He’s been expelled from the Academy, and his last film, “Based on a True Story,” flopped at the box office. But the recent announcement of Roman Polanski’s new movie offers proof that, even after the Harvey Weinstein scandal and the birth of the #MeToo movement, the controversial director can still muster support – at least, in places where #MeToo has been slow to take hold.
The Oscar-winning director, who pleaded guilty to having sex with a minor in 1977 and has been a fugitive of U.S. justice ever since, has managed to raise about €22 million ($25.3 million) for his long-gestating passion project, “J’Accuse,” from backers in France and Italy – two countries where #MeToo has been heavily criticized. (Polanski himself has called the movement “collective hysteria.”) “J’Accuse” now ranks among the biggest-budgeted local movies slated for either 2019 or 2020 in either territory.
Polanski has been able to recruit well-established players and talent for the film,...
The Oscar-winning director, who pleaded guilty to having sex with a minor in 1977 and has been a fugitive of U.S. justice ever since, has managed to raise about €22 million ($25.3 million) for his long-gestating passion project, “J’Accuse,” from backers in France and Italy – two countries where #MeToo has been heavily criticized. (Polanski himself has called the movement “collective hysteria.”) “J’Accuse” now ranks among the biggest-budgeted local movies slated for either 2019 or 2020 in either territory.
Polanski has been able to recruit well-established players and talent for the film,...
- 10/5/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Roman Polanski will film his next feature in Poland—if the country guarantees his safety from extradition to America, where the 80-year-old director is still wanted on charges from 1977 of having unlawful sex with a 13-year-old girl.
Polanski’s film, titled An Officer and a Spy and based off of Robert Harris’s book of the same name, will be a biopic about 19th-century French officer Alfred Dreyfus and his infamous trial in the French court. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Polanski has been scouting locations in Krakow and Warsaw with executives from the Polish Film Institute and top Polish studios for the film.
Polanski’s film, titled An Officer and a Spy and based off of Robert Harris’s book of the same name, will be a biopic about 19th-century French officer Alfred Dreyfus and his infamous trial in the French court. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Polanski has been scouting locations in Krakow and Warsaw with executives from the Polish Film Institute and top Polish studios for the film.
- 7/1/2014
- by Jackson McHenry
- EW - Inside Movies
Sundance Selects has acquired U.S. rights to Roman Polanski’s Venus in Fur. With a screenplay by Polanski and David Ives and based on the critically acclaimed Tony Award-winning play by Ives, the film stars Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathieu Amalric and was produced by Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. Exclusive Photos: 50 Never-Before-Seen Portraits From Cannes The film made its world premiere in competition at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Set in modern-day Paris, Venus in Fur follows writer-director Thomas (Amalric) and a pushy, foul-mouthed actress named Vanda (Seigner) who bursts into auditions in a whirlwind of
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- 6/5/2013
- by Tatiana Siegel
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sundance Selects announced on Wednesday [5] its latest acquisition from Cannes, taking Us rights from Resolution’s Jeff Berg to Roman Polanski’s Venus In Fur.
The competition entry stars Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathieu Amalric in the adaptation of David Ives’ Broadway play about a game of cat-and-mouse between a brilliant director and a pushy actress.
Polanski and Ives adapted the screenplay and Polanski’s longtime collaborators Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde produced the Cannes competition entry. Berg is Polanski’s longtime agent.
During the festival Sundance Selects acquired or announced it had acquired Abdellatif Kechiche’s Palme d’Or winner Blue Is The Warmest Colour, Clio Barnard’s Directors’ Fortnight entry The Selfish Giant, Francois Ozon’s competition title Young & Beautiful, and Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s Two Days, One Night starring Marion Cotillard, currently in pre-production.
Screen Media Films picked up in Cannes the French crime thriller Paris Countdown and will release on VoD in September...
The competition entry stars Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathieu Amalric in the adaptation of David Ives’ Broadway play about a game of cat-and-mouse between a brilliant director and a pushy actress.
Polanski and Ives adapted the screenplay and Polanski’s longtime collaborators Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde produced the Cannes competition entry. Berg is Polanski’s longtime agent.
During the festival Sundance Selects acquired or announced it had acquired Abdellatif Kechiche’s Palme d’Or winner Blue Is The Warmest Colour, Clio Barnard’s Directors’ Fortnight entry The Selfish Giant, Francois Ozon’s competition title Young & Beautiful, and Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne’s Two Days, One Night starring Marion Cotillard, currently in pre-production.
Screen Media Films picked up in Cannes the French crime thriller Paris Countdown and will release on VoD in September...
- 6/5/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Sundance Selects grabbed U.S. rights to the Roman Polanski-directed Venus In Fur. Polanski and David Ives wrote it based on the Tony-winning stage play by Ives. Emmanuelle Seigner and Mathieu Amalric star and Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde produced it. The film made its world premiere in Competition at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. Set in modern-day Paris, Venus In Fur follows a writer-director (Amalric) and a pushy, foul-mouthed actress named Vanda (Seigner) who bursts into auditions in a whirlwind of erratic energy. Vanda’s emotionally charged audition for the gifted but demanding playwright becomes an electrifying game of cat and mouse that blurs the lines between fantasy and reality, seduction and power, and ultimately, attraction and obsession. Arianna Bocco made the deal with Jeff Berg. Amalric and Seigner starred together in the Julian Schnabel-directed Diving Bell And The Butterfly.
- 6/5/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Venus In Fur
Director/Writer: Roman Polanski
Producer(s): Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Emmanuelle Seigner and Louis Garrel
And just before we were about to throw out the notion of Polanski adapting another play for the big screen (2011′s Carnage didn’t go over well), in comes a potentially juicy meta project with Polanski’s actress wife Emmanuelle Seigner (they last worked together on The Ninth Gate) taking the lead role of the actress almost begging/demanding a role. Like Carnage, we imagine that this might be once again set in a self-contained backdrop, meaning this will be a performance-driven drama. Could be the guilty pleasure film of the year.
Gist: Based on the Off-Broadway play by David Ives, this is about an actress (Seigner) attempts to convince a director (Garrel) how she’s perfect for a role in his upcoming production. This...
Director/Writer: Roman Polanski
Producer(s): Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Emmanuelle Seigner and Louis Garrel
And just before we were about to throw out the notion of Polanski adapting another play for the big screen (2011′s Carnage didn’t go over well), in comes a potentially juicy meta project with Polanski’s actress wife Emmanuelle Seigner (they last worked together on The Ninth Gate) taking the lead role of the actress almost begging/demanding a role. Like Carnage, we imagine that this might be once again set in a self-contained backdrop, meaning this will be a performance-driven drama. Could be the guilty pleasure film of the year.
Gist: Based on the Off-Broadway play by David Ives, this is about an actress (Seigner) attempts to convince a director (Garrel) how she’s perfect for a role in his upcoming production. This...
- 1/11/2013
- by Eric Lavallee
- IONCINEMA.com
The controversial Polish-born director, Roman Polanski who last adapted the hit play God of Carnage for the screen, will next tackle David Ives play Venus in Fur.
Polanski will co-write with Ives and direct a film adaptation of Tony Award-winning comedy-drama and has lined up his wife Emmanuelle Seigner and Louis Garrel (The Dreamers) to star.
Polanski will work on the erotic black comedy while he waits for the pieces to come together on the larger-scale D., based on the historic Dreyfus scandal, which Polanski will direct as well.
The filmmaker who directed Seigner in Frantic (1988) and Bitter Moon (1992) said in a statement that he’s ‘been looking for a chance to make a film in French with Emmanuelle for a long time.’
Director’s longtime collaborators Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde, will produce. Filming is set to begin in November in Paris.
Venus in Fur chronicles an actress’ sadomasochistic...
Polanski will co-write with Ives and direct a film adaptation of Tony Award-winning comedy-drama and has lined up his wife Emmanuelle Seigner and Louis Garrel (The Dreamers) to star.
Polanski will work on the erotic black comedy while he waits for the pieces to come together on the larger-scale D., based on the historic Dreyfus scandal, which Polanski will direct as well.
The filmmaker who directed Seigner in Frantic (1988) and Bitter Moon (1992) said in a statement that he’s ‘been looking for a chance to make a film in French with Emmanuelle for a long time.’
Director’s longtime collaborators Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde, will produce. Filming is set to begin in November in Paris.
Venus in Fur chronicles an actress’ sadomasochistic...
- 9/20/2012
- by Nick Martin
- Filmofilia
Roman Polanski has signed on to direct a French-language film adaptation of David Ives’ erotic black comedy Broadway smash "Venus in Fur" says THR.
The Tony nominated two-person play deals with a filmmaker lamenting the fact he can't find a suitable actress for his adaptation of the novel which inspired the term masochism.
At the last minute, an actress arrives who seems to be the antithesis of everything he needs. Yet over the course of the play, the power balance completely shifts until she has established total dominance over him.
Polanski's wife Emmanuelle Seigner ("The Ninth Gate," "Frantic") and Louis Garrel ("The Dreamers," "Love Songs") will star. Polanski and Ives are adapting the script while Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde will produce.
Shooting kicks off in November in Paris. Polanski is also awaiting a new script draft for "D.", a film about the notorious Dreyfuss affair which he's also slated to direct.
The Tony nominated two-person play deals with a filmmaker lamenting the fact he can't find a suitable actress for his adaptation of the novel which inspired the term masochism.
At the last minute, an actress arrives who seems to be the antithesis of everything he needs. Yet over the course of the play, the power balance completely shifts until she has established total dominance over him.
Polanski's wife Emmanuelle Seigner ("The Ninth Gate," "Frantic") and Louis Garrel ("The Dreamers," "Love Songs") will star. Polanski and Ives are adapting the script while Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde will produce.
Shooting kicks off in November in Paris. Polanski is also awaiting a new script draft for "D.", a film about the notorious Dreyfuss affair which he's also slated to direct.
- 9/20/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Breaking: Roman Polanski is set to direct a film adaptation of the David Ives play Venus in Fur. He’ll film in French and has set Emmanuelle Seigner and Louis Garrel in the lead roles. The show played Broadway and off-Broadway, and Nina Arianda won a Tony for Best Actress. Polanski will work on the erotic black comedy while awaiting completion of the screenplay for D., based on the historic Dreyfus scandal, which Polanski will direct as well. Seigner is Polanski’s wife. “I’ve been looking for a chance to make a film in French with Emmanuelle for a long time,” said Polanski, who previously directed Seigner in Frantic and Bitter Moon. “Reading Venus in Fur I realized the moment had arrived. I got so fired up to put this brilliant black comedy on film that I decided to fit it in before D., whose screenplay and pre-production will demand a few more months.
- 9/20/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Following on from last year's "Carnage", Roman Polanski has announced that his next project will be the period political thriller "D" which Lionsgate/Summit International are shopping around at Cannes reports Variety.
The project deals with the famed 'Dreyfus Affair', a political scandal that divided France in the 1890s and the early 1900s.
Said scandal involved Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young French artillery officer of Alsatian Jewish descent accused of giving French military secrets to the German Embassy in Paris.
Robert Harris, who penned both the source novel and screenplay for Polanski's 2010 thriller "The Ghost Writer", penned the script. Shooting aims to kick off later this year. Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde are producing.
The project deals with the famed 'Dreyfus Affair', a political scandal that divided France in the 1890s and the early 1900s.
Said scandal involved Captain Alfred Dreyfus, a young French artillery officer of Alsatian Jewish descent accused of giving French military secrets to the German Embassy in Paris.
Robert Harris, who penned both the source novel and screenplay for Polanski's 2010 thriller "The Ghost Writer", penned the script. Shooting aims to kick off later this year. Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde are producing.
- 5/10/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
While this news is not big for most geeks, it may be big for fellow film geeks that read the site. Roman Polanski has found his next directing project, and is reuniting with the team behind The Ghost Writer. Polanski is directing D, a film based on the Dreyfus affair, one of the biggest political scandals in history.
Robert Harris penned the screenplay for the film, which is being produced by Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. Casting will begin soon, with production kicking-off in Paris by the end of this year. For more information read the press release below:
Paris, France / Los Angeles, CA – May 9 , 2012 — Roman Polanski announced today that his next feature film project will be the political thriller “D,” based on the Dreyfus affair, one of the most sensational political scandals and miscarriages of justice in history.
“D” reunites the team behind Polanski’s 2010 award-winning movie The Ghost Writer.
Robert Harris penned the screenplay for the film, which is being produced by Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. Casting will begin soon, with production kicking-off in Paris by the end of this year. For more information read the press release below:
Paris, France / Los Angeles, CA – May 9 , 2012 — Roman Polanski announced today that his next feature film project will be the political thriller “D,” based on the Dreyfus affair, one of the most sensational political scandals and miscarriages of justice in history.
“D” reunites the team behind Polanski’s 2010 award-winning movie The Ghost Writer.
- 5/10/2012
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
Roman Polanski knows a thing or two about scandalous affairs, on screen and off, with word coming today that the filmmaker’s next directorial project will be the political thriller ‘D’, based on the infamous Dreyfus Affair of 1894.
For those not in the know, the Dreyfus Affair is considered to be one of the most sensational political scandals and miscarriages of justice in legal history. In December 1894, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, one of the few Jewish Officers on the general staff of the French Army, was secretly subjected to a court martial following accusations of passing secrets to the Germans. Found guilty, Dreyfus was sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to Devil’s Island. However, Col. Georges Picquart slowly began to realize that he may have the wrong man and the real traitor is still at large. In his attempts to prove his theory, he found himself in direct conflict with...
For those not in the know, the Dreyfus Affair is considered to be one of the most sensational political scandals and miscarriages of justice in legal history. In December 1894, Captain Alfred Dreyfus, one of the few Jewish Officers on the general staff of the French Army, was secretly subjected to a court martial following accusations of passing secrets to the Germans. Found guilty, Dreyfus was sentenced to life imprisonment and sent to Devil’s Island. However, Col. Georges Picquart slowly began to realize that he may have the wrong man and the real traitor is still at large. In his attempts to prove his theory, he found himself in direct conflict with...
- 5/9/2012
- by Nick Savvides
- Obsessed with Film
Roman Polanski will make his next film about “one of the most sensational political scandals and miscarriages of justice in history.” But no, it’s not autobiographical. By the end of the year, Polanski plans to be filming the political thriller “D,” based on the infamous Dreyfus affair, not his own legal troubles. The new project reunites him with his “Ghost Writer” screenwriter Robert Harris and producers Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. The 1894 scandal involved a Jewish officer of the French army who was convicted of passing secrets to the Germans and the head of French counterintelligence that ultimately tried to prove that Dreyfus was not actually the traitor. “I have long wanted to make a film about the Dreyfus Affair, treating it not as a costume drama but as a spy story,” said Polanski. “In this way one can show its absolute relevance to what is happening in today’s world — the age-old.
- 5/9/2012
- by Jay A. Fernandez
- Indiewire
Controversial director Roman Polanski is getting political again. The legendary -- and legendarily controversial -- director is focusing his gaze on the notorious 19th century Dreyfuss affair for his next film, simply titled "D." Polanski will direct from a screenplay by Robert Harris (who wrote Polanski's 2010 film "The Ghost Writer"), with Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde producing. "D" will soon begin casting and is tentatively scheduled to begin production in Paris by the end of 2012. The infamous Dreyfuss affair was one of history's greatest miscarriages of justice. In December 1894, French Army Captain Alfred Dreyfus, who was Jewish, was...
- 5/9/2012
- by Dave Lewis
- Hitfix
Roman Polanski's next film will be the political thriller D, based on the notorious Dreyfus Affair. D reunites Polanski with The Ghost Writer screenwriter Robert Harris and producers Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. The film will be independently financed. Lionsgate/Summit International is representing foreign rights, while ICM is representing North American rights. Polanski intends to begin shooting in Paris by the end of the year. Casting is underway. The Dreyfus Affair is considered on the most sensational political scandals in history, as well as a miscarriage of justice. In December 1894, Captain Alfred Dreyfus -- one of the few Jewish officers
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- 5/9/2012
- by Pamela McClintock
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Paris, France / Los Angeles, CA – May 9 , 2012 — Roman Polanski announced today that his next feature film project will be the political thriller “D,” based on the Dreyfus affair, one of the most sensational political scandals and miscarriages of justice in history. “D” reunites the team behind Polanski’s 2010 award-winning movie The Ghost Writer. Polanski will direct from a screenplay written by Robert Harris, with long-time Polanski collaborators Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde serving as producers. The independently financed film will begin casting shortly and currently plans to be in production in Paris by the end of this year. Lionsgate/Summit International will represent the film’s international sales. ICM will represent North American rights. “I have long wanted to make a film about the Dreyfus Affair, treating it not as a costume drama but as a spy story,” said Polanski. “In this way one can show its absolute relevance to what...
- 5/9/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
Roman Polanski announced today that his next feature film project will be the political thriller D , based on the Dreyfus affair, one of the most sensational political scandals and miscarriages of justice in history. D reunites the team behind Polanski's 2010 award-winning movie The Ghost Writer . Polanski will direct from a screenplay written by Robert Harris, with long-time Polanski collaborators Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde serving as producers. The independently-financed film will begin casting shortly and currently plans to be in production in Paris by the end of this year. Lionsgate/Summit International will represent the film.s international sales. ICM will represent North American rights. "I have long wanted to make a film about the Dreyfus Affair, treating...
- 5/9/2012
- Comingsoon.net
Post the filming of "The Three Musketeers", Paul W.S. Anderson opts "Pompeii" as his next venture. The director has reunited with his "Musketeers" team, Constantin Film and Summit Entertainment on the film about a romance amid the destruction of Pompeii by Mount Vesuvius.
Anderson, producer of four "Resident Evil" films, once again takes seat as a director in this new film with Impact Pictures' Jeremy Bolt and Constantin's Robert Kulzer taking duties as producers. Summit will be in charge of its U.S. distribution and selling at Cannes International Film Festival while Constantin would be the financier.
Using the script by Lee Batchler and Janet Scott Batchler, "Pompeii" will center around the romance between a slave and the daughter of the slave's master amid the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79 and destruction of Pompeii. He dreams of the day he can buy his freedom and marry her...
Anderson, producer of four "Resident Evil" films, once again takes seat as a director in this new film with Impact Pictures' Jeremy Bolt and Constantin's Robert Kulzer taking duties as producers. Summit will be in charge of its U.S. distribution and selling at Cannes International Film Festival while Constantin would be the financier.
Using the script by Lee Batchler and Janet Scott Batchler, "Pompeii" will center around the romance between a slave and the daughter of the slave's master amid the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D. 79 and destruction of Pompeii. He dreams of the day he can buy his freedom and marry her...
- 5/3/2011
- by AceShowbiz.com
- Aceshowbiz
Roman Polanski directing The Ghost Writer Best Film Heartbreaker produced by Nicolas Duval Adassovsky, Yann Zenou, Laurent Zeitoun, directed by Pascal Chaumeil Of Gods And Men produced by Pascal Caucheteux, Grégoire Sorlat, Etienne Comar, directed by Xavier Beauvois Gainsbourg (Vie HÉROÏQUE) produced by Marc du Pontavice, Didier Lupfer, directed by Joann Sfar Mammuth produced by Jean-Pierre Guérin, Benoît Delépine, Gustave Kervern, directed by Benoît Delépine, Gustave Kervern The Names Of Love produced by Caroline Adrian, Antoine Rein, Fabrice Goldstein, directed by Michel Leclerc The Ghost Writer produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde, directed by Roman Polanski TOURNÉE produced by Laetitia Gonzalez, Yaël Fogiel, directed by Mathieu Amalric Best Foreign Film Les Amours Imaginaires, Xavier Dolan Bright Star, Jane Campion The Secret In Their Eyes, Juan José Campanella ILLÉGAL, Olivier Masset-Depasse Inception, Christopher Nolan Invictus, Clint Eastwood The Social Network, David Fincher Best First Film Heartbreaker, Pascal Chaumeil, produced by Nicolas Duval Adassovsky,...
- 1/21/2011
- by Steve Montgomery
- Alt Film Guide
The 2010 European Film Award winners were announced this weekend, and the results are quite surprising. Roman Polanski’s Ghost Writer swept the awards winning six in total, including best film, director, actor (Ewan McGregor), screenwriter (Polanski and Robert Harris), production designer (Albrecht Konrad), and composer (Alexandre Desplat).
Hit the jump for the full list.
European Film 2010
The Ghost Writer, France/Germany/UK
directed by Roman Polanski
written by Robert Harris & Roman Polanski
produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde & Roman Polanski
European Director 2010
Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer
European Actress 2010
Sylvie Testud in Lourdes
European Actor 2010
Ewan McGregor in The Ghost Writer
European Screenwriter 2010
Robert Harris & Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer
Carlo Di Palma European Cinematographer Award 2010
Giora Bejach for Lebanon
European Editor 2010
Luc Barnier & Marion Monnier for Carlos
European Production Designer 2010
Albrecht Konrad for The Ghost Writer
European Composer 2010
Alexandre Desplat for The Ghost Writer
European Discovery 2010- Prix Fipresci
Lebanon,...
Hit the jump for the full list.
European Film 2010
The Ghost Writer, France/Germany/UK
directed by Roman Polanski
written by Robert Harris & Roman Polanski
produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde & Roman Polanski
European Director 2010
Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer
European Actress 2010
Sylvie Testud in Lourdes
European Actor 2010
Ewan McGregor in The Ghost Writer
European Screenwriter 2010
Robert Harris & Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer
Carlo Di Palma European Cinematographer Award 2010
Giora Bejach for Lebanon
European Editor 2010
Luc Barnier & Marion Monnier for Carlos
European Production Designer 2010
Albrecht Konrad for The Ghost Writer
European Composer 2010
Alexandre Desplat for The Ghost Writer
European Discovery 2010- Prix Fipresci
Lebanon,...
- 12/6/2010
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Ghost Writer cleans up!!!! European Film 2010 The Ghost Writer, France/Germany/UK directed by Roman Polanski written by Robert Harris & Roman Polanski produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde & Roman Polanski European Director 2010 Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer European Actress 2010 Sylvie Testud in Lourdes European Actor 2010 Ewan McGregor in The Ghost Writer European Screenwriter 2010 Robert Harris & Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer Carlo Di Palma European Cinematographer Award 2010 Giora Bejach for Lebanon European Editor 2010 Luc Barnier & Marion Monnier for Carlos European Production Designer 2010 Albrecht Konrad for The Ghost Writer European Composer 2010 Alexandre Desplat for The Ghost Writer European Discovery 2010- Prix Fipresci Lebanon, Israel/Germany/France written & directed by Samuel Maoz ...
- 12/6/2010
- by vicbarry@gmail.com (Vic Barry)
- www.themoviebit.com
The Ghost Writer, directed by Roman Polanski, won six awards at the 2010 European Film Awards, held tonight in Tallinn, Estonia.
The film won awards for best film, best director, best screenplay, best actor, best production design, and best composer. I really enjoyed the film. Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor were great in this film. I was surprised to find out that all of the shots that took place in the house were actually filmed on a sound stage.
See below for a complete listing of this year's winners.
European Film 2010
The Ghost Writer, France/Germany/Uk
Directed By Roman Polanski
Written By Robert Harris & Roman Polanski
Produced By Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde & Roman Polanski
European Director 2010
Roman Polanski For The Ghost Writer
European Actress 2010
Sylvie Testud In Lourdes
European Actor 2010
Ewan McGregor In The Ghost Writer
European Screenwriter 2010
Robert Harris & Roman Polanski For The Ghost Writer
Carlo Di Palma...
The film won awards for best film, best director, best screenplay, best actor, best production design, and best composer. I really enjoyed the film. Pierce Brosnan and Ewan McGregor were great in this film. I was surprised to find out that all of the shots that took place in the house were actually filmed on a sound stage.
See below for a complete listing of this year's winners.
European Film 2010
The Ghost Writer, France/Germany/Uk
Directed By Roman Polanski
Written By Robert Harris & Roman Polanski
Produced By Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde & Roman Polanski
European Director 2010
Roman Polanski For The Ghost Writer
European Actress 2010
Sylvie Testud In Lourdes
European Actor 2010
Ewan McGregor In The Ghost Writer
European Screenwriter 2010
Robert Harris & Roman Polanski For The Ghost Writer
Carlo Di Palma...
- 12/4/2010
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
Award season is among us on both sides of the Atlantic. Today the European Film Academy handed out their annual awards in Tallinn, Estonia and the big winner of the evening was Roman Polanski's Ghost Writer, claiming six awards, including Best Picture. Lebanon Israeli's Golden Lion winner of 2009, collected a pair: the award for European discovery, handed out to first time directors ("it's an honor being discovered when you're close to 50", said 48 year old director Samuel Maoz upon receiving the award), and the award for Best Cinematography, handed to Giora Bejach, for his extraordinary work, shooting an (almost) entire film from the Pov of a tank. Lebanon has an enormous artistic appeal, as it demonstrates the claustrophobic feeling leading audiences to believe the film was shot within the confines a tank, when in reality, Maoz didn't have a tank at his disposal. Israeli audiences didn't seem to connect to the film,...
- 12/4/2010
- IONCINEMA.com
The Ghost Writer has won 6 European Film Academy awards, the European equivalent of the Oscars, this evening in Tallinn, Estonia. Polanski’s thriller won Best European Film, while Polanski picked up Best Director and shared the screenwriting award with co-author Robert Harris. Ewan McGregor won Best Actor, while production design and music were also honored. In an interview this weekend, Harris said the Swiss authorities were so understanding about Polanski’s need to finish editing The Ghost Writer, they moved editing equipment into the prison where he was being held while facing deportation back to the U.S last year. More than 2,300 academy members voted. European Film 2010 The Ghost Writer, France/Germany/UK directed by Roman Polanski written by Robert Harris & Roman Polanski produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde & Roman Polanski European Director 2010 Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer European Actress 2010 Sylvie Testud in Lourdes European Actor 2010 Ewan McGregor...
- 12/4/2010
- by TIM ADLER in London
- Deadline London
The winners have been announced for the 23rd European Film Awards, as voted by more than 2,300 member of the European Film Academy. The full list of winners, including quite a few wins for Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer , is detailed below: European Film 2010 The Ghost Writer , France/Germany/UK directed by Roman Polanski written by Robert Harris & Roman Polanski produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde & Roman Polanski European Director 2010 Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer European Actress 2010 Sylvie Testud in Lourdes European Actor 2010 Ewan McGregor in The Ghost Writer European Screenwriter 2010 Robert Harris & Roman Polanski for The Ghost Writer Carlo Di Palma European Cinematographer Award 2010 Giora...
- 12/4/2010
- Comingsoon.net
Roman Polanski's thriller has been nominated for 7 European Film Awards including best European film, director, actor (Ewan McGregor), screenwriter, editor, production design and composer. Other leading nominees are Samuel Maoz's Lebanon with 5 nods and Semih Kaplanoğlu's Honey with 3. This year's European Film Awards will take place in Tallinn, Estonia on December 4. The 2,300 members of the European Film Academy will vote for the winners. Michael Haneke's The White Ribbon won the European film, director and screenwriter awards last year. European Film 2010: Bal (Honey), Turkey/Germany Directed by Semih Kaplanoğlu Written by Semih Kaplanoğlu & Orçun Köksal Produced by Semih Kaplanoğlu & Johannes Rexin Des Hommes Et Des Dieux (Of Gods and Men), France Directed by Xavier Beauvois Written by Etienne Comar & Xavier Beauvois The Ghost Writer, France/Germany/UK Directed by Roman Polanski Written by Robert Harris & Roman Polanski Produced by Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde & Roman Polanski Lebanon,...
- 11/6/2010
- by TIM ADLER in London
- Deadline London
This year’s Berlin Film Festival competition was very interesting indeed. Some directors got their chance to go home with a little gold-bear statue, while the other ones had to stand there and take not so good critics. Among all directors, from all over the world, one got pretty lucky, and for the second time in this festival history, Turkey celebrated.
The 60th Berlin Film Festival ended on Saturday with the prize ceremony, bringing to an end a 10-day cinema showcase where hundreds of movies were screened.
Golden Bear for Best Film won Semih Kaplanoglu’s new drama called Bal (Honey), which is actually the final installment of director’s trilogy that began with Milk and Egg.
In this movie we have an opportunity to see life of little Yusuf, and his tremendous love for his father.Yusuf’s father is a beekeeper, and when his bees suddenly disappear, he...
The 60th Berlin Film Festival ended on Saturday with the prize ceremony, bringing to an end a 10-day cinema showcase where hundreds of movies were screened.
Golden Bear for Best Film won Semih Kaplanoglu’s new drama called Bal (Honey), which is actually the final installment of director’s trilogy that began with Milk and Egg.
In this movie we have an opportunity to see life of little Yusuf, and his tremendous love for his father.Yusuf’s father is a beekeeper, and when his bees suddenly disappear, he...
- 2/23/2010
- by Fiona
- Filmofilia
Berlin -- Roman Polanski was the ghost at the Berlin news conference Friday after the world premiere of his new film.
Under house arrest at his chalet in Switzerland and facing possible extradition to the U.S. on a decades-old charge of unlawful sex with a 13-year-old, Polanski couldn't make it to the Berlin competition premiere of "The Ghost Writer." But his presence in the room was almost palpable.
"That Roman Polanksi is not at the center of this podium, is something that is very strange for all of us," said the film's producer, Robert Benmussa.
Rumors that Polanski would send a video message to the festival proved unfounded. Instead, the cast of the film and Robert Harris, who wrote both the novel and screenplay to "The Ghost Writer," took turns praising the director's intensity and professionalism.
"He is an intense director who has lived a very intense life," said Pierce Brosnan,...
Under house arrest at his chalet in Switzerland and facing possible extradition to the U.S. on a decades-old charge of unlawful sex with a 13-year-old, Polanski couldn't make it to the Berlin competition premiere of "The Ghost Writer." But his presence in the room was almost palpable.
"That Roman Polanksi is not at the center of this podium, is something that is very strange for all of us," said the film's producer, Robert Benmussa.
Rumors that Polanski would send a video message to the festival proved unfounded. Instead, the cast of the film and Robert Harris, who wrote both the novel and screenplay to "The Ghost Writer," took turns praising the director's intensity and professionalism.
"He is an intense director who has lived a very intense life," said Pierce Brosnan,...
- 2/12/2010
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
See images from Summit Entertainment's "The Ghost Writer," starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Olivia Williams, Tom Wilkinson, Timothy Hutton, and Eli Wallach. The Roman Polanski film is directed and produced by Polansi who writes alongsid Robert Harris. Also producing are Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. The thriller sees release in New York and Los Angeles on February 19th and expands to select cities on February 26th. When a successful British ghost writer, The Ghost, agrees to complete the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang, his agent assures him it’s the opportunity of a lifetime. But the project seems doomed from the start—not least because his predecessor on the project, Lang’s long-term aide, died in an unfortunate accident...
- 2/1/2010
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Summit Entertainment has picked up North American distribution rights to "The Ghost Writer", the project that director Roman Polanski was in the final stages of work on before his arrest a few months ago.
Here is the full press release.
Summit Entertainment announced today that the studio will distribute the thriller The Ghost Writer, directed by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski, in North America. Polanski produced the film along with long time collaborators Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. Summit International, which has a long-standing relationship with Polanski representing the sales of the rights to his films outside of North America, acted as sales agent for The Ghost Writer. Sales have been made in all major territories around the globe. The North American rights to the film were represented by Icm. Current plans call for Summit to release the film during the first half of 2010.
The movie thriller tells the...
Here is the full press release.
Summit Entertainment announced today that the studio will distribute the thriller The Ghost Writer, directed by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski, in North America. Polanski produced the film along with long time collaborators Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. Summit International, which has a long-standing relationship with Polanski representing the sales of the rights to his films outside of North America, acted as sales agent for The Ghost Writer. Sales have been made in all major territories around the globe. The North American rights to the film were represented by Icm. Current plans call for Summit to release the film during the first half of 2010.
The movie thriller tells the...
- 12/13/2009
- by Kellvin Chavez
- AMC - Script to Screen
Summit Entertainment has picked up North American distribution rights to "The Ghost Writer", the project that controversial director Roman Polanski was in the final stages of work on before his much-publicised arrest in Zurich the other month.
Based on the novel by Robert Harris, the story follows former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), who is holed up on an island off the Eastern seaboard of the U.S. in midwinter, writing his memoirs. When his long-standing aide drowns, a professional ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) is sent out to help him finish the book.
The anonymous ghost writer is quickly drawn into a political and sexual intrigue involving Lang’s wife, Ruth (Olivia Williams) and his aide (Kim Cattrall). Hanging over Lang is the threat of a war crimes trial and a mysterious secret from his past that threatens to jeopardize international relations. Tom Wilkinson also stars.
Summit, who quickly...
Based on the novel by Robert Harris, the story follows former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), who is holed up on an island off the Eastern seaboard of the U.S. in midwinter, writing his memoirs. When his long-standing aide drowns, a professional ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) is sent out to help him finish the book.
The anonymous ghost writer is quickly drawn into a political and sexual intrigue involving Lang’s wife, Ruth (Olivia Williams) and his aide (Kim Cattrall). Hanging over Lang is the threat of a war crimes trial and a mysterious secret from his past that threatens to jeopardize international relations. Tom Wilkinson also stars.
Summit, who quickly...
- 12/13/2009
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Summit Entertainment has picked up North American distribution rights to "The Ghost Writer", the project that controversial director Roman Polanski was in the final stages of work on before his much-publicised arrest in Zurich the other month.
Based on the novel by Robert Harris, the story follows former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), who is holed up on an island off the Eastern seaboard of the U.S. in midwinter, writing his memoirs. When his long-standing aide drowns, a professional ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) is sent out to help him finish the book.
The anonymous ghost writer is quickly drawn into a political and sexual intrigue involving Lang’s wife, Ruth (Olivia Williams) and his aide (Kim Cattrall). Hanging over Lang is the threat of a war crimes trial and a mysterious secret from his past that threatens to jeopardize international relations. Tom Wilkinson also stars.
Summit, who quickly...
Based on the novel by Robert Harris, the story follows former British Prime Minister Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), who is holed up on an island off the Eastern seaboard of the U.S. in midwinter, writing his memoirs. When his long-standing aide drowns, a professional ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) is sent out to help him finish the book.
The anonymous ghost writer is quickly drawn into a political and sexual intrigue involving Lang’s wife, Ruth (Olivia Williams) and his aide (Kim Cattrall). Hanging over Lang is the threat of a war crimes trial and a mysterious secret from his past that threatens to jeopardize international relations. Tom Wilkinson also stars.
Summit, who quickly...
- 12/13/2009
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Roman Polanski may be under house arrest in his Swiss chalet, awaiting possible extradition for his sexual assault of thirteen-year-old Samantha Geimer in Los Angeles in 1977, but his work as a filmmaker soldiers on.
Summit Entertainment has announced that the studio will distribute the thriller The Ghost Writer, directed by Polanski, in North America. Polanski produced the film along with long time collaborators Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. Current plans call for Summit to release the film during the first half of 2010.
The movie tells the story of a former British Prime Minister, Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), who is holed up on an island off the Eastern seaboard of the U.S. in midwinter, writing his memoirs. When his long-standing aide drowns, a professional ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) is sent out to help him finish the book. The anonymous ghost writer is quickly drawn into a political and sexual intrigue involving Lang’s wife,...
Summit Entertainment has announced that the studio will distribute the thriller The Ghost Writer, directed by Polanski, in North America. Polanski produced the film along with long time collaborators Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. Current plans call for Summit to release the film during the first half of 2010.
The movie tells the story of a former British Prime Minister, Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), who is holed up on an island off the Eastern seaboard of the U.S. in midwinter, writing his memoirs. When his long-standing aide drowns, a professional ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) is sent out to help him finish the book. The anonymous ghost writer is quickly drawn into a political and sexual intrigue involving Lang’s wife,...
- 12/13/2009
- CinemaSpy
Summit Entertainment has announced that the studio will distribute the thriller The Ghost Writer , directed by Roman Polanski, in North America. Polanski produced the film along with long time collaborators Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. Current plans call for Summit to release the film during the first half of 2010. The movie tells the story of a former British Prime Minister, Adam Lang (Pierce Brosnan), who is holed up on an island off the Eastern seaboard of the U.S. in midwinter, writing his memoirs. When his long-standing aide drowns, a professional ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) is sent out to help him finish the book. The anonymous ghost writer is quickly drawn into a political and sexual intrigue involving Lang.s wife, Ruth (Olivia Williams) and his aide (Kim Cattrall)....
- 12/12/2009
- Comingsoon.net
For those of you concern that child rapist and fugitive from the law director Roman Polanski’s “The Ghost Writer” (formerly known as “The Ghost”) might never see the light of day because of, er, his little run-ins with the law these last few decades, fear not, Summit Entertainment announces that they have acquired the film and plans to release it “during the first half of 2010″. Yah for child rapists! Summit Entertainment announced today that the studio will distribute the thriller The Ghost Writer, directed by Academy Award®-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski, in North America. Polanski produced the film along with long time collaborators Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. Summit International, which has a long-standing relationship with Polanski representing the sales of the rights to his films outside of North America, acted as sales agent for The Ghost Writer. Sales have been made in all major territories around the globe.
- 12/12/2009
- by Nix
- Beyond Hollywood
Summit Entertainment announced today that the studio will distribute in North America the thriller The Ghost Writer, directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Roman Polanski who finished the pic while sitting in a Swiss jail fighting extradition to Los Angeles where he'll face criminal charges. It remains to be seen whether the director's legal problems will affect the pic which he produced with long time collaborators Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. According to today's statement, Summit International, which has a long-standing relationship with Polanski representing the sales of the rights to his films outside of North America, acted as sales agent [...]...
- 12/11/2009
- by Nikki Finke
- Deadline Hollywood
Cologne, Germany -- Studio Babelsberg producer Henning Molfenter, scheduled to attend the Zurich Film Festival as a member jury judging German-language films, is boycotting the festival to protest Saturday's arrest of director Roman Polanski.
Fellow jury members -- actor Til Schweiger and composer Niki Reiser -- are expected to follow suit.
"There is no way I'd go to Switzerland now. You can't watch films knowing Roman Polanski is sitting in a cell 5 km away," Molfenter told The Hollywood Reporter.
Zurich's international jury -- headed by actress Debra Winger -- will make a statement on Polanski's arrest at 12:30 p.m. local time.
Swiss police arrested the 76-year-old Polanski on Saturday night as he entered Switzerland to attend the Zurich festival. He is being held on a U.S. warrant connected to a decades-old charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl.
Studio Babelsberg is a co-producer on Polanski's latest,...
Fellow jury members -- actor Til Schweiger and composer Niki Reiser -- are expected to follow suit.
"There is no way I'd go to Switzerland now. You can't watch films knowing Roman Polanski is sitting in a cell 5 km away," Molfenter told The Hollywood Reporter.
Zurich's international jury -- headed by actress Debra Winger -- will make a statement on Polanski's arrest at 12:30 p.m. local time.
Swiss police arrested the 76-year-old Polanski on Saturday night as he entered Switzerland to attend the Zurich festival. He is being held on a U.S. warrant connected to a decades-old charge of unlawful sexual intercourse with a 13-year-old girl.
Studio Babelsberg is a co-producer on Polanski's latest,...
- 9/28/2009
- by By Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Berlin -- Timothy Hutton has joined the cast of Roman Polanski's "The Ghost."
The film, which begins shooting this week in Berlin, tells the tale of a ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) who is hired to complete the memoirs of a former British prime minister (Pierce Brosnan). When he uncovers secrets, his own life is put in jeopardy.
Hutton plays the role of the prime minister's American lawyer. Tom Wilkinson, James Belushi and Kim Cattrall also are in the cast.
Polanski is producing the film along with Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde and Patrick Wachsberger. The film is based on the book by Robert Harris
Hutton stars in TNT's "Leverage," which was recently renewed and has new episodes scheduled to air in the summer. The actor is coming off three movies that recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival: "Lymelife," "Brief Interviews With Hideous Men," and "The Killing Room.
The film, which begins shooting this week in Berlin, tells the tale of a ghostwriter (Ewan McGregor) who is hired to complete the memoirs of a former British prime minister (Pierce Brosnan). When he uncovers secrets, his own life is put in jeopardy.
Hutton plays the role of the prime minister's American lawyer. Tom Wilkinson, James Belushi and Kim Cattrall also are in the cast.
Polanski is producing the film along with Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde and Patrick Wachsberger. The film is based on the book by Robert Harris
Hutton stars in TNT's "Leverage," which was recently renewed and has new episodes scheduled to air in the summer. The actor is coming off three movies that recently premiered at the Sundance Film Festival: "Lymelife," "Brief Interviews With Hideous Men," and "The Killing Room.
- 2/6/2009
- by By Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Variety reports that Tom Wilkinson and Jim Belushi round out the cast of Roman Polanski's The Ghost . Filming on the thriller based on the Robert Harris novel of the same name is to begin Feb. 4 in Berlin. Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Ewan McGregor and Olivia Williams had been previously announced as cast members. The screenplay, written by Harris and Polanski, centers on a former British prime minister who's holed up on an island writing his memoirs when his aide drowns, triggering political and sexual intrigue. Polanski is producing along with Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde. The shoot will take place mainly at Studio Babelsberg.
- 1/22/2009
- Comingsoon.net
Acclaimed filmmaker Roman Polanski, who has made headlines over the last few weeks requesting a dismissal of his conviction for having sex with a 13-year-old girl in 1977, is getting ready to start production on his latest film, The Ghost. Tom Wilkinson and Jim Belushi have joined the cast of the thriller, which is based on the Robert Harris novel of the same name. Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Ewan McGregor and Olivia Williams had been previously announced as cast members. The Ghost centers on a former British Prime Minister, Adam Lang (Brosnan), who is holed up on an island off the Eastern seaboard of the USA in midwinter, writing his memoirs. When his long-standing aide drowns, a professional ghostwriter (McGregor) is sent out to help him finish the book. The anonymous ghostwriter is quickly drawn into a political and sexual intrigue involving Lang’s wife, Ruth (Williams) and his aide (Cattrall...
- 1/22/2009
- by James Cook
- TheMovingPicture.net
Tom Wilkinson and Jim Belushi have joined the cast of Roman Polanski's "The Ghost," which begins filming in Berlin on Feb. 4. The movie stars Pierce Brosnan as a former British prime minister and Ewan McGregor as his ghostwriter.
The cast also includes Kim Cattral, Olivia Williams and Robert Pugh.
In addition to directing, Polanski and Robert Harris adapted the screenplay from Harris' novel "The Ghost."
Polanski is producing with Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde, while Summit Interntional reps worldwide rights.
Summit has presold a number of territories, including: Pathe in France; Kinowelt in Germany; Optimum in the U.K.; Rai Cinema, S.P.A. in Italy; Acme Uab in the Baltic States; Dutch Filmworks in Benelux; Spi International in Eastern Europe; Odeon S.A. in Greece; Sam Film in Iceland; United King in Israel; Sun Distribution Group S.A. in Latin America; Jaguar Films in the Middle East; Lusomundo...
The cast also includes Kim Cattral, Olivia Williams and Robert Pugh.
In addition to directing, Polanski and Robert Harris adapted the screenplay from Harris' novel "The Ghost."
Polanski is producing with Robert Benmussa and Alain Sarde, while Summit Interntional reps worldwide rights.
Summit has presold a number of territories, including: Pathe in France; Kinowelt in Germany; Optimum in the U.K.; Rai Cinema, S.P.A. in Italy; Acme Uab in the Baltic States; Dutch Filmworks in Benelux; Spi International in Eastern Europe; Odeon S.A. in Greece; Sam Film in Iceland; United King in Israel; Sun Distribution Group S.A. in Latin America; Jaguar Films in the Middle East; Lusomundo...
- 1/21/2009
- by By Gregg Kilday
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The biggest surprise in Roman Polanski's "Oliver Twist" is that there are no surprises. In retelling Charles Dickens' most beloved tale -- with the possible exception of "A Christmas Carol" -- the director relates the familiar story in an all-too-familiar way. Given Polanski's own harrowing childhood in the Polish countryside, surviving the Nazi occupation, one might have hoped that he would use young Oliver's adventures as a penniless orphan adrift in a corrupt and abusive 19th century England as a kind of spiritual autobiography of those years. But no, this latest film adaptation of "Oliver Twist" -- well over 20 film and TV versions going back to 1906 are listed on IMDb -- trudges down the same worn path.
Not that this isn't a respectable production with a fine ensemble cast headed by Ben Kingsley, who manages to make the villainous Fagin a sinister and tragic figure. But the spark that an original point of view might bring to the oft-told tale is missing.
For one of the few times in his career, Polanski has made a family film, and "Oliver Twist" should be promoted as such. Certainly the film will work best with young viewers unexposed to the story. With Polanski's name as a selling point, the film should produce decent boxoffice numbers around the world.
When Dickens penned "Oliver Twist", he was filled with moral outrage over the social oppression he saw everywhere. But we can no longer react to these revelations in the same manner as his early readers. Thus, the scenes with the awful Mr. Bumble (Jeremy Swift) in the workhouse, where Oliver comes at age 9, or the sham justice meted out by a foul-tempered judge now play as comedy. Indeed, Polanski encourages his actors to ham up these scenes. Simply put, these depicitons of social injustice have lost their bite.
Barney Clark does an admirable job of playing the naive though plucky youth, finding more adventures than he might wish in the mean streets of the city of London. The film's other child actor, Harry Eden, has boisterous fun with the Artful Dodger.
The story, of course, has two villains. Kingsley's Fagin is not the same man Ron Moody played in the Oscar-winning musical "Oliver!" Kingsley eschews the comedy (though not the wit) to let us see a sly man dedicated to crime and the exploitation of children and women. And Jamie Foreman's Bill Sykes is a man of violence with a filthy tempter and a good word for nobody. His is, alas, the most contemporary of the film's characters.
In truth, some of Dickens' melodrama is crude and unconvincing. Oliver's surprising upward mobility, owing to little more than the fact he is a cute kid, feels less likely than ever, a romantic vision imposed on the tale to obscure the darker realities of the age.
Allan Starski's sets, build in the Czech Republic's Barrandov Studios, are not terribly convincing, either. They have the look and feel of sets, sometimes with a painting of St. Paul's dome off in the distance. All other technical contributions are solid if unexciting.
OLIVER TWIST
TriStar Pictures
Credits:
Director: Roman Polanski
Screenwriter: Ronald Harwood
Based on the novel by: Charles Dickens
Producers: Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde, Roman Polanski
Director of photography: Pawel Edelman
Production designer: Allan Starski
Music: Rachel Portman
Costumes: Anna B. Sheppard
Editor: Herve de Luze
Cast:
Fagin: Ben Kingsley
Oliver: Barney Clark
Bill Sykes: Jamie Foreman
Artful Dodger: Harry Eden
Nancy: Leanne Rowe, Charlie: Lewis Chase
Mr Brownlow: Edward Hardwicke
Mr. Bumble: Jeremy Swift
Toby: Mark Strong
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 132 minutes...
Not that this isn't a respectable production with a fine ensemble cast headed by Ben Kingsley, who manages to make the villainous Fagin a sinister and tragic figure. But the spark that an original point of view might bring to the oft-told tale is missing.
For one of the few times in his career, Polanski has made a family film, and "Oliver Twist" should be promoted as such. Certainly the film will work best with young viewers unexposed to the story. With Polanski's name as a selling point, the film should produce decent boxoffice numbers around the world.
When Dickens penned "Oliver Twist", he was filled with moral outrage over the social oppression he saw everywhere. But we can no longer react to these revelations in the same manner as his early readers. Thus, the scenes with the awful Mr. Bumble (Jeremy Swift) in the workhouse, where Oliver comes at age 9, or the sham justice meted out by a foul-tempered judge now play as comedy. Indeed, Polanski encourages his actors to ham up these scenes. Simply put, these depicitons of social injustice have lost their bite.
Barney Clark does an admirable job of playing the naive though plucky youth, finding more adventures than he might wish in the mean streets of the city of London. The film's other child actor, Harry Eden, has boisterous fun with the Artful Dodger.
The story, of course, has two villains. Kingsley's Fagin is not the same man Ron Moody played in the Oscar-winning musical "Oliver!" Kingsley eschews the comedy (though not the wit) to let us see a sly man dedicated to crime and the exploitation of children and women. And Jamie Foreman's Bill Sykes is a man of violence with a filthy tempter and a good word for nobody. His is, alas, the most contemporary of the film's characters.
In truth, some of Dickens' melodrama is crude and unconvincing. Oliver's surprising upward mobility, owing to little more than the fact he is a cute kid, feels less likely than ever, a romantic vision imposed on the tale to obscure the darker realities of the age.
Allan Starski's sets, build in the Czech Republic's Barrandov Studios, are not terribly convincing, either. They have the look and feel of sets, sometimes with a painting of St. Paul's dome off in the distance. All other technical contributions are solid if unexciting.
OLIVER TWIST
TriStar Pictures
Credits:
Director: Roman Polanski
Screenwriter: Ronald Harwood
Based on the novel by: Charles Dickens
Producers: Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde, Roman Polanski
Director of photography: Pawel Edelman
Production designer: Allan Starski
Music: Rachel Portman
Costumes: Anna B. Sheppard
Editor: Herve de Luze
Cast:
Fagin: Ben Kingsley
Oliver: Barney Clark
Bill Sykes: Jamie Foreman
Artful Dodger: Harry Eden
Nancy: Leanne Rowe, Charlie: Lewis Chase
Mr Brownlow: Edward Hardwicke
Mr. Bumble: Jeremy Swift
Toby: Mark Strong
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 132 minutes...
- 11/18/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The biggest surprise in Roman Polanski's "Oliver Twist" is that there are no surprises. In retelling Charles Dickens' most beloved tale -- with the possible exception of "A Christmas Carol" -- the director relates the familiar story in an all-too-familiar way. Given Polanski's own harrowing childhood in the Polish countryside, surviving the Nazi occupation, one might have hoped that he would use young Oliver's adventures as a penniless orphan adrift in a corrupt and abusive 19th century England as a kind of spiritual autobiography of those years. But no, this latest film adaptation of "Oliver Twist" -- well over 20 film and TV versions going back to 1906 are listed on IMDb -- trudges down the same worn path.
Not that this isn't a respectable production with a fine ensemble cast headed by Ben Kingsley, who manages to make the villainous Fagin a sinister and tragic figure. But the spark that an original point of view might bring to the oft-told tale is missing.
For one of the few times in his career, Polanski has made a family film, and "Oliver Twist" should be promoted as such. Certainly the film will work best with young viewers unexposed to the story. With Polanski's name as a selling point, the film should produce decent boxoffice numbers around the world.
When Dickens penned "Oliver Twist", he was filled with moral outrage over the social oppression he saw everywhere. But we can no longer react to these revelations in the same manner as his early readers. Thus, the scenes with the awful Mr. Bumble (Jeremy Swift) in the workhouse, where Oliver comes at age 9, or the sham justice meted out by a foul-tempered judge now play as comedy. Indeed, Polanski encourages his actors to ham up these scenes. Simply put, these depicitons of social injustice have lost their bite.
Barney Clark does an admirable job of playing the naive though plucky youth, finding more adventures than he might wish in the mean streets of the city of London. The film's other child actor, Harry Eden, has boisterous fun with the Artful Dodger.
The story, of course, has two villains. Kingsley's Fagin is not the same man Ron Moody played in the Oscar-winning musical "Oliver!" Kingsley eschews the comedy (though not the wit) to let us see a sly man dedicated to crime and the exploitation of children and women. And Jamie Foreman's Bill Sykes is a man of violence with a filthy tempter and a good word for nobody. His is, alas, the most contemporary of the film's characters.
In truth, some of Dickens' melodrama is crude and unconvincing. Oliver's surprising upward mobility, owing to little more than the fact he is a cute kid, feels less likely than ever, a romantic vision imposed on the tale to obscure the darker realities of the age.
Allan Starski's sets, build in the Czech Republic's Barrandov Studios, are not terribly convincing, either. They have the look and feel of sets, sometimes with a painting of St. Paul's dome off in the distance. All other technical contributions are solid if unexciting.
OLIVER TWIST
TriStar Pictures
Credits:
Director: Roman Polanski
Screenwriter: Ronald Harwood
Based on the novel by: Charles Dickens
Producers: Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde, Roman Polanski
Director of photography: Pawel Edelman
Production designer: Allan Starski
Music: Rachel Portman
Costumes: Anna B. Sheppard
Editor: Herve de Luze
Cast:
Fagin: Ben Kingsley
Oliver: Barney Clark
Bill Sykes: Jamie Foreman
Artful Dodger: Harry Eden
Nancy: Leanne Rowe, Charlie: Lewis Chase
Mr Brownlow: Edward Hardwicke
Mr. Bumble: Jeremy Swift
Toby: Mark Strong
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 132 minutes...
Not that this isn't a respectable production with a fine ensemble cast headed by Ben Kingsley, who manages to make the villainous Fagin a sinister and tragic figure. But the spark that an original point of view might bring to the oft-told tale is missing.
For one of the few times in his career, Polanski has made a family film, and "Oliver Twist" should be promoted as such. Certainly the film will work best with young viewers unexposed to the story. With Polanski's name as a selling point, the film should produce decent boxoffice numbers around the world.
When Dickens penned "Oliver Twist", he was filled with moral outrage over the social oppression he saw everywhere. But we can no longer react to these revelations in the same manner as his early readers. Thus, the scenes with the awful Mr. Bumble (Jeremy Swift) in the workhouse, where Oliver comes at age 9, or the sham justice meted out by a foul-tempered judge now play as comedy. Indeed, Polanski encourages his actors to ham up these scenes. Simply put, these depicitons of social injustice have lost their bite.
Barney Clark does an admirable job of playing the naive though plucky youth, finding more adventures than he might wish in the mean streets of the city of London. The film's other child actor, Harry Eden, has boisterous fun with the Artful Dodger.
The story, of course, has two villains. Kingsley's Fagin is not the same man Ron Moody played in the Oscar-winning musical "Oliver!" Kingsley eschews the comedy (though not the wit) to let us see a sly man dedicated to crime and the exploitation of children and women. And Jamie Foreman's Bill Sykes is a man of violence with a filthy tempter and a good word for nobody. His is, alas, the most contemporary of the film's characters.
In truth, some of Dickens' melodrama is crude and unconvincing. Oliver's surprising upward mobility, owing to little more than the fact he is a cute kid, feels less likely than ever, a romantic vision imposed on the tale to obscure the darker realities of the age.
Allan Starski's sets, build in the Czech Republic's Barrandov Studios, are not terribly convincing, either. They have the look and feel of sets, sometimes with a painting of St. Paul's dome off in the distance. All other technical contributions are solid if unexciting.
OLIVER TWIST
TriStar Pictures
Credits:
Director: Roman Polanski
Screenwriter: Ronald Harwood
Based on the novel by: Charles Dickens
Producers: Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde, Roman Polanski
Director of photography: Pawel Edelman
Production designer: Allan Starski
Music: Rachel Portman
Costumes: Anna B. Sheppard
Editor: Herve de Luze
Cast:
Fagin: Ben Kingsley
Oliver: Barney Clark
Bill Sykes: Jamie Foreman
Artful Dodger: Harry Eden
Nancy: Leanne Rowe, Charlie: Lewis Chase
Mr Brownlow: Edward Hardwicke
Mr. Bumble: Jeremy Swift
Toby: Mark Strong
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 132 minutes...
PARIS -- Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist, the latest adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1838 classic, will begin a 16-week shoot in Prague on July 12 and is scheduled for a Christmas 2005 release, co-producer Robert Benmussa said Monday. Introducing Barney Clark -- a 10-year-old boy from Hackney, London, who has been cast in the leading role -- Polanski told a crowded news conference that he has stuck closely to Dickens to make what is "essentially a children's film," which would be "quite different" from his Oscar-winning The Pianist. The film reunites much of the Pianist team, including scriptwriter Ronald Harwood, cinematographer Pawel Edelman, production designer Allan Starski, film editor Herve de Luze, costume designer Anna B. Sheppard and actor Frank Finlay.
- 4/27/2004
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
This review was written for the festival screening of "The Pianist".
CANNES -- Roman Polanski, who survived the Nazi occupation of Poland as a young boy, has finally made a film about this horrifying period in that country's history. Because he didn't want the film to be autobiographical, he and writer Ronald Harwood selected as source material a 1946 memoir by Jewish pianist and composer Wladyslaw Szpilman, "Death of a City", a book noted for the detached tone of its recollection of misery, disease and near starvation in Warsaw. Polanski takes a similar tack, which makes for a remote emotional experience. What Szpilman goes through is beyond incredible. Yet "The Pianist" recounts those torments less through his eyes than in a cool third-person narration, keenly observing but uninvolved.
Too many books, documentaries and features already have told this story for Polanski's version to have the international boxoffice impact it deserves. His name will, of course, attract many. But you can't help feel disappointed that one of the few directors who actually lived through this tragic period isn't able to personalize the material more.
The scale of this production is epic. Entire streets of a now vanished city are re-created in Berlin's Babelsberg Studios and miniatures and digital effects later portray a city turned into an uninhabitable wasteland.
In the central role, Adrien Brody does his best with a highly educated character who is initially aloof to the coming trouble and then, as his dilemma becomes painfully obvious, scared and reactive.
When Germany invades Poland in September 1939, Wladyslaw is literally blown off the air when a bomb drops near a Warsaw radio studio while he plays Chopin. He returns home, where his parents (Frank Finlay and Maureen Lipman) are packing to leave, but their grown children prefer to stay, especially hot-headed brother Henryk (Ed Stoppard), who wants to fight. News of Britain and France's declaration of war against Germany causes everyone to stay, but soon the family has no choice. The Nazis enter the city on October 1.
The film charts the now all-too-familiar outrages. Initially forbidden to eat here or stroll there, Wladyslaw's family and all the Jews are eventually herded into a walled ghetto created by the Germans. Here Wladyslaw is able to find work playing piano in a restaurant. Then in 1942, whole blocks are marched into cattle cars and shipped to the Treblinka death camp.
An acquaintance in the Jewish police pulls Wladyslaw from his family's march and saves his life. He is anything but free, though. A three-year odyssey takes him from one hiding place to the next. People help him, perhaps out of friendship or kindness or perhaps -- the movie never really gets into it -- because of his celebrity status as a top Warsaw musician.
As his ordeal nears its end, a German officer (Thomas Kretschmann) comes to his rescue with food and even the gift of his coat. You never understand why this helping hand comes from an enemy. Perhaps the captain simply got tired of killing. He then disappears, evidently doomed to die in a Soviet POW camp.
Working with cinematographer Pawel Edelman and designer Allan Starski, Polanski re-creates the sweep of history. Color drains away and Wojciech Kilar's music grows increasingly solemn. But the movie lacks those specific personal moments that pull an audience into a story and let them identify with a character. Other than his musical skills, Wladislaw is a little too much the all-purpose victim-survivor.
In fact, as other Jews and Poles get executed right and left, you wonder why you are supposed to care so mightily for this particular man. He never even experiences any guilt that a seemingly invisible protective cloak around him benefits no one else.
Since Wladislaw is often alone, how he feels about what is happening to him other than such primal emotions as hunger and fear isn't always clear. The movie recounts its tales of horror and triumph, but never makes the viewer experience them.
THE PIANIST
R.P. Productions/Heritage Films/Studio Babelsberg/Runteam Ltd.
Credits:
Director: Roman Polanski
Writer: Ronald Harwood
Based on the book by: Wladyslaw Szpilman
Producers: Roman Polanski, Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde
Director of photography: Pawel Edelman
Production designer: Allan Starski
Costume designer: Anna Sheppard
Co-producer: Gene Gutowski
Music: Wojciech Kilar
Editor: Herve De Luze
Cast:
Wladyslaw Szpilman: Adrien Brody
Captain Wilm Hosenfeld: Thomas Kretschmann
The father: Frank Finlay
The mother: Maureen Lipman
Dorota: Emilia Fox
Henryk: Ed Stoppard
Regina: Julia Raayner
Halina: Jessica Kate Meyer
Running time -- 148 minutes
No MPAA rating...
CANNES -- Roman Polanski, who survived the Nazi occupation of Poland as a young boy, has finally made a film about this horrifying period in that country's history. Because he didn't want the film to be autobiographical, he and writer Ronald Harwood selected as source material a 1946 memoir by Jewish pianist and composer Wladyslaw Szpilman, "Death of a City", a book noted for the detached tone of its recollection of misery, disease and near starvation in Warsaw. Polanski takes a similar tack, which makes for a remote emotional experience. What Szpilman goes through is beyond incredible. Yet "The Pianist" recounts those torments less through his eyes than in a cool third-person narration, keenly observing but uninvolved.
Too many books, documentaries and features already have told this story for Polanski's version to have the international boxoffice impact it deserves. His name will, of course, attract many. But you can't help feel disappointed that one of the few directors who actually lived through this tragic period isn't able to personalize the material more.
The scale of this production is epic. Entire streets of a now vanished city are re-created in Berlin's Babelsberg Studios and miniatures and digital effects later portray a city turned into an uninhabitable wasteland.
In the central role, Adrien Brody does his best with a highly educated character who is initially aloof to the coming trouble and then, as his dilemma becomes painfully obvious, scared and reactive.
When Germany invades Poland in September 1939, Wladyslaw is literally blown off the air when a bomb drops near a Warsaw radio studio while he plays Chopin. He returns home, where his parents (Frank Finlay and Maureen Lipman) are packing to leave, but their grown children prefer to stay, especially hot-headed brother Henryk (Ed Stoppard), who wants to fight. News of Britain and France's declaration of war against Germany causes everyone to stay, but soon the family has no choice. The Nazis enter the city on October 1.
The film charts the now all-too-familiar outrages. Initially forbidden to eat here or stroll there, Wladyslaw's family and all the Jews are eventually herded into a walled ghetto created by the Germans. Here Wladyslaw is able to find work playing piano in a restaurant. Then in 1942, whole blocks are marched into cattle cars and shipped to the Treblinka death camp.
An acquaintance in the Jewish police pulls Wladyslaw from his family's march and saves his life. He is anything but free, though. A three-year odyssey takes him from one hiding place to the next. People help him, perhaps out of friendship or kindness or perhaps -- the movie never really gets into it -- because of his celebrity status as a top Warsaw musician.
As his ordeal nears its end, a German officer (Thomas Kretschmann) comes to his rescue with food and even the gift of his coat. You never understand why this helping hand comes from an enemy. Perhaps the captain simply got tired of killing. He then disappears, evidently doomed to die in a Soviet POW camp.
Working with cinematographer Pawel Edelman and designer Allan Starski, Polanski re-creates the sweep of history. Color drains away and Wojciech Kilar's music grows increasingly solemn. But the movie lacks those specific personal moments that pull an audience into a story and let them identify with a character. Other than his musical skills, Wladislaw is a little too much the all-purpose victim-survivor.
In fact, as other Jews and Poles get executed right and left, you wonder why you are supposed to care so mightily for this particular man. He never even experiences any guilt that a seemingly invisible protective cloak around him benefits no one else.
Since Wladislaw is often alone, how he feels about what is happening to him other than such primal emotions as hunger and fear isn't always clear. The movie recounts its tales of horror and triumph, but never makes the viewer experience them.
THE PIANIST
R.P. Productions/Heritage Films/Studio Babelsberg/Runteam Ltd.
Credits:
Director: Roman Polanski
Writer: Ronald Harwood
Based on the book by: Wladyslaw Szpilman
Producers: Roman Polanski, Robert Benmussa, Alain Sarde
Director of photography: Pawel Edelman
Production designer: Allan Starski
Costume designer: Anna Sheppard
Co-producer: Gene Gutowski
Music: Wojciech Kilar
Editor: Herve De Luze
Cast:
Wladyslaw Szpilman: Adrien Brody
Captain Wilm Hosenfeld: Thomas Kretschmann
The father: Frank Finlay
The mother: Maureen Lipman
Dorota: Emilia Fox
Henryk: Ed Stoppard
Regina: Julia Raayner
Halina: Jessica Kate Meyer
Running time -- 148 minutes
No MPAA rating...
- 12/27/2002
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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