Vintner's Luck given warm welcomeBy TOM CARDY - The Dominion Post 14/09/2009
Vintner's Luck actors Keisha Castle-Hughes, left, and Vera Farmiga, right with director Niki Caro, centre at the film's premiere in Toronto. Getty Images
All eyes were on Keisha Castle-Hughes at the Toronto International Film Festival at the weekend for the world premiere of her new film The Vintner's Luck.
Wearing a white strapless gown by Auckland designer Liz Mitchell who designed Castle-Hughes' dress for the 2004 Oscars the 19-year-old outshone her co-star, American actress Vera Farmiga, on the red carpet.
Wearing a white strapless gown by Auckland designer Liz Mitchell who designed Castle-Hughes' dress for the 2004 Oscars the 19-year-old outshone her co-star, American actress Vera Farmiga, on the red carpet.
A queue formed around the block to see the film, from Whale Rider director Niki Caro and based on the novel by Wellington writer Elizabeth Knox.
The Saturday screening at the plush 1000-seat Winter Garden Theatre sold out.
New Zealand Film Commission chief executive Graeme Mason, in Toronto promoting Kiwi films, said the audience gave it a rapturous welcome.
"There was lots of nerves from Niki and Keisha going in, but it was great. At the end of the movie there was a big applause and they had a Q and A, which the audience stayed for that's a good sign at the end of an intense movie."
The Vintner's Luck, which opens in New Zealand in November, is one of three New Zealand films screening at the festival.
Fantasy Under the Mountain, based on the novel by Maurice Gee, and the Topp Twins' documentary Untouchable Girls screen today (NZ time).
Under the Mountain star Sam Neill and director Jonathan King are in Toronto, along with Jools and Lynda Topp. The Topps will also perform live after the screening of their film, already a hit in New Zealand.
The full report at Stuff.co.nz
I was shocked to read in the latest Listener that Caro has de-gayed the book. I have yet to see the film of course, but I wonder what Elizabeth Knox makes of all this? It seems to me that Caro's film version has maintained faith with neither the essence of the book nor the story itself. The love affair between Xas and Sobran has been transferred to Sobran and Céleste, thereby diluting and and making nonsense of the rich themes that pervade the book. Film versions can never (nor should) be identical replicas of the original novel, and can indeed use the original source as a launch pad to something rather different. Nonetheless, having read and loved the novel, it seems to me this filmmaker has turned a golden opportunity into a misjudged translation.
ReplyDeleteWhoops! I meant to attach my name to the previous anonymous comment. I never want to make public statements anonymously!.
ReplyDeletePaula Green
This movie was my biggest cinematic anticipation of the year, but from all reports that Caro has been unfaithful to the book and the relationships that make it special, I'm feeling very very disappointed in advance. If it's true that she's stripped any homoeroticism from the story, I hope she is accused of rank homophobia. It would be a move worthy of extreme dirision.
ReplyDeleteThis movie was my biggest cinematic anticipation of the year, but from all reports that Caro has been unfaithful to the book and the relationships that make it special, I'm feeling very very disappointed in advance. If it's true that she's stripped any homoeroticism from the story, I hope she is accused of rank homophobia. It would be a move worthy of extreme dirision.
ReplyDelete