Let's not make it appear as though FP *really* played in the US. For about a week, it was in a few theaters in and around NYC. There are a few other places outside that small piece of real estate considered part of the US. ;-) Since it played all over the world (except the US), you can buy the video in both PAL or NTSC formats and would be available in rental stores everywhere but... The Secret Laughter of Women only played in the UK for a short while, but is on video there in PAL.

FLASH! Have just spoken to TRT publicist.... JE will be interviewed on A&E "Breakfast with the Arts" show to be televised on Sunday June 4th (Tony- Sunday!).Check local listing for time. She is doing this "alone"...no Stephen, no Mum..This is the same show that did an interview with CF before SIL. P&P is still A&E's highest rating show ,so no doubt they will ask her about it.I know they are thrilled to have her...they've been after her for a while. I will say PR people are great to deal with in NY...I identify myself as being from the JE website, and they are most informative and accomodating. IMO they really understand the importance of publicity on the web.

I hope JE sits up straight for this one. ;-) Fever Pitch never made it to soccer loving Miami. Karen is right, it played the world but the US.

for Valmont to flop has to be nothing other than pure karma! Had it premiered ahead of the other adaptation, it wouldn't have flopped, I'm (almost) sure of that.

Had it premiered ahead of the other adaptation, it wouldn't have flopped, I'm (almost) sure of that. Agree. Stephen Frears beat Milos to it.If he hadn't been so egotistical ,and finished the film on schedule instead of dragging out V. would have made it.

There were various shady things going on behind the scenes - I believe it started with some people who were originally meant to work with Forman (including the scriptwriter and one of the stars?), but who "defected" to the other side for one reason or another... And it seems that Forman decided to stake his reputation (a string of Oscars for Amadeus, etc.) against the other film's better known and more "bankable" cast.

I just read this and thought I'd share it with you:- "A celebrity is a person who works hard all his life to become well known, then wears dark glasses to avoid being recognized."

There were various shady things going on behind the scenes I've never heard of any of those things you've described. Frears was lensing (as they call it) before Forman had his script finished, but the egomaniac kept going anyway. The only thing that rings a bell is that Forman wanted Michelle Pfeiffer for Madame de Merteuil. She didn't commit and wound up playing Madame de Tourvel in Frears' version. And Forman wrote the script with Carriere, who I believe was in from the beginning. Hampton, who wrote the play, wouldn't have collaborated with Forman as they had different perceptions of the story. Valmont didn't stand a chance since DL had already garnered so much praise.

I have read Forman's wailings in a book he wrote. He alleges that Hampton promised to work with him and then somehow inexplicanbly started avoiding him, only to emerge bowling for the other side, so to speak... I haven't heard Hampton's side of the story, but it's quite plain that he saw Valmont as selfish and evil (Rickman in the original London stage production was physically handsome and morally revolting!), whilst Forman saw him charming, vain and misguided.

Oops. Inexplicably.

Re: Forthcoming TV interview with JE on A&E: (Moon)I hope JE sits up straight for this one. ;-) LOL. Yeah...and wears black "trainers" with white shoelaces....then we'll all think she's super cool. After all, she lives in Islington too;-)

Oops, I meant The Secret Laughter of Women. Why do you suppose I wrote The Secret Lives of Women?

I have read Forman's wailings in a book he wrote. He alleges that Hampton promised to work with him and then somehow inexplicanbly started avoiding him If you're referring to Turnaround, Forman's book, please see pp. 282-3.

(Eileen)(Fever Pitch) also played on the big screen in countries where football is popular (everywhere in the world, so it seems). (Karen)Since it played all over the world (except the US) Sorry! Not here :-(

Does anyone know for sure if it played in Canada,though? And when? I wouldn't be surprised if it did and I missed it. Come to think of it, I was suffering through my thesis around the time FP came out. Took blood to finish writing it. I missed everything going on in the world!

Question: did Topic #129 disappear, or did I dream its existence?

Topic 129 is there. Did you hit the "Forget" button on top by mistake? Happens. Just insert 129 instead of any topic number into the url at top and you'll be back. See if the Remember button is shown, then you've done a Forget. Yes, Fever Pitch definitely played in Canada; it was during the last World Cup. It has been available on video there since last year and was recently reduced to a purchable price. Check www.videoflicks.com (a Canadian videoseller)

Got around to thumbing throught the current edition of Newsweek last night. In the Newsmakers section, stumbled on a couple of familiar faces, along with this snippet: The Tony Awards' Family Feud Newsweek, May 22, 2000 Poor Jennifer Ehle. Can't she ever get the limelight to herself? The 30-year-old actress is going head to head with her mother, Rosemary Harris, for the Tony Award for best actress in a play. (There's never been this type of family feud, although a father and daughter squared off once, as did an aunt and niece.) Ehle's nominated for her role as the mistress in Tom Stoppard's "The Real Thing." It's not the first time she's played second fiddle. She was the other woman (for a while, at least) in the 1995 BBC version of "Pride and Prejudice," too. Apparently, she's not too concerned about being upstaged. Harris will play an older version of Ehle's character in the movie "Sunshine." Every mother should have a daughter like that. ***** Lizzy was the 'other woman' in P&P?? Who wrote this, Caroline Bingley? Sheesh! Regardless, the pictures (which are n/a on line) of JE and RH were on the top left of the page--v. eyecatching (will send ya hard copy, Ev). I sense the hand of Harvey once again...

Yes Karen, that's exactly what I did. Thanks. I really think this is an excellent system, even though I don't completely know my way around yet. I checked, and FP is not there. What did you think of it(if you're not tired of talking about it)?

(Eileen) The Tony Awards' Family Feud Maybe this is the article that inspired that interviewer yesterday, who asked that insipid question of JE at the Tony luncheon (see topic 132). p.s., I just looked in the dictionary to confirm my spelling of insipid, and the page opened up to Islington :-)

Hmmm, when the Oracle speaks . . .

(Eileen) Lizzy was the 'other woman' in P&P?? Who wrote this, Caroline Bingley? LOL! Doncha wonder where these people get their information? (LizG) I checked, and FP is not there. If "there" refers to your local video store, I can't help you, but if it refers to for sale in Canada, go here: http://www.videoflicks.com/VF2/9996/9996141.ihtml We did talk about Fever Pitch a very long time ago, but it's one of my favorites to watch for sheer pleasure and the soundtrack, which is always on hand in my car. ;-)

(Karen) Actually, "there" refered to www.videoflicks.com. I searched under Colin Firth. Other films there, but not FP. (?) Ok, now how exactly was Lizzy the "other woman" for awhile in P&P2? Did they cut something in the version I saw? Darcy with a secret mistress stashed somewhere, a crazy wife in the attic, perhaps? Didn't he ride stallions? So she couldn't have been competing against a love affair with his horse! . . . well, I suppose she could have, but lets not go there. TMI!

(Eileen) I sense the hand of Harvey once again.. For sure. FP soundtrack a winner. In TIME RH&JE were compared to Joan and Melissa Rivers mother/daughter team. I think I'd rather be "the other woman";-)

(Evelyn), Yeah...and wears black "trainers" with white shoelaces....then we'll all think she's super cool. So that's why he does it, to be cool? A new insight on Colin. Do you think Will wears them like that too? ;-) (Eileen) Lizzy was the 'other woman' in P&P?? Who wrote this, Caroline Bingley? (Karen), LOL! Doncha wonder where these people get their information? Who hires these people? (Liz), I checked, and FP is not there. What did you think of it(if you're not tired of talking about it)? Liz, you should check out the film disc. topic. Could someone add the link.

(Evelyn) In TIME RH&JE were compared to Joan and Melissa Rivers mother/daughter team. You know, on the first read, I just snickered to myself and read on. But when you stop and think about it, geesh.

(Donna) But when you stop and think about it, geesh. Honestly, couldn't Time come up with any other mother-daughter teams for comparison? It makes me forgive Newsweek for their P&P mistake.

(Eileen) Lizzy was the 'other woman' in P&P?? Who wrote this, Caroline Bingley? Sheesh! Not only was she "the other woman" to Miss Bingley, but most especially to Lady Catherine. ;-)

LizG: Yes, for some reason FP doesn't show up by searching under Colin's name. A technical snafu. But if you search under FP, you will get two hits. Take the more recent or use link above directly to the video. Here's the link to the edited and archived Spring Drool film discussion index at firth.com: http://www.firth.com/filmdis/disindex.htm *more reading* I hear you cry! ;-)

Well, thank you so much for the link, Karen! Very drool-like approach to film reviewing! :-)

Hmmm, if life always imitates art, and JE was the 'other woman' to her own mother, and if you start with Premise One and add Premise Two, reasoning without any logical fallacies (don't hold it AGAINST the man), using only valid rules of inference... and defering to all applicable truth tables . . . now let me see, its been awhile but . . . First Conclusion: The woman behind Lizzy's 'other woman' status is none other than . . . Second Conclusion: Darcy, Darcy, Darcy, so that's why you ----

Have just read the Waiting in the Wings, is to close on the 28th May, looks like you have just made it Evelyn, what a shame, I was hoping to see it in July.

To Heide for having been a great co-host on Drool for all this time

To both Karen & Heide, our wonderful co-hosts, what would we do without you both. (that is so cute Karen). BTW as it is so quiet on the Boards, I thought I would just mention that yesterday James & I went to see Glaldiator, what a wonderful movie, I was so close to tears at the end and I think I have found my 3rd favourite actor, RC. Highly recommend it to anyone who is thinking of going.

Thanks, sweetie, but I'll always be here. I'm just shoveling all the work off on you. ;-) Ladies and gentlemen, now there's a host. A holiday weekend in the US and also in the UK I believe. Enjoy, everyone. I'm off to do the picnic thing in the rain.

Holiday, true. All public means of access to the Net closed, so I'm off tomorrow. Don't do too much exciting while I'm gone. Thank you both for a multitude of good works. Have a nice holiday, Karen and Heide!! KJ

Karen and Heide, THANK YOU for all the fun and games! You are appreciated. Am I hugging too tightly? ;-)

Thanks to both of you.

Your kind words are appreciated, ladies. However, I wasn't as clear as I should've been. My thanks go to Heide, as she has decided to no longer be a host at Drool.

Oh no, we shall miss her, but she will still be around?!

Sorry to hear it. Heide, I hope you will still hang out with us. And remember, we have AZ to discuss in the fall.

Heide, thanks for everything, you�ve been a lovely and diplomatic host. I sure hope you mean to stay with us in spite of giving up hosting!

I agree. Heide will still have her hostly privileges, even though the work world is getting more of her attention.

(KarenR)...I wasn't as clear as I should've been. My thanks go to Heide, as she has decided to no longer be a host at Drool. Thanks for explaining, Karen, I was wondering what that was all about - I thought some kind of anniversary or something. Heide, I hope whatever is taking more of your time is a good thing :-)Hugs. Karen, hugs to you too, and keep up the good work :-) Marcia, I know it's your birthday soon. Thirty-first, is it?

We are planning a birthday bash for her Marcianess. Please join us here on Wed. May 31st.

Oh Heide, tear out my heart, rip it apart, and stomp that sucker flat! You're no longer hosting at drool. I'm bereft. Seriously, thank you for your patience, graciousness, and humor. Thanks for the advice you gave me when I asked. I hope to see that you will still be posting here. Good Luck.

Heide, thanks for all you've done as a host; I know it's tricky, but the best ones make it look easy and you ladies here are the best. Glad to hear you'll still be hanging out with us. An early happy birthday to Marcia!

Heide isWhat? I go away for a week and look what happens;-) Wadsamadda...don't you like us anymore? And we try so hard to be good;-) Thanks Heide...you've been a great "Madeline Albright".. Now...will we see the real Heide?? No kidding....you've diffused a lot of "almosts" and I hope you will continue. ~~~~~ From a theatre website on the Tony Awards predictions: "Jennifer Ehle: chances: Strong. Ehle is the discovery of the season and Tony voters may want the chance to claim her as one of our own before Hollywood comes knocking. [Oh dear....if she reads this, she won't show up!] " Rosemary Harris: chances: Despite strong competition from her own flesh and blood, Harris may just repeat her Tony win of 34 years ago"

June 4th is Heide's Birthday

Lizza's Birthday is June 7th Karen (KJArt)'s Birthday is June 8th Moon's is the 14th

Happy Birthday Marcia!

Thank you! Wow!!! *hugs* I have more roster sheets to send to you...=)

How did you know???

Happy Birthday dear Marcia! Here's my first gift to you: so you can move around freely without logging out. This: for those rainy days in Hilo; And a nice, young, athletic,whole team to keep you busy :-)

Happy Birthday Marcia!!! Three cheers for the queen of GEO! You may not know this, Marcia, but I do lurk there. Of course our Marcianess deserves to wear the constellation watch to keep up with all things geo. And since you are always giving us such beautiful lais, I thought you might like one with diamonds. A send you a big hug. Enjoy your day!

Marcia, I am NO good at putting up images like the others, but lots of special birthday hugs to a truly wonderful, witty and wise co drooler. Cue amazing invisible image of a huge birthday cake , from which OBD emerges wearing the icing of Marcia's choice and his dimples! Invisible that is to all but Marcia!!

Heide, sorry to hear that you are unable to co-host anymore. A huge thank you for all you have done to encourage newbies to stay over the years (!), myself included. I do hope we will still have your tact and diplomacy to enjoy from time to time not to mention your sense of humour. Cue huge ( and still invisible) image of an exploding "thank- you".

Happy Birthday, Marcia! And thanks, Heide, for all you've done to make these boards so great:-)

Oh...Wow! Thank you - Gi, you know I need another laptop - a real one! The umbrella is lovely and looks like Applique - stunning....but that team. This morning I could really us a team. I'll give you details in email - but I seem to have "done it" again! Moon...*sigh* Nothing even close grows around here for lei-making. How stunning. I could build a whole new wardrobe around a piece of jewelry like that! Great Chronometer (which that is - no plain watch from You!)...Love to have one like that! And the Piece which I could not resist is OBD. Gadzooks! Lovely and much appreciated. Sluuuuuuurp! (Yeah, I did know you lurk and that is wonderful and a great compliment! *hugs*) Lizza dear, I have IRL present from you with the most lovely image on the cover. What could be better that I don't have to return to Livia at the end of the day?! Mahalo with great bit *hugs* Susan! It is so good to hear from you! Thanks for the good wishes. Whoopee! It IS gonna be a happy birthday, after all...*happy grin*

Happy Birthday, Marcia! Although I am not a long-time Drooler, I must say that whenever I have randomly clicked on one of your posts, I have been impressed with your breadth and depth of knowledge on an array of topics, not to mention your wit and overall sense of fun. You truly are the renaissance woman of Spring. Heide, I will never forget how kind and encouraging you have been to me, as I am certain you have been to all newcomers. Thank you for your grace, humor, and intelligence.

Woo Hoo...Thanks - You guys are saving my life this morning - AND my sense of humor. Big hugs to you all. The rest of spring occupies my intellect but The Ladies of Drool have my heart. Thanks for lurking and enjoying!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARCIA Every Birthday Girl should have one!!

(MarciaH) The umbrella is lovely and looks like Applique - stunning... It is hand-painted, actually. I seem to have "done it" again! Oh dear... Awaiting your email with some anxiety...

Happy Birthday from me too, Marcia.

Happy Birthday Marcia!

What's dat!! I tawt I taw a party going on... Yeah! Dis joint is jumpin' And der's a whole lotta shakin' going on... CAUSE IT'S MARCIA'S BIRTHDAY!!!!

Have a little itsy bit of cake, while you drool over your prezzie Just a little something I picked up for you at BB&B ;-)

I am so glad we have a birthday month comin...love a pahty!! Hey Marcia....you do a mean hula;-) ~~~~~~~~~~ TV ALERT (Thanx to SUE) Just saw mini-interview with Jennifer and her mum on CNN Mr. Showbiz. Shows clips of TRT ,WITW, and SUNSHINE. Will re-show at 3 AM.

Happy Birthday, dear Marcia!

Will re-show at 3 AM. Re: CNN that's 3 AM Central Time.

Happy birthday again Marcia. You're such a wonderful contributor here!

Thanks Terry! My pleasure!!

Marcia... I have to rush off, but I'll be back later with more goodies. Meanwhile... (and this is straight from the heart...) And some tropical beauties for a tropical lady... HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARCIA!...KJ

Marcia, the All Knowing, (okay, almost all knowing), you will insist that you don't know everything. Carpe Cakem and Carpe Diem. Carpe Annum for that matter. Happy Birthday and have an even better year.

I just scrolled back through the party going on in here and what fun!!! LOLROTF stuff starting out with my fav collectable - a SPAM Sno-globe...*sigh* Evvie-Luvvie never forgets! Mahalo and *Hugs* for that. Karen...YOU remembered as well......*BIG sigh*... That is a stunner I could arrange a whole wardrobe around...!!! Love ya for that!!! Elena, thanks and please come back to Geo and run around with your boulders and beetles and bioregions - Please??!! Lisa (left speechless, are you?) thanks and Tineke...wow!!! Everyone is just about making my whole decade........I am delighted out of my lavalava!!! Big mahalos, hugs and love to you all!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARCIA

Oh my - more goodies and great thoughts for me! Yippee. KarenJ, thanks! Luv the purple hippopotapuzzle....and flowers and kind thoughts from AnnW and Cheryl, you're the best!!!

Thanks Lucie!!!

Marcia! 29 Again? Happy Birthday, dear. A toast to our biggest cheerleader - Couldn't find any pom poms, sorry, but a rose by any other name...

I loved looking at your gifts, Marcia. Moon, dear, I had to chuckle when you told Marcia she's given us so many "leis" over the years. ;-) And Spam? I understand Hawaii has the biggest consumption of Spam per capita. We're gonna get you a Spam cookbook next. An aside, thanks for so many warm wishes from you all. I feel a tad silly because I'll always be here and I'll bet you won't even notice the difference. But your nice words sure made me feel good.

...at least Ann did not say I had been lei'd...like some do here where the hula dancers make like Karen's gif!!! are we not the couthest group on the planet?! When we do things including lusting, we do it with panache and class. Ladies, you are making me into a warm and fuzzy ball of bliss!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARCIA!!!!

Yup Heide, you are always one of the very best we have - but you know that and I'm gonna tell you anyway...... thanks for the rose pompoms, and the other goodies....*sigh* Is Drool not the most special place on earth?!

Wow!!! Wolfie! Thanks for joining the party! Now, if we could just get someone off of Hiatus, that hateful Greek island where Cfadms go when ....!

(Heide).. A toast to our biggest cheerleader - You've got to watch it with too many toasts, Marcia. You never know .... ***Hehehehehhehehehehehe***

Mmmmm good!! That Spam snowglobe is to die for. Am jealous. Bet Gi is going to want one too for her anniversary present. ;-) (Heide) We're gonna get you a Spam cookbook next. I think Gi got one as a shower gift. She can lend it to Marcia, but as we already know, Marcia has won the Culinary Inst of America's Top Toque Award for Spam Preparation.

First, I am still getting up off the floor from KJ's gif! Too funny! I am going out for prime rib dinner shortly so I'll watch those toasts! Hey, whoelse has created their very own Spam topic in the Food conference?! And, I probably eat more of the stuff than all of you put together...(nuthin to shout about, however!) Top Toque award, Indeed - it is sitting just next to the place of honor wherein sits the Spam Sno globe and anytime you get to Hilo you might be allowed a peek at it if you wash your hands first! I gave my son a Spam cookbook for a going away gift and he has taken his creations to parties and the plate always comes home clean (the dog must lick it...?!) Thank you for a lovely day. You have been incredible!

What are Birthday Parties all about? Well, there's dancing... (It ain't a true hula, Marcia, but with MY hips, the real thing could become downright destructive!) [Let's see -- We've ruled out too much toasting. ... Hmmmmm ...] Wait a minute, I'm sure we could safely drink toasts with this... There also must be a cake -- inscribed with the proper sentiments, of course... And for a final touch, a lovely present for a lovely lady worth her weight in gold ... HAVE AN ENJOYABLE NATAL DAY, MARCIA! ... KJ

(Marcia) ..Karen...YOU remembered as well......*BIG sigh*... That is a stunner I could arrange a whole wardrobe around...!!! Love ya for that!!! ...I am delighted out of my lavalava!!! P.S. I was thinking of doing something about enlarging your wardrobe as well, but since you are arranging your own around Karen's gift, all I can do is make helpful suggestions....Such as ..... [***Heeheeheehee**** couldn't resist..]

LOL Dear....You found another one which put me on the floor again. Thanks! The cake is lovely the sodas non-fattening and I brought size XXXX trench coats to hide our new girth under after all this over-indulgence. What a blast it has been....and I shall fandango out of here with the golden rose between my teeth. *H U G S* and *ALOHA*

From the WTHITAB (what the hell is this all about) file: Kinnear drawn to 'Husbandry' Greg Kinnear is in negotiations to star opposite Ashley Judd in Fox 2000's "Animal Husbandry" for director Tony Goldwyn. Lynda Obst is producing the project, which will go before the cameras in July. "Husbandry," based on the comic novel by Laura Zigman, centers on a young woman (Judd) who develops a theory about men and women based on the animal world and tries to apply it to her own romantic situation. Kinnear will play Judd's boyfriend and colleague who breaks her heart. Australian actor Hugh Jackman stars as Judd's roommate who is longing for an old girlfriend and searching for a replacement. Elizabeth Chandler ("A Little Princess") adapted the screenplay. Fox 2000 production vp Ashley Kramer will oversee "Husbandry" for the studio. Getting "Husbandry" before the cameras is a coup for Obst. The project has been in development for many years and has gone through various incarnations. At one point, Jennifer Aniston was in talks to star. ******* This was a book we talked about on the Bridget board a ways back. Pretty funny and a quick read. Hope Bridget gets to the theaters before this one.

It is so typical of Hollywood to look for clones. I remember last year there was Stigmata, End of Days, Dogma, etc. all basically about the same subject. Studio heads are very insecure people with no balls. No one wants to take a risk. They always wait and see what the others are doing and then they bring out of dormancy projects which have been around for years but because no one else was doing similar things, it must mean that it would flop. Such cowards, I hate that attitude.

No, Moon. They are not all that similar, except boyfriend is a lying, scumbag jerk. ;-)

No, Moon. They are not all that similar, except boyfriend is a lying, scumbag jerk. ;-) Actually, it was you who brought that up, Karen, as competition for BJD. ;-) What is similar, are the films I quoted.

Hmmm, don't think Dogma is like *any* other film I've seen. I do recall Miramax having to unload it when Disney wouldn't distribute it due to the controversy. Anyway, here's a very thoughtful and insightful thumbs-up review of Sunshine from Roger Ebert: SUNSHINE by Roger Ebert * * * Paramount presents a film directed by Istvan Szabo and produced by Robert Lantos, Jonathan Debin, Andras Hamori and Rainer Koelmel. Written by Szabo and Israel Horovitz. Photographed by Lajos Koltai. Edited by Michel Arcand and Dominique Fortin. Music by Maurice Jarre. Running time: 180 minutes. Classified: R (for strong sexuality, and for violence, language and nudity). "One gang was as bad as another," says an old woman at the end of Istvan Szabo's "Sunshine." In her long lifetime in Hungary she has lived under the emperor, the Nazis and the communists. And she watched as the West betrayed the 1956 uprising. She has watched some members of her Jewish family spend the century trying to accommodate themselves to the shifting winds of politics and society, and failing. She has seen other members fight against the prevailing tyrannies, only to find them replaced by new ones. And she has witnessed the Holocaust bearing down over three generations -- not as an aberration, a contagion spread by Hitler, but as the inexorable result of long years of anti-Semitism. We are reminded of the 1999 documentary "Last Days," also about Holocaust victims in Hungary, which observes that the persecution of the Jews there began fairly late in the war, at a time when Hitler's thinly stretched resources were needed for tasks other than genocide. But the Nazis had help. "Nice, ordinary Hungarian people did the dirty work," we learn, and there is even the possibility that some members of the Sonnenschein family, which the movie follows over three generations, would have helped had they not been Jewish and therefore ineligible. The movie shows family members determined to think of themselves as good Hungarians. The family name is changed to Sors to make it "more Hungarian," and Adam Sors, in the middle generation, converts to Catholicism, joins an officers' club, and wins a gold medal for fencing in the Olympics. But assimilation is not the answer, as he learns when he remains too long in Hungary, believing a national hero like himself immune to anti-Semitism. There is a heartbreaking scene in a Nazi death camp where he tells an officer that he is a loyal Hungarian Army officer, too -- and a gold medalist. "Strip," the officer tells him, and soon his naked body has been crucified and sprayed with water until it forms a grotesque ice sculpture. Szabo's epic tells the story of one family in one country, but it will do as a millennial record of a century in which one bright political idea after another promised to bring happiness and only enforced misery. The Sonnenschein family fortune is founded on "Sunshine," an invigorating tonic with a secret recipe. The film does not need to underline the symbolism that the formula for the tonic is lost as the century unfolds. Ralph Fiennes plays the father, son and grandson, each one rebuffed or repelled by a Hungary in agony. Ignatz Sonnenschein, whose story begins the film (with some flashbacks about his father), is a successful businessman who presides over a comfortable bourgeoisie home and thinks of standing for parliament. His brother Gustave (James Frain, and later John Neville) is disgusted he would support a corrupt regime, and Ignatz speaks hopefully of progressive elements in the regime and the emperor's openness to reform. After the war, a communist government gets in briefly, and Gustave joins it. Then the rise of the right ends that chapter, and he is placed under house arrest before fleeing to France. Meanwhile, Fiennes now plays Adam Sors, whose attention is focused on fencing; since the best fencers are in the officers' club, he takes lessons and converts to Catholicism so he can join it, too. He doesn't take religion seriously; it's just a ticket you punch in order to fence. His son Ivan (Fiennes again -- uncanny in his ability to suggest the three different personalities) emerges after the war as a police officer under the new communist regime. Ivan grows close to an idealist named Knorr (William Hurt), who believes in communism and wants to do a good job, and therefore is a threat to the government. This sequence, showing a weary Hungary being betrayed once again by a corrupt regime, is the most effective, because it pounds the message home: The people running the communist government are more of the nice, ordinary Hungarians who helped with the Holocaust. The point isn't that Hungarians are any worse than anyone else -- but that, alas, human nature is much the same everywhere, and more generous with lackeys than heroes. At three hours "Sunshine" made some audience members restless when it premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, but this is a movie of substance and thrilling historical sweep, and its three hours allow Szabo to show the family's destiny forming and shifting under pressure. At every moment there is a choice between ethics and expediency; at no moment is the choice clear or easy. Many Holocaust stories (like "Jakob the Liar") dramatize the tragedy as a simple case of good and evil. And so it was, but that lesson is obvious. The buried message of "Sunshine" is more complex. It suggests, first, that some Jews were slow to scent the danger because they were seduced into thinking their personal status gave them immunity (so do we all). Second, that those who felt communism was the answer to fascism did not understand how all "isms" distrust democracy and appeal to bullies. Third, that the Holocaust is being mirrored today all over the world, as groups hate and murder each other on the basis of religion, color and nationality. The Sonnenschein family learned these lessons generation after generation during the century. So did we all. Not that human nature seems to have learned much as a result. Is there any reason to think fewer people will die in the 21st century than died in the 20th, because they belong to a different tribe? Ignatz, Adam, Ivan .... Ralph Fiennes Valerie (older) ....... Rosemary Harris Greta ................. Rachel Weisz Valerie (younger) ..... Jennifer Ehle Hannah ................ Molly Parker Carola ................ Deborah Unger Andor Knorr ........... William Hurt Gustave (younger) ...... James Frain Gustave (older) ........ John Neville

And if you want to read Roger on the Dome...Shame he didn't mention the Blackadder film ;-) http://www.suntimes.com/output/eb-feature/ebert3.html

Thanks Mari ....SUNSHINE needs all the good reviews it can get.... Paramount tells me June 9th is just NY/LA. Nationwide later in the month. Local Miramax rep is also Paramount Classics rep...was he glad to hear from me again....;-) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ IMPORTANT: I have just been notified by A&E that BREAKFAST WITH THE ARTS will begin a half-hour earlier on Sunday . 8:30 AM Eastern Time. Pl. check your schedules for local time. Jennifer and David Suchet (he plays Poirot on A&E...also up for Tony) are the two celebrity interviews.Along with other musical stars.

For people taping A&E - it will be 2:30 hours in length!

Hi, It's pretty quiet over at the other boards, so I hope you don't mind me jumping into this one (without having the time to read responses going very far back). Moon:Studio heads are very insecure people with no balls. Now, now, musn't be sexist. We all know the real problem is that they lack ovum! Imagine how many CF films there'd be if they had 'em! Although courage may have nothing to do with it. :-) Speaking of Ashley Judd and 'Animal Husbandry', I just saw her in Where the Heart is . I thought she was very powerful. I've never read 'Husbandry',but it's been around for ages hasn't it? Is it one of the earliest 'young Singleton woman' reflections on modern life?