The Art Directors Guild came together tonight to celebrate the 27th Annual Excellence in Production Design Awards at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown on Saturday night, February 18, 2023.
The awards took place before over 1,000 guild members, and industry executives with the Adg President Nelson Coates, Adg, and Art Directors Council Chair Evan Rohde, Adg, presided over the awards ceremony, with actress/comedian Yvette Nicole Brown serving as host.
The event was attended by Nicole Kidman, Baz Lurhmann, Catherine Martin, Guillermo Del Toro, Lilly Kilvert, Annette Bening, Mara LePere-Schloop, Alec Contestabile, Kathryn Newton, Emily Hampshire and many more.
Scroll through the images below to see them all.
The awards took place before over 1,000 guild members, and industry executives with the Adg President Nelson Coates, Adg, and Art Directors Council Chair Evan Rohde, Adg, presided over the awards ceremony, with actress/comedian Yvette Nicole Brown serving as host.
The event was attended by Nicole Kidman, Baz Lurhmann, Catherine Martin, Guillermo Del Toro, Lilly Kilvert, Annette Bening, Mara LePere-Schloop, Alec Contestabile, Kathryn Newton, Emily Hampshire and many more.
Scroll through the images below to see them all.
- 2/19/2023
- by Robert Lang
- Deadline Film + TV
Babylon, Everything Everywhere All at Once and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery won the live-action feature prizes at the 27th annual Art Directors Guild (Local 800) Excellence in Production Design Awards, which were handed out Saturday night at the InterContinental Hotel Los Angeles Downtown Hotel.
Live-action features are divided into three categories: period, fantasy and contemporary film. Babylon picked up the trophy in the competitive period film competition. Everything Everywhere All at Once won the prize for a fantasy film, while Glass Onion collected the award for a contemporary movie.
Babylon, along with Adg noms All Quiet on the Western Front, Avatar: The Way of Water, Elvis and The Fabelmans, are Oscar-nominated.
Over the past five years, the winner of the Adg’s period film prize has gone on to win the Oscar for production design three times: in 2018 for The Shape of Water, in 2020 for Once Upon a Time...
Live-action features are divided into three categories: period, fantasy and contemporary film. Babylon picked up the trophy in the competitive period film competition. Everything Everywhere All at Once won the prize for a fantasy film, while Glass Onion collected the award for a contemporary movie.
Babylon, along with Adg noms All Quiet on the Western Front, Avatar: The Way of Water, Elvis and The Fabelmans, are Oscar-nominated.
Over the past five years, the winner of the Adg’s period film prize has gone on to win the Oscar for production design three times: in 2018 for The Shape of Water, in 2020 for Once Upon a Time...
- 2/19/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Everything Everywhere All At Once, Babylon and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery took top film honors at the 27th annual Art Directors Guild Awards tonight. Yvette Nicole Brown hosted tonight’s awards for the second consecutive year at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown. Check out the full list below.
Everything Everywhere All At Once won for Fantasy Feature Film, the Damien Chazelle-directed early Hollywood epic Babylon took the Period Feature prize and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery was honored for Contemporary Feature.
Since the guild launched its trophy show in 1996, one of its top prize winners — for Fantasy, Period or Contemporary Feature — or has gone on to win the Art Direction/Production Design Oscar in 18 of the 26 years, including the past nine in a row. Last year’s Adg’s Fantasy Film winner Dune went on to score the Academy Award.
Vying for the Production Design Oscar...
Everything Everywhere All At Once won for Fantasy Feature Film, the Damien Chazelle-directed early Hollywood epic Babylon took the Period Feature prize and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery was honored for Contemporary Feature.
Since the guild launched its trophy show in 1996, one of its top prize winners — for Fantasy, Period or Contemporary Feature — or has gone on to win the Art Direction/Production Design Oscar in 18 of the 26 years, including the past nine in a row. Last year’s Adg’s Fantasy Film winner Dune went on to score the Academy Award.
Vying for the Production Design Oscar...
- 2/19/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
A busy weekend of guild and industry awards ceremonies kicked off with the 2023 Adg Awards, the annual ceremony where the Art Directors Guild hands out their year-end kudos for production design. This year’s non-competitive honorees included Guillermo del Toro, Lilly Kilvert as well as Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin. Major winners included Rich Heinrichs who took his third Adg Award in the Contemporary Feature Film category for “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery.” Florencia Martin won for “Babylon” in the Period Feature Film category, and the Fantasy Film category went to Jason Kisvarday for “Everything Everywhere All At Once.”
Read More: State of the Oscar races: Best Actress, Best Original Song, Best Picture all up for grabs
Guy Davis and Curt Enderle took the Animated Feature award for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinnochio.”
Television winners included Mara LePere-Schloop for “Pachinko: Chapter One” for One Hour Period Single Camera, Ra Vincent...
Read More: State of the Oscar races: Best Actress, Best Original Song, Best Picture all up for grabs
Guy Davis and Curt Enderle took the Animated Feature award for “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinnochio.”
Television winners included Mara LePere-Schloop for “Pachinko: Chapter One” for One Hour Period Single Camera, Ra Vincent...
- 2/19/2023
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
When the 27th annual Art Directors Guild Awards are handed out at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown, Michael Denering, best known for his work in such movies as Die Hard, Batman Returns, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events and Bram Stoker’s Dracula, will be one of several big-name artists receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award. Ahead of the Feb. 18 event, Denering looked back at some of his prized work, including a piece seen in Steven Spielberg’s dinosaur classic.
The scenic artist was a member of a small team that created a mural for the original Jurassic Park (above). The project was based on Picasso’s famous 1937 oil painting Guernica — the film version swapped out the original antiwar motifs of a gored horse, a bull and screaming women with dinosaurs. The final mural appeared in the compound of park owner John Hammond (played by Richard Attenborough) in various shots of the action flick.
The scenic artist was a member of a small team that created a mural for the original Jurassic Park (above). The project was based on Picasso’s famous 1937 oil painting Guernica — the film version swapped out the original antiwar motifs of a gored horse, a bull and screaming women with dinosaurs. The final mural appeared in the compound of park owner John Hammond (played by Richard Attenborough) in various shots of the action flick.
- 2/18/2023
- by Carolyn Giardina
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Art Directors Guild (Adg, IATSE Local 800) Lifetime Achievement Award from the Set Designers & Model Makers Council (Sdmm) will be granted to set designer Luis G. Hoyos, the union has announced.
Hoyos, an award-winning set designer best known for Memoirs of a Geisha and Dreamgirls, will receive the honors at a ceremony taking place Saturday, Feb. 18 at the 27th Annual Art Directors Guild’s Excellence in Production Design Awards.
The event will be held at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown. The announcement was made today by Guild President Nelson Coates, Adg, and Awards Producers Michael Allen Glover, Adg, and Megan Elizabeth Bell, Adg.
The award will spotlight Hoyos’s 30-year career and his artistic contributions to many memorable films. Most recently, he worked as a set designer on the award-winning films Babylon and The Batman, both nominees in the this year’s 2023 Adg Awards for their art direction and set design.
Hoyos, an award-winning set designer best known for Memoirs of a Geisha and Dreamgirls, will receive the honors at a ceremony taking place Saturday, Feb. 18 at the 27th Annual Art Directors Guild’s Excellence in Production Design Awards.
The event will be held at the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown. The announcement was made today by Guild President Nelson Coates, Adg, and Awards Producers Michael Allen Glover, Adg, and Megan Elizabeth Bell, Adg.
The award will spotlight Hoyos’s 30-year career and his artistic contributions to many memorable films. Most recently, he worked as a set designer on the award-winning films Babylon and The Batman, both nominees in the this year’s 2023 Adg Awards for their art direction and set design.
- 2/2/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Willem Dafoe in The Loveless will be available on Blu-ray July 9th From Arrow Video
“They Re Going Nowhere… Fast!”
The United States, late 1950s. A time of generational conflict, of immense social change, of bold fashions and toe-tapping music just some of the elements that collide in thrilling fashion in The Loveless, the feature debut of both its star, Willem Dafoe (To Live and Die in La), and its directors, Monty Montgomery and future Academy Award®-winner* Kathryn Bigelow.
A motorcycle gang roars into a small southern town en route to the Daytona races, unnerving and angering the locals with their standoffish attitude and disrespect for social niceties. When one of their number, the charismatic Vance (Dafoe), hooks up with sportscar-driving Telena, he incurs the wrath of the girl s father, setting the gang on a collision course with the rest of the town as simmering tensions boil over into violent retribution.
“They Re Going Nowhere… Fast!”
The United States, late 1950s. A time of generational conflict, of immense social change, of bold fashions and toe-tapping music just some of the elements that collide in thrilling fashion in The Loveless, the feature debut of both its star, Willem Dafoe (To Live and Die in La), and its directors, Monty Montgomery and future Academy Award®-winner* Kathryn Bigelow.
A motorcycle gang roars into a small southern town en route to the Daytona races, unnerving and angering the locals with their standoffish attitude and disrespect for social niceties. When one of their number, the charismatic Vance (Dafoe), hooks up with sportscar-driving Telena, he incurs the wrath of the girl s father, setting the gang on a collision course with the rest of the town as simmering tensions boil over into violent retribution.
- 6/27/2019
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Camerimage, the weeklong celebration of cinematography in Bydgoszcz, Poland, comes to a close today by handing out its prestigious Frog prizes. The big winner was South Korean drama “The Fortress,” which won the top prize, the Golden Frog, in the Main Competition. The film directed by Dong-Hyuk Hwang and lensed by Ji Yong Kim was a massive hit in its home country in late 2017 and has since been released in 28 countries, including the U.S., reaching 3.8 million viewers worldwide.
The competition jury gave the Silver Frog to cinematographer Łukasz Żal for “Cold War” and the Bronze Frog to director-cinematographer Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma.” With over 900 cinematographers from around the world in attendance, many voting members of the Asc, Camerimage is an important bellwether for the Oscar race for Best Cinematography. The silver and bronze prizes should be a big boost for the two black-and-white films angling for Oscar nominations.
Five years ago,...
The competition jury gave the Silver Frog to cinematographer Łukasz Żal for “Cold War” and the Bronze Frog to director-cinematographer Alfonso Cuarón for “Roma.” With over 900 cinematographers from around the world in attendance, many voting members of the Asc, Camerimage is an important bellwether for the Oscar race for Best Cinematography. The silver and bronze prizes should be a big boost for the two black-and-white films angling for Oscar nominations.
Five years ago,...
- 11/17/2018
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
Birdman, Fury and Leviathan among main competition titles; Roland Joffé to preside over main jury.
Alejandro G Ińárritu, Yimou Zhang, Mike Leigh and Jean-Marc Vallée are among the directors with films screening in competition at the 22nd Camerimage (Nov 15-22), the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography.
The main competition at the festival, held in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz, comprises:
Alejandro G Ińárritu’s Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance); USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Emmanuel Lubezki
Yimou Zhang’s Coming Home (Gui lai); China, 2014; Cinematographer: Zhao Xiaoding
Richard Raymond’s Desert Dancer; UK, 2014; Cinematographer: Carlos Catalán Alucha
Lech J. Majewski’s Field of Dogs - Onirica (Onirica - Psie pole); Poland, 2014; Cinematographers: Paweł Tybora and Lech J. Majewski
Krzysztof Zanussi’s Foreign Body (Obce cialo); Poland, Italy, Russia, 2014; Cinematographer: Piotr Niemyjski
David Ayer’s Fury; USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Roman Vasyanov
Tate Taylor’s Get on Up; USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Stephen Goldblatt
Łukasz Palkowski’s Gods (Bogowie); Poland, 2014; Cinematographer:...
Alejandro G Ińárritu, Yimou Zhang, Mike Leigh and Jean-Marc Vallée are among the directors with films screening in competition at the 22nd Camerimage (Nov 15-22), the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography.
The main competition at the festival, held in the Polish city of Bydgoszcz, comprises:
Alejandro G Ińárritu’s Birdman (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance); USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Emmanuel Lubezki
Yimou Zhang’s Coming Home (Gui lai); China, 2014; Cinematographer: Zhao Xiaoding
Richard Raymond’s Desert Dancer; UK, 2014; Cinematographer: Carlos Catalán Alucha
Lech J. Majewski’s Field of Dogs - Onirica (Onirica - Psie pole); Poland, 2014; Cinematographers: Paweł Tybora and Lech J. Majewski
Krzysztof Zanussi’s Foreign Body (Obce cialo); Poland, Italy, Russia, 2014; Cinematographer: Piotr Niemyjski
David Ayer’s Fury; USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Roman Vasyanov
Tate Taylor’s Get on Up; USA, 2014; Cinematographer: Stephen Goldblatt
Łukasz Palkowski’s Gods (Bogowie); Poland, 2014; Cinematographer:...
- 10/31/2014
- by michael.rosser@screendaily.com (Michael Rosser)
- ScreenDaily
Polish film festival sets competition juries; Roland Joffe to preside over main competition.
Camerimage (Nov 15-22), the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography, has set an impressive roster of jurors for its various competition categories.
The Killing Fields director Roland Joffe will preside over the main competition jury, which incldues cinematographers Christian Berger and Manuel Alberto Claro.
Caleb Deschanel has been appointed president of the Polish Films Competition.
The full list of jurors is below.
Main Competition
Roland Joffé – Jury President (director, producer; The Killing Fields, The Mission, Vatel)
Christian Berger (cinematographer; The Piano Teacher, Hidden, The White Ribbon)
Ryszard Bugajski (director, screenwriter; Interrogation, General Nil, The Closed Circuit)
Ryszard Horowitz (photographer)
David Gropman (cinematographer; The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, Life of Pi)
Arthur Reinhart (cinematographer, producer; Crows, Tristan + Isolde, Venice)
Oliver Stapleton (cinematographer; The Cider House Rules, Pay It Forward, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark)
Manuel Alberto Claro (cinematographer; Reconstruction, Melancholia, Nymphomaniac...
Camerimage (Nov 15-22), the International Film Festival of the Art of Cinematography, has set an impressive roster of jurors for its various competition categories.
The Killing Fields director Roland Joffe will preside over the main competition jury, which incldues cinematographers Christian Berger and Manuel Alberto Claro.
Caleb Deschanel has been appointed president of the Polish Films Competition.
The full list of jurors is below.
Main Competition
Roland Joffé – Jury President (director, producer; The Killing Fields, The Mission, Vatel)
Christian Berger (cinematographer; The Piano Teacher, Hidden, The White Ribbon)
Ryszard Bugajski (director, screenwriter; Interrogation, General Nil, The Closed Circuit)
Ryszard Horowitz (photographer)
David Gropman (cinematographer; The Cider House Rules, Chocolat, Life of Pi)
Arthur Reinhart (cinematographer, producer; Crows, Tristan + Isolde, Venice)
Oliver Stapleton (cinematographer; The Cider House Rules, Pay It Forward, Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark)
Manuel Alberto Claro (cinematographer; Reconstruction, Melancholia, Nymphomaniac...
- 10/31/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
“Reckless,” a hot and steamy CBS drama set in the South that debuts Sunday has a decidedly female bent both in front of the camera and – most unusual for Hollywood – behind it. Kim Moses, an executive producer of the show, spoke to TheWrap's WaxWord about a rare network production that was conceived, written and directed by women. WaxWord: Who are the women behind the scenes on this show? You're an executive producer, who else is involved? Kim Moses: Catherine Hardwicke (“Twilight”) directed the pilot, Dana Stevens (“Safe Haven”) is the creator of the show. Lilly Kilvert, an Oscar-nominated production.
- 6/30/2014
- by Sharon Waxman
- The Wrap
Genre: Reality | Sci-Fi | Competition
Air Date/Time: Tuesdays at 10/9c
Network: Syfy
Synopsis:
From the producers of Syfy’s top-rated Face Off comes a visually stunning new competition series Hot Set. Each week, two Hollywood production designers and their teams will compete in an extreme design challenge to create original movie sets inspired by the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres. Each episode is one complete competition, with new production designers introduced each week. The episode’s winning designer will be the one who creates the ultimate movie set that is able to transport the viewer into an immersive world based on creativity, technique and overall presentation.
A member of an American movie family dynasty, radio and television personality Ben Mankiewicz hosts the series. Ben’s grandfather, Herman Mankiewicz, is an Oscar-winning screenwriter for Citizen Kane and his great uncle, Joseph Mankiewicz, is an Oscar-Winning writer and director for All About Eve...
Air Date/Time: Tuesdays at 10/9c
Network: Syfy
Synopsis:
From the producers of Syfy’s top-rated Face Off comes a visually stunning new competition series Hot Set. Each week, two Hollywood production designers and their teams will compete in an extreme design challenge to create original movie sets inspired by the science fiction, fantasy and horror genres. Each episode is one complete competition, with new production designers introduced each week. The episode’s winning designer will be the one who creates the ultimate movie set that is able to transport the viewer into an immersive world based on creativity, technique and overall presentation.
A member of an American movie family dynasty, radio and television personality Ben Mankiewicz hosts the series. Ben’s grandfather, Herman Mankiewicz, is an Oscar-winning screenwriter for Citizen Kane and his great uncle, Joseph Mankiewicz, is an Oscar-Winning writer and director for All About Eve...
- 9/18/2012
- by Erin Willard
- ScifiMafia
Beverly Hills, CA – The differences between production design for animation and live action will be explored in detail during the first installment of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. series .Evolution or Revolution? Production Design in the 21st Century,. on Monday, April 25, from 7 to 10 p.m. at the Academy.s Linwood Dunn Theater in Hollywood.
.Production Design in the 21st Century. will be hosted by two of the Academy.s Art Directors Branch governors, production designer Jim Bissell (.300,. .Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.) and set decorator Rosemary Brandenburg (.Unstoppable,. .Public Enemies.). Special guests for the first evening will be production designers Kathy Altieri (.How to Train Your Dragon,. .Over the Hedge.), Scott Chambliss (.Salt,. .Star Trek.), Harley Jessup (.Ratatouille,. .Monsters, Inc..) and Lilly Kilvert (.Valkyrie,. .The Last Samurai.), as well as set decorator Karen O.Hara (.Alice in Wonderland,. .Disney.s A Christmas Carol.). The session will feature...
.Production Design in the 21st Century. will be hosted by two of the Academy.s Art Directors Branch governors, production designer Jim Bissell (.300,. .Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.) and set decorator Rosemary Brandenburg (.Unstoppable,. .Public Enemies.). Special guests for the first evening will be production designers Kathy Altieri (.How to Train Your Dragon,. .Over the Hedge.), Scott Chambliss (.Salt,. .Star Trek.), Harley Jessup (.Ratatouille,. .Monsters, Inc..) and Lilly Kilvert (.Valkyrie,. .The Last Samurai.), as well as set decorator Karen O.Hara (.Alice in Wonderland,. .Disney.s A Christmas Carol.). The session will feature...
- 4/20/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
"Valkyrie" fans will be pleased to know we have a "Through the Eyes of Bryan Singer" Featurette. United Artits' "Valkyrie" opens in theaters on December 26th, 2008 and stars Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Carice van Houten, Thomas Kretschmann, Terence Stamp, Eddie Izzard, Jamie Parker, Ian McNeice, Kevin McNally, Christian Oliver, David Schofield, Matthias Freihof and Manfred-Anton Algrang. Cruise makes a change from the recent release of "Tropic Thunder" where we think he stole the limelight as the ruthless "playa" Les Grossman and won back many a fan. Now, he plays Colonel Claus von Staffenberg who was part of the scheme to assassinate Hitler. Bryan Singer ("The Usual Suspects," "X-Men," "Superman Returns") helms from the writing by Academy Award®-winning scripter (for "The Usual Suspects") Christopher McQuarrie. We can't wait to see this one. What's this about? In a country in the grips of evil, in a...
- 11/15/2008
- Upcoming-Movies.com
We have the final trailer for Bryan Singer's "Valkyrie" starring Tom Cruise, Kenneth Branagh, Bill Nighy, Tom Wilkinson, Carice van Houten, Thomas Kretschmann, Terence Stamp, Eddie Izzard, Jamie Parker, Ian McNeice, Kevin McNally, Christian Oliver, David Schofield, Matthias Freihof and Manfred-Anton Algrang. Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander write the screenplay based on the true story of Colonel Clause von Stauffenberg (played by Tom Cruise). With an incredible cast and the helmer of such greats as "Superman Returns," "X-Men" and "The Usual Suspects," one should not miss this thrilling war genred drama. This one finds theatres on December 26th via MGM. What's this all about? In a country in the grips of evil, in a police state where every move is being watched, in a world where justice and honor have been subverted, a group of men hidden inside the highest reaches of power decide to take action. Tom Cruise...
- 11/4/2008
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Enjoy these new stills from Bryan Singer's "Valkyrie" starring Tom Cruise, Tom Wilkinson, Kenneth Branagh, Candice Van Houten and Bill Nighy. Singer directs from the screenplay by Christopher McQuarrie and Nathan Alexander. The war film looks set for a hefty pocketful and debuts on December 26, 2008. Rated PG-13 for Violence and Brief Strong Language. See all the images here. Check out the official site here - http://valkyrie.unitedartists.com/ What's this about? In a country in the grips of evil, in a police state where every move is being watched, in a world where justice and honor have been subverted, a group of men hidden inside the highest reaches of power decide to take action. Tom Cruise stars in the suspense film, Valkyrie, based on the true story of Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg (Cruise) and the daring and ingenious plot to eliminate one of the most evil tyrants the world has ever known.
- 10/30/2008
- Upcoming-Movies.com
In February 1994, justice was finally served for Myrlie Evers -- a mere three decades after the fatal shooting of her husband, civil-rights activist Medgar Evers, and the two mistrials that left his killer, Byron De La Beckwith, a free man.
Faithfully documenting the events leading up to the white supremacist's ultimate conviction, Rob Reiner's "Ghosts of Mississippi" is a well-intentioned but dramatically unsatisfying motion picture experience.
There is certainly an intriguing story to be told here, but unfortunately it isn't the one Reiner and screenwriter Lewis Colick ("Unlawful Entry") have chosen to tell. By focusing almost entirely on the trials and tribulations of Bobby DeLaughter -- the white assistant district attorney who took on the Evers case -- and the toll it took on DeLaughter's family, while relegating the Myrlie Evers angle to the sidelines, the film resonates a been-there, done-that familiarity, particularly in light of the summer's "A Time to Kill".
The result is a finely acted, technically proficient piece that falls frustratingly short of the Oscar caliber to which it obviously aspires -- James Woods' scenery-nibbling portrayal of De La Beckwith being the sure-fire exception. In boxoffice terms, the "Ghosts" verdict will likely be delivered in favor of a respectful but not overwhelming audience response.
After a prologue set in 1964 during the minutes leading up to Evers' murder as his wife (Whoopi Goldberg) and children watched a televised civil rights speech by President Kennedy, the story fast-forwards to the late 1980s, when DeLaughter (Alec Baldwin) is assigned to the Evers case. After initially little to go on, DeLaughter is able to reconstruct the events of the past.
At the same time, his progressive immersion in the case costs him his marriage to Dixie (Virginia Madsen), whose father was the presiding judge in an earlier De La Beckwith trial, while leaving his family open to terrorist threats. Shaken but remaining undeterred, DeLaughter sees the case through to its courtroom finale, closing an unpleasant chapter of the South's checkered history.
Handed his most heroic lead since originating the Jack Ryan character in "The Hunt for Red October", Baldwin seizes the opportunity, playing DeLaughter with an earnest, sympathetic conviction. Still, his closing courtroom arguments never reach the emotional crescendo required, but the blame could also be shouldered by Colick's script, which opts for accuracy over dramatic license.
Likewise Goldberg, as Myrlie Evers, is solemnly passionate in what amounts to a series of extended cameos instead of what should have been a more evenly represented story. By keeping the spotlight on DeLaughter, we're robbed of getting a glimpse of the motivation that kept Evers' fight alive for more than 30 years.
Only Woods is able to completely transcend the staid material and layers of latex (masterfully applied by make-up artists Matthew Mungle and Deborah La Mia Denaver) as 73-year-old De La Beckwith.
Bill Cobbs also does some standout work as Evers' DJ brother, Charlie; the Evers' sons, Darrell and Van, play themselves in the film, while Yolanda King, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., plays their sister, Reena.
As has come to be expected in Rob Reiner pictures, production values are pristine, with director of photography John Seale, production designer Lilly Kilvert, costume designer Gloria Gresham and composer Marc Shaiman lending their superb talents.
GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI
Sony Pictures Releasing
Columbia Pictures
Castle Rock Entertainment
A Frederick Zollo Production
A Rob Reiner Film
Producer-director Rob Reiner
Screenplay Lewis Colick
Producers Frederick Zollo,
Nicholas Paleologos, Andrew Scheinman
Executive producers Jeffrey Stott,
Charles Newirth
Director of photography John Seale
Production designer Lilly Kilvert
Editor Robert Leighton
Costume designer Gloria Gresham
Music Marc Shaiman
Casting Jane Jenkins, Janet Hirshenson
Color/stereo
Cast:
Bobby DeLaughter Alec Baldwin
Myrlie Evers Whoopi Goldberg
Byron De La Beckwith James Woods
Ed Peters Craig T. Nelson
Charlie Crisco William H. Macy
Peggy Lloyd DeLaughter Susanna Thompson
Merrida Coxwell Michael O'Keefe
Jim Kitchens Bill Smitrovich
Morris Dees Wayne Rogers
Caroline Moore Diane Ladd
Dixie Moore DeLaughter Virginia Madsen
Running time -- 123 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Faithfully documenting the events leading up to the white supremacist's ultimate conviction, Rob Reiner's "Ghosts of Mississippi" is a well-intentioned but dramatically unsatisfying motion picture experience.
There is certainly an intriguing story to be told here, but unfortunately it isn't the one Reiner and screenwriter Lewis Colick ("Unlawful Entry") have chosen to tell. By focusing almost entirely on the trials and tribulations of Bobby DeLaughter -- the white assistant district attorney who took on the Evers case -- and the toll it took on DeLaughter's family, while relegating the Myrlie Evers angle to the sidelines, the film resonates a been-there, done-that familiarity, particularly in light of the summer's "A Time to Kill".
The result is a finely acted, technically proficient piece that falls frustratingly short of the Oscar caliber to which it obviously aspires -- James Woods' scenery-nibbling portrayal of De La Beckwith being the sure-fire exception. In boxoffice terms, the "Ghosts" verdict will likely be delivered in favor of a respectful but not overwhelming audience response.
After a prologue set in 1964 during the minutes leading up to Evers' murder as his wife (Whoopi Goldberg) and children watched a televised civil rights speech by President Kennedy, the story fast-forwards to the late 1980s, when DeLaughter (Alec Baldwin) is assigned to the Evers case. After initially little to go on, DeLaughter is able to reconstruct the events of the past.
At the same time, his progressive immersion in the case costs him his marriage to Dixie (Virginia Madsen), whose father was the presiding judge in an earlier De La Beckwith trial, while leaving his family open to terrorist threats. Shaken but remaining undeterred, DeLaughter sees the case through to its courtroom finale, closing an unpleasant chapter of the South's checkered history.
Handed his most heroic lead since originating the Jack Ryan character in "The Hunt for Red October", Baldwin seizes the opportunity, playing DeLaughter with an earnest, sympathetic conviction. Still, his closing courtroom arguments never reach the emotional crescendo required, but the blame could also be shouldered by Colick's script, which opts for accuracy over dramatic license.
Likewise Goldberg, as Myrlie Evers, is solemnly passionate in what amounts to a series of extended cameos instead of what should have been a more evenly represented story. By keeping the spotlight on DeLaughter, we're robbed of getting a glimpse of the motivation that kept Evers' fight alive for more than 30 years.
Only Woods is able to completely transcend the staid material and layers of latex (masterfully applied by make-up artists Matthew Mungle and Deborah La Mia Denaver) as 73-year-old De La Beckwith.
Bill Cobbs also does some standout work as Evers' DJ brother, Charlie; the Evers' sons, Darrell and Van, play themselves in the film, while Yolanda King, daughter of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., plays their sister, Reena.
As has come to be expected in Rob Reiner pictures, production values are pristine, with director of photography John Seale, production designer Lilly Kilvert, costume designer Gloria Gresham and composer Marc Shaiman lending their superb talents.
GHOSTS OF MISSISSIPPI
Sony Pictures Releasing
Columbia Pictures
Castle Rock Entertainment
A Frederick Zollo Production
A Rob Reiner Film
Producer-director Rob Reiner
Screenplay Lewis Colick
Producers Frederick Zollo,
Nicholas Paleologos, Andrew Scheinman
Executive producers Jeffrey Stott,
Charles Newirth
Director of photography John Seale
Production designer Lilly Kilvert
Editor Robert Leighton
Costume designer Gloria Gresham
Music Marc Shaiman
Casting Jane Jenkins, Janet Hirshenson
Color/stereo
Cast:
Bobby DeLaughter Alec Baldwin
Myrlie Evers Whoopi Goldberg
Byron De La Beckwith James Woods
Ed Peters Craig T. Nelson
Charlie Crisco William H. Macy
Peggy Lloyd DeLaughter Susanna Thompson
Merrida Coxwell Michael O'Keefe
Jim Kitchens Bill Smitrovich
Morris Dees Wayne Rogers
Caroline Moore Diane Ladd
Dixie Moore DeLaughter Virginia Madsen
Running time -- 123 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 12/15/1996
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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