# ColinFirth.com — A Colin Firth Fansite > ColinFirth.com — the oldest Colin Firth fan site on the web, est. 1998. 500+ pages, 1,900+ images, film reviews, interviews, news and multimedia. ## ColinFirth.com — A Colin Firth Fansite URL: https://firth.com/ ColinFirth.com — A Colin Firth Fansite ★ Est. 1998 • Restored 2026 ★ Colin Firth .com A Fansite — The Oldest Colin Firth Community on the Web One of the web’s longest-running Colin Firth fansites — originally launched in 1998 and home to 500+ pages, 1,900+ images, reviews, interviews and multimedia spanning nearly two decades of fandom. What’s happening Latest Full timeline 2000–2026 → Jan 2025 • Sky / Peacock Lockerbie: A Search for Truth Colin delivers a career-best performance as Dr. Jim Swire, the father who lost his daughter in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and spent 35 years demanding answers. Read more → Jun 2026 • Cinema • New Disclosure Day Steven Spielberg’s first original sci-fi in decades. Stars Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colman Domingo — and Colin Firth. In cinemas June 2026. Upcoming projects → Mar 2026 • Prime Video • Streaming Now Young Sherlock Now streaming. Colin plays Sir Bucephalus Hodge in Guy Ritchie’s origin story. 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. All 8 episodes on Prime Video. More → Sep 2026 • Cinema • New Kingsman: The Blue Blood Harry Hart returns. The concluding chapter of the Hart/Eggsy trilogy. Matthew Vaughn calls it “their definitive end.” In cinemas September 2026. More → 2026 • Apple TV+ • Filming Berlin Noir Colin plays Paul Lohser, a “brilliant and prickly” murder detective in 1930s Berlin. Reunites with screenwriter Peter Straughan. Currently filming. More → Fall 2026 • Cinema • Filming Cry to Heaven Tom Ford directs this Anne Rice adaptation. Colin reunites with Ford after A Single Man . Cast includes Adele, Nicholas Hoult, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Filmed in Rome. More → The Fansite A love letter twenty-seven years in the making ColinFirth.com began in 1998, when the internet was young and Colin Firth was already making audiences fall in love — from a rain-soaked Mr. Darcy emerging from a lake in Pride & Prejudice to the sardonic wit of Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones’s Diary . Run by devoted fan Karen (aka “Drool”), the site grew into one of the most comprehensive Colin Firth archives on the web — covering every film, TV appearance and theatre role, with galleries, reviews, interviews, news, and multimedia spanning nearly two decades. The site was last updated in early 2015 and preserved by the Wayback Machine. It is now being fully restored and re-hosted, page by page, image by image. 500+ HTML Pages 1,900+ Archive Images 27 Years of Fandom “ I was thrown into acting rather than choosing it. I suddenly discovered that it was the thing I could do, and once I’d found it I didn’t want to stop. — Colin Firth What He’s Up To What Colin’s working on now Now in his 60s, Colin Firth shows no sign of slowing down — with a Spielberg sci-fi epic, a new Apple TV series, a Kingsman return, and a landmark Lockerbie drama all on the slate. June 2026 — Cinema Disclosure Day Universal Pictures • Dir. Steven Spielberg Spielberg’s first original sci-fi in decades stars Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colman Domingo — and Colin Firth. Filmed across New York, New Jersey and Atlanta in early 2025, the teaser arrived in December to immediate frenzy. The first look images released in January 2026 show Firth in what promises to be a major summer event. 🌐 2026 — Streaming Berlin Noir Apple TV+ Firth joins Jack Lowden in this adaptation of Philip Kerr’s celebrated detective novels, playing the brilliant and prickly Paul Lohser alongside Lowden’s Bernie Gunther. Currently filming in Berlin — a natural successor to the acclaimed Slow Horses . 🔍 2026 — Cinema Kingsman: The Blue Blood 20th Century Studios Harry Hart returns. Colin Firth is set to reprise the role that launched the franchise, reuniting with the world of the Kingsman in a new chapter that’s currently in pre-production. 🍩 January 2025 — Streaming Lockerbie: A Search for Truth Sky Atlantic • Peacock US Firth delivers a deeply human performance as Jim Swire, the British doctor who lost his daughter in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and spent decades demanding answers. Already streaming now. ✉ Critical Reception What the Critics Say Full critical archive → “ Firth gives what is certainly the performance of his career, and quite possibly one of the finest screen performances of any actor in recent memory. Roger Ebert The King’s Speech • 2010 “ Colin Firth anchors this drama with a performance of extraordinary restraint and quiet devastation. He carries thirty-five years of grief in every look, every pause. The Guardian Lockerbie • 2025 “ Firth’s Darcy is the definitive one. The whole performance rests on what he keeps hidden — television acting has rarely been this good. The Guardian Pride & Prejudice • 1995 What the full site contains 🎬 Films Complete filmography 1984–2026 — synopsis, cast, reviews, galleries and buy links for every feature film. 📺 Television From Pride & Prejudice (1995) to Lockerbie (2025) — four decades of TV, fully documented. 🎪 Theatre Six stage productions 1983–2000 — from Another Country at the Queen’s to the Donmar Warehouse. 📷 Public Eye 1,900+ archived images — premieres, award ceremonies, photoshoots and press junkets from 1998–2015. 📰 Articles & Interviews Hundreds of press pieces fully restored — magazine profiles, junket transcripts and newspaper features from 1984–2015. 🛒 Boutique Shop DVDs, Blu-rays, books and merchandise — every major title available via Amazon with affiliate links. 🏆 Awards The complete record — Oscar, BAFTA, Golden Globe, SAG, Venice Volpi Cup and 40+ nominations across his career. ⭐ Future Awards Oscar contender? Emmy frontrunner? Disclosure Day , Berlin Noir and Lockerbie all in the conversation for 2026. 📅 Chronology The complete year-by-year life — from the 1960 birth in Grayshott to Disclosure Day , with St. Louis, the lake scene and the Oscar in their proper places. 📖 Firth & Austen Mr. Darcy in 1813, Mr. Darcy in 1995, Mark Darcy in 2001 — the cultural thread, with sister sites austen.com and jane.austen.com . 🎢 Mr. Darcy — 1995 The dedicated page on the BBC adaptation that defined a generation’s reading of Austen — cast, crew, episodes, lake scene, the afterlife. The Marketplace The Shop Films, books and gifts curated for fellow Firth obsessives. Affiliate links — purchases support the archive at no extra cost to you. Best Picture · 2010 The King's Speech Best Actor Oscar — the role that crowned a generation of work. DVD & Blu-ray. Shop on Amazon → BBC · 1995 Pride & Prejudice The Mr. Darcy of Mr. Darcys. The wet shirt. The whole 6-part miniseries on Blu-ray. Shop on Amazon → Tom Ford · 2009 A Single Man First Best Actor Oscar nomination. The most precise performance of the decade. Shop on Amazon → The Trilogy Bridget Jones Collection Mark Darcy in three films. The diary, the edge of reason, the baby. Collected box. Shop on Amazon → ABBA · 2008+ Mamma Mia! Both films. The Greek-island musical that turned Colin into a singing dad. Shop on Amazon → Vaughn · 2014 Kingsman: The Secret Service Manners maketh man. The action role nobody saw coming — suit, umbrella, swagger. Shop on Amazon → Curtis · 2003 Love Actually Jamie's Portuguese declaration. The Christmas film that won't quit. Shop on Amazon → Alfredson · 2011 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Le Carré cold-war chess match. Bill Haydon, all suspicion, all suit. Shop on Amazon → Biography Colin Firth in Print Biographies, career retrospectives and unauthorised studies for the deep-archive crowd. Shop on Amazon → The Source Pride & Prejudice (the novel) Jane Austen's original. The book Colin's Darcy walks out of, again and again. Shop on Amazon → As an Amazon Associate, ColinFirth.com earns from qualifying purchases. --- ## 1917 — ColinFirth.com URL: https://firth.com/1917.html 1917 — ColinFirth.com The Story Synopsis France, April 6, 1917. Two British lance corporals — Schofield (George MacKay) and Blake (Dean-Charles Chapman) — are summoned to the command tent of General Erinmore (Colin Firth). Erinmore’s mission is the moral engine of the entire film: deliver a message to Colonel Mackenzie (Benedict Cumberbatch), ordering him to call off a dawn attack on what German forces have made into a trap. If the attack proceeds, 1,600 men will die — including Blake’s own brother, an officer in Mackenzie’s regiment. Director Sam Mendes and cinematographer Roger Deakins shot the film to appear as one continuous, unbroken take — an astonishing technical and artistic achievement that places the viewer in real time alongside the two soldiers for every step of their journey. Colin’s appearance, though brief, carries enormous weight: it is the last moment of order before the chaos begins. The Players Cast George MacKay Cpl. Schofield Dean-Charles Chapman Cpl. Blake Colin Firth General Erinmore Mark Strong Cpt. Smith Andrew Scott Lt. Leslie Richard Madden Lt. Blake Benedict Cumberbatch Col. Mackenzie Daniel Mays Cpl. Sanders Awards & Notes Recognition Inspired by a story Sam Mendes’ grandfather, Sergeant Alfred Mendes, told him about carrying a message under fire in WWI. Filmed entirely in sequence to enable the continuous-take illusion. Every location, lighting cue and practical effect had to be precisely choreographed. Roger Deakins won his second Academy Award for Cinematography. Colin’s second collaboration with Mendes, after Jarhead (2005). They would work together a third time on Empire of Light (2022). Oscar — Best Cinematography Oscar — Best Visual Effects Oscar — Best Sound Mixing Golden Globe — Best Drama Film BAFTA — Best Film BAFTA — Best British Film 88% Rotten Tomatoes Own It Buy or Stream Blu-ray / DVD on Amazon --- ## ColinFirth.com — Colin Firth in Three Days of Rain (index page) URL: https://firth.com/3DOR.html ColinFirth.com — Colin Firth in Three Days of Rain (index page) (revised 5/26/03) Previewed 1 March 1999, opened 2 March 1999 and closed 13 March 1999 Returned: 9 November 1999 to 22 January 2000 Written by Richard Greenberg and directed by Robin LeFevre Cast Walker/Ned...Colin Firth Nan/Lina...Elizabeth McGovern Pip/Theo...David Morrissey Publicity Stills The Play in Images Reviews Discussion of Play from Spring Notes to Play Review Excerpts (read full reviews here ) ...from the First Run "The force of Colin Firth’s remarkable acting transcends the mere erotic appeal that on television made him the fantasy play-thing of so many women. He portrays two men who loiter on the fringes of life, brooding over how to find the key to happiness. Firth’s valiantly worn dejection always rings true. Dowdily dressed in despondency, an almost thread-bare charm and a long, grey-green pull-over as Walker, and then in the role of his bespectacled, stammering and introverted father, the less brilliant architect, Firth illuminates both men’s diffidence and pain." (Nicholas De Jongh, The Evening Standard) "This is a tremendous piece for actors and it is tremendously well-served by these actors. Each of them does something surprising....And Colin Firth is amazing. He is completely convincing as a pinched and bullying neurotic. As the neurotic's self-effacing and secretly successful father, he is a miracle of corrugation." (Susannah Clapp, The Observer) "But Firth is touchingly truthful as an earnest stutterer with little self-belief and a terror of children" (Benedict Nightengale, The Times) "Firth is an always game occupant of a pair of roles that he only really suits in act two, once he drops Walker's edgy, incessant bark to monitor the ellipses of the same man's bespectacled architect father." (Matt Wolf, Variety) "With a marvellously effective use of doubling, the same actors are cast as the parents of the characters they have just played in the first half. The device doesn't just offer a chance for a smashing cast to show off their versatility, it also sharply points up the tyrannies—and occasional mercies—of genetic inheritance....Firth is superb as both the screwed-up, bullying Walker, brilliantly suggesting the egomania of unhappiness, and as Walker's humble, painfully stammering father, a performance that goes straight to the viewer's heart." (Charles Spencer, The Telegraph) "The director, Robin Lefevre, coaxes witty, beautifully modulated performances from his cast, all of whom resist the temptation to signal too heavily what we know of their older selves. The rivalry between the men is captivatingly done and the climactic seduction scene is exquisitely played by a wonderfully gauche, stammering Firth—all spectacles and hunched shoulders—and febrile, skittish McGovern—a headstrong cross between a young Katherine Hepburn and early Blanche Dubois—yet even they cannot stave off the curiously flat denouement." (David Benedict, The Independent) "The threesome deliver world-class performances. What you remember are not the smart sassy lines but Firth’s Walker, shivering like a traumatised child in his hunky grown-up game, McGovern like a gaudily painted butterfly staving off his grim alcoholic future with a desperate gaiety, and Morrissey’s Pip finding contentment and happiness in an acceptance of his second-rateness." (Lyn Gardner, Guardian) " the acting is of a very high standard as the three performers take on their double roles. Colin Firth is convincing both as Walker, wanting to be sane and to come to terms with the past" (Lisa Martland, The Stage) "Robin Lefevre’s production is exemplary, with three smashing performances from Colin Firth, Elizabeth McGovern and David Morrissey seizing the opportunity to excel in both generations." (Jane Edwardes, Time Out) "Colin Firth gives Walker a raddled, clinging appeal as he attempts to glean affection from Elizabeth McGovern’s Nan...Firth, bespectacled and halting as Ned, a man of few words on account of his bad stammer, is almost unrecognisable and deeply moving...Robin Lefevre directs with an acute sense of the games people play." (Carole Woods, What's On) "Lefevre’s production does the play proud, with the three actors giving excellent performances. Colin Firth contrasts movingly the willful, implacable misery of the son with the watchfulness of his shy, stuttering father." (Sarah Hemming, Financial Times) ...from the Second Run "Robin LeFevre’s production is cannily understated, allowing three exceptionally strong performances to carry the full force of the text. These are roles that any actor hungry for a challenge would give his or her eye teeth for. Firth, Morrissey and McGovern do not disappoint." (Nick Smurthwaite, What's On Stage) "the second half is much more vivid than the first; this is where Firth and, especially, McGovern really come into their own, playing off each other with a touching blend of awkwardness and allure, misgiving and giving." (Nigel Cliff, The Times) "Thus Three Days of Rain is a manifestly tempting showcase for a trio of flexible actors while, thematically, contemplating processes of inheritance, the inescapability and elusiveness of the past, and the complexity and mutability of relationships. We perceive how personal characteristics resurface, refracted through a prism, when Firth transforms from the motor- mouthed, egocentric Walker to the stuttering yet secretly determined Ned." (Kate Bassett, The Telegraph) Click on boots to contact me Home --- ## ColinFirth.com — Colin Firth in Three Days of Rain (index page) URL: https://firth.com/3DOR_rev.html ColinFirth.com — Colin Firth in Three Days of Rain (index page) (revised 5/26/03) Reviews Curtain call pictures courtesy of Katherine The Times, Grown-ups in wet nappies (March 4, 1999 by Benedict Nightingale) Lucy Davies, the producer of the season that the Donmar is calling American Imports, says in the programme that she was “extremely inspired and excited” by the “huge and vibrant culture of seriously talented playwrights” she found on the other side of the water. Well, her third and final choice of American play justifies her claims better than her earlier two and, with Colin Firth, Elizabeth McGovern and David Morrissey each doubling the roles of parent and child, it has certainly attracted a thoroughly appealing cast. But she should still turn down those high-voltage verbs and adjectives a few notches. Richard Greenberg’s Three Days of Rain is enjoyable but not too original. You can rely on the characters, Manhattanites all, to find ways of dressing up potentially flat lines in ways that are wryly amusing. often self-consciously literary but seldom psychologically revealing: “He looks at me and sees something from Anaïs Nin, just because I’, gloomy”, that sort of thing. More to the point, the play involves that favourite American theme: the grown-up infant’s obsession with his or her parents—and, particularly, the son’s attempts to come to terms with a damaging father. When I was reviewing in New York in the 1980s, I christened such stuff “diaper drama”, which irked my readers and was, I suppose, a patronising way to describe a genre that stretched from O’Neill through Miller’s Death of a Salesman to Sam Shepard. But Greenberg’s play—which begins with Firth’s edgy, embittered Walker Janeway returning from a year in hiding just too late for the funeral of the architect father he remembers as a big, silent blank—is hardly on that exalted level. I liked its wit and its sensitivity, but I fear that it will pretty soon join a dozen other diaper dramas in my private oubliette. Act I presents us with the 1995 generation. Firth’s Walker exudes tart self-pity. Morrissey overdoes the preening vanity of Pip, the actor son of Walker’s father’s partner and the man to whom Janeway Sr has controversially bequethed his most famous building, and so has trouble convincing us of the modesty and decency that eventually characterise him. McGovern is effectie enough as Walker’s sister, a role that requires her to do little more than play the reconciler. They all make more of Act II, which takes us back to 1960, subverts Walker’s theories about his father’s inadequacies, and is, I suppose, a salutary reminder to kids not to categorise the old folk too glibly. I shall reveal little more, for Greenberg has some nice twists in the offing. But Firth is touchingly truthful as an earnest stutterer with little self-belief and a terror of children, and McGovern unpretentiously excellent as a woman whose instability will, we know, destroy her. This is an actress who does more with her smile than most others with a score of gestures. On opening night, those curled lips expressed vulnerability, sensuality, mischief, diffidence, bewilderment. pain—in short, did everything but convince me that Rain really was an inspiring, vibrant play. Variety (March 8, 1999 by Matt Wolf) It’s not just the insistence on inclement weather (not to mention a crucial figure’s emotional repression) that gives American dramatist Richard Greenberg’s play a particular kick in London. Greenberg upends the parent-child agon, turning an age-old dramatic template into a generational detective story, just as he skillfully deflects perceptions of sentimentality by having a budding architect quickly scotch such tendencies ("that's sentimental," the character snaps) in his newly smitten bride-to-be. The result bodes well for a prolonged life for the last of three brief runs in the Donmar Warehouse's American Imports season, even if the male actors' accents are so (sometimes) comically wide of the mark that one has to separate out their shrewd character investigation from some mighty strange sounds. English audiences, it has to be said, are unlikely to care, given the local popularity of both Colin Firth, playing a garrulous gay drifter and then his lovesick stammerer of a father, and David Morrissey (now on screen in "Hilary and Jackie") as—at various times—a rival, friend and colleague to the two utterly contrasting generations of father and son offered up by Firth. By now, the play's conceit is well-known. A semi-estranged brother and sister come together in act one following a family death only to draw conclusions about their parents (dad, in particular) that are movingly disproved once the action reverses 35 years to 1960 New York in the second act. Unlikely to pass unremarked in England is the pivot of the play around a central irony: the assumption that the journal entry from which the play takes its title, "three days of rain," was a sign of parental evasion, whereas in truth it was a shorthand for a rare moment of sun between two young lovers before their lives went sour. The birth of a father's love, in other words, only fuels the hatred of a son who mistakes a discovery of bliss for "a fucking weather report." Greenberg has always located the blight beneath his characters' well-spoken badinage, and so he does again here, cannily folding a play about emotional bequest into an intricate tale that depends for one of its key plot points on a literal bequest. But "Three Days of Rain" is never ultimately as poignant as it wants to be, for all the sparkle and savvy of a writer who—line for line—remains one of America's sharpest. While the second act fizzes with reverberant emotions that make one want to replay the first half alongside it, there's a patness about Greenberg's resolution, however suspenseful the author's juxtaposition of then-vs.-now. It's as if he were working from some invisible diagram rather than animating from within his two triangular scenarios. The inconclusive affect doesn't in anyway diminish one's appreciation of Greenberg's linguistic finesse, but it may account for the play's failure so far to catch commercial fire. Robin Lefevre's London version could be a wholly different matter, simply because of some genuine marquee names who may (for exactly that reason) be difficult to contract for a longer run. A household name in Britain since the BBC "Pride and Prejudice," Firth is an always game occupant of a pair of roles that he only really suits in act two, once he drops Walker's edgy, incessant bark to monitor the ellipses of the same man's bespectacled architect father. Similarly, Morrissey brings to his (smaller) roles impressive energy and drive, even if his accent and posture are at vaguely loutish odds with (in act one, anyway) a supposed thespian pretty boy who makes light of his life as a much-worshiped mediocrity. The real discovery is Elizabeth McGovern as Walker's aggrieved sister, Nan, and her incipiently alcoholic mother, Lina, who has the dubious distinction (or so her children see it) of being a Zelda Fitzgerald wannabe. It's mildly amusing to hear McGovern, now an American expatriate in London, put an English spin on words like "recovery," just as it's astonishing to witness the continued growth of a onetime Oscar nominee who has gained enormously in confidence and charm since her days as a Hollywood soubrette. It's Lina's blight to be saved and damned at once, but it's part of McGovern's ongoing resurrection that her work as "a very intriguing alcoholic" has made her a very intriguing actress. The Telegraph, Young American proves there’s drama outside the trailer park (March 4, 1999 by Charles Spencer) The other week, I viciously attacked the first two plays in the Donmar Warehouse's' American Imports season, and suggested that when it comes to new dramatic writing, the Brits are now knocking the Americans into a cocked hat. I suspected then that I was offering a hostage to fortune and so it proves with the third and final play, Richard Greenberg's Three Days of Rain. It is a terrific piece—civilised witty, touching and cunningly structured. It is also unashamedly middle class, and one realises with a start just how rare adult, middle-class values are in new plays by young dramatists these days. Greenberg belongs to the urbane tradition of Albee, Stoppard and Hampton rather than the "trailer park trash" school, and if he can maintain work of this standard, his future looks exceptionally bright. The play is driven by a strong plot involving an inheritance, and the action starts in New York in 1995, where Walker is meeting his sister Nan. They are, the thirty-something, children of a hugely rich architect who died the previous year, and sensible, down-to-earth Nan (Elizabeth McGovern) is furious with her wired, neurotic brother (Colin Firth) because he went AWOL for months and didn't if even attend the funeral. Walker has always resented his father Ned's refusal to talk, to open up emotionally, and this resentment increases when he discovers his father's journal of 35 in years earlier, only to find that it is consists of little more than a terse recitation of facts. We also learn that Nan and Walker's mother, Lina, is mentally unstable, and meet Pip (David Morrissey), a handsome actor who is the son of Ned's former partner, Theo. The dramatic crisis in act one comes when it is discovered that instead of bequeathing his most famous work, a beautiful "prism-like" house, to his children, Ned has actually left it to Pip. Why? In the second half we go back 35 years, to 1960, when Ned and Theo were first setting up as architects and working on the house that was to establish their fame and fortune. With a marvellously effective use of doubling, the same actors are cast as the parents of the characters they have just played in the first half. The device doesn't just offer a chance for a smashing cast to show off their versatility, it also sharply points up the tyrannies—and occasional mercies—of genetic inheritance. The play is full of surprises, for Greenberg's theme (it is one he shares with Stoppard) is just how easy it is for the present to misinterpret the past. Ned, for instance, couldn't be more wrong about his s father's failure in emotion, as is shown by the lovely depiction of blossoming love between Ned and Lina during three days of torrential New York rain. But the play's time sequence is shatteringly sad. The drama ends in a glow of romance and hope. But that was in 1960. Having already followed the faultlines to1995, we are keenly aware of the faultlines I in the relationships, and know just how quickly happiness soured. Firth is superb as both the screwed-up, bullying Walker, brilliantly suggesting the egomania of unhappiness, and as Walker's humble, painfully stammering father, a performance that goes straight to the viewer's heart. McGovern is especially fine as Lina, tremblingly caught between passion and panic, while as Pip, Morrissey triumphantly proves that it is possible to make niceness dramatically interesting. It's a marvellously rewarding play, full of warm humour and sharp wit as well as sadness, and Robin Lefevre's attentive, beautifully acted production does it proud. The Independent, What did you do in the past, daddy? (March 3, 1999, by David Benedict) Keeping a diary, as Gwendolen remarks in The Importance of Being Earnest, is essential. “One should always have something sensational to read in the train.” Most people’s diary entries, however, degenerate to weather reports. When Walker (Colin Firth) discovers his late father’s secret journal, he and his sister Nan (Elizabeth McGovern) are disappointed to see that the very first entry is shockingly bland: “Three days of rain”. For the siblings, this comes as something of an end, but for the playwright Richard Greenberg it is a cunningly constructed beginning. This, the last in the Donmar’s American season, is an often fascinating study of the legacy of two architects whose family home is a world-renowned landmark and the centre of an emotional whirlpool for their children. The sibling rivalries of the well-layered characters are deftly established as Nan meets up with the neurotic Walker for the reading of the will. She’s furious with him for having disappeared for months, leaving her to deal with their father’s death and their helplessly airy mother, wittily described as “Zelda Fitzgerald’s less sane sister”. Complicating matters is Pip (David Morrissey), son of Ned’s partner Theo and former lover of the now-married Nan. Walker’s realisation that he has been partially disinherited triggers old jealousies. Then, at the climax of the first act, he dramatically puts the lid on the past. “God damn you,” cries Nan, “Now we’ll never know anything.” We, however, quickly learn much more as the second act cuts back to the time of the diary to reveal the unwritten truth. The same actors now play their parents, filling the stage with correspondences through the years. Pinter reversed the action in Betrayal, and Kaufman & Hart played a similar game in 1934 in Merrily We Roll Along, but Greenberg’s twist cleverly explores the idea of the sins of the father. The director, Robin Lefevre, coaxes witty, beautifully modulated performances from his cast, all of whom resist the temptation to signal too heavily what we know of their older selves. The rivalry between the men is captivatingly done and the climactic seduction scene is exquisitely played by a wonderfully gauche, stammering Firth—all spectacles and hunched shoulders—and febrile, skittish McGovern—a headstrong cross between a young Katherine Hepburn and early Blanche Dubois—yet even they cannot stave off the curiously flat denouement. The gap between what we thought we knew and the literal truth widens throughout in the manner of a well-crafted thriller, but the play falls victim to its neatness. Greenberg displays enviable talent, not least for piquant dialogue, but ultimately you’re left feeling that the play is more contrived than emotionally resonant. Evening Standard, The time, the place, the man (March 3, 1999, by Nicholas De Jongh) Decades after JB Priestley used the theatre to play poignant and significant games with time, Richard Greenberg creates most arresting variations on Priestley’s original theme. The third act of Priestley’s Time and the Conways achieved unusual pathos, since linear chronology had been defied and the audience had already seen what would happen to the characters’ high hopes. But Greenberg’s Three Days of Rain simply begins in New York, 1995, and then retreats 30 years. The challenging idea is to demonstrate how biology may give a helping hand to destiny, how the sins or rather our parents’ traits and decisions may play shaping parts in our lives. The first act, with its flippant wit, has an eye to the past. Colin Firth’s Walker, son of the mildly famous but rich architect, Ned, returns out of the blue having missed his father’s funeral, to face the recriminating music that time plays in the wake of an important death. Since Walker’s married sister, Nan, meets him in a house that Ned built with his partner, Theo, and Theo’s son, Pip, is also on hand, the plays looks all too neatly set up for pained reminiscing. Robin LeFevre’s cannily understated production, which I saw at a preview, tantalises with its air of tight-fisted tensions. The concealed truth is about to be forced into the open. When the play concertinas back to 1960s and the two men play their fathers, with Elizabeth McGovern’s Nan completing the emotional triangle as her own mother, you come to understand how the sexual and emotional patterns of the next generation have been set. The force of Colin Firth’s remarkable acting transcends the mere erotic appeal that on television made him the fantasy play-thing of so many women. He portrays two men who loiter on the fringes of life, brooding over how to find the key to happiness. Firth’s valiantly worn dejection always rings true. Dowdily dressed in despondency, an almost thread-bare charm and a long, grey-green pull-over as Walker, and then in the role of his bespectacled, stammering and introverted father, the less brilliant architect, Firth illuminates both men’s diffidence and pain. Miss McGovern wears a vibrant sexiness, but remains enigmatically buttoned up. David Morriessey’s Pip most powerfully shows how we may speak the most painful home truths in the mildest tones. Daily Mail, Love and a paternal triangle March 3, 1999, by Michael Coveney There is an unprecedented spate of new British and Irish plays on Broadway at the moment. We send them The Blue Room, The Weir, Closer, Dame Judi Dench and Sir David Hare. And what do we get in return? Well, Neil Simon is still a going concern. And the Donmar is presenting an American season of new plays. Three Days of Rain introduces a very clever if rather dry and schematic young dramatist called Richard Greenberg. And we do him proud. Colin Firth, Elizabeth McGovern and David Morrissey add flesh and passion to two overlapping triangular love stories in New York. First, 1995: a brother and sister of a lately dead architect pick over what happened, the legacy, the house that must be lived in. The son of the architect’s partner, a TV actor who eats chocolate and doesn’t put on weight, reveals his affair with the architect’s daughter. Cut backwards, after the interval, to 1960. The same three actors play the two architects and the girl who left one for the other in three days of rain: wet, wet, wet. Lucidity of writing and the pointed, precise playing in Robin Lefevre’s smart production on a pristine white setting brings us all together. The emotional switch is beautifully handled. Miss McGovern is stunning as a calculating Southern belle whose weakness for drink parallels that of her daughter, while Firth heads backwards from nerdy inheritor to stuttering, awakening artist of the drawing board. And the wonderful Morrissey redefines his Nineties nerve as Sixties cool, finally left out in the rain, like the cake in the pop song. It is heartening to hear good writing emerging from off-Broadway again. I just wonder though, if these triangular, interconnecting designs for living will carry too parochial, or dare one say pointless, a punch. Guardian, Genes of the fathers (March 6, 1999 by Lyn Gardner) It is the acting—brilliant, hard and absolutely true—rather than the writing, that lifts Richard Greenburg’s [sic] Three Days Of Rain above the ordinary. Of course, Elizabeth McGovern, Colin Firth, and David Morressey get two opportunities to show their mettle: first as the children, then, in the play’s second half, as their parents, in a drama that begins in 1995 then time-warps backwards to 1960. You see quite clearly how the sins—or at least the genes—of the fathers and mothers are visited on their offspring. When Walker’s rich and successful architect father died a year ago, Walker did a disappearing act. He didn’t even show up for the funeral. But now he’s back in New York, holed up in the studio where his father and his former partner Theo worked on the commission that made them famous shortly before Theo’s early death. Here he finds a cryptic journal, kept by his father over 30 years previously, which proves that other people’s diaries are very seldom interesting let alone sensational. Famously a man of very few words, Dad’s most eloquent entry reads: “Three days of rain.” Only after Walker has met up with his exasperated married sister Nan (McGovern) and Theo’s son Pip (Morrissey), an easygoing actor in daytime soaps, for a reading of the will, are secrets exposed and surprises sprung. Then the play flips back 35 years and the meaning of the journal’s entries begin to make sense. It’s a neat device, which plays heavily and to good effect on the fact that the audience always knows much more than the characters ever can about themselves, but, like a lot of the dialogue, it is almost too pat and too clever. Any play in which somebody—Walker and Nan’s mad, alcoholic mother, Lina, actually—can be described as “Zelda Fitzgerald’s less stable sister” gets top marks in the wit department, and Greenburg has plenty more where that came from. But the emotional lives of these people is much less successfully defined by the writer—the second generation seem merely to be richer, thinner, less talented, more neurotic versions of their parents. It is left up to Robin Lefevre’s beautiful nuanced production and the actors to paint in the detail and the emotional texture of parents who will always be skeletons in their own children’s wardrobe. The threesome deliver world-class performances. What you remember are not the smart sassy lines but Firth’s Walker, shivering like a traumatised child in his hunky grown-up game, McGovern like a gaudily painted butterfly staving off his grim alcoholic future with a desperate gaiety, and Morrissey’s Pip finding contentment and happiness in an acceptance of his second-rateness. The Stage, Rain, rain, don’t go away March 11, 1999, by Lisa Martland Richard Greenberg’s play Three Days of Rain—the third and final play in the Donmar’s American Import season—was produced at the Manhattan Theater Club in 1998, but this is a writer who should surely have work presented in the West End or on Broadway in the near future. It is New York 1995, and Walker has returned to the city, having gone AWOL after the death of Ned, his father. Sister Nan is used to such behavior, but she is finding it increasingly difficult to cope with, as is childhood friend Pip. Their fathers, both architects, were originally partners, but Pip’s dad Theo died at a relatively young age, while Nan and Walker’s went on to become famous. All three meet up for the reading of Ned’s will. Later, in the moving second half, we are transported bacl tp 1960 to see what truly happened in Ned and Theo’s lives. This is an excellent compelling piece of writing, boosted by some excellent and witty dialogue. In addition to Robin Lefevre’s subtle staging and Tom Piper’s design (a flat, once barren, suddenly has life inside it), the acting is of a very high standard as the three performers take on their double roles. Colin Firth is convincing both as Walker, wanting to be sane and to come to terms with the past, and then Ned, the stuttering and shy father of years ago. David Morrissey, as Pip, excels at being the slick actor in a good mood, and in his portrayal of Theo, the idea-starved architect. Elizabeth McGovern makes less of a mark in the role of Nan, but is allowed to relax and show her versatility later, playing the woman Ned desperately tries not to love, Theo’s partner Lina. Time Out (March 10-17, 1999, by Jane Edwardes) ‘Three Days of Rain’ is the unrevealing entry covering three momentous days in the diary of Ned, a reticent, world-famous architect. At the beginning of Richard Greenberg’s engaging, elegant play, Ned’s children Walker and Nan, and his partner Theo’s child Pip, gather after his death to hear what their financial legacy will be. But with such an inarticulate father, and a mother who could give Zelda Fitzgerald a good run for her money, it is the emotional legacy that haunts them. Like the house that made Theo and Ned famous, the play, the third in the Donmar’s American Imports season, is a prism which constantly presents new angles through which the audience can examine its characters, both the children in the first half, and the parents in the second as it winds back from 1995 to 1960, to those three days of rain. Then we in the audience begin to understand what the children never know. Robin Lefevre’s production is exemplary, with three smashing performances from Colin Firth, Elizabeth McGovern and David Morrissey seizing the opportunity to excel in both generations. In the first half, the children gather in the studio where the house was conceived. Firth as Walker is hunched with misery; far more articulate than his father, he has inherited his love of architecture but not his talent and even the son’s unexplained absence is a drain on those who know him. The nattily dressed Pip (David Morrissey) has happily settled for being a second-rate actor in a soap, his straightforward contentment creating a stark contrast with Walker’s instability. McGovern comes into her own in the second half as Lina, the witty, neurotic hard-drinking, Southern lover of both partners. Tom Piper’s open plan staircase setting has served both this play and ‘Morphic Resonance’ and there are similarities in the affluent, well-educated, ironic people portrayed, revealing aspects of American drama that are rarely seen over here. What’s On (March 10, 1999, by Carole Woods) Somehow my heart always sinks a little when a play opens with a character giving us a biographical rundown of the family history. It’s as if the playwright, mistrustful of the audience, feels compelled to provide guidelines. Happily, in Richard Greenberg’s Three Days of Rain, the final play in the Donmar’s short American Imports season, there is a reason for the preamble. This early account delivered by Walker, the disturbed offspring of an acclaimed architect, is flecked with his own subjective inaccuracies. When it comes to families, there ain’t no such thing as absolute truth. Walker has returned to New York to reclaim his inheritance—the universally praised house designed by his famous father who has recently died. He is full of bile and bitterness about his mother, whom he likens to “Zelda Fitzgerald’s unstable sister,” and the reticent Great Man. “The thing is with people who never talk,” comments Walker acidly, “you always suppose they’re harbouring some enormous secret. But, just possibly, the secret is, they have absolutely nothing to say.” Greenberg, like the two other writers in this series, likes to make sure we know he can turn a sharp-shooting line, and puts plenty in the mouth of Walker. But despite his sardonic wit, Walker remains unreliable and self-obsessed. Three Days of Rain thrives on dysfunctionalism—as a child of eight, poor old Walker saw his flakily unstable mother try to commit suicide and has “been in pain” and an absolute pain ever since. Colin Firth gives Walker a raddled, clinging appeal as he attempts to glean affection from Elizabeth McGovern’s Nan, the stoic, exasperated sister who has always been there to pick up the pieces (there’s just the tiniest whiff of incest in the air). He rails at Pip (David Morrissey), the son of Ned’s work partner, for stealing from the one thing he prizes—Dad’s model house (Dad in a final twist has left the house not to Walker but to Pip). But that is only the half of it. In the good old tradition of the memory play, Three Days of Rain works through flash-back to reframe perceptions of reality that prove to have been rather different to their appearance. Greenberg takes a circuitous, slightly fuzzy way to tell it, but his message is ultimately a delicate and not unaffecting one—the false impression we carry of our parents. By the by, he also takes time out to cast off a few other generational and sibling asides as to family guilt, the emotional blackmail of the distressed and the strange dynamic of professional partnerships. In the second half, in a carefully laid symmetrical shadow of the first act relationships, Greenberg lays out the truths—how Walker’s parents, Ned and Lina came together, and the bond between Ned and Theo, his workmate and friend. Firth, bespectacled and halting as Ned, a man of few words on account of his bad stammer, is almost unrecognisable and deeply moving, whilst McGovern gives Lina a dangerous, attractive, Blanche du Bois emotional volatility. Robin Lefevre directs with an acute sense of the games people play. The Observer, Firth among equals (March 7, 1999, by Susannah Clapp) Anyone who believes in national characteristics should go to see Richard Greenberg's new play at the Donmar. The pivotal figure in Three Days of Rain is a compendium of traditional English attributes: he is ironic, sexually inhibited and diffidently courteous; he lives in damp conditions and he wears an unappealing cardigan. He is also American. Actually, he is quintessentially American. Another character describes him acutely as making those around him 'emotionally fastidious to the point of paralysis', a description which would fit half the cast of a Henry James novel. And Greenberg's play is in several respects distinctively transatlantic. Its preoccupation with the past, its middle-class setting and its leisurely loquaciousness set it apart from most new British drama. Quick phrases and an unusually expressive structure mark it out as the work of a pungent writer. This is a drama about family secrecy and inheritance which makes its points by artfulness of form and clever doubling of parts, as well as by debate. In the first half of the play, a brother and sister meet for the reading of their architect father's will […] --- ## ColinFirth.com — Three Days of Rain news items URL: https://firth.com/3DORactone.html ColinFirth.com — Three Days of Rain news items (Last updated 5/26/03) Act One Walker: Meanwhile, back in the city.... Two nights of insomnia. In this room, in the dark...listening... soaking up the Stravinsky of it... No end to the sounds in a city... Something happens somewhere, makes a noise, the sound travels, charts the distance: The Story of a Moment. God, I need to sleep! Yes. All right. Begin. Nan: My mother was taken to the hospital where they did very good work. My brother ran away, but only as far as the laundry room of our building, where he hid in a closet for ten hours until someone thought to check there. My brother returned, my mother returned. Nobody said anything. And it was over. Walker: Reconstruct along with me a moment. You are this young man. Ambitious, of course—what architect isn't ambitious? And it's that moment when you're so bursting with feeling that people aren't enough, your art isn't enough, you need something else, some other way to let out everything that's in you. Walker: You buy this notebook, this volume into which you can pour your most secret, your deepest and illicit passions. You bring it home, commence—the first sacred jottings—the feelings you couldn't contain: "April 3rd to April 5th: Three days of rain." A weather report. A fucking weather report! Pip: And I'm really hungry—I haven't eaten anything but star fruit all day—but we have to wait while he sits—in the cold for which I am responsible—for him to gather his wits and tell us it's all right to eat. And I feel bad because he's in so much pain— Pip: ...if some oracle told you were going kill your father and marry your mother, wouldn't you just never kill anybody and stay single?...And then, if you did inadvertently kill somebody, in the heat of the moment or something, and later started dating, wouldn't you be smart enough to, like, avoid older women? I mean, to me the moral of that story is not your destiny awaits you. To me it's...Do the Fucking Math. Pip: I don't know—I feel bad—I go to the gym—I feel better. Maybe that means I lack gravitas or something, but the hell with it, I'm having a good time. Pip: I mean, like all that time when Nan and I were sleeping together and in love and everything and we couldn't tell you because we were so afraid of how jealous you'd be, and we couldn't tell each other why we couldn't tell you because nobody was acknowledging any aspect of the situation—it was crazy, that felt awful—I hated lying to you. Like it or not, you're my oldest friend. I love you, you know, and what was the point? Everything is tolerable if you just talk about it, you know? (Beat. Silence between Walker and Nan.) Pip: You know? (Beat) Was that all new information? Click on boots to contact me Home --- ## ColinFirth.com — The Accidental Husband starring Colin Firth URL: https://firth.com/acc.html ColinFirth.com — The Accidental Husband starring Colin Firth Synopsis Cast News Galleries Reviews Notes Multimedia Synopsis Emma Lloyd (Uma Thurman) has made a career out of her sensible, mature and responsible approach to relationships. She has a hit radio talk show, an impending book deal, and a loving relationship with her fiancé, Richard (Colin Firth), a conventional sort — which is precisely what Emma is drawn to. Then Emma finds out that she is already married to a man she’s never met before, a result of a misguided prank that leaves her bewildered and very confused. Worse than that, her plans for the future are now threatened. With her wedding just around the corner, Emma must find the mystery man and obtain an annulment. Emma tracks down her “accidental husband” — Patrick (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), a charming and handsome neighborhood fireman, with a big secret…that he was behind the “accidental” marriage. Unable to fess up, Patrick goes along with the ruse pretending to be just as baffled as Emma. While at first their opposite approaches to life create much tension and chaos, Emma soon starts to admire his carefree passion for life and doubt her own conservative, button-down views on life and love. As Emma's wedding draws near, she is faced with the choice between her safe life with Richard or the chance to live in the passionate and spontaneous world that Patrick inhabits. click for larger image Cast Uma Thurman Emma Colin Firth Richard Jeffrey Dean Morgan Patrick Justina Machado Sofia Galleries News Uma Thurman flick shoots at Round Hill (Greenwich Time, Dec 13, 2006, by Andrew Shaw) The long, white train of Uma Thurman's bridal gown was the last thing to hit the ground as she raced out of the First Church of Round Hill sanctuary yesterday morning behind a crowd of wedding attendees. Her jilted lover, a fireman, arrived in front of the church on the ladder truck as the crew responded to a fire alarm Thurman had pulled inside. The two met on the front lawn and kissed, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings — policemen directing traffic, paparazzi snapping photos of Thurman from the other side of Round Hill Road and the hundred or so members of the production crew working around them. Thurman was filming a scene for "The Accidental Husband," scheduled to be released next year. Griffin Dunne is the director and Graham King is the executive producer for the movie that also stars Colin Firth, Isabella Rossellini, Sam Shepard and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. The interdenominational church was chosen as the setting for a wedding scene, and filming there will continue through tomorrow. A private home on Meadowcroft Lane was also used in the movie, according to movie officials, with most of that filming already completed. For the Rev. Robert Walker, the church pastor, it was natural for producers to pair the movie with the church. "It's the quintessential New England-type church. We do a lot of weddings here, and that's what they wanted to film here," Walker said. The romantic comedy focuses on Thurman's character, Emma, a radio talk show host who is preparing for her wedding. Emma's life is complicated by a man trying to get revenge because her relationship advice ruined his life. To block her planned nuptials, the man, played by Morgan, forges a wedding certificate so it appears she is already married — to him. As Emma confronts her fake husband, she becomes attracted to him and conflicted on who she should love — him or her fiance. The movie, by Yari Film Group, includes a scene in which Emma stops her wedding to the other man by pulling the fire alarm. But the crew was mum yesterday on how the film turns out. Producers "originally wanted fire and water coming down on the actors in the church," but that wasn't acceptable to church trustees who want to protect the historical church founded in 1810, Walker said. "They'll have to do it by special effects."... Church employees are enjoying the Hollywood atmosphere as well. Several were working at the nursery school down the hall from Thurman's dressing room and the sanctuary, giving them glimpses of the actors scurrying through the church on the way to a scene. "It's tons of fun," said Mindy Dudley, director of the nursery school. She lent her soon-to-be-famous furniture to the production crew to use as set pieces. "That's the closest I'll come to show business." Jeannine Williamson, a nursery school staff member, said her bid to get in front of the camera, just like her co-workers, was not to be — the only extras used are in an actors union. "We all offered to be extras," she said of herself, Dudley and Leigh Retzler, who were running the school in the rear section of the church. "I would have offered to let a fire truck run over my foot." First Church of Round Hill was chosen for filming partly because it is located in Connecticut, where a tax credit that refunds 30 percent of production costs to entice movie crews to film in the state was approved this year, according to production designer Mark Ricker. That rebate also attracted the producers of Thurman's "In Bloom," shooting in Connecticut this year. "The Accidental Husband" script has scenes in Manhattan and Queens, Ricker said, but they also needed a church to use for the wedding. With Connecticut's rebate in mind, location scouts searched Greenwich to find a church that fit the profile of Emma, who the storyline says grew up in Great Neck, Long Island. Some aspects of the Greenwich setting could be altered to fit the movie. The church's lawn sign is replaced with one that reads "First Church of Great Neck." The fire trucks that pulled up in front of the church were brought in from the real-life Great Neck Fire Department, movie officials said. But what they couldn't easily replicate was a historic, intimate church that would reflect Emma's roots. Ricker said First Church of Round Hill only became a possibility near the end of the search. "We looked at a lot of churches. Some were too big, some were too busy. This one we didn't see until the very last minute," Ricker said. "A scout showed up one day and said, 'I've got one last church.'" It was exactly what they needed, Ricker went on. "It's the most perfect little church," he said. "It had a nice, contained size." Walker thinks so, too, and he hopes the movie will get people talking about Round Hill. "We're off the beaten path in Greenwich, and a lot of people don't even know this church exists," he said. "It's a neat thing knowing that a lot of people, millions of people, will really see the beauty of this place." Firth, Shepard hitched to 'Husband' (The Hollywood Reporter, Nov 13, 2006, by Nicole Sperling) Colin Firth, Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Sam Shepard have joined the cast of "The Accidental Husband," a romantic comedy starring Uma Thurman. The film, from Yari Film Group, Team Todd and Blum House, begins filming today in New York. Isabella Rossellini, Lindsay Sloane ("The Stones") and Justina Machado ("Six Feet Under") also have been cast in the film to be directed by Griffin Dunne ("Practical Magic"). Bob Yari is producing along with Jennifer and Suzanne Todd and Jason Blum. Uma Thurman also is producing, and Brad Jenkel, Yari's head of production, will oversee the project. The film revolves around Emma Lloyd (Thurman), a local talk radio host with a show about relationships. Firth will play her husband. When one of her listeners, Sofia (Machado) follows her advice and breaks up with her boyfriend (Morgan), a New York fireman, the boyfriend plans his revenge and sets Emma's life into crisis. Morgan is best known for his role as Denny Duquette on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy." Firth recently wrapped production on two indie films, "Then She Found Me," directed by Helen Hunt, and "When Did You Last See Your Father" opposite Jim Broadbent and directed by Anand Tucker. Shepard has been cast as Emma's father. Thesps wed to 'Husband' Thurman joins Firth, Rossellini in Yari Film laffer (Variety, Nov 12, 2006, by Michael Fleming) Uma Thurman has company on "The Accidental Husband," the Yari Film Group-produced romantic comedy that begins shooting today in New York. Colin Firth, Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Sam Shepard, Isabella Rossellini, Lindsay Sloane and Justina Machado have joined the cast. Griffin Dunne directs from a script penned by Bonnie Sikowitz, Mimi Hare and Clare Naylor, along with Kristen Buckley and Brian Regan. Thurman plays a love doctor who hosts a local radio show about relationships. When a listener (Machado) takes her advice and dumps her boyfriend, only to regret it, she decides to wreak havoc on the doc's personal life. Yari will produce with Team Todd's Jennifer and Suzanne Todd, Blum House's Jason Blum and Thurman. Please do not upload any images to your own website, club, group or community's photo album. Thank you. Back to Main Click on boots to contact me Own it DVD on Amazon --- ## ColinFirth.com — The Accidental Husband starring Colin Firth URL: https://firth.com/acc_rev.html ColinFirth.com — The Accidental Husband starring Colin Firth Synopsis Cast News Galleries Reviews Notes Multimedia Reviews The Observer (Mar 2, 2008, by Philip French) The feeble plot of Griffin Dunne's dull The Accidental Husband depends on a flimsy plotting device that a single phonecall or letter from a lawyer would have solved overnight. Uma Thurman stars as the host of a New York radio show offering advice on love and marriage and finds herself torn between her fiancé, a pompous, immaculately dressed British publisher (Colin Firth), who lives in a glossy Manhattan apartment and a newcomer to her life, a burly, tattooed Irish-American firefighter (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) who has a small flat above an Indian restaurant in Astoria, Queens. There could have been an element of surprise if the publisher had gone off with the fireman. Sunday Express (Mar 2, 2008, by Henry Fitzherbert) As Statham expands his range, Colin Firth plays another stiff Brit in a picture that will do him no favours. The Accidental Husband is the kind of mechanical romantic comedy that gives the genre a bad name. ...So begins an achingly contrived romance as Emma tries to persuade Patrick to sign the necessary documents annulling the “marriage”. Inevitably, she finds herself falling for his rugged charm, leaving a pent-up Firth to fret about the interior decoration of their marital home. Thurman strains to be light and comedic but she can’t do cute and her prat-falling is embarrassing. The leaden script also offers her no decent lines or set-pieces. Only someone who has never seen a rom-com could enjoy it. The Telegraph (Feb 29, 2008 by Tim Robey) Uma Thurman can do one or two things well, but she's a pure death knell to romantic comedy. Here Uma is dispensing insane love advice on the radio, and finds herself preyed upon by a jilted fireman (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), whose bizarre idea of payback is to hack into the marriage registry and claim to be her husband. This comes as a shock to Uma's prissy fiancé (Colin Firth, doomed in waistcoats), who can only roll his eyes as the epically dull machinery of Hollywood match-making contrives to cuckold him out of his own nuptials. Griffin Dunne's film lacks the faintest spark of originality. The Independent (Feb 29, 2008, by Anthony Quinn) - 1 out of 5 stars Even taking into account the dismal pedigree of director Griffin Dunne (Practical Magic, Addicted to Love) and writer Bonnie Sikowitz, one could hardly have predicted this shocker. Uma Thurman plays a New York agony-aunt DJ who flouts her own advice and falls for the hunky fireman Jeffrey Dean Morgan, despite being already engaged to the clean-cut Brit Colin Firth. A plot of insufferable silliness contrives to keep the lovers on tenterhooks and the audience in a permanent cringe, none of it helped by Thurman's thoroughly phony performance — Firth looks comparatively sincere. Just one laugh would have been something, but Sikowitz could not oblige us even that. The Mirror (Feb 29, 2008 by David Edwards) Accident is right. And as far as accidents go, this is somewhere between falling over and shattering both hips, and mistakenly leaving the gas on and killing your entire family. In a rom-com that’s predictable, formulaic, deathly dull and packed with clichés, Uma Thurman is New York radio host Emma Lloyd who hands out wisdom and advice to the city’s unlucky in love. When not dispensing “chicken soup for the heart” to her listeners, she’s busy planning her wedding to safe but dull fiancé Richard (Colin Firth). But, for reasons verging on the unfathomable, Emma discovers she’s already married to someone else and so sets about tracking down the husband she’s never met. And that someone just happens to be a hunky, newly-single firefighter (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). You can guess where it all goes from there. Thurman is tolerable, Firth stretches himself to play yet another stuffed shirt while Morgan irritates like an jockstrap made from asbestos. Reprising his role from the recent PS I Love You as an eminently slappable cheeky chappy, I spent the entire film hoping he’d suffer a fatal accident by falling from the top of his fireman’s ladder. TimeOut London (by Trevor Johnson) - 2 out of 5 stars Dispenser of stern advice on her NYC radio phone-in, broadcaster Uma Thurman’s about to wed her publisher fiancé (Colin Firth), only to discover the registry office database already has her married to some guy in Brooklyn. That’s fireman Jeffrey Dean Morgan, who’s fuming after the radio host talked his fiancée into calling off their nuptials and, with help from a techy whizzkid, has taken his revenge. A tussle over the annulment sets in motion the familiar rom-com tropes of choosing between seemingly opposite suitors and initial antipathy sparking made-for-each-other passion. Uma works hard to convince us she’s funny, and though the effort’s obvious, we’re rooting for her — if only her choices made any sense. Dean Morgan’s cheeky-chappy act is grating indeed, while his tight-lipped rival’s so utterly stolidly Firthian we could easily be watching his Madame Tussaud’s mannequin. Painless anodyne fare, though genuine laughs are few, apart from comfort-eating Firth’s illicit ‘naughty choccy’. The Guardian (Feb 29, 2008, by Peter Bradshaw) - 1 out of 5 stars This week we learned that 99% of Sun readers want a return to capital punishment. I learned that 100% of me wants it for 100% of people involved in this romcom. Uma Thurman plays a — actually, wait ... Uma Thurman doesn't do anything as dramatically intelligible as "play" anything. She grins, mugs and capers like a whippet on crack in the role of Emma, a radio advice doctor with a wussy British fiance, Richard (Colin Firth), whom she is all too clearly destined to leave for hunky firefighter Patrick (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). As ever with this kind of romcom, there's an awful hint of the non-chemistry of its actors in the poster. If you get a moment, look at Colin Firth's face, smiling tightly like a waxwork, in Uma's vague direction. It's the face of an actor concentrating on his fee. The Scotsman (Feb 29, 2008, by Alistair Harkness) HOWLER OF THE WEEK: Uma Thurman can be great when Quentin Tarantino is feeding her lines and fashion tips, but not when she's trying to be rom-com adorable, and definitely not when she's trying to be rom-com adorable while drunk. Slamming shots while reciting a roll-call of American presidents in a bar full of firemen, she's so embarrassingly unfunny in The Accidental Husband, a collective audience blackout is the only thing that will make her seem cool again. Irish Times (Feb 29, 2008. by Donald Clarke) - 1 out of 5 stars Here's an interesting thing. Brooke Adams and Sam Shepard, both looking attractively weathered, are here united for the first time since delivering iconic performances in Terrence Malick's Days of Heaven 30 years ago. Now, I never thought I'd get to mention that eccentric film when I sat down to watch this depressingly abysmal romantic comedy. It seems even less likely that The Accidental Husband might call to mind 2001: A Space Odyssey, but the evil German businessman is, indeed, played by that film's Keir Dullea. This is like being trapped in an episode of The Twilight Zone concerning a plot by the Bad Movie Falange to imprison all their enemies from the Good Movie Militia. We have to make it stop. The time when we might have described The Accidental Husband as the nail in the coffin of the romcom has long passed. This wad of trash might better be imagined as withered flowers cast on a grave from which even the worms have fled. It is clumsy, cynical, badly acted, hopelessly sentimental and consistently illogical. I'm only sorry Doris Day is still alive to see it. The point at which the ghastly mess collapses in upon itself comes when posh Isabella Rosselini has her second meeting with talk-radio star Uma Thurman. It goes something like this: Some weeks before her marriage to Colin Firth, a snobbish publisher, Thurman advises a listener to ditch her own fiance. When the unfortunate schlub, a fireman played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, discovers the cause of his beloved's retreat, he arranges for a hacker to alter the city records in such a way as to suggest that he (Morgan) and she (Thurman) are married. It's a prank, you see. In the course of their attempts to dissolve the fake marriage, Thurman and Morgan encounter Rossellini and, for no reason, entertain her misconception that they are engaged. Still with me? Some days later, it becomes clear that Isabel's evil husband is set to buy Firth's firm and liquidate him. What's that noise? Is it the sound of narrative gears grinding against one another? Maybe it's the sound of Thurman repeatedly banging her head against cupboards, doors and bookshelves in her attempts to inject humour into this witless farrago. Smash your face against the wall one more time, Uma. You are dazed and nauseous, you say. Now you know how we feel. The Times (Feb 28, 2008, by Wendy Ide) - 1 out of 5 stars There is some depressing slack-jawed idiocy and sentimental fluff on offer in The Accidental Husband. Uma Thurman stars as Emma, a radio talk-show host who guides her impressionable listeners through their relationship crises with well-practised soundbites about being realistic in their choice of man. This backfires when a young woman dumps her fiancé Patrick, a rough and ready firefighter played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan, and he swears to teach Emma a lesson about minding her own business. Bizarrely, he does this by hacking into the county hall records office and “marrying” Emma without her knowledge. This proves problematic for Emma's genuine wedding plans, with the stalwart publisher Richard (Colin Firth, maintaining his dignity despite the dismal quality of the material). The mutual attraction between Emma and Patrick is a preposterous piece of plotting: she's a highly-strung Manhattan princess; he's a soccer-playing, beer-swilling, blue-collar bloke. Certainly opposites sometimes attract but surely they need to be in the same universe first? But the most contrived device in the film is the “ethnic colour”, courtesy of Patrick's neighbours, a family of Asian stereotypes who chuckle and chatter winningly, like animated wallpaper. The Herald (Feb 28, 2008, by Alison Rowat) - 1 star Fancy a fluffy romantic comedy that will send you into the mother of all bad moods? Then try Griffin Dunne's smug clunker. Uma Thurman plays Dr Emma Lloyd, radio host and self-styled relationship expert. Dr Em, a tall blonde cross between Carrie Bradshaw and Frasier Crane, is due to marry her dapper English publisher (Colin Firth). Everything is sugar and spice and all things lacey, but due to a complicated set of events, each one beggaring belief, it turns out Emma is married already to one of New York City's firefighting finest (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). What is a girl to do? You'll care less about Em's fate than the woeful lack of chemistry between the three leads and a script that's about as funny as a fire in a pet shop. As for Thurman, she can do comedy about as well as Daffy Duck can do brain surgery. While you might wish to spend good money watching the attempt, be prepared for the grisly outcome. Evening Standard (Feb 28, 2008, by Derek Malcolm) – 1 out of 5 stars Words almost fail me after watching this terrible romantic comedy from Griffin Dunne which is perilously described as a "sort of Carole Lombard screwball comedy". Would that it were. Uma Thurman, who produced, too, plays the Lombard role of Dr Emma Lloyd, a New York radio DJ dispensing practical advice to the lovelorn, although she's totally unable to keep her own romancing in any kind of order. She is due to be married to Richard (Colin Firth), her well-off and dependable fiancé, but suddenly makes the discovery that City Hall records have her down as already married. This bureaucratic foul-up can't apparently be rectified and it is made all the worse when she meets Jeffrey Dean Morgan's fireman, who has come to her for advice after a jilting. Of course, they fall for one another and it leaves Firth with one of those awful parts he must now be familiar with—the gentlemanly lover who lets the girl go. Thurman plays the so-called comedy for all it is worth and sometimes considerably more, as if Pulp Fiction and Tarantino were but distant and happier memories. Morgan looks like a bit of boring rough trade to me. Sam Shepard, Isabella Rossellini and Lindsay Sloane are also in the cast but are left floundering as the clichés mount. There's a nice Bollywood song by AH Rahman over the end credits—and this really looks like a bad Bollywood movie without the songs. Carole Lombard would have had a fit. BBC (Feb 26, 2008, by Stella Papamichael) - 2 out of 5 stars Making a lifetime commitment to a solid, sensible fellow like Colin Firth proves a sticking point for Uma Thurman's loopy love doctor in The Accidental Husband. In the real world, having to give up just ninety minutes for this hopelessly convoluted comedy is already asking too much. It seems that Thurman comes across best with a cool air of menace (mostly in the films of Quentin Tarantino) whereas, in this case, she's forced to break a sweat for barely a chuckle. An added strain on the situation comes in the bulky shape of Jeffrey Dean Morgan. He plays a New York firefighter with a big heart but really bad table manners who plants a seed of doubt in the mind of the soon-to-be-wed doctor. It's a romance sparked by a series of clumsy contrivances and it never threatens to set the screen alight. Likewise, as the oh-so English cuckold, Firth is resolutely wet. And not in a pond-dipped Mr Darcy kind of way but in the insufferable 'chin-up and soldier on regardless' mode of a 19th century butler. Even though he's pitted against such a feeble love rival, Morgan (supposedly the hero) gives us few reasons to care about his lonely existence when, first, he tricks Dr Lloyd into an affair using a faked marriage certificate and, second, has all the personality of chopped liver. Only Sam Shepard conveys a modicum of sincerity playing Dr Lloyd's quietly concerned father. Between the leads the dialogue flows without any snap or sass and Thurman resorts to falling over and repeatedly bumping her head to get a laugh. It's a futile effort. With such a half-hearted script and Griffin Dunne's casual direction, these attempts to inject screwball energy end up feeling more like desperate cries for help. The prognosis: a total emotional block. ScreenDaily (Feb 26, 2008, by Allan Hunter) Uma Thurman's recent track record with romantic comedy is not auspicious—neither Prime (2005) nor My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006) turned out to be major box-office contenders. The Accidental Husband, however, should improve her standing in this genre. There is nothing unpredictable about this glossy, screwball-style saga of misunderstandings and home truths, but it is executed with such smooth professionalism and easy warmth that it should appeal to the same, largely female, audience which made the recent P.S. I Love You such a substantial hit. UK distributor Momentum should garner sturdy returns from the early Spring title in advance of a US August release. In Accidental Husband, Thurman plays New York radio talk show host Emma Lloyd. Her advice to the lovelorn is sensible and practical: "You can't trust what you merely lust." One listener treats her opinions as gospel and breaks off her engagement to firefighter Patrick (Morgan). In search of revenge, Patrick uses a friend's skills at computer hacking to secretly marry Emma, which rather spoils her plans for a dream wedding to fiance Richard (Firth), a decent, straitlaced publisher who is devoted to her. So much you can gather from the trailer. But untangling the messy complications of Patrick's impulsive actions provides the basis of a mainstream crowdpleaser in which Emma is forced to confront whether she really knows what is best for the world or herself and in which the outcome is never in any doubt. The material may be strictly routine but director Griffin Dunne refuses to just go through the motions. He presents New York as a city of romantic encounters and lush locations. He finds moments within a trim running time to add flavour to the blandness through secondary supporting characters like Emma's father Wilder (Sam Shepard), businessman's wife Greta (Isabella Rossellini) and Patrick's Indian/American friend Deep (Ajay Naidu). Dunne has also ensured a perfect fit between characters and performer. Colin Firth is cast to type as the uptight, conventional Richard. Jeffrey Dean Morgan has the same kind of goofy lummox charm that endeared the young Sylvester Stallone to the world but with considerably more hunk appeal. Thurman is perfectly at home with the manic flustered Emma as she learns to abandon her inhibitions and embrace the world of spontaneity and fun that Patrick represents. The Accidental Husband is undoubtedly laboured, especially when it strays into slapstick territory and the comedy of embarrassment—Emma drunkenly passes out in a bar and seems unnaturally klutzy for someone so confident of herself, for example, while Richard's habit of guzzling chocolate and comfort-eating seems a half-hearted attempt to breathe life into a character destined to become the other man. Critics and film buffs may lament the fact that this kind of comedy was done with so much more panache in the days of Jean Arthur and Cary Grant but modern audiences are unlikely to prove quite so critical. The Accidental Husband will not win any awards but it does deliver undemanding, happy ending escapism. Shadows on the Wall (Feb 25, 2008, by Rich Cline) - 1-/1.2 stars The opening act of this rom-com almost convinces us something fresh and enjoyable is on its way. Then it quickly drowns in a sea of corny slapstick, trite plotting and sappy sentiment. It's pretty clear from the start who Emma will end up with: suave, upscale entrepreneur Richard or rough-around-the-edges firefighter Patrick. Not really a fair fight, eh? So it's kind of ridiculous that the screenwriters try so hard, over and over, to throw every conceivable wrench into the situation, making sure that no one behaves even remotely like an authentic human being. For one thing, no one bothers to actually talk to each other, which would have made the film about 15 minutes long. Pity. At least the cast members go for it. Thurman indulges in big emotional reactions, happy and sad, and also throws herself fully into the haphazardly staged slapstick. She does manage to generate some spiky chemistry with Morgan, which is all that sustains the film, really. He's quite engaging in the scruffy, "wrong man" role, and contrasts well against the effortlessly smooth Firth, who actually manages to redeem his character in the end. Star-powered supporting players like Shepard, Rossellini and Adams fill the edges nicely, even if they're half asleep. In the end, the film is a hodge-podge of random story elements that seem to emerge from the land that logic forgot, including a Bollywood segment. Running gags start and stop at random, and their pay-offs are abandoned for a shockingly silly-slushy climax, followed by an even worse coda. In the end, the film is just a huge waste of slick production values and an otherwise talented cast. Sunday Mirror (Feb 24, 2008, by Mark Adams) * * * The verdict: This engaging screwball comedy is a wonderfully frothy affair, with the statuesque Uma Thurman impressive as the prim agony aunt forced to address her own feelings about love. A classy cast helps the film breeze along. Final Cut Screwball rom-com is a tasty affair. Please do not upload any images to your own website, club, group or community's photo album. Thank you. Back to Main Click on boots to contact me --- ## ColinFirth.com — Article and Interview Archive URL: https://firth.com/articleindex.html ColinFirth.com — Article and Interview Archive (updated 9/11/10) Articles and Interviews [ 2009 ] [ 2008 ] [2007] [2006] [2005] [2004] [2003] [2002] [2001] [2000] [1999] [1997] [1992] [1980s] [Interviews] Articles 2010 Colin Firth proud of 'Single Man' Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Jan 17, 2010, by Barbara Vancheri Tom Ford & Colin Firth join forces for A Single Man Sunday Times, Jan 17, 2010, by Ryan Gilbey The film's the thing, et al . National Post, Sept 9, 201, by Chris Knight Being Colin Firth, being George V Now Toronto, Sept 10, 2010, by Norman Wilner 2009 Dana Lange's Diary Durham Magazine, Jun/.Jul 2009, by Dana Lange A Singular Man The Australian, Oct 31, 2009, by Susan Chenery Role of a lifetime suits Colin Firth Toronto Star, Nov 30, 2009, by John Hiscock Colin Firth, feeling 'Single' LA Times, Dec 2, 2009, by Tina Daunt He Wears a Revealing Sort of Restraint NY Times, Dec 2, 2009, by Sarah Lyall The man in the white shirt Intelligent Life, Winter 2009, by Isabel Lloyd Colin Firth dresses up Globe and Mail, Dec 8, 2009, by Amy Verner 2008 Colin Firth in St Trinian's Red Magazine, Jan 2008, by Francesca Babb Fast chat: Colin Firth Newsday, Apr 27, 2008, by Gene Seymour The Reluctant Romantic Australian, May 10, 2008, by Peter Wilson American Idyll Los Angelse, June 2008, by Ariel Swartley Mr. Romance Venice, June 2008, by Peter Schweiger 2007 On the move Sunday Times, Jun 17, 2007, by Guy Pearce Pride and Parentage Yours magazine, Sept 11, 2007, by Phil Penfold Colin Firth's Darcy dilemna The Times, Sept 20, 2007, by Tim Teeman Colin Firth: portrait of a young writer The Telegraph, Sept 22, 2007, by Sheila Johnston Colin Firth: I'm no posh pin-up Daily Express, Sept 29, 2007, by Garth Pearce Proof good guys can finish first Irish Independent, Sept 30, 2007, by Evan Fanning Firth goes forth ES magazine, Oct 5, 2007, by Melanie McDonagh Dashing his reputation The Big Issue, Oct 8-14, 2007, by Leigh Singer A degree in honour of Mr Darcy Daily Echo, Oct 10, 2007, by Clare Kennedy Mrs Darcy - eco warrior! Evening Times, Oct 23, 2007 Firth holds forth Total Film, Nov 2007 Colin Firth's new eco-store The Times, Nov 17, 2007, by Lisa Grainger 2006 Don't mention Mr Darcy The Daily Telegraph, Jan 13, 2006, by Fiona Hudson Firth Things First The Wave, Jan 25, 2006, by Fred Topel Colin Firth loves to kid around Toronto Sun, Jan 31, 2006, by Bruce Kirkland In private....with Colin Firth Madame Figaro, Feb 4, 2006, by Elizabeth Gouslan Colin Firth refuses to take himself seriously Le Figaro, Feb 8, 2006, by Dominique Borde Becoming a dad made a man of me Reveal, Mar 4-10, 2006, by Gabriella Donnelley Firth Direct The Works, Apr 26, 2006, by David Richardson Oh, Mr Darcy Sydney Morning Herald, May 5, 2006, by Mary Colbert Nowhere like home Radio Times, Dec 16-22, 2006, by James Naughton 2005 Books that made a difference... O magazine, Jan 2005 Interview in Tokyo Wowow Online, March 2005 Special Interview2 English Style, April 2005, by Kumiko Yamanaka Why Mark Darcy is full of beans Sunday Herald, June 19, 2005, by Julia Fields My toughest role ever Independent, July 16, 2005, by Marina Cantacuzino "I'm a miserable old b******" News of the World, July 31, 2005, by Nicole Berger I'll get my kit off... NOW, Sept 14, 2005, by Clare Alexander My life in film Woman & Home, Nov 2005, by Shona Sibary Colin Firth: the life of a late-blooming heartthrob Globe and Mail, Oct 4, 2005, by Liam Lacey Legends of the lounge NY Daily News, Oct 9, 2005, by John Clark Sex on legs! Me? Daily Record, Oct 21, 2005, by John Millar Is that Mr Darcy taking part in an orgy? Telegraph, Nov 26, 2005, by Sheila Johnson Without prejudice Sunday Herald, Nov 27, 2005, by Peter Ross We find where the truth lies Empire, Nov 2005, by Sam Toy Too sexy for his shirt Daily Mail Weekend, Dec 3, 2005, by David Wigg Don't photograph me from the waist down Sunday Times, Dec 4, 2005, by John-Paul Flintoff 2004 Firth Love Elle, January 2004, by Andrew Goldman Hinterland who's who Famous, January 2004, by Marni Weisz Why Colin Is a Dutch of Class Daily Record, Jan 3, 2004, by Paul English Colin Firth: Time Traveler USA Weekend, Jan 2-4, 2004, by Michele Hatty Don't call me Darcy Sunday Times, Jan 4, 2004, by Jasper Gerard Firth drew inspiration for role... Seattle Times, Jan 4, 2004, by Moira Macdonald Ladies, I give you the modern-day Laurence Olivier Irish Independent, Jan 4, 2004, by Ciara Dwyer Passion Player The Telegraph, Jan 10, 2004, by Richard Benson Join the queue, Bridget Jones Sunday Post, Jan 11, 2004, by Darryl Smith The Q Interview Independent, Jan 11, 2004, by Hermione Eyre The Wanted Man Vanity Fair, March 2004 Dad Actually FQ, Mar-Apr 2004, by Joan Folland Italian press on 'Girl' Excerpts, Feb 20, 2004, various sources Renaissance Man The Age, Mar 6, 2004, by Tom Ryan Body & Soul Filmink, April 2004, by Gaynor Flynn Firth impressions Voyeur, March 2004 Colin Firth: No More Mr Nice Guy Shivers, Aug 2004, by Alan Jones The Reluctant Hero The Times, Aug 7, 2004, by Janice Turner Going Against the Grain The Herald, Aug 23, 2004, by Miles Fielder Mad World TimeOut, Aug 25, 2004, by Nigel Floyd Colin gets Trauma-tised UKCN, Aug 2004 Firth's madness The Times, Sept 9, 2004, by Ivan James Mr D'Arcy looks on the dark side Northern Echo, Sept 9, 2004, by Steve Pratt Oh, Mr Darcy BBC, Sept 15, 2004, by Anwar Brett London Press Conference for Trauma Force9, Sept 24, 2004, by Jonathan Hervey A picture of a man Brigitte, Sept 2004, by Stefanie Hentschel Girls, Mr Darcy's Back! Ms London, Sept 13, 2004, by Joy Gold Altered images The Guardian, Oct 12, 2004, by Mark Salisbury Colin Firth talks about Bridget Jones About.com, Oct 16, 2004, by Rebecca Murray The Edge of Reason DVD Interviews Oct 2004 The Seven Myths of Firth Esquire, Nov 2004 The Life of Hollywood Los Angeles Times, Nov 7, 2004, by Mary McNamara A tale of 2 gentlemen Woman, Nov 8, 2004, by Gary Marsf Firth gets uptight...again Sun-Sentinel, Nov 15, 2004, by Jane Wollman Rusoff Q&A: Colin Firth Newsweek, Nov 22, 2004, by Nicki Gostin My life resolves around my family To..., Winter 2004 Love at Firth Sight Entertainment Weekly, Nov 26, 2004, by Jessica Shaw A Chance to Dump on Celebrities Globe and Mail, Nov 27, 2004, by Cecily Ross Sexiest Men of 2004 People, Nov 29, 2004, Hugh Grant and I would make a lovely couple Glamour, December 2004, by Lucy Cavendish Firth Among Sequels She, Dec 2004., by Elisa Leonelli Colin Firth Premiere, Dec/Jan, by Mark Salisbury 2003 Italian press on The Importance of Being Earnest Excerpts, February 6, 2003, various sources Man of Style InStyle, March 2003, by Angela Matusik An Englishman in Rome (exclusive) Feb 6, 2003, by Marco Spagnoli Ditching Mr Darcy Australian Women's Weekly, April 2003, by Susan Chenery Firth and Foremost Gotham Magazine, April 2003, by Clay Weiner Down to Firth Sunday Telegraph, Apr 27, 2003, by Rebecca Tyrrel Don't Call me Hugh Evening Standard, May 8, 2003, by Genevieve Fox The Perfect Charmer (Glasgow) Evening Times, May 8, 2003, by Andy Dougan Firth Things First Yorkshire Ev Press, May 9, 2003, by Liz Howell & C Hutchinson Interview Red Magazine, June 2003, by Kate Bussmann Colin Lets Rip icCoventry, Aug 2003 What a Girl Wants interview UK Cinemas, Aug 28, 2003 Easy to see why ladies dig Firth The Province Sept 8, 2003, by Glen Schaefer Mr Darcy's artistic licence Globe and Mail, Sept 11, 2003, by Gayle MacDonald Love It! Loathe It! Woman's Own, Sept 29, 2003, by Bernard Bale Pouring on the Charm Time magazine, Nov 3, 2003 Firth, actually Weekend Australian, Nov 15, 2003, by Susan Chenery An email interview on acting Esquire (UK), Nov 2003 Breeches off—it’s bathtime! Marie Claire, December 2003, by Charlotte Moore Colin Firth Interview, Dec/Jan 2004, by Graham Fuller Firth Class Backstage West, Dec 10, 2003, by Danny Margolies Ditching Darcy Western Mail, May 9, 2003, by Rob Driscoll I'm a nerd, nothing like Darcy Now, June 4, 2003, by Sue Gold Colin Keeps His Shirt On Daily Express Saturday, Aug 9, 2003, by Jenny Ewart Firth Returns to His Roots Film Review, Sept 2003, by Alan Jones Enjoying the perks of 'Mr Darcy' Ottawa Citizen, Sept 8, 2003, by Jay Stone Exclusive Interview: Colin Firth Sept 29, 2003, by Paul Fischer Me Sexy? Vanity Fair (Italy), Oct 16, 2003, by Sara Failaci Going Dutch W, Nov 2003, by Samantha Conti Beau Selecta Herald, Nov 16, 2003, by Vicky Allen "I'm a nerd and Hugh hates me" Daily Mail, Nov 20, 2003, by Sue Gold Colin Firth: Still sitting pretty Independent, Dec 19, 2003, by Fiona Morrow Colin Firth: Taking the Lead San Francisco Chronicle, Dec 14, 2003, by Ruthe Stein Showbiz Mark meets Colin Firth BBC Wear, Fall/.Winter 2003, by Mark Evans 2002 Brandy and Cigars and the Final Solution The Sunday Times, January 20, 2002, by Stuart Wavell Sense and Sensibility Vogue, May 2002, by Vicky Woods The Other Face of Colin Firth Globe and Mail, May 18, 2002, by Simon Houpt Mr Darcy's Firth Cousin The Washington Post, May 19, 2002, by Alona Wartofsky A Good Mind and Great Dimples San Diego Union-Tribune, May 19, 2002, by Karla Peterson Firth Class Newsday, May 21, 2002, by Steve Dollar A Man of Some Importance LA Daily News, May 22, 2002. by Evan Henerson Theirs in an 'Earnest' appreciation Sun Newspapers, May 23, 2002, by Linda Hoy Socha Skipping to the Head of the Cast LA Times, May 26, 2002, by Ellen Baskin Firth May Play Lover, But Never Earnestly Knoxville News-Sentinel, May 26, 2002, by Betsy Pickle Interview of the Week: Firth and Everett UPI Life & Mind Desk, May 30, 2002, by Karen Butler The Importance of Being Colin TV Week (Australia), Jul 6, 2002, by Jenny Cooney Carillo Firth Principles The Australian, Jul 20, 2002, by Juliet Herd Call of the Wilde Daily Mail, Aug 24, 2002, by Jane Kelly The Reluctant Sex Symbol Hello! Aug 27, 2002, by Adelaide Dugdale and Juliet Herd Double Takes: Colin Firth SAGA, Sept 2002, by Garth Pearce Mr Darcy sheds his posh clothing Times Educational Supp, Sept 13, 2002, by Garth Pearce Messrs Rupert Everett & Colin Firth: A Q & A (in earnest) Contents, June 2002, by Lisa Raden Prisoner of Darcy Caffè Europa, Jul 16, 2002, by Annarita Caroli Colin Firth Real Magazine, Aug 16-23, 2002, by Gabrielle Donnelly Going Wilde in the Country The Times Magazine, Aug 24, 2002, by Martyn Palmer Firth Among Equals The Times Magazine, Aug 25, 2002, by Lesley White The Respect I Get Is Ludicrous The Telegraph, Aug 29, 2002, by John Hiscock 2001 Interview Unreel, March 17, 2001, by Monica Agelorius Twice Shy The Guardian, March 31, 2001, by Susie Steiner Firth Among Equals Elle Magazine, April 2001, by Steve Friedman He's Back - Without the Breeches The Telegraph, April 3, 2001, by Elizabeth Grice From Dustman to Darcy The Mirror, April 9, 2001, by Claire Donnelly Strong, Silent. Typecast. The Times, April 9, 2001, by Lesley O'Toole I'm Stuck with Mr Darcy Now, April 25, 2001, by Gabrielle Donnelly Love at Firth Sight Film Review, May 2001, by Anwar Brett Colin Firth: Man of the Moment SHE magazine, May 2001, by Elizabeth Wilson Bridget Jones's Sweetie Would Rather Play Bad Guys Entertainment News Daily, May 4, 2001 by Cindy Pearlman Brit Colin Firth Is Newest 'Hottie' Chicago Sun-Times, May 4, 2001, by Cindy Pearlman People's 50 Most Beautiful People magazine, May 14, 2001 Uncovering the Real Mr Darcy Sydney Morning-Herald, June 24, 2001, by Sue Williams GQ Men of the Year GQ, October 2001 Mirror, Mirror... People, Fall 2001 Stars Are Like Babies Vogue (Germany), October 2001 To Win Bridget's Love, I Even Beat Up Hugh Grant il Venerdi, October 12, 2001, by Frederica Lamberti Zanardi Interview D (La Repubblica supplement), Oct 16, 2001, by Liana Messina 2000 The Windmills of His Mind The Sunday Times, December 24, 2000, by Lesley White A Victim of Kind and Prejudice The Scotsman, December 22, 2000, by James Rampton Dastardly, Mr Darcy The Herald, December 9, 2000, by Gavin Docherty Colin and Hugh: Who's Top at 40? Sunday Express, Sept 10, 2000, by Lara Ellsworth-Jones Get Lardy Darcy Back in Shape Sunday Express, August 6, 2000, by David Dillon Firth Goes Forth The Guardian, June 24, 2000, by Steve Ross Don't Call Me Darcy ES Magazine, June 9, 2000, by Victoria Coren There's No Escaping Mr Darcy The Independent, June 9, 2000, by Carol McDaid The Force of Firth The Sunday Telegraph, May 21, 2000, by Helena de Bertodano No More Mr Darcy The Times Magazine, May 6, 2000, by Jasper Rees True Romance The Observer Magazine, April 9, 2000, by William Leith 1999 Colin Firth Highlights Asylum-Seekers' Plight Hampshire Chronicle, February 5, 1999 The Oscars: To Be Or - Almost - Not To Be Newsday, March 14, 1999 1997 The Patient Englishman Movieline, November 1997, by Anna Wolf 1992 The Beating of McCarthy Elle, Sept 1992, by Andrew Billen The 1980s Going Firth Class Mademoiselle, November 1989, by Julia Szabo Actor: Colin Firth Premiere, November 1989, by Diane Shaw Lost Empires: Rewarding Find After Football St Paul Pioneer Press Dispatch, Jan 25, 1987, by Rick Shefchik Battle for Life Radio Times, May 28-June 3, 1988, by Robert Fox Another Country, Another Star Company, Nov 1984, by Jo Glanville Interviews 2001 2002 2003 Fresh Air May 7, 2001, with Terry Gross Regis and Kelly Show April 17, 2001 The Rosie O'Donnell Show April 16, 2001, with Carolyn Rhea The Today Show April 16, 2001, with Katie Couric Breakfast with the Arts May 19, 2002, with Harry Smith All Things Considered May 24, 2002, with Robert Siegel Weekend Today Show May 26, 2002, with Soledad O'Brien The Today Show May 27, 2002, with Katie Couric Live with Regis and Kelly May 27, 2002 The Daily Show June 3, 2002, with Jon Stewart The Daily Show Nov 6, 2003, with Jon Stewart The Today Show Nov 10, 2003, with Katie Couric 2003 2004 2006 2007 The View Nov 11, 2003, with The View ladies Breakfast with the Arts Dec 7, 2003, with Kelly Deadmon Today Show Toy Drive Dec 8, 2003, with Kate Couric and Matt Lauer Live With Regis and Kelly Dec 8, 2003, with Regis and Joy Philbin The Late Late Show Dec 10, 2003, with Craig Kilborn The Oprah Winfrey Show Oct 22, 2004, with Oprah Winfrey The Today Show Nov 18, 2004, with Katie Couric Live with Regis and Kelly Nov 22, 2004, with Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa The Tonight Show Jan 18, 2006, with Jay Leno The Ellen DeGeneres Show Jan 23, 2006, with Ellen DeGeneres Parkinson Sept 29, 2007, with Michael Parkinson Click on boots to contact me Home --- ## A Single Man — ColinFirth.com URL: https://firth.com/asm.html A Single Man — ColinFirth.com The Story Synopsis Los Angeles, 1962. George Falconer, a British professor of English literature at a California university, has decided today will be the last day of his life. His partner of sixteen years, Jim (Matthew Goode), was killed in a car accident eight months ago. George has set his affairs in order with meticulous precision — settling his bills, writing his letters, selecting the right clothes to die in. The film follows him through a single day: teaching his students, lunching with his oldest friend Charley (Julianne Moore), encountering a luminous young student (Nicholas Hoult) who seems to see through him entirely. Tom Ford’s directorial debut, based on Christopher Isherwood’s 1964 novel, is a film of extraordinary visual beauty — each frame composed like a fashion photograph, the world’s colours saturating and draining as George’s will to live flickers. The performance is one of the finest of Colin Firth’s career: interior, precise, devastating. The Players Cast Colin Firth George Falconer Julianne Moore Charley Nicholas Hoult Kenny Matthew Goode Jim Jon Kortajarena Carlos Paulette Lamori Mrs. Strunk Ryan Simpkins Jennifer Strunk Ginnifer Goodwin Alicia Production Notes Tom Ford’s feature directorial debut; he co-wrote the screenplay with David Scearce, adapting Christopher Isherwood’s 1964 novel. Ford shot the film in 22 days on a tight budget; it has the visual texture of a high-fashion editorial throughout. The film’s colour palette deliberately shifts — scenes are desaturated when George is resigned to death, saturating into richness when he finds a reason to live. Colin won the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (2010) and the Venice Film Festival Volpi Cup (2009). He received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor. He lost the Oscar to Jeff Bridges ( Crazy Heart ) — one of the narrowest Oscar races in the category’s history; many felt Firth was the favourite. The film was produced by Tom Ford with Robert Salerno; Colin also served as producer. BAFTA Best Actor Venice Volpi Cup Oscar Nominated Golden Globe Nominated Critical Reception Reviews New York Times “Colin Firth gives a performance of extraordinary precision and feeling. He carries the film entirely on his face — a man dismantling himself with extraordinary care.” The Guardian — ★★★★★ “Tom Ford makes an astonishing debut. And Firth — restrained, controlled, devastatingly sad — gives what may be the performance of his career.” Variety “Firth makes George’s interior life so vivid that the film functions simultaneously as a character study and a meditation on grief, beauty and the will to continue.” Own It Buy or Stream Blu-ray / DVD on Amazon Novel (Isherwood) --- ## ColinFirth.com — A Single Man starring Colin Firth URL: https://firth.com/asm_gal01.html ColinFirth.com — A Single Man starring Colin Firth (8/24/09) Synopsis Cast News Galleries Reviews Notes Multimedia On Location Please do not upload any images to your own website, club, group or community's photo album. Thank you. Je suis désolée, but I have had to remove many of the large versions because of abuse Meal Break in Pasadena (Nov 25, 2008) Pasadena - with Lee Pace (Nov 24, 2008) Exclusively for firth.com by Terri Bremner ***Please do not upload elsewhere *** Pasadena (Nov 19, 2008) Director Tom Ford personally greeting the soon-to-be sweaty tennis player extras South Pasadena (Nov 18, 2008) Santa Monica (Nov 18, 2008) Glendale (Nov 6, 2008) Vasquez Park in Aqua Dulce with Matthew Goode (Nov 3, 2008) Arriving in Los Angeles with Matthew Goode (Oct 31, 2008) Please do not upload any images to your own website, club, group or community's photo album. Thank you. Home Click on boots to contact me --- ## ColinFirth.com — A Single Man starring Colin Firth URL: https://firth.com/asm_mm.html ColinFirth.com — A Single Man starring Colin Firth (2/05/10) Synopsis Cast News Galleries Reviews Notes Multimedia UK Publicity BBC Radio 4 Front Row Screen Actors Guild Awards TV Guide channel Red Carpet interview TNT Red Carpet interview US Publicity In Treatment with Elvis Mitchell on KCRW Fresh Air with Terry Gross on NPR audio download Transcript CBS News Sunday Morning (thanks to Mish) Charlie Rose Show David Poland DP/30 interview NPR (radio) news interview Matthew Rettenmund's ( Boy Culture blog ) account from press day, with numerous embedded videos of Colin, Tom, Julianne and Nic Andrew Freund talks to Colin Andrew Freund talks to Tom Ford Jeffrey Wells' interviews Los Angeles Press Conference The Hollywood Reporter interview Los Angeles Premiere at the AFI Fest London Film Festival (Oct 16, 2009) Red Carpet interviews on LoveFilm.com blog Firth, Ford and Hoult interviewed Toronto International Film Festival (Sept 14, 2009) Press conference (choice of video or audio only) Tom Ford Q&A after screening (WARNING; CONTAINS SPOILERS) Tom Ford introduces the film and actors Venice Film Festival (Sept 11-12, 2009) TV footage of Best Actor presentation and acceptance speech Ovation for film at premiere Fan video from ColinFirth-Fr site La Repubblica.it TV (3) post awards Biennale Channel on YouTube - Colin discusses his character George Press conference segment on YouTube Corriere della Sera TV Trova Cinema La Repubblica.it TV (2) La Repubblica.it TV (1) Official Trailer Sept 11, 2009 - Official trailier on Arte.tv Miscellaneous Listen to selections from the movie's soundtrack Feb 19, 2009 - Matthew Goode comments about working wirh Tom Ford during "Watchmen" press conference Please do not upload any images to your own website, club, group or community's photo album. Thank you. Home Click on boots to contact me --- ## ColinFirth.com — A Single Man starring Colin Firth URL: https://firth.com/asm_rev.html ColinFirth.com — A Single Man starring Colin Firth (10/16/09) Synopsis Cast News Galleries Reviews Notes Multimedia Evening Standard (Oct 16, 2009, by Nick Curtis) Tom Ford’s first film is an accomplished period piece, a melancholy study of a bereaved gay Englishman in a society—1960s Los Angeles—that cannot acknowledge his grief. As befits the work of a fashion designer, it is immaculately put together and looks gorgeous. But with Colin Firth giving an impeccably restrained performance in the lead role, A Single Man also has a coolness that borders on the chilly. Firth is “slightly stiff but perfect George”, a middle-aged English professor whose lover of 16 years (Matthew Goode) has died in a car crash. The funeral, a phone call distastefully informs George, “is just for family”. So we watch him trying to go through his normal day, his teacherly formality cracking under the weight of a silent pain that renders the looming Cuban Missile Crisis irrelevant. He delivers a snappish lecture to his students on fear of minorities, deflects offers of physical and emotional consolation, ominously loads a revolver. Ford, who adapted the screenplay from a Christopher Isherwood short story, directs with admirable economy and frames each shot beautifully, but there’s a detachment to his camera. The world it sees is formal and flawless, from George’s sharp suits, modernist glass house and glossy Mercedes, right down to the font on his headed notepaper. The neighbours who think he’s “light in [his] loafers” are a picture-perfect nuclear unit. Even the rogue element, Julianne Moore’s soused and self-pitying divorcee, Charlotte, is decked out in couture and a bespoke English accent. There’s also a lot of idealised male beauty around. Firth’s performance is strong enough not to be swamped by the production design. The flashback of him clinging, bawling, to Charlotte, accompanied only by mournful strings on the soundtrack, is terribly moving. But Ford himself seems at times frustrated not to be able to penetrate the surface of this world, where gay men must dissemble and feign. Often, his lens focuses on an eye, as if it were truly the window of the soul. But on screen it’s just a big, blue, beautiful eye. Entertainment Weekly (Sept 18, 2009, by Owen Gleiberman) The most ravishing shot I saw in any movie at Toronto this year occurs midway through A Single Man. The year is 1962, and we’re in Los Angeles, where George Falconer (Colin Firth), a 52-year-old college professor from London who teaches English at what looks like it might be UCLA, has stopped at a liquor store. There, a hustler tries to pick him up. George is homosexual, and very much in the closet (in 1962, there’s not really such thing as out of the closet), and as the two drift into the parking lot, the sunset glows with a purplish-pink, nearly unearthly beauty. What makes it so splendid? “It’s the smog,” says the hustler, who’s coiffed like a barrio James Dean, and sure enough there has never been a sunset that looks like this outside of L.A. It’s the weirdest thing: Suddenly, a movie is making you wistful for the dawn of the age of air pollution. George, it turns out, isn’t interested in the young man’s advances. He’s still in mourning over the death, in a car crash, of his romantic partner, Jim (Matthew Goode), a younger man he lived with, happily, for 16 years. To George, Jim is irreplaceable: his one and only love, his needle in the haystack. And all the beauty of the world is now just a reminder of everything he has lost. A Single Man is suffused with beauty (it’s a movie conceived in a swoon), and also with a sense of what 1962 was really like: the elegant streamlined clothes, the interiors that looked modern and slightly shabby-wooden at the same time, the more languid tempo that prevailed in an era before the electricity of the counterculture had begun to seep into everything. It’s the same mood, of course, that Mad Men evokes so brilliantly, only there’s a weekly-TV snap to the rhythms of Mad Men, whereas A Single Man is synched to the jazzy, laid-back West Coast melancholy of its protagonist, who has become addicted to his broken heart. Here’s a prediction: The movie will break yours as well. Colin Firth has always been an intensely likable actor, at times even a heartthrob, but in every movie I’ve seen him in, he is always…Colin Firth: witty, slightly diffident, with that feeling of resign hanging over his every grin and grimace. In A Single Man, though, I felt as if I were seeing him for the very first time. He’s got a different aura, with mildly blondish straight hair and horn rims that give him the look of a bookish Roger Moore, and though George spends the movie swimming in regret, he still maintains a light, puckish air. A Single Man is based on a 1964 novel by Christopher Isherwood, who wrote tales of liberated love in a pre-liberated era, and here, as in the movie of Brokeback Mountain, something richly ironic and emotional happens: Since the movie is set at a time before the lives of gay men were overtly politicized, and a man like George had to “pass,” almost invisibly, through his life, his erotic and romantic feelings are forced to flower, exclusively and almost luxuriously, inside him. The result is that this tale of passion in an outwardly oppressive era accomplishes what so many gay films in our comparatively free era have not, which is to transcend the very notion that sexual orientation should be categorized. For Isherwood, who died in 1986 (at the age of 81), love was love, period, and Tom Ford, the first-time director of A Single Man, has taken that spirit and made something small-scale yet tender and memorable out of it. Ford, a former fashion designer, became celebrated in the ’90s for reviving the houses of Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, and make no mistake: He’s also a born filmmaker, with a rapturous eye, an instinct for how to stage a scene, and a feeling for that special place where sadness and happiness intertwine until you can’t pull them apart. The entire film takes place over one day, in which George, besotted with quiet despair, teaches his classes, gets drawn to the flirtatious gaze of an adoring student (Nicholas Hoult), and makes plans for the suicide he intends to commit that night. Firth plays him as a man of his time who can’t stand the way that the times are changing—he already senses the ’60s coming, and he sees civility going out the window with them. Yet he is also, in the most delicate and moving way, ahead of his time. Firth’s performance is bound to win attention in this year’s Oscar race—he’s simply too good to be ignored. Julianne Moore is marvelous, too, as George’s divorced, tippling, slightly broken-down English chum, and so is Matthew Goode as Jim, who we see in flashbacks that present a domestic union of two men in the most simple, direct, and touching of terms. As Mad Man suggests, it may be a topsy-turvy world when we have to go back to 1962 to discover the people we maybe still are. But when that journey is undertaken with the debonair humanity that Tom Ford and Colin Firth bring to A Single Man, it’s one you won’t want to miss. The Hollywood Reporter (Sept 13, 2009, by Deborah Young) Designer Tom Ford makes a surprisingly successful leap from the fashion industry to the big screen with "A Single Man," a standout directing debut about a gay college professor who loses his longtime partner. The theme of the search for meaning after a great loss is developed with great sensitivity thanks to Colin Firth's moving performance in the main role — for which he won the best actor prize here — and should help the film go beyond gay audiences to attract the more mainstream attention of "Brokeback Mountain" and "Far From Heaven." Based on a novel by Christopher Isherwood, the screenplay by Ford and David Scearce is concise. It opens with a fatal car crash in 1962, in which Jim (Matthew Goode) is killed. George Falconer (Firth) learns about his lover's death the next day when a relative phones, but he is warned not to attend the funeral of the man he lived with for 16 years. Brokenhearted and alone, he seeks comfort from his long-ago-flame-now-friend Charley (Julianne Moore), who obviously still is in love with him. But George is too devastated to be interested in either sex and even rebuffs the approach of a hot young hustler (Jon Kortajarena, a true James Dean look-alike). He tries to avoid getting involved with his student Kenny (Nicholas Hoult), who is just discovering his sexual preferences and aggressively courting the older man. Instead, he makes plans for committing suicide. Most of the action takes place over the course of a single day in Los Angeles in the early '60s, when being gay was socially disapproved. The film brushes ever so lightly on the issue of discrimination, first implicitly, when George lectures his students on how society fears what it is not, and later, in a beautifully calibrated tete-a-tete between George and Charley, when she insinuates George and Jim did not have a "real relationship." Through snatches of their life together, it is apparent that George and Jim had a very real and loving relationship no matter what 1960s America thought. Their love story is contrasted to the next-door neighbors, who are down-to-earth suburbanites busy raising families and building nuclear bomb shelters. When a colleague tells George there won't be time for sentiment when the bomb falls, George characteristically retorts that he's not interested in living in a world without feeling. Firth's measured performance, delivered in a clipped British accent, has just the right restraint, and the intelligent dialogue is a pleasure. Moore is glamorous and likable as the alcoholic divorcee Charley, adrift without a husband. Goode and especially Hoult are just too perfect to be true, but they serve the purpose of offering George good reasons to stay alive. In contrast to Firth's underplaying, the directing has its overblown, operatic soul. Ford is unafraid of such cringeworthy moments as playing an opera solo over a suicide attempt or having a nattily dressed symbolic figure in Tom Ford Menswear give the kiss of death to the recently departed. In the same spirit, tech work is satisfyingly bold. Dan Bishop's stylish production design and Eduard Grau's cinematography set the film in a romantically idealized '60s world. The film score written by Abel Korzeniowski and Shigeru Umebayashi is variegated and full of lush orchestral themes that salute Hitchcock and Bernard Hermann, among others. Screendaily (Sept 11, 2009, by Lee Marshall) Fashion designer Tom Ford gets it spectacularly right first time round in his directorial debut, A Single Man. This adaptation of the 1964 novel by Christopher Isherwood about a gay British college professor in LA coping with the death of his partner is both stylistically assured and quietly moving as it charts a day in a life that has been scooped out but also spiritualised by grief and loss. It also represents a quantum leap for Colin Firth, who gives his most nuanced, compelling performance to date in the lead role. Warmly received at its Venice world premiere — there was a standing ovation for the director and cast even in the press conference — this intelligent, reflective melodrama should reap more plaudits in Toronto. Once it steps outside of the gated festival community, however, A Single Man will need to put up a commercial fight — despite the rave reviews, the Firth-Moore pairing, and the media interest surrounding Ford’s first movie foray, audiences will still need to talked into an autumnal period drama about a gay 52-year-old mourning the death of his partner and contemplating his own. But Brokeback Mountain has already done some of the prep work for Ford, and the awards season nominations this fine closet melodrama should receive will do some more. Given the right timing, A Single Man should play well at the broader end of the prestige arthouse market. The script does a fine job of turning the book’s stream-of-consciousness narration into a more objective but still profoundly empathetic view of literature professor George Falconer (Firth), whose partner of sixteen years, Jim (Goode) died in a car accident eight months before. George gets dressed, watches his suburban neighbours from his perch on the loo and drives into work while the radio news yabbers on about the Cuban missile crisis (the film is set in late autumn 1962). He goes through the motions but flashbacks, restrained passages of first-person voice-over, montage, musical pointing and Firth’s sensitive performance reveal that this elegant, private man, whose suit (by Tom Ford, of course), glasses and hairstyle lend him more than a passing resemblance to Yves-Saint-Laurent, is nursing a hurt that time has not healed. On campus, George departs from the set text to lecture his college class about minorities and society’s manipulation of fear. This being 1962, the gay agenda stays in the subtext of his monologue, and the tension this creates resonates throughout the film — which is in part about private freedom (symbolised not by sex, of which there is none, but more than once by nakedness) and public repression. Production design plays its part here too: George’s house — an airy wood and glass modernist structure — is open to wild nature, but all around him is a conformist, repressive, manicured suburbia. Three pivotal encounters — with Kenny (Hoult), a pretty-boy college student who appears to be stalking George, with a Spanish rent boy, and with his best friend Charlotte, aka Charley (Julianne Moore) slice up George’s day and keep getting in the way of his early-flagged intention to commit suicide. Though her ya-ya English accent is not the best she’s ever done, Moore is a worthy support to Firth as a lonely, gin-tippling woman who is still in love with her best friend (they had a brief sexual relationship many years before) and torn between sympathy for him and regret about what might have been if he hadn’t turned into a “fucking poof”. The film is good at evoking and sparking such complex emotions, but it resonates above all because of the way it turns a single man’s single day into a spiritual journey from despair to transfiguration. The one real wobble in an otherwise stylish package is the director’s use of bizarre colour boosts — from the default washed-out look to blazing technicolour — to signal moments of hope, life and redemption. The idea is sound — but it should have been more subtly managed. Variety (Sept 11, 2009, by Leslie Felperin) Like the speck of sand that seeds a pearl, it's the tiny fleck of kitsch at the heart of "A Single Man" that makes it luminous and treasurable, despite its imperfections. An impressive helming debut for fashion designer Tom Ford, who co-wrote the script with David Scearce, pic freely adapts Christopher Isherwood's seminal novel set in Los Angeles, circa 1962, in which a college prof (Colin Firth), grieving for his dead lover, contemplates death. Sterling perfs from a tony cast rep a selling point, but the film's ripely homoerotic flavor will make finding lovers in the sticks more difficult. Described by novelist Edmund White as "one of the first and best novels of the modern gay liberation movement," Isherwood's "A Single Man" presents a stream-of-consciousness portrait of a middle-aged gay man, known only as George, going about his daily routine in early '60s LA. Ford's script, which, per the press notes, departs significantly from Scearce's earlier draft, remains fairly close in spirit to the original but departs from it in one major direction: Here, Brit expat George Falconer (Firth) is so bereft over the recent death of his longtime companion, Jim (Matthew Goode), in a car accident, that he's planning to commit suicide — a plot point that injects tension into what might have been too quotidian a story had Isherwood's template been followed to the letter. Action is confined to a single day, during which George puts his affairs in order. Telling no one of his plans, he follows what's clearly a routine schedule — bantering with his housekeeper (Paulette Lamori), exchanging polite pleasantries with the all-American family next door and teaching his English class at a small college. Already detaching himself from the now, George can barely muster the energy to argue with a colleague (Lee Pace) about the ongoing Cuban Missile Crisis unfolding on the news. However, one of his students, the beautifully chiseled Kenny (Nicholas Hoult, the kid from "About a Boy," now all grown up) insists on approaching George to discuss literature, drugs and life in general; the glint in Kenny's eye hints at something more than purely educational interest. After a chaste afternoon encounter with a yet another gorgeous man (Jon Kortajarena), clearly a hustler looking for trade, George makes his way to the house of his friend Charley (Julianne Moore) for dinner that evening. An old friend from Blightly whom George once slept with, as flashbacks reveal, now-dipsomaniac divorcee Charley still can't accept that George, whom she knows is gay, will never want a "normal" married life with her, despite their rich friendship. Scene in which she makes what is presumably the latest in a long line of drunken passes at him is a classic, demonstrating extraordinary emotional nuance from Firth and Moore, both of whom firmly grasp the best roles either has had in some time. Ford's largely delicate touch reps a pleasant surprise, especially given his only filmmaking experience hitherto has been overseeing advertising campaigns for Gucci and his own current, self-named line of fashion products. Clearly this is material close to his heart, and the empathy shines through. What's more impressive is the skill he shows at evoking quietly sensual details, conjuring how, for instance, sniffing a stranger's dog brings back memories of George's beloved pet. Less surprising, given Ford's background, is the just-so exquisiteness of the overall look, not just in the men's clothes (Ford designed Firth's and Hoult's figure-hugging suits and casual outfits himself), but in the interiors and femme costumes, too, for which production designer Dan Bishop and costume designer Arianne Phillips respectively deserve co-credit. The way Charley's pink-and-gold parlor harmonizes not just with her sweeping monochrome dress but also her pink Sobranie cigarettes will evoke swoons of delight in auds for whom magazines like Wallpaper and Architectural Digest are holy writ. Indeed, the period detailing is almost too perfectly done, to the point where one can't help sensing the adman in Ford, nursing every detail to look not just accurate but impeccable and fashion-forward. Avid fans of "Mad Men" will notice not only that those pink Sobranies featured in an episode a few weeks before "A Single Man" premiered in Venice, but also that "Mad Men" gets the occasional ugliness of the period's design better. An uncredited, voice-only appearance here by "Mad Men's" Jon Hamm further evokes the series. It might be argued that Ford is so keen to show immaculate taste, he'll make sacrifices at the expense of verisimilitude, except that one key element in the filmmaking really does show an almost vulgar streak: Ford and lenser Eduard Grau's decision to play with the color saturation, so that the initially dun-and-dreary color scheme will suddenly morph in a single shot to a warmer palette, as if the lovely things George sees — a handsome face, a pretty blue dress — have literally brightened his day. The effect might have come off better if it had been more subtly deployed, but then again, that little quantum of kitsch might turn out to be what will make auds love this film all the more in years to come. The Times (Sept 11, 2009, by Wendy Ide) - 4 out of 5 stars It’s no surprise that the feature film directing debut of fashion designer Tom Ford is a thing of heart-stopping beauty. He celebrates the male form with a sensual reverence. He uses colour with the visual articulacy of Wong Kar Wai and frames his shots with elegance and wit. It looks like a Wallpaper magazine photo shoot styled by Douglas Sirk. But what is a little more unexpected, certainly for those who were suspicious of Ford’s background in the ephemeral world of fashion, is that this is no frothy, throwaway piece of pretty silliness. Rather it’s a work of emotional honesty and authenticity which announces the arrival of a serious filmmaking talent. There will be critics who will be unable to get past the director’s background, but rest assured: Tom Ford is the real deal. Ford’s decision to adapt Christopher Isherwood’s A Single Man shows that he is not shy of a challenge. Isherwood’s novel charts a day in the life of George Falconer, a recently-bereaved gay college lecturer in early 1960s LA. The book unfolds predominantly through an interior monologue, a device which is notoriously tricky to transfer to the big screen without resorting to pages of cumbersome voice-over. Ford sidesteps this by keeping the narration to a minimum and instead giving us vivid little glimpses into George’s bruised psyche with some well-chosen flashbacks. Ford brings one major change to the material. Rather than wander from encounter to encounter through the day, his George is given a purpose — a suicide he plans for with the same precision and impeccable good taste that he brings to everything else in his life. Knowing that this might be his last day on earth, George sees the quotidian banalities of his day to day life with fresh eyes and a new appreciation. The nearness of death makes him more alive than he has been for months. To convey this, Ford warms the colour. George’s grief and loneliness is grey but he rediscovers the world in saturated technicolor. It’s an effective technique but could have done with being dialled down a little, perhaps more subliminal than overt. In the role of George, Colin Firth gives one of the finest, most affecting performances of his career. Two moments stand out: a flashback to the fateful telephone call which told him of his lover Jim’s death. The camera rests steadily on his face as his world crumbles. It’s a devastating piece of acting. And there’s a lovely little detail later in the film — George buries his face in the fur of a terrier puppy, recapturing the sense memory of doggy smells and happier days spent with Jim and their own pets. More than anything, it’s Ford’s eye for evocative details like this that makes A Single Man such an impressive debut. Please do not upload any images to your own website, club, group or community's photo album. Thank you. Home Click on boots to contact me --- ## Awards & Honours — ColinFirth.com URL: https://firth.com/awards.html Awards & Honours — ColinFirth.com 1 Oscar 2 BAFTAs 1 Golden Globe 1 SAG Award 40+ Nominations Career Highlights Major Awards The 2010–11 awards season brought Colin Firth a historic sweep — his role as King George VI in The King’s Speech earned him virtually every major acting prize the industry offers, culminating in the Academy Award for Best Actor. He had previously been nominated for his performance in Tom Ford’s A Single Man (2009), which also won him his first BAFTA. Year Award Category Film Result 2011 Academy Award Best Actor The King’s Speech Win 2011 BAFTA Best Actor in a Leading Role The King’s Speech Win 2010 BAFTA Best Actor in a Leading Role A Single Man Win 2011 Golden Globe Best Actor – Drama The King’s Speech Win 2011 Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Male Actor The King’s Speech Win 2011 Critics’ Choice Best Actor The King’s Speech Win 2011 London Film Critics’ Circle Actor of the Year The King’s Speech Win 2010 Academy Award Best Actor A Single Man Nom 1997 BAFTA Best Actor The English Patient Nom 2004 BAFTA Best Actor Girl with a Pearl Earring Nom 2012 BAFTA Best Actor Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Nom 2010 Golden Globe Best Actor – Drama A Single Man Nom 2011 Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Cast The King’s Speech Nom 2012 Screen Actors Guild Outstanding Cast The King’s Speech Nom On the Circuit Festival & Critics Awards Before the major awards season arrived, Firth won the Venice Film Festival’s Volpi Cup for A Single Man in 2009 — a sign of things to come. The King’s Speech went on to sweep the critics’ circuit in 2010–11, collecting prizes from New York to Los Angeles. Year Award Category Film Result 2009 Venice Film Festival Volpi Cup — Best Actor A Single Man Win 2010 Toronto Int’l Film Festival People’s Choice Award The King’s Speech Win 2011 New York Film Critics Circle Best Actor The King’s Speech Win 2011 Los Angeles Film Critics Association Best Actor The King’s Speech Win 2011 National Board of Review Best Actor The King’s Speech Win 2011 Broadcast Film Critics Association Best Actor The King’s Speech Win 2011 Empire Awards Best Actor The King’s Speech Win 2010 San Francisco Film Critics Circle Best Actor A Single Man Win Beyond the Screen Honours Recognition of Colin Firth has extended beyond the film industry, with formal honours from the British state, universities, and the country of Italy, where he has long maintained deep personal and family ties. 2011 OBE — Order of the British Empire Appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours List, for services to drama. He notably declined the honour in 2024, having become increasingly disenchanted with the system. Honorary Degrees Honorary Doctorates Firth has received honorary degrees from the University of Winchester and several other institutions, in recognition of his contribution to British film and culture. Italian Citizenship Dual British–Italian Citizenship Colin Firth holds dual citizenship, having been granted Italian citizenship through his long connection to Italy — where he met his wife, producer Livia Giuggioli — and his time living there. He publicly noted the citizenship as partly a response to Brexit. --- ## Award Watch — ColinFirth.com URL: https://firth.com/awardwatch.html Award Watch — ColinFirth.com 🏆 2025 – 2027 Awards Season Award Watch Six projects. Three award seasons. One of the busiest stretches in Colin Firth’s 40-year career — tracked from nomination to podium. 1 Oscar 2 BAFTAs 1 Golden Globe 3 SAG Awards 1 Volpi Cup 2 Emmy Noms 65+ Total Noms Current Races The Contenders — Odds & Analysis ★ Nominated Sky / Peacock • 2025 Lockerbie: A Search for Truth Dr. Jim Swire — Limited Series Colin’s performance as the Lockerbie father who spent 35 years seeking answers has drawn universal acclaim. Already BAFTA-nominated, with Emmy and SAG campaigns building. BAFTA TV 45% Emmy 55% Golden Globe 40% SAG 35% 🎞 Spielberg Universal • Jun 12, 2026 Disclosure Day Antagonist — Sci-Fi Thriller Spielberg’s first original sci-fi in decades. Colin plays the antagonist trying to stop full UFO disclosure. The film is early in the 2027 Oscar conversation — Spielberg + aliens is an undefeated combo. Oscar Nom 25% Globe Nom 30% Best Picture 40% Venice? Tom Ford • Fall 2026 Cry to Heaven Tom Ford • Anne Rice Adaptation Colin reunites with Tom Ford after A Single Man (which won him the Volpi Cup at Venice). Cast includes Adele, Nicholas Hoult, and Aaron Taylor-Johnson. Filmed in Rome. Venice premiere rumored. Venice 50% Oscar Watch 20% BAFTA Film 25% 83% RT Prime Video • Mar 2026 Young Sherlock Sir Bucephalus Hodge — Supporting Guy Ritchie’s origin series hit #1 on Prime Video. 83% on Rotten Tomatoes. Colin’s supporting role is scene-stealing but in a crowded Emmy field. Emmy Supp. 15% SAG Ensem. 20% Filming Apple TV+ • 2027 Berlin Noir Paul Lohser — Lead 1930s Berlin murder detective. Colin reunites with Tinker Tailor screenwriter Peter Straughan. Apple TV+ has deep pockets for awards campaigns. Currently filming in Berlin. Emmy Lead 35% Globe Lead 30% Franchise 20th Century • Sep 2026 Kingsman: The Blue Blood Harry Hart — Franchise Finale The concluding chapter. Franchise films rarely contend for acting awards — but if the Hart/Eggsy farewell lands emotionally, the conversation could shift. Awards 5% Box Office $$$ 🏆 BAFTA TV • May 10, 2026 Leading Actor — The Competition Colin is one of six nominees. Stephen Graham’s Adolescence leads overall nominations. The race is tight. ★ Colin Firth Lockerbie: A Search for Truth Stephen Graham Adolescence Taron Egerton Smoke Matt Smith The Death of Bunny Munro Ellis Howard What It Feels Like for a Girl James Nelson-Joyce This City Is Ours Full BAFTA TV 2026 coverage — all categories, nominees, and results as they happen: BAFTA TV 2026 on TVReviewer.com → Calendar Ceremony Timeline Every date that matters for Colin Firth from now through the 2027 Oscars. May 10 TV BAFTA Television Awards Colin nominated for Leading Actor. Royal Festival Hall, London. TVReviewer → Jun 12 Film Disclosure Day Opens Spielberg’s sci-fi hits cinemas. 2027 Oscar season begins. Jul 8 TV Emmy Nominations 78th Primetime Emmy noms. Lockerbie and Young Sherlock eligible. TVReviewer → Sep Film Venice Film Festival Cry to Heaven rumored for In Competition. Colin won the Volpi Cup here in 2009. Sep 12 Film Kingsman: The Blue Blood The franchise finale opens in cinemas worldwide. Sep TV 78th Primetime Emmy Awards Ceremony on NBC. TVReviewer → Jan ’27 Film TV Golden Globes Disclosure Day + Lockerbie eligible. TVReviewer → Feb ’27 Film TV SAG Awards Film and TV. Multiple Firth projects eligible. TVReviewer → Feb ’27 Film BAFTA Film Awards Disclosure Day and Cry to Heaven eligible. Mar ’27 Film 99th Academy Awards The big one. TVReviewer → 🎥 Complete Award Show Coverage TVReviewer.com Every major entertainment award show — Emmys, Oscars, BAFTAs, Golden Globes, SAG, Critics Choice, and more. Full nominees, winners, predictions, and history. TVReviewer.com → Emmys 2026 → BAFTAs 2026 → Oscars 2027 → Globes 2027 → SAG 2027 → --- ## ColinFirth.com — Blackadder: Back and Forth URL: https://firth.com/BA.html ColinFirth.com — Blackadder: Back and Forth Last updated 2/24/01 Was shown in the US on PBS during March 2001 (national date of the 6th). Accompanied by a fascinating behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of the program, interviews with the cast, and amusing clips from other Blackadder programs. So Blackadder got out of the room alive...only to bump into a hairy playwright in need of a hefty hiding. Scene Six: Elizabethan Corridor Blackadder exits into the corridor, rushes round the corner and runs straight into a fellow with a ruff—papers go everywhere. Blackadder Oh, I’m so sorry... Blackadder makes a token effort at helping—picks up a couple of sheets. The frontispiece says ‘Macbeth’. I am sorry. Wait a minute—you’re not...? Shakespeare Will Shakespeare, yes. Don’t say it! I know—you hated Two Gentlemen of Verona. This one’s much better. Blackadder Well, bugger my giddy aunt. You couldn’t just sign something for me, could you? Shakespeare Certainly. He looks around for a pen. Blackadder produces one from his jacket. Blackadder Sorry, it’s just a biro. Shakespeare, though puzzled by the pen, signs the Macbeth frontispiece. Thank you. Blackadder moves away—then has a thought. Oh, and just one more thing... Shakespeare Yes? Blackadder turns and knocks Shakespeare down with one clean punch. Blackadder This is for every schoolboy and schoolgirl for the next four hundred years. Have you any idea how much suffering you are going to cause. Hours spent at school desks trying to find one joke in A Midsummer Night’s Dream? Years wearing stupid tights in school plays and saying things like ‘What ho, my lord’ and ‘Oh, look, here comes Othello, talking total crap as usual’. Oh, and... He kicks Shakespeare, who’s still on the ground. ...that is for Ken Branagh’s endless uncut four-hour version of Hamlet. Shakespeare Who’s Ken Branagh? Blackadder I’ll tell him you said that. And I think he’ll be very hurt. Blackadder leaves. Shakespeare is devastated. Later in our story.... Blackadder and Baldrick escaped for the final time and, due to a cunning plan to do with drowning Baldrick, made it back home. Tragically, home turned out to have been drastically changed due to their adventures. So they set off once more, to put everything right. Scene Twenty: Elizabethan Corridor Blackadder I’m a very big fan, Bill. Shakespeare Thank you. Blackadder Keep up the good work. King Lear —very funny. Read a review of Blackadder Back and Forth at the Shadows on the Wall website Click here Return to Main Click on boots to contact me --- ## Biography — ColinFirth.com URL: https://firth.com/bio.html Biography — ColinFirth.com 1960 Born 40+ Years of career 2011 Oscar Winner 2× BAFTA Best Actor 3 Children CBE 2011 Honours Origins Early Life Colin Andrew Firth was born on 10 September 1960 in Grayshott, Hampshire, England. His father, David Firth, was a lecturer in history, and his mother, Shirley Jean (née Rollings), was a teacher of comparative religion. The family moved frequently throughout his childhood, following his father’s academic postings — including a period in Nigeria, where David Firth taught at the University of Ibadan, and the year of 1971–72 in St. Louis, Missouri, where his father held a visiting post teaching history at St. Louis Community College — Florissant Valley. The family lived in Florissant , the working-class suburb in the Missouri River bottoms north of the city, and eleven-year-old Colin attended Hazelwood Junior High . Mercilessly teased for his English accent, he taught himself a flat Missouri vowel and adopted the local pose of indifference to schoolwork — survival tactics he has since described in interviews as the formative experience of his early life. Firth has spoken of the St. Louis year as giving him an early, vivid sense of being an outsider looking in — an experience that perhaps informs the observational precision of so many of his screen performances. On returning to England, Firth attended Montgomery of Alamein Secondary School in Winchester. He subsequently won a place at Drama Centre London — the Stanislavski-based conservatoire whose graduates include Frances de la Tour, Pierce Brosnan, Penelope Wilton and Helen McCrory. He left before completing the course, however, having been offered the role of Guy Bennett in Julian Mitchell’s play Another Country . That early departure from formal training in favour of a live stage opportunity set the tone for a career guided by instinct as much as craft. The Stage & Screen Beginnings Early Career 1982 Another Country Stage • Queen’s Theatre, London as Guy Bennett Firth’s stage debut, in Julian Mitchell’s drama loosely based on the life of spy Guy Burgess. He left Drama Centre London to take the role and it marked the moment his professional life truly began. 1984 Another Country Film • Goldcrest Films as Guy Bennett His screen debut, reprising his stage role in the film adaptation alongside Rupert Everett. The picture was a critical success and introduced Firth’s screen presence to wider audiences. Early television work followed, including several BBC productions throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. 1995 Pride & Prejudice Television • BBC as Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy The performance that defined a generation. Andrew Davies’s BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel became a cultural phenomenon, watched by over ten million viewers. The scene in which Darcy emerges from a lake in a soaked white shirt became one of the most celebrated moments in British television history — and made Firth a household name around the world. Leading Man Rise to Hollywood 2001 Bridget Jones’s Diary Film • Universal Pictures as Mark Darcy A role that consciously echoed his Mr. Darcy, playing the buttoned-up barrister opposite Renée Zellweger’s Bridget. The film was a global box-office hit, cementing Firth’s status as a leading man in international cinema. 2003 Love Actually Film • Universal Pictures as Jamie Richard Curtis’s ensemble Christmas romantic comedy became one of the most beloved British films of its era. Firth’s storyline — a heartbroken writer who falls for his Portuguese housekeeper — has remained a favourite among fans. Girl with a Pearl Earring Film • Lions Gate / Pathé as Johannes Vermeer A career-defining dramatic performance as the 17th-century Dutch master painter, opposite Scarlett Johansson. The role earned Firth a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor in a Leading Role and demonstrated his capacity for quiet, interior performances of considerable power. Peak Recognition Award Years 2009 A Single Man Film • Weinstein Company as George Falconer Fashion designer Tom Ford’s directorial debut, adapted from Christopher Isherwood’s novel. Firth plays a gay British university professor in 1960s Los Angeles who, following the death of his partner, spends a day contemplating suicide. A performance of profound restraint and emotional depth. It earned him his first Academy Award nomination for Best Actor and a BAFTA win for Best Actor in a Leading Role. 2010 The King’s Speech Film • The Weinstein Company / Entertainment One as King George VI Widely regarded as one of the finest screen performances of his generation. As King George VI, struggling with a debilitating stammer on the eve of the Second World War, Firth delivered a masterclass in controlled vulnerability. The film won four Academy Awards including Best Picture. Firth himself won the Academy Award for Best Actor, the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama, and the SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role. The Later Career Recent Work 2011–19 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 2011 • Film as Bill Haydon Tomas Alfredson’s adaptation of John le Carré’s espionage novel, with a stellar ensemble including Gary Oldman, Mark Strong and John Hurt. Firth’s cold, composed turn as a senior MI6 officer with a devastating secret was widely praised. Kingsman: The Secret Service 2015 • Film as Harry Hart / Galahad Matthew Vaughn’s stylish action franchise launched to great acclaim. Firth’s Harry Hart became an instant icon of the series, returning in Kingsman: The Golden Circle (2017). Mamma Mia! & Here We Go Again 2008 • 2018 • Film as Harry Bright One of three potential fathers to Sophie in the global ABBA musical smash, Firth appeared in both the original (2008) and the sequel Here We Go Again (2018), demonstrating rare comic range and a willingness to simply delight audiences. 1917 2019 • Film as General Erinmore Sam Mendes’s technically astonishing World War I film, shot to appear as a single continuous take. Firth lends gravitas to the early scenes as the general who despatches two young soldiers on a near-impossible mission. 2020–25 Supernova 2020 • Film as Sam A quietly devastating road trip film opposite Stanley Tucci, following two men facing the creeping reality of early-onset dementia. One of Firth’s most intimate performances. Operation Mincemeat 2021 • Film as Ewen Montagu The true story of a brilliantly audacious WWII deception scheme, directed by John Madden. Co-starring Matthew Macfadyen and Kelly Macdonald. The Staircase 2022 • HBO Max Limited Series as Michael Peterson Antonio Campos’s dramatisation of the Michael Peterson murder case, in which a novelist is charged with the murder of his wife. Firth leads the series across eight episodes. Lockerbie: A Search for Truth 2025 • Sky Atlantic • Peacock as Jim Swire A deeply human portrait of a father’s decades-long quest for answers following the 1988 Lockerbie bombing in which his daughter Flora was killed. Among the most powerful performances of Firth’s later career. 2026 Berlin Noir Apple TV+ • Currently Filming as Paul Lohser Adaptation of Philip Kerr’s celebrated detective novels set in 1928 Berlin. Firth plays the meticulous, prickly murder detective alongside Jack Lowden’s Bernie Gunther. Disclosure Day Universal Pictures • Dir. Steven Spielberg • June 2026 Role TBA Spielberg’s first original science-fiction film in decades, co-starring Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor and Colman Domingo. One of the most anticipated films of the year. Off-Screen Marriages & Family First Marriage • 1989–1994 Meg Tilly Canadian-American actress & novelist Married 1989 • Separated 1994 Firth’s first wife was the Canadian-American actress Meg Tilly, known internationally for her performances in The Big Chill (1983) and Agnes of God (1985) — the latter earning her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. The couple married in 1989. Their son, William (Will) Joseph Firth, was born on 27 September 1990. Following the separation in 1994, Tilly stepped back from her acting career to focus on raising Will in Canada, and later reinvented herself as a critically acclaimed novelist, publishing several well-received works of fiction. Will Firth has himself moved into music and the arts. Second Marriage • 1997–2019 Livia Giuggioli Italian film producer • Founder, Flore Films Married 1 November 1997 • Separated 2019 In 1997, Firth married Italian film producer Livia Giuggioli, founder of the production company Flore Films. The couple had two sons: Luca Firth (born 2001) and Matteo Firth (born 2003). Luca has followed both parents into the arts world. In 2018, the couple made headlines when it emerged that Livia had had a relationship with childhood friend and Italian journalist Marco Brancaccia during a period of separation in 2015–16. She subsequently reported Brancaccia to Italian police for alleged stalking; Firth released a statement confirming the situation and noting that the couple had at that point reconciled. After more than twenty-two years of marriage, Colin and Livia announced their separation in 2019. Children William (Will) Firth Born 27 Sept 1990 • with Meg Tilly Luca Firth Born 2001 • with Livia Giuggioli Matteo Firth Born 2003 • with Livia Giuggioli Citizenship & Honours Born a British subject, Firth was granted Italian citizenship in 2016 through his then-wife Livia. The timing was closely tied to the Brexit referendum: he stated publicly that the Italian passport was important to him as a means of retaining European citizenship. “I thought about it before, but Brexit has made it feel very urgent,” he told reporters at the time. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours for services to drama. He holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Winchester, the city where he attended school. Philanthropy & Advocacy Charity & Causes Poverty & Global Justice Long-term supporter of Oxfam , lending his profile to the Make Poverty History and Trade Justice campaigns. Has participated in Comic Relief fundraising and supported the ONE Campaign , the global movement against extreme poverty co-founded by Bono and Bob Geldof. Human Rights Supporter of Reprieve , the British legal charity representing prisoners facing the death penalty. During the European refugee crisis of 2015–16, he was a vocal advocate for refugee rights, lending his profile to UNHCR campaigns. Earlier in his career he supported the campaign for the release of Aung San Suu Kyi , the Burmese pro-democracy leader held under house arrest. He has also supported War Child , working with children in conflict zones. The UCL Brain Study In one of the more unexpected chapters of his public life, Firth “commissioned” — originally as a deadpan remark on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme — a neuroscience study at University College London into structural brain differences between liberals and conservatives. The UCL researchers actually carried it out: Dr Ryota Kanai and colleagues found that self-described liberals tended to have a larger anterior cingulate cortex (associated with tolerating uncertainty), while conservatives tended to have a larger amygdala (associated with fear responses). Published in Current Biology , April 2011. The story was reported worldwide. Arts & Education Patron of the Shakespeare Schools Foundation , which enables schoolchildren across the UK to perform Shakespeare in professional theatres. Patron of the Hay Festival , the annual literary festival in Wales. Supporter of Music for Life , the dementia-focused music charity. Italy Earthquake Relief After the devastating August 2016 earthquake in central Italy — which killed nearly 300 people and destroyed the medieval town of Amatrice — Firth and Livia publicly donated to reconstruction efforts and used their combined platform to draw international attention to the affected communities. Environment Long-standing environmental advocate. Has spoken and written about climate change in numerous interviews and public forums, and lent his name to a range of environmental campaigns over the course of his career. Civic Life Political Engagement Electoral Reform. Firth is one of Britain’s most persistent celebrity advocates for proportional representation. Following the 2010 general election — in which the Liberal Democrats received over 23 per cent of the national vote but won only 57 seats — he co-founded the Take Back Parliament campaign, which organised a major demonstration in central London attended by tens of thousands of people. He has been a patron of the Make Votes Count campaign and has written at length about the case for electoral reform, sustaining the argument over many years when it attracted little media interest. Brexit. He was a vocal opponent of the United Kingdom’s departure from the European Union, and publicly applied for Italian citizenship in the immediate aftermath of the June 2016 referendum. He has since spoken regularly about what he regards as the damaging cultural, economic and social consequences of Brexit, and has used platforms including The Guardian to make the case for closer European ties. On Politics. Firth has described himself as on the political left and has written for various publications on issues from criminal justice to environmental policy. He brings an unusually considered — rather than merely performative — approach to political commentary. His articles and interviews on political subjects tend to be more carefully argued than is typical of public figures engaging with these themes, and he has been willing to articulate unfashionable positions with patience and precision. Accolades Key Awards & Nominations Academy Award ✓ Best Actor — The King’s Speech (2011) Academy Award nom. Best Actor — A Single Man (2010) BAFTA ✓ Best Actor in a Leading Role — The King’s Speech (2011) Best Actor in a Leading Role — A Single Man (2010) BAFTA nom. Best Actor in a Leading Role — Girl with a Pearl Earring (2004) Best Actor in a Leading Role — Tumbledown (1988, TV) Golden Globe ✓ Best Actor, Motion Picture Drama — The King’s Speech (2011) Golden Globe nom. Best Actor, Motion Picture Drama — A Single Man (2010) SAG Award ✓ Outstanding Male Actor, Leading Role — The King’s Speech (2011) SAG nom. Outstanding Male Actor, Leading Role — A Single Man (2010) Critics’ Choice ✓ Best Actor — The King’s Speech (2011) Evening Standard ✓ Best Actor — The King’s Speech (2011) Venice Film Festival Volpi Cup, Best Actor — A Single Man (2009) Emmy nom. Outstanding Lead Actor, Limited Series — The Staircase (2022) CBE Commander of the Order of the British Empire — 2011 Queen’s Birthday Honours, for services to drama Honorary Degree Doctor of Letters — University of Winchester Oscar Winner 2011 2× BAFTA Best Actor Golden Globe 2011 SAG Award 2011 Volpi Cup Venice 2009 CBE 2011 Emmy Nominated 2022 --- ## Bridget Jones’s Baby — ColinFirth.com URL: https://firth.com/bjbaby.html Bridget Jones’s Baby — ColinFirth.com The Story Synopsis Bridget Jones (Renée Zellweger), now a successful television news producer in her early forties, finds herself unexpectedly pregnant after two encounters in quick succession — one with her long-term on-and-off love Mark Darcy (Colin Firth), a prominent human rights barrister, and one with a charming American dating app entrepreneur named Jack Qwant (Patrick Dempsey). Unable to determine the father, Bridget navigates an increasingly complicated romantic situation while preparing for the arrival of her child. Mark, quietly devastated and quietly hopeful in equal measure, must process the possibility that the woman he loves is carrying another man’s child. Emma Thompson co-wrote the screenplay alongside Helen Fielding and Dan Mazer — and also appears in the film as Bridget’s hilariously pragmatic obstetrician, Dr. Rawlings. The third film in the series is warmer and more confident than its predecessors, leaning into the comedy of middle age with an affection that feels earned after fifteen years. The Players Cast Colin Firth Mark Darcy Renée Zellweger Bridget Jones Patrick Dempsey Jack Qwant Emma Thompson Dr. Rawlings Jim Broadbent Bridget’s Dad Gemma Jones Bridget’s Mum Sally Phillips Shazzer Ed Sheeran Himself Production Notes Released in the UK on September 7, 2016; North America September 16, 2016. The biggest UK film of 2016 — grossed £46.27 million domestically and $212 million worldwide against a $35 million budget. Colin’s first appearance as Mark Darcy in twelve years, after Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason (2004). Emma Thompson received a BAFTA nomination for the screenplay. Her Dr. Rawlings character was written specifically for her by Thompson herself. Hugh Grant declined to return; his character Daniel Cleaver is written out of the story with a brisk, funny explanation. Directed by Sharon Maguire, who also directed the original 2001 film. Not Beeban Kidron, who directed the 2004 sequel. BAFTA Nom — Adapted Screenplay (Thompson) #1 UK Box Office 2016 89% Rotten Tomatoes Critical Reception Reviews The Guardian “It’s a joy to watch. Zellweger, Firth and Dempsey have terrific chemistry, Emma Thompson’s script is sharp and funny, and there are several laugh-out-loud moments.” Empire “A triumphant return for Britain’s most beloved singleton. Colin Firth’s Mark Darcy is as stiff-upper-lip adorable as ever.” The Hollywood Reporter “For fans of the series, it will be something to cherish. The cast are visibly delighted to be back together.” Own It Buy or Stream Blu-ray / DVD on Amazon --- ## ColinFirth.com — Born Equal starring Colin Firth URL: https://firth.com/born.html ColinFirth.com — Born Equal starring Colin Firth (12/14/06) Synopsis Cast News Galleries Reviews Notes Multimedia Official Site Social inequality in Britain today is addressed through the lives of several characters whose paths collide at a B&B temporarily housing the homeless and dispossessed. Mark (Colin Firth) is a wealthy city worker whose conscience and guilt about his luxurious lifestyle prompt him to try to help those less fortunate, but it results in turmoil for both himself and others. Staying at the B&B are Michelle (Anne-Marie Duff), a pregnant mother with a young child who has escaped an abusive husband; Nigerian Yemi (David Oyelowo), and his family; and Robert (Robert Carlyle), newly released from prison and embarking on a search for his mother. Colin Firth Mark Anne-Marie Duff Michelle Robert Carlyle Robert David Oyelowo Yemi On location (updated 12/09/06) Promo screencaps (updated 12/04/06) Production stills (updated 12/09/06) To have and have not (Independent, Dec 14, 2006, by James Rampton) Born Equal, a potent, yet bleak new BBC1 drama about the plight of the homeless, was originally to be titled To Have and Have Not. That sums up the divide that is at the heart of Dominic Savage's film. Boasting an unusually stellar cast for television — movie stars Colin Firth and Robert Carlyle rub shoulders with Emilia Fox, Anne-Marie Duff, David Oyelowo and Julia Davis — Born Equal explores the gulf between rich and poor. Savage's drama homes in on Swiss Cottage. Although the haves and have-nots live next-door to each other in that affluent area of north London, there remains a seemingly unbridgeable gap between them. In the film, Mark (Firth) is a hedge fund manager who is toasting a million-pound bonus. On the way back from his celebrations, an acrimonious encounter with an aggressive beggar in a subway causes Mark to reassess his life. Assailed by guilt, he begins to realise the emptiness of his all-consuming pursuit of money and wants to put something back into society. So he volunteers to help out at a local homeless hostel. There, he strikes up an ambiguous relationship with a young teenage runaway, Zoë (Nichola Burley), and he pours his heart out to her: "I looked around at everything I had, and it just seemed emptier and emptier." Troubled by his feelings for Zoë, Mark refuses to tell his heavily pregnant wife Laura (Fox) what he's doing in the evenings and she starts to suspect him of having an affair. Meanwhile, in the same hostel, a tentative romance develops between Robert (Carlyle), a brutalised ex-con, and Michelle (Duff), a young mother fleeing her abusive husband. But the impoverished Robert is becoming increasingly incensed by the ostentatious exhibitions of wealth just around the corner from their hostel. He snarls to Michelle, "I don't like it when people display it, when it's pushed down your throat. That's when it gets annoying." Trying her best to calm her volatile new partner, Michelle ventures: "We're all under the same sky, aren't we?" Savage, who won Baftas for both When I Was 12 and Nice Girl, has been slaving over a hot editing desk in Soho. Pausing in his labours, he explains that during many months of research and interviews with more than 50 homeless people, he was struck by the strong sense of "us and them" that stalks so many streets of London. "The issue I really wanted to deal with was the extremes of difference in people's lives," reflects Savage. "In a place like London, those extremes can be experienced within just a few streets. People can be in hugely different worlds but sharing the same space. The film shows huge contrasts between people and how they live, their ideas, what they've got and what they haven't got." The most remarkable aspect of Born Equal is that it is entirely improvised. Like real-life speech, the dialogue is jagged and jerky, and sentences tail off without warning. This gives the drama an unvarnished and naturalistic quality. The actors never knew in advance in which direction a scene might take them. The director even shot two alternative endings, and only decided which one to use when making the final cut. Savage, a genial, bald man who is far more cheery than his films, is a former actor who evidently knows how to bring the best out of his cast. Yet he still admits that the process of improvisation "is scary. Even after five films like this [as well as his Bafta-winning work, Savage directed the acclaimed Out of Control and Love + Hate ], I still get totally nervous before each one. But my attitude has always been that this approach concentrates the mind. It's good to feel that this could be your last ever film. "No one else works like this — Mike Leigh locks down his dialogue after months of improv. It's a huge risk — the actors could be totally embarrassing. That's why casting is so important; it's a long and rigorous process. You might find certain stars who are very closed, and you know that with them it could be a hard journey to something that in the end may not work anyway. "But once you've found the right actors — ones you know will be in tune with the subject matter — they feel liberated and empowered by the experience. Often you feel manipulated if you stick to a script and can't develop themes. You can feel hemmed in on a conventional film. The restrictions on your emotions put a huge burden on you. This, on the other hand, gives the actors the freedom to fly." What was the experience like for the actors themselves, though? "Absolutely terrifying," exclaims Firth. "Dominic doesn't even rehearse. He just switches on the camera and says: 'Go for it.' It's like jumping into a freezing pool - you just hope you pop up again alive." The actor continues: "I found it particularly challenging because the character of Mark was so far removed from me. I don't react to my wife or the homeless in that way, and I'm certainly not a hedge fund manager. "In fact, I wouldn't understand what a hedge fund manager does even if you sat me down and explained it to me for an entire lifetime. Anything financial gets actors into a complete terror. I start to suffocate when I see numbers on a screen. It takes me right back to that utter inability to get anywhere with maths O-level." For her part, Fox found the improvisation exhilarating. "The whole process makes the drama much more alive. People often watch filming and say: 'It's so boring. The actors just say the same lines over and over again.' There is no danger of that happening on a Dominic Savage film. Every take has a real spontaneity about it - and that is reflected in the vividness of the finished drama." Sometimes the plausibility of it all got to her. The actress recollects that "in one sequence my character doesn't know where her husband is. She has been awake for hours waiting for him to come home. Playing the scene where Mark finally comes home and Laura confronts him felt very real. I absolutely got into character. So as Laura, I had this awful hollow sickness in my stomach because I thought that my worst fears were confirmed, that he was having an affair and that my life would be changed forever. "I got myself into a real state, to the point where I had no control. That's what Dominic gets out of his actors — that pure emotion. And that, I hope, is what makes his drama so credible." Despite such traumas, Fox clearly relished the process. "It's such a delight to work like that," she enthuses. "I feel like I've just test-driven a great car. Now I've got a feel for it, I just want another drive. Perhaps I could improvise something during my lunchbreaks on Silent Witness [Fox has a starring role]." When Born Equal was announced earlier this year, it was slated to be part of the 40th-anniversary celebrations of Cathy Come Home, Ken Loach's pioneering television drama about homelessness. That film is a rare example of TV having a tangible impact on society; the uproar it caused led to the formation of the charity for the homeless, Shelter. Savage shies away from comparisons between his film and Loach's. "It's not fair to attach Born Equal to the most groundbreaking landmark television drama of all time. I don't want to repeat what Ken Loach said. And I don't want to make an overly polemical film, either. Once you start tying to make overt political points, that's a turn-off. I made this less out of anger, and more out of sympathy." All the same, do the people involved in Born Equal believe that a film such as theirs can help to change society? "For years now, I've been distressed about our attitude towards the homeless and asylum-seekers," says Firth. "It troubles me greatly because it's so irrational, so deeply misguided and so cruel. So, as a portrait of what some people are up against, Born Equal is really positive. It won't change viewers' opinions overnight, but it manages to humanise the sort of people we might otherwise cross the road to avoid. Next time someone looks at a homeless person with fear and loathing, they might remember a character they liked from this drama. The best films hang around in people's minds for years. You hear people saying: 'That's like a moment in The Godfather or Casablanca. ' I'd love this film to seep into people's consciousness in the same way." Powerful as it is, Born Equal is scarcely uplifting. Light years away from traditional, heartwarming Sunday-night fare, it will not be bringing Christmas cheer to the nation's living rooms. But Savage makes no apology for the challenging nature of his film. "The previewers might say: 'This is dark, gritty, difficult', but people shouldn't be scared of those areas. That's where the most interesting drama lies. It does not reside in 'And they all lived happily ever after'." Colin comes home (TV Guide, Dec 16, 2006, by Wendy Granditer) When fictional drama Cathy Come Home was first shown on British TV in 1966, it was such a realistic look at the issue of homelessness that many viewers mistook it for a documentary. Forty years on, a new one-off drama about social exclusion, Born Equal, hits our screens. And while it’s unlikely to have the same shock value as Ken Loach’s original film—viewers are used to seeing gritty social dramas—it promises to be just as bleak and thought-provoking. Boasting an all-star cast, Born Equal interweaves the stories of several characters whose paths collide in and around a London B&B that houses the homeless and dispossessed. The story was given an even rougher edge by writer and director Dominic Savage’s style of letting his cast improvise much of the story themselves at the start. “I’d never done anything like this before, where there’s absolutely no dialogue to begin with,” says Colin Firth, 46, who plays Mark, a wealthy but disillusioned City worker. “You just jump in cold, which is a bizarre feeling. You’re flying by the seat of your pants all the time.” Despite money, status and beautiful, pregnant wife Laura (Emilia Fox), Mark is dissatisfied with his life and finds himself moved to do something more, with devastating consequences. “Mark works in a world of big business, a world of self-interest, and it bothers him, and for one reason or another he ends up working with homeless people,” says Colin, who made his name as the moody Mr Darcy in the 1995 TV version of Pride And Prejudice and whose recent work has been on the big screen in films such as Bridget Jones’s Diary, Love Actually and Girl With A Pearl Earring. “Perhaps some of what he goes through is a product of a mid-life crisis, problems with his marriage or his wanting to run away from feeling trapped.” But things spiral out of control when he becomes involved with a teenage runaway, Zoë (Nichola Burley), who begins to rely on him. “Mark is a sympathetic character at times, but there are other times when his behaviour makes it impossible to feel that about him. In trying to assuage his guilt, he ends of hurting a lot of people,” explains Colin, who lives in London with his Italian TV producer wife Livia and their two sons Luca, five and Mateo, three. The actor feels that his character is not so far removed from those he helps. “It’s not just about middle-class versus sleeping rough. Mark is as alienated from his life in his own bedroom as he is from life in some underpass. He and Zoë have something in common in that they’re both fugitives. In Zoë’s case it’s more understandable but with Mark it’s much less defined.” (Check out the cover boy) Gritty in the city (TV Choice, Dec 16, 2006, by Elaine Penn) Colin Firth plays a privileged Londoner who decides to help the homeless in a hard-hitting, entirely improvised new drama When a wealthy City worker starts to feel guilty about his lifestyle and decides to help those who are less fortunate, the decision has devastating consequences for him and those around him in gritty one-off drama Born Equal. Mark (Colin Firth) lives a privileged life in a beautiful house. His wife is pregnant with their first child. But after seeing so many other people struggling, he volunteers for charity work. He goes to a B&B which houses homeless people. There he meets pregnant mum Michelle (Anne-Marie Duff), who is hiding from her abusive husband. And then there’s Yemi (David Oyelowo) and Itshe (Nikki Amuka-Bird), who have fled Nigeria with their young daughter, while Robert (Robert Carlyle), has just been let out of prison. The strongest connection Mark makes is with teenage runaway Zoe (Nichola Burley). Her fears of living with her violent stepfather make Mark realise that he too has reasons for not wanting to go home. “Mark works in big business, a world of self-interest, and it bothers him,” explains Colin, who shot to fame as Mr Darcy in 1995’s Pride And Prejudice, and lives in London with his wife Livia and sons Luca, five, and Matteo, three. “When he gets involved in working with homeless people, it gets a bit too much for him—things happen that make it difficult for him to be too idealistic.” The production was entirely improvised, with no script or rehearsals, an approach Colin say she found extraordinary. “I’d never done anything like this before. You just jump in cold. You’re flying by the seat of your pants all the time. You don’t know how a scene is going to work out until it ends. “I was much more interested in what came out of my mouth in front of a camera than if I’d thought it up the night before.” Down and Out in London excerpt (Telegraph Magazine, Oct 21, 2006) With Born Equal it started with the premise of a film about homelessness today. I was struck by the number of people living in temporary accommodation due to an affordable-housing shortage. At present there are more than 100,000 households stuck in this situation. I did a tour of temporary hostels around the country, with the specific intention of meeting people who had known a better life, but through circumstance had ended up in a hostel. I was interested in that change of life, how and why people can fall between the cracks. I met and spoke with many people, at least 50. I would sit in their rooms and hear their conversations. Even though I had a Walkman I never recorded the conversations—it seemed insensitive. It was the memories of those meetings that became important for me, the feelings I got from those people. What came across to me strongly was not so much the grim conditions and the psychological effects of not having your own home—as bad as that is—but the reasons why people had found themselves in this situation, which as I saw it could just as easily happen to me, and many others like me. It doesn’t take much, just a series of unfortunate events—relationship breakdown, illness, losing a job—to tip one’s life into a descent, and once you are in that situation it’s really hard to get out of it. The people I met were very ready to talk about their lives—maybe it was a way of unburdening themselves. I always remember the stories people tell me, and how it affected me when I heard them and use that when I am writing the characters and themes in a film. There is always a point when through someone I meet I am so moved that I know I have to make this film. There was a woman in a B&B in Scarborough who had had a comfortable life. She had a three-year-old and was expecting another shortly. She had escaped from domestic violence, preferring the idea of having nothing rather than enduring a life of violence. She was lost and numb; she had no one, and no one to be at the birth. I didn’t know how much worse things could get in life, the fact that all this pain was tied in with the supposed joy of birth. It really set the tone for the film. When I visited a hostel in Swiss Cottage, London, just round the corner from multi-million-pound homes, themes of inequality started to emerge. Then I knew that I wanted to make a multi-stranded film that compared lives, while showing other people in crisis. I wanted my film to make us all think about the people who are in those situations. If you understood it could happen to you, you might think a little bit more about the people we see around us every day who are living in desperation, hand to mouth. The next process is forming the story and characters. This is always a mixture of everything—people and stories I have heard, not just recently, but over the years, and a lot of myself: my fixations, paranoias, personal experiences and philosophies. I decided the story of Born Equal was to be about a set of characters connected by a temporary accommodation hostel and the area where the hostel is situated. All of them are in search of something, a decent life, and all of them are in crisis. Robert Carlyle plays Robert, a man out of prison searching for his mother. Dislocated from society, he is trying to escape his past and make a clean start. The hostel is where he meets Michelle (Anne Marie Duff), who is pregnant and has a six-year-old daughter, Danielle (Gemma Barrett). Michelle has escaped domestic violence and in their desperation their relationship offers them some kind of hope. Yemi (David Oyelowo) and Itshe (Nikki Amuka-Bird) are in the hostel having escaped violence in their native Nigeria. They have no money and no home, and a parent in real danger. Meanwhile, Colin Firth plays a wealthy hedge-fund manager who is going through his own crisis. Combining these stories gives a broader picture of the film’s overall themes: the importance money in society, the huge gaps it creates, plus the importance of other people in our lives to make our own complete. The importance of family. The third part of my process is casting. I never think it wise to predetermine who will be right for my film. Part of the casting process is seeing who is up for my kind of way of working, above all who I have a connection, a chemistry, with. Again, all of this is very instinctive. Trust between the director and actors is essential. Ultimately, the way I work is quite uncomplicated. It’s engaging everyone in creating this something that illuminates, uncovers, and offers some insight into humanity and life. It is through the input, feelings and real-life experiences of the actors that the characters and final elements of the stories are really brought to life. With this way of working, it is a very exposing process, and I believe that because they put so much of themselves in to Born Equal, it has made the film special, both in terms of the process, and the end result. Maybe my approach to filming comes from that sense of being an outsider, because of my background; maybe because my parents both came from poor backgrounds, but improved their lives a little and gave us the opportunity to do something more. I am trying to do that ‘something more’ in my own way, which expresses my need to tell stories that have a meaning, that reflect life, and hopefully make people think about society today. I hope the films that I make might effect some sort of change, even if it is only one person who changes as a result—if I have illuminated an aspect of life, of humanity, to that one person then I have succeeded. Of course I want that to happen to millions. At the heart of Born Equal is a love story, albeit one that can’t succeed—I find love and film an enticing combination. With my next film, I want to make a serious romantic love story, because in the end love is the beset thing that we humans have got, or will ever have. (read full article here ) ' You have to be brave' (Guardian, Oct 14, 2006, by Emma Brockes) The extent to which she is willing to suspend her vanity has always been used as a test of an actor's seriousness. Anne-Marie Duff is well proven. She has played a tortured Irish teenager in shapeless borstal clothes; a skint Mancunian in Day-Glo velour; and now, in her latest role, she appears in frayed and faded costume, hair lank about her ears as she drags a small child and a suitcase across the concourse at King's Cross station. Born Equal is a BBC drama made to mark the 40th anniversary of the Ken Loach classic Cathy Come Home, in which Duff plays a young mother on the run from an abusive partner. It has become something of a specialism, this: her ability to portray doomed, miserable women without stripping them wholly of lightness or the power to attract.... Duff's new role was initially conceived of as a modern remake of Cathy, the first film seriously to address homelessness. In the end, Dominic Savage, the film-maker, decided to write a new story tackling different but equally traumatic social issues. Duff herself grew up on an estate in Hayes, a suburb of west London, but it was nothing like the grim estates some of her characters have come from.... After filming ended, Duff was frozen for almost a year. She couldn't imagine finding another role as fulfilling and didn't want to repeat herself, so she and McAvoy went travelling around the world, to America and New Zealand, before coming back to their home in London. She was starting to get anxious that she had become too picky about roles when Dominic Savage invited her for a cup of tea to talk about a new drama he had in mind, set in London. The way Savage worked intrigued her; he had the spine of a script, but the bulk of the action was to be improvised. Her character has a six-year-old daughter and is escaping a violent relationship — more misery — but what won it for Duff was that the characters were fundamentally "good people" and sympathetic. She visited a women's refuge to research the role and felt burdened with a certain responsibility not to make her character too downtrodden. Her co-stars include Robert Carlyle, Colin Firth and Emilia Fox, although the story is very fragmented, and she only really has scenes with the "lovely" Carlyle. "It was an interesting experience because I was playing a woman who isn't an alpha personality, and it's hard to improvise in that way, because quite often improvisation is all about fireworks and impressing. The pressure is for actors to be very impressive. So when you're playing somebody who isn't going to drive the scene, you... It was a test. A good test, I hope." It was harrowing material for the child actor involved, but "as she comes from a happy, safe, loving family, we never had to worry that we were damaging her. She just seemed able to click in and out." Homelessness features in major film drama (24dash.com, Oct 9, 2006, by Ian Morgan) Up and coming Brit Actress Nichola Burley (Love & Hate, Shameless) visited Centrepoint and spoke to young homeless people as part of her research for a role in 'London' a forthcoming BBC One film-drama. The one-off drama, which addresses social inequality in Britain today, features Colin Firth and Robert Carlyle and is written and directed by Bafta award-winning Dominic Savage. It will be shown on BBC One early November, 40 years on from Ken Loach's groundbreaking drama Cathy Come Home which revealed the shocking story of a young homeless couple caught in a poverty trap. Burley plays a young runaway from Leeds and is one of several characters whose paths collide at a B&B temporarily housing the homeless. The actress was keen to meet and discuss her part with some of the young homeless people Centrepoint support across London each night, she spent an afternoon chatting to young people living at Centrepoint Berwick Street, an emergency service in Soho. "I felt I had to talk to young homeless women to keep my character true to life," said Nichola Burley. "I was shocked and saddened to hear their stories. I never realised just how bad it gets for some young people, particularly those who are forced into prostitution and drugs. I hope I can do them justice in my role and would like to thank Centrepoint for giving me the opportunity to find out first hand the kind of challenges they face on a daily basis." Anthony Lawton, Centrepoint chief executive said: "Centrepoint Berwick Street is a real safety net, keeping the UK's most vulnerable young people off the streets, safe and supported. Nicola lifted the spirits of the young people she met and in turn was genuinely moved by their experiences. We are pleased to work with the BBC to ensure the drama is a true representation of homelessness today and hope it will challenge audience stereotypes and preconceptions." The Savage streets (Daily Mail, June 30, 2006, by Baz Bamigboye) Colin Firth kept pacing up and down the smart street lined with £3 million homes. Porsches turned into the street and people kept peering through the net curtains. The actor was shooting a film for BBC1 by director Dominic Savage. Everyone kept saying how ‘edgy’ it was, but the actor saw it slightly differently. ‘When you say edgy, you think of something experimental and way out there. This isn’t that. This is just a reflection of life’. It is a bit edgy, though, in the way Savage films in the raw. He often lets members of the public walk into the shot. The other night, Colin was filming with a younger actress in Marylebone and passers-by thought it was his girlfriend. ‘There were lot of comments, but we kept the film rolling,’ Colin said. In the movie, which has the working title London, Savage has assembled a number of top young actors including Anne-Marie Duff, David Oyelowo, Robert Carlyle, Emily Woof, Emilia Fox and Nikki Amuka-Bird. What links them all is a hostel for the homeless. Savage stressed that it’s not a remake of Cathy Come Home. Rather, he and producers Ruth Caleb and Lucy Hillman have made a film that explores many levels of the social strata. ‘From the perspective of my character, it’s about the emotional cost of doing good,’ Colin said. Stars sign up for homeless drama (BBC News, May 31, 2006) Actors Colin Firth and Robert Carlyle are to star in a BBC drama marking the 40th anniversary of Ken Loach's film Cathy Come Home. The drama will tell the stories of several characters who find themselves living in temporary housing. It echoes Loach's powerful 1966 film, which showed how an average family became homeless. The new drama will also star Nighty Night star Julia Davis and Anne-Marie Duff from Shameless. Firth will take the lead role, playing a wealthy city worker trying to help people less fortunate than himself and getting drawn into their lives. Provisionally called London, the drama has been written and directed by Dominic Savage, who made the 2002 youth offenders' drama Out of Control. "This is a film about social inequalities, people in desperate circumstances and their intertwining different lives," he said. "It's ultimately about people's relationships and the difficulties, dilemmas and moral issues they face." The film will not be a remake or update of Cathy Come Home, said a BBC spokesperson. Loach's drama sparked a national debate and led to the establishment of the homeless charity Shelter. A poll conducted by the British Film Institute in 2000 found Cathy Come Home was the second favourite programme of all time for UK TV industry figures. Firth and Duff Unite for Gritty TV Film (The Stage, May 31, 2006) It stars Firth as a wealthy City worker whose conscience about his luxurious lifestyle prompt him to aid the less fortunate, while Duff plays a pregnant mother escaping an abusive husband, played by Oyelow. Carlyle plays a newly-released convict. Stellar line-up in Savage's major BBC drama (May 31, 2006) A stellar line-up featuring Colin Firth, Anne-Marie Duff, David Oyelowo and Robert Carlyle begins shooting this week on London (working title) a major BBC ONE film drama, written and directed by Bafta award-winning Dominic Savage. Savage's gripping dramas, such as Love and Hate, Out of Control and Nice Girl, are dedicated to tackling contemporary social issues. In this film he addresses social inequality in Britain today through the lives of several characters whose paths collide at a B&B temporarily housing the homeless and dispossessed. Mark (Colin Firth) is a wealthy city worker whose conscience and guilt about his luxurious lifestyle prompt him to try to help those less fortunate, but it results in turmoil for both himself and others. Staying at the B&B are Michelle (Anne-Marie Duff), a pregnant mother with a young child who escapes an abusive husband; Nigerian Yemi (David Oyelowo), and his family; and Robert (Robert Carlyle), newly released from prison. Dominic Savage explains further: "This is a film about social inequalities, people in desperate circumstances and their intertwining different lives. "It's ultimately about people's relationships […] --- ## ColinFirth.com — Born Equal starring Colin Firth URL: https://firth.com/born_notes.html ColinFirth.com — Born Equal starring Colin Firth (11/22/06) Synopsis Cast News Galleries Reviews Notes Multimedia Official Site Introduction Colin Firth, Anne-Marie Duff, David Oyelowo with Robert Carlyle head an all-star cast in BBC One's Born Equal, a major new drama from Bafta Award-winning writer and director Dominic Savage. Savage's gritty films—including When I Was Twelve, Love + Hate, Out Of Control and Nice Girl—have all tackled contemporary social issues. In Born Equal, he addresses social inequality in Britain today through the interweaving stories of several characters whose paths collide in and around a B&B temporarily housing the homeless and dispossessed. Mark (Colin Firth) is a wealthy City worker whose conscience and guilt about his luxurious lifestyle prompt him to try to help those less fortunate, but it results in turmoil for himself and others. Staying at the B&B are Michelle (Anne-Marie Duff), a pregnant mother with a young child, who has escaped an abusive husband; Yemi (David Oyelowo), his wife Itshe (Nikki Amuka-Bird) and their young daughter, Adanna, who have fled the threat of violence in their native Nigeria; and Robert (Robert Carlyle), newly released from prison and embarking on a search for his mother. The stellar cast also includes Emilia Fox, Julia Davis, Megan Dodds, Nichola Burley, Emily Woof and Pearce Quigley. All of the characters are struggling with personal crises—even Mark who, on the surface, has everything, explains Savage. "They are people in desperate circumstances and the film captures their intertwining, different lives. It's ultimately about people's relationships and the difficulties, dilemmas and moral issues they face." Born Equal started life as a film about homelessness but, as Savage embarked upon his research, a markedly different film began to take shape. "When I began to look into the problem of homelessness, my sense was that there was a really big issue around people living in temporary accommodation for long periods of time." "They're known as the ‘hidden homeless' because, although they've got a roof over their heads, it's far from being a home," says the director. Savage visited a number of these hostels and met many different people who generously shared their stories with him—stories he says he will never forget. "I was struck by the diverse reasons why people end up in those places: a fall from grace, a relationship break-up, coming out of prison, leaving the Army, being a refugee." "All of those different stories come together in this one place and, for me, that was the starting-point of the film." One of the hostels Savage visited was located in London's Swiss Cottage, literally around the corner from a row of multi-million-pound homes. "I knew then that one of the issues I really wanted to deal with was the extremes of difference in people's lives—and, in a place like London, those extremes can be experienced within just a few streets. People can be in hugely different worlds but sharing the same space." "The film shows huge contrasts between people and how they live, their ideas, what they've got and what they haven't got," says Savage, who points out that although the film is set in London, the same contrasts can be seen all over Britain. Produced by Ruth Caleb and Lucy Hillman, the drama was completely improvised and filmed without rehearsal. It was a process described by David Oyelowo, who plays Yemi, as "the acting equivalent of extreme sports." Savage says: "It's the most organic way of making a film but also the most risky way because film-making is about delivering something people have an expectation about. He shot two alternative endings to the drama and did not decide upon the final scenes until the very last moment. "Working like this is more like a journey—the film keeps developing and changing as you shoot. It's exciting not quite knowing what you're going to get. "You have a sense of it and you can talk about it with the actors in detail but then it's open to change and that's what I like. You're completely thinking on your feet. "With the cast having so much input—not a single line of dialogue was scripted in advance—making the film became a very democratic process, he adds. "I think it was an incredibly liberating process for the actors and I was really interested in what their life experiences brought to it. It was vital that they didn't mind exposing certain elements of themselves," he says. "For me, there was something about all of them that connected with the role they were playing. There was an element of reality in it for them and that was really important. They empathised and understood it, but also felt that they could give something quite personal to it. For Savage, the film taps into the way a lot of people today are beginning to think about society, wealth and poverty, and the way we live now. "If you're fairly well-off, fairly comfortable, and you see people who aren't—who have nothing— living at the end of your road, you do start to think about it. It makes you think about these vast differences between our lives and that's what the film is about," he says. "I want people to go on a journey with the characters. If we, as an audience, care about them, irrespective of our preconceptions, that's what matters." "In the end, what the film aspires to achieve is to encourage people to think more about others, care about the less fortunate and be more aware of what's going on around them. Colin Firth plays Mark Colin Firth was constantly caught on the hop when he played City worker Mark in Dominic Savage's powerful new drama, Born Equal. With no lines, no rehearsals and sometimes no idea of quite where he'd be filming each day, the experience proved to be an utterly exhilarating ride for this Hollywood star. Firth plays a wealthy, forty-something hedge fund manager, whose conscience and guilt about his luxurious lifestyle prompt him to try to help those less fortunate. Mark has money, status and a beautiful home, and his wife (played by Emilia Fox) is pregnant with their first child. But all he sees around him are people who have none of those things. He is moved to do something and volunteers to work on the streets with homeless people, alongside a charity outreach worker (played by Julia Davis). But Mark's actions ultimately have devastating consequences for both himself and others. Firth jumped at the chance to play such a complex character—not least because director Dominic Savage offered him the opportunity to create the role from scratch for the fully improvised drama. "The premise was that here is a man who goes through some change of outlook. He works in the world of big business, a world of self-interest, and it bothers him and for one reason or another he gets involved in working with homeless people. But it gets a bit too much for him—things happen to him that make it difficult for him to be too idealistic about it," explains the actor. "I would hesitate to be simple about what's driving Mark because the way we worked on this film threw so many contradictory things at you about motives. My feeling was that I love seeing grey areas. I think most actors like to inhabit the grey areas because they're what we inhabit anyway, really—where the writer leaves off, we supply the rest. Firth describes the process of making Born Equal as "extraordinary". "I'd never done anything like this before, where there's absolutely no dialogue to begin with. You just jump in cold, which is a bizarre feeling, and you're flying by the seat of your pants all the time. You don't know how a scene is going to work out until it ends. "What really sets it apart is the use of complete and utter randomness. One minute your attempt is catastrophic, the next something really illuminating comes out. You're discovering and creating as you go along and you often surprise yourself—and so do the other actors." Though the temptation was great, he made a decision early on not to turn up for work with reams of notes about his character and deliberately shied away from coming up with lines unless a camera was rolling nearby. "I decided that if it's going to be random, then I'd take it all the way and let it be really precarious. I really enjoyed allowing it to be absolutely unpredictable and I think I'd have compromised that if I'd done my homework. "I was much more interested in what came out of my mouth in front of a camera than if I'd thought it up the night before in my bedroom. I'm someone who has a terrible habit of being punctilious in the way I speak and I think, if the camera's rolling and you've got a lot more pressure, a more truthful version will come. For Firth, Mark's story really began to fall into place as the cameras rolled. "For me, it was never simply a case of him being well-intentioned but naïve. I didn't want to see him behaving out of moral purity or idealism, I wanted it to be muddier than that," he says. "Perhaps some of what he goes through is a product of a mid-life crisis, problems with his marriage or his wanting to run away from something he feels trapped by—perhaps any of those things might create disillusion or fear in a middle-aged man. But I think it's far more interesting to try to tell a story about a guy who has a multitude of motivations and conflicts and whose failings are very apparent." Indeed, things begin to spiral out of Mark's control when he tries to help Zoë (played by Nichola Burley), a desperate, teenage runaway who has chosen to sleep on the streets rather than return home to her violent and abusive stepfather. At first glance, Mark and Zoë seem worlds apart but, says Firth, take a closer look and it becomes clear that they do have something in common. "I don't think it's just about middle-class versus sleeping rough. Mark is just as alienated from his life in his own bedroom as he is from life in some underpass," he points out. " However polarised Mark and Zoë's lives are, however different their experiences are, one thing they've both got in common is that they're both fugitives from something they find unbearable. "In Zoë's case, it's far more immediate and understandable in that it's an abusive family, alcoholism and all the things that are easy to understand are a problem. In Mark's case, it's much less defined — but he doesn't want to go home either." Born Equal has perhaps posed the most challenges for the versatile actor. He remains non-committal, for example, on the question of whether viewers will feel sympathy for Mark. "He is sympathetic at moments but there are other times in the film when his behaviour is such that it's impossible to feel that. In trying to heal the wound or assuage his guilt or whatever, he ends up hurting a lot of people, almost everybody around him, in fact. "In the context of a film that portrays problems like homelessness—things everyone agrees are real problems—it is hard to show someone struggling with things that many people would not consider problems. Now that will never change; you'll never convince some people that there can be problems if you're well-fed and wealthy." "So in some ways I think it might be inappropriate to try to draw sympathy for Mark. But, whether you sympathise with him or not, it is how it is. People in comfort suffer, too—they just do. It's a plain fact. They can suffer very badly and they can suffer to the point that they destroy themselves. Choosing to suffer is a very complicated, weird thing. I think it's fantastic that Dominic's carved out a space for a glimpse of that in a story that is inherently about a much more palpable kind of misery." Despite the film's clear social messages, Firth claims that he had no agenda when he embarked upon the project. "I had absolutely none whatsoever," he says simply. "I just found it a fascinating way of working and thought all sorts of things might get thrown up, and it was exactly what I hoped it would be. "I wouldn't have risked doing this sort of stuff if I didn't know that Dominic could pull it off. This convention is a very dangerous one to work in and I think things could fall apart very easily. But I think he pulls it off with spectacular success." Anne-Marie Duff plays Michelle Waiting at King's Cross station, heavily pregnant, bloodied and bruised, proved a profoundly unsettling experience for actor Anne-Marie Duff. She was filming a scene in which her character, Michelle, has fled her abusive husband and arrived in London, where she knows no one and has nowhere to go. But, with the drama's naturalistic style of filming and skeleton crew, many of the commuters streaming past her would not have known that. "It was fascinating and sad, really. Someone on the station staff came to ask if I was alright but that was it—no one else stopped," she says. "You think about it and you swear to yourself that you'd stop if you ever saw a young woman in that state. It was strange, it was like putting the world under a microscope." In a sense, that is exactly what Savage's latest film sets out to do, exposing as it does the vast social inequalities that exist in cities across Britain where the fabulously wealthy and those with nothing live side by side. "As an actor, you don't often get the opportunity to tell stories that have such pertinence," says Duff, who describes her decision to join the project as a "no-brainer". "It's a film that's really about something and that was important to me. But what's beautiful about it is that, although their world is very difficult, all of the characters are, in essence, good people—it’s just their circumstances or their life experiences that have made things hard for them." Nevertheless, the actor says that playing Michelle was one of the most emotionally draining experiences of her life. "When Michelle flees her husband, she leaves her whole life behind and it's almost like dealing with a bereavement. Walking away from a part of yourself and leaving all your goods and chattels…you don't know who you are, especially with a child," she says. While researching the role, Duff contacted Women's Aid, a charity that runs refuges around the country that offer a lifeline to women and children who have experienced domestic abuse. "I went to a refuge and the women there were exceptionally helpful. I was very privileged to hear their stories," says the actor. "We talked about the nitty-gritty of what it's like to be in a relationship that is physically and emotionally violent, and what that does to you. It was almost Kafkaesque. You talk to these women and they all have very similar stories—it’s like they can hold up a mirror to each other's experiences. It was very helpful for me." She soon realised that all of the women she met had "eventually come to the end of something." "It was about going as far down as you can go and suddenly, I guess, a very primal urge kicks in to save your life or the life of your child." For Duff, who lives in London, where the film was shot, one of the most heart-wrenching scenes is when Michelle finds herself alone with her daughter, Danielle (Gemma Barrett), for the first time in a temporary B&B for the homeless and dispossessed. "Just before that scene, I had been talking to a real housing officer, a fantastic woman, and some of the statistics and facts she told me were absolutely terrifying. I asked how long it would take for someone like Michelle to get out of the hostel, to get their own place. I was thinking, she's pregnant and she has a child, so it can't be that long. And she said: 'Well, you're looking at about three and a half years.' " "It was a shock. You think to yourself, we're all only a couple of steps away from that. If you lost your family, if you went off the rails, if you became ill… It really doesn't take a lot for your imagination to make the leap." Working without a script for Born Equal was, however, a new challenge for Duff. She describes her first improvised scenes with Robert Carlyle (who plays Robert, a man Michelle meets in the hostel) as "both terrifying and empowering". "I didn't know Robert and Dominic made a point of us not meeting before the filming, so we didn't have any shared preconceptions. So we got to know each other slowly, which was quite good, really. But it was weird on the very first day of filming because all we had to do was walk past each other in the corridor. There was all this fuss about not seeing each other and then there you were — it was a bit of an anticlimax!" she laughs. "It was a good way to work, though. You have to be very on your toes and Robert was lovely to work with." "In some ways, it was more frightening improvising with Gemma [Barrett], who was playing my daughter and is only six. I found it very hard getting upset or being a mess in front of her, because I was always terrified of crossing some line. But, thankfully, she's very sound and comes from a really great family, so it wasn't complicated for her—she knew we were pretending." Duff believes that the relationship that develops between Michelle and Robert reveals a great deal about the kind of people they are. "You know for Michelle that it's a fantasy, really—she’s clinging to a life raft. I think, for both of them, it's more a sense of just trying to find somebody," she says. "I also think that these hostels can be strange little microcosms. They suddenly become your whole world and Mother Nature does weird things in situations like that. You know, it happens when you work in offices or on film sets, too: you might start a job not being very attracted to people but, at the end of it, you find you're very attracted to someone you wouldn't normally be..." Having just played a woman who is eight months pregnant, Duff does reveal that she is currently feeling "even more broody than ever." "I had to wear all this padding and it was great—it’s lovely having a belly. You get to practise being pregnant!" she laughs. "It looked so good, as well. The paramedic we had on set one day told me I should be sitting down and asked how long I had to go, and even the midwives were impressed when we were filming in the maternity ward. Yep, the belly was a big hit all round! " David Oyelowo plays Yemi When he first walked into the B&B that forms the backdrop to Born Equal, David Oyelowo almost believed someone had turned back the clock. Seventeen years earlier, he and his family had lived in a similar hostel in London after leaving their native Nigeria. It was, he reveals, just one of the many reasons why Dominic Savage's hard-hitting drama affected him so deeply. One of Britain's finest young actors, Oyelowo plays Yemi, a Nigerian journalist who winds up in the hostel having fled his home with his wife (played by Nikki Amuka-Bird) and young daughter after writing controversial articles about the situation in the troubled north of his country. "The story stems from the problems in the northern states of Nigeria," explains the 30-year-old actor, who was born in Oxford but grew up in Lagos. "There's a lot of oppression of Christians there and Yemi's father is a pastor who has suffered a great deal in the conflict, so you can see where the impetus came from for him to write these articles. When Yemi is threatened, he feels he has to take his family out of the country for their safety. But then he finds out that, because of his articles, his father and his father's congregation are being persecuted. So there are a lot of things going on with him. He has this acute guilt for having displaced his immediate family, and the guilt about what's happening to his father. But he also feels that he's done the right thing: if he doesn't speak out, who will? So there's a lot of conflict going on in the man's head and heart." To research the role, Oyelowo talked to two Nigerians whose real-life experiences were brought together in Yemi's story. "One of the people I met is a journalist who is seeking asylum in this country. His parents are Christians and they live in Nigeria, and he had written some controversial articles that meant that he'd been forced into hiding. He lost contact with his family and ended up having to come here to seek asylum," he says. "We talked about the nightmares he'd experienced. When I last spoke to him, his request for asylum had been turned down twice and he was applying again." Oyelowo also spoke to a Nigerian pastor who is caught up in the problems in the north. "He's had his church shot at several times, he's seen Christians killed and his life has been threatened, but his view is that it's his calling from God to be there and he's not going to leave." The actor was profoundly affected by what both men had been through. "It had a huge affect on me, not least because I am Nigerian. I left in 1989 and have been back sporadically since then, and it was really shocking to me that this was happening. And I'm a Christian myself, so there was a double resonance for me," he says. "But also, as an actor, you feel a need to be very true to what's going on—I knew that I had a job, a responsibility, to tell the story well because we were very much borrowing these people's stories for the film and everything we talk about actually happened to them." "Being truthful," he adds, is at the core of director Dominic Savage's approach to film-making. This approach relies heavily on improvisation, which Oyelowo describes as "the acting equivalent of extreme sports." "You literally throw yourself at the wall and see what happens," he smiles. "As an actor, you're constantly looking for new challenges, things that are going to shake you up. And I'm kind of an all-or-nothing actor—I like throwing myself completely and wholeheartedly into things—and and so I found it creatively very stimulating. The only things you have to draw on are your emotions and your understanding of the character at that particular point in time." Oyelowo was also able to draw on his own memories of living in a hostel back in 1989. At that time, he and his family had lived in Nigeria for seven years but made the decision to return to Britain during a period of intense political unrest in West Africa. "When we arrived in London, my mum and my two brothers and I had to live in a place not dissimilar to the one Yemi and his family find themselves in, so I have first-hand experience of that and what's in the film is very accurate," says Oyelowo, who was just 14 at the time. "Yes, it is a frightening place to find yourself but there are an awful lot of people, not necessarily impoverished, who just find themselves in that situation. "Looking back to that time was, in a way, kind of wonderful for me because I thought: 'Wow, we've come a long way!'" Musing on his recent roles, Oyelowo says that what gets him going as both a viewer and an actor is "work that really has something to say. That's why I was so keen to get involved in Born Equal. It's not dissimilar to Shoot The Messenger—it ticks the same sort of boxes," he says, adding that he believes Savage's film brilliantly captures what he calls "the syndrome of the city—the weird dichotomy of being surrounded by people but completely alone—and I think that's what Born Equal very much illustrates. Everyone's busy, buzzing around, doing their own thing and often we don't see or even recognise the people who've slipped through the cracks of society. That's a real indictment of our culture and our cities, in a way. But I think this film will really make us take a look at ourselves." Robert Carlyle plays Robert Scots star Robert Carlyle is no stranger to characters who stalk the underbelly of society. Good guys who have fallen through the cracks, bad guys trying to be good, criminals, villains and the odd murderous psychopath have all strong-armed their way onto his CV over the last 20 years. But, he says, that's not the only reason why Born Equal's Robert feels so familiar to him. Robert has just been released from prison and is searching for his mother. Dislocated from society, he's trying to make a clean start and thinks that finding his mother will help him on that road. "It's difficult to explain without sounding very grand but if I was an artist who used paint and a canvas, then you could consider this to be the latest in a series of self-portraits, if you know what I mean—maybe me in another life and another time and another path," says Carlyle in his soft Glaswegian accent. "I've kind of been sketching out that character over and over again in different guises. It's something that every actor does, in a sense—you use yourself—and I'm kind of interpreting Robert Carlyle in maybe six or seven of these parts now. They all come from pretty much the same place and pretty much the same world, but they're all very different. And there are aspects in there that obviously relate to me and some that don't." Carlyle believes he's come across enough characters like Robert in his life to be able to relate to him. "I know a lot of people and I've got a lot of reference points for this kind of work. Did I feel a connection to Robert? I understand him, I think that's probably closer to it. I understand the type of character Dominic wanted to see. It's someone who's familiar to me," he says. "It's interesting because I'm 45 now and I think that a lot of guys get to this age and suddenly realise that their life's kind of passing them by." "Robert certainly does and he finds himself wanting to repair the past. He commits himself to searching for his mother. He feels that will in some way help him to integrate properly into the world, into society—a society he's rejected most of his life. So he embarks upon this journey, without really knowing what to expect along the way." Penniless and with nowhere to go, Robert is given a room in a B&B but, as he wanders around the streets of London and catches glimpses of the lives of the wealthy people who live all around him, he develops an acute sense of the inequalities that define the city. "He really is stuck, disenfranchised from everything. Everything in every shop window is beyond his reach. Every house he passes by, every flat, every tower block is outwith his grasp," explains Carlyle. "I think it's probably impossible for any one of us to imagine ourselves in that kind of scenario. But I can empathise and I can sympathise and I can do all that I can to understand it." At the heart of Born Equal is a love story—a love story that ultimately can never be, says the actor. In the hostel, Robert meets Michelle (played by Anne-Marie Duff), who is pregnant and has a six-year-old daughter, Danielle (Gemma Barrett). Michelle has escaped an abusive husband and, alone and desperate, she and Robert reach out to one another. "The tragedy is that they are actually very well suited. In another life, in another time, they could be together quite happily, but I don't think Robert's capable of it, that's the problem," says Carlyle. "He's got too many demons, too much to sort out. And as the search for his mother starts to go wrong, you can see how out of reach this guy actually is. There's virtually nothing behind him, no foundation." "If something's got some sort of social aspect to it, it's always good and it makes it a little easier to justify doing it," admits the actor. "I don't think Born Equal is overtly political. But then again, you see homeless people on the streets everywhere you look and of course it's political, it just doesn't necessarily look that way." What did attract him to the film, however, was the prospect of working with director Dominic Savage, who is renowned for his extreme dedication to the art of improvisation. "I'd seen Dominic's Out Of Control, which I thought was terrific, and I was aware of this reputation he has of being a maverick in the way that he works and that's right up my street," he smiles. A veteran of improvisational theatre and film, the actor had no qualms about the lack of scripted lines. "It's a fantastic way of working, it's how I started in a sense, and I love that element of surprise, not quite knowing what is going to happen next. You're not going home at night, looking at lines … I never do that anyway. And I'm the world's worst rehearser—I hate rehearsing anything at all, it kills it for me, so this is perfect," he laughs. "When you work like this, you maybe live it a little bit more. Everything comes from inside and Dominic takes a lot of credit for that. What you need is a platform, someone who's going to be encouraging and allow that to take place and that's definitely one of Dominic's great talents. What also really helped is that Anne-Marie [Duff] and I got on very well together, very quickly. We were able to achieve that state of reality, I think, which is unusual for people who don't really know each other that well. It's all about trust at the end of the day; if you trust your fellow actors, you're flying." Carlyle was also amused by Savage's fondness for what he calls "guerrilla filming"—eschewing a closed set for filming out on the street among members of the public. "It's all about grabbing a camera and seeing what you can get and, even though I'm used to doing that, it was funny. A few of us were jumping on and off tube trains one day and to see all the women on the train doing double-takes at Colin Firth … they must have thought they were in a parallel world!" "I go into that world every so often, the big-budget world, and then I run away to get my head back together again." Born Equal, he adds, helped him do just that. "I really wanted to get out of bed in the morning and go to work, and that's as big a compliment as you can pay, really. I felt that it was a good […] --- ## ColinFirth.com — Born Equal starring Colin Firth URL: https://firth.com/born_rev.html ColinFirth.com — Born Equal starring Colin Firth (7/04/07) Synopsis Cast News Galleries Reviews Notes Multimedia Official Site Variety (Jul 3, 2007, by Eddie Cockrell) [Summary: Involving drama is impeded by well-intentioned earnestness in the sincere class meditation "Born Equal." Pic about the fates of various transient residents of a London homeless facility feels too soft-spoken for aggressive theatrical play, suggesting tube shelters and a modicum of vid salvation.] Recently sprung jailbird Robert (Robert Carlyle, low-key) is plot's entree to an urban bleak house where every sparse apartment houses a story of yearning and hope. Haunted by the apparently spur-of-the-moment stabbing that prompted his incarceration, Carlyle begins a mysteriously aggressive courtship of newly arrived Michelle (Anne-Marie Duff), battered and pregnant, even as he searches the city for the mother from whom he's apparently estranged. Meanwhile, boundlessly rich businessman Mark (Colin Firth, intense) begins to feel that money isn't everything. After a confrontation with an angry homeless man results in massive guilt, he begins spending long evenings away from his pregnant wife Laura (Emilia Fox) to minister to those less fortunate than himself. This leads him to troubled 17-year-old runaway Zoe (Nichola Burley) and an emotional entanglement to which there is no satisfactory answer. Finally, Nigerian maid Itshe (Nikki Amuka-Bird) makes a fateful decision to fund her imperiled father-in-law's visa to escape persecution at home, only to lose the respect of her husband Yemi (David Oyelowo) and the trust of her condescending yet well-meaning employer. Robert and Mark finally cross paths in a random, violent encounter. There's precious little redemption to be had for any of these tortured souls. Though dignified and focused, helmer Dominique Savage's well-modulated screenplay lacks any raw tension or explosive surprises that might spring from class inequality or the peril of mean streets. This lends each story a schematic inevitability that leeches the whole of any lasting resonance. In the end, pic is just too polite. Carlyle does the best he can with a character whose mysteries are never fully explained, while Firth's Mark would be a beacon of liberal initiative were he not so gruff and stuffy. Duff gives the pic's most satisfying perf as a frightened mother determined to escape abuse. The Observer (Dec 24, 2006, by Kathryn Flett) Warning: Contains Spoilers! Born Equal was very, very serious. It was The Way We Live Now, Miserablist Division, an unseasonable confection of poverty and homelessness and domestic violence, gift-wrapped in liberal middle-class guilt and gilt-edged city bonuses. It starred the gifted Anne-Marie Duff in a raw and tender performance as Michelle, a heavily pregnant abused mother of a little girl, Colin Firth as Mark, a wealthy soon-to-be-father embracing a mid-life crisis, Robert Carlyle as Robert, a freshly released con searching for his mother, and David Oyelowo as a Nigerian immigrant struggling to reunite his family. There was excellent support from Emilia Fox as Mark's pregnant wife, and Nichola Burley as a homeless teenager who becomes the object of Mark's ill-advised foray into charity work. I say ill-advised because, among the many implausible strands of Dominic Savage's polemical drama, the most implausible of all was Mark's transition from city boy to outreach worker, under the guidance of a miscast Julia 'Nighty Night' Davis (it's not that Davis can't act, it's just that every time she adopted her social worker 'caring' face I wondered who she was plotting to murder). I'm sure there are hedge fund managers out there who do fine things for charity (indeed you can currently watch the rich dispensing their largesse to the needy in Channel 4's The Secret Millionaire), but I imagine they have neither time nor inclination to hang around in underpasses prodding piles of sleeping bags and just have their PAs set up great big standing orders instead. Nothing wrong with that, either. Firth has gone on the record to describe his character as 'naive', but that would be the least of it. And though Carlyle was compelling — the tight coil of unfocused rage ever ready to spring even as his relationship with the vulnerable Michelle developed with unaffected realism and charm — when he did finally snap and wrought the inevitable brutal chaos, Born Equal tipped over into total melodrama. Having discovered that his mother had died while he'd been in prison, Robert decided, somewhat illogically (or at least it seemed that way because we were denied a context in which to understand how close he may have been to his mother), that his loss was so great he could not only no longer love Michelle but must cruelly reject her hard-won trust — when realistically he would have probably have decided he couldn't afford not to love her. Though we knew Robert had killed a man, when he killed Mark it didn't ring true. A more successful — and more emotionally potent — ending might have been to leave viewers with the potential threat of Mark's death, but also the possibility of Robert's redemption. Much of Born Equal was improvised, but with actors of this calibre, who are going to convince whether or not every word has been scripted, improvisation is just another, slightly self-important, route to establishing a kind of authorial authenticity. In this respect Born Equal never stood a chance, and certainly never amounted to more than the sum of its juicy parts, and it didn't make me feel particularly guilty about not spending quality time hanging with the homeless. Have a Very Plausible Christmas yourself. Metrolife (Dec 18, 2006, by Keith Watson) - 4 out of 5 stars To have or not to have As modern city dwellers, we’ve all hardened our hearts to the sight of the homeless huddled in sleeping bags in shop doorways. Be honest, do you even clock them as human beings any more? It’s a world of haves and have-nots, as Born Equal, a drama fueled by pent-up rage at the randomness of it all, illustrated with a power that was too close for comfort. Steering clear of the rub-thumping and stereotypes, writer/director Dominic Savage created a world of living and breathing reality, rather than case histories, as the action eddied out from the lost souls taking refuge in a hostel in the cold heart of London. Whether it was Anne-Marie Duff, a pregnant mother hiding out from an abusive husband, or Robert Carlyle as a recently released prisoner struggling to find respect in the world, these were people you completely believed in. Representing the ‘there but for the grace of God’ attitude in all of us was Colin Firth’s filthy rich City chap. Though his belated attack of social conscience took a bit of swallowing, his words pulled you up short: ‘I’ve got pretty much everything I need...but I walk past people who’ve got less than nothing and there’s something wrong with all that.’ But there were no easy solutions on offer: drawn into a world way outside his comfort zone, Firth character found himself in too deep with a teenage runaway, a downward spiral that sent his life careering out of control. Which made Born Equal tough viewing on a plasma screen with a glass of Pinot Grigio in hand. Sunday Independent (Dec 17, 2006, by Cathy Pryor) When I first came to this country in 1999 I used to give money to rough sleepers all the time. Then I stopped because I got used to them. Now I don’t even notice them. And that seems to be how it is for most Londoners. So it’s almost with a twinge of anxiety that I watched Born Equal, in which the main character decides that he can’t go on ignoring the plight of the homeless....[plot clipped] Born Equal was written and directed by Dominic Savage, who has made a number of dramas on social issues including last year’s Love + Hate and 2002’s Out of Control. He apparently asked the actors to improvise some of the dialogue, and while this led to a lot of stumbling and hesitation, particularly from Firth, it lends an air of rough authenticity to the drama that goes well with the theme. Sunday Mail (three of five stars) Colin Firth, Robert Carlyle, Anne-Marie Duff, Emilia Fox: the kind of stellar cast that only the richest or most morally worthy projects can boast. In this case it’s the latter, a multi-stranded drama passionately concerned with the contrasts between wealth and poverty in London. Juxtaposing Firth’s wealthy city trader with the lives of homeless people, there’s no doubting the sense of grit and approaching tragedy as the separate stories come together, and this attempt to peel back the city, à la films Crash and Dirty Pretty Things, is hugely ambitious television. It’s a shame, then, that the social realism is let down by the script and its perfunctorily drawn characters. The Independent by Gerard Gilbert The BBC’s No Home season has marked the 40th anniversay of Cathy Come Home with some varied and interesting programmes. It comes to a head this Sunday with an all-star Dominic Savage drama, Born Equal. Savage is a writer-director who enjoys extreme contrasts....His new drama immediately throws us into the massive inequalities to be found in London today. We cut from Robert Carlyle’s ex-jailbird counting pennies in his cheerless hostel room to Colin Firth’s banker spending nearly £500 on a shot of vintage brandy in order to celebrate the annual bonus.... As with Love + Hate, and his earlier films Out of Control and Nice Girl, Savage has taken up the mantle of Ken Loach, but with its multi-stranded storylines and stellar cast led by Colin Firth, this film reminded me more of Richard Curtis, and, in particular, Love Actually. I suppose you could call it Inequality Actually, although the working title, London, hints at Savage’s greater ambitions. The irony is that there is little sense of a wider community in Born Equal, and although it was clearly shot in London, and looks like London, this just doesn’t feel like London. And despite some admirable performances (the best coming not from the big names, but from the newcomer Gemma Barrett as Colin Firth’s smitten teenage runaway), what should have been a shattering resolution to this curate’s egg of a drama ends up feeling somewhat contrived. Evening Standard (Dec 15, 2006, by Imogen Ridgway) Gently, realistically presented yet at the same time extremely powerful, Dominic Savage’s new drama is about the “hidden homeless” staying at a hostel in Swiss Cottage. Swiss Cottage, of course, isn’t exactly a poor part of the capital, and much is made of the contrasts between the enormous houses and the sometimes tragic situations of the hostel residents. Colin Firth stars as Mark, a ludicrously wealthy City boy with a social conscience, who begins helping homeless people but—perhaps predictably—finds himself getting emotionally involved with a young Northern girl, Zöe (Nichola Burley, from Goldplated, if you were one of the three people who watched it). But that’s not the only plot. Also living in the B&B are Michelle (Anne-Marie Duff), running away from her violent partner; Robert (Robert Carlyle), out of prison and looking for someone; and Yemi (David Oyelowo), a Nigerian asylum-seeker. It’s not just the fantastic cast and necessarily gritty stories that draw you in, though. Born Equal was improvised and unrehearsed, and its naturalistic dialogue is a pleasant shock to the system after the clanking speech patterns of EastEnders and the like. Firth and Duff in particular are superb—their gradual comprehension of new situations is terrifically observed. Carlyle plays, as he often does, a man, and is mesmerisingly scary. Stirring stuff. Radio Times (by Alison Graham) I suppose it's commendable that at a time when its potential audience is groping around in the loft for Christmas decorations or baking industrial quantities of mince pies, a major broadcaster puts out a grim treatise on the inequities of British social justice. Born Equal, from writer Dominic Savage, doesn't herald the week before Christmas with cosy images or familial warmth. It's a brutally honest tale of homelessness, disaffection, exploitation and violence, as seen through the eyes of a string of disparate men and women. Among them are a young, pregnant, abused mother (played with heartbreaking fragility by Anne-Marie Duff); the troubled ex-prisoner she befriends in a hostel (Robert Carlyle, who's so good at restless, barely contained fury); and a disillusioned City worker (Colin Firth). There's no common thread, though there's some interlinking of stories. And the performances are excellent. But Born Equal sometimes feels like a lecture by Savage aimed at everyone watching in a comfortable home. Daily Mail – 4 stars Television that grabs within seconds is a rare beast, indeed—and here is one of those creatures. While it certainly won’t be winning any comedy awards, this hard-hitting, London-set drama about social inequality in today’s Britain is TV with teeth, and award-winning writer and director Dominic Savage may need to clear more space on his mantelpiece. It’s quite a cast, too—Colin Firth, Robert Carlyle, Emilia Fox and Anne-Marie Duff all make themselves known in the first five minutes, as does the premise...It’s pretty grim—but it’s also unmissable. The Guardian by WH This multistranded drama on London life sails close to replacing actual characters with a set of socio-economic demographics, but is saved by some very good performances. Anne-Marie Duff stands out as a heavily pregnant battered wife who seeks refuge with her daughter in a hostel, where she meets Robert Carlyle’s well-meaning but violent ex-convict. Elsewhere, millionaire banker Colin Firth is suffering a guilt-induced mid-life crisis, and David Oyelowo’s Nigerian journalist is working as a cleaner to escape a vengeful militia. Ultimately, one is left wondering if the unrelenting misery serves much of a purpose. The Times (Dec 16, 2006, by Mary Ann Sieghart) Darcy in the underworld In a city like London, we all lead parallel, and often adjacent, lives. At the very top—the overclass, if you like—there are the investment bankers and hedge fund managers who don’t go anywhere near the services the rest of us depend on. They don’t use the Tube or—heaven forbid—the buses. They send their children to private schools and use private healthcare. The only privations they have to share with the rest of humanity are the traffic jams down the M4 on a Friday evening, as they head for their country homes; unless they have a helicopter, that is. Most of us are located close to the middle, holding down middle-class jobs and living in middling homes—neither the Holland Park mansion nor the grotty council flat. But well below our relatively comfortable lives are people who have not even a grotty council flat to their name: an underclass of folk who are forced by circumstance either to sleep on the street or in hostels for the homeless. It is the collision of these two worlds, the top and the bottom, that forms the premise of Born Equal, a new drama by Dominic Savage, whose gritty TV films—including When I Was Twelve and Out of Control—have all tackled contemporary social issues. The play will be watched for the cast alone. Colin Firth plays Mark, the hedge-fund manager who, to his credit (and the surprise of his colleague), opts early in the plot to take the Tube rather than a taxi to his plush house in Swiss Cottage. Round the corner from his home is a hostel that houses Robert (Robert Carlyle), newly released from jail, and the heavily pregnant Michelle (Anne-Marie Duff), who has escaped from her abusive partner. In the same hostel is a Nigerian family whose father was forced to flee his country because of death threats. Mark’s social conscience leads him to become embroiled in the lives of the hostel-dwellers, with disastrous consequences. Would he have done better to walk on by? Maybe. Maybe not. One of the merits of this drama is that the morality is deliberately ambiguous. We feel as sorry for the rich wife whom Mark neglects as we do for the 17-year-old homeless runaway whom he befriends. And we feel sympathy and suspicion in equal measure for the ex-con who shares her hostel. The acting performances are superbly naturalistic. There was no script; all the cast were expected to improvise and the drama was shot without rehearsals. This gives a freshness and believability to the dialogue, and is particularly effective for Firth, whom we are used to seeing in starchly buttoned-up period roles. Even the children perform well. And yet . . . there is a heavy-handedness about the plot that makes you want to go, “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” We all know that some men beat up their partners, that some asylum-seekers have fled murderous regimes. We all know that very rich people lead privileged lives. And the postwar urban planning in London that deliberately planted council estates in even the smartest of boroughs means that the well-off and the underprivileged can sometimes live in the same street. The recent murder in West London of the lawyer Tom ap Rhys Price by two knife-wielding thugs brought home this clash of cultures and values. But Savage’s film has no prescription for bridging the gap. Watch it for the stars and the acting, by all means, but don’t expect any deep insights or useful answers. TV Times (5 stars by OG) Brilliant performances light up this dark drama...With completely improvised dialogue and superb acting, it's a mesmerising, if bleak, portrait of inequality in modern Britain. Please do not upload any images to your own website, club, group or community's photo album. Thank you. Back to Main Click on boots to contact me --- ## ColinFirth.com — Born Equal starring Colin Firth URL: https://firth.com/born_supp1.html ColinFirth.com — Born Equal starring Colin Firth (10/25/06) Synopsis Cast News Galleries Reviews Notes Multimedia Official Site Down and Out in London (Telegraph Magazine, Oct 21, 2006) The Bafta-winning filmmaker Dominic Savage, chronicler of society’s margins, has turned his lens on the plight of Britain’s homeless. Photographs by Manuel Harlan The first film for television that I made was a documentary about my father called Seaside Organist. I always admired my father. He would entertain on the Hammond organ between May and September each summer, playing three sessions a day—morning, afternoon and evening—year after year for 40-odd years, at a pleasure complex called the Lido in Margate. What I saw him do all those years was provide pure entertainment—it was all about community. People who came on holiday were working people from the industrial towns and cities of the country. He would play music and songs that took them away from reality, that allowed them to dream. Colin Firth, who plays a conscience-stricken hedge-fund manager, with Pierce Quigley as a beggar, in between takes. What my films do is, in a way, the opposite; they are about confronting life’s realities, not escaping them. My first drama, Nice Girl (2000), was about the break-up of a young marriage and the impact on the children, basically a film about getting married too young. When I Was Twelve (2001) dealt with the issue of children who run away from home. Out of Control (2002) was about young offenders, and Love + Hate (2005), my first cinema feature, was about race and bigotry. They are all films about people in difficulty, who are on the outside of systems. That is where, I think, great drama comes from. I have always been curious about people: where they are from, what they think, how they live, how their lives differ, what they care about. Maybe it is because of all those people I saw as a child, coming and going on holiday in Margate, and not really knowing anything about their lives, but always wanting to. My inspiration to be a director was Stanley Kubrick. My father had encouraged me to play the organ, and from the age of eight I would play a couple of tunes during one of his programmes— 12th Street Rag and When the Saints Go Marching In. My feet couldn’t really touch the pedals, so I used to virtually stand and play. It pleased the audiences. It was a novelty. I used to get 10p thrust into my hand afterwards, which I would spend in the arcades. (Later on, when I was a student, I would spend the summers playing the morning session on the organ using the same programme of songs as my father.) Because of my playing and performing, I got a part in a TV special playing the piano for Barbra Streisand in 1974. That led to child acting roles, and then, aged 11, to a part in Kubrick’s film Barry Lyndon. This was a life-changing event for me; I found Kubrick’s presence immense. At the time I didn’t know who he was, and certainly hadn’t seen any of his films, but his intellect and the way in which he made films deeply impressed me. He was open and curious, always experimenting, constantly changing things for something more interesting. Dominic Savage and crew filming Born Equal in Piccadilly Circus I remember I had been on call for some weeks before my first scene was filmed, so my anticipation was high. The set was ready and Stanley wanted to rehearse the scene. It was incredibly daunting. In this very grand room in Dublin Castle, meticulously lit by thousands of candles in chandeliers, Marisa Berenson and I, in full costume and make-up, walked it through. (I played her son in the film.) Stanley took one look at it through his viewfinder and decided it wasn’t right. That left a very strong impression on me; it was not an easy choice, and obviously had a cost implication, but he couldn’t film the scene he wanted; for whatever reason the place wasn’t feeling or looking right to him, so he abandoned it. I like to think that I do similar things; if a scene doesn’t feel right I will either abandon it or change it to some other location where it might feel better. An example of this is a sequence in my new film Born Equal that involves a day trip to the seaside. I had always written it as being Southend, consciously trying to avoid my hometown Margate. It was always scheduled to be filmed in Southend. The day before we were due to go, I felt wrong about it. How could I deny the fact that I had written the scene because of Margate and my strange romantic attachment to the place. I knew I had to go there. Even though it was a nightmare to re-organise, we did. For me it made all the difference. It brought an extra poignancy to the scene. As different as our methods and our films are, I think Kubrick and I share a similar independent spirit about creating a film. I knew after the experience of Barry Lyndon that I wanted to do what he did, and certainly not act. I discovered my abilities at the National Film School. Through making documentaries I realised that what I really enjoyed doing was engaging with people, and I discovered over time that I was able to get to the truth of someone, and that they revealed things about themselves to me that were personal, unique and insightful. For me the vital element for creating a film is this connection with people. It is the research from real life that becomes the inspiration for the script. I start a project with a completely open mind about what the film will be about. I don’t rush at things, and don’t make up my mind immediately. I try to meet as many people as I can, as it is from those people that a story starts to form. With Born Equal it started with the premise of a film about homelessness today. I was struck by the number of people living in temporary accommodation due to an affordable-housing shortage. At present there are more than 100,000 households stuck in this situation. I did a tour of temporary hostels around the country, with the specific intention of meeting people who had known a better life, but through circumstance had ended up in a hostel. I was interested in that change of life, how and why people can fall between the cracks. I met and spoke with many people, at least 50. I would sit in their rooms and hear their conversations. Even though I had a Walkman I never recorded the conversations—it seemed insensitive. It was the memories of those meetings that became important for me, the feelings I got from those people. What came across to me strongly was not so much the grim conditions and the psychological effects of not having your own home—as bad as that is—but the reasons why people had found themselves in this situation, which as I saw it could just as easily happen to me, and many others like me. It doesn’t take much, just a series of unfortunate events—relationship breakdown, illness, losing a job—to tip one’s life into a descent, and once you are in that situation it’s really hard to get out of it. Anne Marie Duff is attended to by a member of the production crew The people I met were very ready to talk about their lives—maybe it was a way of unburdening themselves. I always remember the stories people tell me, and how it affected me when I heard them and use that when I am writing the characters and themes in a film. There is always a point when through someone I meet I am so moved that I know I have to make this film. There was a woman in a B&B in Scarborough who had had a comfortable life. She had a three-year-old and was expecting another shortly. She had escaped from domestic violence, preferring the idea of having nothing rather than enduring a life of violence. She was lost and numb; she had no one, and no one to be at the birth. I didn’t know how much worse things could get in life, the fact that all this pain was tied in with the supposed joy of birth. It really set the tone for the film. When I visited a hostel in Swiss Cottage, London, just round the corner from multi-million-pound homes, themes of inequality started to emerge. Then I knew that I wanted to make a multi-stranded film that compared lives, while showing other people in crisis. I wanted my film to make us all think about the people who are in those situations. If you understood it could happen to you, you might think a little bit more about the people we see around us every day who are living in desperation, hand to mouth. The next process is forming the story and characters. This is always a mixture of everything—people and stories I have heard, not just recently, but over the years, and a lot of myself: my fixations, paranoias, personal experiences and philosophies. I decided the story of Born Equal was to be about a set of characters connected by a temporary accommodation hostel and the area where the hostel is situated. All of them are in search of something, a decent life, and all of them are in crisis. Robert Carlyle plays Robert, a man out of prison searching for his mother. Dislocated from society, he is trying to escape his past and make a clean start. The hostel is where he meets Michelle (Anne Marie Duff), who is pregnant and has a six-year-old daughter, Danielle (Gemma Barrett). Michelle has escaped domestic violence and in their desperation their relationship offers them some kind of hope. Yemi (David Oyelowo) and Itshe (Nikki Amuka-Bird) are in the hostel having escaped violence in their native Nigeria. They have no money and no home, and a parent in real danger. Meanwhile, Colin Firth plays a wealthy hedge-fund manager who is going through his own crisis. Combining these stories gives a broader picture of the film’s overall themes: the importance money in society, the huge gaps it creates, plus the importance of other people in our lives to make our own complete. The importance of family. Savage, with Robert Carlyle, who plays a man out of prison searching for his mother It is through the input, feelings and real-life experiences of the actors that the characters and final elements of the stories are really brought to life. With this way of working, it is a very exposing process, and I believe that because they put so much of themselves in to Born Equal, it has made the film special, both in terms of the process, and the end result. Maybe my approach to filming comes from that sense of being an outsider, because of my background; maybe because my parents both came from poor backgrounds, but improved their lives a little and gave us the opportunity to do something more. I am trying to do that ‘something more’ in my own way, which expresses my need to tell stories that have a meaning, that reflect life, and hopefully make people think about society today. I hope the films that I make might effect some sort of change, even if it is only one person who changes as a result—if I have illuminated an aspect of life, of humanity, to that one person then I have succeeded. Of course I want that to happen to millions. The third part of my process is casting. I never think it wise to predetermine who will be right for my film. Part of the casting process is seeing who is up for my kind of way of working, above all who I have a connection, a chemistry, with. Again, all of this is very instinctive. Trust between the director and actors is essential. Ultimately, the way I work is quite uncomplicated. It’s engaging everyone in creating this something that illuminates, uncovers, and offers some insight into humanity and life. It is through the input, feelings and real-life experiences of the actors that the characters and final elements of the stories are really brought to life. With this way of working, it is a very exposing process, and I believe that because they put so much of themselves in to Born Equal, it has made the film special, both in terms of the process, and the end result. Maybe my approach to filming comes from that sense of being an outsider, because of my background; maybe because my parents both came from poor backgrounds, but improved their lives a little and gave us the opportunity to do something more. I am trying to do that ‘something more’ in my own way, which expresses my need to tell stories that have a meaning, that reflect life, and hopefully make people think about society today. I hope the films that I make might effect some sort of change, even if it is only one person who changes as a result—if I have illuminated an aspect of life, of humanity, to that one person then I have succeeded. Of course I want that to happen to millions. At the heart of Born Equal is a love story, albeit one that can’t succeed—I find love and film an enticing combination. With my next film, I want to make a serious romantic love story, because in the end love is the beset thing that we humans have got, or will ever have. ‘Born Equal’ will be shown on BBC1 on November 5 Thanks to Felicity Please do not upload any images to your own website, club, group or community's photo album. Thank you. Return Click on boots to contact me --- ## Boutique — ColinFirth.com URL: https://firth.com/boutiq.html Boutique — ColinFirth.com Purchases made through these links earn a small commission that helps keep ColinFirth.com running — at no extra cost to you. 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Read the original. The six novels in every edition that matters — Penguin Clothbound, Norton Critical, Annotated, Audible — plus every screen adaptation since 1995. Visit Store → ColinFirth.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. --- ## ColinFirth.com — Firth Collection URL: https://firth.com/boutiq2.html ColinFirth.com — Firth Collection (updated 5/18/14) The Rare Firth Collection Looking to find those rare performances? Click on the boots below or contact firthadmin@gmail.com for further details. If you don't see what you want on the lists below, do not hesitate to ask. The Rare Firth Collection Title Born Equal (TV, 2006) Also stars Anne-Marie Duff, Robert Carlyle, David Oyelowo, Emilia Fox and Nichola Burley Celebration (TV, 2007) Includes Working With Pinter documentary Also stars Michael Gambon, Janie Dee, Stephen Rea, Penelope Wilton, James Fox and Sophie Okonedo Crown Court (TV, 1984) Episode: "Citizens" (broadcast on ITV) Also featuring Tim Woodward, Douglas Wilmer, John Fortune, David Calder and James Berwick The Deep Blue Sea (TV, 1994) Also stars, Penelope Wilton, Ian Holm, and Stephen Tomkinson Donovan Quick (TV, 1999) Also stars Katy Murphy, David Brown, David O'Hara and Parminder Nagra Gambit (2012) Also stars Cameron Diaz, Alan Rickman, Tom Courtney, and Stanley Tucci The Hour of the Pig Unedited, 15 minutes longer than The Advocate Also stars Ian Holm, Donald Pleasence, Nicol Williamson, Lysette Anthony and Amina Annabi Nineteen Nineteen (1985) Also stars Paul Scofield and Maria Schell The One Before the Last BBC Radio, broadcast in 1987 Out of the Blue (TV, 1991) Also stars Catherine Zeta-Jones, John Lynch and Cathy Tyson The Secret Laughter of Women (1999) Also stars Nia Long, Fissy Roberts, Joke Silva and Caroline Goodall Steve (2010) Written and directed by Rupert Friend, this 16-minute short also stars Keira Knightley and Tom Mison Tales from the Hollywood Hills (TV, 1987) Episode: "Pat Hobby Teamed With Genius" Also stars Christopher Lloyd, Dennis Franz, and Joseph Campanella Two Planks and a Passion BBC Radio, broadcast in 1986 Tumbledown (TV, 1989) Includes bonus interview of Colin Firth and Robert Lawrence on the Wogan Show The Widowing of Mrs Holroyd (TV, 1995) Also stars Zoë Wanamaker and Stephen Dillane Out-of-Print Titles Camille Dutch Girls Femme Fatale Hostages Nostromo Playmaker Wings of Fame Related Items of Interest Publicity (US) for Bridget Jones's Diary Publicity (US) for The Railway Man Publicity (US) for The Importance of Being Earnest Saturday Night Live (90 minutes ) Publicity (US) for Love Actually/Girl With a Pearl Earring Publicity (US and UK) for The Edge of Reason Click on boots to contact me Home --- ## ColinFirth.com — Celebration - starring Colin Firth URL: https://firth.com/celeb.html ColinFirth.com — Celebration - starring Colin Firth ''Celebration', a one-act play, focuses on two groups of diners at an expensive and trendy restaurant following a night at the theatre. At one table, an anniversary celebration is taking place. The men, who are brothers are also married to sisters, and have shadowy backgrounds, calling themselves 'strategy consultants.' At another table are a banker and his ditzy trophy wife. Floating between these tables are the restaurant's hosts and a chatty waiter who name drops continually. As the New York Times reviewer stated: "Nothing really happens in 'Celebration,' even by Pinter standards. It's basically all talk, exchanges of insults, skewed platitudes and highly suspect memories described with placid certainty. The subjects, on some level, are almost invariably sex and power. And yet it all packs the tickling wallop of perfectly orchestrated slapstick." Celebration is an acerbic portrait of a sated culture choking on its own material success. Startling, full of black humor and wicked satire, Celebration displays a vivid zest for life. (in alphabetical order) James Bolam . . . . . Matt Janie Dee . . . . . Suki Colin Firth . . . . . Russell James Fox . . . . . Richard Michael Gambon . . . . . Lambert Julie McKenzie . . . . . Prue Sophie Okonedo . . . . . Sonia Stephen Rea . . . . . Waiter Penelope Wilton . . . . . Julie We are catching up with this man's creative talent at last (The Guardian, Mar 1, 2007, by Michael Billington) Harold Pinter is currently everywhere. His final play, Celebration, went out this week on More4 along with a lively 75-minute documentary.... But why now? How does one account for what Noel Coward, witnessing a spate of late revivals of his own work, called "Dad's Renaissance"? In Pinter's case, it may stem partly from a sense of collective guilt. In October 2005, Pinter's 75th birthday was marked by the London theatre, aside from a fringe production of The Lover, with a resounding silence: you had to go to Dublin to find Michael Colgan at the Gate Theatre staging an Irish hooley for the Hackney hero involving plays, productions and an array of star guests. The fact that Pinter, later that same week, was awarded the Nobel prize for literature only made the British theatre's indifference to his work all the more astonishing. Amends are now being made, as if we have belatedly woken up to Pinter's international stature. But I suspect there is more to it than that. One sign of any genuine creative artist is that he or she is always ahead of the game: they see or hear something that the rest of us don't. Both artistically and politically, Pinter has persistently been ahead of the pack; and now the public and critics are at last catching up with him. Look back over the history of Pinter's plays and you find that, with the exception of The Caretaker, they have all been misunderstood first time round. The Birthday Party in 1958 was famously dismissed as gibberish or a derivative piece of Ionesco absurdism. I was amongst those, as colleagues never cease to remind me, who in 1978 booted Betrayal into touch for "its obsession with the tiny ripples on the stagnant pond of bourgeois-affluent life". And in 1996 the masterly Ashes to Ashes was attacked for its introduction of images of European suffering into a rural English setting. No one ever "gets" a Pinter play on a single viewing or reading. But what I think we have woken up to is the nature of his talent. In the More4 documentary Pinter said, "I've always been a political playwright," and the truth of that has finally come home. Pinter's plays aren't about mysterious pauses, nameless horrors or weasels under cocktail cabinets: what they are essentially about is a negotiation for power carried out in hermetic conditions under pressurised circumstances. But even that is too neat a generalisation. Henry Woolf, Pinter's old chum, points out that Pinter's preoccupation with rooms is a reflection of the historic Jewish belief that "the only safe place to live is inside your head". Interiors are also a way of harnessing violence: watching Celebration on television, I was astonished by the moment when Colin Firth's merchant banker admitted that sitting in plush restaurants was a way of assuaging his psychopathic tendencies. "I don't feel," he shockingly said, "like killing everyone in sight." [...] The Lion in Pinter (Radio Times, Feb 24-Mar2, 2007, by E. Jane Dickson) It’s 50 years since Harold Pinter’s first play, The Room, was performed. This week, in tribute to his towering influence on British theatre, his most recent play, Celebration, written in 1999, will be aired on More4. Set in a ritzy London restaurant, Celebration is a biting, black comedy about two thuggish businessmen and their wives on a night out, and boasts an extraordinary stellar cast, many of them drawn from Pinter’s regular “stable” of actors. As the curtain rises on this landmark piece of televised theatre, RT asks three of the production’s distinguished cast what makes our most celebrated—and possibly least understood—living playwright so special.... Michael Gambon: “Harold Pinter is one of the greatest playwrights of the [20th] century. That sounds a bit posh, but along with Samuel Beckett (who’s gone now), he must be in that category, mustn’t he? I’ve known Harold for 30 years. Or maybe I shouldn’t say I’ve been doing his plays for 30 years, because I don’t really know him—I don’t think anyone does—but I’ve always been friendly with him. People tend to think of him as a bit heavy, but the thing about his play is that it’s extremely funny. My character’s just a s**tbag, really, and, as such, deeply enjoyable to play. It’s demanding work for an actor, though, because you can’t say one syllable wrong. Some plays don’t transfer to screen, but I think this one does. It’s unusually powerful stuff, and the way television’s going at the minute, thank God for it!” James Fox: “There’s no question that Pinter is a master dramatist; he tells us what we already know, and then adds another dimension. He writes this immaculate surface with all this madness going on underneath it and, for an actor, that’s great, because we’re always looking for mroe interest, more subtext to play. It’s technically demanding—a bit like trying to sing a chard—but terribly exciting. In this play, he takes something really quite commonplace—people in an urban environment going out to enjoy themselves in a restaurant—and takes it to another level. Restaurants are a place for public behavior—we really don’t know too much more about these characters when they leave the table than when they sit down. It’s up to the audience to imagine, from the dialogue, what’s going on in the rest of their lives. And that’s Pinter’s great truth. You want to know how other people live—you read novels, you read magazines—but in the end, other people remain a mystery.” Penelope Wilton: “Every time you do one of Harold’s plays, it’s an event. And if you create one of his roles—or rather realise one of his roles, because of course he’s the creator—it’s an exception experience in an actor’s life. I’ve done Harold’s work all through my career. I’ve been in nine of his plays and I started when I was 30, so I’ve grown up—as an actor—with him. Some of his works are more poetic, some are more political and some, like this one, are just great comedies. I find it all very comfortable because he writes such wonderfully interesting women. All this stuff about elitism and Pinter being somehow inaccessible, I find very, very boring and actually untrue. I think that people are far more sophisticated than television programmers realise—just because you enjoy one sort of thing, doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy another. Harold is one of the very few of our writers who has won the Nobel Prize for Literature, so I think it’s about time he was brought to a wider audience.” The Inside Story (Radio Times, Feb 26, 2007) Janie Dee, who plays Suki in Celebration, first met Harold Pinter when he contributed three of his poems to a concern for peace in Iraq that she produced. “We’re good mates,” says Dee. “He’s so articulate and precise, yet he talks strangely from the heart. In lots of his plays you see him holding us and our behaviour up to ourselves very clearly. I think Harold almost hand-picked us for this production, because he knows that we’ll interpret his stuff in a way that makes him happy. Above all, you have to be very honest as an actor to do Pinter.” Watch our for... (Daily Mail, July 14, 2006, by Baz Bamigboye) Michael Gambon, Colin Firth, Jim Broadbent, James Bolam, Stephen Rea, Sophie Okonedo and Penelope Wilton will act in a television version of Harold Pinter’s play Celebration for TV channel More4. John Crowley will direct the film to be broadcast in December, for producers Alan Maloney and Michael Colgan. Gallery 1 - Production Stills Gallery 2 - Advert Screencaps More4 movie clip Windows Media More4 Television Advert 2000 "Celebration" was first performed in 2000 at the Almeida theatre in North London, with another play entitled "The Room" that Harold Pinter wrote in 1957. It was considered a highly unique experience to see Pinter's first play and his newest, works separated by more than 40 years, staged together. However, the two one-act plays are published together now as well. From reviews for the Almeida production in 2000: The funniest, feistiest piece Pinter has written in years...What Pinter reveals, with a good deal of satirical verve, is the coarse swagger and loutish insensitivity of these walking wallets and their spouses. But Pinter's plow is much more than an obvious attack on the nerdy nouveau riche....here the diners use the restaurant as a retreat from the outside world....And, as always in Pinter, there is no such thing as a harmless sanctuary: here the threat to an evening of crude conviviality comes from an intrusive waiter...Behind the play's wild comedy lurks something strange and incalculable which is beautifully caught in Pinter's fast-moving production. (Michael Billington for the Guardian) Celebration is certainly his funniest and also perhaps his most accessible script in many years. It is set in an amazingly familiar West End restaurant, where he has even managed to cast a lookalike for the tall, urbane real-life manager; at two separate tables...sit a cross-section of recognisable Pinter types. At the smaller table are a couple...taunting each other with past and present infidelities; at the larger, two Mafioso thugs and their blowsy, aging trophy-wives are celebrating a wedding anniversary. But, as usual with Pinter, there is a good deal going on just under the tablecloths; neither group is really in any mood for celebration, and as the wine loosens their tongues some extremely unpleasant truths start to crawl out from the past. Meanwhile, the unctuous manager, his female assistant and a young waiter with extraordinary false-memory fantasies start to assert themselves as something more than restaurant staff, and at the end of the evening it is the young waiter...left alone on stage to confront his own demons, who has not only the last words but also the most immediate claim to our ultimate attention....both these plays are about some of the same things—sexual jealousy, nameless tenors, violent men and women who have only their sex to define them. But where The Room is frequently vicious, Celebration is something still more dangerous; the only visible knives here may be the ones on the elegantly laid tables, but people are also getting laid and knifed, only this time with a smile. It is the smile of the killer monsters and mobsters, but the shark still has shiny teeth, dear, and Pinter shows them pearly white. (Sheridan Morley for the Spectator) 2005 (standing l to r) Michael Gambon, Janie Dee, Stephen Rea, Joanna Lumley, Charles Dance, and Jeremy Irons. (seated) Sin é ad Cusack, Kenneth Cranham and Penelope Wilton To celebrate Harold Pinter's 75th birthday and his Nobel Prize for Literature, the Gate Theatre in Dublin mounted a tribute to the playwright in October 2005. Part of that program, a staged reading of "Celebration" by a steller cast (Stephen Brennan, Sinéad Cusack, Janie Dee, Donna Dent, Michael Gambon, Jeremy Irons, Derek Jacobi, Stephen Rea and Penelope Wilton), was repeated in London’s West End. As with the Dublin program, many of the actors were veterans of Pinter’s works. The playwright himself, “had a helping hand” in picking out the Albery cast (shown at left), although he did not direct it this time. As the Telegraph advertised, “for three nights only this week, there is the chance to see history being repeated.” "With no distractions of props or furniture, the audience can just listen to the words of the play," says Michael Colgan, the artistic director of the Gate Theatre, Dublin, and the event's organiser. "Most of the actors have previously been in Pinter's plays. These people are grateful to him and also fond of him." From the Guardian: All the action takes place in a swish London restaurant where two coarse-grained strategy consultants are dining with their respective wives. At an adjacent table a banker and his wife banter over his recently discovered affair. But while Pinter gets a lot of laughs out of these gold-plated philistines, he also suggests they are displaced people. Shorn of any inherited values, they live in an eternal present of sex, food and conspicuous consumption. But what lifts this 50-minute piece into another realm is the intrusive presence of a Waiter played with looming intensity by Stephen Rea. If the diners have no cultural roots, he seems afflicted by an excess of them as he reminisces about a grandad who apparently knew everyone from WB Yeats to the Beverley Sisters. But for all his buttonholing eccentricity, the Waiter has access to a world of family and feeling denied to the grandstanding diners. Dangerous, however, to get too solemn about a piece that reminds us Pinter has always been a comic writer. And Alan Stanford's neatly organised production rides along on a wave of laughter. Michael Gambon is outrageous as a bullish peace enforcer who can scarcely say a civil word to Penelope Wilton as his sardonically subversive wife. Janie Dee also raises the temperature several notches as she taunts Jeremy Irons' faithless husband with memories of her own "saucy, flirty, giggly" younger self. And Charles Dance and Joanna Lumley preside over the clientele as if they were running an upmarket therapy centre. Two more chances only to catch a play that reminds us that Pinter has always been one of the great piss-takers. The Telegraph: Staged readings tend not to make huge inroads at the box office. But then they tend not to boast a cast as mouthwatering as the veritable thespocracy which will muster, scripts in hand, on Thursday. It consists of six Pinter veterans in Michael Gambon, Penelope Wilton, Jeremy Irons, Stephen Rea, Janie Dee and Kenneth Cranham, and three Pinter virgins in Sinéad Cusack, Charles Dance and Joanna Lumley. Most of the above gathered in Dublin last month for a weekend's reading of plays, prose and poetry organised by the Gate Theatre. Even one of their own number was agog at the array of talent around him. "When I saw them on the stage," says Stephen Rea, who was in the original cast of Ashes to Ashes, "I said, 'Even Mourinho couldn't buy this lot.'" [...] Celebration had its first performances at the Almeida in 2000, in a double bill with Pinter's first play, The Room, written 43 years earlier. Set in a swanky London restaurant, it features two tables. At one table are two rather spivvy brothers (played, in the staged reading, by Gambon and Cranham), and their wives (Wilton and Cusack), who are sisters. At the other table someone big in the City is wining and dining his dolly bird (Irons and Dee). Interruptions come from a lugubrious maître d' (Dance), a waitress (Lumley) and a waiter brimming with preposterous anecdotes about the famous people his grandfather knew (Rea). I have an uncomfortable memory of this paper's theatre critic, Charles Spencer, deriding the gales of laughter with which Celebration was greeted on its première as "sycophantic" - uncomfortable because I was sitting next to him, and laughing. Pinter's later work had become increasingly gnomic and politicised, and here in his 70th year he suddenly came up with what appeared to be an out-and-out comedy, boisterous, even crude in places, with only a light dusting of his trademark menace (the brothers are "security consultants"). "Harold is a very funny writer and people are a bit holier than thou about him," says Penelope Wilton, the star of Landscape, Betrayal and A Kind of Alaska. In this play, she says, "he has a way with language where he is able to make swear words have their value back, and don't tell me how he does it but it is very funny." There was more laughter at the reading in Dublin, some of it from the stage. "When you do a reading and haven't done much rehearsal," explains Rea, "a lot of it feels new to you and you're not protected. You were very open to the play but also it made you corpse." "I couldn't stop," admits Gambon, who has been in Betrayal, The Caretaker and Mountain Language. "I had to hold on tight. Several of us were on the edge of going. It's not like the other ones I've been in. All his plays have a surface of a thousandth of an inch and a subtext of two miles. That's why actors love them. I think he just sat down and wrote a simple play." When Pinter wrote Betrayal, a portrait of his long affair with Joan Bakewell, Gambon found himself more or less playing the playwright himself in the original stage production. Getting the nod for the role must count as the ultimate compliment from Pinter. Jeremy Irons, who has previously been in The Caretaker on stage and The French Lieutenant's Woman (scripted by Pinter) on screen, has a theory about why he was cast in the film of Betrayal. "Harold always said he liked the fact that I didn't care about making the characters likeable." However seasoned this company, the reverence they feel for the playwright is palpable. "A request to appear in something of Harold's is really a summons from a very great height," says Rea, "and I know all actors feel that." But why? The consensus seems to be that he started his career as an actor, has ended it as a poet, and that the genius of the playwright lies somewhere in the overlap. "It's all about language," says Wilton. "In the theatre you live and die by the word and Harold just writes superbly." "He's not like any other playwright. There's no looseness in his plays," says Gambon. "Every full stop and comma counts." Irons discovered this, almost literally to his cost, when he had finished a take in the opening pub scene of Betrayal. "He said, 'You said "but" instead of an "and".' We put money on it and fortunately I was right." Despite the corpsing, the evidence from the Gate Theatre is promising. "All the actors were very very nervous," says Rea, "but the atmosphere had an incredible electricity and energy. Everyone was on some kind of high doing it. At the end Harold walked on and shook hands with each of us. It was wonderful. Everybody felt a sense of history in doing it." For three nights only this week, there is the chance to see history being repeated. Please do not upload any images to your own website, group or community photo album. Thank you. Back to Main Page Click on boots to contact me --- ## ColinFirth.com — Celebration - starring Colin Firth URL: https://firth.com/celeb_rev.html ColinFirth.com — Celebration - starring Colin Firth Radio Times by Geoff Ellis “It’s lovely to be here,” agree the six characters marking occasions with a visit to the best restaurant in town. Yet, underneath, there’s nothing attractive about these well-heeled couples. Harold Pinter’s most recent play feels theatrical on the small screen, yet delivers a short, sharp kick. An outstanding cast do justice to an absurdist entertainment, and glory in the rich language. Their conversation is full of inanities and obscenities, and they welcome the sometimes surreal interruptions of the staff. These are, you feel, people who know the price of everything and the value of cover-ups. What a welcome change to see a hard-edged, one-off drama on TV. There’s just one drawback to watching Pinter’s latest: you might not want to spend time with such coarse and self-centered characters, even when played by the likes of Michael Gambon, Julia McKenzie and Colin Firth. Please do not upload any images to your own website, group or community photo album. Thank you. Back to Main Page Click on boots to contact me --- ## ColinFirth.com — A Fansite • Coming Soon URL: https://firth.com/comingsoon.html ColinFirth.com — A Fansite • Coming Soon ★ Est. 1998 • Restoration in Progress ★ Colin Firth .com A Fansite — The Oldest Colin Firth Community on the Web Coming back… beautifully restored. One of the web’s longest-running Colin Firth fansites — originally launched in 1998 and home to thousands of images, reviews, interviews, and more — is being lovingly brought back online. Scroll The Fansite A love letter twenty-seven years in the making ColinFirth.com began in 1998, when the internet was young and Colin Firth was already making audiences fall in love — from a rain-soaked Mr. Darcy emerging from a lake in Pride & Prejudice to the sardonic wit of Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones’s Diary . Run by devoted fan Karen (aka “Drool”), the site grew into one of the most comprehensive Colin Firth archives on the web — covering every film, TV appearance and theatre role, with galleries, reviews, interviews, news, and multimedia spanning nearly two decades. The site was last updated in early 2015 and preserved by the Wayback Machine. It is now being fully restored and re-hosted, page by page, image by image. 500+ HTML Pages 1,900+ Archive Images 27 Years of Fandom “ I was thrown into acting rather than choosing it. I suddenly discovered that it was the thing I could do, and once I’d found it I didn’t want to stop. — Colin Firth What He’s Up To Coming soon from Colin Now in his 60s, Colin Firth shows no sign of slowing down — with a Spielberg sci-fi epic, a new Apple TV series, a Kingsman return, and a landmark Lockerbie drama all on the slate. June 2026 — Cinema Disclosure Day Universal Pictures • Dir. Steven Spielberg Spielberg’s first original sci-fi in decades stars Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Colman Domingo — and Colin Firth. Filmed across New York, New Jersey and Atlanta in early 2025, the teaser arrived in December to immediate frenzy. The first look images released in January 2026 show Firth in what promises to be a major summer event. 🌐 2026 — Streaming Berlin Noir Apple TV+ Firth joins Jack Lowden in this adaptation of Philip Kerr’s celebrated detective novels, playing the brilliant and prickly Paul Lohser alongside Lowden’s Bernie Gunther. Currently filming in Berlin — a natural successor to the acclaimed Slow Horses . 🔍 2026 — Cinema Kingsman: The Blue Blood 20th Century Studios Harry Hart returns. Colin Firth is set to reprise the role that launched the franchise, reuniting with the world of the Kingsman in a new chapter that’s currently in pre-production. 🍩 January 2025 — Streaming Lockerbie: A Search for Truth Sky Atlantic • Peacock US Firth delivers a deeply human performance as Jim Swire, the British doctor who lost his daughter in the 1988 Lockerbie bombing and spent decades demanding answers. Already streaming now. ✉ What the full site contains 🎬 Films Every feature film — synopsis, cast, gallery, reviews & multimedia. 📺 Television From Nostromo to The English Scandal — complete TV coverage. 🎪 Theatre Stage roles from the early career, before Hollywood came calling. 📷 Public Eye Candid galleries — premieres, awards, photoshoots & press junkets. 📰 Articles & Interviews Hundreds of archived press pieces from 1998 through 2015. 🎵 Multimedia Audio clips, video trailers, screensavers and more. New Pages Added — March 2026 Colin since 2016 The site was last updated in early 2015. A decade of remarkable work has followed — from tearful road trips to Oscar-winning epics, true-crime HBO dramas and a Spielberg sci-fi. We’ve added pages for all of it. Hub • 2016–2026 Full News & Updates All films, TV & personal news 2026 Upcoming Projects Disclosure Day, Berlin Noir & more 2016 Bridget Jones’s Baby Mark Darcy 2017 Kingsman: The Golden Circle Harry Hart 2018 Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again Harry Bright 2018 Mary Poppins Returns William Weatherall Wilkins 2019 1917 General Erinmore 2020 Supernova Sam — with Stanley Tucci 2022 • Netflix Operation Mincemeat Ewen Montagu 2022 • HBO Max The Staircase Michael Peterson • Emmy nominated 2025 • Sky / Peacock Lockerbie: A Search for Truth Dr. Jim Swire --- ## What the Critics Say — ColinFirth.com URL: https://firth.com/critics.html What the Critics Say — ColinFirth.com Critical Reception What the Critics Say Four decades of acclaimed performances — from stage-school newcomer to Oscar winner, as seen through the eyes of critics worldwide. “ Firth gives what is certainly the performance of his career, and quite possibly one of the finest screen performances of any actor in recent memory. He does not merely play a stammer; he inhabits a king’s entire interior life. — Roger Ebert The King’s Speech • 2010 2020s “ Colin Firth anchors this five-part drama with a performance of extraordinary restraint and quiet devastation. He carries thirty-five years of grief in every look, every pause. It is a masterclass in screen acting. The Guardian January 2025 Lockerbie: A Search for Truth “ Firth is magnificent. He captures Jim Swire’s resolute dignity and simmering fury without ever tipping into melodrama — a reminder, if any were needed, that he is one of the best screen actors Britain has produced. The Times January 2025 Lockerbie: A Search for Truth “ Supernova is a small, devastating film. Firth and Tucci have a decades-long intimacy that cannot be faked; every scene between them feels genuinely lived-in. This is what film acting can be when it is done by people who truly understand the form. Variety 2020 Supernova “ The chemistry between Firth and Tucci is the whole film. They make you believe in a lifetime together in the first five minutes, which makes what follows almost unbearable to watch. Remarkable. Empire 2020 Supernova 2010s “ Firth’s Smiley is a triumph of economy. He says more in a glance than most actors manage in a monologue. It is a genuinely great performance in a genuinely great film. Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian 2011 Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy “ As the reluctant, grief-haunted George Falconer, Firth gives a performance of devastating inwardness — so contained, so exact, that you cannot imagine another actor in the role. An Oscar nomination is the very least he deserves. A.O. Scott, The New York Times 2009 A Single Man “ It is not simply a great comic performance but a great performance, full stop. Firth locates the humanity inside the parody and makes Harry Hart genuinely thrilling to watch. Mark Kermode, The Observer 2015 Kingsman: The Secret Service “ The King’s Speech belongs to its star. Firth’s portrayal of King George VI is simultaneously royal and deeply vulnerable — a man terrified of the role history has thrust upon him, fighting his own voice in order to lead a nation. Awards season has its frontrunner. Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter 2010 The King’s Speech “ By now it may seem redundant to say that Colin Firth is brilliant in The King’s Speech, since everyone has been saying so since Toronto. But brilliance bears repeating. He does not show off the technique; he disappears into the technique. The Academy should simply post him the award now. Manohla Dargis, The New York Times 2010 The King’s Speech 2000s “ Firth has extraordinary comic timing and the rare gift of making self-deprecation seem genuinely charming rather than calculated. Mark Darcy is one of the great romantic comedy heroes of modern cinema. Philip French, The Observer 2001 Bridget Jones’s Diary “ What’s remarkable about Firth here is how he avoids all the easier routes. He could play Dormer as a monster; instead he plays him as a man, which is far more frightening. A powerful, underrated performance. Empire 2003 The Statement “ Firth is the quietly beating heart of the film. He never oversells a moment — the anguish is always just beneath the surface, glimpsed rather than stated. It is a model of screen restraint. Sight & Sound 2008 Then She Found Me 1990s “ Firth’s Darcy is the definitive one. The whole performance rests on what he keeps hidden — the pride, the longing, the eventual surrender — and he calibrates each revelation with extraordinary precision. Television acting has rarely been this good. Nancy Banks-Smith, The Guardian 1995 Pride & Prejudice (BBC, 1995) “ One watches Firth and understands immediately why every woman in England fell for this man in 1995. There is a magnetism there that is inseparable from the intelligence behind the eyes. He is not playing a romantic hero; he is being one. Clive James 1995 Pride & Prejudice (BBC, 1995) “ Firth brings a startling intelligence to a role that could so easily have been mere romantic furniture. His Lord Wessex is not simply a villain; he is a man of his time, and Firth makes us understand that distinction. The Village Voice 1998 Shakespeare in Love “ A luminous, beautifully observed performance. Firth finds both the comedy and the melancholy in his cuckolded gentleman and makes them entirely believable as two sides of the same man. The Sunday Telegraph 1996 Fever Pitch 1980s “ The young Firth is a revelation — all suppressed desire and English embarrassment. He makes you feel the specific pain of being eighteen and brilliant and in love with someone you cannot have. A remarkable film debut. Derek Malcolm, The Guardian 1984 Another Country “ Firth brings an effortless naturalism to a role that requires him to be both charming and dangerously naive. At twenty-three, he already has the screen presence of someone far more experienced. A name to watch. The Financial Times 1984 Another Country On the craft “He is one of those rare actors who makes restraint look like courage. Every silence he plays is full. Every glance lands. He is, without question, one of the finest screen actors of his generation.” — Sight & Sound Browse the full filmography → --- ## ColinFirth.com — Colin Firth in Crown Court URL: https://firth.com/crown.html ColinFirth.com — Colin Firth in Crown Court (updated 4/11/07) Episode Title: Citizens Original Transmission Dates: 1/31/84 - 2/01/84 Channel: ITV (Granada Television) Directed by: Gareth Morgan Written by: Christopher Russell Tim Woodward .... Brian Bass Douglas Wilmer .... Judge Copeland John Fortune .... Prosecuting Counsel James Berwick .... Joseph Kiernan David Calder .... Gordon Sibley Colin Firth .... PC Franklin Rob Edwards .... Andrew Hopper Margo Stanley .... Katie Rosemary Chamney .... Pauline James Tomlinson .... Clerk of Court Eric Sampson .... Usher SYNOPSIS Part 1 - A tinker, Joe Kiernan, is accused of stealing a copper cylinder from a local businessman, Gordon Sibley, who also leads a local committee dedicated to the removal of the local traveller (gypsy) population. Part 2 - It emerges that Gordon Sibley leads an action group whose aim is to get travellers evicted. Part 3- The trial concludes today, and Andrew Hooper, a spokesman for the travellers gives evidence. Trivia The incident in the case being adjudicated occured on 10 September 1982 A newspaper (at right) about the case is held up in court, with an interesting, foreshadowing headline Please do not upload any images to your own website, club, group, or community photo album. Thank you. Watch PC Franklin give his testimony and be cross-examined Thanks to SH for all her invaluable support! Back to Main Click on boots to contact me --- ## ColinFirth.com — Dorian Gray URL: https://firth.com/dorian_rev.html ColinFirth.com — Dorian Gray (9/15/09) Synopsis Cast News Galleries Reviews Multimedia Notes Official Site R EVIEWS Variety (Sept 15, 2009, by Todd McCarthy) Oliver Parker takes a meat cleaver to Oscar Wilde yet again in "Dorian Gray," a film as coarse and crude as its source material is refined and sublime. To paraphrase the great Irish scribe himself, the picture is a monstrous corruption, more at home stylistically in the bloody vicinity of Elm Street or Hammer Studios than in the loftier realms of distinguished literary adaptations, film festivals or the earlier incarnation of Ealing Studios. Having opened theatrically on Sept. 9 in the U.K., the pic looks more like DVD and cable fodder in most other markets, including Stateside. There are three good things in this latest version of Wilde's only novel: Colin Firth, who tosses off the vast majority of the script's appropriated witticisms with seasoned aplomb; Rebecca Hall, who singlehandedly revives the moribund enterprise with a jolt of vitality in the final reels; and the painting itself, which is stunningly rendered. Otherwise, Parker goes for the jugular, literally, splashing blood all around the famous story of an exquisite young man whose devil's bargain allows him to retain his beauty and lead a life of depraved debauchery while his portrait ages hideously in an attic. It's as if the director envisioned a companion piece to "Sweeney Todd," but with a porno-worthy synth score rather than Stephen Sondheim. Taken under wing by Firth's vicarious libertine, Lord Henry Wooton, and tutored to "be searching always for new sensations," Dorian (Ben Barnes) seduces, then discards the girl he truly loves, Sybil Vane (Rachel Hurd-Wood), to pursue the sybaritic life made possible by his looks. The assorted orgy montages look as appealing as outtakes from a Plato's Retreat documentary, and while Barnes ("The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian") indisputably rates in the high percentiles in the looks department, he doesn't exude the ineffable cockiness and jaded sense of perennial entitlement of a born Don Juan. Struggling a bit with an unbecoming beard, Firth pretends not to notice the vulgarity surrounding him while impersonating Wilde's epigrammatic surrogate. Having previously pruned the charms of both "The Importance of Being Earnest" and "An Ideal Husband," Parker will seemingly now be obliged to train his sights on other eminent dramatists for his adaptations; George Bernard Shaw and Noel Coward, beware. The Times (Sept 13, 2009, by Cosmo Landesman) - 1 out of 5 stars Ben Barnes plays Dorian Gray in Oliver Parker’s pointless and ponderous neogothic fable, an adaptation of the Oscar Wilde novel about a young man who has everything—beauty, eternal youth and fame—and loses it all. The innocent and good-hearted Gray comes to London and is subjected to the endless epigrams and bons mots of Henry Wotton (Colin Firth)—enough to drive anyone to drink, drugs, sex orgies and murder, and that’s exactly what happens to dear Dorian. The film—which manages to make Dorian’s descent into decadence a dull and joyless experience—is actually a piece of moralistic melodrama. Barnes can act, but his Dorian lacks any depth; like his subject, he comes over as just a pretty face. The Hollywood Reporter (Sept 12, 2009, by Peter Brunette) Bottom Line: Worthy film can't decide whether it's a literary adaptation or a horror flick. One of the most cinematically popular of all the works of professional fop and serious literary artist, Oscar Wilde, “Dorian Gray” is upon us once again. Much wilder if not more Wildean, this new version by Britisher Oliver Parker professes to re-interpret the novel on which it's based, and it surely accomplishes that. Whether or not the re-interpretation is always successful is another question entirely, but superb production values and imaginative, vigorous camerawork, music, and editing should carry the film a long way. It's not exactly clear who the audience is for this occasionally subtle literary adaptation that also aspires, almost against its will, to be a horror movie, but it deserves to find an audience somewhere. Ancillary sales should be much less ambiguous. The timeless morality tale concerns a beautiful young man from the provinces newly arrived in London. Taken under the corrupt wing of Lord Henry Wotton (Firth), who sprinkles decadent Wildean bons mots on Dorian (Ben Barnes) like pixie dust, the pupil begins quickly to surpass his master in the amoral pursuit of pleasure before all else. The story's high concept is that when Dorian's portrait is painted on his arrival, a pact is made with the devil that ensures that the model will always remain fresh and young, no matter how dissolute his life becomes, while the telltale portrait, hidden away in the attic, ages and becomes horrifically deformed. The excellent musical score recalls Hitchcockian motifs, most notably that of “Vertigo,” and adds nicely to the overall mysterious flavor of the proceedings. Parker's approach is always to accentuate the visceral, whether it's the gobs of impasto paint applied by the portrait artist, or Dorian's frequent voluptuous forays into the world of raw sensuality. Naturally, this kind of approach slows things down a bit, and some viewers who don't fancy themselves as aesthetes (in other words, who don't like the very essence of Wilde's work) may find their patience being tried. Dedicated if not decadent aesthetes will, on the other hand, revel in the sensuousness of virtually everything connected with this film. The portrait itself is the most problematic element of the film. In the 1945 version starring Hurd Hatfield, we only saw the painting at the very end, presumably to be stunned by its suddenly unveiled depiction of an old and ugly man. In Parker's version newer CGI techniques are perhaps overused, as we see the portrait again and again, each time animated with more and more squirming maggots, wounds appearing before our eyes, and in a final paroxysm of software, Dorian's entire writhing body rendered as a kind of a hologram that pops out of its frame. It is at these points that the film veers most dangerously toward becoming a horror movie, pure and simple. Lots of things that were not in Wilde's original treatment find their way into the film, such as Dorian's flashbacks to a brutalized childhood, various murders, strong hints of sado-masochism, homosexual encounters, and, perhaps the most entertaining, a moment of intercourse with a debutante daughter, followed by intercourse with her mother, while the girl cowers under the bed. But a good argument can be made that these extrapolations in no way distort Wilde's original, but in fact merely update it to a level that modern, jaded audiences will be able to find, in fact, decadent and upsetting. The Independent (Sept 11, 2009, by Anthony Quinn) - 1 out of 5 stars For Oliver Parker to have made one Oscar Wilde adaptation (An Ideal Husband) could be considered a misfortune. To have made another (The Importance of Being Earnest) looks like carelessness. To be responsible for a third (it has been shortened from The Picture of Dorian Gray) perhaps deserves a smack. Ben Barnes is the handsome but drippy eponym painted by Basil Hallward (Ben Chaplin) and led from innocence to depravity by the sybaratic Henry Wotton (Colin Firth). A swift transition, this: Dorian takes one puff on an opium pipe and suddenly becomes a cold-eyed seducer, pederast and murderer. The location work is fine (Witanhurst on Highgate Hill gives the best performance), but Parker's staging and direction are hopelessly inert; the orgy scenes are knocked off from Eyes Wide Shut, while the later movement into darkness looks (and sounds) like a cheap slasher movie. The Wildean wit, needless to say, has not survived the transition. The Scotsman (Sept 11, 2009, by Alistair Harkness) - 1 out of 4 stars Given we're living in the midst of a venal, vanity-driven celebrity culture where fame is treated as a goal in itself and Botox and Photoshop offer quick-fix solutions to combat the irrational fear of ageing, the timing should be perfect for a decent cinematic adaptation of Oscar Wilde's 1890 novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Detailing its protagonist's Faustian pact to preserve his youthful perfection with a painting that ages while he indulges his every vice, Wilde's tale offered up a potent metaphor for the soul-corrupting costs of such behaviour that remains as relevant today as it ever was. What a shame, then, that Dorian Gray, the latest stab at Wilde from Brit filmmaker Oliver Parker (he previously adapted An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest for the big screen), offers up only the most literal interpretation of Wilde's story, using it as the basis for an unintentionally campy period film that plays out like a vampire movie with no vampires.... Actually, Parker opts against showing us the picture too much. Just as all reference to it has been dropped from the film's title, it mostly remains hidden in Dorian's attic, its horrific nature gauged only on the faces of anyone unfortunate enough to come into contact with it. This is supposed to build up dramatic tension to a final unveiling, but this falls flat, thanks to Parker over-egging it with flashy changes in film stock and an intrusive, clanging score. Unfortunately, that also means the film leaves us with far too much time to focus on its soulless protagonist's descent into debauchery, something that exposes a chief problem with the film: namely, that it doesn't seem to know what to do with Wilde's source material. Firth's pithy delivery of Wilde's best epigrams raises a few smiles; but mostly Dorian Gray inspires howls of derisory laughter as it tries to sex itself up with scenes of opium orgies, S&M sessions, man-on-man tongue-tussling and intergenerational seduction. Barnes is hopelessly bland and way out of his depth when it comes to this kind of thing. His startled acting style gives him the demeanour of a bunny in headlights, not a rabbit rutting for dear life. What's more, while he may be pretty as a picture (something that worked adequately for him as Prince Caspian in the last Chronicles of Narnia movie), he exudes about as much sex appeal as a piece of Ikea furniture. This is a role that demanded the kind of lascivious leeriness Johnny Depp brought to his portrayal of the Earl of Rochester in the furiously filthy The Libertine, not someone who makes Orlando Bloom seem like Jack Nicholson. If Barnes is bad, Parker's clunky compositions, his fondness for throwing claret around and his tendency towards melodramatic plotting don't help. Working from a screenplay from first-timer Toby Finlay, the film diverges from the book by introducing Lord Henry's daughter, Emily, into the equation, using her as a last-act love interest, a salve for Dorian's conscience and a way to give Firth a more active role in bringing about the film's resolution. Played with spiky authority by the excellent Rebecca Hall, her appearance momentarily lifts proceedings… until she's asked to fall for Barnes's Dorian, a feat even she can't fake convincingly. It's not her fault: the film and its star are against her. It's easy enough to see why he would suddenly fall for Emily as played by Hall, but rather more difficult to imagine what she could possibly see in Barnes's Dorian – unless her character's back-story as a suffragette has given her a taste for chaining herself to inanimate objects. Parker tries to sustain interest with a ludicrous chase on the London Underground and some Grand Guignol effects work, but it's feeble stuff. Dorian's perma-perfection in the midst of his ageing counterparts should have been genuinely creepy and disturbing, not a cue for lots of Goth posturing. In the end, this has been slickly enough made to have the appearance of commercial viability, but it's all surface gloss and faux decadence, a pretty picture with no heart or soul, and a vacuous reminder of the artistic and intellectual sacrifices made in mid-level, publicly-funded British films in their pursuit of box-office booty. Perhaps some souls are withering away in the UK Film Council now. The Guardian (Sept 11, 2009, by Peter Bradshaw) - The posters make it look like a Twilight knockoff, but Oliver Parker's brash ­version of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray is rather different. It has the style of a Hammer shocker from decades ago; Wilde's romance is caricatured, certainly, but the whole thing is socked over with gusto. Toby Finlay's adapted screenplay has some clever new plot inventions and there's a great turn from Colin Firth as the ­debauched aesthete Lord Henry Wotton....Parker has made a name for himself with Wilde adaptations. This is the least respectful and the most fun. The Times (Sept 11, 2009, by Kevin Maher) - 2 out of 5 stars Like Bernardo Bertolucci’s Little Buddha (in which Keanu Reeves played Siddhartha) Dorian Gray is one of those rare prestige pictures scuppered by its leading man. For, despite a classic source novel (Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray), some neat formal flourishes from its director Oliver Parker and a truly handsome supporting turn from Colin Firth, this story demands a more versatile and charismatic central player than the powerfully blank Ben Barnes. He was previously blank with a sword in the blockbuster Prince Caspian and jazzy blank in the mannered failure Easy Virtue. Here Barnes does pansexual blank, playing the eponymous anti-hero, newly arrived to London and beguiled by the local epicurean know-all Lord Wotton (Firth). The latter, delivering all the best aphorisms (“The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it”), draws Dorian into the Faustian bargain that allows him immortality at the expense of his humanity. This inevitably translates as bedding both men and women, old and young, and hammering to death lines such as: “I, am, a, god!” Truly dispiriting. The Daily Mail (Sept 11, 2009, by A. Nonymous) - 1 out of 5 stars Oliver Parker's plodding, lacklustre and ultimately disastrous costume drama is like a genteel, unsexy parody of the worst Hammer horrors of the 1970s. To have succeeded, this picture needed a young Johnny Depp to encapsulate Dorian's exquisite handsomeness concealing a depraved and cruel mind; what it gets is Britain's drippiest leading actor. Ben Barnes is even more hopelessly at sea here than he was in Prince Caspian, where he was acted off the screen by a mouse. I know he has his fans among teenage girls with posters of him on their walls, and no doubt they are, while reading this, preparing to bombard me with hate mail. But this good-looking chap is wasted in movies: he should be modelling Calvin Klein or comfortable knitwear. He makes Roger Moore at his most planklike look like Daniel Day Lewis. Casting banal, boring Barnes opposite people who really can act — such as Colin Firth as Gray's Mephistophelean mentor Lord Henry Wotton, and Rebecca Hall as a love interest not in the book — is like tossing dead wood on a fire to see if it will burn. A film about people selling their souls in order to remain young and beautiful should have been topical. But the film fudges this, and makes fashionable but ill-considered additions to Oscar Wilde's classic novel, such as flashbacks to reveal that Dorian was, as a child, physically abused. This seemed to me to have no relevance to the book, and never comes to anything anyway. This is not Wilde. It's tame and dreary, with no energy, suspense or horror. When the picture of Dorian's demonic soul is finally uncovered, it resembles not so much evil incarnate as the late Max Wall. Heaven knows at whom this film is aimed. If I may paraphrase Oscar, this is the unbearable in pursuit of the unboreable. Verdict: You'll feel as though you aged 20 years Telegraph (Sept 10, 2009, by Tim Robey) - 3 out 5 stars The painting is the star of Oliver Parker’s Dorian Gray. It looks suggestively blurred, almost out of focus. Wait — are those bags under its eyes? Suddenly, they look bloodshot. Then a maggot wriggles out from behind one to be stamped underfoot, and everyone’s favourite Victorian libertine, Dorian (Ben Barnes), decides it might be better off in the attic. Parker has some handy digital effects at his disposal, and a sterling Sir Henry in the shape of Colin Firth, whose barked advice makes him come over as caddish and envious, like a bitter Mephistopheles. I agree with the novelist Jeffrey Eugenides that Lord Henry is the “real engine” of Wilde’s book. There are good things here, good scenes, and more than we might have expected from Parker, turning it in between St Trinian’s films. Toby Finlay’s screenplay pumps up the homoeroticism — Dorian has a pretty clear idea how to keep the portraitist Basil Hallward (Ben Chaplin) under his, er, thumb. Beyond mildly risqué bisexual assignations, the filmmaking isn’t terribly adventurous, but cinematographer Roger Pratt (Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein) gives it an inky opulence, and it’s quite watchable. We could complain that Barnes is a somewhat vanilla hellraiser, and more boyishly handsome than impossibly beautiful. He’s too much of an ingénu at the start. But, let’s face it, it could have been worse. It could have been Orlando Bloom. RTÉ Entertainment (Sept 9, 2009, by Taragh Loughrey-Grant ) - 2 out of 5 stars [...] Magic portrait aside, it all sounds a bit twee — and it is. Yet it shouldn't be, given the original source material. While the timing could not be more apt, tapping into our surgery and youth-obsessed culture, the film is not scary enough to appeal to teen horror fans or dramatic enough to be gripping. This 'Dorian Gray' pales in comparison to Wilde's original or indeed director Albert Lewin's 1945 film adaptation 'The Picture of Dorian Gray'. Parker has overindulged in Gray's hedonistic days with the result that the film, and its audience, need a detox after all the gratuitous sex, drugs and Victorian style 'RocknRolla'. Barnes was indeed the perfect looking actor for the role, however his continuous Dr Jekyll/Mr Hyde routine from innocent to evil is unconvincing, especially considering the heinous acts his character commits. Halfway through it's difficult to care about his soul, his looks, his anything, except perhaps his demise - hardly ideal when the title character becomes irritating one hour into a two-hour film. However, Barnes is ably supported by Firth, who leads his character down the wayward path and Chaplin, who tries to lead him in the right direction, taking in the odd self-serving detour. Hall makes the most of her short but memorable role as the one person capable of helping Gray, as does the wonderful Irish actress Shaw, as Wotton's aunt. As these film stills indicate, Parker's cinematography and lighting are dark, aided by a foggy mist hanging over every scene, both indoors and out. The budget obviously didn't stretch to cover decent special effects or diverse locations. The same lack of subtly extends to the imagery, with little left to the imagination. In these cash-short, time-rich times, both would be better spent digging out the Oscar-winning 1945 version. Whether for entertainment or exam purposes, actor Hurd Hatfield's picture of 'Dorian Gray' is your only man. Time Out London (Sept 8, 2009, by Dave Calhoun) - 2 out of 5 stars Unlike ‘The Importance of Being Earnest’ or ‘An Ideal Husband’, whose Wildean theories are buried deeper beneath their stories, ‘Dorian Gray’ is a book of more explicit, often difficult ideas. So it’s no surprise that Oliver Parker (‘St Trinians’), in his third Wilde film adaptation, has stripped out some of the more heady debates about art, beauty and the like, not least because he’s aiming for the sort of younger audience attracted by the casting of Ben Barnes (from the recent ‘Narnia’ films) as Gray. So the focus is on the surface narrative of Wilde’s novel: Gray’s ascent in London society on the arm of Lord Henry Wotton (Colin Firth) and his later descent on the arm of his own vanity as he sinisterly fails to age while a youthful portrait of himself in his attic turns into a painting of an elderly ogre. What newcomer Toby Finlay’s sometimes daring script brings to the party is both a shift in time so that the story ends in the early 1920s and the addition of a possible redemptive love interest in the person of Emily Wotton (Rebecca Hall), Lord Henry’s daughter, and a stick with which the story tries to beat her Machiavellian father for his earlier misdeeds. These are interesting ideas, but they would work better if there was more decadence on show earlier on to nail Gray’s corruption: his initial flights of abandon in the city’s opium dens and brothels are not seedy enough and his rejection of his girlfriend Sybil (Rachel Hurd-Wood) is not as powerful or central as it should be (Hurd-Wood’s acting doesn’t help). But things look up from the halfway point as Gray’s murder of an associate — and its dreadful effect on him — is claustrophobic enough to convince, and the film is particularly interesting when presenting Dorian as a Victorian out of time, pitching him against the Edwardian age, the car and the suffrage movement. Barnes’s ability to handle his character’s strange psychological journey is limited: he’s upstaged by the painting itself, which doesn’t just age; it putrefies, maggots and all. Film.com (Sept 7, 2009, by Lisa Keddie) - graded B Bad, bad Barnes: Fans, be prepared for a huge shock to the system as Narnia hero Ben Barnes as devilish Dorian Gray matures before your very eyes into a deviant, arrogant and uglier version of the young man introduced at the beginning of this period drama. Indeed Gray's opening scene will prompt many gasps from the Barnes fan club, as he carries out an unspeakable act of violence. Reminiscent to a 'period Devils Advocate', there are slight alterations to Oscar Wilde's original work, The Picture Of Dorian Gray (1890), by screenwriter Toby Finlay that do not affect the enjoyment to be had out of this film about being fearless in life, as well as one of man's major sin: vanity. One clear difference between the book and the film is Basil Hallward's (played by Ben Chaplin) infatuation with Dorian that is not as clearly represented or dwelled on as in the original. However, there is a wonderfully witty side played out, brilliantly captured by Colin Firth's scene-stealing portrayal as the tart and wicked Lord Henry Wotton. Firth is an absolute delight, toying with his prey in a period role that suits his measurable talents. Barnes is equally impressive, dispelling any initial doubts as to his casting in the lead, and it is thrilling to see him venturing as boldly as his character into the unknown, in terms of this career path. Leaving the security of the Disney fold was a wise move for such a young actor to avoid stereotyping that appears to dog, say, Zac Efron. By choosing roles wisely, Barnes's gamble appears to have paid off, progressing from the intriguing Easy Virtue, to a far sinister Dorian Gray. The production has all the atmosphere of a classic gothic horror with gloomy East End streets of London, uninviting and cold buildings, and Gray's dungeon-styled attic. Director Oliver Parker who previously brought two Wilde stories to the screen (An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest) is ideally suited to recreating the menacing 1900 scenes in this film, and the uneasy sensation of high society debauchery spiralling out of control is ever present in parts as Parker's version has the freedom to explore just what would happen if you were allowed to do anything, without obvious consequences; to investigate what is right and what is wrong; and to demonstrate that the obsession with staying young and the secrets of eternal youth has always been a major issue with every generation past. Such alluring topics will resonate with today's audiences, breathing fresh new life into Wilde's tale, and with a stellar cast in tow, Parker's film is a pleasing and thought-provoking adaptation to see. Shadows on the Wall (Aug 7, 2009, by Rich Cline) - 2-1/2 stars Oscar Wilde's classic novel is turned into a schlock horror movie, totally engulfed by gloomy atmosphere and over-the-top filmmaking. It's watchably cheesy, but completely lacks Wilde's incisive wit or observation.... This story is just as relevant today as it was when it was written in 1890; the obsession with youth can be seen in nipped/tucked faces everywhere. But this film only barely touches that theme, instead focussing on the supernatural freak-out of this menacing picture locked away in Dorian's attic, plus some airbrushed gothic porn and lots of grisly bloodletting. In many ways, it feels far more like a vampire movie than Wilde's dark social satire. It's odd that Parker takes such a gothic approach for his third Wilde adaptation (after An Ideal Husband and The Importance of Being Earnest). It allows him to create lots of atmospheric stylishness, with gliding camerawork and shadowy sets, plus characters that feel like Dickensian icons. And this heightened reality lets the actors add lots of dark theatricality. Firth is especially good at this; his steely, sardonic performance is very nasty, and utterly riveting. Opposite him, everyone else seems a bit bland, including Barnes, who's more of a pretty boy than a tortured soul. Much of his inner torment is portrayed only through lurid nightmares and fake, excessively set-dressed hedonism. And he has very little chemistry with either Hurd-Wood or Hall, who are both very good. But all of this undermines Dorian's character as a wanton hedonist. Basically, decadence has never looked less enjoyable on screen. The violence is twisted and grim, with tricks stolen from J-horror and a bizarrely homophobic undertone (the only gay scene is essentially a power-play rape). And as it approaches its B-movie conflagration finale, it feels even more soulless than Dorian himself. Home Click on boots to contact me --- ## ColinFirth.com — Colin Firth in The Importance of Being Earnest URL: https://firth.com/earnest.html ColinFirth.com — Colin Firth in The Importance of Being Earnest (updated 1/19/03) * Times Behind-the-Scenes article here * Daily Mail Behind-the-Scenes article here Region 1 DVD (US) to be released Nov 11, 2002; can be preordered via The Boutique here Click for "Links" to online video interviews with cast members, including Colin New Behind-the-Scenes Gallery Images from VH1's Cast Party Many new articles about Colin to publicize the film. Check on News page and Articles Archive . Transcribed television and radio interviews: Breakfast with the Arts All Things Considered Weekend Today Show The Today Show Live with Regis & Kelly The Daily Show Two young gents living in 1890s England have taken to bending the truth in order to put some excitement into their lives. Worthing (Colin Firth) has invented a brother, Ernest, whom he uses as an excuse to leave his dull country life behind to visit the ravishing Gwendolen (Frances O'Connor). Moncrieff (Rupert Everett) decides to take the name "Ernest" when visiting Worthing's young and beautiful ward, Cecily (Reese Witherspoon) at the country manor. Things start to go awry when they end up together in the country and their deceptions are discovered—threatening to spoil their romantic pursuits. John Worthing, J.P. Algernon Moncrieff Lady Bracknell Gwendolen Fairfax Cecily Cardew Tom Wilkinson as Dr Chasuble — Anna Massey as Miss Prism — Edward Fox as Lane Interview by StudioLA’s Jim Ferguson Colin:One of the things that amuses me about Victorian England as an idea—and Oliver Parker’s captured that in this film, is that all these corseted people, all these utterly kind of repressed and austere people were studying the classics, which featured nothing but sex, really. Jim: (laughs) Yeah. Colin: I mean, you’ve got naked maidens tied to trees...and the pre-Raphaelite paintings. Jim: In the scene in the nightclub when your character, Jack, a country gentleman, goes into London, they’re all in there watching the dancing girls... Colin: Exactly. Jim: ... throw up their skirts, you know— Colin: That was all going on, as well. I mean, it was a very, it was actually a very corrupt and decadent society. I mean, the Victorians were just as known, really, for all their perversions...as they were for their austerity. Jim: You have Judith Dench, Tom Wilkinson, go right down the whole cast list. A very talented group of people you were working with. Colin: Absolutely. This play, I think, is dependent on that. You’re not going to get anywhere if you can’t cast it well. It depends on actors. Bad actors are going to make those lines sound very rigid, and frosty. Jim: The Importance of Being Earnest. Beautiful to look at, great acting, great sets, costumes. Can I say anything more except don’t miss this one. Thank you so much. Colin: Thanks very much. Call of the Wilde (Daily Mail, Aug 13, 2002) The atmosphere on set was equally light-hearted—Dame Judi Dench would often play practical jokes, notably on Firth. ‘She described me as like a trout—I would bite on the first bait of a practical joke,’ Firth says. ‘One day we were all sitting in our trailer park having lunch in the rain. She had this bird of prey on her head. I thought, “Photo opportunity!” I went off for two seconds to get my camera but when I came back everyone had disappeared. She had managed to get three departments to hide behind the trailers.’ On the steps of the Palladian north front of the house, the lead actors are intoning a scene. Colin Firth, fresh from his triumph in Bridget Jones’s Diary, but still best known as Mr Darcy in the BBC’s version of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, is playing Jack Worthing, who is a good egg, if a little pompous. Jack himself could be a direct descendant of Mr Darcy, but there are no wet shirts in this production, just tight neckties. ( Read complete on location article here) Going Wilde in the Country (The Times, Aug 24, 2002) The filming of The Importance of Being Earnest at a country house in Buckinghamshire proved almost as entertaining as the play itself, not least because the real-life sparring between the two leading men, Rupert Everett and Colin Firth. “I don’t know, but I feel there is something archetypical about us that puts us together. Funnily enough, I don’t usually feel like the short one—I’m 6ft 2 in and it’s not often I’m looking up to someone and feeling like the little guy. But I swear Rupert’s grown in 18 years. I feel like I’m Ernie to his Eric or something. Actually, it’s even worse, I feel like Peter Glaze to his Leslie Crowther. You know, the little round angry man constantly frothing with the indignity of it all, that’s me, and he’s the tall, funny, languid fellow.” (Read complete background story here) Colin Firth Sings in Earnest (TV Guide Insider, May 22, 2002) Attempting to woo his beloved in The Importance of Being Earnest—opening Friday—Colin Firth's character serenades her. Of course, we're dying to know: Was the handsome Brit crooning with his own voice in the film? "I'm very flattered that you even ask [if it was me]," Firth tells TV Guide Online. "If they got a professional voice in [instead], it would have sounded a lot better than that. "I didn't really prepare very much except in my bedroom once or twice," the 41-year-old adds. "It was a fairly unprepared thing, but I think that was the spirit that was required. I was rather hoping it would all be dubbed!" Firth has a very different opinion when it comes to the vocal performance of co-star Reese Witherspoon—whose part calls for her to utter Oscar Wilde's witticisms with a British accent. "I certainly think that nobody could have been better in the role," he gushes. "We all had to make a bit of a reach... No one speaks like that. [The play]'s a hundred years old and most of us English people are fairly detached from that culture and that way of speaking now." It's one thing for Brits to return to their roots, but can an American do it as well? "I think that the nationality and the origins of the person really come second," he asserts. "I'd rather she even got the accent wrong than have a perfect English rose who can't act." In fact, Firth has a happy track record of acting opposite U.S. starlets playing UK beauties. Besides Witherspoon, he's also co-starred with Renée Zellweger in Bridget Jones's Diary and Gwyneth Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love. "Every time an American actress has come to do a film in England, I've usually been there in the film as well," he laughs. "So, I've always heard all the talk. But I don't know if there's really been a fuss about it. It may be more of a problem [in the States] than it is in England. We don't particularly care." [Listen to streaming audio of the entire serenade "Lady Come Down" linked below.] 'Earnest' takes a walk on the Wilde side (Angela Dawson, May 8, 2002) Rupert Everett and Colin Firth didn't quite hit it off when they met some 18 years ago. The actors were thrown together in the class warfare drama "Another Country" and really didn't have that much in common. Firth admits he was rather serious and stodgy—terribly earnest. Everett was arrogant, intellectual, outspoken and witty. Still is, notes Firth. Firth recalls, "His description of me was somewhere along the lines of ‘a ghastly red-brick-guitar-playing communist ready to give his first $500 to charity.'" That summation probably wasn't far from the truth, admits the actor best known as Mr. Darcy to the legions of fans of the BBC series "Pride and Prejudice." "He was very dull in the old days," Everett mockingly laments, correcting Firth's figure to "the first $1 million" to charity. "I wonder what happened to that!" These days the two Brits, both in their early 40s, get along famously. It is probably a good thing too, since they play lifelong friends in the latest film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's century-old British satire "The Importance of Being Earnest." Complete article can be read here "Earnest" excitement" (THR, April 26, 2002, by Martin Grove) (excerpted) As for Colin Firth, who plays Jack, Parker noted, "Colin I know from way back. He's a dear fellow and, also, I think what I like about him is that role Jack is often a bit of a stooge to Algy. Algy tends to have the funny lines and having played Jack I sort of understood that it's not necessarily appealing. But in my adaptation I was quite concerned (about) that. In some ways, his is the story with the most change to it. I was quite interested to try and get a little big more compassion into the story than is normally the point. I would say originally its intention is more satirical and wickedly sharp. With time, the objects of satire are perhaps less evident and particularly on screen I felt it important to try and create this world where you give them a context you believe in a bit more. The great thing about film is that you can actually draw out the world they're living in much more and immediately you're getting a rapport between them and their environment. "And Colin, I find, is a terrifically detailed and sensitive performer. He can bring the sensitivity and complexity (to the role). What I was really thrilled with was I feel there's a lot of range to him in this part. I think there are moments that I was surprised that they're sweetly affecting. I wasn't quite sure how they'd turn out. (And that's) partly because of the rapport between the two guys. They worked together many years ago on 'Another Country' on screen and that rapport is there. On set it's there. I'm pretty confident that that's what sort of (resulted in) what they do on screen. Rupert is a terrifically sharp-witted fellow and you've got to keep your own about you. And Colin and he had some terrifically good fun almost fraternal tangles. It was so clearly aimed at what they were doing and they became even firm friends, I think, by the end, which was lovely." Complete column can be read here Sense and Sensibility (Vogue, May 2002, by Vicky Woods He opens next in Oliver Parker’s film of The Importance of Being Earnest,” Oscar Wilde’s frothiest play. As Jack Worthing, a buttoned-up country landowner who adopts the name Ernest on his louche visits to London, Firth is straight man to Rupert Everett’s Algy Moncrieff (who gets all the best jokes). Parker filmed another Wilde play, An Ideal Husband, which wasn’t terrific, but his version of Importance is brilliantly done and had me transported (not to mention reaching for Kleenex in an empty screening room). Outwardly, it has all the seductive Miramax trademarks: British leading men, non-British actresses (Reese Witherspoon, Frances O’Connor), lush sets, sweet music, et cetera. But as Firth points out, “Wilde is at his most profound when he seems at his most trivial,” and Parker’s film pulls out all the sexual tensions and darkness that underlie the play—Wilde’s last work before he was drummed out of England for his homosexuality. "Earnest was Victorian slang for gay,” says Firth, who is famous for doing his homework for each role. People would say, “I hear he’s frightfully earnest.’” (Read the complete article here ) Will screen at the Tribeca Film Festival Miramax will screen the film on Friday, May 10, and Saturday, May 11. Tickets go on sale April 24 to the general public, although advance sales to American Express cardholders are now being taken. Details at the festival website Bringing you the syncopated vocal stylings of Jack and Algie... With guitar and the convenience of a port-o-piano, the suitors "Serenade" their intendeds after having been found out. The song is set to an 1881 poem (for music) by Oscar Wilde entitled "Serenade." Lyrics and more photos from the scene can be found here Trailer online The movie trailer can be viewed at Moviefone in both the QuickTime and Real Player formats. Screen captures are now available at the Gallery Three "Rupert Everett's Cheeky Ad-Lib" (Aug 6, 2001) That Special Touch: Gay actor Rupert Everett ad-libbed two weird moves that stunned co-star Colin Firth while filming The Importance of Being Earnest. In a scene where they're supposed to shake hands, Rupert swept Colin into his arms and KISSED HIM on the cheek! And in a shot that called for Rupert to slap Colin on the back—he slapped him on the ass instead! Both times, Colin's stunned reaction cracked everyone up! After viewing the scenes, the director elected to keep them—and Colin agreed! Matt Wolf, AP (Aug 1, 2001) "Director Revisits Oscar Wilde" "Rise, sir, from this semi-recumbent posture!" snaps Dame Judi Dench, digging into the role of Lady Bracknell in Oscar Wilde's classic comedy The Importance of Being Earnest. And rise Colin Firth does, even if his character, the gently smitten Jack Worthing, would rather be alone with Lady Bracknell's daughter, Gwendolen (played by Frances O'Connor). After all, when you're dealing with one of the most formidable women ever written—and a no less formidable actress—you don't dillydally. "'Semi-recumbent,"' says Dench later, savoring the word during a break in filming. "Heaven!" She stars in a new film version of Wilde's 1895 play, which is due for a possible Christmas release in one or two cities and a far-wider release in the spring. The movie also stars Firth, O'Connor, Rupert Everett and, as the fresh-faced young ward Cecily Cardew, Reese Witherspoon. The director is Oliver Parker, who two years ago came out with a film of another Wilde play, An Ideal Husband. That one cost $10.5 million and grossed $40 million, which makes the slightly pricier Earnest a good commercial bet. The problem, of course, is that Earnest is a far better-known play and was already successfully filmed once, in 1952, with Michael Redgrave and Edith Evans under Anthony Asquith's direction. Evans established the gold standard for Lady Bracknell's horrified question, "A handbag?" Parker, who once played Jack in a staging of the play a dozen years ago, sighs. "You're bound to make decisions that a lot of people won't agree with, and I actually liked the old film of Earnest. It's charming in its way," he says. But he adds, "the thing that frustrates me about productions when I see them is that they tend to become the opposite of what I think is the play; they've become establishment property." The spirit of Earnest , he says, demands something different. "There's something wonderfully light but anarchic in it." That's certainly true of the scene being filmed on this particular day. Lady Bracknell—the play's gorgon-like comic motor ("To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness.")—is checking out Jack's suitability for her daughter. She also, perhaps, is eyeing him and his friend Algernon Moncrieff (Everett) in some vague way for herself. "She's cheeky," smiles the 41-year-old Firth. "There's sex involved here; these lines are a lot more alive than I had thought." "I mean, she's frightfully flirtatious," says Dench, 66, who played Lady Bracknell at London's National Theater in 1982. "There are so many allusions to how fond Lady Bracknell is of Algy particularly, and then there's poor old ailing Lord B. stuck up in a room with a tray." As she talks, Dench's blue eyes glisten. Her face looks tiny under an elaborately bedecked hat. "She's done frightfully well for herself, hasn't she," Dench asks of her character, "for someone who started out with no fortune?" "It's a bit of a scary monster, that part," says Parker. "You really need to break it down and give it some humanity and vulnerability, as well as power." The actors talk about the importance of approaching the famous play without preconceptions— of not being too earnest. Says Firth, the movie "offers you the opportunity to escape the cliches of the play." Watch a BBC news clip showing the filming (requires Real Player) The Times (June 15, 2001) Daily Telegraph (June 15, 2001) Click on image for full street scene Evening Standard (June 14, 2001) : "Passport to Ealing gets renewal stamp" It is almost half a century since a major film was released under the distinguished Ealing Studios banner— The Ladykillers, in 1955. Now it is hoped the magic that helped create classics like Whisky Galore and Passport To Pimlico can be revived for a new version of The Importance Of Being Earnest ....The latest film version of Oscar Wilde's comedy...produced by Barnaby Thompson and starring Rupert Everett, Colin Firth and Dame Judi Dench, is being shot at the studios now and should be released next year—the studios' centenary year. [Full article] Baz Bamigboye, Daily Mail (June 8, 2001): "Wilde days as Earnest stars get their Oscar nominations" The costume fittings were "in Rome. Nothing but the best—pure silks, linens and the finest brocade—was considered…and that was just for the men. Producer Barnaby Thompson calculated that his two leading actors, Colin Firth and Rupert Everett came away with 17 outfits each, including Rupert’s armour. “That’s possibly right”, admitted Rupert. Colin insisted “I never demanded them, I was provided with them”. All this before we even get to what the ladies are wearing in the sumptuous film version of Oscar Wilde’s play about mistaken identity, The Importance of Being Earnest. Rupert plays Algernon, the penniless London playboy (essentially a ligger), while Colin is John Worthing, who lives one life in town and another in the country. There’s Frances O’Connor, as Gwendolen Fairfax, in a most becoming silk number with a cream jacket fitted so tight she must have been sewn into it. And Reese Witherspoon as dear, darling Cecily Cardew, in a pretty blue and ivory dress. And Anna Massey, prim and proper in plain cotton and silks as Miss Prism. Judi Dench, though, commands our attention in a hat of immense distinction and a faux fox wrap (she would have strongly disapproved of having a real fur around her neck). She’s also sporting thick-soled buffalo boots, because Lady Bracknell must have height. (She swore she would hit me if this was revealed. Ouch). Judi has been on the set since Tuesday, having arrived late because she was shooting another movie, Iris, in this country, and also attiring in The Shipping News in Newfoundland. Today Judi sails out of a 16th century church in poshest Buckinghamshire and into view in….a graveyard. “Prism! Where is that baby?” she demands. It’s just one of the great many lines from Wilde’s play. Director Oliver Parker, who shot an opulent film version of Wilde’s An Ideal Husband two years ago, looks at the public morality and private vices of late Victorian high society. But I don’t think there’s any point in doing a period film if it doesn’t have a bearing on the present”, Parker said. “There’s no reason to just having people walking and talking and looking beautiful. There’s stuff going on beneath the surface and no one is what they seem. Gwendolen hides her dark desires under a cloak of respectability. Her mother, Lady Bracknell clearly used to be a bit of “gel” in her day, so I didn’t want her to be a dragon”. Even so, as Judi explains, Algernon and Jack are frightened of her. “But Lady Bracknell has a soft spot for Algy—she’d probably pat his knee, given half a chance”. The young ladies aren’t the innocents they first seem either. Gwendolen, for instance, sports a tattoo, bearing the name Ernest. “She loves Ernest—people do anything for love”, said Frances O’Connor. “You can dress it up how you want, but people are just people underneath it all. They want basic things—love and romance—and Wilde had a knack of providing that”, the Australian-born actress said. Reese Witherspoon, a superb actress, was in the film Election two years ago. Her Cecily is extraordinary bright, but consumed by an inner romantic fantasy life. “She fantasises about an errant knight coming to carry her off”, she said. The ensemble, which includes Tom Wilkinson as Dr Chasuble, seem devoted to each other. Ms Massey hands out expensive biscuits and explains the meaning of difficult words. Mr Firth tells naughty jokes while Judi tries not to get the giggles. She knows this piece very well. She played Cecily at the Old Vic in 1959 and Lady Bracknell at the National. Henry Fitzherbert, Sunday Express (June 3, 2001) : Clash of crumpets in a Wilde reunion After his fisticuffs with Hugh Grant in Bridget Jones's Diary, Colin Firth did battle this week with another floppy haired Brit famed for his wit and charm—Rupert Everett. This time, however, the clash was a lot more sedate—the pair tussled over a crumpet for a scene in The Importance Of Being Earnest. No blood was shed, only a bit of hot butter. The Oscar Wilde adaptation is shooting at West Wycombe House in Buckinghamshire with Everett playing Algy opposite Firth's Jack Worthing. It marks the first time the pair have acted together since making their movie debut in Another Country, the 1984 film which shot Everett to fame for his performance as a homosexual public schoolboy in the Thirties. "They are like The Odd Couple, completely different guys but very comfortable with each other, and that comes across in the film, " producer Barnaby Thompson tells me during a break in the action. Soon to join the cast as Lady Bracknell is Judi Dench, whom Thompson rightly calls "the hardest working woman in showbusiness". Note: West Wycombe House was also a location in Another Country's lake and island scenes. Netribution, May 11, 2001 The Film Council's Premiere Fund has announced that it is joining Fragile Films' the Importance of Being Earnest, the fourth film to gain money from the fund. A co-production between Miramax, Ealing Studios, Grosvenor Park, Newmarket Capital and now the Film Council, the films tars Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Reese Witherspoon, Tom Wilkinson, Edward Fox and Judi Dench as Lady Bracknell (the handbag woman). Director Oliver Parker and producer Barnaby Thompson are looking to replicate the critical and commercial success of An Ideal Husband, also by Wilde and staring Rupert Everett. In an exclusive interview with Netribution, Premiere Fund head Robert Jones said 'I have to say that although I've only seen the rushes of Importance of Being Earnest, Oliver Parker has managed to give it a very modern feel for a period drama. Maybe that's just the luck of Wilde's writing - they're very accessible, very witty and, well, they're just good fun.' News of the World, May 6, 2001 Colin is going Wilde: Here's the first exclusive still from the new film version of Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, starring Rupert Everett and Bridget Jones heartthrob Colin Firth. Colin plays Jack Worthing, who invents a character called Ernest and gets away with wicked doings by blaming them on him. Entertainment News Daily, May 4, 2001 "We're killing ourselves to wrap it before the actors' strike," Firth says. "But it's truly a labor of love. Each day is a joy, because the material is so good." PeopleNews, April 30, 2001 Fresh from his success in Bridget Jones's Diary, Colin Firth is to attempt to resurrect the Ealing comedy. The suave actor will appear alongside other British stars Dame Judi Dench, Rupert Everett and American Reese Witherspoon in a production of the Oscar Wilde classic The Importance of Being Earnest to be filmed at the famous Ealing Studio. The £10 million production will hit the screens next year. Although a byword for British comedy in the 1940s and 1950s, when it produced such classics as Passport to Pimlico, Ealing Studio in west London has not released a comedy since 1957. A source said: ‘They’re hoping to give a boost to the studio and the British film industry in general. The play is still hilarious and we’ll have to see what such a fantastic cast does with it.’ Michael Cieply, Inside.com, April 29, 2001 Miramax, meanwhile, is still deliberating dates for its The Importance of Being Earnest —based on an Oscar Wilde play, with Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, and Judi Dench in the leads—which had been rumored for June 2nd. Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith, April 28, 2001 The Importance of Being Colin: Though Bridget Jones' Diary star Colin Firth is excited about bringing Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest to the big-screen with Rupert Everett, Dame Judi Dench and Reese Witherspoon, he notes that doing such a classic piece is a double- edged sword. "It's difficult because we know the script is good," quips the British actor. "So if it doesn't work it's not the writer's fault. If someone says, 'You weren't funny, Colin,' I can't say, 'It's the lines...this guy just doesn't know how to set up a gag." He says it'll be reunion time when he starts shooting Earnest in London this week. He starred with Dench in the 1998 Shakespeare in Love and recalls, "I did my first film, Another Country, back in 1983 with Rupert." Variety, March 7, 2001 Australian thesp Frances O'Connor (Mansfield Park, Bedazzled) is set to join Judi Dench, Rupert Everett, Colin Firth and Reese Witherspoon in Oliver Parker's adaptation of The Importance of Being Earnest. O'Connor has been cast as Gwendolyn Fairfax, the object of Jack Worthing's (Firth), aka "Earnest's," affection. The Miramax/Fragile Films picture will go before cameras April 23 in London. The Hollywood Reporter, Feb. 27, 2001 For the first time in her career, Reese Witherspoon is taking on a British accent and slipping into a costume drama. The actress is in negotiations to star in Fragile Films' feature adaptation of Oscar Wilde's play "The Importance of Being Earnest" for writer-director Oliver Parker ( An Ideal Husband ). The $15 million-budgeted production is scheduled to begin shooting April 23 in London for nine weeks. Miramax is distributing the film in English-speaking territories. Earnest, which also stars Rupert Everett, Colin Firth and Judi Dench, is a comedy about mistaken identity set in English high society during the 1890s. Confusion begins when Jack Worthing (Firth) goes to the city, calls himself Ernest and falls in love with Gwendolyn Fairfax. Meanwhile, Gwendolyn's cousin Algernon (Everett) also calls himself Ernest, goes to the country and falls for Worthing's ward, Cecily Cardew (Witherspoon). Dench plays the disapproving Lady Bracknell. Barnaby Thompson and Uri Fruchtmann of Fragile Films are producing the film. Variety, Feb. 12, 2001 And Rupert Everett and Colin Firth have joined Judi Dench in The Importance of Being Earnest, the adaptation of Oscar Wilde's play, directed by Oliver Parker and co-produced with Fragile Films. The Independent, November 15, 2000 The immortal exclamation: "A handbag!" heard in theatres across the land for the past hundred years is soon to be heard in Hollywood. Rupert Everett and Dame Judi Dench are lining up to star in a new film adaptation of Oscar Wilde's classic comedy The Importance of Being Earnest , with Miramax Films expected to take worldwide rights. The film, produced by the independent production company Fragile Films, under the revived "Ealing Studios" banner, will be directed by Oliver Parker, who also wrote the screenplay. Everett and Parker previously collaborated on An Ideal Husband, another Wilde drama released by Miramax. "The Importance of Being Earnest," perhaps Wilde's best-known play, is a frothy comedy of mistaken identity set in English high society in the 1890s. According to Variety, the film and theatre trade magazine, Everett is to play Algernon, one of the two male leads, while Dame Judi is in talks to play the redoubtable Lady Bracknell, one of the great cameo roles in English drama. In the previous cinematic version, filmed in 1952 by Rank, the role of Lady Bracknell was made immortal by Dame Edith Evans. The film also starred Sir Michael Redgrave and Joan Greenwood. It is likely to be the first film made by Ealing Studios since Fragile took over the west London studios earlier this year. Fragile has pledged to revive the Ealing comedy brand, which was established in the Forties and Fifties by the producer Michael Balcon. The film, with a $15m budget, will begin shooting in the spring. Fragile Films declined to reveal further details yesterday. The play has a poignant history in Wilde's life. It was first performed on Valentine's Day on 1895. While the play was in rehearsal, Wilde was in the middle of his troubled relationship with Lord Alfred Douglas, and was being pursued by Douglas's father, the Marquis of Queensbury. Queensbury planned to disrupt the opening night but he was stopped by a policeman. Two weeks later, Queensbury left a calling card in Wilde's mailbox at the Albemarle Club: "To Oscar Wilde, posing as a Sodomite (sic)." Wilde decided to take legal action and sued Queensbury for libel. He lost the case, was arrested for sodomy, tried, convicted and sentenced to two years' hard labour. Complete text Unofficial Chronology of Dame Judi Dench's Career The OSCHOLARS An Electronic Journal for the Exchange of Information on Current Research, Publications and Productions concerning Oscar Wilde and his Circle Monty Python's Oscar Wilde Sketch Cast interviews at www.hollywood.com "Lady Come Down" Interviews with Colin and other cast at NYC premiere Return to Main Page Click on boots to contact me Many thanks to Emma and EB for this page. Please do not upload any images to your own web […] --- ## ColinFirth.com — Colin Firth in The Importance of Being Earnest URL: https://firth.com/earnest_castpartygal.html ColinFirth.com — Colin Firth in The Importance of Being Earnest (updated 5/27/02) Scenes from... "Next to me is the petite Reese Witherspoon and next to her is the even more petite Colin Firth..." "Do they call you Co'-lon? Yes, they call me Co'-lon in this country." "Can I call you Co'-lon? I'd rather you didn't." "The irony of this thing really is we're all sitting here in a row, being asked, expected to answer these questions and the authorities are all sitting on a giant bed in the next room." "Who wants to do an imitation of Colin kissing?" "Nobody told you to peck at poor Frances' mouth like a chicken." "You really have singled me out." "It's very nice to be in group therapy." "You're like Bette Davis and Joan Crawford in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane." Many thanks to Chris for this page Return to Main Earnest Page Click on boots to contact me Please do not upload any images to your own website, club, group, or community photo album without asking permission. Thank you. --- ## ColinFirth.com — Colin Firth in The Importance of Being Earnest URL: https://firth.com/earnest_rev.html ColinFirth.com — Colin Firth in The Importance of Being Earnest (updated 5/21/02) "The first act is ingenious, the second beautiful, the third abominably clever." —Oscar Wilde Rolling Stone, by Peter Travers (May 6, 2002) For a playwright who was imprisoned for two years for the "gross indecency" of being homosexual, Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) was a pretty funny guy. Earnest is rightly considered to be the peak of Wilde's wit, and the 1952 film version, with an indelible performance by Dame Edith Evans as Lady Bracknell, deserves landmark status. So why remake it? From the looks of this freewheeling, loose-limbed take on Earnest, writer-director Oliver Parker, who also filmed Wilde's An Ideal Husband, wanted to blow the dust off, air the thing out and take a few cheeky liberties. Which is fine—mostly. Dame Judi Dench splendidly fills in for Dame Edith with her own less madcap but equally hilarious take on Lady Bracknell, a woman who will not endure trickery. And yet here we have Algy (Rupert Everett), who loves Cecily (Reese Witherspoon), and his friend Jack (Colin Firth), who loves Gwendolen (Frances O'Connor), both pretending to be the nonexistent Ernest? Don't ask why. The plot is just an excuse on which to hang Wilde's bons mots. Everett, whose scenes with Firth are a droll delight, nails every sly laugh. And Witherspoon adds her own legally blond American sparkle to this British party. Parker pushes a bit—who knew Earnest had a love duet sung by Algy and Jack?—but he proves this vintage bubbly hasn't lost its fizz. Newsweek, by David Ansen (May 27, 2002) The best moments in Oliver Parker’s screen adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s comedy “The Importance of Being Earnest” are when the movie just sits back and lets Wilde’s supremely witty scenes play. Like the one in which the imperious Lady Bracknell (Judi Dench) interrogates Jack Worthing (Colin Firth), who is pleading for her daughter Gwendolen’s (Frances O’Connor) hand in marriage. “To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune,” she hisses icily upon discovering his orphan status, “to lose both looks like carelessness.” [...] This may be a less than ideal “Earnest,” but it still has delights, not least of all Anna Massey’s Miss Prism, Cecily’s dotty tutor, and Tom Wilkinson’s Dr. Chasuble, her clergyman admirer. Firth’s comic timing is subtle and seductive, and plays nicely off Everett’s jaded foppery.... NY Daily News, Jack Mathews, (May 22, 2002) (full review) Parker has not so much opened up the play as he has aired it out...To that extent, it's dependent on the play of its cast, and Parker has done well by his ensemble. Firth, with a certain starch in his manner, is perfect as the vulnerable, love-struck Jack, while Everett's late-blooming comedy skills suit the winsome loser Algie. Important, "Earnest" is not, but if you're looking for a break from the popcorn features dominating theaters, you may find it worthy. Return to Main Earnest Page Click on boots to contact me Please do not upload any images to your own website, club, group, or community photo album without asking permission. Thank you. --- ## ColinFirth.com — Colin Firth in The Importance of Being Earnest URL: https://firth.com/earnest_serenade.html ColinFirth.com — Colin Firth in The Importance of Being Earnest (updated 5/24/02) When Gwendolen and Cecily learn that neither Jack nor Algie is named Ernest, they retire to the house and the gentlemen attempt to woo them back with this song, set to Oscar Wilde's 1881 poem (for music) entitled so appropriately "Serenade." Only the first two verses are needed before the ladies "Come down" as requested: The western wind is blowing fair Across the dark Ægean sea, And at the secret marble stair My Tyrian galley waits for thee. Come down! the purple sail is spread, The watchman sleeps within the town, O leave thy lily-flowered bed, O Lady mine come down, come down! She will not come, I know her well, Of lover's vows she hath no care, And little good a man can tell Of one so cruel and so fair. True love is but a woman's toy, They never know the lover's pain, And I who loved as loves a boy Must love in vain, must love in vain. O noble pilot tell me true Is that the sheen of golden hair? Or is it but the tangled dew That binds the passion-flowers there? Good sailor come and tell me now Is that my Lady's lily hand? Or is it but the gleaming prow, Or is it but the silver sand? No! no! 'tis not the tangled dew, 'Tis not the silver-fretted sand, It is my own dear Lady true With golden hair and lily hand! O noble pilot steer for Troy, Good sailor ply the labouring oar, This is the Queen of life and joy Whom we must bear from Grecian shore! The waning sky grows faint and blue, It wants an hour still of day, Aboard! aboard! my gallant crew, O Lady mine away! away! O noble pilot steer for Troy, Good sailor ply the labouring oar, O loved as only loves a boy! O loved for ever evermore! Windows Media audio of "Lady Come Down" Please do not upload any images to your own website, club, group, or community photo album without asking permission. Thank you. Many thanks to Chris of the Unofficial DJD Chronology Website Return to Main Earnest Page Click on boots to contact me --- ## colinfirth.com - extras URL: https://firth.com/extras.html colinfirth.com - extras (updated 12/31/10) Lagniappe BBC Radio 4 Today Programme Guest Editor (28 Dec 2010) Each year, the Today programme hands over the editorial reins to five public figures, giving them a chance to decide what goes on the programme between Christmas and New Year. The editor's are responsible for between a third and a half of their programme's output, aided of course by Today's producers and reporters. Colin's programme investigated the effectiveness of international aid and whether the structure of our brains dictate our political inclinations. Also in his programme, Rupert Everett on homophobia in Hollywood and John Humphrys and Dame Edna Everage reunited. Transcript of programme, with links to individual segments: 28 December 2010 Today Programme Justin Webb talks to Colin Firth about his experience as guest editor ( Download file courtesy of firth.com ) The Steve Earle Show (Oct 9, 2006) on Air America Windows Media mp3 Paul Kossof "Time Away" Spoon "Back to the Life" (Kill the Moonlight album) John Martyn "Bless the Weather" (Bless the Weather album) Fela Kuti "Water No Get Enemy" (Best Of album) Kelly Joe Phelps "River Rat Jimmy" (Shine-Eye Mr. Zen album) Bonnie Prince Billy "No Bad News" (The Letting Go album) Hollywood's 10 Best Great Brits (The UK's Biography Channel names Colin #3 and shows a small piece of an early interview) The list purports to rank British actors (leading men) according to North American audiences' preferences (i.e., which Brits do North Americans go to see at the movies?). The full list was presented as follows: 10. Ralph Fiennes 9. Christian Bale 8. Daniel Day-Lewis 7. Ewan McGregor 6. Orlando Bloom 5. Jude Law 4. Pierce Brosnan 3. Colin Firth 2. Hugh Grant 1. Sean Connery Mad at the Moon (View Colin's cameo appearance in this 1992 film) Multimedia Links Colin discussing the plight of asylum seekers in Britain: video links and background information Survival appeal, narrated by Colin Firth, BBC December 1999 56K or LAN or ISDN connection Being interviewed for The Importance of Being Earnest in Ital Home Click on boots to contact me --- ## ColinFirth.com — And When Did You Last See Your Father? - starring Colin Firth URL: https://firth.com/father.html ColinFirth.com — And When Did You Last See Your Father? - starring Colin Firth (updated 4/15/08) Synopsis News Cast Galleries Reviews Notes Official Site Multimedia World premiere at the Galway Film Festival on July 12, 2007 UK premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival on Aug 23, 2007 Telluride Film Festival screenings on Sept 2 and 3, 2007 Toronto Intl Film Festival screenings on Sept 8 and 10, 2007 London premiere on Sept 23, 2007 Release Dates UK - Oct 5, 2007 US - June 6, 2008 Arthur Morrison and his wife Kim are both GPs based in the same medical practice in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. They have two children, Gillian and her older brother Blake—the protagonist of the story and today an established author. Blake’s story jumps between childhood and teenage memories, and the present day, which sees him at 40, married with two children, and dealing with the fact that his father is terminally ill. The film opens with a humorous flashback to a summer bank holiday family trip in the late 1950s. Blake is 8 years old and we see him and the rest of the family dying with embarrassment as Arthur hits the hard shoulder to skip a long queue of traffic at a car racing event. He proceeds to charm his way in to the private members car park. This is the first of many flashbacks that convey Arthur’s bluff ways and the pride he takes in his money-saving, time-saving minor duplicities. Some of these childhood episodes include Auntie Beaty and her daughter Josie. It becomes clear that Beatty and Arthur are more than friends and that Josie could even be Arthur’s child. Adult Blake strives and fails to find the truth about Josie but it adds to the problematic relationship between father and son as well as providing an insight to the parameters of his father’s marriage—Kim knows about Beaty and never reacts. To the present day and Arthur’s ways haven’t changed over the years, he is indignant that Blake has hired a van to move house with his family when he could have used his own mobile home for the job. It’s clear that Arthur still dominates his son, to both Blake’s resignation and his wife’s annoyance. However, Blake’s wife and children barely feature in this story. We track Blake on his increasingly frequent trips north from his London home to visit his ailing yet ebullient father and to support his mother—the ever adoring wife. The essence of this father/son relationship is further explained through flashbacks to Blake’s teens—a skiing trip, a fumbled affair with the au pair—where the awkward and introverted Blake is constantly crushed by his father’s flirtatious ways and need to be the centre of attention. These memories are interspersed with tender, heart-rending and often uncomfortably graphic scenes of Arthur’s decline and submission to the cancer that is killing him. Arthur’s battle with his failing health is paralleled by Blake’s struggle to come to terms with his relationship with his father. Colin Firth Blake Morrison Jim Broadbent Arthur Morrison Juliet Stevenson Kim Morrison Matthew Beard Young Blake Gina McKee Cathy Morrison Sarah Lancashire . . . . . Beaty Elaine Cassidy . . . . . Sandra Seven nominations for British Independent Film Awards (Oct 23, 2007) And When Did You Last See Your Father?, an adaptation of Blake Morrison’s best-selling book, received the second largest number of nominations for the British Independent Film Awards: Best British Independent Film Best Actor: Jim Broadbent Best Supporting Actor/Actress: Colin Firth Most Promising Newcomer - Matthew Beard Best Screenplay - David Nicholls Best Director - Anand Tucker Best Technical Achievement - Trevor Waite (film editor) The annual awards honour the best in independent British cinema. The winners will be announced at a ceremony, hosted by James Nesbitt,at the Roundhouse in London on November 28, 2007. This is your life (The Guardian, Sept 29, 2007, by Blake Morrison Blake Morrison's memoir, written in grief after the death of his father, has now been made into a film. What does it feel like to see your childhood on the big screen? And to be played by Mr Darcy? INT. A HOUSE IN YORKSHIRE. DAY. I'm a boy of about eight, in a striped jumper, sitting by a window while my mother checks the contents of her doctor's bag. Outside, my father is getting his Alvis ready - it's a Thursday, his day off, and the weather looks good, so while my mother visits patients, he will be taking my sister Gillian and me for a drive up the Dales, along with Auntie Beaty and her daughter Josephine. Article continues "Why does Auntie Beaty always have to come?" I complain to my mother. "Because Auntie Beaty gets a bit blue," she says, "and your dad likes cheering her up. Besides, someone's got to stay behind and run the place while your dad's off gadding about." The answer doesn't appease me. I know Auntie Beaty isn't my real aunt, and I can sense there's something odd about her relationship with my father. "I'd still prefer it if you came," I persist. "For goodness sake, stop grizzling, will you," my mother snaps, then, instantly remorseful, hugs me, pets me and sends me on my way. CUT. Did it really happen like that? Memory is an unreliable instrument and, almost half a century later, I can't vouch for the accuracy of the dialogue, the stripiness of the jumper or the quality of the weather. I know at least one thing must be wrong: if I am eight, then little Josephine (whom I'll later suspect of being my father's child and who later still, much, much later, will take DNA tests with me that prove that she is indeed my half-sibling) can't have been born yet, the age gap between us being nine years. Still, in most important respects, the episode rings true: it could have happened, and fidelity to the emotional core of the experience is what matters. The account of this episode given in my memoir And When Did You Last See Your Father?, published in 1993, is slightly different, however. There the question about Auntie Beaty isn't addressed to my mother but to my father, and the word he uses to describe her isn't "blue" but "sad". Still, the alternative version seems equally plausible and a good deal more poignant. It shows that my mother's irritation with me is really anger with my father, whose relationship with Beaty is causing her distress. Who can say which version of the episode is more true? The adult protagonists are all dead now. And when it happened, circa 1960, there wasn't a camera present to record it. Now there is a camera — and a director, a film crew, a cast of actors, a mass of cable and lights, a dozen vans and a mobile canteen. We're in a large empty house in Derbyshire — Derbyshire, not Yorkshire, because the county's arts committee (which includes Stephen Frears) has awarded the film's producers a location grant. The boy in the window playing young Blake is Bradley Johnson, an eight-year-old from Bradford, with an impressive ability to frown and look worried. With him, playing Kim Morrison (née Agnes O'Shea), is Juliet Stevenson, who as well as getting my mother's voice right (a hint of County Kerry beneath acquired English RP) has helped ensure that the main prop in the scene will be a doctor's bag, not a clothes horse: there'd been an idea that since the scene is being shot in a laundry room, Kim might be hanging up washing, but Juliet thought this the wrong way to represent Kim, a professional woman after all. "Stand by. Rolling. Turn over. Set. And — action." I feel a bit redundant on set: I didn't write the screenplay, and even if I had, my presence wouldn't be required now shooting has begun. But it's my book that's been adapted and my childhood they're turning into a movie, so I'm curious to see how the process works. The crew have made a space for me in the corner of the laundry room so I can watch my life, or a small part of it, happen over and over again: the question, the answer, the whinge, the loss of temper, the consoling hug. Outsiders aren't generally welcome on set — they get in the way. But everyone's doing their best to be friendly, not just the man employed to puff cigarette smoke in the air before every scene, or the one who wears shorts whatever the weather, or the girl handing round chocolates and slices of fruit, but also the man whose house this is, James Curzon (a descendant of the famous viceroy), who's here keeping a proprietorial eye on the filming. I feel uncomfortable all the same: an intruder, a voyeur, a hanger-on at the edge of my own history. The word "Blake" keeps tolling from the script, and I wince every time I hear it. Despite the endless retakes, the same scene shot from multiple angles, the sense of déjà vu and déjà entendu, there's something compelling about watching a director and actors at work. One morning, Anand Tucker spent six hours on a tracking shot in which the camera was suspended under a tank of water while one of the crew gently blew on the surface to create a ripple effect — it looked terrific on the rushes, but won't be making the final cut. He's similarly demanding with the laundry room scene, shooting one sequence from outside, through the window, past young Bradley's shoulder. Once he's happy, and the "gate" checked to make sure there's no hair on the lens, he's already thinking about the next scene. It's taking place in the kitchen and, like most scenes in the film, will be dominated by Jim Broadbent. When I last saw Jim, three weeks earlier, in a studio in Twickenham, he'd just finished playing my father on his deathbed ("It's a relief not to be dead any more," he confided afterwards, "Being dead is much harder than being alive"). The time before that, a month ahead of filming, he had quizzed me, over tea, about my father's accent, clothes and mannerisms — then revealed how much our fathers had in common, not least an eye for the ladies and love of fast cars. He had seemed endearingly shy and lugubrious that day, and I'd wondered how he would cope playing someone as bumptiously energetic as Arthur Morrison (a far cry from his last part, Lord Longford). But having seen him in action, I realise my doubts were misplaced. He inhabits the part so convincingly that I fear his face will soon replace my father's on the memory disc — the DVD of lost time — playing in my head. When I view the rushes of him as my dying father, the tilt of his head, hanging jaw and stubbly chin bring it all back, and my eyes fill. The kitchen cupboards for the next scene are full of in-period packets and tins — Heinz potato salad, Mary Baker scone mix, Chivers jelly, Bartlett Pears, Smedley's processed peas, Bonnyboy toasted porridge oats. I watch from the shadows as the actors gather round the director. The scene is complex to choreograph, with five characters, and Anand has to concentrate fiercely while he explains who'll be walking where and doing what. "Can you just give us a minute, Blake?" he says. I've grown so used to hearing the word "Blake" addressed to others that it's a second or two before I realise he means me. Will I please bugger off for a bit is what he's saying in the mildest way. I move off, chastened to realise that the material of my childhood and adolescence has now become someone else's property. I don't own the intellectual and artistic rights any more. My life's not my own, it's someone else's. And that someone doesn't want me messing it up. I wrote And When Did You Last See Your Father? 15 years ago, setting down memories as a form of therapy in the wake of my father's death. The term "life writing" hadn't been invented then, and I'd no idea which genre, if any, I was working in. The spirit of it seemed to be emotional samizdat — highly personal and sometimes taboo stuff that I would never publish but might circulate among a circle of trusted friends. One of these friends, Bill Buford, thought differently, though, and ran an extract in his magazine, Granta, then published all 220 pages as a book. The book was quickly optioned by a film company, in the hope of turning it into an 80-minute drama for the BBC. On the grounds that I knew the material better than anyone else, I was commissioned to write the screenplay. But several drafts later, the BBC turned the project down: man dies, son grieves — where was the story? A second producer, who optioned the book a few years later, had no luck with the BBC either. Then, six years ago, it was optioned a third time, by Elizabeth Karlsen of number 9 films, who was confident enough to commission a screenplay by David Nicholls, who had worked on Cold Feet. Unable to share her chutzpah, I only skimmed the screenplay when she sent it to me. The book posed formidable problems for any adaptation: a time-span of 35 years and an introspective narrator. And too many Arthur Morrisons had come and gone over the years — Albert Finney, Pete Postlethwaite and Anthony Hopkins among them — for me to believe the film would ever be made. Three more years passed, as if to prove the point. Then, last summer, Anand Tucker got the push from the forthcoming Philip Pullman movie, The Golden Compass, and, dismayed by Hollywood and with unexpected time on his hands, leapt at the chance to direct a British movie. With Jim Broadbent pencilled in to play my father, funding followed, and things moved very fast. I talked to Anand, met Jim, sent family photos to the art director, gave the recce man directions to our old family home, and belatedly sent a few notes to the screenwriter — everyone was keen that this "true story" have authenticity. The shooting period was a mere six weeks — 40 days and 40 nights. As late as the read-through, the day before filming, I still felt sure fate would intervene, with a major backer pulling out, one of the lead actors going into rehab or the producer admitting it was all an elaborate hoax ("You didn't really think we were going to make a film of your life, fathead?"). But the read-through passed off without incident and I got to meet several people I'd not met before, including my wife Kathy (Gina McKee), Auntie Beaty (Sarah Lancashire) and myself in triplicate (Bradley Johnson, Matthew Beard and Colin Firth). "Who would play you in the film of your life?" non-actors are sometimes asked in magazine profiles or questionnaires. I knew there'd be jokes about Mr Darcy and wet, white shirts when Colin Firth was cast to play me, but I hadn't anticipated how long friends would spend doubled up in helpless laughter when I told them. What was so funny: if he could play a bald Nick Hornby in Fever Pitch, why not me? "It's not to do with lack of resemblance," one friend explained, "it's just that every middle-class Englishman of a certain age has fantasised about being played by him." In truth, I wasn't looking forward to Colin researching my foibles and was happy not to meet him till the read-through. He had read the book (and its companion, Things My Mother Never Told Me), as well as the script and knew as much as he needed to for the part. What mattered was the universality of the story, a difficult father-son relationship, not the quiddity of Blake. Besides, he was clearly sufficiently well-read — quoting Beckett at me and showing an impressive recall of Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections — to play someone whose life has been spent around books. For an earlier television film, Tumbledown, in which he'd played a Falklands veteran, Robert Lawrence, he and Lawrence developed the habit of saying "we" when discussing the character — "in this scene, we look exhausted". It seemed a good model, especially for one scene taken from my book in which he has to perform a certain solitary act in a bathtub. The potential for embarrassment was huge, but "we" took the pressure off: it wasn't Colin doing it, or Blake doing it, it was us. For another scene, he had to play me at a literary prize-giving while I looked on as an extra. The real-life basis for the scene was a modest poetry award I'd won in 1985, an occasion for which my father had driven down from Yorkshire in his yellow Dormobile. The ceremony had been low-key — cheap wine, casual clothes and a lot of standing around. For the film, however, it was important that everybody dress up and sit down. Sixty or more extras were needed, so I invited family and friends, who sportingly gave up a beautiful autumnal Saturday in order to sit around the National Liberal Club wearing dinner jackets and 1980s frocks. The dowdy poetry gathering of 1985 was sumptuously transformed: it looked as though I was collecting the Booker prize. For my wife Kathy, watching from the next table while Gina McKee played her, it was a stiff test of her capacity to suspend disbelief: in the film, she asks to be mentioned in Colin/Blake's acceptance speech, a request the real her would never make. In terms of the film, though, there was a logic to these changes from the life. In the same scene, Blake throws a wobbly when his father refuses to say "Well done". In reality, my father was effusive in praise of whatever small successes I enjoyed. But fathers who deny their sons acceptance and affirmation are far more common — a little local truth being sacrificed for a larger one seemed permissible. Besides, the film's narrative arc demands tension between father and son at that point. Germaine Greer recently complained that "it's getting harder and harder to be a real person", on hearing that she is to be played by Emma Booth in a film version of Richard Neville's memoir of the 60s, Hippie Hippie Shake. Actually real people, unlike celebs, rarely do get their lives turned into movies, and when it happens, the best response isn't to rage, but to chill out. There are aspects of Blake, in the movie, which I don't much care for, but that doesn't make them untrue. The anger in Colin Firth and Matthew Beard's portrayal came as a surprise, to them as well as me, but I think of it as an insight, not a libel, revealing how much angrier I'd been with my father, often unfairly, than I like to admit: angry with him for living, then angry with him for dying as well. So what do I think of the film now it's finished? I'm the last person to judge it objectively, but knowing what authors can go through when their books are adapted, I feel lucky — lucky that a talented bunch of people thought it worthwhile to give their time to such a personal book, and lucky that they have honoured the spirit of the original. They've kept the title, even though an eight-word title is almost unheard of in the movies. The film begins, more or less, where the book begins, with my father jumping a queue of cars, and ends where the book ends, with the hanging of a chandelier. There are no murders, no car chases (but some splendid cars), no steamy sex scenes (unless you count the steam rising from the bath in which Colin Firth, or Blake, or "we" do that unmentionable thing). It looks beautiful, almost too beautiful, as if my childhood had taken place in Gosford Park. And it's sophisticated where the book is raw. As for Blake, unattractive though his behaviour is at times, he gets to do things I will never do, like winning the Booker prize and sleeping with the beautiful Gina McKee. What could I possibly have to complain about? "The great thing about selling a book to the movies is that nobody blames the author," Tom Wolfe once said. But when the film's a success, he might have added, that somehow redounds to the author's credit, as if the effort he put into writing the book has finally been vindicated. Blame and vindication are beside the point: a book is one thing, a film another; they might tell the same story, but the telling has to work in different ways. To me, the most powerful sequence in the film of And When Did You Last See Your Father? isn't an episode taken from the memoir, but one developed from a passing reference to my father teaching me to drive on a beach. From a phrase in a single sentence, the screenwriter and director have created a moving scene. But even their work would be nothing without the music. My book has been repackaged now, with Jim Broadbent and Matthew Beard on the cover instead of my dad and me. That's fine. I don't feel proprietorial. I've entered a world where truth and fiction have begun to blend. The other day, the film company returned one of the photos I'd lent them. It shows me standing next to Michael Holroyd, receiving a prize for my memoir of my father. Except that Colin Firth's head has taken the place of mine, as if our faces have been transplanted. At least I think it's Colin. I keep looking, and I still can't be sure. Man and boy (The List, Aug 23, 2007) Writer David Nicholls talks about the process of adapting Blake Morrison’s memoir And When Did You Last See Your Father? for the big screen, with Jim Broadbent and Colin Firth cast as father and son ‘It’s not my story, of course. It’s Blake’s story,’ says screenwriter David Nicholls of his latest project. Having cut his teeth on TV drama Cold Feet, Nicholls successfully adapted his own novel Starter For Ten for the cinema before he agreed to give Blake Morrison’s painfully honest memoir And When Did You Last See Your Father? the same treatment. ‘But although it’s someone else’s story, the way Blake wrote it made it into something universal, and it resonated with a lot of people, including me,’ says Nicholls. ‘So my job was to get that very personal story to work as a film without softening the material.’ Blake Morrison’s 1993 book was a candid and unsentimental view of his father, written in steely prose and with an uncommon emotional honesty. ‘When I was asked about any pet projects I might want to write, Blake’s book was one of the first things I thought of,’ says Nicholls. ‘At first I felt a bit daunted about working on it; my background was more to do with comedy than doing a straight drama. But I really wanted to adapt the book, and that proved to be the beginning of a four year process...’ To capture the essence of a largely internal struggle within the mind of the author, the book had the luxury of shuffling through Morrison’s memories in non-sequential order. But to generate the momentum required to keep audiences engaged in a film, Nicholls felt he had to connect the audience the same material but without resorting to cliche. ‘For me it’s very much a process of shaping material; the book is very ruminative, and full of personal anecdotes. Often poetic, it depends on incident rather than plot, and the last thing I wanted to do was impose some dopey Hollywood three-act structure on it,’ says Nicholls. ‘In a Hollywood film, father-son reconciliations are usually made up of unspoken tension, rows, a reconciliation and then death. But in this book, the death of the father is described in detail half-way through. So there was no way we could do that kind of tearful ‘I love you Dad’ ending, it just wouldn’t have been true to what Blake wrote.’ Morrison’s studied description of the differences and similarities he found in comparing his life with his father’s provided Nicholls with a chance to expand the tone of And When Did You Last See Your Father? ‘Blake’s description of the process of illness and dying is very moving to read, but representation of death cinematically can be a real test of the audience’s patience. So I did try to make the tone a little lighter, to create some warmth from the comedy of embarrassment,’ says Nicholls. ‘I wanted to keep hold of the bits which had most affected me — one example would be Morrison’s unflinching description of a disastrous camping trip he took with his father in the Lake District.’ The directorial responsibility fell to Anand Tucker, who helped Emily Watson and Rachel Griffith to Oscar nominations in Hilary and Jackie, 1998’s account of Jacqueline du Pré’s life from the point of view of her sister. ‘Anand had given me a lot of input with the script while we experimented with different ways of approaching the story, so I fully trusted him to make the script work,’ says Nicholls. ‘When I first heard about the casting, I was looking forwards to going out for dinner with Colin Firth, Jim Broadbent, and the others, but after the read-through, I didn’t feel I wanted to visit the set, I’d just have got in the way.’ And When Did You Last See You Father? also deals frankly with the less attractive ways in which individuals deal with tensions created by illness, and Nicholls admits he’s surprised by some of the content of the final cut. ‘While I always intended most of the dialogue to be pretty much as Blake wrote it, I was surprised that almost everything I wrote in the script ended up in the film,’ Nicholls says. ‘There’s a scene of Blake masturbating in the bath while his father lies dying in the next room; I really didn’t think they’d use the scene, but it’s very much part of the honest way that the book was written.’ Amongst the audience for the film’s Edinburgh International Film Festival premiere will be Nicholls’s father. What advice would his son give him about seeing the film? ‘I’m sure that he’ll understand that this is an adaptation, nothing to do with our own relationship,’ says Nicholls. ‘I hope he’ll enjoy it for what it is; someone else’s story.’ Father figures (Scotland on Sunday, Aug 5, 2007, by Aidan Smith) Publishers have had their fill of family confessionals, particularly from sons, and moved on. Morrison virtually founded the genre by writing the daddy, And When Did You Last See Your Father? It's just been made into a fine film. So, Blake Morrison — 57, poet, and a soft-spoken native of God's own country (not Scotland, but some place called Yorkshire) — how does it feel when you see yourself blown up 50ft high on the silver screen and bearing more than a passing resemblance to cerebral hunk Colin Firth? "When I tell people who's playing me, the laughter generally lasts about five minutes," he sighs. "Any longer and I start to feel a bit offended. The only time I've seen the film, a woman sensed my hurt. 'It's not that you're so ugly,' she said, 'it's just that every man in Britain probably fantasises about being played by Colin Firth.'" Morrison will see the movie again in Edinburgh when it gets a Film Festival premiere and he's also due at the Book Festival for his latest work, South Of The River. That is his big London book, his Blair Years book, but it's fiction. AWDYLSYF? was an unflinching, hugely moving memoir of fatherly omniscience ("I may not be right, Blake, but I'm never wrong"), disastrous camping holidays, light adultery and grief. A long time coming — the book was published in 1993 — the film is directed by Anand Tucker from a screenplay by David Nicholls and stars Jim Broadbent as Morrison's father Arthur, GP, garden-shed boffin and professional Yorkshireman. "I'm incredibly happy with it," says Morrison. "They've kept the characters' names and also the title. There's American money in it and for the States it may have to lose the And, but at least it won't be Bye, Pop. "The film starts like the book with my father queue-jumping at Oulton Park [the car-racing track] by hanging his stethoscope from the rear-view mirror and shouting "Make way for a doctor!" and embarrassing us all. And it's true to the book at the end as well with him bossing me around in my new London home and directing operations for the fixing of a chandelier — the last time I saw him as Dad." Firth did not consult Morrison beforehand, but they spoke after filming. The author remembers that he forgot to compliment the actor on his performance and says he will rectify this by letter. In the book, Morrison didn't leave much out, even describing a scene where he masturbates in the bath while the old man is dying. "Ah yes. I didn't know how Colin would feel about that, but it's in the film." Broadbent did ask some questions. "He wanted to know how my father spoke and dressed but, interestingly, his story was similar. His father was overbearing and charismatic with an eye for the ladies just like mine. He also drove an Alvis, as Dad did, though not as grand as the model in the film. You'd think I grew up in Gosford Park, but that's the movies." The extraordinary thing about Morrison's tale was its ordinariness. Everyone has a father but more of us than Morrison first thought seemed to have dads who were self-taught intellectuals (Arthur Morrison was only ever seen reading Jaws and never finished it) and serial blaggers; called their sons "prize fatheads" and grumbled about "bloody wogs". An entire sleeping constituency of sons contacted him with their experiences of "domineering old sods", one even accusing him of plagiarism. The media, as it is wont to do, appointed him an expert in fatherhood. "I felt like an agony aunt when once I'd dreamed of being TS Eliot." As well as the male confessional, Morrison could lay claim to having invented the biography of the unremarkable, but this wasn't a calculated move. As an act of catharsis, he was compelled to write about the man who invented the waterproof sleeping bag that was supposed to render the tent redundant. Why, then, this urge to write about fathers? "When we were young we were impatient with our parents," he says. "Now we want to atone for our callowness, to take measure of them, to understand which parts of them live on […] ---