USA: AUSTRALIAN FILMMAKER SHIRLEY BARRETT HITS THE US MARKET WITH HER CANNES PRIZE-WINNING COMEDY "LOVE SERENADE"

Record ID: 387137

  • Title: USA: AUSTRALIAN FILMMAKER SHIRLEY BARRETT HITS THE US MARKET WITH HER CANNES PRIZE-WINNING COMEDY "LOVE SERENADE"
  • Date: 9th June 1997
  • Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (RECENT) (RTV - ACCESS ALL) SHIRLEY BARRETT (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) SAYING, "THAT THE FILM TITLE COMES FROM THE BARRY WHITE SONG "LOVE SERENADE" WHICH HAD BEEN A FAVOURITE SONG OF MINE FOR A LONG TIME. IT'S QUITE A LONG SONG OF ABOUT 8 MINUTES, IT'S A VERY SMOULDERING, QUITE A SINISTER SONG ABOUT SEDUCTION. IT STARTS OFF WITH BARRY INT
  • Embargoed: 24th June 1997 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND FILM lOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: Entertainment
  • Reuters ID: LVA27YNA7OMYX021SUWG964JIINE
  • Story Text: Australian filmmaker Shirley Barrett hits the U.S. market with her Cannes prize-winning comedy "Love Serenade," the story of two sisters paranoid that the world is passing them by.

    "Love Serenade" won the Camera d'Or for best first feature at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.

    It is a black comedy set in the small town of Sunray, Australia, where two sisters, Vicki-Ann (Rebecca Frith) and Dimity Hurley (Miranda Otto) are waiting for love to come along.

    Their salvation from banality arrives in the form of Ken Sherry (George Shevtsov), a 40-something DJ, expert in seductive music and matters of love.

    When Sherry arrives in Sunray to take over the tiny radio station and moves in next door, the sister begin to vie fiercely for his attention and abandon sisterly loyalty.

    Dimity, who works at the Chinese restaurant in town and is considered as being somewhat "odd" falls first and finds that her sister has turned against her. A beautician who has already planned her wedding day and bought her dress even though the right man has not yet appeared, Vicki-Ann schemes to have Sherry for herself.

    The arrangement suits the three-times divorced Sherry and his special brand of love. He explains to the girls that love must be set free in order to thrive but is not prepared for the way the girls interpret his words.

    The film is set to a soundtrack of steamy 70's classics, featuring Barry White's "Love Serenade", "Never Gonna Give You Up" and "I'm Gonna Love You Just A Little Bit More Baby" as well as songs Burt Bacharach's "What The World Needs Now Is Love" and Harry Vanda's "My Little Angel".

    Shirley Barrett co-wrote the script with Jan Chapman (producer of "The Piano").
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