Every month, I’ll introduce you to some little-known British films and from across the Channel in Europe, along with any entertaining pieces of news or perhaps an actor or director profile of someone well-known or up and coming.
Coming Soon – “Philomena”
Director Stephen Frears takes on the true story of a woman (Judi Dench) searching for her long-lost son with the help of journalist Steve Sixsmith (Steve Coogan). In the early 1950s, Philomena Lee gave birth to a baby boy at a home run by Roman Catholic nuns in County Tipperary. A baby born out of wedlock in those days was considered shameful, and three years later she was forced to sell him to a rich couple from Missouri. Lee was threatened with damnation from the nuns at the convent and, filled with guilt of her sin, kept her secret for more than 50 years.
Dench and Coogan look like a great match as two people who form an unlikely friendship through their search, and there'll no doubt be some gentle comedy to soften the serious edges of the story.
The film is based on Sixsmith's book "The Lost Child of Philomena Lee." A chance meeting with someone led him to Lee and her story, and he began a five-year investigation to find the lost son, Anthony. It's slated for release this November.
Coming Soon - “Diana”
It has been 15 years since Princess Diana tragically died in a car accident in Paris. Director Oliver Hirschbiegel’s biopic looks at the last two years of her life and the secret love affair she had with heart surgeon Hasnat Khan.
Naomi Watts, who plays Diana, admitted to being initially terrified of playing the iconic figure, and who wouldn't? The film is being released in early September, however media coverage has been rather subdued so far — something you wouldn’t expect considering its subject matter. Perhaps they are staying away for good reason.
Watts doesn’t exude the same powerful likeness Michelle Williams did when she played Marilyn Monroe, for example. There is a likeness there, but not enough to evoke strong memories of Diana herself.
The film will, however, remind us of the loneliness Diana felt in her final years and how difficult her life was post-Prince Charles.
Hirschbiegel has already received much acclaim for “Downfall,” which detailed the last years of Hitler’s life at the end of WWII.
News
Guy Ritchie is all set for a “The Man From U.N.C.L.E” remake, and Hugh Grant has been cast as the head of British Naval Intelligence. Henry Cavill will also star as special agent Napoleon Solo, with Armie Hammer as Russian agent Illya Kuryakin.
Grant, who up until last year only had parts in romantic comedies, played six characters in 2012’s “Cloud Atlas," one a cannibal. Seeing acting as immature fun rather than a serious job, Grant is breaking free of the romcom role again with his part in U.N.C.L.E. Filming will start in September with a 2014 release planned.
To a much more serious project planned by UK MP, writer and broadcaster George Galloway will be using Kickstarter to fund his anti-Blair film. Titled “The Killing of Tony Blair,” the documentary will show how the former Prime Minister destroyed the Labour party, as well as people in Iraq, and “made a killing” doing it. A very cleverly titled film from a man who’s been building up a lot of ammo for it during his political career. He joins with documentary filmmaker Greg Ward.
Acclaimed British director Ken Loach is due to start production on possibly his last feature film, “Jimmy’s Hall." This will be the 29th production from an auteur whose films have always been strongly left-wing, showing the working class side of British life in “The Spirit of ‘45," “The Angels' Share” and, most famously, “Kes." This last feature is set in Ireland in the 1920s and centers on the building of a dance hall by communist leader Jimmy Gralton.
Spanish Cinema – “Blancanieves”
Not another Snow White remake. Yes, the Brothers Grimm fairy tale forms the main story arc. However, director Pablo Berger’s take on the story is unique in its Spanish setting. It’s also silent and in black and white, so not the most traditional approach for the very traditional story.
Bullfighter Antonio Villalta is paralyzed during one of his fights. At the same time, his wife dies while giving birth to a baby girl. Little Carmencita is raised by her grandmother, Dona Concha, who also dies. Antonio remarries the money-driven but beautiful Encarna, who forces Carmen to sleep with the chickens. Later, her father tries to teach her the art of bullfighting, but Encarna drives her from the house.
Joining with a group of bullfighting dwarves (Los Enanitos Toreros, a picture of one such troupe Berger cites as an influence for the film), she gains renown as a fighting sensation like her father. She is known as Blancanieves (white). Jealous Encarna interferes once again and poisons Carmen with an apple. The dwarves join a freak show and trawl the country with her body in a glass coffin.
Berger’s film is highly atmospheric, which comes from the Gothic atmosphere most likely generated by the shadowy black-and-white scenes and costumes. Encarna is very much the wicked stepmother in flamenco. Look out for the S&M too.
Unfortunately for Berger, he was still in the planning stages of “Blancanieves” when “The Artist” was released and the film trumped him in taking the lead on a black-and-white silent-film fad. He is not just riding the wave of popularity following success of “The Artist," though; his film is much more than that and highly pleasurable to watch.
Independent Cinema - “Exhibition”
Director Joanna Hogg’s third film tells the story of a couple, their home and an unspoken horror. A simple premise but one that draws you in immediately: What horror? Will all be revealed at the end in classic Hollywood style? Most likely not, as this is a very non-mainstream production.
The only "touch" of fame really comes from Tom Hiddleston, who stars with two first-time actors, Viv Albertine and Liam Gillick, whose character names are merely D and H.
“Exhibition” could refer to many things, their modern-decorated house (all wall-length windows and potted ferns) or their exhibits as performance artist and artist, respectively. Or the exhibition that is their lives and relationship, now aired on screen.