Hey folks, Harry here with a smaller film that you might have missed, but that sounds really good. First off anything with Ben Kingsley should automatically be on the must see list. He's just that good. So here ya go. Enjoy...
I just got back from a screening of Triumph of Love starring Mira Sorvino and Ben Kingsley. Here's the skinny...
We were fortunate enough to have writer/director Clare Peploe introduce her film. She was extremely genial but seemed a little nervous speaking in front of the crowd.
In her excitement she gave away a twist at the very end of the film which explains certain visuals she used throughout it but this did not have any impact on the actual story.
She had some great stories from the set, a look into her casting process and offered insight on the film’s origin.
Apparently she caught the play by accident one night in Europe and fell in love with it. She wanted to bring her friends to see it the next night but soon realized she had caught the final performance. This movie is her effort to bring her joy of the play to the world. She does so in spades.
The film is based on an 18th century play but it’s characters and themes are completely accessible to the modern audience. It amazes me how well an 18th century play’s wit, humor and humanity translates so well to a modern audience.
The film itself is a nonstop comedy – there’s really no fluff or filler here. It’s a very tight, fast-paced story in which emotions and actions constantly change in a heartbeat.
It’s in the same vein as Much Ado About Nothing and A Midsummer Night's Dream. This is almost an unfair analogy to make because the situations created in this story are not by “error” but are instead created by a strategic princess in a covert attempt to protect her throne (and fall in love) by manipulating her enemies.
Whoever says there are no good roles for women needs to pay attention. Mira Sorvino is stunning in this role. She is totally immersed in her character and she swims gracefully through the verbosity of the 18th century language. Mira is in just about every scene and she shines brighter and brighter in each one. She is purely amazing, and made a great choice when she petitioned for this film. Some of her moments are reminiscent of Shakespeare in Love but I say Gwyneth PalWHO?
Ben Kingsley looked like he had so much fun with this role. His character goes through a drastic transformation but it's the subtleties of his performance that really make him so enjoyable here. This is such a stark contrast to his role in Sexy Beast which shows his range and makes his performance here even more fun. He was simply impeccable.
The supporting cast is comprised of Fiona Shaw, Jay Rodan, Ignazio Oliva, Rachael Stirling, and Luis Molteniand. They all have created all realized characters, not just wallpaper. Top notch work all the way around.
This goes into limited release on Friday. Find it, watch it and have fun.
Earthdog
