Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Bryan Cranston will lend his voice to voice Experience Yosemite, an immersive virtual-reality experience on Yosemite National Park.
The Breaking Bad and Trumbo star will voice the cinematic journey through one of America’s first National Parks.
“I’ve always felt a strong sense of adventure,” said Cranston. “From a young age I wanted to explore and experience all that this world had to offer. I’ve traveled to a lot of incredible places. But when I first saw Yosemite … my mind was blown. I was awestruck by its natural beauty and felt that everyone in the world should experience it. This experience is the next best thing … it majestically captures Yosemite from discovery to sustaining its natural wonder.”
Produced by CityLights, Experience Yosemite ushers in a new multisensory cinematic experience, communicating the ancient art of storytelling through a deeper, more powerful medium, intimately connecting viewers with this awe-inspiring place.
The Breaking Bad and Trumbo star will voice the cinematic journey through one of America’s first National Parks.
“I’ve always felt a strong sense of adventure,” said Cranston. “From a young age I wanted to explore and experience all that this world had to offer. I’ve traveled to a lot of incredible places. But when I first saw Yosemite … my mind was blown. I was awestruck by its natural beauty and felt that everyone in the world should experience it. This experience is the next best thing … it majestically captures Yosemite from discovery to sustaining its natural wonder.”
Produced by CityLights, Experience Yosemite ushers in a new multisensory cinematic experience, communicating the ancient art of storytelling through a deeper, more powerful medium, intimately connecting viewers with this awe-inspiring place.
- 5/3/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
La La Land wins top prize at the ceremony.
La La Land was the big winner at the 2017 Baftas, winning five prizes, including best film, best director (Damien Chazelle) and best actress (Emma Stone).
Casey Affleck won leading actor for Manchester by the Sea, with Dev Patel (Lion) and Viola Davis (Fences) winning supporting actor and actress.
I, Daniel Blake won outstanding British film.
The 2017 Baftas took place on Feb 12 at the Royal Albert Hall and were once again hosted once again by Stephen Fry.
Read: Eight talking points ahead of the BaftasThe full list of winners
Winners in bold.
Best Filmarrival Dan Levine, Shawn Levy, David Linde, Aaron RyderI, Daniel Blake Rebecca O’BrienLA La Land Fred Berger, Jordan Horowitz, Marc PlattMANCHESTER By The Sea Lauren Beck, Matt Damon, Chris Moore, Kimberly Steward, Kevin J. WalshMOONLIGHT Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adele RomanskiLEADING Actressamy Adams ArrivalEMILY Blunt The Girl on the TrainEMMA Stone La La LandMERYL Streep...
La La Land was the big winner at the 2017 Baftas, winning five prizes, including best film, best director (Damien Chazelle) and best actress (Emma Stone).
Casey Affleck won leading actor for Manchester by the Sea, with Dev Patel (Lion) and Viola Davis (Fences) winning supporting actor and actress.
I, Daniel Blake won outstanding British film.
The 2017 Baftas took place on Feb 12 at the Royal Albert Hall and were once again hosted once again by Stephen Fry.
Read: Eight talking points ahead of the BaftasThe full list of winners
Winners in bold.
Best Filmarrival Dan Levine, Shawn Levy, David Linde, Aaron RyderI, Daniel Blake Rebecca O’BrienLA La Land Fred Berger, Jordan Horowitz, Marc PlattMANCHESTER By The Sea Lauren Beck, Matt Damon, Chris Moore, Kimberly Steward, Kevin J. WalshMOONLIGHT Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adele RomanskiLEADING Actressamy Adams ArrivalEMILY Blunt The Girl on the TrainEMMA Stone La La LandMERYL Streep...
- 2/12/2017
- ScreenDaily
La La Land, Arrival, Nocturnal Animals and I, Daniel Blake among films competing for Bafta glory.
The 2017 Baftas take place on Feb 12 at the Royal Albert Hall and are hosted once again by Stephen Fry.
The show is broadcast on BBC One on a time delay, but Screen will be following the action as it happens from around 6:45Gmt and updating the winners as they are announced, below.
Read: Eight talking points ahead of the BaftasThe nominations
Winners in bold.
Leading Actorandrew Garfield Hacksaw RidgeCASEY Affleck Manchester by the SeaJAKE Gyllenhaal Nocturnal AnimalsRYAN Gosling La La LandVIGGO Mortensen Captain FantasticCINEMATOGRAPHYARRIVAL Bradford YoungHELL Or High Water Giles NuttgensLA La Land Linus SandgrenLION Greig FraserNOCTURNAL Animals Seamus McGarveyORIGINAL Screenplayhell Or High Water Taylor SheridanI, Daniel Blake Paul LavertyLA La Land Damien ChazelleMANCHESTER By The Sea Kenneth LonerganMOONLIGHT Barry JenkinsOutstanding British contribution to cinemaCURZON Cinemassupporting Actoraaron Taylor-johnson Nocturnal AnimalsDEV Patel LionHUGH Grant Florence Foster JenkinsJEFF Bridges Hell or High...
The 2017 Baftas take place on Feb 12 at the Royal Albert Hall and are hosted once again by Stephen Fry.
The show is broadcast on BBC One on a time delay, but Screen will be following the action as it happens from around 6:45Gmt and updating the winners as they are announced, below.
Read: Eight talking points ahead of the BaftasThe nominations
Winners in bold.
Leading Actorandrew Garfield Hacksaw RidgeCASEY Affleck Manchester by the SeaJAKE Gyllenhaal Nocturnal AnimalsRYAN Gosling La La LandVIGGO Mortensen Captain FantasticCINEMATOGRAPHYARRIVAL Bradford YoungHELL Or High Water Giles NuttgensLA La Land Linus SandgrenLION Greig FraserNOCTURNAL Animals Seamus McGarveyORIGINAL Screenplayhell Or High Water Taylor SheridanI, Daniel Blake Paul LavertyLA La Land Damien ChazelleMANCHESTER By The Sea Kenneth LonerganMOONLIGHT Barry JenkinsOutstanding British contribution to cinemaCURZON Cinemassupporting Actoraaron Taylor-johnson Nocturnal AnimalsDEV Patel LionHUGH Grant Florence Foster JenkinsJEFF Bridges Hell or High...
- 2/12/2017
- ScreenDaily
Sophie Turner and Dominic Cooper presented this year’s nominations.Baftas 2017‘La La Land’ leads the way with 11 nominationsBaftas 2017: nominees’ reactionsBaftas 2017: eOne and Lionsgate score record number of nominationsBaftas 2017 analysis: ‘La La Land’ soars, diversity debate simmers
Bafta chair Jane Lush was joined by Sophie Turner and Dominic Cooper to announce the nominations for the Ee British Academy Film Awards in London on January 10 2017.
The awards will take place on Feb 12 at the Royal Albert Hall and will be hosted once again by Stephen Fry. The show will be broadcast on BBC One.
2017 nominationsBEST Filmarrival Dan Levine, Shawn Levy, David Linde, Aaron RyderI, Daniel Blake Rebecca O’BrienLA La Land Fred Berger, Jordan Horowitz, Marc PlattMANCHESTER By The Sea Lauren Beck, Matt Damon, Chris Moore, Kimberly Steward, Kevin J. WalshMOONLIGHT Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adele RomanskiOUTSTANDING British Filmamerican Honey Andrea Arnold, Lars Knudsen, Pouya Shahbazian, Jay Van HoyDENIAL Mick Jackson, Gary Foster, [link...
Bafta chair Jane Lush was joined by Sophie Turner and Dominic Cooper to announce the nominations for the Ee British Academy Film Awards in London on January 10 2017.
The awards will take place on Feb 12 at the Royal Albert Hall and will be hosted once again by Stephen Fry. The show will be broadcast on BBC One.
2017 nominationsBEST Filmarrival Dan Levine, Shawn Levy, David Linde, Aaron RyderI, Daniel Blake Rebecca O’BrienLA La Land Fred Berger, Jordan Horowitz, Marc PlattMANCHESTER By The Sea Lauren Beck, Matt Damon, Chris Moore, Kimberly Steward, Kevin J. WalshMOONLIGHT Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Adele RomanskiOUTSTANDING British Filmamerican Honey Andrea Arnold, Lars Knudsen, Pouya Shahbazian, Jay Van HoyDENIAL Mick Jackson, Gary Foster, [link...
- 1/10/2017
- ScreenDaily
Roger Spottiswoode directs the story about a young boy who attempts to reunite a polar bear cub with its mother in the Canadian wilderness. eOne holds Canadian rights and Hyde park International handles sales outside North America.
Dakota Goyo, Goran Visnjic and Bridgit Moynahan star in the production by Mediamax, Original Pictures and Ecstasy in Canada and HD Productions in Italy. Hugh Hudson and Bart Gavigan wrote the screenplay.
Producer Rob Heydon raised financing in Ontario, Canada, and oversaw the shoot.
“We are so pleased to be part of the team helping produce a film with such an important theme as the climate change and the effect of global warming on polar bears,” said Heydon.
Dakota Goyo, Goran Visnjic and Bridgit Moynahan star in the production by Mediamax, Original Pictures and Ecstasy in Canada and HD Productions in Italy. Hugh Hudson and Bart Gavigan wrote the screenplay.
Producer Rob Heydon raised financing in Ontario, Canada, and oversaw the shoot.
“We are so pleased to be part of the team helping produce a film with such an important theme as the climate change and the effect of global warming on polar bears,” said Heydon.
- 8/26/2013
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Photos from Pacific Rim, Divergent, Blue Jasmine, Red 2, Diana, the older looking young human characters in How To Train You Dragon 2.
Posters for Don Jon, The Heat, Pacific Rim, Riddick, Prince Avalanche, Kick-Ass 2, The Turning, Red 2, The Wolverine, Austenland, The Lifeguard, Man of Tai Chi, Runner Runner, Frozen, The Colony, Adore, Lego: The Movie, Anchorman: The Legend Continues, Pain and Gain and Fruitvale Station.
"Lionsgate have confirmed that they will have a panel for both 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' and 'I, Frankenstein' at this year's San Diego Comic Con…" (full details)
"The likes of 'Paranormal Activity 4,' 'Sinister,' 'The Possession,' 'Insidious,' and 'The Conjuring' are all set to be spoofed in the upcoming 'A Haunted House 2'…" (full details)
"Disney has scheduled the Kenneth Branagh-directed live-action 'Cinderella' adaptation for a March 13th 2015 release…" (full details...
Posters for Don Jon, The Heat, Pacific Rim, Riddick, Prince Avalanche, Kick-Ass 2, The Turning, Red 2, The Wolverine, Austenland, The Lifeguard, Man of Tai Chi, Runner Runner, Frozen, The Colony, Adore, Lego: The Movie, Anchorman: The Legend Continues, Pain and Gain and Fruitvale Station.
"Lionsgate have confirmed that they will have a panel for both 'The Hunger Games: Catching Fire' and 'I, Frankenstein' at this year's San Diego Comic Con…" (full details)
"The likes of 'Paranormal Activity 4,' 'Sinister,' 'The Possession,' 'Insidious,' and 'The Conjuring' are all set to be spoofed in the upcoming 'A Haunted House 2'…" (full details)
"Disney has scheduled the Kenneth Branagh-directed live-action 'Cinderella' adaptation for a March 13th 2015 release…" (full details...
- 6/26/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Colorado-based Half Crown Media has hired UK screenwriter Bart Gavigan to write an untitled biopic about the British missionary Hudson Taylor.
Gavigan [pictured] has a proven record of bringing historical dramas to the big screen, such as 2003’s Luther starring Alfred Molina and Joseph Fiennes and the 2006 film End Of The Spear, which also concerns Christian missionaries.
Taylor was a 19th century Protestant missionary and medical student sent to China.
He was renowned for his sensitivity to the local culture, treatment of thousands of opium victims and for establishing the organisation China Inland Mission that was responsible for 18,000 conversions.
“This film has enormous potential,” said producer and Half Crown Media chairman Ken Haron. “The universal appeal of this extraordinary drama deserves the talents of Bart Gavigan and others who together will create an outstanding production and worldwide release.”
The project is out to cast and investors.
Gavigan [pictured] has a proven record of bringing historical dramas to the big screen, such as 2003’s Luther starring Alfred Molina and Joseph Fiennes and the 2006 film End Of The Spear, which also concerns Christian missionaries.
Taylor was a 19th century Protestant missionary and medical student sent to China.
He was renowned for his sensitivity to the local culture, treatment of thousands of opium victims and for establishing the organisation China Inland Mission that was responsible for 18,000 conversions.
“This film has enormous potential,” said producer and Half Crown Media chairman Ken Haron. “The universal appeal of this extraordinary drama deserves the talents of Bart Gavigan and others who together will create an outstanding production and worldwide release.”
The project is out to cast and investors.
- 6/20/2013
- ScreenDaily
With Russell Crowe playing Noah, Paul Verhoeven bringing us Jesus and Warner Bros tackling Moses, the movies are well and truly back in the good book
The good book is back in showbiz. Darren Aronofsky has a bearded Russell Crowe for Noah. The documentary Bible Quiz is in post-production. Will Smith's directorial debut will be Cain and Abel (reportedly with a vampire twist). Paul Verhoeven's Jesus of Nazareth has its finance in place. Justin Theroux is rewriting Swear to God – a comedy about a hedge-fund manager who has seen the Almighty. Ridley Scott, Warner Bros – with a rumour of Spielberg directing – and the Chernin Entertainment Company all have Moses movies. Mary Mother of Christ, a film about the life of Jesus up to age 12, is currently prepping, as is Langston Hughes's Black Nativity, with a cast of Samuel L Jackson, Angela Bassett and Jennifer Hudson. And earlier this week,...
The good book is back in showbiz. Darren Aronofsky has a bearded Russell Crowe for Noah. The documentary Bible Quiz is in post-production. Will Smith's directorial debut will be Cain and Abel (reportedly with a vampire twist). Paul Verhoeven's Jesus of Nazareth has its finance in place. Justin Theroux is rewriting Swear to God – a comedy about a hedge-fund manager who has seen the Almighty. Ridley Scott, Warner Bros – with a rumour of Spielberg directing – and the Chernin Entertainment Company all have Moses movies. Mary Mother of Christ, a film about the life of Jesus up to age 12, is currently prepping, as is Langston Hughes's Black Nativity, with a cast of Samuel L Jackson, Angela Bassett and Jennifer Hudson. And earlier this week,...
- 8/24/2012
- by Karen Krizanovich
- The Guardian - Film News
Hyde Park Entertainment and Image Nation Abu Dhabi are set to finance and co-produce Arctic family adventure feature "Midnight Sun" which begins shooting in Canadian Arctic and Manitoba in November.
Set amongst the ice fields of Northern Canada, the story follows a young boy who defies the dangerous elements of nature to reunite an abandoned polar bear cub with its mother.
At first he's aided by a half Inuit/half Canadian who knows the terrain, but they are soon separated on the floating ice of the high Arctic with the boy and cub braving bear attacks, giant icebergs, and vicious windstorms.
Hugh Hudson ("Chariots of Fire", "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan") helms from a script he co-wrote with Bart Gavigan. Jake Eberts, Brando Quilici and Ashok Amritraj will produce.
Set amongst the ice fields of Northern Canada, the story follows a young boy who defies the dangerous elements of nature to reunite an abandoned polar bear cub with its mother.
At first he's aided by a half Inuit/half Canadian who knows the terrain, but they are soon separated on the floating ice of the high Arctic with the boy and cub braving bear attacks, giant icebergs, and vicious windstorms.
Hugh Hudson ("Chariots of Fire", "Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan") helms from a script he co-wrote with Bart Gavigan. Jake Eberts, Brando Quilici and Ashok Amritraj will produce.
- 5/2/2012
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Ashok Amritraj.s Hyde Park Entertainment and Image Nation Abu Dhabi will finance and co-produce the Arctic adventure Midnight Sun. Directed by Hugh Hudson (Chariots Of Fire, Greystoke: The Legend Of Tarzan, Lord Of The Apes), the film is from a script by Hudson and Bart Gavigan. Jake Eberts (Dances With Wolves, Gandhi) and Brando Quilici (Iceman Autopsy) will produce alongside Hyde Park Entertainment.s Ashok Amritraj (Ghost Rider: Spirit Of Vengeance 3D).
Hyde Park International will introduce the project at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, and will represent worldwide rights. The project has already generated significant interest among buyers, including Medusa, which has purchased Italian rights, and Alliance Atlantis, which has purchased Canadian rights.
Midnight Sun is a four-quadrant family adventure film in the vein of Free Willy and Dolphin Tale, set amongst the ice fields of Northern Canada. The hero is a young boy, Luke, who defies the...
Hyde Park International will introduce the project at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival, and will represent worldwide rights. The project has already generated significant interest among buyers, including Medusa, which has purchased Italian rights, and Alliance Atlantis, which has purchased Canadian rights.
Midnight Sun is a four-quadrant family adventure film in the vein of Free Willy and Dolphin Tale, set amongst the ice fields of Northern Canada. The hero is a young boy, Luke, who defies the...
- 5/1/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Ashok Amritraj.s Hyde Park Entertainment and Image Nation Abu Dhabi announced today that they will finance and co-produce the Arctic adventure Midnight Sun . Directed by Hugh Hudson ( Chariots of Fire , Greystoke: The Legend of Tarzan, Lord of the Apes ), the film is from a script by Hudson and Bart Gavigan. Jake Eberts ( Dances with Wolves , Gandhi ) and Brando Quilici ("Iceman Autopsy")will produce alongside Hyde Park Entertainment.s Ashok Amritraj ( Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance ). Midnight Sun is a four-quadrant family adventure film in the vein of Free Willy and Dolphin Tale , set amongst the ice fields of Northern Canada. The hero is a young boy, Luke, who defies the dangerous elements of nature to reunite an abandoned polar bear cub with its mother....
- 5/1/2012
- Comingsoon.net
It might have been inspired by actual events, but "End of the Spear" is, literally and figuratively, simply too dull to make any impact.
Set in the Ecuadorean jungles of the Amazon rainforest during the mid-1950s, the film is a dramatically listless rendering of the events that lead to the brutal deaths of a group of American missionaries at the hands of the spear-crazy Waodani tribe, who would subsequently change their violent ways after the Americans' surviving family members come to live among them.
That story served as the subject of an attention-grabbing 10-page Life Magazine photo spread, but in the hands of commercial and short film director Jim Hanon, who also had a hand in the screenplay along with Bart Gavigan and former Columbia Pictures exec Bill Ewing, this repetitive and poorly plotted production fails to engage.
In spite of a considerable TV buy and an ambitious 1,200-print national release by indie Every Tribe Entertainment, the picture, lacking in recognizable names, will struggle to play beyond a decidedly nonsecular target demo.
The year is 1956, and five American missionaries, including Nate Saint (Chad Allen) and their families have relocated to Ecuador with the intention of establishing contact with the Waodani (then known as the Auca), a tribe on the brink of extinction at the hands of its own violent culture.
Contending that the foreigners abducted and subsequently ate a member of the tribe (Christina Souza) who had actually run away to live with the visiting families, the noble Mincayani (Louie Leonardo) incites his fellow tribesman to spear The Five Americans to death.
The story might have ended there if it hadn't been for the fact that Dayumae, that runaway Waodani, returned to her tribe, ultimately bringing the wife of one of the missionaries and the sister of another, as well as Saint's young son, Steve, to live with them and, in the process, affect a change that will finally break that cycle of violence.
It might have helped if the filmmakers had chosen to tell this potentially intriguing story from a consistent point of view, but instead it keeps shifting confusingly from the Waodani to those sketchily drawn missionaries seen mainly through the eyes of young Steve, whose constant and largely unnecessary adult voice-overs also are provided by Allen.
Considerably more compelling is some end credit footage taken from a companion documentary, "Beyond the Gates", which follows a real-life Mincayani on his first trip to America, the land of fast food and debit cards.
In the end, some vibrant cinematography aside, "End of the Spear" bears an unfortunate resemblance to those old '40s jungle B-movies, a quality underscored by composer Ronald Owen's overwrought and decidedly un-PC soundtrack, which goes awfully heavy on the drumbeats and tribal chanting save for the times it echoes John Barry's lush "Out of Africa" themes a little to closely for comfort.
End of the Spear
Every Tribe Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Jim Hanon
Screenwriters: Bart Gavigan, Jim Hanon, Bill Ewing
Producers: Bill Ewing, Mart Green, Tom Newman, Bart Gavigan
Executive producers: Kevin McAfee, Eugene Mazzola
Director of photography: Robert A. Driskell Jr.
Production designer: Clarence L. Major
Editor: Miles Hanon
Costume designer: Marian Ceo
Music: Ronald Owen. Cast: Mincayani: Louie Leonardo
Nate Saint, Steve Saint: Chad Allen
Kimo: Jack Guzman
Dayumae: Christina Souza
Young Steve: Chase Ellison
Rachel Saint: Sara Kathryn Bakker
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 112 minutes...
Set in the Ecuadorean jungles of the Amazon rainforest during the mid-1950s, the film is a dramatically listless rendering of the events that lead to the brutal deaths of a group of American missionaries at the hands of the spear-crazy Waodani tribe, who would subsequently change their violent ways after the Americans' surviving family members come to live among them.
That story served as the subject of an attention-grabbing 10-page Life Magazine photo spread, but in the hands of commercial and short film director Jim Hanon, who also had a hand in the screenplay along with Bart Gavigan and former Columbia Pictures exec Bill Ewing, this repetitive and poorly plotted production fails to engage.
In spite of a considerable TV buy and an ambitious 1,200-print national release by indie Every Tribe Entertainment, the picture, lacking in recognizable names, will struggle to play beyond a decidedly nonsecular target demo.
The year is 1956, and five American missionaries, including Nate Saint (Chad Allen) and their families have relocated to Ecuador with the intention of establishing contact with the Waodani (then known as the Auca), a tribe on the brink of extinction at the hands of its own violent culture.
Contending that the foreigners abducted and subsequently ate a member of the tribe (Christina Souza) who had actually run away to live with the visiting families, the noble Mincayani (Louie Leonardo) incites his fellow tribesman to spear The Five Americans to death.
The story might have ended there if it hadn't been for the fact that Dayumae, that runaway Waodani, returned to her tribe, ultimately bringing the wife of one of the missionaries and the sister of another, as well as Saint's young son, Steve, to live with them and, in the process, affect a change that will finally break that cycle of violence.
It might have helped if the filmmakers had chosen to tell this potentially intriguing story from a consistent point of view, but instead it keeps shifting confusingly from the Waodani to those sketchily drawn missionaries seen mainly through the eyes of young Steve, whose constant and largely unnecessary adult voice-overs also are provided by Allen.
Considerably more compelling is some end credit footage taken from a companion documentary, "Beyond the Gates", which follows a real-life Mincayani on his first trip to America, the land of fast food and debit cards.
In the end, some vibrant cinematography aside, "End of the Spear" bears an unfortunate resemblance to those old '40s jungle B-movies, a quality underscored by composer Ronald Owen's overwrought and decidedly un-PC soundtrack, which goes awfully heavy on the drumbeats and tribal chanting save for the times it echoes John Barry's lush "Out of Africa" themes a little to closely for comfort.
End of the Spear
Every Tribe Entertainment
Credits:
Director: Jim Hanon
Screenwriters: Bart Gavigan, Jim Hanon, Bill Ewing
Producers: Bill Ewing, Mart Green, Tom Newman, Bart Gavigan
Executive producers: Kevin McAfee, Eugene Mazzola
Director of photography: Robert A. Driskell Jr.
Production designer: Clarence L. Major
Editor: Miles Hanon
Costume designer: Marian Ceo
Music: Ronald Owen. Cast: Mincayani: Louie Leonardo
Nate Saint, Steve Saint: Chad Allen
Kimo: Jack Guzman
Dayumae: Christina Souza
Young Steve: Chase Ellison
Rachel Saint: Sara Kathryn Bakker
MPAA rating PG-13
Running time -- 112 minutes...
Opened
Sept. 26
Martin Luther (1483-1546) is clearly one of the central figures of the Middle Ages. The man launched the Protestant movement, founded a church, helped standardize the German language, revolutionized ecclesiastical music with his congregational hymns and gave German nationalists their chief political issue for 100 years. No two-hour movie is going to do justice to such a life. Nevertheless, "Luther" gamely tries to cram in everything.
Produced with major funding from Thrivent, a Lutheran organization, and carrying more than a whiff of missionary zeal, "Luther" will appeal mostly to history buffs and those interested in questions of religion. Shot on 100 locations in three countries and outfitted with impressive props, costumes, art direction and medieval streets, "Luther" makes up for what it lacks in vigorous storytelling with such production values.
Veteran TV director Eric Till hands the task of embodying the religious reformer to Joseph Fiennes. While Fiennes seems to age nary a day over the course of Luther's long career -- other than changes to his hair style -- he does give a sense of the intellectual firebrand who led one of history's major revolts. His Luther is always in earnest, gaining increasing confidence in his own infallibility even as he questions the pope's. Certainly, he gets all the good lines, turning him into the kind of hero one usually finds in books written for young adults.
The movie's first scene recounts the legend of the young Luther vowing to become a monk when struck by a bolt of lightning. By the very next scene, he has accomplished this task, despite his father's opposition. Almost immediately, he is torturing himself with guilt over sins both real and imagined. He desperately longs for a merciful God, who will forgive rather than cruelly punish. His mentor, Johann von Staupitz (Bruno Ganz), swiftly packs him off first to Rome -- which is a moral cesspool -- then to the University of Wittenberg. Achieving a doctorate in theology in no time, Dr. Luther is soon performing stand-up comedy routines, poking fun at the nonsensical nature of "indulgences" and holy relics for an appreciative audience of fellow theologians.
Indulgences -- the practice of greedy churchmencq to confer the forgiveness of sin in exchange for hard cash -- is what causes Luther's break with the Roman Catholic Church.cq It is here that writers Camille Thomasson and Bart Gavigan do a fine job at sketching the political and social situation in the German states, which leads to the Reformation. But in the movie's extreme haste, things of huge importance get glossed over.
Luther's translation of the New Testament from a Greek text into German appears to take place in a fortnight rather than over years. The importance not only of this but a later German translation of the Old Testament into a rich vocabulary equal to Shakespeare's is never felt in the movie. So too Luther's marriage to an ex-nun (Claire Cox) is tacked onto the movie's final section without any appreciation for the profound impact this had on German culture and the Protestant world.
The actors do a decent job of bringing these historical figures to life. Among the well-known name actors, Peter Ustinov is his old scenery-chewing self as Luther's protector and prince, Friedrich, but nonetheless fun to watch. Alfred Molina doesn't get nearly as many opportunities, but he too is a hammy delight as an indulgence-peddling monk.
Tech credits are first-rate.
LUTHER
RS Entertainment
NFP teleart
Credits:
Director: Eric Till
Screenwriters: Camille Thomasson, Bart Gavigan
Producers: Brigitte Rochow, Christian Stehr, Alexander Thies
Executive producers: Dennis Clauss, Kurt Rittig, Gabriela Pfandner, J. Daniel Nichols
Director of photography: Robert Fraisse
Production designer: Rolf Zehetbauer
Music: Richard Harvey
Costume designer: Ulla Gothe
Editor: Clive Barrett
Cast:
Martin Luther: Joseph Fiennes
Prince Friedrich: Peter Ustinov
Johann Tetzel: Alfred Molina
Girolamo Aleandro: Jonathan Firth
Katharina von Bora: Claire Cox
Johann von Staupitz: Bruno Ganz
Pope Leo XII: Uwe Ochsenknecht
Cardinal Cajetan: Mathieu Carriere
Ulrick: Marco Hofschneider
Charles V: Torben Liebrecht
Running time -- 122 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
Sept. 26
Martin Luther (1483-1546) is clearly one of the central figures of the Middle Ages. The man launched the Protestant movement, founded a church, helped standardize the German language, revolutionized ecclesiastical music with his congregational hymns and gave German nationalists their chief political issue for 100 years. No two-hour movie is going to do justice to such a life. Nevertheless, "Luther" gamely tries to cram in everything.
Produced with major funding from Thrivent, a Lutheran organization, and carrying more than a whiff of missionary zeal, "Luther" will appeal mostly to history buffs and those interested in questions of religion. Shot on 100 locations in three countries and outfitted with impressive props, costumes, art direction and medieval streets, "Luther" makes up for what it lacks in vigorous storytelling with such production values.
Veteran TV director Eric Till hands the task of embodying the religious reformer to Joseph Fiennes. While Fiennes seems to age nary a day over the course of Luther's long career -- other than changes to his hair style -- he does give a sense of the intellectual firebrand who led one of history's major revolts. His Luther is always in earnest, gaining increasing confidence in his own infallibility even as he questions the pope's. Certainly, he gets all the good lines, turning him into the kind of hero one usually finds in books written for young adults.
The movie's first scene recounts the legend of the young Luther vowing to become a monk when struck by a bolt of lightning. By the very next scene, he has accomplished this task, despite his father's opposition. Almost immediately, he is torturing himself with guilt over sins both real and imagined. He desperately longs for a merciful God, who will forgive rather than cruelly punish. His mentor, Johann von Staupitz (Bruno Ganz), swiftly packs him off first to Rome -- which is a moral cesspool -- then to the University of Wittenberg. Achieving a doctorate in theology in no time, Dr. Luther is soon performing stand-up comedy routines, poking fun at the nonsensical nature of "indulgences" and holy relics for an appreciative audience of fellow theologians.
Indulgences -- the practice of greedy churchmencq to confer the forgiveness of sin in exchange for hard cash -- is what causes Luther's break with the Roman Catholic Church.cq It is here that writers Camille Thomasson and Bart Gavigan do a fine job at sketching the political and social situation in the German states, which leads to the Reformation. But in the movie's extreme haste, things of huge importance get glossed over.
Luther's translation of the New Testament from a Greek text into German appears to take place in a fortnight rather than over years. The importance not only of this but a later German translation of the Old Testament into a rich vocabulary equal to Shakespeare's is never felt in the movie. So too Luther's marriage to an ex-nun (Claire Cox) is tacked onto the movie's final section without any appreciation for the profound impact this had on German culture and the Protestant world.
The actors do a decent job of bringing these historical figures to life. Among the well-known name actors, Peter Ustinov is his old scenery-chewing self as Luther's protector and prince, Friedrich, but nonetheless fun to watch. Alfred Molina doesn't get nearly as many opportunities, but he too is a hammy delight as an indulgence-peddling monk.
Tech credits are first-rate.
LUTHER
RS Entertainment
NFP teleart
Credits:
Director: Eric Till
Screenwriters: Camille Thomasson, Bart Gavigan
Producers: Brigitte Rochow, Christian Stehr, Alexander Thies
Executive producers: Dennis Clauss, Kurt Rittig, Gabriela Pfandner, J. Daniel Nichols
Director of photography: Robert Fraisse
Production designer: Rolf Zehetbauer
Music: Richard Harvey
Costume designer: Ulla Gothe
Editor: Clive Barrett
Cast:
Martin Luther: Joseph Fiennes
Prince Friedrich: Peter Ustinov
Johann Tetzel: Alfred Molina
Girolamo Aleandro: Jonathan Firth
Katharina von Bora: Claire Cox
Johann von Staupitz: Bruno Ganz
Pope Leo XII: Uwe Ochsenknecht
Cardinal Cajetan: Mathieu Carriere
Ulrick: Marco Hofschneider
Charles V: Torben Liebrecht
Running time -- 122 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 10/6/2003
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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