“Control, Anton Corbijn’s biopic of the Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, leads the nominations for this year’s British Independent Film Awards. The film, which traces the life of the singer who killed himself when he was 23 and on the brink of international fame, is nominated in 10 categories for the awards, which recognise the best of home-grown cinema.”
Author: sbergman
Dissecting The Wheeldon Backlash
Christopher Wheeldon, who has ridden a wave of almost universally positive press to his position at the top of the dance world, has lately been feeling the pain of the press’s rougher side. Judith Mackrell says it was bound to happen eventually. “It has been years since anyone planned a new ballet company of the scale and ambition Wheeldon was talking about, [and] even before Morphoses had set foot on stage, the volume of media coverage began to turn counter-productive.”
Is No Accent Better Than A Bad One?
Generally, it’s American actors who are known for mangling British accents on stage. But lately, the stages of London have seen a parade of British actors playing American roles, apparently under the impression that “everyone in America sounds as if they’ve stepped off the set of Goodfellas.” And the fact is that plenty of good actors aren’t good with dialects. So why do we continue to ask them to try them on?
UK Director Wades Into America’s Abortion Debate
“A British film-maker is stirring renewed controversy over America’s attitude towards abortion, with a documentary that contains shocking and explicit footage of an advanced stage termination… The film, which has opened in New York and is set for release across 23 US cities, has divided critics, with some hailing it as the documentary of the year, others denouncing it as sensationalist.”
Pretty Good Art, For A Singer
Lately, it seems as if every aging British rock star has taken up painting. And while it’s clear that most of them are serious about their forays into the visual arts, “whether or not these notables would ever grace the walls of such esteemed institutions if it weren’t for their day jobs is questionable.”
The Power of Theatre
London theatre critic Michael Billington, who has just published a 50-year history of the art form, believes that actors and playwrights serve as aids to societal change. “Theatre rarely topples governments or incites direct action. Margaret Thatcher survived the barbs of British dramatists, and Rupert Murdoch was not shamed into shedding his monopolistic powers by the success of David Hare and Howard Brenton’s Pravda. What theatre can do is shift attitudes, articulate discontent, and reflect, often with microscopic accuracy, the mood of the nation.”
Presumably, She Has No Upcoming US Book Tour
Fresh off her Nobel Prize win, 88-year-old author Doris Lessing is courting controversy, telling a Spanish newspaper that the 9/11 attacks were not as awful as Americans claim, and were dwarfed by the IRA’s campaign of terrorist attacks in England. Lessing also said that Americans are “a very naive people, or they pretend to be,” and called President Bush a “world calamity.”
Opera Atelier Taps COC Exec For GM Post
“Opera Atelier, the Toronto company that presents period performances of Baroque opera, ballet and drama, announced today that Jane Hargraft, the former director of development at Canadian Opera Company, has been named as its new general manager.”
North Korean Orchestra May Tour Britain
The New York Phil may or may not be headed to North Korea next year, but in a surprise move, Pyongyang has given permission for North Korea’s state orchestra to mount a tour of the UK in early 2008. The orchestra’s connection to Britain is the opera singer Suzannah Clarke, who has performed in North Korea to great acclaim.
Shakeup In Edmonton
“The Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s managing director quit Tuesday after just three months on the job. The ESO cited differences in operational style as the cause for Jay Katz’s resignation.” Katz came to Edmonton from the much smaller Windsor Symphony, and the ESO’s board chair minced no words in saying that his management style led to “discomfort” among many in the organization.