Hugo Cabret (2011)

Hugo Cabret is an upcoming adventure film based on Brian Selznick's bestseller 'The Invention of Hugo Cabret' set in 1930's Paris. It is directed by Martin Scorsese, co-produced by Scorsese, Johnny Depp, and Graham King, and written by John Logan. This is Scorsese’s first film shot in 3D and it is due to be released on November 23, 2011, with distribution by Paramount Pictures. It stars Asa Butterfield (The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas, Nanny McPhee) as Hugo. (Wikipedia)


From official site:
"ORPHAN, CLOCK KEEPER, AND THIEF, twelve-year-old Hugo (Asa Butterfield) lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks with an eccentric girl (Chloe Moretz) and the owner (Ben Kingsley) of a small toy booth in the train station, Hugo’s undercover life, and his most precious secret, are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message all come together...in The Invention of Hugo Cabret."

Asa Butterfield, Chloe Moretz, Ben Kinglsey, Sasha Baron Cohen

"The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick is told in both words and pictures. The Invention of Hugo Cabret is not exactly a novel, and it’s not quite a picture book, and it’s not really a graphic novel, or a flip book, or a movie, but a combination of all these things. Each picture (there are nearly three hundred pages of pictures!) takes up an entire double page spread, and the story moves forward because you turn the pages to see the next moment unfold in front of you."

Book illustrations by Brian Selznick

Cast:
Chloe Moretz .... Isabella
Jude Law .... Hugo's father
Richard Griffiths .... Monsieur Frick
Ben Kingsley .... Papa Georges
Sacha Baron Cohen .... Station Inspector
Christopher Lee .... Monsieur Labisse
Emily Mortimer .... Lisette
Asa Butterfield .... Hugo
Michael Stuhlbarg .... Rene Tabard
Helen McCrory .... Mama Jeanne
Frances de la Tour .... Emilie
Angus Barnett .... Theater Manager
Edmund Kingsley (real-life son of Ben) .... Technician
Catherine Balavage .... Parisian Cafe Woman
Ray Winstone

Interview with author Brian Selznick
Scorcese's website
IMDb

There Be Dragons (2011)

Roland Joffe, the director who brought us the highly acclaimed and deeply spiritual film The Mission has returned to his roots with the epic movie There Be Dragons, a powerful story of war, tragedy, love and redemption. Set during the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War (1930s), it tells the story of two childhood friends who become separated during the political conflict to find themselves on opposite sides as war erupts. One chooses the path of peace and becomes a priest while the other chooses the life of a soldier driven by jealousy and revenge. Each will struggle to find the power of forgiveness over the forces that tore their lives and friendship apart. [official synopsis]

Planned for release in theatres worldwide in Spring, 2011.
Trailer and behind-the-scenes video below

Starring:
Charlie Cox (Stardust) - Josemaría Escrivá
Wes Bentley (The Claim) - Manolo
Olga Kurylenko (Centurion) - Ildiko
Rodrigo Santoro (Love Actually) - Oriol
Dougray Scott (Ever After) - Robert, son of Manolo
Geraldine Chaplin, Derek Jacobi , Charles Dance, Michael Feast, Lily Cole, Golshifteh Farahani, Robert Blythe

The film is both written and directed by Oscar-nominated British filmmaker Roland Joffé (The Killing Fields, The Mission, City of Joy, The Scarlet Letter). Joffe said that it's a " story about people trying to find meaning about their lives." The epic film tells the story of a present-day Spanish journalist, Robert, who is mending relations with his dying father, Manolo, who took part in the Spanish Civil War. The journalist discovers through his investigations that his father was a close childhood friend of Josemaría Escrivá , a candidate for sainthood, with whom he had a complicated relationship. Manolo became a soldier during the Spanish Civil War and became obsessed with a beautiful Hungarian revolutionary, Ildiko. She rejects him and gives herself to a brave militia leader Oriol. Manolo becomes jealous and takes a path of betrayal.

The film includes the early life of Josemaría Escrivá, a modern-day saint and the founder of Opus Dei, an institution of the Catholic Church which teaches that ordinary human life is a path to sanctity. Escrivá, who died in 1975, was canonized by John Paul II in 2002. Joffé, who initially shied away from the project, was "ultimately intrigued by the chance to dramatize the life of a modern-day saint, particularly considering Escrivá's 'liberating' view that a path to God could be found in an ordinary life."

According to Joffé, they are "making a film about love, human love and divine love, about hate, about betrayal, about war, about mistakes, about everything it is to be a human being." "Reconciliation matters" is the main take away message that Joffe expects from the viewers and that this is “a film about what it means to be a saint in this day and age."

Why the title? It refers to its theme exploring the unknown territories of hatred, guilt, and forgiveness explained producer Ignacio G. Sancha. "There be dragons" is an abbreviation of "here there be dragons" from the Latin hic sunt dracones, an ancient way of denoting in maps a place where there is danger, or an unknown place, a place to be explored.

Official site

IMDb
press conference with Joffe

Behind the Scenes...

Who was Josemaria Escriva? (Youtube video)

Water for Elephants - trailer & images

Based on Sara Gruen's bestselling novel, Water for Elephants, set in the Great Depression, tells the story of Jacob (Robert Pattinson), a veterinarian student who joins a travelling circus where he meets the animal trainer August (Christoph Waltz) and Marlena (Resse Witherspoon), the star of the equestrian act.

Release date: April 15, 2011.

Hal Holbrook, Rob Pattinson, Reese Witherspoon, Christoph Waltz, Paul Schneider
(Holbrook plays older version of Jacob, Schneider is Charlie, a zoo owner that befriends Jacob,
Schneider was previously seen as Brown, friend of Keats in Bright Star)

Read more on Water for Elephants

Upstairs, Downstairs (2010)

Character descriptions

&
cast interviews

"Set in 1936, this lavish three-part serial sees diplomat Sir Hallam Holland (Ed Stoppard) move into the iconic townhouse along with his wife, Lady Agnes (Keeley Hawes). With the help of former parlourmaid Rose Buck (Jean Marsh), they launch a new whole new era for the sumptuous home at the heart of Upstairs Downstairs.

As Lady Agnes remarks: "This house is going to see such life!"But storm clouds are gathering in Europe, and servants are no longer biddable and cheap. The Hollands' first year at Eaton Place does not unfold as either Lady Agnes or Rose anticipates.

The drama that results sets exquisite domestic detail against a sweeping historical backdrop. There may be two families living in 165 – one upstairs and one down – but their fates are intimately linked. Touching, funny, romantic and savage, the revived Upstairs Downstairs is set to enrapture a whole new audience."

To air BBC One: December 26, 27 and 28, 2010

To air on PBS Masterpiece: April 10, 17 and 24, 2011

Source: BBC Press

Jean Marsh (shown in original series), cast promo pic, Claire Foy on set

MORE INFO:
> Video: watch 3 preview clips from episode 1 (new)
> Video: view scenes in BBC's Christmas trailer
> Promo photos for Radio Times (new)
> Daily Mail: article by screenwriter HEIDI THOMAS (new)
> Daily Mail: Downton It Ain't (new)
> first photos of some of the cast in costume
> more photos from the set, BBC press release
> site dedicated to original series of Upstairs, Downstairs
> Daily Mail: photos of cast, similarities to Downton Abbey
> Telegraph: first article about casting of series
> Telegraph: Jean Marsh article Dec 16
>Ian Wylie: Dec 16 Preview and Q&A
> Interview: Eve Stewart, production designer
> Episode 1 Synopsis
> Episode 1 selected screencaps
> Screencaps for Episode 1
> Screencaps for Episode 2
> Screencaps for Episode 3
> More articles on UpDown (new)

> Interview with screenwriter HEIDI THOMAS

~ UPSTAIRS ~

Sir Hallam Holland, played by Ed Stoppard: The Master
Diplomat Sir Hallam appears to have everything. In his mid-30s, he has risen rapidly through the ranks of the Foreign Office, and has recently inherited not just 165 Eaton Place but a considerable fortune and a baronetcy. After a lonely childhood spent in boarding schools, he also has found deep love and solace with his wife Lady Agnes. However, he must also find room in his heart, and his home, for his formidable mother Maud, Lady Holland. The events of 1936 will challenge and change him in ways he could not have foreseen.
Read interview


Lady Agnes Holland, played by Keeley Hawes: The Chatelaine
The eldest daughter of the 12th Earl Towyn, Lady Agnes was reared in a very damp castle in Wales. Beautiful and aristocratic, she has never been well off. Despite financial hardship, and their failure to have children, her marriage to Sir Hallam has been happy and devoted. The sudden rush of new money thrills her, and she is determined to put her husband, and her home, at the heart of London high society. But even as her dreams come true, Lady Agnes is forced to digest unpalatable truths, and fight to preserve the things she holds most dear.
Read interview


Maud, Lady Holland, played by Dame Eileen Atkins: The Dowager
Maud, Lady Holland is Sir Hallam's mother, and one of the women who helped to build the Raj. A fiercely intelligent and complex woman, she spent her whole adult life in support of her husband, the late Sir Greville Holland, seeing him rise to the very top of the Indian Civil Service. Newly widowed, she returns to England to write her memoirs, and secretly hopes to build a new relationship with her grown-up son. But thirty years of distance are not easily undone, and there will be shocks and heartache along the way.
Read interview


Lady Persie Towyn, played by Claire Foy: The Debutante
Lady Persephone Towyn is the 20-year-old sister of Lady Agnes. Ravishing but gauche, she has been marooned in Wales due to lack of family funds – a situation Lady Agnes is delighted to reverse. But Lady Persie's lack of education, and the stimulation of the London scene, make for a highly combustible mix.
Read interview

~ DOWNSTAIRS ~

Miss Rose Buck, played by Jean Marsh: The Housekeeper
Rose Buck was the upper house parlourmaid at Eaton Place for almost forty years. Since 1932 she has eked out a living running a domestic employment agency – but a twist of fate brings Lady Agnes to her door. Initially engaged purely to recruit the servants for the Hollands, Rose soon proves herself indispensible to the running of the house. A business deal becomes an emotional adventure, and Rose returns, in triumph, as a permanent member of the staff of 165.
Read interview


Mr Pritchard, played by Adrian Scarborough: The Butler
Warwick Pritchard is sleek, discreet and quite beautifully spoken – but Rose has distinct reservations at first. Mr Pritchard comes to 165 Eaton Place after a lengthy career on the Cunard cruise ships, and has a reference from film star Errol Flynn. Teetotal and highly strung, his exacting façade conceals deep kindness and real integrity. As the downstairs family settles in, he gradually becomes the moral centre of the household – though he still has a few surprises up his sleeve.
Read interview


Mrs Thackeray, played by Anne Reid: The Cook
Clarice Thackeray is a widow. Passionate about her work, she expects the highest standards of herself and others. She follows the workings of high society through the pages of the Tatler, and even cuts out pictures of the family upstairs. Romantic and affectionate by nature, she is also nosey, judgemental and a monumental snob.
Read interview


Mr Amanjit, played by Art Malik: The Secretary
Educated, gentle, and imposing, Amanjit Singh comes to Eaton Place as secretary to Maud, Lady Holland. Having been in her service in India for many years, he is devoted to her welfare. Occupying a position that is neither upstairs nor down, he is at first a shadowy and isolated figure. However, he rose to his current position from very humble origins, and longs to be included in the servants' social world. Once he manages to break the ice, he becomes a welcome and respected member of their tribe.
Read interview


Harry Spargo, played by Neil Jackson: The Chauffeur
Good-looking and cocksure, Harry Spargo enjoys his position with Hollands, but resents the social system that keeps him there. He enjoys a cautious camaraderie with Sir Hallam, but this is put to the test by the events of 1936. His passionate nature and desire for easy fulfilment will take him into dark pastures, politically and emotionally.
Read interview


Ivy Morris, played by Ellie Kendrick: The Housemaid
Orphaned Ivy Morris comes to 165 from a Barnardo's home, where she was trained as a domestic servant. Just 15 years old, she is spirited, wilful, and likes red nail varnish and singing in the bath. Rose only hires her out of desperation, and has a hard time wrangling disobedience and tantrums. But Ivy, who has never had a proper home, knows she has found one in 165. She would never willingly risk her newfound security – but her hunger for love leads her, and others, into danger.
Read interview


Johnny Proude, played by Nico Mirallegro: The Footman
Aged 16, Johnny Proude was born in a mining village near Nottingham. He launches a career in domestic service in an effort to escape a life spent down the pit. Charming and hard-working, he is popular with the other servants – especially Ivy – but comes to 165 with a troubling secret that, once revealed, will shatter the whole household.
Read interview


Rachel Perlmutter, played by Helen Bradbury: The Parlourmaid
Rachel Perlmutter is a German-Jewish refugee who comes to 165 as the new parlourmaid, in May 1936. Reserved and sophisticated, Rachel knows little about basic household chores, but is determined to make the best of her circumstances. An unexpected friendship with Mr Amanjit has lasting consequences for both of them.

~ Other characters ~

HRH The Duke of Kent, played by Blake Ritson
Kent is new King Edward VIII's youngest brother, and Sir Hallam's closest friend. They shared some wild nights out when they were younger, but both have now settled into domesticity. As the Abdication scandal rises to a rolling boil, Kent leans on Sir Hallam for support – and 165 Eaton Place finds itself at the heart of a national crisis.



Joachim von Ribbentrop, played by Edward Baker-Duly
A German diplomat who answers directly to Hitler, Ribbentrop is out to solicit the British establishment. Charismatic and manipulative, Ribbentrop's flirtation with Lady Persie has significant repercussions for 165.





Anthony Eden, played by Anthony Calf
The Foreign Secretary, with whom Sir Hallam works closely at the Foreign Office. His personal opinions often run counter to the government policy of the day, and Sir Hallam finds his own political assumptions challenged.




Wallis Simpson, played by Emma Clifford
- the foreign visitor causing a stir will be the glamorous Wallis Simpson, the American divorcée for whom King Edward VIII abdicated.

Source: BBC Press