A factual romance
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | A factual romance |
| Original title | An Awfully Big Adventure |
| Country of production | Great Britain |
| original language | English |
| Publishing year | 1995 |
| length | 112 minutes |
| Age rating | FSK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Mike Newell |
| script | Charles Wood |
| production |
Hilary Heath Philip Hinchcliffe |
| music | Richard Hartley |
| camera | Dick Pope |
| cut | Jon Gregory |
| occupation | |
| |
A factual romance is a 1995 British drama directed by Mike Newell .
action
In Liverpool in 1941, the girl Stella witnessed the bombing of the city and clapped her hands enthusiastically because she did not understand the connections. Six years later she lives with her uncle Vernon and her aunt Lily. She takes speaking lessons and wants to be an actress. The 16-year-old has not yet experienced much, no experience with men and is of a naive directness. She auditioned for Meredith Potter, the eccentric director of a shabby Liverpool theater who, despite her lack of acting talent, hired her as an apprentice. Stella helps with the stage construction, cleans the cloakrooms after the performances and runs errands for Potter, with whom she falls in love, including for Potter's apparently great love Hillary.
Stella experiences the little intrigues and big tragedies behind the stage. She learns from the almost legendary actor PL O'Hara, who has retired from the stage since he once impregnated a young woman who disappeared and whom he could never find again. She sees the problems of the alcoholic actress Dawn, who is eventually fired by Potter. And she is sought after by a reporter, but can't do anything with his advances and is irritated and disturbed. At the same time she begins to suspect that Potter is into young men and that he tries to seduce apprentice Geoffrey. He initially refuses his advances, but then falls for Potter, only to be ignored by him. Geoffrey begins to suffer from unrequited love .
During a performance, the main actor breaks his leg. As a replacement, especially for the next play Peter Pan , in which the now injured actor was supposed to take on the role of Captain Hook , PL O'Hara was brought to the theater on the advice of theater accountant Rose. O'Hara is captivated by the sight of Stellas, he thinks he has already seen her. He kisses her one evening and they sleep together, with O'Hara calling Stella "Stella Maris" - a name his now lost lover once gave herself. Stella makes it clear to O'Hara that she loves Potter, but sees the relationship with O'Hara factually as good, as she can gain experience in love matters. O'Hara is always amazed by her directness and carefree.
When asked by colleagues, O'Hara confronts Potter about his behavior towards Geoffrey, which he should leave alone. Potter threatens O'Hara with the fact that fornication with minors (Stella is meant) is much more serious. O'Hara makes it clear to Stella that Potter is not a man for her because he uses young men, so he quickly ditched Hillary, an 18-year-old from the theater. Stella accuses O'Hara of being jealous and just wanting to harm Potter.
O'Hara visits Uncle Vernon and learns from him that Stella's mother had left the family before the war and was returning pregnant. She gave up the child and disappeared again. Nobody knows where she is. O'Hara recognizes his missing lover in photographs - Stella is his own daughter, although he always thought that he was the father of a son and so his own story would continue. Desperate, O'Hara drives to the port. He falls, passes out into the sea and drowns. Potter steps in as Captain Hook in the theater; soon there is talk of O'Hara's death. Potter's assistant Bunny finds a letter in O'Hara's room in which O'Hara accuses Potter and announces that he will act against his behavior towards Geoffrey. He tears up the letter. Although Potter is against it, Rose will again bring everything to the press as it is good for business.
At the end you see a mentally confused Stella who calls the time announcement in a telephone booth and confesses everything to her. It turns out that her mother once won a competition and is therefore the voice of that announcement.
production
A factual romance is based on the novel of the same name by Beryl Bainbridge . The original title of the book and film, An Awfully Big Adventure , ironically refers to a line from the play Peter Pan that Peter Pan speaks: "To die will be an awfully big adventure" ("To die will be an awfully big adventure") . The cost of producing the film was approximately $ 3.2 million. The shooting took place in Dublin , the location for the theater scenes was the local Olympia Theater . The costumes were created by Joan Bergin , the film construction was done by Mark Geraghty .
A factual romance started in British cinemas in April 1995. In Germany, the film was released on May 11, 1995 and was released on video on November 15, 1995.
synchronization
| role | actor | Voice actor |
|---|---|---|
| PL O'Hara | Alan Rickman | Lutz Mackensy |
| Meredith Potter | Hugh Grant | Uwe Büschken |
| Geoffrey | Alan Cox | Andreas Fröhlich |
| Desmond Fairchild | Clive Merrison | Norbert Gescher |
criticism
Newell's first film after its great success, Four Weddings and a Death - the shooting of A factual romance had already begun before the great success became apparent - often irritated the public and criticism. The film was "strong stuff for fans of light entertainment who had already seen the British [Newell] the future comedy director," wrote Der Tagesspiegel . The cast of Hugh Grant, who became known as a charmer in Four Weddings and a Death , also contradicted expectations: he played “a moody theater director who hides his homosexuality behind a mask of cynicism.” “Grant deliberately alienated his fans and played one cynical, gay theater director who ruthlessly abuses the affection of a beginner in love, ”wrote Der Spiegel . "The honeymoon following the romantic weddings is now filled with disillusionment, and he knows very well that he is causing surprise and irritation in his viewers", according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung .
For the film service , a factual romance was a film adaptation that paints a "gloomy picture of the [...] theater world. By keeping the fates of his characters in suspense, he does not fall into pessimism ”. The film was "[d] ynamic, but staged with restraint and impressive acting." "Weird theater homage with a perfect time color," said Cinema . The film is a "tricky, painful, a brittle and melancholy development story about young Stella, who lives in Liverpool and wants to become an actress", according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung .
Der Spiegel called the film a “tangled artist's drama” that “got lost in meaningful details”. For Focus , the film was a "horribly sentimental love melodrama". “Newell tries by many wrong means to find different levels of his ramified plot. [...] With a wink, the backward-looking Schmonzette could be coped with. Otherwise it remains humbug, which Newell got badly off of, ”wrote the Nürnberger Nachrichten .
Awards
At the International Film Festival Karlovy Vary was An Awfully Big Adventure 1995 nominated for the Crystal Globe. Georgina Cates received an Actress of the Year nomination at the 1996 London Critics' Circle Film Awards .
Web links
- An Awfully Big Adventure in the Internet Movie Database (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Alan Riding: An Identity Change, Just to Win a Film Role . nytimes.com, Aug 12, 1995.
- ↑ A factual romance in the German dubbing index
- ↑ a b c Birgit Weidinger: After four weddings, a factual romance . In: Süddeutsche Zeitung , May 13, 1995, p. 903.
- ↑ a b Iris Brennberger-Zens: A pessimist as well as a clown. British director Mike Newell ("Four Weddings") demands flexibility from the audience . In: Der Tagesspiegel , March 27, 1995.
- ↑ a b New in the cinema: A factual romance . In: Der Spiegel , No. 19, 1995, p. 217.
- ↑ A factual romance. In: Lexicon of International Films . Film service , accessed March 2, 2017 .
- ↑ A factual romance on cinema.de
- ↑ The season of the villain is over . In: Focus , May 8, 1995, p. 192.
- ↑ Mr. Potter and his playgroup . In: Nürnberger Nachrichten , May 12, 1995.