Davies has directed only five feature films and one documentary in the past 25 years, but his work has cemented his status as one of the major British directors of his generation. His first films, “Distant Voices, Still Lives” and “The Long Day Closes,” are meditative, largely autobiographical tales based on his working-class upbringing in Liverpool during the ’40s and ’50s and are explorations of both class and memory. This film feels very much of a piece of those earlier works.

I talked with Davies over the phone. He speaks with a nervous baritone that is reminiscent of a caffeinated college don. He is a remarkably candid and self-effacing. We talked about adapting Terence Rattigan’s work, working with Rachel Weisz, and getting right the texture of a time.

Jonathan Crow: How did you come to this project?

Terence Davies: When I was approached by the Rattigan Trust, I said, “I hope you know I’ve never adapted a play before,” and they said, “We want you to do it.” They approached me, which was very, very nice of them. They said, “Be radical with it.”

JC: What were the challenges of adapting this play to screen?

Photo by Music Box FilmsTD: The main problem, for me anyway, is that Terrace Rattigan puts most of the exposition in the first act. I just don’t think that’s interesting. The first act of the play is full of exposition. I collapsed it into only 10 minutes, because cinema can tell you, reveal to you. You don’t need people telling you.

So that was the main thing. Also I took out a lot of areas where Terrence Rattigan is weak. I mean he clearly never lived in a bedsit in Ladbroke Grove. He just never did. So he didn’t know what these landladies were like. So that had to be rewritten. But despite the radical rewrite, I wanted to keep the core of it, which is a ménage-a-trois of unreciprocated love.

JC: What was it that drew you to this particular Rattigan play?

TD: It reminded me of when I was growing up in the ’50s. I was taken by my sisters to see what were called “women’s pictures” then. Movies like “Magnificent Obsession,” “All That Heaven Allows,” and “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing.” I really did love these movies. And then later I discovered through television “The Letter From an Unknown Woman,” “The Heiress,” and things like that.

So I’ve grown up with these films about strong women, and I feel sort of an affinity to that. Although I love my brothers, I was brought up by my mother and my sisters and my sisters’ friends. I was brought up by a lot of women. So I have a sort of special place in my heart for that.

JC: Was making this movie an act of nostalgia for you?

TD: Oh no, because nostalgia always turns into sentimentality. I don’t think I would create something sentimental because I know what that period was really like. I wouldn’t call it nostalgia. Call it an act of remembrance.

JC: What made it an accurate representative of the period for you as opposed to other contemporary movies about the ’50s?

TD: The problem was very often that they know what it looked like but they don’t know what it felt like. That’s the difference. And I remember what it looked like and what it felt like. What comes with that is remembering the interiors of houses, the exterior of streets, what textures were there, what people wore. If you haven’t grown up in that — and social mores as well — then you get 14th carbon copy of what the ’50s was like. That’s what’s wrong with it. They didn’t experience it.

JC: This a movie about postwar trauma. The characters, especially Hester and Freddie, are very much processing the war in their own ways.

TD: Yes. The war was the last great mass trauma the country went through. Everyone came together during the war. But the problem was that afterward, everyone assumed that it would go back to the way it was before the war. But people did not want to go back to the way it was. What did linger on was the social cohesion of good manners, of wanting to behave well and honorably.

JC: And that is what Rachel Weisz’s character wanted, right? She wanted something new.

TD: I don’t think it’s as conscious as that. A lot of people, men and women, were relatively naïve. Sex wasn’t as ubiquitous as it is now. People believe in companionship and real culture and kindness. That’s what marriage was. And then she sees this young man, she falls head over heels in love with him and is prepared to sacrifice everything. For the first time, she found sexual love. That’s what she finds and that’s what makes her do it.

JC: The movie just swoons with passion, but with the exception of one shot right at the beginning, there’s very little skin in the film. Was that a conscious decision to keep everything buttoned down?

TD: Yes, but that was what it was like then. So when you do see some flesh and material, it looks sensual. You don’t have to do it obviously. You just suggest it. That’s enough. I wrote in the script that these scenes in bed are not to be explicit. I did not want them to be explicit because I don’t think explicit scenes of sex tell you anything other than the actors have got body makeup on and they go to the gym all the time.

JC: How did Rachel Weisz get connected to this?

TD: It was by accident. I don’t go to the movies anymore because I can’t suspend my disbelief. But I was very bored one night and I switched the television on. There was this film on, “Swept From the Sea.” I didn’t know the lead actress. She had wonderfully luminous eyes. I waited until the end of the film and saw that her name was Rachel Weisz. I rang my manager and I said, “Could you send the script to her?” and he did. I had no idea who I would have asked if she said no.

JC: How did you work with her, and how did you kind of develop this together?

TD: She was a joy to work with. Really, really wonderful. You work out the relationship quite quickly, and very often as a director, you have to sense the mood of the day shot by shot. Some days, the actors come on and you just think, “I have no trouble today. They’re really on the ball.” And other days, they come on and they’re just not quite up to par. So you have to get them up to par, but that has to be felt on a shot-by-shot basis. That’s how you build trust between yourself and the actors. And their trust was built very, very quickly because she’s very responsive. She’s just lovely, lovely.

JC: How about Tom Hiddleston?

TD: He’s a lovely lad. He just finished “Thor,” I think, prior to shooting this movie. He is very, very talented. And he deserves to become a name. I said to him during production, “Please don’t let all this fame go to your head. Remember at the end of the day, it is only a film. It’s not mining coal or a cure for cancer.”

Source: Movie Talk on Yahoo! Movies

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Source: Cinemablend.com

Rachel Weisz is set to co-star with Colin Firth in ‘The Railway Man’.

The ‘Deep Blue Sea’ star is in final negotiations to take on the role of Patricia ‘Patti’ Wallace, the second wife of Colin’s character Eric Lomax, a second lieutenant in the Royal Corp of Signals who is captured by the Japanese army in Singapore during World War II.

Eric is sent to a POW camp in Kanchanaburi, Thailand, where he joins thousands of other prisoners and forced to work on the infamous Burma to Siam ‘death railway’ and the bridge over the river Kwai.

The real life story is based on former army officer Eric’s book which details his experiences as a prisoner of war, and how he set out decades later to track down his tormentors and exact some revenge. Patti was responsible for helping him to confront his fears and she also wrote to the man Eric held responsible for his torture.

‘War Horse’ star Jeremy Irvine will play a younger version of Colin’s character during his time in captivity.

Jeremy told the Daily Mail newspaper: “Lomax suffered cruel and horrible treatment. I’ve been studying what happened to him and it was grim.”

Jonathan Teplitzky is directing the film, with Frank Cottrell Bryce and Andy Paterson writing the script.

Teplitzky previously said in a statement: “‘The Railway Man’ is an amazing story and to have the chance to make it with Colin Firth as Eric is really the best gift any director could hope for.”

Paltrow pulled out, as did her replacement Charlize Theron, and the project, backed by Kidman’s Blossom Films company, was due to move forward with Weisz in the role.

Filming was due to begin in Germany last month (Sep11), but the movie has now reportedly been put on hold following the departure of Weisz and director Lasse Hallstrom.

A source tells the Mail on Sunday, “Nicole initially approached Gwyneth Paltrow to play the artist’s wife and fellow artist Gerda Gottlieb, but she was too busy. Charlize Theron then took the role but had to pull out because of scheduling conflicts.

“Rachel Weisz signed up last year but now she’s pulled out and the whole production has been thrown into disarray. Nicole is still determined to make this film, so she’s gone back to the drawing board.”

Source: Hollywood.com

In a white lab coat Weisz, 41, was photographed wearing the label “Sterisyn Morlanta”. Although little is known about Weisz’ character in the film, details about the actors that will appear have started to unravel.

According to The Daily Mail, the movie is being directed by Tony Gilroy and will feature Jeremy Renner, Ed Norton, Joan Allen and a possible return from Albert Finney. Norton will play the villain in the movie, according to bournelegacytrailer.com.

However the star of the other films in the series, Matt Damon will not return for the next installment. Damon spoke about not taking part in the latest film and his place in the Bourne series.

“I have no idea about any of it. You won’t see me in the background of the new one. He’s got a whole other thing that they’re doing and I wish them well and Tony Gilroy’s really smart,” Damon said, according to The Daily Mail. “I’m sure they’re going to be great. All I know is that it doesn’t preclude Paul Greengrass and me from doing another one of ours.”

Although film director Greengrass and actor Damon will not be a part of the latest film, Weisz has proved that she will work hard to be a part of it. She has maintained her commitment with the latest installment, despite starring in two other feature films this year, “Deep Blue Sea” and “Dream House.”

Weisz spoke about her ability to handle the range of roles in a short period of time.

“I like to mix things up,” she said, according to The Daily Mail. “How do I do it? I just do it. The different costumes help a lot.”

The film is slated for an August 2012 debut.

Source: Christianpost.com

IT’S no surprise that Rachel Weisz isn’t worried about getting roles, despite working in an industry obsessed with youth.

At 41, the British star is strikingly beautiful and her career is soaring with Weisz’s performance in The Whistleblower generating strong Oscar buzz.

“I just think that things get easier as you get older and wiser and more experienced,” the mother-of-one says.

“You get more confident about who you are as you get older. I find that really comforting.”

Weisz plays Kathryn Bolkovac in The Whistleblower, which is based on the true story of a US cop who uncovered a sex trafficking scandal while working as a peacekeeper in Bosnia.

The actress has a knack for choosing interesting, dynamic movies. She’s starred in big blockbusters such as The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, and has an Oscar, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award under her belt for best Supporting Actress as Tessa Quayle in 2005′s The Constant Gardener.

But Weisz says she’s very much the reluctant movie star.

“I’m a little fearful of the way your life changes when you become too well known,” she says.

“I’m also fairly reserved and it’s quite embarrassing to deal with that kind of attention. I’d rather float about anonymously. I don’t really think of myself as a sex symbol or a celebrity at all.”

It’s this reluctance at being a celebrity that is behind Weisz keeping her relationship and marriage to 43-year-old James Bond star, Daniel Craig, a closely guarded secret. The couple got together on the set of The Dream House in December last year, a month after it was announced she had split with her partner of 10 years, US director Darren Aronofsky.

They revealed they had been apart for months but were remaining friends for their son, five-year-old Henry Chance.

Meanwhile, Craig was also emerging from a long term relationship – he also announced in November he had split from Satsuki Mitchell, 32, whom he had been engaged to since 2007.

Weisz and Craig had been friends for years, but romance blossomed on the set of the film, which is due for release in December and also stars Naomi Watts.

After a whirlwind courtship they tied the knot in front of just four guests at their low-key ceremony in New York in June.

Weisz doesn’t talk openly about their relationship, but she reveals it’s only recently (since she has been with Craig) she has felt more at ease with herself.

“For a long time I was quite shy and conflicted about my life, and it’s only lately that I’ve started to feel freer and become more open to enjoying life,” she said. “That’s made me become more serious about my work.”

The role of Bolkovac is definitely serious, but it’s something Weisz relished.

She says she researched the part with a plenty of reading and watching documentaries and although she didn’t meet someone who had been trafficked, she did get to meet the real Kathy Bolkovac.

“I got to hang out with her and channel her spirit,” she says.

Weisz says she loved the chance to play a character based on a real woman.

“I’m immensely moved and inspired. And to know that there are real heroines on Earth, I’m very inspired by that.”

The controversial subject matter even stirred up a negative backlash in the UN, which is not portrayed in a particularly favourable light in the film.

What next for Weisz? She has touched on the possibility she may be thinking about having another child with Craig.

In a recent interview with US magazine Lucky she revealed: “Oh, I wouldn’t make one just for the sake of giving my son a sibling. But you never know.”

Her son Henry plays an important part in her acting decisions. “I have a child now, so you have to be able to go deep into something and then switch off at the end of the day,” she said. “It’s the only way to remain sane.”

She was originally offered the role of Bolkovac when she was pregnant with her son and it was due to him she initially turned it down.

“I was pregnant. Very pregnant. And I read it and thought it was one of the most incredible stories and scripts I had ever read,” she said.

“But it was too challenging and traumatic to engage in at that moment. Because of my physical state. I just couldn’t get my head around it. But I couldn’t forget it. I guess I was just haunted by the story. I contacted them about it again, two years later.”

If she does have another baby with her Craig, Weisz could be having to make that decision to hold off on a role again in the very near future.

The Whistleblower is now showing.

Terence Davies’ “The Deep Blue Sea,” starring Rachel Weisz, has been acquired by Music Box Films for U.S. distribution. The drama premiered last week at the Toronto International Film Festival and will close the London Film Festival before opening in the U.K. on November 25.

The film marks Music Box’s first English language film buy. The company’s recent slate includes the original Dragon Tattoo trilogy and Francois Ozon’s comedy “Potiche.”

In the drama, adapted from the 1952 play by Terence Rattigan, Weisz plays the wife of high court judge who leaves him to move in with a young pilot.

MUSIC BOX ACQUIRES US RIGHTS TO TERENCE DAVIES’ THE DEEP BLUE SEA

In a deal closed prior to its final public screening in Toronto, Terence Davies’ THE DEEP BLUE SEA, starring Academy Award winner Rachel Weisz (The Constant Gardener, The Whistleblower), Olivier Award winner Tom Hiddleston (Spielberg’s War Horse, Thor) and BAFTA and Olivier Award-winning theatre actor Simon Russell Beale (An Ideal Husband, London Assurance), has been acquired by Music Box Films, who have taken US rights from Protagonist Pictures.

THE DEEP BLUE SEA is Music Box’s first acquisition of an English language film. In a swift move following the world premiere, they fended off competition from at least three other bidders, and the deal was concluded by Protagonist Pictures CEO Ben Roberts and Music Box’s Managing Director Ed Arentz.  Music Box Films’ recent slate includes the original Dragon Tattoo trilogy, which collectively registered nearly $22 million in US theatrical box office receipts.

Ed Arentz commented: “We, and the audience who saw the film at its world premiere screening, were entranced from the opening frames, and by the end there was an inescapable sense that we had witnessed a major work. Timeless and nostalgic, classical and very modern, achingly emotional and serene, it seems a perfect marriage of source material, Terence Davies’ directorial vision and riveting lead performances highlighted by an incandescent Rachel Weisz. We’re thrilled with the opportunity to share this masterpiece with US audiences.”

Hot on the heels of the film’s Toronto premiere THE DEEP BLUE SEA screens in competition at San Sebastian, followed by the Closing Night gala at the London Film Festival, prior to its UK release on 25th November 2011 with Artificial Eye.

THE DEEP BLUE SEA, adapted from the 1952 play by Terence Rattigan, sees Terence Davies’ return to the big screen.  His most recent film, the documentary Of Time And The City, was an affectionate look at his childhood city Liverpool, but he is best known for the semi-autobiographical Distant Voices Still Lives and The Long Day Closes, and the subsequent The House of Mirth.

THE DEEP BLUE SEA is produced by Sean O’Connor, a passionate advocate of Rattigan who worked in the theatre with the play’s original director, and Kate Ogborn (Under The Skin, The Unloved). They commented: “We are genuinely thrilled to be working with Music Box Films on the US release of THE DEEP BLUE SEA. They are the perfect match for us, having an acutely attuned vision for drama of the very highest quality. Their great recent successes speak for themselves and we’re both hugely excited to join forces with such an innovative and passionate distributor.”

Rachel Weisz plays the wife of a high court judge who, shockingly in her 1950s milieu, leaves her husband to move in with a dashing young ex-RAF pilot, with whom she has fallen passionately in love.  The film explores the nature of love and the lines drawn between love and passion.

Tania Seghatchian of the BFI Film Fund said: “We are delighted that THE DEEP BLUE SEA has secured such a swift US distribution deal. The rapturous response from the Toronto film festival and particularly key US critics has been fantastic and we look forward to Music Box Films ensuring that Terence’s work connects with new audiences and old fans alike.”

Katherine Butler of Film4 added: “We are delighted with the wonderful reception THE DEEP BLUE SEA has so deservedly had in Toronto, and are thrilled to be starting a new relationship with Music Box Films. Their palpable passion for, and understanding of, this beautiful film will ensure the audience in the US have the best possible opportunity to experience Terence’s vision”.

THE DEEP BLUE SEA is a Camberwell/Fly Film Production financed by UK Film Council and Film4 in association with Protagonist Pictures, Lip Sync Productions and Artificial Eye.

Rachel Weisz, Woody Harrelson, Jane Fonda, Seth Rogen, Jennifer Hudson, Anthony Hopkins, Jon Hamm, Michelle Williams and Christopher Plummer all share something in common — and it’s not a publicist.

Although TIFF enjoyed a banner year for film sales — up over 50% from 2010 despite the crummy economy — all of the above starred in high-profile festival entries that failed to land a buyer by the time the final curtain closed.

Which is not to say they won’t subsequently find a distributor in time for awards season, but, these days, an Oscar pedigree and an enthusiastic reception are no longer sufficient to lure market-weary suitors.

Although it starred Oscar winners Rachel Weisz and Anthony Hopkins, 360, directed by The Constant Gardner’s Fernando Meirelles, left the fest without a home.

… Continue reading.