- Title: FRANCE: Michael Jackson and Marilyn Monroe turn up in Cannes in quirky movie
- Date: 30th May 2007
- Summary: (SOUNDBITE) (English) DIRECTOR HARMONY KORINE SAYING: "I just want to make a movie that spoke more to an emotion, a feeling, maybe alienation, idea of faith, identity and also like this idea, in the end, that you are who you are, you know, and acceptance."
- Embargoed: 14th June 2007 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: France
- Country: France
- Reuters ID: LVA8PS4LPPE0U25RRZLVXN6M5CXG
- Story Text: Mexican actor Diego Luna plays a young man in Paris who lives his life as Michael Jackson. One time 'enfant terrible' Harmony Korine, writer of controversial 1995 film 'Kids' brought one of the more unusual films to Cannes this year.
'Mister Lonely' tells the story of a young man who is lost and lonely in Paris so lives his life as Michael Jackson.
Whilst entertaining the residents of an old-people's home Michael, played by Mexican actor Diego Luna, meets Marilyn Monroe played by British actress Samantha Morton and agrees to travel with her to a commune of impersonators in the Scottish Highlands.
"What would make you not want to be yourself, and want to be Michael Jackson, you know. It is already crazy not to want to be yourself, but then to be Michael Jackson, so it is kind of crazy and it took me a little while to find out who this guy was," said Luna.
Director Korine said that he chose Jackson deliberately as the lead character.
"I just thought that he's misunderstood in it, or something. I just, it would only make sense with Michael as the lead," Korine said.
The film follows Michael and Marilyn to the commune, which is populated with other impersonators including Charlie Chaplin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Madonna and follows the trials and tribulations of the group as they try to put on a show for local residents.
"And, you would see, I don't know, Sammy Davis walking in front of your dressing room, and then you would go to have lunch in front of Marilyn and we were the characters always. At the end it was kind of crazy, in fact it took me a little while to come back, you know, to go back to Mexico and stop doing 'yoo-hoo,' it was like, oh my God, I'm not this guy, I would hear music and start to move like him and I was like no, I want to get rid of this character as soon as possible," explained Luna.
But the film also has a darker side, as the farms sheep are slaughtered and Marilyn is bullied by her husband, Charlie Chaplin.
"I just want to make a movie that spoke more to an emotion, a feeling, maybe alienation, idea of faith, identity and also like this idea, in the end, that you are who you are, you know, and acceptance," said Korine.
The film is interspersed with a sub-plot that sees legendary German director Werner Herzog playing a Catholic Priest who works with a group of sky-diving nuns.
The film is a something of a comeback for Korine, his last film was 1999's Julien Donkey-Boy although he has worked on a TV documentary with his friend magician David Blaine. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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