- Title: USA: KATE WINSLET SPEAKS ABOUT HER ROLE IN 'JUDE'
- Date: 29th September 1996
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (SEPTEMBER 29, 1996) (RTV) (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) WINSLET SAYS AUTHORS LIKE SHAKESPEARE, JANE AUSTEN, AND THOMAS HARDY CAPTURE RAW EMOTION LIKE NO OTHERS
- Embargoed: 14th October 1996 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Topics: Entertainment
- Reuters ID: LVA2G1DG09A7JG9PPDZBU1PD5NHS
- Story Text: Oscar nominee Kate Winslet teams up with actor Christopher Eccleston and director Michael Winterbottom to bring author Thomas Hardy's classic novel, "Jude" to the big screen.
Known in its novel form as "Jude the Obscure," the story is about a stonemason named Jude Fawley who loves learning.
Played by Eccleston, Jude longs to go to university. After a brief but unhappy marriage to the daughter of a local pig farmer, he moves to Christminster to be closer to his beloved scholars.
Once there, he meets and falls fatally in love with his cousin Sue Bridehead, played by Winslet.
Bridehead is a modern young woman whose wit and beauty captivate Jude. The ill-fated lovers join in an illicit union that flouts society's conventions and tragedy ensues.
Following their successful collaboration on Roddy Doyle's BBC serial "Family," director Michael Winterbottom and producer Andrew Eaton formed Revolution films to develop other ideas.
Winterbottom had made a short film while at Bristol based on the pig-killing scene in the novel "Jude the Obscure". The idea of making a feature film of his favourite book stuck in the back of his mind for some time.
Winterbottom had first read the novel when he was 15 years old and had fallen in love with the characters.
Although set in the 19th century, Winterbottom is convinced "Jude" is a thoroughly modern story where the characters behave in a way people today can relate to.
He purposely tried to offset the period film classification through a combination of elements from casting to production design to cinematography.
Filming took place between October and December of 1995 in a variety of locations in Scotland and the North of England.
New Zealand was used to simulate an English summer. Scenes also were shot in Edinburgh over two weeks.
Parts of George Herriott's school, Greyfriars Kirkyard, and New Town all served as locations.
The world famous Royal Mile was shut off for two weekends for the Graduation Day Parade that used 500 local extras. A market scene imported the Victorian countryside to the square outside St.
Giles Cathedral.
Although Winslet is best known from her Oscar-nominated role in "Sense and Sensibility," she first garnered attention for her work in Peter Jackson's acclaimed film "Heavenly Creatures." The actor recently finished filming the role of Ophelia in Kenneth Branagh's full length adaptation of Shakespeare's "Hamlet," due in America this Christmas.
Christopher Eccleston's previous film credits include Peter Medak's "Let Him Have It" and Danny Boyle's "Shallow Grave." Director Michael Winterbottom's debut film came in 1995 with the release of "Butterfly Kiss," starring Amanda Plummer and Saskia Reeves. He is currently filming "Sarajevo" in Bosnia, Croatia, and Macedonia.
"Jude" opened in Britain earlier this month. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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