Ok folks Harry here... First off, this dang film of Robert Altman's sounds damn fine! A movie about a producer trying to make a new Charlie Chan flick... will someone be playing Sidney Toler or Warner Oland? Personally, my favorite was Toler... and what about Jet Li to play Keye Luke? Heheheh... I know I know, it's already being shot.... Sigh... BUT just imagine! Here's Vertigo with the scoop!
Hi Harry,
My first contribution to the site. Just got back from the press launch of
the 45th London Film Festival which starts on November 7th and runs till the
22nd.
Basically it was exactly what it said - a press launch, so not exactly
swathed in glamour. However, the opening gala is the World Premiere of
Robert Altman's new film Gosford Park, and since Altman was just round the
corner finishing off his sound editing, they managed to get him to the
launch to say a few words about it.
First off they showed the trailer - well, sort of. It was actually made when
he'd filmed about half the movie and was trying to sell it at Cannes. A
period piece, it revolves around an American producer who's making a new
Charlie Chan movie set in a country house and even though he's going to make
it on a Hollywood back lot, he's 'researching'. This being Altman, it has a
huge ensemble cast featuring the best of Brit talent (Kristin Scott Thomas,
Maggie Smith, Alan Bates, Emily Watson, Kelly Macdonald, Helen Mirren,
Charles Dance, the list goes on...) as well as Ryan Phillippe as the token
'name', whose Scottish accent leaves a lot to be desired. It looks like life
mirroring art as a real murder mystery happens at the house...
Altman told us that we'd only seen the 'upstairs' part of the movie, since
it has an 'upstairs/downstairs conceit' - in other words, it revolves around
the aristocracy and their servants. From what we saw it looked pretty good.
Altman then decided to take the piss out of the festival organizers for
getting the writer's name wrong in the programme. Emily Watson and Kelly
Macdonald were ushered on stage, said nothing and then left with Altman.
After a bit of info about the various films on offer from about 45
countries, we were shown a selection of trailers which annoyingly only
seemed to focus on the big American movies - Windtalkers, which gets its
European premiere, K Pax (ditto, and it closes the festival), Bruce Willis'
Bandits, and Apocalypse Now Redux, where Martin Sheen will grace the
premiere. However, there was a trailer for the Godard film Éloge de l'amour
and also one for Monsoon Wedding, from Mira Nair, the director of the great
Salaam Bombay! and Mississippi Masala. A riot of colour, this looks like a
definite one to see.
All in all it should be a good festival - London film geeks, get your credit
cards out...
Vertigo
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