Judi Dench Book review: And Furthermore (Central Queensland News)

13th January 2012

Tags: and furthermore, judi dench

And Furthermore by Dame Judi Dench.

BOOK: AND FURTHERMORE
AUTHOR: Judi Dench
PUBLISHER: Phoenix (Hachette Aust)
RRP: $22.99
REVIEWER: Mary Ann Elliott


MUCH-LOVED British actor Dame Judi Dench could hardly be less like a dame in her delightful autobiography.


Coming from a down-to-earth Yorkshire family, the star of stage and screen talks candidly about her long career, starting with her professional debut with the Old Vic Company, appearing in many Shakespeare plays.


Graduating to such diverse roles as Sally Bowles in Cabaret, Cleopatra, Jean in As Time Goes By, Mrs. Brown (Queen Victoria), and as M in the James Bond films, Judi Dench has thrived on variety.


In her book it is obvious that the more challenges and diversity she has, the more she likes it.


Her generosity of spirit towards her fellow actors and her friends also leaps from the pages.
Altogether she comes across very much as one imagines her to be; honest, kind, charming and witty, loving what she does.


At 77 she has no thoughts of retiring, fortunately for us, her adoring fans, having recently shot films in Rajasthan and in Hollywood, the latter directed by Clint Eastwood.


http://www.cqnews.com.au/story/2012/01/13/book-review-and-furthermore/

Keira Knightley and Dakota Fanning are duelling Effies

2:00 PM on 11.08.2011 | Xander Markham

 

Dakota Fanning is currently shooting a period drama about the life of Euphemia 'Effie' Gray, an 1850s woman who was married as a teenager to art critic John Ruskin. They subsequently divorced when he refused to consummate the marriage and she instead hitched up with artist (and Ruskin protégé) John Everett Millais.

Upon hearing that there existed a period drama she wasn't starring in, Keira Knightley immediately started talks to star in Untouched, a rival production to Fanning's Effie. Maybe it didn't happen quite that way - although the good lady Knightley is awfully keen on her period dramas - but this looks to be another case, à la Snow White, where two projects in development coincidentally happen to be tackling the same material. Effie Gray's story has already been told in novels, plays, television and operas, so cinema clearly had some catching up to do.

n bCentral to the story's mystery is why Ruskin refused to consummate the marriage, supposedly because something about Gray's body disgusted him. Some theories point to it being her menstrual blood, which really would make this a period drama.

(I'm so sorry)

[Indiewire, via EMPIRE]

FliXist

Jessica Chastain To Play Princess Diana In Biopic From ‘Downfall’ Director Oliver Hirschbiegel

IndieWire

It was just over a year ago that it was revealed that two rival Princess Diana biopics were in the works. One, from producer Stephen Evans, was going to be based on the book “Diana: Closely Guarded Secret” by Diana’s lifelong bodyguard, Ken Wharfe. The film was budgeted at $30 million, with boasts of Charlize Theron and Ewan McGregor circling roles. Meanwhile, Pathé films was also developing a biopic with names like Keira Knightley and Dame Helen Mirren (as the Queen Mother) being tossed around. But it seems, a third project has now leapt into the pole position and it’s bringing along some surprising talent.

2011’s omnipresent Jessica Chastain will dye her hair and cut it short, taking the lead as Princess Diana in “Caught In Flight,” which is sure to be a highly controversial take on her life. Written by Steven Jeffreys (”The Libertine”), the film will focus on Diana’s affair with Dr. Hasnat Kahn that lasted from 1995 until a few months before her death in 1997. He was regarded by many to be the love of her life, and she was said to be devastated when the relationship was over, with some speculating that she dated Dodi Fayed in order to make him jealous. And indeed, the script “Caught In Flight” will apparently portray the Princess “as a damaged person who stalks the doctor after he ends the affair.”

No stranger to tough material, “Downfall” and “Das Experiment” director Oliver Hirschbiegel will direct the film which is already in pre-production. Lensing is gearing up to start in March, with shooting planned for Pakistan, Angola, the South of France and Paris for the film budgeted around $15 million.

It’s certainly a big gear change for Chastain, who will have to wear a British accent for the first time onscreen, in addition to undergoing a complete transformation into a public figure known and beloved by millions. With this picture, the sci-fi spectacle “Horizons” and the Guillermo Del Toro produced horror “Mama” on the way, Chastain refuses to be pigeonholed, with her upcoming roles among her most interesting yet. [Thompson On Hollywood]

Kevin Jagernauth posted to Actresses, Jessica Chastain, Directors, Foreign Directors, Oliver Hirschbiegel at 11:38 pm on November 6, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (2

Keira Knightley Being Pursued For ‘Akira’ & Gary Oldman Wanted For ‘Arthur & Lancelot’

IndieWire

With “Harry Potter” ending this summer, Christopher Nolan‘s Batman trilogy coming to a close in 2012, and “Green Lantern” proving a weak start to the DC heroes that the studio hoped would see them through the next few years, Warner Bros. are branching out a bit in their hunt for future franchises. Their hopes for 2013 might include Superman reboot “Man of Steel” and Spartan sequel “300: Battle of Artemesia,” but neither are quite home runs, and they’re joined by fresh starters like Guillermo Del Toro‘s giant monster movie “Pacific Rim” and period witch-hunting flick “The Seventh Son,” with Sam Claflin and Jeff Bridges.

And while those films get underway, another two potential tentpoles at the studio are casting up: the controversial remake of anime classic “Akira,” and a new take on the Knights of the Round Table, “Arthur & Lancelot,” and both find themselves chasing some big names. The former, which was confirmed to have “Tron: Legacy” star/mannequin Garret Hedlund in talks to play lead Kaneda yesterday, has been pursuing Gary Oldman to play the villainous Colonel, and Helena Bonham-Carter for Lady Miyako, and according to Heat Vision, they’re joined on director Jaume Collet-Serra‘s shopping list by Keira Knightley.

There’s no confirmation of which part it’s for, but unless they’re trying to really annoy the fanboys by casting her as Tetsuo, it seems likely that the star of “Atonement” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” is being sought for an equivalent part to Kei, the young revolutionary who serves as the love interest for Kaneda. Whether Knightley, or indeed Oldman or Bonham-Carter, will do it is pretty up in the air. However, the trade says that the three haven’t yet “engaged” with the studio, and outside of her Disney trilogy, which she signed up for at the age of 17, the young British actress doesn’t really have a tradition of taking paycheck gigs, particularly one that’s likely as thankless as this. Having said that, she’s currently free once she wraps Joe Wright‘s “Anna Karenina,” but considering that “Akira” was scaled back to be made under $100 million, we don’t imagine the wages are going to be massive, so there may be better offers out there.

While Oldman mulls “Akira,” he’s got another offer from the same studio. According to Deadline, Warners also wants the actor to play Merlin in “Arthur & Lancelot,” the new version of the classic Camelot myth from “Wedding Crashers” director David Dobkin. “The Killing” star Joel Kinnaman bagged the part of Lancelot last week, with “Game of Thrones” star Kit Harrington said to be the frontrunner to play Arthur (although Deadline says that testing’s soon to commence for the part) ,so it makes sense to have a safe pair of hands like Oldman to balance out younger talent. After his roles as Sirius Black and Commissioner Gordon, the studio clearly sees Oldman as a good luck charm, considering he’s got both offers. And he’s a regular fixture on the WB lot who isn’t opposed to roles in subpar flicks—please see “Book Of Eli” and “Red Riding Hood” for further evidence.

However, while the actor does seem to have a good relationship with the studio, his career-best performance in “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” is tipped by many for an Oscar nomination, and the actor may want, as is common practice, to hold out for nominations in the hope of upping his quote, particularly with both projects seeming, well, kind of unappealing. We suppose we’ll see down the road how it works out; we’d be surprised if the actor took both (which may not even be possible, although we’re sure the studio would be happy to shuffle schedules to make it work), but taking one isn’t implausible. Filming on “Akira” is set for next spring, with a 2013 release likely to follow, while “Arthur & Lancelot” will get before cameras around the same time, and has a March 15, 2013 date earmarked.

Oliver Lyttelton posted to Actors, Gary Oldman, Actresses, Keira Knightley, Films, Fairy Tale Films, Arthur & Lancelot, Genre Films, Akira (Remake) at 8:57 am on November 4, 2011 | Permalink | Comments (6)