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If you happen to feel you’ve seen too little of Vincent Gallo lately, you really should head to Venice next month, where he’ll now be gracing two Competition titles (not to mention multi-tasking as writer-director-producer-editor in one of them).
It was announced two weeks ago that “Promises Written in Water,” his first venture behind the camera since 2003′s roundly reviled “The Brown Bunny,” will contend for the Golden Lion; now comes confirmation that veteran Polish director Jerzy Skolimowski’s “Essential Killing,” in which Gallo stars alongside Emmanuelle Seigner, has been added to the Lido lineup.
“Essential Killing” marks Skolimowski’s first appearance in a major festival competition since 1991′s “30 Door Key,” and only his second directorial effort since then. The Venice press release describes it thus:
The film tells the story of an Afghan man [Gallo], captured by American forces in Kabul, who finds himself transported to a nameless European country. He manages to escape into the vast frozen woodland, a world away from the desert home he knew. Forced into extreme survival mode, he must kill anyone who strays into his path.
This, I assume, is the final surprise addition that was promised when the initial lineup was announced, so those hoping against hope for Terrence Malick to pop up on the Lido after all would be well advised to stop holding their breath.
[Photo: Labiennale.org]
5 responses so far
1 8-09-2010 at 12:23 pm
Jacob S. said...
Do you think it’s possible for Malick to skip the festival circuit altogether?
2 8-09-2010 at 12:50 pm
Guy Lodge said...
Yes. “The New World” didn’t premiere at a festival, after all — though it did eventually play the Berlinale.
3 8-09-2010 at 8:25 pm
Jacob S. said...
Hmm, but “The New World” was a failure at the Academy Awards, so it’s very possible that the same will happen to “The Tree of Life.” However, one would think that the many extra months of pushing-back the release date was so that rushing the film editing wouldn’t be a problem this time as it was for “The New World.”
It’s just weird. I guess Malick just doesn’t give a shit about the Oscars and just wants to make a great film, or maybe the anticipation is enough buzz already without needing festivals.
4 8-10-2010 at 1:59 am
Guy Lodge said...
“I guess Malick just doesn’t give a shit about the Oscars and just wants to make a great film”
Right. Which is the way any filmmaker worth his salt should feel.
5 8-10-2010 at 6:24 am
James D. said...
Didn’t we already know Malick does not care about Oscars? Did he even show up for the 1999 ceremony?
Lodge, were you a Brown Bunny fan?