david hare Tagged Articles at Cinematical
From Page to Screen: 'The Reader'
Filed under: Drama », Awards », New Releases », From Page to Screen »
It's a common experience to read a book slated for a film adaptation and then approach the movie, if at all, with a trepidation bordering on fear. As an optimist who doesn't get too offended when his favorite stories get changed for a different medium, I generally try to minimize that reaction. Yet that is exactly how I feel about Stephen Daldry's imminent adaptation of Bernhard Schlink's The Reader. A large part of me is convinced that Schlink's lovely, challenging little novel – almost more of an essay than a novel, really – can't possibly survive Daldry's questionable prestige picture instincts. The book demands a small film, melancholy, withdrawn. Can we get that from one of the year's big Oscar hopefuls?
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Nicole Kidman and Ralph Fiennes to Star in 'The Reader'
Filed under: Drama », Romance », Awards », Casting », Scripts », War », Nicole Kidman »
Variety is reporting that two of Hollywood's palest and chilliest stars are joining forces for The Reader. Nicole Kidman and Ralph Fiennes will star in the romance, which is to be based on the international bestselling novel by German writer Bernhard Schlink. IMDb lists Anthony Minghella as director of the film, but it appears that information is inaccurate or has changed. Minghella will produce, along with Sydney Pollack and Scott Rudin. Stephen Daldry (Billy Elliot) is now set to direct the movie, and David Hare will write the script. The project is something of a reunion of the team that worked on 2002's The Hours. Daldry directed that film, Hare wrote it, Rudin produced it, and it won Kidman a Best Actress Oscar.The Reader is set in contemporary Germany, where "a man recounts the story of his erotic awakening in a covert love affair with an older woman in the wake of World War II." I assume Fiennes is playing the man recounting his story and Kidman is playing the older woman here? That might be tricky to pull off, considering Kidman is five years younger than Fiennes. And "erotic awakening?" I thought that term wasn't used outside of Cinemax plot descriptions. I must admit, I have a real problem getting into a lot of these period romance films, they all just sort of run together for me. I'm glad Minghella isn't at the wheel, though. Just writing that guy's name makes my eyelids heavy. The Reader was an Oprah's Book Club selection, and with her massive following, the film adaptation should have a built-in audience. Have any of our readers read The Reader? And can you say that three times fast? And what did you think of the book?
Uma Thurman Will Star in 'My Zinc Bed'
Filed under: Drama », Casting », Deals », HBO Films »
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HBO Films has locked up Uma Thurman to star in My Zinc Bed, a film based on a popular British stage play by David Hare, who also wrote The Hours. The story of Zinc revolves around a young alcoholic who has an affair with the wife of his boss. Paddy Considine will play the young lush and Jonathan Pryce will play the old man who is wealthy enough to bag Uma Thurman. Directing duties will be handled by Anthony Page, most known for his television work. BBC is also co-producing with HBO, and the film is apparently set for first-run broadcast on HBO, not in theaters. As Variety points out, this project is being shepherded by Julie Goldstein, a Miramax honcho who was brought on board HBO earlier this year.
As for Uma, this isn't her first daliance with HBO -- she also starred in the 2002 Mira Nair film Hysterical Blindness. Aside from Zinc, she's also got a couple of interesting projects lined up for the end of 2007 and early 2008. She's going to be starring in a film by Vadim Perelman, the guy who directed House of Sand and Fog, and she's starring in The Accidental Husband, a romantic comedy in which she plays a radio talk show host who ruins a guy's marriage by telling his wife to dump him. This causes the guy to seek some kind of revenge on her. And speaking of revenge, no matter what roles she lines up after these, Uma will still have to show up in 15 years or so to do another turn as The Bride in Kill Bill 3.
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