Jenny Beavan, a three-time Oscar winner, has plenty to celebrate this year. Her fellow costume designers have chosen her as the recipient of the Career Achievement Award at the 27th Annual Costume Designers Guild Awards on February 6. This honor recognizes her nearly five-decade-long career as one of Hollywood’s leading costume designers.
“It’s extremely special,” Beavan tells Gold Derby (watch the video interview above). “At the same time, I wouldn’t want anyone to think I’ve achieved everything I need to achieve in my career. I’m not finished yet!”
This year, the 12-time Academy Award nominee is back in contention for her post-apocalyptic designs in George Miller‘s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. The film tells the origin story of renegade warrior Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) before her encounter and team-up with Mad Max. It is a prequel to Beavan’s previous collaboration with Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road,...
“It’s extremely special,” Beavan tells Gold Derby (watch the video interview above). “At the same time, I wouldn’t want anyone to think I’ve achieved everything I need to achieve in my career. I’m not finished yet!”
This year, the 12-time Academy Award nominee is back in contention for her post-apocalyptic designs in George Miller‘s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. The film tells the origin story of renegade warrior Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) before her encounter and team-up with Mad Max. It is a prequel to Beavan’s previous collaboration with Miller, Mad Max: Fury Road,...
- 1/11/2025
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
Vanessa Redgrave with Madeleine Potter in Ruth Prawer Jhabvala’s adaptation of Henry James’s The Bostonians, directed by James Ivory
Stephen Soucy’s Merchant Ivory (co-written with Jon Hart) takes us into the extraordinary world of the creative quartet of producer Ismail Merchant, filmmaker James Ivory, screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, and composer Richard Robbins through film clips and on-camera interviews with Ivory and Robbins, actors Emma Thompson, Vanessa Redgrave, Helena Bonham Carter,...
Stephen Soucy’s Merchant Ivory (co-written with Jon Hart) takes us into the extraordinary world of the creative quartet of producer Ismail Merchant, filmmaker James Ivory, screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, and composer Richard Robbins through film clips and on-camera interviews with Ivory and Robbins, actors Emma Thompson, Vanessa Redgrave, Helena Bonham Carter,...
- 8/26/2024
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
A new episode of the Best Horror Movie You Never Saw video series was released over the weekend, and with this one we took a look back at a film that came from two masters of the genre: George A. Romero and Dario Argento. The film is the 1990 anthology Two Evil Eyes (watch or buy it Here), and you can find out all about it by watching the video embedded above!
Scripted by Romero, Argento, and Franco Ferrini, Two Evil Eyes consists of adaptations of two separate Edgar Allan Poe stories, The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar and The Black Cat. The film has the following synopsis: George A. Romero provides unabated horror in “The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar”. As he lays dying, Ernest Valdemar’s scheming young wife and her lover anxiously await his demise – and his vast fortune. But when Ernest dies unexpectedly while under hypnosis,...
Scripted by Romero, Argento, and Franco Ferrini, Two Evil Eyes consists of adaptations of two separate Edgar Allan Poe stories, The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar and The Black Cat. The film has the following synopsis: George A. Romero provides unabated horror in “The Facts in the Case of Mr. Valdemar”. As he lays dying, Ernest Valdemar’s scheming young wife and her lover anxiously await his demise – and his vast fortune. But when Ernest dies unexpectedly while under hypnosis,...
- 4/24/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The Masters of Modern Horror - George A. Romero and Dario Argento - bring you an unprecedented pair of shockers inspired by the tales of Edgar Allan Poe. In Romero's The Facts In The Case Of Mr. Valdemar, a conniving wife (Adrienne Barbeau of The Fog) and her lover use a hypnotic trance to embezzle a fortune from her dying husband, only to receive some chilling surprises from beyond the grave. Then in Argento's The Black Cat, a deranged crime scene photographer (Harvey Keitel of From Dusk Til Dawn) is driven to brutal acts of madness and murder by his girlfriend's new pet. But will this cunning feline deliver a final sickening twist of its own?
Martin Balsam (Psycho), E.G. Marshall (Creepshow), John Amos (The Beastmaster) and Tom Atkins (Night of the Creeps) co-star in this wild horror hit that also features grisly makeup effects by Tom Savini (Maniac). In celebration of its 30th Anniversary,...
Martin Balsam (Psycho), E.G. Marshall (Creepshow), John Amos (The Beastmaster) and Tom Atkins (Night of the Creeps) co-star in this wild horror hit that also features grisly makeup effects by Tom Savini (Maniac). In celebration of its 30th Anniversary,...
- 8/19/2019
- by Brian B.
- MovieWeb
Henry James novels have made terrific movies; this precise, strongly-felt adaptation expresses interior feelings that James — the master of ambiguity — may not have intended, yet seem essential to the story. A dynamic young female public speaker transfixes all around her, and is taken in and mentored by an activist for the women’s movement. But will a conventional, confining, repressive romance undo a perfect political relationship? The Merchant-Ivory-Jhabvala combination does a powerful book full justice; Vanessa Redgrave got the awards attention but it’s also one of the best films by Christopher Reeve.
The Bostonians
Blu-ray
Cohen Film Collection
1984 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 122 min. / Street Date May 21, 2019 / 30.98
Starring: Christopher Reeve, Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Tandy, Madeleine Potter, Nancy Marchand, Wesley Addy, Barbara Bryne, Linda Hunt, Charles McCaughan, Nancy New, Jon Van Ness, Wallace Shawn, Peter Bogyo.
Cinematography: Walter Lassally
Film Editor: Mrk Potter Jr., Katherine Wenning
Original Music: Richard Robbins
Written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala,...
The Bostonians
Blu-ray
Cohen Film Collection
1984 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 122 min. / Street Date May 21, 2019 / 30.98
Starring: Christopher Reeve, Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Tandy, Madeleine Potter, Nancy Marchand, Wesley Addy, Barbara Bryne, Linda Hunt, Charles McCaughan, Nancy New, Jon Van Ness, Wallace Shawn, Peter Bogyo.
Cinematography: Walter Lassally
Film Editor: Mrk Potter Jr., Katherine Wenning
Original Music: Richard Robbins
Written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala,...
- 6/11/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Jon Snow may know nothing, but to us, he's everything. Thirty-two-year-old English actor Kit Harington has portrayed the incredibly sexy Lord Commander of the Watch on Game of Thrones for almost a decade now, and it's difficult to imagine him doing anything other than guarding the Wall and battling White Walkers. But as the premiere of GoT's season eight approaches, we must acknowledge that Jon Snow's watch will soon end. So what exactly is next for Harington?
As heartbroken as we are about losing the Lord Commander, Harington himself is ready to ditch his furs and sword to take on new roles. "I'd like to step away and enjoy the obscurity, cut my hair, make myself less recognizable as the character, and go and do some other things with a completely new look and tone," Harington told Entertainment Weekly. He added, "I can't go into my next role looking the same.
As heartbroken as we are about losing the Lord Commander, Harington himself is ready to ditch his furs and sword to take on new roles. "I'd like to step away and enjoy the obscurity, cut my hair, make myself less recognizable as the character, and go and do some other things with a completely new look and tone," Harington told Entertainment Weekly. He added, "I can't go into my next role looking the same.
- 2/25/2019
- by Corinne Sullivan
- Popsugar.com
James Ivory began the year by winning his first Oscar for Call Me By Your Name and closes it out with the restored re-release of his 1984 film, The Bostonians, adapted from Henry James’ novel.
Academy Award-winning actresses Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Tandy, and Linda Hunt star as abolitionists turned suffragettes in post-Civil War Boston. Strident yet genteel Olive Chancellor (Redgrave) is a women’s activist in a tug-of-war with conservative southern lawyer, Basil Ransome (Christopher Reeve), for her protegee Verena Tarrant (Madeleine Potter). Merchant Ivory’s production explores the suffragettes’ philosophical and interpersonal struggles within their movement.
We spoke with Ivory about Basil Ransome’s politics and if they’ve found a home in 21st century America. The writer-director also talks about male actors’ desire to cry on camera, the different kind of feminists in the film, and what he really thinks about making a sequel to Call Me By Your Name.
Academy Award-winning actresses Vanessa Redgrave, Jessica Tandy, and Linda Hunt star as abolitionists turned suffragettes in post-Civil War Boston. Strident yet genteel Olive Chancellor (Redgrave) is a women’s activist in a tug-of-war with conservative southern lawyer, Basil Ransome (Christopher Reeve), for her protegee Verena Tarrant (Madeleine Potter). Merchant Ivory’s production explores the suffragettes’ philosophical and interpersonal struggles within their movement.
We spoke with Ivory about Basil Ransome’s politics and if they’ve found a home in 21st century America. The writer-director also talks about male actors’ desire to cry on camera, the different kind of feminists in the film, and what he really thinks about making a sequel to Call Me By Your Name.
- 11/29/2018
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Two Evil Eyes/Due Occhi Diabolici is an Italian-American co-production helmed by Dario Argento and George A. Romero. One is the grandmaster of Italian thrillers and the other is the godfather of the zombie craze. With a pedigree like that, one would expect the two tale compendium to be much better than it is.
The film starts oddly with a short tour of Edgar Allan Poe’s Baltimore home and gravesite, leading into Romero’s segment:“The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar”. This snippet of Poe’s world was intended for a documentary Argento was working on but that was never completed, so it was decided that this little piece would be placed at the head of the film.
Romero’s segment tells the story of Jessica Valdemar (Adrienne Barbeau) a former stewardess whose wealthy, elderly, and very ill husband (Bingo O’Malley) is near death. With the...
The film starts oddly with a short tour of Edgar Allan Poe’s Baltimore home and gravesite, leading into Romero’s segment:“The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar”. This snippet of Poe’s world was intended for a documentary Argento was working on but that was never completed, so it was decided that this little piece would be placed at the head of the film.
Romero’s segment tells the story of Jessica Valdemar (Adrienne Barbeau) a former stewardess whose wealthy, elderly, and very ill husband (Bingo O’Malley) is near death. With the...
- 9/7/2012
- by Derek Botelho
- DailyDead
The White Countess
Screened
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Notable as the final collaboration between director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, "The White Countess" is a typically classy period piece that fits in well with the pair's considerable oeuvre. Featuring stellar performances by Ralph Fiennes and Natasha Richardson, the film, boasting an original screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro ("The Remains of the Day"), was recently showcased at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival prior to its December theatrical release.
Both stars showcase their skill with accents in the story, set in Shanghai in the late 1930s. Fiennes plays Todd Jackson, an embittered former American diplomat who lost both his daughter and his eyes in a terrorist bombing, while Richardson is the titular figure, Sofia Belinsky, a Russian countess reduced to working as a dance-hall girl and prostitute in order to support her extended family, which includes her young daughter and several disapproving in-laws (two of whom are played by Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave in their first feature pairing).
The film concentrates on the friendly but formal relationship that develops between Jackson and Belinsky, one that turns deeper as he fulfills his dream of owning a swanky nightspot. Dubbing it "The White Countess" in her honor, he hires her as its chief hostess, and the business becomes a raging success. In the best tradition of foreign-set melodramas, their happiness becomes short-lived thanks to the unrest created by the impending Japanese invasion of the city.
Ishiguro's screenplay contains more than a few hokey moments and familiar elements, featuring influences ranging from "Casablanca" to his own "The Remains of the Day", but it manages to work nonetheless, aided in no small degree by the polished production and the committed performances. Fiennes, playing the sort of role that would have been essayed by Bogart, Gable or Cooper in their heyday, displays both his gift for incisive characterization and no small amount of movie star charisma. Richardson, though saddled with an accent that makes her unintelligible at times, is equally fine, showcasing her intelligence and sensuality in equal proportions.
Redgrave siblings Vanessa and Lynn clearly seem to be enjoying their onscreen time together, and such British thesps as John Wood, Madeleine Potter and Allan Corduner deliver vibrant turns in smaller roles. Hiroyuki Sanada, as Jackson's driver with a shady past, displays the subtle power that has made him a star in his native Japan.
The director has staged the elaborate production in his usual stately but impressive manner, and the production values boast the usual Merchant/Ivory stamp of quality.
The White Countess
Sony Pictures Classics
Credits:
Director: James Ivory
Screenplay by: Kazuo Ishiguro
Producers: Ismail Merchant
Executive producers: Andre Morgan, Andreas Schmid, Marcus Schofer
Co-producers: Paul Bradley, Richard Hawley
Cinematographer: Christopher Doyle, Yiu-Fai Lai
Editor: John David Allen
Original music by: Richard Robbins
Production designer: Andrew Sanders
Cast:
Todd Jackson: Ralph Fiennes
Sofia Belinsky: Natasha Richardson
Sarah: Vanessa Redgrave
Olga: Lynn Redgrave
John Wood, Madeleine Potter
Samuel: Allan Corduner
Matsuda: Hiroyuki Sanada
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 138 minutes...
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Notable as the final collaboration between director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, "The White Countess" is a typically classy period piece that fits in well with the pair's considerable oeuvre. Featuring stellar performances by Ralph Fiennes and Natasha Richardson, the film, boasting an original screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro ("The Remains of the Day"), was recently showcased at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival prior to its December theatrical release.
Both stars showcase their skill with accents in the story, set in Shanghai in the late 1930s. Fiennes plays Todd Jackson, an embittered former American diplomat who lost both his daughter and his eyes in a terrorist bombing, while Richardson is the titular figure, Sofia Belinsky, a Russian countess reduced to working as a dance-hall girl and prostitute in order to support her extended family, which includes her young daughter and several disapproving in-laws (two of whom are played by Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave in their first feature pairing).
The film concentrates on the friendly but formal relationship that develops between Jackson and Belinsky, one that turns deeper as he fulfills his dream of owning a swanky nightspot. Dubbing it "The White Countess" in her honor, he hires her as its chief hostess, and the business becomes a raging success. In the best tradition of foreign-set melodramas, their happiness becomes short-lived thanks to the unrest created by the impending Japanese invasion of the city.
Ishiguro's screenplay contains more than a few hokey moments and familiar elements, featuring influences ranging from "Casablanca" to his own "The Remains of the Day", but it manages to work nonetheless, aided in no small degree by the polished production and the committed performances. Fiennes, playing the sort of role that would have been essayed by Bogart, Gable or Cooper in their heyday, displays both his gift for incisive characterization and no small amount of movie star charisma. Richardson, though saddled with an accent that makes her unintelligible at times, is equally fine, showcasing her intelligence and sensuality in equal proportions.
Redgrave siblings Vanessa and Lynn clearly seem to be enjoying their onscreen time together, and such British thesps as John Wood, Madeleine Potter and Allan Corduner deliver vibrant turns in smaller roles. Hiroyuki Sanada, as Jackson's driver with a shady past, displays the subtle power that has made him a star in his native Japan.
The director has staged the elaborate production in his usual stately but impressive manner, and the production values boast the usual Merchant/Ivory stamp of quality.
The White Countess
Sony Pictures Classics
Credits:
Director: James Ivory
Screenplay by: Kazuo Ishiguro
Producers: Ismail Merchant
Executive producers: Andre Morgan, Andreas Schmid, Marcus Schofer
Co-producers: Paul Bradley, Richard Hawley
Cinematographer: Christopher Doyle, Yiu-Fai Lai
Editor: John David Allen
Original music by: Richard Robbins
Production designer: Andrew Sanders
Cast:
Todd Jackson: Ralph Fiennes
Sofia Belinsky: Natasha Richardson
Sarah: Vanessa Redgrave
Olga: Lynn Redgrave
John Wood, Madeleine Potter
Samuel: Allan Corduner
Matsuda: Hiroyuki Sanada
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 138 minutes...
- 1/10/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The White Countess
Screened
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Notable as the final collaboration between director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, "The White Countess" is a typically classy period piece that fits in well with the pair's considerable oeuvre. Featuring stellar performances by Ralph Fiennes and Natasha Richardson, the film, boasting an original screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro ("The Remains of the Day"), was recently showcased at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival prior to its December theatrical release.
Both stars showcase their skill with accents in the story, set in Shanghai in the late 1930s. Fiennes plays Todd Jackson, an embittered former American diplomat who lost both his daughter and his eyes in a terrorist bombing, while Richardson is the titular figure, Sofia Belinsky, a Russian countess reduced to working as a dance-hall girl and prostitute in order to support her extended family, which includes her young daughter and several disapproving in-laws (two of whom are played by Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave in their first feature pairing).
The film concentrates on the friendly but formal relationship that develops between Jackson and Belinsky, one that turns deeper as he fulfills his dream of owning a swanky nightspot. Dubbing it "The White Countess" in her honor, he hires her as its chief hostess, and the business becomes a raging success. In the best tradition of foreign-set melodramas, their happiness becomes short-lived thanks to the unrest created by the impending Japanese invasion of the city.
Ishiguro's screenplay contains more than a few hokey moments and familiar elements, featuring influences ranging from "Casablanca" to his own "The Remains of the Day", but it manages to work nonetheless, aided in no small degree by the polished production and the committed performances. Fiennes, playing the sort of role that would have been essayed by Bogart, Gable or Cooper in their heyday, displays both his gift for incisive characterization and no small amount of movie star charisma. Richardson, though saddled with an accent that makes her unintelligible at times, is equally fine, showcasing her intelligence and sensuality in equal proportions.
Redgrave siblings Vanessa and Lynn clearly seem to be enjoying their onscreen time together, and such British thesps as John Wood, Madeleine Potter and Allan Corduner deliver vibrant turns in smaller roles. Hiroyuki Sanada, as Jackson's driver with a shady past, displays the subtle power that has made him a star in his native Japan.
The director has staged the elaborate production in his usual stately but impressive manner, and the production values boast the usual Merchant/Ivory stamp of quality.
The White Countess
Sony Pictures Classics
Credits:
Director: James Ivory
Screenplay by: Kazuo Ishiguro
Producers: Ismail Merchant
Executive producers: Andre Morgan, Andreas Schmid, Marcus Schofer
Co-producers: Paul Bradley, Richard Hawley
Cinematographer: Christopher Doyle, Yiu-Fai Lai
Editor: John David Allen
Original music by: Richard Robbins
Production designer: Andrew Sanders
Cast:
Todd Jackson: Ralph Fiennes
Sofia Belinsky: Natasha Richardson
Sarah: Vanessa Redgrave
Olga: Lynn Redgrave
John Wood, Madeleine Potter
Samuel: Allan Corduner
Matsuda: Hiroyuki Sanada
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 138 minutes...
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Notable as the final collaboration between director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, "The White Countess" is a typically classy period piece that fits in well with the pair's considerable oeuvre. Featuring stellar performances by Ralph Fiennes and Natasha Richardson, the film, boasting an original screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro ("The Remains of the Day"), was recently showcased at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival prior to its December theatrical release.
Both stars showcase their skill with accents in the story, set in Shanghai in the late 1930s. Fiennes plays Todd Jackson, an embittered former American diplomat who lost both his daughter and his eyes in a terrorist bombing, while Richardson is the titular figure, Sofia Belinsky, a Russian countess reduced to working as a dance-hall girl and prostitute in order to support her extended family, which includes her young daughter and several disapproving in-laws (two of whom are played by Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave in their first feature pairing).
The film concentrates on the friendly but formal relationship that develops between Jackson and Belinsky, one that turns deeper as he fulfills his dream of owning a swanky nightspot. Dubbing it "The White Countess" in her honor, he hires her as its chief hostess, and the business becomes a raging success. In the best tradition of foreign-set melodramas, their happiness becomes short-lived thanks to the unrest created by the impending Japanese invasion of the city.
Ishiguro's screenplay contains more than a few hokey moments and familiar elements, featuring influences ranging from "Casablanca" to his own "The Remains of the Day", but it manages to work nonetheless, aided in no small degree by the polished production and the committed performances. Fiennes, playing the sort of role that would have been essayed by Bogart, Gable or Cooper in their heyday, displays both his gift for incisive characterization and no small amount of movie star charisma. Richardson, though saddled with an accent that makes her unintelligible at times, is equally fine, showcasing her intelligence and sensuality in equal proportions.
Redgrave siblings Vanessa and Lynn clearly seem to be enjoying their onscreen time together, and such British thesps as John Wood, Madeleine Potter and Allan Corduner deliver vibrant turns in smaller roles. Hiroyuki Sanada, as Jackson's driver with a shady past, displays the subtle power that has made him a star in his native Japan.
The director has staged the elaborate production in his usual stately but impressive manner, and the production values boast the usual Merchant/Ivory stamp of quality.
The White Countess
Sony Pictures Classics
Credits:
Director: James Ivory
Screenplay by: Kazuo Ishiguro
Producers: Ismail Merchant
Executive producers: Andre Morgan, Andreas Schmid, Marcus Schofer
Co-producers: Paul Bradley, Richard Hawley
Cinematographer: Christopher Doyle, Yiu-Fai Lai
Editor: John David Allen
Original music by: Richard Robbins
Production designer: Andrew Sanders
Cast:
Todd Jackson: Ralph Fiennes
Sofia Belinsky: Natasha Richardson
Sarah: Vanessa Redgrave
Olga: Lynn Redgrave
John Wood, Madeleine Potter
Samuel: Allan Corduner
Matsuda: Hiroyuki Sanada
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 138 minutes...
- 1/4/2006
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The White Countess
Screened
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Notable as the final collaboration between director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, "The White Countess" is a typically classy period piece that fits in well with the pair's considerable oeuvre. Featuring stellar performances by Ralph Fiennes and Natasha Richardson, the film, boasting an original screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro ("The Remains of the Day"), was recently showcased at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival prior to its December theatrical release.
Both stars showcase their skill with accents in the story, set in Shanghai in the late 1930s. Fiennes plays Todd Jackson, an embittered former American diplomat who lost both his daughter and his eyes in a terrorist bombing, while Richardson is the titular figure, Sofia Belinsky, a Russian countess reduced to working as a dance-hall girl and prostitute in order to support her extended family, which includes her young daughter and several disapproving in-laws (two of whom are played by Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave in their first feature pairing).
The film concentrates on the friendly but formal relationship that develops between Jackson and Belinsky, one that turns deeper as he fulfills his dream of owning a swanky nightspot. Dubbing it "The White Countess" in her honor, he hires her as its chief hostess, and the business becomes a raging success. In the best tradition of foreign-set melodramas, their happiness becomes short-lived thanks to the unrest created by the impending Japanese invasion of the city.
Ishiguro's screenplay contains more than a few hokey moments and familiar elements, featuring influences ranging from "Casablanca" to his own "The Remains of the Day", but it manages to work nonetheless, aided in no small degree by the polished production and the committed performances. Fiennes, playing the sort of role that would have been essayed by Bogart, Gable or Cooper in their heyday, displays both his gift for incisive characterization and no small amount of movie star charisma. Richardson, though saddled with an accent that makes her unintelligible at times, is equally fine, showcasing her intelligence and sensuality in equal proportions.
Redgrave siblings Vanessa and Lynn clearly seem to be enjoying their onscreen time together, and such British thesps as John Wood, Madeleine Potter and Allan Corduner deliver vibrant turns in smaller roles. Hiroyuki Sanada, as Jackson's driver with a shady past, displays the subtle power that has made him a star in his native Japan.
The director has staged the elaborate production in his usual stately but impressive manner, and the production values boast the usual Merchant/Ivory stamp of quality.
The White Countess
Sony Pictures Classics
Credits:
Director: James Ivory
Screenplay by: Kazuo Ishiguro
Producers: Ismail Merchant
Executive producers: Andre Morgan, Andreas Schmid, Marcus Schofer
Co-producers: Paul Bradley, Richard Hawley
Cinematographer: Christopher Doyle, Yiu-Fai Lai
Editor: John David Allen
Original music by: Richard Robbins
Production designer: Andrew Sanders
Cast:
Todd Jackson: Ralph Fiennes
Sofia Belinsky: Natasha Richardson
Sarah: Vanessa Redgrave
Olga: Lynn Redgrave
John Wood, Madeleine Potter
Samuel: Allan Corduner
Matsuda: Hiroyuki Sanada
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 138 minutes...
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Notable as the final collaboration between director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, "The White Countess" is a typically classy period piece that fits in well with the pair's considerable oeuvre. Featuring stellar performances by Ralph Fiennes and Natasha Richardson, the film, boasting an original screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro ("The Remains of the Day"), was recently showcased at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival prior to its December theatrical release.
Both stars showcase their skill with accents in the story, set in Shanghai in the late 1930s. Fiennes plays Todd Jackson, an embittered former American diplomat who lost both his daughter and his eyes in a terrorist bombing, while Richardson is the titular figure, Sofia Belinsky, a Russian countess reduced to working as a dance-hall girl and prostitute in order to support her extended family, which includes her young daughter and several disapproving in-laws (two of whom are played by Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave in their first feature pairing).
The film concentrates on the friendly but formal relationship that develops between Jackson and Belinsky, one that turns deeper as he fulfills his dream of owning a swanky nightspot. Dubbing it "The White Countess" in her honor, he hires her as its chief hostess, and the business becomes a raging success. In the best tradition of foreign-set melodramas, their happiness becomes short-lived thanks to the unrest created by the impending Japanese invasion of the city.
Ishiguro's screenplay contains more than a few hokey moments and familiar elements, featuring influences ranging from "Casablanca" to his own "The Remains of the Day", but it manages to work nonetheless, aided in no small degree by the polished production and the committed performances. Fiennes, playing the sort of role that would have been essayed by Bogart, Gable or Cooper in their heyday, displays both his gift for incisive characterization and no small amount of movie star charisma. Richardson, though saddled with an accent that makes her unintelligible at times, is equally fine, showcasing her intelligence and sensuality in equal proportions.
Redgrave siblings Vanessa and Lynn clearly seem to be enjoying their onscreen time together, and such British thesps as John Wood, Madeleine Potter and Allan Corduner deliver vibrant turns in smaller roles. Hiroyuki Sanada, as Jackson's driver with a shady past, displays the subtle power that has made him a star in his native Japan.
The director has staged the elaborate production in his usual stately but impressive manner, and the production values boast the usual Merchant/Ivory stamp of quality.
The White Countess
Sony Pictures Classics
Credits:
Director: James Ivory
Screenplay by: Kazuo Ishiguro
Producers: Ismail Merchant
Executive producers: Andre Morgan, Andreas Schmid, Marcus Schofer
Co-producers: Paul Bradley, Richard Hawley
Cinematographer: Christopher Doyle, Yiu-Fai Lai
Editor: John David Allen
Original music by: Richard Robbins
Production designer: Andrew Sanders
Cast:
Todd Jackson: Ralph Fiennes
Sofia Belinsky: Natasha Richardson
Sarah: Vanessa Redgrave
Olga: Lynn Redgrave
John Wood, Madeleine Potter
Samuel: Allan Corduner
Matsuda: Hiroyuki Sanada
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 138 minutes...
- 12/20/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The White Countess
Screened
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Notable as the final collaboration between director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, "The White Countess" is a typically classy period piece that fits in well with the pair's considerable oeuvre. Featuring stellar performances by Ralph Fiennes and Natasha Richardson, the film, boasting an original screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro ("The Remains of the Day"), was recently showcased at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival prior to its December theatrical release.
Both stars showcase their skill with accents in the story, set in Shanghai in the late 1930s. Fiennes plays Todd Jackson, an embittered former American diplomat who lost both his daughter and his eyes in a terrorist bombing, while Richardson is the titular figure, Sofia Belinsky, a Russian countess reduced to working as a dance-hall girl and prostitute in order to support her extended family, which includes her young daughter and several disapproving in-laws (two of whom are played by Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave in their first feature pairing).
The film concentrates on the friendly but formal relationship that develops between Jackson and Belinsky, one that turns deeper as he fulfills his dream of owning a swanky nightspot. Dubbing it "The White Countess" in her honor, he hires her as its chief hostess, and the business becomes a raging success. In the best tradition of foreign-set melodramas, their happiness becomes short-lived thanks to the unrest created by the impending Japanese invasion of the city.
Ishiguro's screenplay contains more than a few hokey moments and familiar elements, featuring influences ranging from "Casablanca" to his own "The Remains of the Day", but it manages to work nonetheless, aided in no small degree by the polished production and the committed performances. Fiennes, playing the sort of role that would have been essayed by Bogart, Gable or Cooper in their heyday, displays both his gift for incisive characterization and no small amount of movie star charisma. Richardson, though saddled with an accent that makes her unintelligible at times, is equally fine, showcasing her intelligence and sensuality in equal proportions.
Redgrave siblings Vanessa and Lynn clearly seem to be enjoying their onscreen time together, and such British thesps as John Wood, Madeleine Potter and Allan Corduner deliver vibrant turns in smaller roles. Hiroyuki Sanada, as Jackson's driver with a shady past, displays the subtle power that has made him a star in his native Japan.
The director has staged the elaborate production in his usual stately but impressive manner, and the production values boast the usual Merchant/Ivory stamp of quality.
The White Countess
Sony Pictures Classics
Credits:
Director: James Ivory
Screenplay by: Kazuo Ishiguro
Producers: Ismail Merchant
Executive producers: Andre Morgan, Andreas Schmid, Marcus Schofer
Co-producers: Paul Bradley, Richard Hawley
Cinematographer: Christopher Doyle, Yiu-Fai Lai
Editor: John David Allen
Original music by: Richard Robbins
Production designer: Andrew Sanders
Cast:
Todd Jackson: Ralph Fiennes
Sofia Belinsky: Natasha Richardson
Sarah: Vanessa Redgrave
Olga: Lynn Redgrave
John Wood, Madeleine Potter
Samuel: Allan Corduner
Matsuda: Hiroyuki Sanada
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 138 minutes...
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Notable as the final collaboration between director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, "The White Countess" is a typically classy period piece that fits in well with the pair's considerable oeuvre. Featuring stellar performances by Ralph Fiennes and Natasha Richardson, the film, boasting an original screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro ("The Remains of the Day"), was recently showcased at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival prior to its December theatrical release.
Both stars showcase their skill with accents in the story, set in Shanghai in the late 1930s. Fiennes plays Todd Jackson, an embittered former American diplomat who lost both his daughter and his eyes in a terrorist bombing, while Richardson is the titular figure, Sofia Belinsky, a Russian countess reduced to working as a dance-hall girl and prostitute in order to support her extended family, which includes her young daughter and several disapproving in-laws (two of whom are played by Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave in their first feature pairing).
The film concentrates on the friendly but formal relationship that develops between Jackson and Belinsky, one that turns deeper as he fulfills his dream of owning a swanky nightspot. Dubbing it "The White Countess" in her honor, he hires her as its chief hostess, and the business becomes a raging success. In the best tradition of foreign-set melodramas, their happiness becomes short-lived thanks to the unrest created by the impending Japanese invasion of the city.
Ishiguro's screenplay contains more than a few hokey moments and familiar elements, featuring influences ranging from "Casablanca" to his own "The Remains of the Day", but it manages to work nonetheless, aided in no small degree by the polished production and the committed performances. Fiennes, playing the sort of role that would have been essayed by Bogart, Gable or Cooper in their heyday, displays both his gift for incisive characterization and no small amount of movie star charisma. Richardson, though saddled with an accent that makes her unintelligible at times, is equally fine, showcasing her intelligence and sensuality in equal proportions.
Redgrave siblings Vanessa and Lynn clearly seem to be enjoying their onscreen time together, and such British thesps as John Wood, Madeleine Potter and Allan Corduner deliver vibrant turns in smaller roles. Hiroyuki Sanada, as Jackson's driver with a shady past, displays the subtle power that has made him a star in his native Japan.
The director has staged the elaborate production in his usual stately but impressive manner, and the production values boast the usual Merchant/Ivory stamp of quality.
The White Countess
Sony Pictures Classics
Credits:
Director: James Ivory
Screenplay by: Kazuo Ishiguro
Producers: Ismail Merchant
Executive producers: Andre Morgan, Andreas Schmid, Marcus Schofer
Co-producers: Paul Bradley, Richard Hawley
Cinematographer: Christopher Doyle, Yiu-Fai Lai
Editor: John David Allen
Original music by: Richard Robbins
Production designer: Andrew Sanders
Cast:
Todd Jackson: Ralph Fiennes
Sofia Belinsky: Natasha Richardson
Sarah: Vanessa Redgrave
Olga: Lynn Redgrave
John Wood, Madeleine Potter
Samuel: Allan Corduner
Matsuda: Hiroyuki Sanada
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 138 minutes...
- 11/16/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The White Countess
Screened
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Notable as the final collaboration between director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, "The White Countess" is a typically classy period piece that fits in well with the pair's considerable oeuvre. Featuring stellar performances by Ralph Fiennes and Natasha Richardson, the film, boasting an original screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro ("The Remains of the Day"), was recently showcased at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival prior to its December theatrical release.
Both stars showcase their skill with accents in the story, set in Shanghai in the late 1930s. Fiennes plays Todd Jackson, an embittered former American diplomat who lost both his daughter and his eyes in a terrorist bombing, while Richardson is the titular figure, Sofia Belinsky, a Russian countess reduced to working as a dance-hall girl and prostitute in order to support her extended family, which includes her young daughter and several disapproving in-laws (two of whom are played by Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave in their first feature pairing).
The film concentrates on the friendly but formal relationship that develops between Jackson and Belinsky, one that turns deeper as he fulfills his dream of owning a swanky nightspot. Dubbing it "The White Countess" in her honor, he hires her as its chief hostess, and the business becomes a raging success. In the best tradition of foreign-set melodramas, their happiness becomes short-lived thanks to the unrest created by the impending Japanese invasion of the city.
Ishiguro's screenplay contains more than a few hokey moments and familiar elements, featuring influences ranging from "Casablanca" to his own "The Remains of the Day", but it manages to work nonetheless, aided in no small degree by the polished production and the committed performances. Fiennes, playing the sort of role that would have been essayed by Bogart, Gable or Cooper in their heyday, displays both his gift for incisive characterization and no small amount of movie star charisma. Richardson, though saddled with an accent that makes her unintelligible at times, is equally fine, showcasing her intelligence and sensuality in equal proportions.
Redgrave siblings Vanessa and Lynn clearly seem to be enjoying their onscreen time together, and such British thesps as John Wood, Madeleine Potter and Allan Corduner deliver vibrant turns in smaller roles. Hiroyuki Sanada, as Jackson's driver with a shady past, displays the subtle power that has made him a star in his native Japan.
The director has staged the elaborate production in his usual stately but impressive manner, and the production values boast the usual Merchant/Ivory stamp of quality.
The White Countess
Sony Pictures Classics
Credits:
Director: James Ivory
Screenplay by: Kazuo Ishiguro
Producers: Ismail Merchant, Andreas Grosch
Executive producers: Andre Morgan, Andreas Schmid, Marcus Schofer
Co-producers: Paul Bradley, Richard Hawley
Cinematographer: Christopher Doyle, Yiu-Fai Lai
Editor: John David Allen
Original music by: Richard Robbins
Production designer: Andrew Sanders
Cast:
Todd Jackson: Ralph Fiennes
Sofia Belinsky: Natasha Richardson
Sarah: Vanessa Redgrave
Olga: Lynn Redgrave
John Wood, Madeleine Potter
Samuel: Allan Corduner
Matsuda: Hiroyuki Sanada
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 138 minutes...
Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Notable as the final collaboration between director James Ivory and producer Ismail Merchant, "The White Countess" is a typically classy period piece that fits in well with the pair's considerable oeuvre. Featuring stellar performances by Ralph Fiennes and Natasha Richardson, the film, boasting an original screenplay by Kazuo Ishiguro ("The Remains of the Day"), was recently showcased at the Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival prior to its December theatrical release.
Both stars showcase their skill with accents in the story, set in Shanghai in the late 1930s. Fiennes plays Todd Jackson, an embittered former American diplomat who lost both his daughter and his eyes in a terrorist bombing, while Richardson is the titular figure, Sofia Belinsky, a Russian countess reduced to working as a dance-hall girl and prostitute in order to support her extended family, which includes her young daughter and several disapproving in-laws (two of whom are played by Vanessa and Lynn Redgrave in their first feature pairing).
The film concentrates on the friendly but formal relationship that develops between Jackson and Belinsky, one that turns deeper as he fulfills his dream of owning a swanky nightspot. Dubbing it "The White Countess" in her honor, he hires her as its chief hostess, and the business becomes a raging success. In the best tradition of foreign-set melodramas, their happiness becomes short-lived thanks to the unrest created by the impending Japanese invasion of the city.
Ishiguro's screenplay contains more than a few hokey moments and familiar elements, featuring influences ranging from "Casablanca" to his own "The Remains of the Day", but it manages to work nonetheless, aided in no small degree by the polished production and the committed performances. Fiennes, playing the sort of role that would have been essayed by Bogart, Gable or Cooper in their heyday, displays both his gift for incisive characterization and no small amount of movie star charisma. Richardson, though saddled with an accent that makes her unintelligible at times, is equally fine, showcasing her intelligence and sensuality in equal proportions.
Redgrave siblings Vanessa and Lynn clearly seem to be enjoying their onscreen time together, and such British thesps as John Wood, Madeleine Potter and Allan Corduner deliver vibrant turns in smaller roles. Hiroyuki Sanada, as Jackson's driver with a shady past, displays the subtle power that has made him a star in his native Japan.
The director has staged the elaborate production in his usual stately but impressive manner, and the production values boast the usual Merchant/Ivory stamp of quality.
The White Countess
Sony Pictures Classics
Credits:
Director: James Ivory
Screenplay by: Kazuo Ishiguro
Producers: Ismail Merchant, Andreas Grosch
Executive producers: Andre Morgan, Andreas Schmid, Marcus Schofer
Co-producers: Paul Bradley, Richard Hawley
Cinematographer: Christopher Doyle, Yiu-Fai Lai
Editor: John David Allen
Original music by: Richard Robbins
Production designer: Andrew Sanders
Cast:
Todd Jackson: Ralph Fiennes
Sofia Belinsky: Natasha Richardson
Sarah: Vanessa Redgrave
Olga: Lynn Redgrave
John Wood, Madeleine Potter
Samuel: Allan Corduner
Matsuda: Hiroyuki Sanada
No MPAA rating
Running time -- 138 minutes...
- 11/14/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.