UK:"KEEP THE ASPIDISTRA FLYING" OPENS THE 41ST LONDON FILM FESTIVAL/ "COPLAND" HAS EUROPEAN PREMIERE

Record ID: 693033

  • Title: UK:"KEEP THE ASPIDISTRA FLYING" OPENS THE 41ST LONDON FILM FESTIVAL/ "COPLAND" HAS EUROPEAN PREMIERE
  • Date: 6th November 1997
  • Summary: LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (NOVEMBER 6, 1997) (REUTERS) WIDE OF CINEMA SIGN READING "KEEP THE ASPIDISTRA FLYING" EXTERIOR, CROWDS BEHIND BARRICADES. BOB HOSKINS CLIMBING STAIRS STEPHEN FRY SPEAKING ABOUT FILM FESTIVAL, "BRITAIN IS IN A STATE OF ENORMOUS PRODUCTION AT THE MOMENT AND IT'S WONDERFUL AND IT'S ONLY FITTING WE SHOULD HAVE A HOME FESTIVAL. IT'S VERY CHARMING TO GO TO VENICE OR BERLIN OR CANNES OR DINARD....." (ENGLISH) RICHARD E. GRANT WALKING UP STAIRS VARIOUS OF AUDIENCE GRANT BEING INTERVIEWED GRANT SAYING, "WHY HE WAS ATTRACTED TO THE MAIN CHARACTER I THINK HAVING BEING AN UNEMPLOYED ACTOR AND NOW BEING A WRITER AS WELL PLAYING SOMEONE WHO SUFFERS THE FRUSTRATIONS OF NOT BEING RECOGNISED OR TRYING TO GET EMPLOYED IS SOMETHING THAT EVERY ACTOR I KNOW HAS EXPERIENCED SO THERE IS A GREAT AMOUNT OF COMMON GROUND." (ENGLISH) HELENA BONHAM CARTER WALKING UP THE STAIRS. BONHAM CARTER SAYING, "I THINK IT'S WELL YOU PROBABLY KNOW WHAT THE STORY IS I'M NOT COMPOS MENTIS ENOUGH TO TELL YOU THE STORY NOW BUT IT'S PRETTY MUCH A 1930'S ROMANTIC COMEDY IT'S VERY MUCH RICHARD'S FILM AND HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH THIS ASPIDISTRA AND THE ASPIDISTRA IS MEANT TO SYMBOLISE MIDDLECLASS AND HE'S ASHAMED ABOUT BEING MIDDLE CLASS AND HAVING A SAFE EXISTENCE AS AN ADVERTSING COPYWRITER SO HE GIVES IT ALL UP TO EMBRACE HIS TRUE VOCATION WHICH HE THINKS IS A POET AND HE'S A CRAP POET YOU SEE AND THAT'S PRETTY MUCH WHAT HAPPENS TO HIM AS HE SLIPS DOWN GETTING POORER AND POORER DOWN THE CLASS SYSTEM." (ENGLISH)
  • Embargoed: 21st November 1997 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: LONDON, ENGLAND, UNITED KINGDOM
  • Country: United Kingdom
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVADQI4L9K8XIGW0GRMJAVDRP40G
  • Story Text: London's 41st Film Festival opened on Thursday (November 6, 1997) with the premiere of Richard E. Grant's latest film "Keep The Aspidistra Flying".
    Hundreds of fans turned out in the capital's Leicester Square to catch a glimpse of their favourite star, as they turned out in support of the festival.
    The film was directed by Robert Bierman and was shot entirely on location around London. It is based on George Orwell's semi-biographical novel of the same name.
    "Keep The Aspidistra Flying" tells the story of middle-class intellectual, Gordon Comstock (Richard E. Grant) struggling to hold on to his ideals during the depression-ridden 1930's in England.
    Comstock makes the decision to leave his well-paid job in an advertising agency to concentrate on his writing.
    Fortunately for him, his longtime girlfriend, Rosemary (Helena Bonham Carter), who works as a designer at the same agency, stands by him as he goes from one mishap to another.
    Grant said he was attracted to his character because Comstock is an unemployed man, a position many actors find themselves in.
    Bonham-Carter had flown into London from the United States on Concorde in time for the gala premiere.
    She said the film was uniquely British, and her character was warm, pragmatic, wry and kind-hearted.
    Grant is best known for his roles in "Withnail & I", "Jack and Sarah" and "The Player". Bonham Carter is renowned for her roles in "A Room with a View" and "Wings of a Dove".
    The Director Robert Bierman also directed "Clarissa" and "Vampire's Kiss" starring Nicholas Cage and Jennifer Beals.
    "Keep the Aspidistra Flying" opens on November 21 at selected cinemas in Britain.
    Movie star Sylvester Stallone arrived in London on Sunday 9 November to support the European premiere of his latest movie "Copland".
    Set in a small New Jersey town just across the Hudson river from Manhattan, James Mangold's tale depicts the life of an amiable sherriff who is forced to face reality and uncover the dirty-dealings of the community's most prominent citizens.
    In "Copland", Stallone plays overweight local sherriff Freddie Hefflin who is pushed by a big city internal affairs investigator (Robert De Niro) to take on the swindlers.
    Hefflin's only true friend is Gary Figgis (Ray Liotta) the one cop who has moved outside the inner circles of Cop Land after losing his partner. Harvey Keitel also stars in the film which was directed by Jim Mangold.
    Speaking at the premiere Stallone explained the difficulties he had with losing the 40 pounds in weight gained for the role.
    "I used to think it would be very very easy but having been now on the very serious side of diet, it's toruture, it's terrible .....there's no easy way around it my method was just basically starvation with one protein meal a day so it was not a fun thing, I don't recommend it", he said.
    Copland co-star Ray Liotta said he took the part because he loved the script and working with serious actors like Robert De Diro, Stallone and Harvey Keitel.
    The London Film Festival is a non-competetive event in the international cinema calendar.
    It's closing Night Gala will screen Mike Figgis' "One Night Stand" starring Wesley Snipes and Nastassja Kinski.
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