• Joe Morgenstern writes a love letter to Carey Mulligan. It’s still all happening. [Wall Street Journal]
• Jennifer Lawrence’s buzz wave makes its way across the pond. [The Guardian]
• The foreign film submissions are already off to the races, and now the Netherlands (“Tirza”) declares. [Variety]
Director Anton Corbijn’s sophomore feature is not an Oscar film. Unfortunately, such a classification immediately conjures skepticism, cynicism and wariness of a project slated for late summer/early fall release. But the fact is, just because a studio knows a film won’t appeal to the sensibilities of awards season doesn’t mean it’s a turkey: it’s not a bad thing to not be an Oscar film.
What “The American” is, however, is a measured, calculated, at times quite fascinating exercise in observing human behavior. It’s the ultimate in “show, don’t tell,” a film with a central brooding, finely tuned performance from George Clooney that isn’t what you’d expect from the actor.
It’s a quiet film, one that forces you to just simply watch and listen. Corbijn and Clooney are putting on a very different kind of show for the viewer, one that doesn’t dazzle with spectacle and big budget intrigue. They strip the mechanics of performance and visual storytelling down to an essence that the best filmmakers will surely appreciate, and most audiences will surely reject.
Amid the growing buzz for the films about to make the festival rounds over the next two weeks, it’s easy to forget that one rather high-end title is hitting theaters as soon as Wednesday.
Anton Corbijn’s hitman drama “The American,” starring George Clooney, was once expected to be in the festival pack — certain rumours had it opening Venice at one point — but Focus Features took us off-guard, settling instead on a release date that pre-empts the festival rush.
Naturally, this change of course prompted chatter that the film wasn’t awards fodder (not something it ever especially appeared to be) and that it was more of a commercial play. That, however, certainly isn’t the impression left by this extensive LA Times piece on the film, which emphasises the “European” nature of the film’s tone and pacing — a gentle way of saying that it lies on the slower, more oblique end of the spectrum.
Anton Corbijn’s “The American” will be screening for press very soon, and it’s one of the films I’ve been most looking forward to this year. The photographer-turned-director’s debut feature, “Control,” was one of the 10 best of 2007 in my book, and the latest looks to be a tense thriller with visual style to spare.
Of course, it would be an aesthetic looker. Corbijn’s photography is the stuff of legend. And he’s directed some visually dynamic music videos in his time, such as Nirvana’s “Heart-Shaped Box” and the most intriguing of U2’s “One” trilogy. But the director seems to making more of the production of his latest feature than we tend to get out of a filmmaker.
First, he blogged the experience with nice accompanying photography. Now it seems a collection of his photographs behind the scenes will fill what’s sure to be an attractive picture book, “Inside The American.” Can’t wait to pick up a copy.
Some more Corbijn awesomeness after the jump.
I’m pretty amped for Anton Corbijn’s “The American.” The photographer and music video pioneer did a bang-up job with his feature debut, “Control,” and this adaptation of the Martin Booth novel looks to be a nice post-summer, pre-awards season antidote, as the trailer suggested last month. Today a new poster for the film has hit and it’s pretty striking. Check it out after the jump.
I think the announcement of a September 1 release date was probably enough to assume Focus Features sees more commercial potential than awards prospects in Anton Corbijn’s “Control” follow-up, but it’s worth running the trailer. Corbijn, you might recall, has been blogging his experience on the film.
If only for the names involved, Focus Features’ thriller “The American” is one of my more anticipated films of 2010 — George Clooney stars, Rowan Joffe (who had a hand in my best-of-decade contender “Last Resort,” and also has “Brighton Rock” coming up this year) writes and, best of all, Anton Corbijn directs.
Corbijn’s 2007 Ian Curtis biopic “Control” was a remarkable debut — though it felt less like an introduction than an extension of the director’s iconic work in the realms of photography and music video. I’m interested to see how he fares with a glossier genre piece. Blogging the shoot over at Focus’s site, he’s posted some production stills — they look a little like outtakes from one of his Depeche Mode videos, but that’s fine by me.
I was a huge fan of “Control” so this sounds like music to my ears. The press release, in part:
Academy Award winner George Clooney stars in the title role of The American for director Anton Corbijn (Control). Focus Features holds worldwide rights to the suspense thriller, which begins production this week on location in Italy. Focus CEO James Schamus made the announcement today.
The screenplay by Rowan Joffe is adapted from Martin Booth’s novel A Very Private Gentleman, published in 2005. The film’s producers are This is that’s Anne Carey, who most recently produced Adventureland and The Savages; Smokehouse’s Grant Heslov, an Academy Award nominee as producer and co-writer of Good Night, and Good Luck, and producer/director of this fall’s The Men Who Stare at Goats; Smokehouse’s Mr. Clooney; Ann Wingate, who most recently produced Into the Storm, starring Emmy Award winner Brendan Gleeson; and Jill Green, executive producer of the long-running U.K. television series Foyle’s War. Enzo Sisti, co-producer of the upcoming When in Rome, is executive producer of The American.
Alone among assassins, Jack (played by Mr. Clooney) is a master craftsman. When a job in Sweden ends more harshly than expected for this American abroad, he vows to his contact Larry (Bruce Altman of this fall’s Peter and Vandy) that his next assignment will be his last. Jack reports to the Italian countryside, where he holes up in a small town and relishes being away from death for a spell. The assignment, as specified by a Belgian woman, Mathilde (Thekla Reuten of Focus’ award-winning In Bruges), is in the offing as a weapon is constructed. Surprising himself, Jack seeks out the friendship of local priest Father Benedetto (Italian screen and stage veteran Paolo Bonacelli) and pursues romance with local woman Clara (Italian leading lady Violante Placido). But by stepping out of the shadows, Jack may be tempting fate.