEO Andrea Scrosati, who has been the driving force behind the super-indie’s much-publicized investment splurge.
Unveiled today, the fund will see Fremantle label’s high-end TV and film projects funded via a bespoke model by the Israeli investor, which will “fast-track the production of each project,” according to the pair. Ibi, which is making its first foray into international film and TV production, will work closely with Fremantle and talent to greenlight each project and find the best route to market.
As CEO of the fund, Fremantle-owned Abot Hameiri boss Guy Hameiri will oversee the pot. He spearheaded the deal with Fremantle Group COO and Continental Europe CEO Andrea Scrosati, who has been the driving force behind the super-indie’s much-publicized investment splurge.
- 8/31/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The Hollywood Reporter has picked Fremantle as the winner of the inaugural International Producer of the Year award.
The award will be presented annually to an independent producer from outside the U.S. that THR judges to be the most exciting and innovative company of the year.
THR will present the 2023 Producer of the Year award to Andrea Scrosati, Group COO and CEO of Continental Europe, and Christian Vesper, CEO of Global Drama, at a gala event at the Venice Film Festival on September 3.
With a global network of nearly 50 companies — ranging from German giant UFA (Deutschland ’83) and Italian TV group Lux Vide (Netflix’s Medici) to Israel’s Abot Hameiri (Shtisel) and Richard Brown’s Passenger (True Detective) — and revenues of more than $2.5 billion (€2.3 billion) last year, Fremantle is clearly one of the biggest international indies out there.
But what put it over the top as International Producer of...
The award will be presented annually to an independent producer from outside the U.S. that THR judges to be the most exciting and innovative company of the year.
THR will present the 2023 Producer of the Year award to Andrea Scrosati, Group COO and CEO of Continental Europe, and Christian Vesper, CEO of Global Drama, at a gala event at the Venice Film Festival on September 3.
With a global network of nearly 50 companies — ranging from German giant UFA (Deutschland ’83) and Italian TV group Lux Vide (Netflix’s Medici) to Israel’s Abot Hameiri (Shtisel) and Richard Brown’s Passenger (True Detective) — and revenues of more than $2.5 billion (€2.3 billion) last year, Fremantle is clearly one of the biggest international indies out there.
But what put it over the top as International Producer of...
- 8/23/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Beloved filmmaker and cineaste directed nine features, a TV movie, four TV series, two documentaries, and four shorts.
Agustí Villaronga, one of the foremost Spanish auteurs of recent decades whose credits include Black Bread and The Sea, died in Barcelona on Sunday (January 22). He was 69 and had cancer.
Born in 1953 in Mallorca, Villaronga directed nine features, a TV movie, four TV series, two documentaries, and four shorts.
From a radical auteur approach demonstrating a keen insight into human pain and cruelty, Villaronga threaded his artistic commitment with a progressive exploration of different genres and broader audiences.
Villaronga’s horror debut...
Agustí Villaronga, one of the foremost Spanish auteurs of recent decades whose credits include Black Bread and The Sea, died in Barcelona on Sunday (January 22). He was 69 and had cancer.
Born in 1953 in Mallorca, Villaronga directed nine features, a TV movie, four TV series, two documentaries, and four shorts.
From a radical auteur approach demonstrating a keen insight into human pain and cruelty, Villaronga threaded his artistic commitment with a progressive exploration of different genres and broader audiences.
Villaronga’s horror debut...
- 1/22/2023
- by Emilio Mayorga
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
Visitors to the Rome Film Festival and Mia Market last month couldn’t have avoided them. They were everywhere in the eternal city: bright red billboards celebrating Cinecittà, the city’s legendary film studio. They weren’t promoting any new film or TV series shooting at the fame backlot. Instead the ads were part of a campaign, call it Cinecittà reboot, intended to return the Italian studio to its place atop the world stage.
Things have been quiet for a while around Cinecittà. Now the studio that write the history of international cinema with such productions as Ben-Hur, Cleopatra, Once Upon a Time In America and Gangs of New York, is looking to take back its place atop the world’s stage.
The new push comes amid a shakeup in the Italian film and TV industry, a market revolution in which Cinecittà intends to be a driving force.
Visitors to the Rome Film Festival and Mia Market last month couldn’t have avoided them. They were everywhere in the eternal city: bright red billboards celebrating Cinecittà, the city’s legendary film studio. They weren’t promoting any new film or TV series shooting at the fame backlot. Instead the ads were part of a campaign, call it Cinecittà reboot, intended to return the Italian studio to its place atop the world stage.
Things have been quiet for a while around Cinecittà. Now the studio that write the history of international cinema with such productions as Ben-Hur, Cleopatra, Once Upon a Time In America and Gangs of New York, is looking to take back its place atop the world’s stage.
The new push comes amid a shakeup in the Italian film and TV industry, a market revolution in which Cinecittà intends to be a driving force.
- 11/1/2022
- by Gianmaria Tammaro
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
For a company still best-known for shiny-floor entertainment shows like American Idol, global production powerhouse Fremantle has come a long way.
When Fremantle Group CEO Jennifer Mullin and Group COO and CEO, Continental Europe Andrea Scrosati took the stage at international TV confab MIPCOM on Tuesday, it was as one of the biggest independent film producers in the world. Within two years, Fremantle has gone from producing around eight feature films to some 33 annually, including such recent festival award winners as Cannes Jury Award recipient The Eight Mountains and Bones and All, which took best director in Venice for helmer Luca Guadagnino.
At the same time, Fremantle has been on a buying spree, snatching up boutique production companies —including Ireland’s Element Pictures, producers of the BBC/Hulu series Normal People and the Joanna Hogg feature The Eternal Daughter starring Tilda Swinton; Bosch...
For a company still best-known for shiny-floor entertainment shows like American Idol, global production powerhouse Fremantle has come a long way.
When Fremantle Group CEO Jennifer Mullin and Group COO and CEO, Continental Europe Andrea Scrosati took the stage at international TV confab MIPCOM on Tuesday, it was as one of the biggest independent film producers in the world. Within two years, Fremantle has gone from producing around eight feature films to some 33 annually, including such recent festival award winners as Cannes Jury Award recipient The Eight Mountains and Bones and All, which took best director in Venice for helmer Luca Guadagnino.
At the same time, Fremantle has been on a buying spree, snatching up boutique production companies —including Ireland’s Element Pictures, producers of the BBC/Hulu series Normal People and the Joanna Hogg feature The Eternal Daughter starring Tilda Swinton; Bosch...
- 10/18/2022
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Fremantle bosses Jennifer Mullin and Andrea Scrosati opened up about the company’s three-year deal with Angelina Jolie at Cannes’ Mipcom.
“She had plenty of other opportunities,” said Mullin, Group CEO for the super-indie, which produces everything from “Got Talent” and “Idol” to “My Brilliant Friend” and Luca Guadagnino film “Bones and All.”
“First of all, [Jolie] is global. We are global. She has impeccable taste, she wants to tell ambitious, impactful stories. All of these notes really align with what we want to do.”
“She can tell any story she wants and we can put it anywhere in the world,” continued Mullin. “She felt that Fremantle would offer her the most flexibility and home where she can do her best work.”
The deal was signed in March. Jolie’s upcoming film “Without Blood,” based on a novel by Alessandro Baricco, was shot this summer in Rome, going into pre-production mere...
“She had plenty of other opportunities,” said Mullin, Group CEO for the super-indie, which produces everything from “Got Talent” and “Idol” to “My Brilliant Friend” and Luca Guadagnino film “Bones and All.”
“First of all, [Jolie] is global. We are global. She has impeccable taste, she wants to tell ambitious, impactful stories. All of these notes really align with what we want to do.”
“She can tell any story she wants and we can put it anywhere in the world,” continued Mullin. “She felt that Fremantle would offer her the most flexibility and home where she can do her best work.”
The deal was signed in March. Jolie’s upcoming film “Without Blood,” based on a novel by Alessandro Baricco, was shot this summer in Rome, going into pre-production mere...
- 10/18/2022
- by Marta Balaga
- Variety Film + TV
Fremantle bosses Jennifer Mullin and Andrea Scrosati have dissected the Angelina Jolie deal that is seeing the Oscar winner produce films, TV drama and docs over the next three years, with Scrosati talking up the agnostic nature of the partnership.
Delivering a rare keynote together at Mipcom Cannes, the CEO and Group COO said Jolie had been courted by several suitors when they were first meeting with her last year.
“She was looking for a producing partner and had plenty of opportunity with others,” said Mullin. “We met a couple of times when we were in the throes of Covid always over Zoom. She wants to tell ambitious and impactful stories and we can hit all the right notes and tones.”
Mullin added that Fremantle can “offer her the most flexibility,” while Scrosasti stressed the agnostic nature of the deal compared with streamer ‘golden handcuffs’ tie-ups.
“With us, talent know...
Delivering a rare keynote together at Mipcom Cannes, the CEO and Group COO said Jolie had been courted by several suitors when they were first meeting with her last year.
“She was looking for a producing partner and had plenty of opportunity with others,” said Mullin. “We met a couple of times when we were in the throes of Covid always over Zoom. She wants to tell ambitious and impactful stories and we can hit all the right notes and tones.”
Mullin added that Fremantle can “offer her the most flexibility,” while Scrosasti stressed the agnostic nature of the deal compared with streamer ‘golden handcuffs’ tie-ups.
“With us, talent know...
- 10/18/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Hollywood no longer holds the same allure for top Italian film and TV talent as a result of Italy’s recent renaissance as a production hub, Fremantle exec Andrea Scrosati told a panel at Rome’s Mia market on Tuesday.
“10 years ago, when Italian talents achieved big success with a film or series, they would get that famous call from Hollywood,” said Fremantle group COO and continental Europe CEO Scrosati.
“Whoever was called by Hollywood, would go to Hollywood, and this was seen as a sign of having arrived,” he continued. “There was a sense that Italian industry was good at forming talents but that at a certain point they would leave.”
The country’s tax credit for film and TV production, first introduced in 2008 and raised from 30 to 40 in 2020; investment in local infrastructure, topped by the overhaul of Rome’s historic Cinecittà film studios, as well as the resulting...
“10 years ago, when Italian talents achieved big success with a film or series, they would get that famous call from Hollywood,” said Fremantle group COO and continental Europe CEO Scrosati.
“Whoever was called by Hollywood, would go to Hollywood, and this was seen as a sign of having arrived,” he continued. “There was a sense that Italian industry was good at forming talents but that at a certain point they would leave.”
The country’s tax credit for film and TV production, first introduced in 2008 and raised from 30 to 40 in 2020; investment in local infrastructure, topped by the overhaul of Rome’s historic Cinecittà film studios, as well as the resulting...
- 10/12/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
The Italian film industry is in a paradoxical state: production is booming but box office is bust.
Italy’s five features vying for a Venice Golden Lion – plus a myriad more scattered in other Lido sections – reflect cinema Italiano’s current creative vibrancy, if you look at the cream of the crop; however, the average quality is not that great.
On the plus side, the country is making a quantum leap forward in terms of the global visibility of its movies just as the number of Italian directors considered bankable in Hollywood, such as Paolo Sorrentino, Luca Guadagnino and Stefano Sollima (“Without Remorse”), to name but a few, is growing.
During the fest’s lineup announcement Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera described the Italian cinema scene as being made of “light and shadows.” He noted that Italy’s movie output over the past year has reached a massive roughly 250 titles,...
Italy’s five features vying for a Venice Golden Lion – plus a myriad more scattered in other Lido sections – reflect cinema Italiano’s current creative vibrancy, if you look at the cream of the crop; however, the average quality is not that great.
On the plus side, the country is making a quantum leap forward in terms of the global visibility of its movies just as the number of Italian directors considered bankable in Hollywood, such as Paolo Sorrentino, Luca Guadagnino and Stefano Sollima (“Without Remorse”), to name but a few, is growing.
During the fest’s lineup announcement Venice artistic director Alberto Barbera described the Italian cinema scene as being made of “light and shadows.” He noted that Italy’s movie output over the past year has reached a massive roughly 250 titles,...
- 9/2/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
It’s difficult to determine precisely what genre Angelina Jolie’s upcoming movie “Without Blood” is. Based on Italian novelist Alessandro Baricco’s novel of the same name, the film follows a young girl over decades as she grabbles with the complex realities of war, trauma, and violence in an unnamed 20th-century country. So, which genre is it? A war film? A modern fable? In Variety’s piece about the upcoming film, Jolie has an answer of her own.
Continue reading ‘Without Blood’: Angelina Jolie Embraces The Western In Her Upcoming Film Although It Looks At Violence And Revenge In “Very Different Ways” at The Playlist.
Continue reading ‘Without Blood’: Angelina Jolie Embraces The Western In Her Upcoming Film Although It Looks At Violence And Revenge In “Very Different Ways” at The Playlist.
- 8/26/2022
- by Ned Booth
- The Playlist
When Angelina Jolie read Alessandro Baricco’s short novel “Without Blood” — the basis for her next directorial effort — the Italian fable about the brutality of war and healing in its aftermath had an immediate therapeutic effect.
“I read it right as I was going through the beginning of a very dark time in my life. I read it in the month that followed my divorce [from Brad Pitt in 2016],” recalls Jolie, who shot the adaptation at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios. “It had the effect on me that it’s had on so many people,” Jolie says, noting that the blurb on the cover says that the book is about the complexity of the human condition.
“I didn’t understand that when I first read it. I just knew the book had a profound effect on me,” she says. “I think it’s one of those pieces of art, of somebody’s intuition and mind,...
“I read it right as I was going through the beginning of a very dark time in my life. I read it in the month that followed my divorce [from Brad Pitt in 2016],” recalls Jolie, who shot the adaptation at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios. “It had the effect on me that it’s had on so many people,” Jolie says, noting that the blurb on the cover says that the book is about the complexity of the human condition.
“I didn’t understand that when I first read it. I just knew the book had a profound effect on me,” she says. “I think it’s one of those pieces of art, of somebody’s intuition and mind,...
- 8/26/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Since making her directorial debut with “In the Land of Blood and Honey” in 2011, Angelina Jolie has gradually built out her directing career. Alternating between big studio projects like “Unbroken” and smaller, more personal films, she has largely flown under the radar and earned praise for how seriously she takes filmmaking. While the actress frequently stars in big film franchises such as “Maleficent” and “Eternals,” Jolie continues to direct at a steady clip. Her next film, an adaptation of Alessandro Baricco’s novel “Without Blood” starring Salma Hayek Pinault, recently wrapped production.
In a new interview with Deadline, Hayek Pinault praised the experience of working with Jolie on the upcoming film. While she didn’t discuss the plot, she had nothing but good things to say about Jolie’s artistry. The two previously appeared together in Chloe Zhao’s “Eternals,” but this is their first time working together as an actor and director.
In a new interview with Deadline, Hayek Pinault praised the experience of working with Jolie on the upcoming film. While she didn’t discuss the plot, she had nothing but good things to say about Jolie’s artistry. The two previously appeared together in Chloe Zhao’s “Eternals,” but this is their first time working together as an actor and director.
- 8/20/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
Salma Hayek Pinault is singing her friend Angelina Jolie‘s praises as a writer and director following the conclusion of production on the film Without Blood.
The film, an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Alessandro Baricco of the same name, is the second collaboration between Hayek Pinault and Jolie who recently co-starred in Marvel’s Eternals from director Chloe Zhao. (Hayek Pinault remained mum regarding whether she would be returning for the rumored sequel.)
“We just finished it,” Hayek Pinault told Deadline. “Angelina is the best director I’ve ever worked with. I absolutely loved working with her; enjoyed every second of it. It’s a tough piece but it was so delicious to come to work every single day. She is a genius and I think this might be her best movie yet. She did an amazing job, really.”
She continued, “I was completely blown away by her mind,...
The film, an adaptation of the best-selling novel by Alessandro Baricco of the same name, is the second collaboration between Hayek Pinault and Jolie who recently co-starred in Marvel’s Eternals from director Chloe Zhao. (Hayek Pinault remained mum regarding whether she would be returning for the rumored sequel.)
“We just finished it,” Hayek Pinault told Deadline. “Angelina is the best director I’ve ever worked with. I absolutely loved working with her; enjoyed every second of it. It’s a tough piece but it was so delicious to come to work every single day. She is a genius and I think this might be her best movie yet. She did an amazing job, really.”
She continued, “I was completely blown away by her mind,...
- 8/18/2022
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Angelina Jolie's newest movie involves two familiar faces behind the scenes: her sons Maddox and Pax! Jolie told People on Aug. 17 that when it came time to shoot her movie "Without Blood" in Italy, it was a no-brainer to include Maddox, 21, and Pax, 18, in the crew.
"We work well together. When a film crew is at its best, it feels like a big family, so it felt natural," she told the outlet. Maddox and Pax both worked in the movie's assistant director department. Pax previously worked with his mom on 2017's "First They Killed My Father" and shot stills for that movie. Jolie told People he "worked hard" getting behind-the-scenes footage for "Without Blood," too.
"Without Blood" is Jolie's fifth time directing a feature-length film. The movie, which stars Salma Hayek and Demián Bichir, is based on the 2002 novel by Alessandro Baricco. "The book had an impact on me...
"We work well together. When a film crew is at its best, it feels like a big family, so it felt natural," she told the outlet. Maddox and Pax both worked in the movie's assistant director department. Pax previously worked with his mom on 2017's "First They Killed My Father" and shot stills for that movie. Jolie told People he "worked hard" getting behind-the-scenes footage for "Without Blood," too.
"Without Blood" is Jolie's fifth time directing a feature-length film. The movie, which stars Salma Hayek and Demián Bichir, is based on the 2002 novel by Alessandro Baricco. "The book had an impact on me...
- 8/17/2022
- by Victoria Edel
- Popsugar.com
Welcome to this week’s “Just for Variety.”
Melissa Barrera admits she had some major issues to overcome while shooting her new Netflix series, “Keep Breathing.” The “In the Heights” star plays an attorney who is the only survivor after her small plane crashes into a lake in the frigid wilderness. “Diving into that water was probably one of the scariest things,” Barrera tells me on this week’s “Just for Variety” podcast. “I have this real fear of drowning. So doing all of that was very therapeutic for me.”
Stunt coordinators gave her breathing exercises to do before diving in. “They would always tell me to take as many deep breaths as I needed until I felt ready,” Barrera recalls.
Like her character, Barrera is a city gal at heart: “I’m a person that enjoys having indoor plumbing and a shower and a toilet. And I don’t...
Melissa Barrera admits she had some major issues to overcome while shooting her new Netflix series, “Keep Breathing.” The “In the Heights” star plays an attorney who is the only survivor after her small plane crashes into a lake in the frigid wilderness. “Diving into that water was probably one of the scariest things,” Barrera tells me on this week’s “Just for Variety” podcast. “I have this real fear of drowning. So doing all of that was very therapeutic for me.”
Stunt coordinators gave her breathing exercises to do before diving in. “They would always tell me to take as many deep breaths as I needed until I felt ready,” Barrera recalls.
Like her character, Barrera is a city gal at heart: “I’m a person that enjoys having indoor plumbing and a shower and a toilet. And I don’t...
- 8/10/2022
- by Marc Malkin
- Variety Film + TV
It has been five years since Angelina Jolie was last seen in the director's chair with her 2017 film "First They Killed My Father." Her directorial career has been ... interesting. Her films have neither made much of a mark in the popular consciousness or received much in the way of acclaim, yet they do all feel like they come from a truly passionate place from within Jolie. After building back up some cache from appearing in films like "Maleficent: Mistress of Evil," "Those Who Wish Me Dead," and "Eternals," Jolie is back to take on an adaptation of the Alessandro Baricco novella "Without Blood."
The film, which Jolie is...
The post Without Blood: Everything We Know So Far appeared first on /Film.
The film, which Jolie is...
The post Without Blood: Everything We Know So Far appeared first on /Film.
- 6/10/2022
- by Mike Shutt
- Slash Film
Production kicks off in Italy with Fremantle handling worldwide distribution.
Angelina Jolie has begun shooting in Italy on Without Blood, her fifth film as a director, with Salma Hayek Pinault and Demián Bichir starring, and Fremantle handling worldwide distribution.
The film - written, directed and produced by Jolie – is based on the novel by Italian writer Alessandro Baricco, which is set in the aftermath of an unidentified conflict and explores issues such as trauma, memory, and healing.
Production on Without Blood began this month in the Puglia and Basilicata regions of southern Italy, as well as in Rome.
It is produced by Fremantle,...
Angelina Jolie has begun shooting in Italy on Without Blood, her fifth film as a director, with Salma Hayek Pinault and Demián Bichir starring, and Fremantle handling worldwide distribution.
The film - written, directed and produced by Jolie – is based on the novel by Italian writer Alessandro Baricco, which is set in the aftermath of an unidentified conflict and explores issues such as trauma, memory, and healing.
Production on Without Blood began this month in the Puglia and Basilicata regions of southern Italy, as well as in Rome.
It is produced by Fremantle,...
- 6/9/2022
- by Tim Dams
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
Production on Without Blood, Angelina Jolie’s fifth feature as director and her first as part of a new pact with TV giant Fremantle is now underway, with Salma Hayek Pinault and Demián Bichir having joined the cast.
Filming in the Puglia and Basilicata regions of southern Italy, the project is also produced and written by Jolie, working from a script she adapted from the best-selling novel by Italian author Alessandro Baricco (Silk) and telling the story of a girl’s quest for revenge and healing during a time of conflict.
Produced by Fremantle, Jolie Productions, The Apartment Pictures (Lorenzo Mieli) a Fremantle company, and De Maio Entertainment (Lorenzo De Maio), the feature film will be distributed worldwide by Fremantle.
“I’m honored to be here in Italy to bring this very special material to film, and to have been entrusted by Alessandro...
Production on Without Blood, Angelina Jolie’s fifth feature as director and her first as part of a new pact with TV giant Fremantle is now underway, with Salma Hayek Pinault and Demián Bichir having joined the cast.
Filming in the Puglia and Basilicata regions of southern Italy, the project is also produced and written by Jolie, working from a script she adapted from the best-selling novel by Italian author Alessandro Baricco (Silk) and telling the story of a girl’s quest for revenge and healing during a time of conflict.
Produced by Fremantle, Jolie Productions, The Apartment Pictures (Lorenzo Mieli) a Fremantle company, and De Maio Entertainment (Lorenzo De Maio), the feature film will be distributed worldwide by Fremantle.
“I’m honored to be here in Italy to bring this very special material to film, and to have been entrusted by Alessandro...
- 6/9/2022
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Angelina Jolie will write, direct and produce the film “Without Blood,” starring Salma Hayek Pinault and Demián Bichir.
Jolie is making the film with super-indie Fremantle, with which she struck a three-year international filmmaking agreement in March. Principal photography has begun in the Puglia (Apulia) and Basilicata regions of southern Italy, as well as in Rome.
The film is based on the international-bestselling novel by Italian writer Alessandro Baricco, and set in the aftermath of an unidentified conflict. It’s billed as exploring “universal truths about war, trauma, memory and healing.”
Hayek Pinault and Bichir will star alongside an international cast and production team.
The film is produced by Fremantle; Jolie’s production banner Jolie Productions; Fremantle-backed The Apartment Pictures, founded by Lorenzo Mieli; and De Maio Entertainment, founded by Lorenzo De Maio. The pic will be distributed worldwide by Fremantle.
“Without Blood” is Jolie’s fifth film as a director,...
Jolie is making the film with super-indie Fremantle, with which she struck a three-year international filmmaking agreement in March. Principal photography has begun in the Puglia (Apulia) and Basilicata regions of southern Italy, as well as in Rome.
The film is based on the international-bestselling novel by Italian writer Alessandro Baricco, and set in the aftermath of an unidentified conflict. It’s billed as exploring “universal truths about war, trauma, memory and healing.”
Hayek Pinault and Bichir will star alongside an international cast and production team.
The film is produced by Fremantle; Jolie’s production banner Jolie Productions; Fremantle-backed The Apartment Pictures, founded by Lorenzo Mieli; and De Maio Entertainment, founded by Lorenzo De Maio. The pic will be distributed worldwide by Fremantle.
“Without Blood” is Jolie’s fifth film as a director,...
- 6/9/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Salma Hayek Pinault and Demián Bichir have boarded Angelina Jolie’s Without Blood, the debut film from the Academy Award winner’s three-year deal with Fremantle.
The pair of Oscar nominees will lead the project, which kicked off principal photography in Southern Italy and Rome this month and is based on the international bestselling novel by Alessandro Baricco. It is a fable set in the aftermath of an unidentified conflict in a farmhouse deep in the Italian countryside.
Frida star Hayek Pinault also is filming Magic Mike’s Last Dance, while Mexican actor Bichir is preparing to enter production on Let the Right One In.
Without Blood is Jolie’s fifth directing project and the first under her Fremantle mega-deal, which will see the Changeling star produce, direct and star in a slate of films, TV series and documentaries.
Jolie said: “I’m honored to be here in Italy to...
The pair of Oscar nominees will lead the project, which kicked off principal photography in Southern Italy and Rome this month and is based on the international bestselling novel by Alessandro Baricco. It is a fable set in the aftermath of an unidentified conflict in a farmhouse deep in the Italian countryside.
Frida star Hayek Pinault also is filming Magic Mike’s Last Dance, while Mexican actor Bichir is preparing to enter production on Let the Right One In.
Without Blood is Jolie’s fifth directing project and the first under her Fremantle mega-deal, which will see the Changeling star produce, direct and star in a slate of films, TV series and documentaries.
Jolie said: “I’m honored to be here in Italy to...
- 6/9/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Angelina Jolie will direct Salma Hayek Pinault and Demián Bichir to star in what will be her fifth film as a director, a project called “Without Blood.”
Jolie is writing, directing and producing the new feature, which is based on the novel of the same name by Alessandro Baricco. Principal photography is already underway in Italy, and the film will shoot in the Puglia and Basilicata regions of southern Italy, as well as in Rome.
“Without Blood” tells an unforgettable fable set in the aftermath of an unidentified conflict, and it explores universal truths about war, trauma, memory and healing.
Also Read:
Brad Pitt Claims Angelina Jolie Tried to ‘Harm’ His Wine Company by Selling Out to a Disreputable ‘Stranger’
Jolie is making the film as part of a 3-year international filmmaking deal with Fremantle that was announced in March, and “Without Blood” is the first project under that pact.
Jolie is writing, directing and producing the new feature, which is based on the novel of the same name by Alessandro Baricco. Principal photography is already underway in Italy, and the film will shoot in the Puglia and Basilicata regions of southern Italy, as well as in Rome.
“Without Blood” tells an unforgettable fable set in the aftermath of an unidentified conflict, and it explores universal truths about war, trauma, memory and healing.
Also Read:
Brad Pitt Claims Angelina Jolie Tried to ‘Harm’ His Wine Company by Selling Out to a Disreputable ‘Stranger’
Jolie is making the film as part of a 3-year international filmmaking deal with Fremantle that was announced in March, and “Without Blood” is the first project under that pact.
- 6/9/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Italy’s iconic Cinecittà Studios turn 85 this year and it’s never looked so young.
The famed facilities, which in their Hollywood-on-the-Tiber heyday hosted sword-and-sandals epics such as William Wyler’s “Ben-Hur” and were later home to Federico Fellini, are undergoing a major overhaul that now sees Europe’s largest LED wall situated on the lot near Fellini’s huge Studio 5.
Known as Cinecittà’s T18 Virtual Production Stage, the 412-square-meter semicircular screen made up of hundreds of high-def displays that serve as interactive backdrops for actors on a smart set, is one of more than a dozen state-of-the art soundstages being built there thanks to a multimillion-euro cash injection provided by the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund.
The revamp is being spearheaded by Nicola Maccanico, managing director of Italy’s Istituto Luce-Cinecittà, the state film entity that operates Rome’s expanding Cinecittà Studios. He has ambitions for Cinecittà...
The famed facilities, which in their Hollywood-on-the-Tiber heyday hosted sword-and-sandals epics such as William Wyler’s “Ben-Hur” and were later home to Federico Fellini, are undergoing a major overhaul that now sees Europe’s largest LED wall situated on the lot near Fellini’s huge Studio 5.
Known as Cinecittà’s T18 Virtual Production Stage, the 412-square-meter semicircular screen made up of hundreds of high-def displays that serve as interactive backdrops for actors on a smart set, is one of more than a dozen state-of-the art soundstages being built there thanks to a multimillion-euro cash injection provided by the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund.
The revamp is being spearheaded by Nicola Maccanico, managing director of Italy’s Istituto Luce-Cinecittà, the state film entity that operates Rome’s expanding Cinecittà Studios. He has ambitions for Cinecittà...
- 5/12/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Director, Oscar-winning actor and special envoy for the UN refugee agency, Angelina Jolie has signed a three-year international filmmaking agreement with producer and distributor Fremantle.
Under the agreement, effective immediately, Jolie and Fremantle will jointly develop a “sophisticated, powerful, and internationally focused slate of feature films, documentaries, and original series in which she will produce, direct, and/or star – based on each individual project,” Fremantle said in a statement.
First up under the deal is “Without Blood,” which Jolie will direct and produce this May in Italy. Jolie adapted the script from the bestselling novel by Alessandro Baricco, a fable about war, revenge, memory, and healing.
The deal also extends into local language projects in partnership with Fremantle’s production companies and filmmaking talent operating in 26 territories around the world and includes supporting other writers and directors regionally to help them get their projects made.
Jolie and Fremantle are also working on upcoming feature projects,...
Under the agreement, effective immediately, Jolie and Fremantle will jointly develop a “sophisticated, powerful, and internationally focused slate of feature films, documentaries, and original series in which she will produce, direct, and/or star – based on each individual project,” Fremantle said in a statement.
First up under the deal is “Without Blood,” which Jolie will direct and produce this May in Italy. Jolie adapted the script from the bestselling novel by Alessandro Baricco, a fable about war, revenge, memory, and healing.
The deal also extends into local language projects in partnership with Fremantle’s production companies and filmmaking talent operating in 26 territories around the world and includes supporting other writers and directors regionally to help them get their projects made.
Jolie and Fremantle are also working on upcoming feature projects,...
- 3/4/2022
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Angelina Jolie has struck a three-year international agreement with Fremantle to produce a slate of films, TV series and documentaries.
The Oscar-winning Girl, Interrupted, Mr & Mrs Smith and Changeling actress, who is a Special Envoy for the Un refugee agency, will produce, direct or star in each on a case-by-case basis as she seeks to tell stories that are sophisticated, powerful and internationally focused, including local language projects.
The first will be an adaptation of Alessandro Baricco’s international bestseller Without Blood, which she will produce and direct in Italy, with more set to be announced shortly.
Jolie said the “freedom to tell important stories and bring them to a global audience” is at the heart of her three-year deal.
“I am excited to be working with such a passionate and forward-looking team that has an international perspective,” she added.
The move taps into one of Fremantle’s key growth objectives,...
The Oscar-winning Girl, Interrupted, Mr & Mrs Smith and Changeling actress, who is a Special Envoy for the Un refugee agency, will produce, direct or star in each on a case-by-case basis as she seeks to tell stories that are sophisticated, powerful and internationally focused, including local language projects.
The first will be an adaptation of Alessandro Baricco’s international bestseller Without Blood, which she will produce and direct in Italy, with more set to be announced shortly.
Jolie said the “freedom to tell important stories and bring them to a global audience” is at the heart of her three-year deal.
“I am excited to be working with such a passionate and forward-looking team that has an international perspective,” she added.
The move taps into one of Fremantle’s key growth objectives,...
- 3/4/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Angelina Jolie has set a three-year deal with Fremantle to either produce, director and/or star in movies, TV series and documentaries with an international focus.
As part of the agreement, which begins immediately, Jolie and Fremantle will jointly develop a slate of projects and will share their global perspective on storytelling and projects that champion underserved and diverse voices from across the globe.
The first project under the deal is “Without Blood,” a feature film that Jolie is producing and directing this May in Italy. The film is a fable about war, revenge, memory and healing that Jolie herself also adapted based on the international bestselling novel by Alessandro Baricco.
Beyond “Without Blood,” Jolie and Fremantle are also working on other feature projects, documentaries and original series that will be announced soon.
Jolie’s deal with Fremantle also extends into local language projects in partnership with Fremantle’s production...
As part of the agreement, which begins immediately, Jolie and Fremantle will jointly develop a slate of projects and will share their global perspective on storytelling and projects that champion underserved and diverse voices from across the globe.
The first project under the deal is “Without Blood,” a feature film that Jolie is producing and directing this May in Italy. The film is a fable about war, revenge, memory and healing that Jolie herself also adapted based on the international bestselling novel by Alessandro Baricco.
Beyond “Without Blood,” Jolie and Fremantle are also working on other feature projects, documentaries and original series that will be announced soon.
Jolie’s deal with Fremantle also extends into local language projects in partnership with Fremantle’s production...
- 3/4/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
The background to “The Belly of the Sea,” the new film from “Black Bread” director Agustí Villaronga, is arguably the most ghastly shipwreck in the history of seafaring.
On July 2, 1816 French frigate Méduse ran aground on the Bank of Arguin, off the coast of present-day Mauritania, with 400 passengers on board.
147 men were forced onto a makeshift raft, only 66 feet by 23 feet, cut adrift on the open sea. A storm swept many overboard; others, rebellious, were shot by officers; as rations dwindled, some resorted to cannibalism. The weak and wounded were thrown into the sea. Only 15 men survived.
The disaster was immortalized by Théodore Géricault’s painting “The Shipwreck of the Medusa.” It also inspired the “second book” of “Ocean Sea,” a 1993 novel by Italy’s Alessandro Baricco, which frames two monologues, one from the Méduse’s surgeon, Henri Savigny, another from a common sailor, both survivors. That proved the point...
On July 2, 1816 French frigate Méduse ran aground on the Bank of Arguin, off the coast of present-day Mauritania, with 400 passengers on board.
147 men were forced onto a makeshift raft, only 66 feet by 23 feet, cut adrift on the open sea. A storm swept many overboard; others, rebellious, were shot by officers; as rations dwindled, some resorted to cannibalism. The weak and wounded were thrown into the sea. Only 15 men survived.
The disaster was immortalized by Théodore Géricault’s painting “The Shipwreck of the Medusa.” It also inspired the “second book” of “Ocean Sea,” a 1993 novel by Italy’s Alessandro Baricco, which frames two monologues, one from the Méduse’s surgeon, Henri Savigny, another from a common sailor, both survivors. That proved the point...
- 4/22/2021
- by Emilio Mayorga and John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Italy’s Nexo Digital, the company known internationally for co-producing and distributing theatrical event content for the global market, is launching an innovative subscription streaming platform in Italy dedicated to a mix of content comprising movies, opera, ballet and theater with long-term ambitions to expand the service beyond national confines.
“We have acquired more than 1,500 hours of content to create nine worlds,” Nexo CEO Franco di Sarro told Variety. These areas include art, cinema, classical music, dance, pop music, biography, history, current affairs and live performance.
Heading the highly curated Nexo Plus SVOD service, which is launching today in Italy, is former Sky Arts Italy programming manager and commissioning editor Giudo Casali. The cost will be €9.99 ($11.88) per month. Some content will also be sold on a Tvod basis.
Nexo, which is known globally for producing and distributing high-end art docs including “Klimt and Schiele: Eros and Psyche, 1918-2018” and “Monet...
“We have acquired more than 1,500 hours of content to create nine worlds,” Nexo CEO Franco di Sarro told Variety. These areas include art, cinema, classical music, dance, pop music, biography, history, current affairs and live performance.
Heading the highly curated Nexo Plus SVOD service, which is launching today in Italy, is former Sky Arts Italy programming manager and commissioning editor Giudo Casali. The cost will be €9.99 ($11.88) per month. Some content will also be sold on a Tvod basis.
Nexo, which is known globally for producing and distributing high-end art docs including “Klimt and Schiele: Eros and Psyche, 1918-2018” and “Monet...
- 3/10/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
If you enjoy films that seduce your mind into artful plays of realities, times, and ideas, “My Dear Friend” by Yang Pingdao, screening at the 2nd Mulan International Film Festival, is a bold directorial debut you do not want to miss.
“My Dear Friend” is screening at the Mulan International Film Festival 2019
“[…] how it would be nice if, for every sea waiting for us, there would be a river, for us. And someone -a father, a lover, someone- able to take us by the hand and find that river -imagine it, invent it- and put us on its stream, with the lightness of one only word, goodbye. This, really, would be wonderful.” Alessandro Baricco, Ocean Sea
Young woman Jing Jing (Gabby So) arrives in a remote south-Chinese village and looks for Yiming (…), father of her not yet born child. Whom she finds instead are his grandparents A Fang (Jiang Hong...
“My Dear Friend” is screening at the Mulan International Film Festival 2019
“[…] how it would be nice if, for every sea waiting for us, there would be a river, for us. And someone -a father, a lover, someone- able to take us by the hand and find that river -imagine it, invent it- and put us on its stream, with the lightness of one only word, goodbye. This, really, would be wonderful.” Alessandro Baricco, Ocean Sea
Young woman Jing Jing (Gabby So) arrives in a remote south-Chinese village and looks for Yiming (…), father of her not yet born child. Whom she finds instead are his grandparents A Fang (Jiang Hong...
- 8/12/2019
- by Anomalilly
- AsianMoviePulse
Actors Naomi Watts and Christoph Waltz and filmmaker Taika Waititi (“Thor: Ragnarok”) have joined the main jury of the Venice Film Festival, which will be presided over by director Guillermo del Toro, the winner of last year’s Golden Lion for “The Shape of Water.”
Also on the panel are Taiwan’s Sylvia Chang, director of “Love Education,” which opened last year’s Tokyo FILMeX fest; Danish actress Trine Dyrholm, who was in Venice last year as the star of “Nico, 1988”; French director-actor Nicole Garcia (“Place Vendome”); Italian director Paolo Genovese (“Perfect Strangers”); and Poland’s Malgorzata Szumowska, director of “Mug,” which won this year’s Berlin Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize.
Waltz was on the Lido last year as one of the stars of opener “Downsizing.” Watts was in Venice in 2016 with boxing drama “The Bleeder,” directed by Liev Schreiber. It will be Waititi’s first appearance on the Venice red carpet.
Also on the panel are Taiwan’s Sylvia Chang, director of “Love Education,” which opened last year’s Tokyo FILMeX fest; Danish actress Trine Dyrholm, who was in Venice last year as the star of “Nico, 1988”; French director-actor Nicole Garcia (“Place Vendome”); Italian director Paolo Genovese (“Perfect Strangers”); and Poland’s Malgorzata Szumowska, director of “Mug,” which won this year’s Berlin Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize.
Waltz was on the Lido last year as one of the stars of opener “Downsizing.” Watts was in Venice in 2016 with boxing drama “The Bleeder,” directed by Liev Schreiber. It will be Waititi’s first appearance on the Venice red carpet.
- 7/26/2018
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Taika Waititi, Christoph Waltz and Naomi Watts are among the talent who will sit on the Venice Film Festival’s main jury beginning August 28. They are joining last year’s Golden Lion winner, Guillermo del Toro, who is president of the panel. Also on board are Taiwanese actress and filmmaker Sylvia Chang; Danish star Trine Dyrholm; French actress/director Nicole Garcia; Italian director/screenwriter Paolo Genovese; and Polish director filmmaker Malgorzata Szumowska.
Watts was recently on the Lido with out of competition boxing drama Chuck (aka The Bleeder) while Waltz starred in last year’s Venice opener, Downsizing. Thor: Ragnarok‘s Waititi recently wrapped Fox Searchlight war comedy Jojo Rabbit in Prague.
On September 8, Del Toro’s jury will hand out the Golden Lion for Best Film, the Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize, Silver Lion for Best Director, Coppa Volpi for Best Actor, Coppa Volpi for Best Actress, Award for Best Screenplay,...
Watts was recently on the Lido with out of competition boxing drama Chuck (aka The Bleeder) while Waltz starred in last year’s Venice opener, Downsizing. Thor: Ragnarok‘s Waititi recently wrapped Fox Searchlight war comedy Jojo Rabbit in Prague.
On September 8, Del Toro’s jury will hand out the Golden Lion for Best Film, the Silver Lion – Grand Jury Prize, Silver Lion for Best Director, Coppa Volpi for Best Actor, Coppa Volpi for Best Actress, Award for Best Screenplay,...
- 7/26/2018
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Angelina Jolie is in the midst of formulating her return to the movie scene following recent personal troubles.
The Hollywood Reporter brings word that the actress-producer-director is mulling over multiple projects, including the long-rumored Maleficent 2. Last we checked in on the fantastical sequel, screenwriter Linda Woolverton merely confirmed its existence – “this very minute, it’s blinking at my computer.” That was almost nine months ago, and though THR alludes to the Maleficent follow-up during its exhaustive interview, there’s no mention of a tangible update.
Beyond the realm of dark fantasy and vengeful fairies, Jolie is reportedly eyeing not one, but two large-scale Universal projects. The first is an adaptation of Simon Sebag Montefiore’s Catherine the Great and Potemkin: The Imperial Love Affair, which chronicles the fiery love affair between the eponymous Russian ruler and Prince Grigory Potemkin. There’s also mention of an espionage thriller based on...
The Hollywood Reporter brings word that the actress-producer-director is mulling over multiple projects, including the long-rumored Maleficent 2. Last we checked in on the fantastical sequel, screenwriter Linda Woolverton merely confirmed its existence – “this very minute, it’s blinking at my computer.” That was almost nine months ago, and though THR alludes to the Maleficent follow-up during its exhaustive interview, there’s no mention of a tangible update.
Beyond the realm of dark fantasy and vengeful fairies, Jolie is reportedly eyeing not one, but two large-scale Universal projects. The first is an adaptation of Simon Sebag Montefiore’s Catherine the Great and Potemkin: The Imperial Love Affair, which chronicles the fiery love affair between the eponymous Russian ruler and Prince Grigory Potemkin. There’s also mention of an espionage thriller based on...
- 2/23/2017
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
David Crow Feb 23, 2017
Angelina Jolie is developing two films at Universal, including a Catherine The Great movie. Bride Of Frankenstein could still happen too.
Angelina Jolie arguably remains one of the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood. Granted, the last time she appeared in a live-action film was for 2015’s underperformer, By the Sea. But prior to that misfire, the combination of her marquee name and Disney nostalgia propelled Maleficent to a $759 million gross during the summer of 2014. And along with a purported Maleficent 2, many producers have sought the star to reprise roles in potential blockbusters like a now dormant Wanted 2 and the abandoned Salt 2.
However, personal life aside, she has kept a low profile in Hollywood, electing instead to direct a movie set and produced in Cambodia (Netflix has since purchased the international rights). Apparently things are changing at Universal Pictures, however, since THR is reporting she has...
Angelina Jolie is developing two films at Universal, including a Catherine The Great movie. Bride Of Frankenstein could still happen too.
Angelina Jolie arguably remains one of the most bankable movie stars in Hollywood. Granted, the last time she appeared in a live-action film was for 2015’s underperformer, By the Sea. But prior to that misfire, the combination of her marquee name and Disney nostalgia propelled Maleficent to a $759 million gross during the summer of 2014. And along with a purported Maleficent 2, many producers have sought the star to reprise roles in potential blockbusters like a now dormant Wanted 2 and the abandoned Salt 2.
However, personal life aside, she has kept a low profile in Hollywood, electing instead to direct a movie set and produced in Cambodia (Netflix has since purchased the international rights). Apparently things are changing at Universal Pictures, however, since THR is reporting she has...
- 2/22/2017
- Den of Geek
Words are Keira Knightley's new film project, after her portrayal of controversial Duchess of Devonshire in "The Duchess", will be another period piece romance, "The Beautiful and the Damned". According to Hollywood Reporter, the English starlet is encircling the leading lady role as tempestuous Zelda Sayre by involving in a negotiation for the part.
If Knightley indeed took the role of Sayre, this would continue her entanglement with period movies. She has recently starred in "Duchess", which came out on September 19, in World War I drama epic with James McAvoy "Atonement" and in Alessandro Baricco's adapted novel "Silk". Before those, she has also played Elizabeth Bennet in Jane Austen's adaptation "Pride and Prejudice".
Having "The Notebook" director Nick Cassavetes attached to helm the project, "Damned" is an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's second novel of the same name. The story is believed to be revolving around Fitzgerald and his lover Sayre.
If Knightley indeed took the role of Sayre, this would continue her entanglement with period movies. She has recently starred in "Duchess", which came out on September 19, in World War I drama epic with James McAvoy "Atonement" and in Alessandro Baricco's adapted novel "Silk". Before those, she has also played Elizabeth Bennet in Jane Austen's adaptation "Pride and Prejudice".
Having "The Notebook" director Nick Cassavetes attached to helm the project, "Damned" is an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's second novel of the same name. The story is believed to be revolving around Fitzgerald and his lover Sayre.
- 9/23/2008
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Locarno, Switzerland – Two days after Italian Minister of Culture Sandro Bondi sparked a controversy by condemning the documentary "Il Sol del'avvenire" (Red Sun) for what he called "insensitivity," the film attracted a standing-room-only crowd at the Locarno Film Festival's 1,200-seat La Sala venue.
The doc details the formation of the Red Brigades, a Marxist-Leninist extremist group that ravaged Italy in the 1970s and early 1980s, including lengthy interviews with some of the movement's founders.
Bondi said the film would be offensive to families that lost members in Red Brigade attacks. He also argued the film should not have received state funding; some film execs called his stance a kind of censorship.
Among the weekend's other highlights at the 61st edition of the fest were three straight sellouts in the festival's outdoor Piazza Grande, which seats 8,500. After a drizzling rain the ffirst two evenings, the weather improved just in time for the weekend, leaving moviegoers with clear skies and crisp evening air.
Marcos Siega's romantic comedy "Chaos Theory," Philipp Stolzl's mountain climbing adventure story "Nordwand" (Northface), and French comedy "La Fille de Monaco" from Anne Fontaine were the main acts in the Piazza Grande on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively. All three were either European or world premieres.
On Monday, the Aug. 6-16 fest moves into the homestretch, with the world premiere of Alessandro Baricco's "Lezione 21" (Lesson 21), about the life of Beethoven, and "The Eternity Man," a graphic comedy about an out-of-luck war veteran in Australia.
The doc details the formation of the Red Brigades, a Marxist-Leninist extremist group that ravaged Italy in the 1970s and early 1980s, including lengthy interviews with some of the movement's founders.
Bondi said the film would be offensive to families that lost members in Red Brigade attacks. He also argued the film should not have received state funding; some film execs called his stance a kind of censorship.
Among the weekend's other highlights at the 61st edition of the fest were three straight sellouts in the festival's outdoor Piazza Grande, which seats 8,500. After a drizzling rain the ffirst two evenings, the weather improved just in time for the weekend, leaving moviegoers with clear skies and crisp evening air.
Marcos Siega's romantic comedy "Chaos Theory," Philipp Stolzl's mountain climbing adventure story "Nordwand" (Northface), and French comedy "La Fille de Monaco" from Anne Fontaine were the main acts in the Piazza Grande on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, respectively. All three were either European or world premieres.
On Monday, the Aug. 6-16 fest moves into the homestretch, with the world premiere of Alessandro Baricco's "Lezione 21" (Lesson 21), about the life of Beethoven, and "The Eternity Man," a graphic comedy about an out-of-luck war veteran in Australia.
- 8/10/2008
- by By Eric J. Lyman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Rome -- Julian Jarrold's "Brideshead Revisited" will open the 61st Locarno Film Festival, highlighting a lineup that will see nearly two dozen world premieres screen in the festival's historic Piazza Grande or in the main competition.
"Brideshead" -- a European premiere -- is a World War II drama based on the Evelyn Waugh novel and starring Matthew Goode as Capt. Charles Ryder. It screens Aug. 6.
The world premiere of Solveig Anspach's Franco-Icelandic comedy "Back Soon" will close the lakeside festival Aug. 16.
In between, the Piazza Grande lineup will unspool Marco Siega's comedic drama "Chaos Theory," Clark Gregg's comedy "Choke," Denis Rabaglia's romantic drama "Marcello, Marcello" and Garth Jennings' "Son of Rambow," which was scheduled to screen in Locarno in 2007 but pulled because of a legal dispute.
The Piazza Grande selection continues the trend of accessible fare screening in Europe's largest outdoor cinema venue under third-year artistic director Frederic Maire, as opposed to the more weighty and cerebral productions that screened there in the past.
The 17-film international competition lineup, meanwhile, is made up entirely of world and international premieres.
The complete competition lineup follows:
Piazza Grande
"Back Soon," Solveig Anspach, Iceland/France
"Berlin Calling," Hannes Stoehr, Germany
"Brideshead Revisited," Julian Jarrold, U.K.
"Chaos Theory," Marcos Siega, U.S.
"Choke," Clark Gregg, U.S.
"In 3 Tagen Bist Du Tot 2," Andreas Prochaska, Austria
"Khamsa," Karim Dridi, France
"La Fille De Monaco," Anne Fontaine, France
"Lesson 21," Alessandro Baricco, Italy/U.K.
"Marcello Marcello," Denis Rabaglia, Switzerland/Germany
"Retouches," Georges Schwizgebel, Switzerland/Canada
"Night and the City," Jules Dassin, U.K.
"Nordwand," Philipp Stolzl, Germany/Austria/Switzerland
"Outlander," Howard McCain, U.S.
"Palombella Rossa," Nanni Moretti, Italy/France
"Plus Tard Tu Comprendras," Amos Gitai, France/ Germany
"Son of Rambow," Garth Jennings, U.K. /France
"The Eternity Man," Julien Temple, Australia/U.K.
"I Know," Jan Cvitkovic, Slovenia/Hungary
International competition
"33 Scenes From Life," Malgorzata Szumowska, Germany/Poland
"Daytime Drinking," Noh Young-seok, South Korea
"Dioses," Josue Mendez, Peru/Argentine/Germany /France
"Elle Veut Le Chaos," Denis Cote, Canada
"Katia's Sister," Mijke de Jong, Netherlands
"Kisses," Lance Daly, Ireland/Sweden
"Feast of Villains," Pan Jian Lin, Chine
"Mar Nero," Federico Bondi, Italy/Romania/France
"March," Klaus Handl, Austria
"Nulle Part Terre Promise," Emmanuel Finkiel, France
"Parque Via," Enrique Rivero, Mexico
"Sleep Furiously," Gideon Koppel, U.K.
"Autumn," Ozcan Alper, Turkey/Germany
"The Market -- A Tale of Trade," Ben Hopkins, Germany/U.K./Turkey/Kazakhstan
"Um Amor de Perdicao," Mario Barroso, Portugal/Brazil
"Un Autre Homme," Lionel Baier, Switzerland
"Yuri's Day," Kirill Serebrennikov, Russia/Germany...
"Brideshead" -- a European premiere -- is a World War II drama based on the Evelyn Waugh novel and starring Matthew Goode as Capt. Charles Ryder. It screens Aug. 6.
The world premiere of Solveig Anspach's Franco-Icelandic comedy "Back Soon" will close the lakeside festival Aug. 16.
In between, the Piazza Grande lineup will unspool Marco Siega's comedic drama "Chaos Theory," Clark Gregg's comedy "Choke," Denis Rabaglia's romantic drama "Marcello, Marcello" and Garth Jennings' "Son of Rambow," which was scheduled to screen in Locarno in 2007 but pulled because of a legal dispute.
The Piazza Grande selection continues the trend of accessible fare screening in Europe's largest outdoor cinema venue under third-year artistic director Frederic Maire, as opposed to the more weighty and cerebral productions that screened there in the past.
The 17-film international competition lineup, meanwhile, is made up entirely of world and international premieres.
The complete competition lineup follows:
Piazza Grande
"Back Soon," Solveig Anspach, Iceland/France
"Berlin Calling," Hannes Stoehr, Germany
"Brideshead Revisited," Julian Jarrold, U.K.
"Chaos Theory," Marcos Siega, U.S.
"Choke," Clark Gregg, U.S.
"In 3 Tagen Bist Du Tot 2," Andreas Prochaska, Austria
"Khamsa," Karim Dridi, France
"La Fille De Monaco," Anne Fontaine, France
"Lesson 21," Alessandro Baricco, Italy/U.K.
"Marcello Marcello," Denis Rabaglia, Switzerland/Germany
"Retouches," Georges Schwizgebel, Switzerland/Canada
"Night and the City," Jules Dassin, U.K.
"Nordwand," Philipp Stolzl, Germany/Austria/Switzerland
"Outlander," Howard McCain, U.S.
"Palombella Rossa," Nanni Moretti, Italy/France
"Plus Tard Tu Comprendras," Amos Gitai, France/ Germany
"Son of Rambow," Garth Jennings, U.K. /France
"The Eternity Man," Julien Temple, Australia/U.K.
"I Know," Jan Cvitkovic, Slovenia/Hungary
International competition
"33 Scenes From Life," Malgorzata Szumowska, Germany/Poland
"Daytime Drinking," Noh Young-seok, South Korea
"Dioses," Josue Mendez, Peru/Argentine/Germany /France
"Elle Veut Le Chaos," Denis Cote, Canada
"Katia's Sister," Mijke de Jong, Netherlands
"Kisses," Lance Daly, Ireland/Sweden
"Feast of Villains," Pan Jian Lin, Chine
"Mar Nero," Federico Bondi, Italy/Romania/France
"March," Klaus Handl, Austria
"Nulle Part Terre Promise," Emmanuel Finkiel, France
"Parque Via," Enrique Rivero, Mexico
"Sleep Furiously," Gideon Koppel, U.K.
"Autumn," Ozcan Alper, Turkey/Germany
"The Market -- A Tale of Trade," Ben Hopkins, Germany/U.K./Turkey/Kazakhstan
"Um Amor de Perdicao," Mario Barroso, Portugal/Brazil
"Un Autre Homme," Lionel Baier, Switzerland
"Yuri's Day," Kirill Serebrennikov, Russia/Germany...
- 7/16/2008
- by By Eric J. Lyman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
ROME -- "Lezione 21" (Lesson 21), the directorial debut from screenwriter Alessandro Baricco, will be among the world premieres at Locarno's famous Piazza Grande this year, the festival said Monday.
The 61st edition of the Locarno event has not yet been announced, but organizers said the dreamlike exploration into the making of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony that stars Noah Taylor and John Hurt will be at the Aug. 6-16 festival in the picturesque Swiss lakeside village.
Production credits on the film are split between Fandango, Potboiler Prods. and RAI Cinema. The date for the screening has not been set.
The 61st edition of the Locarno event has not yet been announced, but organizers said the dreamlike exploration into the making of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony that stars Noah Taylor and John Hurt will be at the Aug. 6-16 festival in the picturesque Swiss lakeside village.
Production credits on the film are split between Fandango, Potboiler Prods. and RAI Cinema. The date for the screening has not been set.
- 6/23/2008
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
TOKYO -- The 20th annual Tokyo International Film Festival kicks off with an opening reception today and begins in earnest Saturday night with a red-carpet event that officially launches the nine-day event.
The opening film, the premiere of Shochiku/Universal Japan co-production "Midnight Eagle", tells the story of a stealth bomber that goes missing in the mountains of northern Japan. Directed by Izuru Narushim and starring Takao Osawa, Yuko Takeuchi and Hiroshi Tamaki, it was made with the help of the Japanese military.
The closing film, "Silk", is a collaborative venture of Japan, Italy and Canada. Directed by Francois Girard, "Silk" is the story of a married silk trader who is drawn to a mysterious Japanese woman from a nobleman's court. Set in Japan and based on a novel by Alessandro Baricco, it stars Keira Knightley, Michael Pitt, Miki Nakatani and Koji Yakusho.
A jury of six, led by Alan Ladd Jr., will select the winner of the festival's main competition, the $50,000 Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix, as well as a $20,000 Special Jury Prize.
The opening film, the premiere of Shochiku/Universal Japan co-production "Midnight Eagle", tells the story of a stealth bomber that goes missing in the mountains of northern Japan. Directed by Izuru Narushim and starring Takao Osawa, Yuko Takeuchi and Hiroshi Tamaki, it was made with the help of the Japanese military.
The closing film, "Silk", is a collaborative venture of Japan, Italy and Canada. Directed by Francois Girard, "Silk" is the story of a married silk trader who is drawn to a mysterious Japanese woman from a nobleman's court. Set in Japan and based on a novel by Alessandro Baricco, it stars Keira Knightley, Michael Pitt, Miki Nakatani and Koji Yakusho.
A jury of six, led by Alan Ladd Jr., will select the winner of the festival's main competition, the $50,000 Tokyo Sakura Grand Prix, as well as a $20,000 Special Jury Prize.
- 10/19/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
TOKYO - Continuing its theme of emphasizing joint productions, the Tokyo International Film Festival will close with the three-nation collaboration "Silk".
Directed by Quebec's Francois Girard and starring Keira Knightly, Michael Pitt, Miki Nakatani and Koji Yakusho, "Silk" is an adaptation of the novel by Alessandro Baricco. Set in 19th-century Japan, it is the tale of a married silk trader who is drawn to a mysterious Japanese woman from a nobleman's court.
"We decided this film would be the best choice for the closing screening of this year's festival because it's on such a larger scale than other films, and it's gorgeous," said Ryoko Koyama, a spokeswoman for the festival.
"One of the key themes for this year's TIFF is collaboration, which this film demonstrates as a joint work between Japan, Italy and Canada," she said.
This year's festival runs October 20th and 28th, and opens with another joint project, the action title "Midnight Eagle", which brings together Shochiku and Universal Japan.
Directed by Quebec's Francois Girard and starring Keira Knightly, Michael Pitt, Miki Nakatani and Koji Yakusho, "Silk" is an adaptation of the novel by Alessandro Baricco. Set in 19th-century Japan, it is the tale of a married silk trader who is drawn to a mysterious Japanese woman from a nobleman's court.
"We decided this film would be the best choice for the closing screening of this year's festival because it's on such a larger scale than other films, and it's gorgeous," said Ryoko Koyama, a spokeswoman for the festival.
"One of the key themes for this year's TIFF is collaboration, which this film demonstrates as a joint work between Japan, Italy and Canada," she said.
This year's festival runs October 20th and 28th, and opens with another joint project, the action title "Midnight Eagle", which brings together Shochiku and Universal Japan.
- In today's foursome, we have the first of Weinstein co.'s singer-related music biographies and we've placed two highly anticipated Paramount Vantage in the mix. Curiously all four films are book novel to film adaptations.8. Into the Wild Release date: September 21st Limited Release Screenwriters: Based on Krakauer novel, the screenplay is written by Penn.Director: Sean PennDistributor: Paramount Vantage Fests: A preem at the Toronto Film Festival.Producers: Art Linson (Fight Club), William Pohlad (Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus), Sean Penn (The Pledge) Ioncinema Preview: View HereMovie Trailer: Click HereThe Gist: Based on a true story and the bestselling book by Jon Krakauer. After graduating from Emory University in 1992, top student and athlete Christopher McCandless (Hirsch) abandons his possessions, gave his entire $24,000 savings account to charity and hitchhiked to Alaska to live in the wilderness. Along the way, Christopher encounters a series of characters that shape his life.
- 8/30/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
- Judging by the title translation - many of you folks will see that this is not the official Picturehouse Films' U.S one sheet, but you might learn that this production benefited from lots of co-production money from different parts of the world including Canada.Canadian distributor Alliance Atlantis Vivafilm have provided us with the poster image - clearly they are prepping up for the Toronto Film Festival world premiere of Silk. The highly anticipated François Girard picture will get much media coverage and Ioncinema.com will be in the thick of things at this year's Tiff. Young thesps Keira Knightley and Michael Pitt will be featured with vetsAlfred Molina and Babel's Koji Yakusho. Based on the Alessandro Baricco's novel, this is the story of a married silkworm smuggler, Herve Joncour, in 19th Century France who travels to Japan to collect his clandestine cargo. While there he spots a beautiful European woman,
- 8/8/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
- Sometimes there is very little surprise to what’s under the tree (think wrapped up tennis racquets and hockey sticks). When Canada’s premiere film event announces their Canadian film selections it may be somewhat anti-climatic but, like today’s picks, it’s a pleasurable announcement just the same. Another strong year for Canadian content – the likes of Arcand, Cronenberg, Maddin and Girard will be presenting their latest works unspooling in the showcase categories. Among the higher profile picks, there are two noteworthy selections (that will most likely showcase at Venice just prior). David Cronenberg’s Eastern Promises and François Girard’s Silk are prime picks for Ioncinema coverage. Here is a quick run-thru of the titles named today. Among the duo of films added to the Gala Presentations we have one French language and one English language. Sadly, if Denys Arcand hasn’t edited his Cannes presented The
- 7/18/2007
- IONCINEMA.com
- A rock star, a soccer player, a feudal warrior, and a post-‘Chocolat’ Alfred Molina walk into a bar… stop me if you’ve heard this one… Silk, an Alessandro Baricco novel whose rights for the movie were acquired by Picturehouse and New Line. It tells the story of Herve Joncour, a 19th Century France married silkworm smuggler who travels to Japan to procure his surreptitious cargo. He begins a torrid love affair with a European woman, a concubine of a local baron, with whom he becomes obsessed. Without speaking the same language they communicate through letters, and even through the war their unrequited passion endures, and then the fit hits the proverbial shan as Herve’s wife becomes suspicious. The film will star a melting pot cast including Michael Pitt (Last Days), Keira Knightley (Pride & Prejudice), Koji Yakusho (Memoirs of a Geisha), and Alfred Molina (Raiders of the Lost Ark…
- 1/23/2006
- IONCINEMA.com
TORONTO -- Canadian independent movie distributor Motion Picture Distribution LP on Monday said it has picked up the exclusive Canadian rights to Silk, the Keira Knightley-starring Japanese period drama from Quebec director Francois Girard. Based on the novel of the same name by Alessandro Baricco, Silk will be co-produced by Toronto-based Rhombus Media, which partnered with Girard on his last film, the Samuel L. Jackson starrer The Red Violin, released in 1998. The Canadian rights deal follows Bob Berney's Picturehouse and New Line International last week acquiring all rights to Girard's romantic drama.
- 1/23/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Picturehouse and New Line International have acquired rights to Francois Girard's Silk, a world-hopping romantic drama starring an international cast headed by Michael Pitt, Keira Knightley, Koji Yakusho and Alfred Molina. The deal was announced Friday by Picturehouse president Bob Berney; Rolf Mittweg, president and chief operating officer of New Line worldwide distribution and marketing; and Camela Galano, president of New Line International. Based on the novel by Alessandro Baricco, Silk is the story of Herve Joncour, a 19th century French silkworm merchant who travels to Japan, where he begins a forbidden romance. Girard and Michael Golding have adapted the screenplay for the film, to be produced by Niv Fichman, Nadine Luque, Domenico Procacci and Sonoko Sakai.
- 1/20/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This epic, poetical fable from director Giuseppe Tornatore ("Cinema Paradiso") has been cut by nearly an hour since its premiere last year, and it's easy to see why Fine Line, its American distributor, would approve the abridgement.
This tale of a legendary pianist who spends his entire life on board an ocean liner is at times indulgent and rambling. But the film is also that rarity, a true original, though in its current form it occasionally suffers from a choppiness that mars its overall impact.
Although it won't appeal to all tastes, "The Legend of 1900" is an audacious effort that bears commendation for its epic style and imagination. The film was recently included in the World Greats section of the Montreal World Film Festival.
Tim Roth, giving one of his best performances (and that's saying something), plays the title character, an abandoned newborn dubbed 1900 found at the turn of the century by the crew of the trans-Atlantic ocean liner Virginian. 1900 is adopted by genial crewman Danny (Bill Nunn), and the pair form a strong bond. Danny dies during the boy's childhood, but 1900 stays on board, grows up and becomes the pianist in the ship's orchestra. He is a brilliant player, and his reputation spreads throughout the world, even attracting the attention of the legendary Jell Roll Morton (Clarence Williams III).
1900 becomes best friends with Max Pruitt Taylor Vince), the band's trumpet player (and the film's narrator), who urges him repeatedly to leave the ship and see the world. 1900 continually resists his efforts, but when he has a brief but platonic encounter with a beautiful young woman (Melanie Thierry) who lives in New York, he musters the courage to make the attempt. The results are heartbreaking.
The film, taking the form of a story told by Max to an elderly pawnbroker (Peter Vaughan) who possesses 1900's only recording, details the arc of 1900's life aboard the ship. Adapted from a dramatic monologue by Italian writer Alessandro Baricco, it is an episodic but always involving tale that recalls John Irving in its fantastical imagination.
Although dragging a bit at times -- especially in some belabored dialogue sequences -- the film contains many magical scenes. The best of these is a long, beautifully rendered depiction of the piano duel between 1900 and Morton, resulting in a conclusion that will have audiences cheering. Also wonderful is the scene in which 1900 and Max first meet, as they cling to a piano that is being wildly buffeted about the ship by a ferocious storm.
Roth gives his unlikely character a remarkable degree of depth and charm, delivering a precisely calibrated performance as winning as it is eccentric. Vince, in his best turn since "Heavy", is highly appealing as Max, and Williams provides a fierce, effective turn as Morton. Tornatore has given the film a beautiful, not always realistic visual look that well conveys the majesty of the ship and which seems to replicate the dreamy quality of a vintage photograph.
Adding greatly to the film's romantic impact are the lavish production design by Francesco Frigeri and the score by the great Ennio Morricone, which imbues the proceedings with his trademark haunting mournfulness.
LEGEND OF 1900
Fine Line Features
Director-writer: Giuseppe Tornatore
Producer: Francesco Tornatore
Executive producer: Laura Fattori for Medusa Cinematografica
Director of photography: Lajos Koltai
Production design: Francesco Frigeri
Editor: Massimo Quaglia
Music: Ennio Morricone
Color/stereo
Cast:
1900: Tim Roth
Max: Pruitt Taylor Vince
Danny Boodmann: Bill Nunn
Jelly Roll Morton: Clarence Williams III
The Girl: Melanie Thierry
Running time -- 116 minutes
No MPAA rating...
This tale of a legendary pianist who spends his entire life on board an ocean liner is at times indulgent and rambling. But the film is also that rarity, a true original, though in its current form it occasionally suffers from a choppiness that mars its overall impact.
Although it won't appeal to all tastes, "The Legend of 1900" is an audacious effort that bears commendation for its epic style and imagination. The film was recently included in the World Greats section of the Montreal World Film Festival.
Tim Roth, giving one of his best performances (and that's saying something), plays the title character, an abandoned newborn dubbed 1900 found at the turn of the century by the crew of the trans-Atlantic ocean liner Virginian. 1900 is adopted by genial crewman Danny (Bill Nunn), and the pair form a strong bond. Danny dies during the boy's childhood, but 1900 stays on board, grows up and becomes the pianist in the ship's orchestra. He is a brilliant player, and his reputation spreads throughout the world, even attracting the attention of the legendary Jell Roll Morton (Clarence Williams III).
1900 becomes best friends with Max Pruitt Taylor Vince), the band's trumpet player (and the film's narrator), who urges him repeatedly to leave the ship and see the world. 1900 continually resists his efforts, but when he has a brief but platonic encounter with a beautiful young woman (Melanie Thierry) who lives in New York, he musters the courage to make the attempt. The results are heartbreaking.
The film, taking the form of a story told by Max to an elderly pawnbroker (Peter Vaughan) who possesses 1900's only recording, details the arc of 1900's life aboard the ship. Adapted from a dramatic monologue by Italian writer Alessandro Baricco, it is an episodic but always involving tale that recalls John Irving in its fantastical imagination.
Although dragging a bit at times -- especially in some belabored dialogue sequences -- the film contains many magical scenes. The best of these is a long, beautifully rendered depiction of the piano duel between 1900 and Morton, resulting in a conclusion that will have audiences cheering. Also wonderful is the scene in which 1900 and Max first meet, as they cling to a piano that is being wildly buffeted about the ship by a ferocious storm.
Roth gives his unlikely character a remarkable degree of depth and charm, delivering a precisely calibrated performance as winning as it is eccentric. Vince, in his best turn since "Heavy", is highly appealing as Max, and Williams provides a fierce, effective turn as Morton. Tornatore has given the film a beautiful, not always realistic visual look that well conveys the majesty of the ship and which seems to replicate the dreamy quality of a vintage photograph.
Adding greatly to the film's romantic impact are the lavish production design by Francesco Frigeri and the score by the great Ennio Morricone, which imbues the proceedings with his trademark haunting mournfulness.
LEGEND OF 1900
Fine Line Features
Director-writer: Giuseppe Tornatore
Producer: Francesco Tornatore
Executive producer: Laura Fattori for Medusa Cinematografica
Director of photography: Lajos Koltai
Production design: Francesco Frigeri
Editor: Massimo Quaglia
Music: Ennio Morricone
Color/stereo
Cast:
1900: Tim Roth
Max: Pruitt Taylor Vince
Danny Boodmann: Bill Nunn
Jelly Roll Morton: Clarence Williams III
The Girl: Melanie Thierry
Running time -- 116 minutes
No MPAA rating...
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