Every once in a long while, I manage to have an encounter with the film producer Albert S. Ruddy. It’s always—what?
Funny? Fascinating? Enlightening? Unexpected?
I think I’ll go with amazing.
It’s certainly amazing to see Al Ruddy, at the age of 91, credited as a producer of Cry Macho, which is set for release by Warner Bros. and HBO Max on Sept. 17–and not just because the movie is directed by and stars Clint Eastwood, who is also 91. To put things in perspective, Ruddy has been trying to get the picture made since I was an struggling doctoral student of Modern European History, which would be 46 years ago, give or take. Once, the film seems to have started, with Roy Scheider, in Mexico. (That would be somewhere among iterations that involved Burt Lancaster and Pierce Brosnan.) But something happened, and the plug got pulled. By then,...
Funny? Fascinating? Enlightening? Unexpected?
I think I’ll go with amazing.
It’s certainly amazing to see Al Ruddy, at the age of 91, credited as a producer of Cry Macho, which is set for release by Warner Bros. and HBO Max on Sept. 17–and not just because the movie is directed by and stars Clint Eastwood, who is also 91. To put things in perspective, Ruddy has been trying to get the picture made since I was an struggling doctoral student of Modern European History, which would be 46 years ago, give or take. Once, the film seems to have started, with Roy Scheider, in Mexico. (That would be somewhere among iterations that involved Burt Lancaster and Pierce Brosnan.) But something happened, and the plug got pulled. By then,...
- 9/1/2021
- by Michael Cieply
- Deadline Film + TV
Liv Ullmann has been an international star since 1966’s Ingmar Bergman’s arthouse hit “Persona”; indeed, she is best-known for her collaborations with Bergman, acting in 10 of his films, and directing two of his screenplays; he was also the father of her daughter, author Lin Ullmann. But there’s more to her than that: She’s written two books, “Changing” (1976) and “Choices” (1979), and, more important, her activism.
Ullmann talked to Variety about acting in Bertolt Brecht’s “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” in Norway early in her career. In a war-torn area, her character discovers an abandoned baby. The director gave her advice valuable both in acting and in life: See things from both sides, and don’t turn away. Her life was changed with another production, the musical “I Remember Mama,” when Broadway shows raised funds for Cambodian refugees in 1979. The lesson then was similar: Don’t turn away.
‘This...
Ullmann talked to Variety about acting in Bertolt Brecht’s “The Caucasian Chalk Circle” in Norway early in her career. In a war-torn area, her character discovers an abandoned baby. The director gave her advice valuable both in acting and in life: See things from both sides, and don’t turn away. Her life was changed with another production, the musical “I Remember Mama,” when Broadway shows raised funds for Cambodian refugees in 1979. The lesson then was similar: Don’t turn away.
‘This...
- 3/1/2021
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
A version of this story first appeared in the Documentaries issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
The Oscars competition in the Best Documentary Feature category has more than 200 eligible films this year for this first time ever, due largely to rule changes that made it easier for nonfiction films to qualify in the year of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The rules, which will likely end when theaters reopen, include routes to qualify by being booked at film festivals or by premiering online but paying to be in the online Academy Screening Room for members. They’re resulted in 215 films qualifying by late December, with an additional small group of films expected to be added to the list in early January. The previous record for entries, set in 2017, was 170.
But rule changes have long been standard in the Oscars documentary category, particularly in the last two or three decades. Often, they involve...
The Oscars competition in the Best Documentary Feature category has more than 200 eligible films this year for this first time ever, due largely to rule changes that made it easier for nonfiction films to qualify in the year of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The rules, which will likely end when theaters reopen, include routes to qualify by being booked at film festivals or by premiering online but paying to be in the online Academy Screening Room for members. They’re resulted in 215 films qualifying by late December, with an additional small group of films expected to be added to the list in early January. The previous record for entries, set in 2017, was 170.
But rule changes have long been standard in the Oscars documentary category, particularly in the last two or three decades. Often, they involve...
- 1/4/2021
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
Producer Arthur Cohn was first mentioned in Variety on Feb. 20, 1962, when the documentary he produced, “Sky Above, Mud Beneath,” was nominated for an Oscar. The doc, “Le Ciel et la boue,” directed by Pierre-Dominique Gaisseau, underwent a few title changes over the years, and ended up winning the prize for 1961. Cohn has continued to flourish, winning Oscars for two more documentaries — “One Day in September” and “American Dream” — and producing numerous other films, including “The Etruscan Smile,” released this year in the U.S. by Lightyear Entertainment. Cohn also produced three films that won the foreign-language Academy Award: “The Garden of the Finzi-Continis,” “Black and White in Color” and “Dangerous Moves.” The Swiss-born Cohn worked as a journalist, saying that career taught him how to spot original and special stories unfolding in everyday life. He says his films were inspired by current events and his Jewish heritage.
What attracted you...
What attracted you...
- 1/4/2020
- by Lorraine Wheat
- Variety Film + TV
33rd Israel Film Festival in Los Angeles, November 12th — 26th: Sold-Out Opening Night Gala
Six-time Academy Award winning producer Arthur Cohn and producer Sharon Harel-Cohen receive festival honors.
Incitement has its U.S. premiere
It looked like every Jew in entertainment attended the Opening Night Gala. It was the first time Opening Night was completely sold out a week in advance to a capacity crowd of over 900 guests at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills.
The packed audience greeted the evening’s host, Israel FilmFestival Founder/Executive Director Meir Fenigstein, with a standing ovation in recognition of his outstanding leadership of the Festival for over three decades.
Standing ovations continued as six-time Academy Award-winning producer Arthur Cohn received the 2019 Iff Lifetime Achievement Award from actress Rosanna Arquette and when WestEnd Film Chair and producer Sharon Harel-Cohen was presented with the 2019 Iff Achievement in Film Award by Avi Lerner, Chairman/CEO,...
Six-time Academy Award winning producer Arthur Cohn and producer Sharon Harel-Cohen receive festival honors.
Incitement has its U.S. premiere
It looked like every Jew in entertainment attended the Opening Night Gala. It was the first time Opening Night was completely sold out a week in advance to a capacity crowd of over 900 guests at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills.
The packed audience greeted the evening’s host, Israel FilmFestival Founder/Executive Director Meir Fenigstein, with a standing ovation in recognition of his outstanding leadership of the Festival for over three decades.
Standing ovations continued as six-time Academy Award-winning producer Arthur Cohn received the 2019 Iff Lifetime Achievement Award from actress Rosanna Arquette and when WestEnd Film Chair and producer Sharon Harel-Cohen was presented with the 2019 Iff Achievement in Film Award by Avi Lerner, Chairman/CEO,...
- 11/21/2019
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
As titles like Jojo Rabbit, Parasite and Judy continue to slay the specialty box office and gain awards season momentum, more titles are throwing their hats into the ring. This week, the Mihal Brezis & Oded Binnun-directed The Etruscan Smile starring award-winning actor Brian Cox and produced by three-time Oscar winner Arthur Cohn.
Documentary Gay Chorus Deep South will be in limited release so it can qualify for award season contention before its nation wide expansion. In addition, Tom Cronin’s docu The Portal looks to bring a meditative stillness to the world while the indie Inside Game puts a spotlight on the great NBA betting scandal of 2007.
Also opening this weekend in the specialty space is American Dharma, which includes an interview between Errol Morris and divisive figure Stephen K. Bannon. In a conversation that spans over 16 hours, we see a portrait of the former White House Chief Strategist.
Documentary Gay Chorus Deep South will be in limited release so it can qualify for award season contention before its nation wide expansion. In addition, Tom Cronin’s docu The Portal looks to bring a meditative stillness to the world while the indie Inside Game puts a spotlight on the great NBA betting scandal of 2007.
Also opening this weekend in the specialty space is American Dharma, which includes an interview between Errol Morris and divisive figure Stephen K. Bannon. In a conversation that spans over 16 hours, we see a portrait of the former White House Chief Strategist.
- 11/1/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
In today’s film news roundup, Brian Cox’s “The Etruscan Smile” and meditation documentary “The Portal” find homes and Lin-Manuel Miranda is backing a Spanish-language app.
Acquisitions
Lightyear Entertainment has acquired North American rights to Brian Cox’s “The Etruscan Smile” and plans an Oscar-qualifying theatrical run in November in New York and Los Angeles.
Lightyear is planning a theatrical rollout scheduled for the spring. Rosanna Arquette, JJ Feild, Thora Birch, Treat Williams, Tim Matheson, Peter Coyote and Emanuel Cohn also star.
Arthur Cohn is the producer. Mihal Brezis & Oded Binnun directed from a screenplay by Michael McGowan, Michal Lali Kagan and Sarah Bellwood. The executive producer is Renata Jacobs.
The film stars Cox as a rugged Scotsman who reluctantly leaves his beloved isolated Hebridean island and travels to San Francisco to seek medical treatment. Moving in with his estranged son, his life will be transformed through a newly...
Acquisitions
Lightyear Entertainment has acquired North American rights to Brian Cox’s “The Etruscan Smile” and plans an Oscar-qualifying theatrical run in November in New York and Los Angeles.
Lightyear is planning a theatrical rollout scheduled for the spring. Rosanna Arquette, JJ Feild, Thora Birch, Treat Williams, Tim Matheson, Peter Coyote and Emanuel Cohn also star.
Arthur Cohn is the producer. Mihal Brezis & Oded Binnun directed from a screenplay by Michael McGowan, Michal Lali Kagan and Sarah Bellwood. The executive producer is Renata Jacobs.
The film stars Cox as a rugged Scotsman who reluctantly leaves his beloved isolated Hebridean island and travels to San Francisco to seek medical treatment. Moving in with his estranged son, his life will be transformed through a newly...
- 9/11/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Lightyear Entertainment has acquired the North American rights to the Mihal Brezis & Oded Binnun-directed drama The Etruscan Smile starring Brian Cox. The pic will be released November 1 in New York and Los Angeles just in time for an Oscar-qualifying theatrical run. A theatrical rollout is slated for the spring of 2020.
Produced by six-time Oscar winner Arthur Cohn and adapted from Jose Louis Sampedro’s bestselling book La Sonrisa Etrusca by Michael McGowan, Michal Lali Kagan and Sarah Bellwood, The Etruscan Smile follows Rory MacNeil (Cox), a rugged old Scotsman who reluctantly leaves his beloved isolated Hebridean island and travels to San Francisco to seek medical treatment. Moving in with his estranged son, Rory’s life will be transformed, just when he expects it least, through a newly found love for his baby grandson. The title refers to the famous terra cotta statues that bear a mysterious smile even in their...
Produced by six-time Oscar winner Arthur Cohn and adapted from Jose Louis Sampedro’s bestselling book La Sonrisa Etrusca by Michael McGowan, Michal Lali Kagan and Sarah Bellwood, The Etruscan Smile follows Rory MacNeil (Cox), a rugged old Scotsman who reluctantly leaves his beloved isolated Hebridean island and travels to San Francisco to seek medical treatment. Moving in with his estranged son, Rory’s life will be transformed, just when he expects it least, through a newly found love for his baby grandson. The title refers to the famous terra cotta statues that bear a mysterious smile even in their...
- 9/10/2019
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Brian Cox stars in film from Oscar-winning producer Arthur Cohn.
New UK distributor Parkland Entertainment, now in its second market following last year’s Afm, has taken UK and Ireland rights to Us drama Rory’s Way, starring Brian Cox and Rosanna Arquette.
The film, previously titled The Etruscan Smile, is based on the novel by José Luis Sampedro. It was directed by Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis. Arthur Cohn, the three-time Oscar winning producer of films including the documentary One Day In September, produced.
Parkland struck the deal with the producers here in Berlin.
Cox stars as Rory MacNeil,...
New UK distributor Parkland Entertainment, now in its second market following last year’s Afm, has taken UK and Ireland rights to Us drama Rory’s Way, starring Brian Cox and Rosanna Arquette.
The film, previously titled The Etruscan Smile, is based on the novel by José Luis Sampedro. It was directed by Oded Binnun and Mihal Brezis. Arthur Cohn, the three-time Oscar winning producer of films including the documentary One Day In September, produced.
Parkland struck the deal with the producers here in Berlin.
Cox stars as Rory MacNeil,...
- 2/12/2019
- by Tom Grater
- ScreenDaily
Here comes Amy Scott’s Hal, one of eight, count ‘em, eight feature documentaries scheduled to open in theaters on Sept. 14. This one is about the (sometimes) brilliantly off-center film director Hal Ashby, who died at the age of 59 in 1988. Already seen at Sundance, it will make its commercial debut, as documentaries sometimes do, with a star-filmmaker Q & A—the session, set for that first Friday evening at the Nuart Theater in West Los Angeles, will include both Scott and Rosanna Arquette, who had a lead role in Ashby’s last film, 8 Million Ways To Die, from 1986.
If Arquette is candid, and there’s no reason she shouldn’t be, it will be a sad, complicated conversation.
My only brushes with the Ashby legend came late—long after he had directed pictures like Being There, Coming Home, Shampoo and Harold and Maude, and well into his substance-fueled decline. I never met him.
If Arquette is candid, and there’s no reason she shouldn’t be, it will be a sad, complicated conversation.
My only brushes with the Ashby legend came late—long after he had directed pictures like Being There, Coming Home, Shampoo and Harold and Maude, and well into his substance-fueled decline. I never met him.
- 8/26/2018
- by Michael Cieply
- Deadline Film + TV
Kirk Douglas celebrated his 100th birthday with a party attended by some of the biggest names in Hollywood.
His son, Michael Douglas, and daughter-in-law, Catherine Zeta-Jones, were in attendance, as well as other members from the Douglas clan, including Michael and Catherine’s two children, Dylan Michael and Carys Zeta.
About 135 guests arrived to a private room in the Beverly Hills Hotel at about 2:30 p.m. on Friday before later gathering at tables named after some of his favorite films. Kirk’s family table was named, “Lonely Are the Brave.”
“It’s Kirk’s favorite film of his,” a source tells People.
His son, Michael Douglas, and daughter-in-law, Catherine Zeta-Jones, were in attendance, as well as other members from the Douglas clan, including Michael and Catherine’s two children, Dylan Michael and Carys Zeta.
About 135 guests arrived to a private room in the Beverly Hills Hotel at about 2:30 p.m. on Friday before later gathering at tables named after some of his favorite films. Kirk’s family table was named, “Lonely Are the Brave.”
“It’s Kirk’s favorite film of his,” a source tells People.
- 12/10/2016
- by Alexia Fernandez
- PEOPLE.com
Plus: Tyler Perry greenlights Apartheid drama; Semana Del Cine Español to kick off in Puerto Rico
Josh Wiggins and Odeya Rush have joined J.K. Simmons and Julie Delpy on ensemble feature The Bachelors. Principal photography is set to being on March 14 in Los Angeles.
Kurt Voelker directs the comedy-drama and Windowseat Entertainment is fully financing. Fortitude International handles sales outside the Us and The Gersh Agency and CAA represent North American rights.
Tyler Perry’s 34th Street Films is in development on The Year Of The Great Storm, with Doug Liman and George C. Wolfe on board as executive producers. Karzan Kader will direct the story of Amy Biehl, an American Fulbright scholar whose death in South Africa during the Apartheid years prompted her parents to move to the country in an effort to bring about change. Wme is packaging the project.Spanish star Paco Leon and writer-director Daniel Guzman will be among the attractions at the...
Josh Wiggins and Odeya Rush have joined J.K. Simmons and Julie Delpy on ensemble feature The Bachelors. Principal photography is set to being on March 14 in Los Angeles.
Kurt Voelker directs the comedy-drama and Windowseat Entertainment is fully financing. Fortitude International handles sales outside the Us and The Gersh Agency and CAA represent North American rights.
Tyler Perry’s 34th Street Films is in development on The Year Of The Great Storm, with Doug Liman and George C. Wolfe on board as executive producers. Karzan Kader will direct the story of Amy Biehl, an American Fulbright scholar whose death in South Africa during the Apartheid years prompted her parents to move to the country in an effort to bring about change. Wme is packaging the project.Spanish star Paco Leon and writer-director Daniel Guzman will be among the attractions at the...
- 3/9/2016
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s The Young and Prodigious Spivet will be the opening film at this year’s Filmfest München (June 27-July 5) after Jeunet previously kicked off the festival in Munich in 2001 with Amelie From Montmartre.
Special highlights at what will be Diana Iljine’s fourth outing as festival director include the first ever complete retrospective dedicated to the veteran Us director Walter Hill, a gala evening in honour of the Oscar-winning producer Arthur Cohn with a screening of The Children Of Huang Shi, and a tribute to the producer-director-cinematographer Willy Bogner.
The Walter Hill retrospective will range from his 1975 debut Hard Times, starring Charles Bronson and James Coburn, through such classics as The Long Riders and The Warriors and two films made for Us television - the pilot Deadwood and the Western epic Broken Trail - to his 2012 film Bullet To The Head, with Sylvester Stallone and Christian Slater.
World premieres
Munich will also be hosting a number...
Special highlights at what will be Diana Iljine’s fourth outing as festival director include the first ever complete retrospective dedicated to the veteran Us director Walter Hill, a gala evening in honour of the Oscar-winning producer Arthur Cohn with a screening of The Children Of Huang Shi, and a tribute to the producer-director-cinematographer Willy Bogner.
The Walter Hill retrospective will range from his 1975 debut Hard Times, starring Charles Bronson and James Coburn, through such classics as The Long Riders and The Warriors and two films made for Us television - the pilot Deadwood and the Western epic Broken Trail - to his 2012 film Bullet To The Head, with Sylvester Stallone and Christian Slater.
World premieres
Munich will also be hosting a number...
- 6/4/2014
- by screen.berlin@googlemail.com (Martin Blaney)
- ScreenDaily
Attendance up 22%; festival director Karl Spoerri talks about Zurich’s potential as a film finance hub.
The Zurich Film Festival’s ninth edition has given its Golden Eye for best international film to The Golden Cage (La Jaula De Oro) from Mexico’s Diego Quemada-Diez. The jury gave a special mention to actor Michael B Jordan in Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station.
The International Documentary Film winner was Danish director Kaspar Astrup Schroeder’s Rent A Family Inc. (Lej En Familie A/S). A special mention went to Omar Mullick and Bassam Tariq’s These Birds Walk from Pakistan.
The German-language competition awards went to Frauke Finsterwalder’s German feature Finsterworld and Anna Thommen’s Swiss documentary Neuland. A special mention went to Die Frau Die Sich Traut by Marc Rensing for feature and to Sabine Lidl’s Nan Goldin – I Remember Your Face for documentary.
Each of the awards comes with a $22,050 (CHF20,000) cash prize and...
The Zurich Film Festival’s ninth edition has given its Golden Eye for best international film to The Golden Cage (La Jaula De Oro) from Mexico’s Diego Quemada-Diez. The jury gave a special mention to actor Michael B Jordan in Ryan Coogler’s Fruitvale Station.
The International Documentary Film winner was Danish director Kaspar Astrup Schroeder’s Rent A Family Inc. (Lej En Familie A/S). A special mention went to Omar Mullick and Bassam Tariq’s These Birds Walk from Pakistan.
The German-language competition awards went to Frauke Finsterwalder’s German feature Finsterworld and Anna Thommen’s Swiss documentary Neuland. A special mention went to Die Frau Die Sich Traut by Marc Rensing for feature and to Sabine Lidl’s Nan Goldin – I Remember Your Face for documentary.
Each of the awards comes with a $22,050 (CHF20,000) cash prize and...
- 10/6/2013
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
A Hollywood producer has claimed that Kristen Stewart smells like grass. Arthur Cohn, who has financed films such as Central Station and The Chorus, said in a German interview that the Twilight star does not wear perfume, according to Hollywood Life. "[Kristen] smells like freshly mown grass, she never uses perfume," Cohn said. Stewart recently dropped out of starring in K-11, the independent drama to be directed (more)...
- 7/27/2011
- by By Tara Fowler
- Digital Spy
A Hollywood producer has claimed that Kristen Stewart smells like grass. Arthur Cohn, who has financed films such as Central Station and The Chorus, said in a German interview that the Twilight star does not wear perfume, according to Hollywood Life. "[Kristen] smells like freshly mown grass, she never uses perfume," Cohn said. Stewart recently dropped out of starring in K-11, the independent drama to be directed (more)...
- 7/27/2011
- by By Tara Fowler
- Digital Spy
Ever wonder what K-Stew smells like? It turns out it’s not what you’d expect!
Is it Kristen Stewart‘s rocker chick appeal that won Robert Pattinson‘s heart? Or how she looks red-carpet ready without an ounce of makeup on? Or is it really how she smells?
Hollywood legend, Arthur Cohn, says the Twilight star “smells like freshly mown grass, she never uses perfume,” in a German interview. Is that why Rob is completely in love with her — on and off screen?
Who knew grass could be so sexy? Good thing it’s not onions or garlic!
What do You think HollywoodLifers? Does K-Stew really smell like grass?
— Nicole Karlis
Read More On R-Patz And K-Stew Here
Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart’s New Star-Studded Date Night In Los Angeles! Bill Condon: Edward & Bella’s Sex Scene Is Realistic Because Rob & Kristen Are ‘So Comfortable With Each...
Is it Kristen Stewart‘s rocker chick appeal that won Robert Pattinson‘s heart? Or how she looks red-carpet ready without an ounce of makeup on? Or is it really how she smells?
Hollywood legend, Arthur Cohn, says the Twilight star “smells like freshly mown grass, she never uses perfume,” in a German interview. Is that why Rob is completely in love with her — on and off screen?
Who knew grass could be so sexy? Good thing it’s not onions or garlic!
What do You think HollywoodLifers? Does K-Stew really smell like grass?
— Nicole Karlis
Read More On R-Patz And K-Stew Here
Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart’s New Star-Studded Date Night In Los Angeles! Bill Condon: Edward & Bella’s Sex Scene Is Realistic Because Rob & Kristen Are ‘So Comfortable With Each...
- 7/27/2011
- by Nicole Karlis
- HollywoodLife
Beverly Hills, CA. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will premiere a restored print of .The Garden of the Finzi-Continis. in celebration of the film.s 40th anniversary on Thursday, May 19, at 7:30 p.m. at the Samuel Goldwyn Theater in Beverly Hills. The evening will feature an onstage discussion with the film.s producer, Arthur Cohn, following the screening.
The 1971 winner of the Foreign Language Film Academy Award®, .The Garden of the Finzi-Continis. chronicles the gradual disintegration of the Jewish community living in Ferrara, Italy, at the beginning of World War II. Oblivious to the threats surrounding them, the wealthy Finzi-Contini family ignores the Fascism closing in on their community by remaining within the walls of their luxurious garden. Ultimately, the walled garden is no shelter from Mussolini.s anti-Semitic decrees and the horrors of the Holocaust, and the Finzi-Continis. inaction and isolation contribute to their downfall.
The 1971 winner of the Foreign Language Film Academy Award®, .The Garden of the Finzi-Continis. chronicles the gradual disintegration of the Jewish community living in Ferrara, Italy, at the beginning of World War II. Oblivious to the threats surrounding them, the wealthy Finzi-Contini family ignores the Fascism closing in on their community by remaining within the walls of their luxurious garden. Ultimately, the walled garden is no shelter from Mussolini.s anti-Semitic decrees and the horrors of the Holocaust, and the Finzi-Continis. inaction and isolation contribute to their downfall.
- 5/6/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
'I think it's a really gentle movie, and the kind of movie which you don't really see much these days,' Bello says.
By Larry Carroll
Kristen Stewart
Photo: MTV News
Beverly Hills, California — Six years ago, "The Notebook" was viewed as a bomb. Weeks before its release, the film had received negative reviews, bad buzz and was being viewed as a potential failure. Then the people got to see it and reminded critics that ultimately they're the ones whose voice means the most.
Opening Friday (February 26), "The Yellow Handkerchief" would seem to have a much easier battle. It has a young star in it far more famous than Rachel McAdams or Ryan Gosling were back in 2004 — "Twilight" icon Kristen Stewart — and similarly employs a dual depiction of romance for both old and young romantics alike. So why has it had such a difficult road to a theater near you?...
By Larry Carroll
Kristen Stewart
Photo: MTV News
Beverly Hills, California — Six years ago, "The Notebook" was viewed as a bomb. Weeks before its release, the film had received negative reviews, bad buzz and was being viewed as a potential failure. Then the people got to see it and reminded critics that ultimately they're the ones whose voice means the most.
Opening Friday (February 26), "The Yellow Handkerchief" would seem to have a much easier battle. It has a young star in it far more famous than Rachel McAdams or Ryan Gosling were back in 2004 — "Twilight" icon Kristen Stewart — and similarly employs a dual depiction of romance for both old and young romantics alike. So why has it had such a difficult road to a theater near you?...
- 2/26/2010
- MTV Movie News
'It's so hard to compare roles — [but playing Bella] was difficult for other reasons,' actress says.
By Larry Carroll
Kristen Stewart in "Twilight: New Moon"
Photo: Kimberley French/Summit Entertainment
Beverly Hills, California — Ever since she broke through playing Jodie Foster's tough, imperiled daughter in the 2002 hit film "Panic Room," moviegoers and critics alike have been quick to praise Kristen Stewart's acting skills. Now, the 19-year-old actress is back in theaters next Friday (February 26) with "The Yellow Handkerchief," a romantic drama she was cast in after Foster recommended her to the film's producer, six-time Oscar winner Arthur Cohn. But when it comes to which role was tougher to play — her "Handkerchief" rebel Martine or "Twilight" icon Bella Swan — KStew and Cohn disagree.
"I followed Jodie's advice because she's a great actress and director," Cohn said of casting Stewart in "Handkerchief," a love story featuring old and new romances blossoming side by side.
By Larry Carroll
Kristen Stewart in "Twilight: New Moon"
Photo: Kimberley French/Summit Entertainment
Beverly Hills, California — Ever since she broke through playing Jodie Foster's tough, imperiled daughter in the 2002 hit film "Panic Room," moviegoers and critics alike have been quick to praise Kristen Stewart's acting skills. Now, the 19-year-old actress is back in theaters next Friday (February 26) with "The Yellow Handkerchief," a romantic drama she was cast in after Foster recommended her to the film's producer, six-time Oscar winner Arthur Cohn. But when it comes to which role was tougher to play — her "Handkerchief" rebel Martine or "Twilight" icon Bella Swan — KStew and Cohn disagree.
"I followed Jodie's advice because she's a great actress and director," Cohn said of casting Stewart in "Handkerchief," a love story featuring old and new romances blossoming side by side.
- 2/20/2010
- MTV Movie News
Kristen Stewart, now an international superstar for her portrayal of Bella Swan in the box office mega-hit Twilight film series, sat down with MoviesOnline this week to talk about her new movie, “The Yellow Handkerchief.”
A love story at its core, “The Yellow Handkerchief” is about three strangers of two generations who embark on a road trip through post-Katrina Louisiana. Along the way, relationships forge and change in a myriad of ways, leading to the possibility of second chances at life and love. Kristen plays the role of Martine, the restless young beauty eager to leave her world behind. The film also stars William Hurt, Maria Bello and Eddie Redmayne.
Stewart was recommended to veteran producer Arthur Cohn by Jodie Foster, her co-star in 2002’s Panic Room and a longtime friend of Cohn’s. “I followed Jodie’s advice because she’s a great actress and director,” Cohn says. “Kristen...
A love story at its core, “The Yellow Handkerchief” is about three strangers of two generations who embark on a road trip through post-Katrina Louisiana. Along the way, relationships forge and change in a myriad of ways, leading to the possibility of second chances at life and love. Kristen plays the role of Martine, the restless young beauty eager to leave her world behind. The film also stars William Hurt, Maria Bello and Eddie Redmayne.
Stewart was recommended to veteran producer Arthur Cohn by Jodie Foster, her co-star in 2002’s Panic Room and a longtime friend of Cohn’s. “I followed Jodie’s advice because she’s a great actress and director,” Cohn says. “Kristen...
- 2/20/2010
- MoviesOnline.ca
It's hard to believe, but it's taken over two years for the drama "The Yellow Handkerchief" to theaters. Debuting at the Sundance Film Festival in 2008, the film features great performances by William Hurt, Maria Bello, Kristen Stewart and Eddie Radmayne. Unfortunately, even after "Twilight" and Stewart's starpower exploded a year ago it took small distributor Samuel Goldwyn to come on board and bring legendary producer Arthur Cohn's passion project to the screen. Directed by Udayan Prasad, "Handkerchief" finds Hurt playing an ex-conflict fresh out of prison who is at a crossroads at his life. As he decides whether to pick...
- 2/19/2010
- Hitfix
Arthur Cohn Productions and Samuel Goldwyn Films released this new international movie poster for the upcoming film “The Yellow Handkerchief” by director Udayan Prasad (Gabriel & Me) and starring Kristen Stewart (The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, The Runaways), Maria Bello (Grown Ups) and William Hurt (Robin Hood). Synopsis: One lazy afternoon in a backwater Louisiana town, Martine takes a leap into an unfamiliar convertible. The driver, Gordy, an awkward young itinerant who eyed her in the diner earlier, isn’t displeased to find this pretty sylph in his front seat. Soon they meet Brett, a laconic, humble man just released from prison. Martine isn’t keen on going solo with Gordy, and now it’s [...]...
- 2/15/2010
- by Brian Corder
- ShockYa
Samuel Goldwyn Films' "The Yellow Handkerchief" has new clips in it. The romantic drama stars William Hurt, Maria Bello, Kristen Stewart, Eddie Redmayne, Emmanuel Cohn, Nurith Cohn and Veronica Russell. Udayan Prasad helms from the writing by Pete Hamill and Erin Dignam based on the 1977 film by Yoji Yamada. The film was shot in Louisiana and is produced by Arthur Cohn. A love story at its core, The Yellow Handkerchief is about three strangers of two generations who embark on a road trip through post Katrina Louisiana. Along the way, relationships forge and change in a myriad of ways, leading to the possibility of second chances at life and love...
- 1/28/2010
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Actress and goddess Kristen Stewart is ready to show her fans her acting range in the new indie film The Yellow Handkerchief (2010). Spending the past two years as Bella Swan, Stewart is ready to play the troubled Southern teen that embarks upon a road trip with complete strangers. The indie flick is due out in February of 2010 and Stewart is already getting rave reviews for her work. Kristen Stewart is wasting no time away from the limelight these days and her new film The Yellow Handkerchief (2010) has her playing Martine, the wanderlust troubled teen traveling through the South. Embarking on a round trip through post-Katrina Louisiana, Martine teams up with Gordy (Eddie Redmayne), May (Mara Bello) and the legendary William Hurt as Brett Hanson. Stewart who is used to doting on Robert Pattinson will have the chance to step out from the Twilight (2008) shadow and display her raw talent. The Yellow Handkerchief...
- 12/9/2009
- by cjoyce@corp.popstar.com (Colleen Joyce)
- ScreenStar
Good news, Kristen Stewart fans; you'll soon be getting a chance to see her act in a movie. For the last two years now, Stewart's big-screen presence has primarily consisted of swooning over her co-star Robert Pattinson (as if that required any dramatic chops) and perfecting her patented blank-eyed, lovelorn gaze. But K-Stew has a new project, The Yellow Handkerchief, coming to theaters in February, and producer Arthur Cohn tells People magazine that we're going to see a whole new side to the Twilight star. In the film, which also stars Maria Bello and William Hurt, Stewart plays Martine, a troubled teen in...
- 11/25/2009
- by Celebuzz
- Celebuzz.com
Forget the supernatural: In Kristen Stewart's next project, the New Moon star is taking a deeply human turn, playing a troubled teenager in the indie flick The Yellow Handkerchief, due in theaters in February. Costarring William Hurt, Mario Bello and Eddie Redmayne, the movie explores the relationships between three strangers who embark on a road trip through post-Katrina Louisiana. Stewart plays Martine, a teen who hopes to escape her family, while Hurt plays Brett Hanson, a man who has to choose between his ex-wife (played by Bello) or what's next.Related: New Moon Mania: What's Next for the Cast?...
- 11/24/2009
- by Brian Orloff
- PEOPLE.com
In case you didn't already know, Kristen Stewart's film The Yellow Handkerchief was brought back around to the concept table for distribution during a deal between Samuel Goldwyn Pictures and the film studio Arthur Cohn Productions (see here). It is planned for distribution on a fledgling pay cable channel as well (see here). Now, it has been announced that the film will be a part of the Chicago International Film Festival on October 18th in Chicago, Illinois. The screening will take place at 7:00 p.m., and tickets are available for $20-25. Details on the screening are available here. The Yellow Handkerchief's description is as follows...
- 9/28/2009
- by thetwilightexaminer
- Twilight Examiner
Samuel Goldwyn has picked up Sundance pic "The Yellow Handkerchief."
Udayan Prasad directed and Arthur Cohn produced the road drama, which stars William Hurt, Maria Bello and Kristen Stewart as three strangers who embark on a road trip in post-Katrina Louisiana in a bid to assuage their own loneliness. The film debuted last year in Park City. The company plans to release it in the fall or winter.
Pete Hamill wrote the short story on which "Handkerchief" is based.
Prasad directed the U.K.-set religious drama "My Son the Fanatic." Cohn is the veteran producer who counts such pics as "Central Station," "American Dream" and "The Garden of the Finzi-Continis" among his credits.
Goldwyn president Meyer Gottlieb called "Handkerchief" a "richly told and beautifully complex love story (that will) resonate across all audiences."
Gottlieb negotiated on behalf of the distrib, while Cohn negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers.
Udayan Prasad directed and Arthur Cohn produced the road drama, which stars William Hurt, Maria Bello and Kristen Stewart as three strangers who embark on a road trip in post-Katrina Louisiana in a bid to assuage their own loneliness. The film debuted last year in Park City. The company plans to release it in the fall or winter.
Pete Hamill wrote the short story on which "Handkerchief" is based.
Prasad directed the U.K.-set religious drama "My Son the Fanatic." Cohn is the veteran producer who counts such pics as "Central Station," "American Dream" and "The Garden of the Finzi-Continis" among his credits.
Goldwyn president Meyer Gottlieb called "Handkerchief" a "richly told and beautifully complex love story (that will) resonate across all audiences."
Gottlieb negotiated on behalf of the distrib, while Cohn negotiated on behalf of the filmmakers.
- 5/28/2009
- by By Steven Zeitchik
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
NEW YORK -- Sony Pictures Classics has picked up all North American rights to The Children of Huang Shi, a fact-based war drama filmed in China starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Radha Mitchell, Chow Yun-Fat and Michelle Yeoh.
Roger Spottiswoode's feature, which wrapped three months of shooting Friday in Shanghai, tells the story of a British reporter (Rhys Meyers) in China during the country's invasion by Japan in 1937. He rescues 60 war orphans by leading them on a thousand-mile journey to a village near the end of China's Great Wall with the help of a local political leader (Chow), an aristocrat (Yeoh) and the nurse he falls in love with (Mitchell).
Children was written by James MacManus and Jane Hawksley. The film is tentatively set for release in the fourth quarter.
Arthur Cohn and Wieland Schulz-Keil produced the film with Peter Loehr of Beijing's Ming Prods., Jonathan Shteinman of Sydney's Bluewater Pictures and Martin Hagemann of Berlin's Zero Fiction.
Roger Spottiswoode's feature, which wrapped three months of shooting Friday in Shanghai, tells the story of a British reporter (Rhys Meyers) in China during the country's invasion by Japan in 1937. He rescues 60 war orphans by leading them on a thousand-mile journey to a village near the end of China's Great Wall with the help of a local political leader (Chow), an aristocrat (Yeoh) and the nurse he falls in love with (Mitchell).
Children was written by James MacManus and Jane Hawksley. The film is tentatively set for release in the fourth quarter.
Arthur Cohn and Wieland Schulz-Keil produced the film with Peter Loehr of Beijing's Ming Prods., Jonathan Shteinman of Sydney's Bluewater Pictures and Martin Hagemann of Berlin's Zero Fiction.
- 2/20/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Oscar-winning producer Arthur Cohn was honored with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization's (UNESCO) annual award in recognition "of his outstanding and meritorious achievements" at a ceremony this past weekend in Dusseldorf, Germany. In hailing Cohn, the only producer to win six Academy Awards, UNESCO made mention of his films with children's themes such as Central Station, Two Bits and The Chorus. UNESCO noted, in giving the award, that Cohn is a "dreamer, but at the same time his successes in cinema are a significant reality. (He) has always succeeded in making unusual films which are considered memorable, but at the same time, he (has) always realized that dreams are not enough for children. There must be dreams that can be realized in life. In fact, Cohn deserves the UNESCO award both for his cultural and educational achievements in line with an organization which was created by the U.N. for culture and education."...
- 11/14/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A worthy but somewhat less-than-satisfying follow-up to the Oscar-nominated "Central Station", Brazilian director Walter Salles and producer Arthur Cohn's "Behind the Sun" is a somber tale of a blood feud depicted as an endless cycle of ritual violence. Distributor Miramax can count on Salles' name to lure dedicated cineastes for limited engagements, but "Sun" is probably not destined for boxoffice or awards vindication.
Inspired by Ismail Kadare's novel "Broken April", set in Albania, Salles and co-writers Sergio Machado and Karim Ainouz have fashioned a widescreen period drama that holds one's attention but comes up short as a cinematic experience that will resonate strongly with all viewers.
Transporting Kadare's original to the Inhamuns Badlands in northern Brazil's Ceara state, "Sun" plays like a lengthy short story or a short novella stretched to feature length. There are a handful of characters and few plot points that entail long scenes. As with his previous film, Salles tells much of the story with minimal dialogue and proves again to be a very talented visual artist.
What's missing in the film is the one character who can command the same attention as the film's technical virtues, while the horrid atmosphere of dread that hangs over the film is predictably destined to be broken. One comes away from the film in perhaps a gloomier mood than was intended, however, because there is nobody to enthusiastically root for. It's more a case of just hoping one or two folk survive the carnage.
The Breves family was once a proud supplier of sugar in the desert-y nowhere they call home, but the decline began with the abolition of slavery, and now the reigning patriarch (Jose Dumont) is forced to drive the oxen himself at the old mill where the sugar is processed. A very hard man who proudly remembers his many brothers and uncles who died defending the family's honor, this nameless father has a 20-year-old son, Tonho (Rodrigo Santoro), who is next in line to gun down one of the hated Ferreiras family. Tonho's younger brother Ravi Ramos Lacerda), who doesn't have a name -- his father and mother (Rita Assemany) call him "kid" -- has nightmares of the latest murder that needs avenging, but he doesn't want his older sibling to become a killer.
Nonetheless, once the blood on the shirt worn by the victim turns yellow, Tonho is sent on his mission of assassination. He succeeds and must wait for his demise, prohibited from leaving by his psychotic father. Enter a wandering pair of circus entertainers, Salustiano Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos) and Clara Flavia Marco Antonio). The latter is a multitalented beauty who responds to Tonho's obvious infatuation, while her companion refuses to keep calling the younger boy "kid" and gives him the name Pacu.
A little romance and playfulness with swings and circus ropes provide an upbeat contrast to Tonho and Pacu's doomed-to-die-young fates, but it takes an unexpected tragedy and stronger-than-hate familial love to break the death cycle. Newcomer Lacerda, Dumont, Santoro and real-life circus performer Antonio are skilled at making their minimal characters fully dimensional, but the darkly atmospheric movie's biggest stars are Salles, cinematographer Walter Carvalho, soundman Felix Andrew and composer Antonio Pinto.
BEHIND THE SUN
Miramax Films
An Arthur Cohn production
Director: Walter Salles
Producer: Arthur Cohn
Screenwriters: Walter Salles, Sergio Machado, Karim Ainouz
Inspired by the novel "Broken April" by: Ismail Kadare
Executive producers: Mauricio Andrade Ramos, Lillian Birnbaum
Director of photography: Walter Carvalho
Art director: Cassio Amarante
Editor: Isabelle Rathery
Sound designer: Felix Andrew
Costume designer: Cao Albuquerque
Music: Antonio Pinto
Color/stereo
Cast:
Father: Jose Dumont
Tonho: Rodrigo Santoro
Pacu: Ravi Ramos Lacerda
Clara: Flavia Marco Antonio
Mother: Rita Assemany
Salustiano: Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos
Running time -- 90 minutes
MPAA...
Inspired by Ismail Kadare's novel "Broken April", set in Albania, Salles and co-writers Sergio Machado and Karim Ainouz have fashioned a widescreen period drama that holds one's attention but comes up short as a cinematic experience that will resonate strongly with all viewers.
Transporting Kadare's original to the Inhamuns Badlands in northern Brazil's Ceara state, "Sun" plays like a lengthy short story or a short novella stretched to feature length. There are a handful of characters and few plot points that entail long scenes. As with his previous film, Salles tells much of the story with minimal dialogue and proves again to be a very talented visual artist.
What's missing in the film is the one character who can command the same attention as the film's technical virtues, while the horrid atmosphere of dread that hangs over the film is predictably destined to be broken. One comes away from the film in perhaps a gloomier mood than was intended, however, because there is nobody to enthusiastically root for. It's more a case of just hoping one or two folk survive the carnage.
The Breves family was once a proud supplier of sugar in the desert-y nowhere they call home, but the decline began with the abolition of slavery, and now the reigning patriarch (Jose Dumont) is forced to drive the oxen himself at the old mill where the sugar is processed. A very hard man who proudly remembers his many brothers and uncles who died defending the family's honor, this nameless father has a 20-year-old son, Tonho (Rodrigo Santoro), who is next in line to gun down one of the hated Ferreiras family. Tonho's younger brother Ravi Ramos Lacerda), who doesn't have a name -- his father and mother (Rita Assemany) call him "kid" -- has nightmares of the latest murder that needs avenging, but he doesn't want his older sibling to become a killer.
Nonetheless, once the blood on the shirt worn by the victim turns yellow, Tonho is sent on his mission of assassination. He succeeds and must wait for his demise, prohibited from leaving by his psychotic father. Enter a wandering pair of circus entertainers, Salustiano Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos) and Clara Flavia Marco Antonio). The latter is a multitalented beauty who responds to Tonho's obvious infatuation, while her companion refuses to keep calling the younger boy "kid" and gives him the name Pacu.
A little romance and playfulness with swings and circus ropes provide an upbeat contrast to Tonho and Pacu's doomed-to-die-young fates, but it takes an unexpected tragedy and stronger-than-hate familial love to break the death cycle. Newcomer Lacerda, Dumont, Santoro and real-life circus performer Antonio are skilled at making their minimal characters fully dimensional, but the darkly atmospheric movie's biggest stars are Salles, cinematographer Walter Carvalho, soundman Felix Andrew and composer Antonio Pinto.
BEHIND THE SUN
Miramax Films
An Arthur Cohn production
Director: Walter Salles
Producer: Arthur Cohn
Screenwriters: Walter Salles, Sergio Machado, Karim Ainouz
Inspired by the novel "Broken April" by: Ismail Kadare
Executive producers: Mauricio Andrade Ramos, Lillian Birnbaum
Director of photography: Walter Carvalho
Art director: Cassio Amarante
Editor: Isabelle Rathery
Sound designer: Felix Andrew
Costume designer: Cao Albuquerque
Music: Antonio Pinto
Color/stereo
Cast:
Father: Jose Dumont
Tonho: Rodrigo Santoro
Pacu: Ravi Ramos Lacerda
Clara: Flavia Marco Antonio
Mother: Rita Assemany
Salustiano: Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos
Running time -- 90 minutes
MPAA...
Los Angeles-based law firm Christensen, Miller, Fink, Jacobs, Glaser, Weil & Shapiro has named Gary Sommerstein a partner in the firm and head of the entertainment law practice group. Sommerstein joined Christensen Miller in 2000 and works with a range of clients, including MGM Television, Morgan Creek Prods., KirchMedia, syndicated talk show host Larry Elder, producer Arthur Cohn and the Hallmark Channel.
- 5/26/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A worthy but somewhat less-than-satisfying follow-up to the Oscar-nominated "Central Station", Brazilian director Walter Salles and producer Arthur Cohn's "Behind the Sun" is a somber tale of a blood feud depicted as an endless cycle of ritual violence. Distributor Miramax can count on Salles' name to lure dedicated cineastes for limited engagements, but "Sun" is probably not destined for boxoffice or awards vindication.
Inspired by Ismail Kadare's novel "Broken April", set in Albania, Salles and co-writers Sergio Machado and Karim Ainouz have fashioned a widescreen period drama that holds one's attention but comes up short as a cinematic experience that will resonate strongly with all viewers.
Transporting Kadare's original to the Inhamuns Badlands in northern Brazil's Ceara state, "Sun" plays like a lengthy short story or a short novella stretched to feature length. There are a handful of characters and few plot points that entail long scenes. As with his previous film, Salles tells much of the story with minimal dialogue and proves again to be a very talented visual artist.
What's missing in the film is the one character who can command the same attention as the film's technical virtues, while the horrid atmosphere of dread that hangs over the film is predictably destined to be broken. One comes away from the film in perhaps a gloomier mood than was intended, however, because there is nobody to enthusiastically root for. It's more a case of just hoping one or two folk survive the carnage.
The Breves family was once a proud supplier of sugar in the desert-y nowhere they call home, but the decline began with the abolition of slavery, and now the reigning patriarch (Jose Dumont) is forced to drive the oxen himself at the old mill where the sugar is processed. A very hard man who proudly remembers his many brothers and uncles who died defending the family's honor, this nameless father has a 20-year-old son, Tonho (Rodrigo Santoro), who is next in line to gun down one of the hated Ferreiras family. Tonho's younger brother Ravi Ramos Lacerda), who doesn't have a name -- his father and mother (Rita Assemany) call him "kid" -- has nightmares of the latest murder that needs avenging, but he doesn't want his older sibling to become a killer.
Nonetheless, once the blood on the shirt worn by the victim turns yellow, Tonho is sent on his mission of assassination. He succeeds and must wait for his demise, prohibited from leaving by his psychotic father. Enter a wandering pair of circus entertainers, Salustiano Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos) and Clara Flavia Marco Antonio). The latter is a multitalented beauty who responds to Tonho's obvious infatuation, while her companion refuses to keep calling the younger boy "kid" and gives him the name Pacu.
A little romance and playfulness with swings and circus ropes provide an upbeat contrast to Tonho and Pacu's doomed-to-die-young fates, but it takes an unexpected tragedy and stronger-than-hate familial love to break the death cycle. Newcomer Lacerda, Dumont, Santoro and real-life circus performer Antonio are skilled at making their minimal characters fully dimensional, but the darkly atmospheric movie's biggest stars are Salles, cinematographer Walter Carvalho, soundman Felix Andrew and composer Antonio Pinto.
BEHIND THE SUN
Miramax Films
An Arthur Cohn production
Director: Walter Salles
Producer: Arthur Cohn
Screenwriters: Walter Salles, Sergio Machado, Karim Ainouz
Inspired by the novel "Broken April" by: Ismail Kadare
Executive producers: Mauricio Andrade Ramos, Lillian Birnbaum
Director of photography: Walter Carvalho
Art director: Cassio Amarante
Editor: Isabelle Rathery
Sound designer: Felix Andrew
Costume designer: Cao Albuquerque
Music: Antonio Pinto
Color/stereo
Cast:
Father: Jose Dumont
Tonho: Rodrigo Santoro
Pacu: Ravi Ramos Lacerda
Clara: Flavia Marco Antonio
Mother: Rita Assemany
Salustiano: Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos
Running time -- 90 minutes
MPAA...
Inspired by Ismail Kadare's novel "Broken April", set in Albania, Salles and co-writers Sergio Machado and Karim Ainouz have fashioned a widescreen period drama that holds one's attention but comes up short as a cinematic experience that will resonate strongly with all viewers.
Transporting Kadare's original to the Inhamuns Badlands in northern Brazil's Ceara state, "Sun" plays like a lengthy short story or a short novella stretched to feature length. There are a handful of characters and few plot points that entail long scenes. As with his previous film, Salles tells much of the story with minimal dialogue and proves again to be a very talented visual artist.
What's missing in the film is the one character who can command the same attention as the film's technical virtues, while the horrid atmosphere of dread that hangs over the film is predictably destined to be broken. One comes away from the film in perhaps a gloomier mood than was intended, however, because there is nobody to enthusiastically root for. It's more a case of just hoping one or two folk survive the carnage.
The Breves family was once a proud supplier of sugar in the desert-y nowhere they call home, but the decline began with the abolition of slavery, and now the reigning patriarch (Jose Dumont) is forced to drive the oxen himself at the old mill where the sugar is processed. A very hard man who proudly remembers his many brothers and uncles who died defending the family's honor, this nameless father has a 20-year-old son, Tonho (Rodrigo Santoro), who is next in line to gun down one of the hated Ferreiras family. Tonho's younger brother Ravi Ramos Lacerda), who doesn't have a name -- his father and mother (Rita Assemany) call him "kid" -- has nightmares of the latest murder that needs avenging, but he doesn't want his older sibling to become a killer.
Nonetheless, once the blood on the shirt worn by the victim turns yellow, Tonho is sent on his mission of assassination. He succeeds and must wait for his demise, prohibited from leaving by his psychotic father. Enter a wandering pair of circus entertainers, Salustiano Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos) and Clara Flavia Marco Antonio). The latter is a multitalented beauty who responds to Tonho's obvious infatuation, while her companion refuses to keep calling the younger boy "kid" and gives him the name Pacu.
A little romance and playfulness with swings and circus ropes provide an upbeat contrast to Tonho and Pacu's doomed-to-die-young fates, but it takes an unexpected tragedy and stronger-than-hate familial love to break the death cycle. Newcomer Lacerda, Dumont, Santoro and real-life circus performer Antonio are skilled at making their minimal characters fully dimensional, but the darkly atmospheric movie's biggest stars are Salles, cinematographer Walter Carvalho, soundman Felix Andrew and composer Antonio Pinto.
BEHIND THE SUN
Miramax Films
An Arthur Cohn production
Director: Walter Salles
Producer: Arthur Cohn
Screenwriters: Walter Salles, Sergio Machado, Karim Ainouz
Inspired by the novel "Broken April" by: Ismail Kadare
Executive producers: Mauricio Andrade Ramos, Lillian Birnbaum
Director of photography: Walter Carvalho
Art director: Cassio Amarante
Editor: Isabelle Rathery
Sound designer: Felix Andrew
Costume designer: Cao Albuquerque
Music: Antonio Pinto
Color/stereo
Cast:
Father: Jose Dumont
Tonho: Rodrigo Santoro
Pacu: Ravi Ramos Lacerda
Clara: Flavia Marco Antonio
Mother: Rita Assemany
Salustiano: Luiz Carlos Vasconcelos
Running time -- 90 minutes
MPAA...
- 12/12/2001
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A deserved hit with film festival audiences, "Central Station" takes potentially predictable subject matter -- a lonely older woman and a young boy, who has just lost his mother, search for the father he never knew -- and infuses it with a jolt of bracing originality and quiet power.
Yes, the reluctant odd couple will ultimately form a bond in spite of themselves. Yes, each will ultimately have a profound influence on the other. But impressive filmmaker Walter Salles ("Foreign Land"), working from an original concept richly fleshed out by first-time screenwriters Joao Emanuel Carneiro and Marcos Bernstein, displays both a visual virtuosity and a tremendous rapport with his two remarkable leads.
Destined to be nominated for the foreign-language film Oscar, the Arthur Cohn production could also generate considerable traffic beyond the usual art house destinations.
Respected Brazilian actress Fernanda Montenegro puts in a masterful, fearless performance as the world-weary Dora, a lonely, cynical, far-from-pleasant former schoolteacher who meets rent for her depressing little flat by writing letters dictated by commuters who pass through Rio de Janeiro's Central Station.
But rather than mailing those letters, Dora takes them home and has fun reading them to her neighbor, Irene (Marilia Pera), before either ripping them up or stuffing them into a drawer.
Nice person.
One of those would-be correspondents -- a woman with a 9-year-old boy who just dictated a note to her son's long-absent father -- is killed by a bus, leaving the child, Josue (Vinicius de Oliveira) to fend for himself in the busy terminal.
Ultimately, after a couple of bad starts (at one juncture Dora "sells" Josue to a shady adoption racket, using some of her cash to buy a new remote-control TV), the stubborn twosome hit the road in search of the Josue's dad, with Dora ending up finding some long-lost feelings along the way.
Montenegro, who won the Silver Bear for best actress at this year's Berlin Film Festival for her warts-and-all performance, never stoops to caricature in her portrayal of a hardened woman who spent a good chunk of her adult life in self-imposed emotional exile.
Equally impressive is her traveling companion, de Oliveira, a former Rio airport shoeshine boy who never acted prior to his demanding, extraordinarily focused and moving work here.
Not only does Salles coax greatness from his leads, he also directs with a stirring visual sense. Working in tandem with director of photography Walter Carvalho, Salles deftly choreographs sequence after sequence -- Josue attempting to run after a departing train, Dora looking for Josue in the midst of a massive, candle-lit religious service -- that vividly underscore the film's themes of alienation and misplaced identity.
CENTRAL STATION
Sony Pictures Classics
An Arthur Cohn production
A film by Walter Salles
Director: Walter Salles
Producers: Arthur Cohn, Martine de Clermont-Tonnerre
Executive producers: Elisa Tolomelli, Lillian Birnbaum, Donald Ranvaud
Screenwriters: Joao Emanuel Carneiro, Marcos Bernstein
Based on an original idea by Walter Salles
Director of photography: Walter Carvalho
Production designers: Cassio Amarante, Carla Caffe
Editors: Isabelle Rathery, Felipe Lacerda
Costume designer: Cristina Camargo
Music: Antonio Pinto, Jaques Morelembaum
Color/stereo
Cast:
Dora: Fernanda Montenegro
Irene: Marilia Pera
Josue: Vinicius de Oliveira
Ana: Soia Lira
Cesar: Othon Bastos
Pedrao: Otavio Augusto
Isaias: Matheus Nachtergaele
Moises: Caio Junqueira
Running time -- 115 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
Yes, the reluctant odd couple will ultimately form a bond in spite of themselves. Yes, each will ultimately have a profound influence on the other. But impressive filmmaker Walter Salles ("Foreign Land"), working from an original concept richly fleshed out by first-time screenwriters Joao Emanuel Carneiro and Marcos Bernstein, displays both a visual virtuosity and a tremendous rapport with his two remarkable leads.
Destined to be nominated for the foreign-language film Oscar, the Arthur Cohn production could also generate considerable traffic beyond the usual art house destinations.
Respected Brazilian actress Fernanda Montenegro puts in a masterful, fearless performance as the world-weary Dora, a lonely, cynical, far-from-pleasant former schoolteacher who meets rent for her depressing little flat by writing letters dictated by commuters who pass through Rio de Janeiro's Central Station.
But rather than mailing those letters, Dora takes them home and has fun reading them to her neighbor, Irene (Marilia Pera), before either ripping them up or stuffing them into a drawer.
Nice person.
One of those would-be correspondents -- a woman with a 9-year-old boy who just dictated a note to her son's long-absent father -- is killed by a bus, leaving the child, Josue (Vinicius de Oliveira) to fend for himself in the busy terminal.
Ultimately, after a couple of bad starts (at one juncture Dora "sells" Josue to a shady adoption racket, using some of her cash to buy a new remote-control TV), the stubborn twosome hit the road in search of the Josue's dad, with Dora ending up finding some long-lost feelings along the way.
Montenegro, who won the Silver Bear for best actress at this year's Berlin Film Festival for her warts-and-all performance, never stoops to caricature in her portrayal of a hardened woman who spent a good chunk of her adult life in self-imposed emotional exile.
Equally impressive is her traveling companion, de Oliveira, a former Rio airport shoeshine boy who never acted prior to his demanding, extraordinarily focused and moving work here.
Not only does Salles coax greatness from his leads, he also directs with a stirring visual sense. Working in tandem with director of photography Walter Carvalho, Salles deftly choreographs sequence after sequence -- Josue attempting to run after a departing train, Dora looking for Josue in the midst of a massive, candle-lit religious service -- that vividly underscore the film's themes of alienation and misplaced identity.
CENTRAL STATION
Sony Pictures Classics
An Arthur Cohn production
A film by Walter Salles
Director: Walter Salles
Producers: Arthur Cohn, Martine de Clermont-Tonnerre
Executive producers: Elisa Tolomelli, Lillian Birnbaum, Donald Ranvaud
Screenwriters: Joao Emanuel Carneiro, Marcos Bernstein
Based on an original idea by Walter Salles
Director of photography: Walter Carvalho
Production designers: Cassio Amarante, Carla Caffe
Editors: Isabelle Rathery, Felipe Lacerda
Costume designer: Cristina Camargo
Music: Antonio Pinto, Jaques Morelembaum
Color/stereo
Cast:
Dora: Fernanda Montenegro
Irene: Marilia Pera
Josue: Vinicius de Oliveira
Ana: Soia Lira
Cesar: Othon Bastos
Pedrao: Otavio Augusto
Isaias: Matheus Nachtergaele
Moises: Caio Junqueira
Running time -- 115 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 11/18/1998
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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