Hi Bethan, is that definite that we are to see MLSF in the Autumn because actually I think that is the right time for this kind of film, if it is definite then I won't keep bothering Miramax. I can wait until the Autumn, you never know because of the Scotland connection it may get a Royal Premiere especially because of Lord Puttnam's high profile. BTW Karen can you please advise me, I am dying to post a comment at AICN but having registered or so I thought I have not received a password, to enable me to ake a comment, how long does it take before you receive the password, it says you will receive it within minutes in email but I registered yesterday and have received nothing. Anyway congratulations to everyone who has made a comment, we Firthfans must pull together and we certainly have here.

B+ for MLSF from E Online in their capsule review, pretty good review "an above par ensemble cast". Not bad.

Murph has posted the NY Times display ad for MLSF from tomorrow's paper: http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Acropolis/4144/mlsfad.html Colin looks a little dorky IMO. (No tomatoes, please) But Ebert's review figures prominently.

Karen: I was just going to tell all of you about it the ad, but you beat me to it!!! I agree on the dorkiness. It looks to me like the three pictures are publicity stills. Murph

Murph, now could you fix those things I mentioned? ;-D Here's the full writeup from E!Online: So Far, so good. Charming and funny true-life memoir of a lad (Norman) growing up in the 1920s at his family's baronial manor in the Scottish highlands. Norman's dad (Firth) is an inventor and as eccentric as they come. His million-dollar idea is to harvest peat moss found on the estate for use in stanching bloody wounds. Mumsy Mastrantonio and grandmother Harris tend to more practical household matters. The fine family balance is upset when rich Uncle Morris (McDowell) and his hubba-hubba fianc�e eloise (Jacob) drop in for a visit. Although a trifle slow in spots, the ensemble cast is way above par. That, and magnificent on-location camerawork, make for a bonnie good show! Thanks, Ann for finding this.

A wee bit dorky, but not too bad! I like the overall poster and the sentiments expressed. No-one seems to have found fault with the acting so far! Am in total chaos at the moment as we are having major alteration work to the house, and go on holiday next week (I hope!) Checking out Drool calms my nerves! :-) BTW although critical reaction to EWS seems fair, internet reviews seem very hostile.."Boring...wanted money back!" Maybe MLSF could be the alternative attraction!

It's probably hostile because the film is not at all what you would have expected from the prerelease hype. Hardly anything in that film was boring (although they could've cut out that whole bit with the daughter whose father had just died - laughable and the audience did laugh). Film was exact opposite: totally mesmerizing. I have never seen such an intent audience.

Thanks, Murph. CF looks handsome, nonetheless, and very young. And at least he is featured prominently in the ad and obviously the star. Hope Miramax adds some quotes from the other good reviews in its later advertising.

I'm afraid to say that the poster bears no resemblance to Colin at all, I would hardly know it was him, good pictures of IJ & MEM though. BTW will there be a review in the NY Times tomorrow or do we have to wait until next week?

(Bethan) I read somewhere that MLSF finished its shoot on 31/6/97....which means that Colin must have got married during the shoot. ...which would explain that wedding hairdo criticized by some... Dorky, shmorky! Agree the pic doesn't do him justice but am too busy reveling in his name listed first in the credits, not to mention all the favorable reviews. After being prepared for the worst (and I'm not alone here), am v. excited to see sites and critics with wide audiences coming in with good things to say--esp. about the cast!! Thanks to a gracious, neighborly Firthfan, am going to see MLSF next Sat. in NYC. Whoopee! Will definitely post my (as Bethan would say) 'unbiased' views.

I have been following the dreadful news about JFK jr. This family seems to be beset by tragedy.

Yes, I have been watching CNN. It really is very, very sad news.

Re: the MLSF Poster...(thank you Murph!) Agree: a. Grrreat to see Colin in leading role.(Must be postive first) b. He looks weird...like a cadaver..would not have recognized him. c. Is this being shown in only two art-house theatres? I thought it was going to be expanded like AMC and Hollywood Theatres throughout the city. Angelika Film Center is on Hudson St. in Soho nr. Miramax corporate office. ***** Ann, I think there will be another Premiere for you to attend. Sir David will make sure that MLSF is an event.

ATTENTION; Wish Colin a Happy New Year!! Just a reminder that the Box Office at the Donmar for 3 DOR will open on Monday July 19.No booking fee from the Box Office.Tickets are 24 UKP and 20.UKP telephone: 171-369-1732 (Country code precedes....in the US it's 011-44-) Spring Reunion Saturday January 15, 2000 Evening performance with dinner preceding at 5:30 at the Luna Nuova. Lizza and I will take dinner reservations right after New Year's. Don't miss out...book early. Will keep in touch via Springfolks.

Think you mean Tribeca. ;-D Thought I'd do it before the P person does. BTW, where did you get your shoes? ;-D

And, yes it is very sad, Bethan. Hard to believe this is happening to that family again.

The Sunday Boston Globe has nothing on MLSF opening this week. Did I hear the date has now been pushed back to Aug. 6? Was on vacation in the wilds of Maine last week and am completely out of touch:-) The Boston media has been going nonstop with the JFK Jr. story for the past 36 hours, it being a local as well as national story. They still haven't found the fusillage. Very very sad... shades of Diana.

(Susan) Did I hear the date has now been pushed back to Aug. 6? Was on vacation in the wilds of Maine last week Welcome back Susan...we've missed you. Karen is our MLSF- release -dates- pro..but I believe it's NY & LA next week and Boston should be in the next expansion on August 6th.Lucky you!! No telling when the rest of us will get it.

Colin looks a little dorky As much as I hate to admit it, I have to agree. Never mind, the reviews make up for it and I'm sure the movie will be firthabulous. I hate to wish my life away, but I can't wait for it to get here. My heart goes out to the Kennedys. How much can one family take?!

We got the official "starts Friday" ad in the LA Times today. Yippee! Unfortunately it contains the same somewhat dorky picture of Colin and it's only opening in three theatres but I finally feel like I can let out the breath I've been holding. I was half expecting another delay after all this waiting. I hope it won't be long until it opens worldwide so that all Firth-o-philes can partake!

Amen to that

Glad to hear it is finally opening somewhere, when are you going Jana and will you report back. The Donmar had an advertisement in the Sunday Times yesterday advertising their coming Seaon, with the photo of CF,JM &DM., (a definite improvement on above poster) and mentioning that booking opens today. Have got my Visa ready!!!

I'm going to try for this weekend, although my schedule is pretty full and the limited number of theatres where MLSF is showing makes it tough. I will go as soon as I can though, and definitely report back!

No write-up in NY Times yesterday (had two extensive articles about Kubrick and EWS, which they didn't like). Will check during the week and next Sunday. The ad was there, though. Good size. Rest assured, ladies, he doesn't look that dorky (or dead, 'heavy Evie'). IMO some of the subtle shading got lost in the scanning. Edward's piercing eyes do grab your attention (in my unbiased opinion, of course). There was this bit in the "opening this week" section: Hugh Hudson's film is an affectionate memoir based on the autobiography "Son of Adam" by Sir Denis Forman, a bold Scottish boy who seduces or is seduced by his uncle's French fiancee. With Colin Firth, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Irene Jacob, Malcolm McDowell, Rosemary Harris, Tcheky Karyo and Robert Norman. PG-13, 1 hr, 33 min. (Evelyn) Is this being shown in only two art-house theatres? The ad lists an "exclusive engagement" in two theaters. Will check the internet listings on Friday to see if it's anywhere else. We're seeing it downtown. (Karen) BTW, where did you get your shoes? ;-D LOL!

FYI--Murph has added to the scan of the NY Times ad from the one run yesterday. There's a close up of ODB which illustrates what I said about the shading. Here's the link: http://www.geocities.com/%7Emurphyat65/mlsfad.html Thanks, Murph!

Don't you agree though that his mouth is all wrong?

Agree it's not his best smile (the best are Colin smiles, not Edward smiles). I have seen him use this pursed-lip sly grin before. It usually brings out his dimples. If you look carefully in this picture, you might see one on his right side (it's clearer in the print version but one has to really look).

I really feel for the artist...a good likeness of Colin is almost impossible to get, even when one is very familiar with the Beloved Chameleon (remember, he doesn't HAVE a likeness!) I should know. But with perseverance and a good eye, one can get closer to him than THAT...tough, but possible. Too bad the effort wasn't made (or someone was willing to settle for less)(yuk).

(Eileen) Rest assured, ladies, he doesn't look that dorky (or dead, 'heavy Evie') Dead or Alive...it's a lousy picture....worse than the painting at Pemberley in P&P. (KJArt)I really feel for the artist. This is a painting ? I thought it was a photo. That explains it... It's not even a "Colin-look-a-like". More like a composite.

This is "OT" as we say on the Firthlist (off-topic), but I think that most folks here will be interested. Jennifer Ehle will go from one play to another this summer. When the Donmar run of TRT comes to an end, she will begin rehearsals at the National Theater for a new production of Maxim Gorky's Summerfolk, in a new version by Nick Dear. She will play Varvara. Others in the cast include Raymond Coulthard, who played Frank Churchill in the TV "Emma" and Rupert Douglas in TEP, and Victoria Hamilton, who played Mrs. Col. Forster in P&P. Previews begin on August 27th with an official opening set for Septembe 3. The National is booking seats through October 2, but it's not clear whether that is the final performance or simply the end of the National's booking period. If TRT does go to a commercial theater in the winter, and then goes to New York as is being discussed, Jennifer will have appeared on stage for over a year. We shouldn't get any more complaints about lack of work! I just hope she gets enough R&R between engagements. I got the info from the London Theater Guide, http://www.londontheatre.co.uk/indexframe.html and click on "News" in the upper right-hand corner and then "Listings>National Theater>Olivier."

Thanks for the info, Anne. Sounds like Jennifer is following in her mum's footsteps in pursuing the stage rather than screen... at least right now. Re: MEM on Regis & Kathie Lee -- IMO a better clip they could have shown is the scene in which she confronts Edward about his "infidelity." Good acting from her there, and Colin is in it as well;-) Re: the "dorky" look -- I think that expression is taken from the last scene, in which Edward walks in on Fraser drinking the milk in the brandy snifter and smoking the cigar. That's why he looks kinda lovingly bemused.

I've got my tickets for 3DOR on 15 January "YEAH". I'm very excited. How did everyone else get on?

Thanks Anne. Evelyn, perhaps, you should start looking into working for the airlines so you can get an employee discount. ;-D (Susan) a better clip they could have shown is the scene in which she confronts Edward about his "infidelity." Good acting from her there, and Colin is in it as well;-) Just the mere fact that Colin would be in it already makes it a better clip. That's why he looks kinda lovingly bemused. Oh, is that what it is? But how do we account for the way his hair looks on the left side? I did see the real print ad in the paper. Maybe when they do a full-page color ad for the Oscar noms (I know I'm dreaming), they will have fixed it.

Cathey, I have my tickets too, look forward to seeing you on the 15th. Just for good measure I am also going on the 18th December, to wish our DB a Happy Christmas. It also sounds as if my hubby and I will be making another trip to London to see Jennifer in Summerfolk, I just hope it won't be an anti-climax after TRT, which was spell-binding. I wonder if she does prefer stage work to TV and filmwork?

(Karen) But how do we account for the way his hair looks on the left side? Don't you think that what makes his hair look puffy is actually MEM's dark clothes behind him? (Ann W) ...I am also going on the 18th December... I am going to just miss you, Ann, as I am seeing 3DOR on December 16; I couldn't talk my family into a January trip. Anyway I am looking forward to seeing London in its Christmas finery. What a wonderful Christmas gift, but I regret not meeting you all on January 15.

Thanks for the info, Anne. Sounds like Jennifer is following in her mum's footsteps in pursuing the stage rather than screen... at least right now. True. But don't forget she has "A Taste of Sunshine" with Ralph Fiennes which is being screened at the Venice Intl. Film Festival on Sept. 1st and at the Toronto Intl. FF also in September. Thank you Anne Rosen. You are v. welcomed here and hope you will join us on the 15th. ****** (Cathey) 3 DOR Tickets: How did everyone else get on? Box Office must have been inundated this AM. There are 17 who say they will be attending...10 already have tickets...that I know of. Great news Cathey....wish Lynda could join us...Everybody, pl. give us reports whenever you go. We love to hear about your experience. **** Do so wish I could go to see Jennifer in Sept.I just can't keep going every three months!! But Ann will just have to represent all of us....

"Another Country" is on Film Four at 8pm today for those in the UK who take Film Four (not me, sadly)

I'm happy to hear that MLSF is really opening at last! In many ways it's quite an achievement for any movie starring a relatively unknown (ie not Sean Connery) British actor to open in the US. So whatever happens to MLSF has to be good news. A good thing Colin's surname begins with 'F'.....he appears to have first billing in the credits, but it's actually alphabetical! The marketing emphasis seems to have moved away from "young boy coming-of-age" to adult relationships. Sounds like Jennifer is following in her mum's footsteps in pursuing the stage rather than screen... at least right now. One thing that strikes me is that most of our good actresses work mainly on stage (or radio). Same applies to actors as well. Decent acting roles on screen are few and far between.

(Bethan)Decent acting roles on screen are few and far between. Sadly, especially for women.However, screen jobs pay better, for shorter lenth of time...but must be boring to do. Jennifer has said in interviews that she likes to take women's roles that are a challenge. (Lizzie is still her favorite!!Doesn't think she did justice to her)

Re the ad: Don't you think those three pictures were publicity stills just hanging around? I thought MEM had shorter, curlier hair for the film, and Irene's hair is a bit too perfect as well. Though Colin looks like he is wearing a costume. On the NY theaters: I seem to remember that SIL opened first in only two or three NY theaters before going into wider release the next week. The choice of an uptown and down one is fairly normal. In fact, some art films only open in one theater. Murph

OT: Jennifer Ehle and the NT Ensemble 99 If you are interested in who else in the NT Ensemble 99, go to http://www.nt-online.org/information/ensemble.html It is a truly extraordinary group of people, who will be moving through this set of 6 (?) plays. In addition to the names Anne R mentioned, there is also Simon Russell Beale, Henry Goodman, Roger Allam, Denis Quilley, David Bamber, and Clive Rowe. Henry Goodman is doing Shylock at the moment and has gotten very good reviews. (I first saw him in "Angels in America" as Roy Cohn.) SRB is one the British Stage's most talented actors, and he's been tearing up the stage as Candide and in Money. If Jennifer E. is joing the Ensemble, she couldn't do much better these days.

From today's NY Daily News: Firth Talks About His 'Life So Far' By NANCY MILLS Special to The News You either love him or you hate him. Three years ago, Colin Firth was anointed heartthrob-in-chief after a terrific performance in the A&E miniseries "Pride and Prejudice." Then, in this year's "Shakespeare in Love," the 38-year-old Brit turned hateful as the man who comes between Gwyneth Paltrow and her true love, Will Shakespeare. Now, in the coming-of-age story "My Life So Far," which opens Friday, Firth is lovable and hateful at the same time. This pleases him. "A character who's straight down the line, with no twists or quirks, is boring," he says. "You've got to have something to play. I like to watch stories where you're sure of what you're seeing � and then you're not." At first, Firth's character � a charmingly eccentric inventor � seems to be the ideal dad. But charm can be a great deceiver, as his 10-year-old son discovers. When the boy's uncle (Malcolm McDowell) brings his young fiancee (Irene Jacob) to visit, unexpected passions surface. "Charming boyishness is dangerous to those close to it," Firth says. "If you're fundamentally immature, you'll be incapable of self-denial in real relationships, and you'll end up hurting the people around you." Firth is getting tired of playing hopelessly romantic figures. "I really don't want to go out and make the moony faces anymore," he says. "In your 20s, you're given to do that endlessly. It's not that I feel old and jaded, but there's a point where you realize you're moving on. "I suppose I've been considered someone who looks like a leading man. I have a kind of neutrality, physically, which has helped me. I'm the right height � 6-foot-1 � to play a lot of different things. My hair color can be changed. So can anybody's � but I also have a face that can be made to look a lot better or a lot worse, depending on how I want it to look." No matter how he looks onscreen, Firth isn't over the hill just yet. He has a 28-year-old wife, Livia Guiggioli, an Italian production assistant he met while making A&E's "Nostromo" miniseries. And he has a 7-year-old son, Will, with actress Meg Tilly, his co-star in "Valmont," with whom he lived for four years. He works constantly � although mostly in modestly-budgeted productions, including "Circle of Friends," "A Thousand Acres" and "The English Patient." "I wouldn't do something just for a big paycheck," he says. "I'd have to have a very good reason. I don't despise money. I think if one isn't too greedy, you can do good work, make a good living, have a proper personal life and be proud of what you do and not be destroyed by it." Firth has two films due out later this year: a romantic comedy, "Fever Pitch," from Nick Hornby's memoir about soccer obsession, and "The Secret Laughter of Women," about a science-fiction writer. Firth decided to be an actor at 14. "I liked performing," he says, "and it got me a lot of attention. It was fun. But it didn't immediately enter into my head that I'd actually try it as a career. "All I knew about it was that it was impossible, and no one gets any work." ************ OK, seems to be padded with old quotes and some of the facts are wrong. But if you want to print or keep, here's the url: Daily News Article

Firth is getting tired of playing hopelessly romantic figures. Oh, yes. And as everybody knows he's played myriads and myriads of those, of course.

Firth has two films due out later this year: a romantic comedy, "Fever Pitch," from Nick Hornby's memoir about soccer obsession, and "The Secret Laughter of Women," about a science-fiction writer. Aha! Do I detect some light at the end of the tunnel. Some of this stuff is re-cycled, but some is new...and I've never seen the science fiction angle mentioned before. Ever the optimist. Off topic-ish, but there was an interesting news item on TV about an archaelogical dig in Winchester, where they are hoping to uncover the remains of King Alfred, last King of Wessex. The dig is being carried out by American volunteers (from an organisation called American Earth Works) who are all spending their annual vacation in Winchester. They seem to be having a great time, and are all very exited about the potential discovery. On general dumbing down in the UK, I noticed that in reviews of "Sense and Sensibility" shown on UK TV, the Telegraph spelled Austen "Austin" as in Texas, and the Times reviwer said he (would be a "he") preferred "Trainspotting". The Philistines are upon us!

And as everybody knows he's played myriads and myriads of those, of course. When was the last one? Darcy was not "hopelessly romantic." and I've never seen the science fiction angle mentioned before. Ever the optimist. Knew you'd latch onto to this one!! ;-D Almost fell off my chair when I saw that included. Can't imagine that, if the interviewer asked Colin: "So, what films will we see you in next?" that he would answer, "SLOW"!! Where did this woman ever get this information? Maybe she picked it up from the Roles Page. hee hee!!

Dyslexic kids get to typeset daily papers and proofreading is done by computers - all for speed and cheapness. What do you expect?

(For clarity: the above is a reply to Bethan's last remark.) [Re: hopelessly romantic: he's played myriads and myriads of those...] When was the last one? Karen, I am a sarky animal, remember? ;-P

I meant it in the same vein.

Right. Seriously though, I suppose Joe Prince (Prince Charming??? Aha! ;-)) could be classed as hopelessly romantic in a way. Anyone else?

How about Armand Duval? And then, possibly, Charles Gould at the start of Nostromo; too bad that the objects of his hopeless romanticism were the mine and Costaguana, not his wife. Mr. Darcy himself may not have been hopelessly romantic, but the role certainly was.

All right, then - two or three hopelessly romantic characters in 16 years of acting, and he's moaning?

Don't forget Geoffrey Clifton, the most hopelessly romantic of them all! "Uxuriousness..that's my favorite kind of love. Excessive love of one's wife." Murph

Wessex: hopeless unromantic Jess: hopeless womanizer Paul: just plain hopeless Geoffrey: definitely, Murph, the "most hopelessly romantic of them all" for quite some time. Charles: hopelessly idealistic Simon: hopelessly realistic and callous Darcy: dared to have hope Freddie: hoped to leave his romantic attachments behind Stephen: hopelessly warped Ross: hopelessly good-looking John: hoped for romance, but only had Brian Courtois: a hopeless romantic Joe: a hopeless romantic Valmont: nothing was hopeless until the end Robert: initially only a hopeless romantic about soldiering Brian: a hopeless romantic Adrian: a hopeless romantic ;-D Colin Craven: a romantic Tom: an injured romantic Richard Herncastle: a libidinous romantic and the prey of women everywhere Alexander: hopelessly sick Neil: only hopelessly romantic because so young Armand: another hopeless romantic Tommy: hopelessly romantic about revolution

Well done, Karen. I agree that darling Geoffrey is the most romantic of CF's roles. What's your take on Alan? I just saw OOTB - can't get a handle on him. Isn't Wessex's comment about "the tide waiting for no man, but I swear it would wait for you" just a little romantic? Charles is idealistic, though far less so at the end, but what about him saying that he was under the spell of the mine, like in fairy stories (or something like that) in the wet scene. His view seemed romantic as well as idealistic.

Alan: a hopeless liar

Lisa's Timeline has some new news about Relative Values, which makes it sound much more promising. Shooting starts July 31 (he's really working back to back!) and the film is backed by US money, an LA based company in collaboration with the Isle of Man Film Commission (who backed "Waking Ned"). The cast sounds very good...much younger than in the original Noel Coward play. Denise Richards has gone. Sophie Thompson (Emma's sister), Jeanne Triplehorn and Billy Baldwin join the cast (JA, CF, SF) I reckon ST will play Moxie, JT Miranda and BB (is this William Baldwin?) Nigel. I think ST and JT are both very good comediennes. All in all, a good ensemble!

I am having some problems. Nothing shows up as new on topic 119. Anyone else having the same problem?

Not here! Everything is as usual.

Hi all, I�m back from my hols and what did I find when I came home....the FP soundtrack! Ahh! Allow me a moment of gushing, ladies. I LOVE the soundtrack, it makes me all......I don�t know what. The music sounds so great on a cd and so much better than in the film, or at least it sounds different. Listening to it brings back all the feelings and lovely moments in the movie. And his voice then. It�s magical to listen to it like he was talking next to me. Makes me want to *kiss* my amplifiers! Thanks again, Emma.

Yes, but most - if not all - of these characters had other dimensions besides just hopeless romanticism. His complains are groundless.

GOOD TO HAVE YOU BACK, ...Elena....we have missed your postings. You've been gone far too long... ***** Allison, I sometimes have that problem with 119 New not showing. Try rebooting....sometimes it works. ***** A gentle reminder.... To those planning to attend the January 15th, 3 DOR peformance.... Someone yesterday bought seats in Row C.. Apparently Rows A&B are sold. This is a v. small theatre...the center section is best. Sides are marginal. Please book soon. Box Office: 171-369-1732 (Country code precedes...in the US it is 011-44) ***** Glad Denise Richardson is gone from RV.Never heard of Jeanne Triplehorn. ST is excellent.Who is going to play Don Lucas, I wonder.

Never heard of Jeanne Triplehorn. But you know her. The "other woman" in Sliding Doors! Was also in "The Firm." BTW, you will see her with Hughie in Mickey Blue Eyes. Saw the trailer at the theater the other day and the audience really howled, especially at Hugh trying to speak like a Goodfella. Definitely reminded me of some of the very old Cary Grant screwball comedies. Am beginning to wonder if Jeanne T is living in London permanently since Mickey Blue Eyes is an Elizabeth Hurley production.

Like your creative spin on "hopeless" characters, Karen And here we all sit, helplessly hoping he adds more characters to that list. Welcome back, Elena. I share your excitement over the FP soundtrack. Listening to those songs just put a bounce in my step, even "Liquidator". Well, maybe not that. Has 119 re-set itself for you Allison? It usually does after bringing it up once.

Who is going to play Don Lucas, I wonder. Actually, I got it wrong, I think. Presumably Billy/William Baldwin will play Don Lucas. And so we don't know who plays Nigel. Anyway I think it sounds like a much better Anglo/American mix.

(Elena) And his voice then. It�s magical to listen to it like he was talking next to me. Makes me want to *kiss* my amplifiers! Try listening to his voice with the lights out for a real thrill. Amazingly, for I rarely listen to pop music, I too love the soundtrack (except for Fiesta - when I made a tape for my car, I only copied the opening bars of it - I guess I'm not a lover of polka). It is very lively, My favourite is the last track - Fever Pitch. Such a sweet scene when it is playing in the film - love the expression on Paul's face as he circles for the kiss. (Bethan) And so we don't know who plays Nigel. Is it for sure that CF is playing Peter? I am not familiar with this play, but wouldn't DB be a natural for another Earl, although perhaps Nigel is another hopeless romantic role that Colin (poor, poor put-upon boy) is so tired of playing.

Has everyone read this review of MLSF from THE NATIONAL REVIEW ON-LINE? It's pretty good. http://www.nationalreview.com/movies/simon.html

Billy Baldwin, fresh from his stint as Barney Rubble, would be a *perfect* Don Lucas! I am visualizing that last scene between Don and Peter. yum yum!! Sophie will be a good Moxie. Am visualizing Peter thinking about how he is going to fix her up (hair, makeup, and clothing). I like this casting. Works so far for me. My car tape of FP omits "The Liquidator." Am thinking of making another, but without the Pogues song too. It's getting shorter and shorter. It was so strange watching "Summer of Sam" and the "Baba O'Reilly" montage. Was waiting for "How do you hang on to a dream" to come on next. Am so conditioned to hearing it play right after! ;-)

Pretend you don't see the name Puttnam ;-) Exit Stage Left For Director Puttnam By Michael Eskenazi LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - After three decades as one of Britain's foremost names in film, David Puttnam is abandoning movies for an industry he sees as less contentious and less fraught with in-fighting and hypocrisy -- politics. The producer of such acclaimed films as "The Killing Fields," "Midnight Express" and Oscar-winning "Chariots of Fire" is closing the door on a fabled movie career to focus on his role as a junior minister in Britain's Labour government. "I just can't swing back between the world of reality and real problems and the world of dreams anymore," Puttnam, 58, told Reuters. His last movie, "A Life So Far," being released in the United States this week, is a sentimental look at the travails of a privileged Scottish family. Although backed by Disney-owned Miramax studios, it is a distinctly British movie and it allows Puttnam to stick his tongue out at the Hollywood that began by feting him and ended up fighting him. He was never a natural joiner and his inability to toe the party line doomed his tenure as head of Columbia pictures in the mid-1980s. He was dismissed after 13 months on the job during which he scrapped with the likes of Warren Beatty, Dustin Hoffman and Bill Cosby. Puttnam had charted his own course even before the call from Hollywood. He left school at 16 to work as a London advertising messenger and rose to become the toast of the British film industry in the early 1980s. PUTTNAM MOVES INTO POLITICS His entry into politics came in 1997 when he was appointed a life peer in the British House of Lords (upper house of parliament) in a move by Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair to modernize the tradition-bound legislative assembly. He was given the job of junior minister for education. "I'm very happy to be moving to a world of real people making real money and away from one of some absurd people making some very unreal money," he said. "I'm no longer having conversations with people about how large their Winnebago is." "One of the things that frustrated me in California was that everyone, once you hired them, wanted to hire an assistant. I'd say to them, 'Didn't I hire you to do that?' In England film people are much more concerned with the craft of filmmaking and they take much more pride in it. In Hollywood it's like everyone's got their eye on the next job. Every camera operator wants to direct." Set in the 1930s, "My Life So Far" centers on the Pettigrew family who live on an estate in the Scottish highlands in blissful isolation from The Depression and events leading the world to war. In one scene family patriarch Edward Pettigrew (Colin Firth), a classical music lover, becomes incensed when an in-law tries to smuggle in jazz records from Paris. Similarly, Puttnam, who left California proclaiming "Hollywood needs regeneration," has long lobbied Europeans to stave off pressure to Americanize their art. That message drew him to "My Life So Far" after he read the book on a plane and was drawn to the story of a family striving to guard its own treasure -- its estate. By the time he landed in Tokyo he knew he wanted to bring it to the screen. FORGIVENESS IS THEME OF LAST FILM "It caught me because it was so against the stories being told in movies today," he said. "It was about a family and it said that the family is an imperfect organism and one that's very undervalued. While so many films are about revenge, this is about forgiveness." The film offers fellow Briton Hugh Hudson a quiet revenge on Hollywood as well. Hudson's first two works as director were both filmed in Scotland to great critical acclaim -- the 1981 Putnam-produced "Chariots of Fire" and "Greystoke" (1984). Two Hollywood films that followed, "Revolution" (1985) with Al Pacino and "Lost Angels" (1989) with Beastie Boy Adam Horovitz, were mired in studio infighting and panned by critics. "It was a joy to make this film," Hudson told Reuters. "It was a friendly and joyous three months working in Scotland." He said it was particularly nice working with Puttnam this time. "He's a more relaxed man (than when he made "Chariots of Fire"). ... He's more comfortable and sure of himself." "Early on in my career I had this chip on my shoulder," Puttnam said of his climb to the top of the film business. He felt he had something to prove to American contemporaries who had the benefit of film school, he said. "It made me quite difficult to work with." He has also abandoned his resentment over the British school system's failure to engage him as a boy. His appointment to serve as education undersecretary came as a surprise but "turned out to be the best thing that ever happened to me." "With the work I'm doing now in education, this is the most gratifying period of my life, beside the short period where I had 'Chariots of Fire' and 'The Killing Fields' back-to-back. Outside of that brief period, this has been the most creatively exciting period of my life," he said. At last year's Cannes Film Festival he told reporters that with the manpower being devoted to educational reform, Britain is poised to become "the Hollywood of education." And this Hollywood is not threatened by corporate buyouts. ******** What a salesman. This is going to have them lining up to see MLSF.

Oh, and thanks, Evelyn, for the newest review. Am off to check the Christian Science Monitor!! ;-D

Well hello people. I've just returned from Germany and my first port of call was the Conference Centre. Regardless of the time I've been having in Germany, I have been suffering from enormous "Drool" withdrawals and I am glad to be back for that, if not for any other reason.

Evelyn, thanks for the National Review Online review of MLSF......you really get the impression that the reviewer watched the film intently. And Karen, as for David Puttnam, words fail me ( I wish they'd fail him!) He is getting all this promotion and all he does is promote himself and "rubbish" Hollywood. (Without some Hollywood interest, MLSF would die). It would have been far more gracious if he could have found time to talk about Hugh Hudson, the movie (and how good it is), and the cast...even one paragraph would have helped. No-one is going to see MLSF merely because it's Puttnam's swansong. On playing hopeless romantics, well they may not always be hopeless, but with the exception of AZ hasn't everything CF's made included/focused on a relationship with a woman (even Judd had his usherette). No buddy movies, no action thrillers!

Welcome back, Mannen!

Someone yesterday bought seats in Row C.. Apparently Rows A&B are sold. Yeah, I contacted the box office too late to get in the front row on the 15th so I ended up buying an A center ticket for Friday the fourteenth! So I�m going to see him twice. (Too greedy actually to agonize about the front rows, ALL the rows are very close to him in the Donmar, at least in the stalls.)

"It was a joy to make this film," Hudson told Reuters. "It was a friendly and joyous three months working in Scotland." Aha! Three months.....so it must have been a working honeymoon and in Scotland! Actually, in good weather (not always guaranteed) I should think the Loch Fyne area is hard to beat. We spent a holiday there a few years back, and it is very beautiful. The house where MLSF was filmed is open to the public, or at least the grounds are...they contain the tallest trees in Europe (just thought you'd like to know this!):-)

Yes, Welcome back Mannen, hope you enjoyed your tiem in Germany. BTW Evelyn Moon and Tineke should be meeting up today (TRT), hope they have a good time.

Now that you mentioned it Ann, ...here we are in London, just had lunch and on our way to the Donmar!!! Hello to all! We had a fright with a CF look alike at the Luna Nuova, we had to get the waiter to check it out, no such luck. :-( We hope to give a full report later when we arrive home. ARRIVEDERCI!

How funny!! A CF look alike in the Donmar building. BTW, I just got an email from Moon wanting to know about any real or potential CF London happenings. Hmmm, maybe she should go talk to the recipient of all of Heide's faxes?

Nothing on 119 shows up as "new" still It doesn't matter for me, I can keep track but it might put others off it happens to them. Wasn't Winter having similar trouble?

Another review for MLSF at Girls on FILM http://www.girlson.com/

Allison, I'll email you re: problem. Winter's occurred on #43. Haven't heard whether she's still having it. Come to think of it, haven't heard from her since last week. Yoohoo, Winter, did you go to those movies? Inquiring minds want to know. ;-D

A thought occurred... Could the missing 119 have been designated as a topic to Forget? Accidently of course. Isn't there supposed to be a "Remember" button. I don't have one, don't know why but maybe it is only shown if you've used the "Forget" button. Laura last had that problem.

Thanks for those links, Evelyn and Ann (although the GoF review wasn't so great). Enjoyed reading the first from Nat'l Review Online. You're right, Bethan, it does appear Simon watched the film carefully. Can't wait to hear Colin bark like a dog ;-P In which publication was the latest Puttnam diatribe found, Karen?

No buddy movies, no action thrillers! Don't forget Tumbledown - still the best by far.

Like the current cast of RV. Someone inquired if we knew for sure if Colin was playing Peter..I hope so...Nigel is an old fool...makes Wessex look good. ***** Welcome back Mannen ***** I thought I was late with that MLSF review at the NATIONAL REVIEW... The downside is that no one reads that publication!! ***** (Karen) LA TIMES interview with David Puttnam... "Early on in my career I had this chip on my shoulder, What makes him think he still doesn't....the old goat!! I could cheerfully strangle him for that interview...what a PR job for MLSF. "Revenge on Hollywood" by producer and director...is not the way to market a movie. I bet Harvey is livid.. **** Great to hear from Tineke and Moon...our gals at the Donmar!!

Here's the link to the news item, Eileen: Puttnam Rant

Let me try that again: Puttnam Rant

I'm clueless as to why it isn't working; maybe it's too long??? http://dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/re/story.html?s=v/nm/19990722/re/people_puttnam_2.html

Someone should answer Sybil at the Girls on FILM http://www.girlson.com/ website.Who the h***is she anyway?Did you read her vita?...Likes Paul Rudd and TV Sitcoms...puhleeze. And where did she see MLSF anyway ...if it being released tomorrow. Susan...why don't you answer her since you saw it at RI.

Thanks, Karen (timely, too!). I hope people don't take the time to read it. Someone needs to give him the "cutoff" sign. Newsweek didn't have an Arts and Entertainment section in this week's issue due to the Kennedy/Bessette tragedy. I'm anxious to see what David Ansen (or collegue) has to say about MLSF. Hopefully it will be positive and millions of people will read it. Hey Harvey, have you taken David to lunch lately?

Someone should answer Sybil at the Girls on FILM website.Who the h***is she anyway? BTW, Evelyn, she spells her name Sibyl. That was my first clue.

Sibyl sounds about 12 years old...what did she say "something that parents will like". Trouble is, I think a lot of reviewers are virtual teenybops...didn't one review say that MLSF would appeal to grandmothers! (Mind you, you can (theoretically) be a grandmother in your early thirties!)Each to his/her own taste. I'm praying that David Puttnam doesn't take it upon himself to "promote" MLSF in the UK. Since when has the producer been so omnipotent (and clueless)? Normally it's the director or starring actors who give interviews. Goes without saying, I'd like to see something about Colin, but I'd also be interested in an interview with Hugh Hudson!! Like the current cast of RV. Someone inquired if we knew for sure if Colin was playing Peter..I hope so...Nigel is an old fool...makes Wessex look good. (Evelyn) Yes, I'm feeling much more hopeful about RV now. It's a good mix...JA (appeals to grandmothers!), and also actors who are familiar in current popular movies in the US, plus Sophie Thompson and Stephen Fry who always turn in good character perfomances. And Colin of course! Might succeed in bringing Noel Coward to the masses. It's very light, but if well played , could be very enjoyable. And I'm always a sucker for gracious living and country house settings! I agree....Peter is far more attractive (at least he works for a living!) than Nigel, who is basically a bit of a twit!

You won't like this one ladies especially the bit about CF and Mr. D - from Metromix Arts & entertainment Guide Review MLSF http://metromix.com/movies/0,1156,11-4454,00.html this chap obviously has something against Colin he has even left his name off the credits!!

Not good review from the Chicago paper.... Number #3 city in US. (Don't post that one,Murph.) Can't wait to read what the LA Times says...and where is Janet Maslin when we need her? The reviewer obviously is familiar with Colin's work...few reviewers would have referred to P&P...because they didn't see it.But he definitely has a vendetta when he didn't even list him in the cast!! Kill him Karen!

Not good, not good. Michael Wilmington is THE film critic for the Chicago Tribune; the counterpart for Roger Ebert. It isn't in today's paper, just checked. I didn't expect it until next Friday. 'My Life So Far' Set in Scotland, 'My Life So Far' pleasant but lacking By Michael Wilmington "My Life So Far" is a reteaming of director Hugh Hudson and producer David Puttnam, whose last film together was the exhilarating 1981 "Chariots of Fire." Although "My Life" has a sort of easygoing charm, exhilaration is sorely lacking. A Scottish extended family living on an exquisite country estate exert themselves in the mild ways the wealthy sometimes must, all of this based on a memoir called "Son of Adam" by Sir Denis Forman. The "life" of the title refers to Fraser, the 10-year-old narrator and happy son of Moira and Edward Pettigrew. One of the movie's problems is that it suggests that the events we observe are from the boy's point of view, but clearly Hudson and screenwriter Simon Donald offer a far more sophisticated look at the goings on at the ancestral home, Harewood House, than a 10-year-old could fathom, never mind recount. Gamma (Rosemary Harris, playing the grandmother with the imperious allure we've come to associate with Joan Plowright) is a benevolent dictator who reigns over the manor harmoniously, contentedly involved with the family of her daughter, Moira (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, still beautiful, and cautiously attempting a wavering Scottish accent throughout). Moira's husband, Edward (Colin Firth), is a stiff eccentric who, it appears, is mismanaging the family resources with schemes that include harvesting and selling the moss that grows on their land and inventing floating and flying vessels. But as Gamma puts it, he worships Moira, and he's a good father. That he is devoted to Beethoven and the Bible and communicates with Fraser by barking are all signs of good character as far as she is concerned. The trouble starts when Moira's brother, Morris (Malcolm McDowell), an aging millionaire and roue who lives in London, takes a sudden interest in Harewood House. He criticizes Edward's ideas and soon announces that he intends to marry a French woman half his age named Heloise (Irene Jacob). In a Chekhovian manner verging on cliche, Jacob plays the supposedly luminous sensual being whose presence in the house disrupts the air of calm. As the oldest, Morris would seemingly be in line to inherit the estate from Gamma, which would leave Moira, Edward and their several children out in the cold. In addition, Edward and Morris' antagonism finds its expression in a rivalry for Heloise's sexual favors. Edward makes a fool of himself and rends the family closeness needlessly, while Morris, always a ho se's ass, just becomes more so as events unfold. The movie's chief disappointment is a failure of storytelling. All indications point to the intention to tell a poignant tale about a boy and his much admired father, a story that is lost as the filmmakers' focus falters. Here and there the father-son story is integral to the plot, as when Edward's jealousy of Heloise's sisterly affection for Fraser is open, but this is an exception. I'm sure they didn't mean it, but the basic story could just as easily been told if Fraser never even existed. Only one conceit demands his presence. He reads from his grandfather's secret stash of pornography and makes the hilariously innocent suggestion at a dinner party that his mother go into prostitution to raise some extra money. Fraser is played by an adorable boy named Robbie Norman who, with his thin lips and intense manner, could be Kenneth Branagh 25 years ago. Although generally engaging, the movie is strangely dead through the first half, partly owing to Hudson and cinematographer Bernard Lutic's preoccupation with stunning vistas over familial interaction. But part of the dullness has to do with Firth in the all important role of Edward. Firth has a curious resemblance to Tim Robbins, but Robbins' goofy charm is replaced in Firth by an awkwardness and rigidity that he's displayed before when he portrayed Mr. Darcy in "Pride and Prejudice" and Kristin Scott Th mas' husband in "The English Patient." One could pass a pleasant enough evening in the company of this movie, but one wouldn't be deprived if one missed it. "My Life So Far" Directed by Hugh Hudson; written by Simon Donald from the book by Sir Denis Forman; photographed by Bernard Lutic; edited by Scott Thomas; production designed by Andy Harris; music by Howard Blake produced by Harvey Weinstein, Bob Weinstein, Paul Webster. A Miramax Films release, opens Friday. Running time: 1:33. MPAA rating: PG-13. THE CAST Fraser ... Robbie Norman Gamma ... Rosemary Harris Moira ... Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio Morris ... Malcolm McDowell Heloise ... Irene Jacob ************* Who's a horse's ass?

you can (theoretically) be a grandmother in your early thirties! Nothing theoretical about it. I have quite recently read about a woman of 28 who has just become the world's youngest gran. awkwardness and rigidity that he's displayed before when he portrayed Mr. Darcy in "Pride and Prejudice" and Kristin Scott Thomas' husband in "The English Patient." Ouch. Oh, dear, oh, dear... So that guy doesn't like Colin's acting. (Off with his head!) So what? One for every ten or twenty maybe. Big deal. I would be worried if they all liked him without exception: life would be sooo boring... ;-)

Gee, I thought Mr. Darcy was supposed to be awkward and rigid. When searching the ELibrary, I found a review which stated something to the effect that CF's expressions as Darcy ran the gamut from A to B. I guess everyone has an opinion. Did this guy see the same performance as the reviewer for The Hollywood Reporter who described CF as "buoyant"? "... A curious resemblance to Tim Robbins" - NOT! Just saw TR in Arlington Road and I couldn't see any charm, goofy or otherwise, in that performance.

Okay, who wrote to Walter Scott's Personality Parade to ask about "Colin Firth's dark side"? Out with it. The answer will be in this Sunday's Parade magazine in your Sunday paper. Hope there's a picture. Topic 121 has just opened.

Re: the GoF review. I just read their (skin-crawling) review of the South Park movie. Stands to reason they wouldn't much appreciate a film like MLSF. Thank God I stopped watching Murder, She Wrote reruns last year; tomorrow I'm putting my rocking chair out with the trash!