- Title: ITALY: WOODY ALLEN'S NEW FILM CELEBRITY PREMIERES AT THE VENICE FILM FESTIVAL
- Date: 10th September 1998
- Summary: VENICE, ITALY (SEPTEMBER 10, 1998) (RTV ACCESS ALL) GRIFFITH SAYING: (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) "FOR MYSELF I TRY TO BE CAREFUL WHEN I OPEN MY MOUTH AS IT CAN BE MISCONSTRUED. AND THAT'S THE HARD PART" (ENGLISH) BRANAGH SAYING: (SOUNDBITE ENGLISH) "WOODY'S COMIC MOVIE IS SO SPECIFIC THAT SOME OF THE SEQUENCES IT SEEMS TO BE FOR INSTANCE THE SEQUENCE OF LEONARDO DICAPRIO
- Embargoed: 25th September 1998 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: VENICE, ITALY, AND VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: Italy
- Reuters ID: LVADQVGW3F1DVPV203ZPVVBD8Q44
- Story Text: With air-kisses and effusive hugs, Woody Allen's new film embraces the cult of fame and then strips it bare.
"Celebrity", which showed at the Venice Film Festival on Thursday, refused to leave any of the in-crowd unscathed.
Shallow actors, fame-hungry writers, house-wives overdosing on plastic surgery -- all get raked over the coals for their pretensions.
There couldn't be a more star-studded cast than that of Woody Allen's latest film "Celebrity".But then any movie that's directed by Allen usually has the celebs queueing up for even a bit part, especially one that examines the phenomenon of fame and glory in the United States.After all it's a subject that's close to most of their hearts.
Leonardo diCaprio, Winona Ryder and Famke Janssen are just some of the stellar stars in the film's glitzy line-up.
Kenneth Branagh, who fills Allen's alter ego shoes in the black and white comedy, along with Melanie Griffith are just two of the stars who made it to Venice for the world premiere.
Branagh was daunted by the prospect of working with the famous director.But Allen was clearly captivated by Branagh.
Out of the whole cast it was only Branagh and Judy Davis, his co-star, who received the whole script of the film.
In "Celebrity", Branagh puts on an American accent as Lee Simon, an author and screen-writer who always has a work in progress, but nothing quite complete.The same goes for his relationships as he moves from woman to woman in the pursuit of perfection and the realm of the beautiful people.
In contrast, Davis, who plays Branagh's ex-wife, a humble school teacher, is devasted by their divorce after 16 years of marriage.But then she vaults into a new career and a new life as a T.V.celebrity.
Griffith has a small cameo as international movie star, Nicole Oliver, who loves her husband but like Bill Clinton has fuzzy boundaries in her definition of infidelity.
In "Celebrity" Branagh seems to take more than just direction from Allen, often mimicking the nervous stammer and trademark self-deprecation of the world's most famous neurotic.But then according to Griffith, Allen is so neurotic that everyone else picks it up too. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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