Different movie . . . Films in Review August/September 1988 A Month In The Country A month in the country can mean many things to many people depending on time and place. It can be merely a period of rest that enables us to sort things out�or it can be a period of great decision, a fresh view that time and distance from our normal lives suggests. It is a frequently used device in film and literature which doesn�t necessarily tarnish with use�and doesn�t at all in this especially fine British film. The time is just after World War One in England. The protagonists are two British soldiers who have recently returned from France in a war in which enormous numbers did not. All of the men have been profoundly affected by their experiences in muddy trenches almost face to face with the enemy. Many of the soldiers, bathed in poison gas and bombarded by exploding shells, have caught the new diseases of the twentieth century�gassing, shell shock and existential malaise. A large number have returned to England almost guilty that they have survived, wondering why they did. The two male �heroes� meet in a church in the Yorkshire countryside where they have come to spend a month working. One has been set the task of uncovering and restoring a religious wall painting in the ancient Anglo Saxon church. The other, something of an archeologist, is using the churchyard as his digging site. Each man bears his individual war wounds. The restorer�s is more evident in his stutter and facial tics. Colin Firth is outstanding in the role. The restorer�s month is more clearly delineated than the archeologist�s. The simple people of the community make gestures of friendship toward him. Two children, hungry for stimulation in their flat environment, bring a victrola to the church and watch him work on his scaffold. The lovely minister�s wife provides apples and a blanket in the cold church tower which poverty forces him to use as his bedroom. This restrained, childless young woman is magnificently underplayed by Natasha Richardson whose every movement is almost balletic in its suggestion and grace. Her acceptance of frustration is profoundly moving. She is the quintessential heroine of the era. Her reference to her large empty house suggests the loneliness and emptiness of her own life. Her husband, a religious zealot, is equally alone in his frustrated attempt to move his irreligious congregation Patrick Malahide is very well cast in the part. This slice of life of Yorkshire, with its limited homey joys and frustrations, works its special influence on the two returned veterans. In addition, during their work, each man appears to arrive at some aspect of individual truth that enables him to return to life in an England that has won the war, but like its soldiers, lost its sense of self. By the end of their labors, both men have achieved a level of self acceptance that has calmed their ravaged psyches and enabled them to come to relative terms with themselves. The film is beautifully paced and accurate for its time. Director Pat O�Connor captures the attitudes and feelings of the repressive era that D. H. Lawrence and James Joyce were doing their best to discredit. A Month In The Country is very British in its poetic restraint and superb acting. It is also particularly thoughtful in its suggestion that it is sometimes necessary to accept the inevitable frustration of living at any time or any place. Eva H. Kissin Sadly this publication is no longer active. Think I'll have to scour the flea markets for other reviews of Colin's earlier films.

(Kat) Actually, I live in W-S! Were you at school here or what? After graduating from Jr College, moved there with a friend who was going to go to School of the Arts (theatrical lighting design--he now actually lives in NYC, too working for a prominent performing arts company). I decided to finish college 2 1/2 yrs later and moved to Philly (then back to FL, WA, CT, and NY). (EmmaB) Tonight, in 1 hour (9pm eastern), on the Mystery Channel here (Ontario, Canada) which I get on digital cable: Master of the Moor part 1. Not sure if this is helpful to others, as I don't know if they do the same programming in other markets. Apparently not. On my digital cable it was in the middle of Drowning Mona at 9pm. :-( Was just looking at some of the pics taken of Colin over the years...do I imagine correctly that someone on this board somewhere has mentioned how much he resembles Tim Robbins in a few of them. Or is it just me? Also, when more people see TIOBE, will we be discussing it somewhere? I plan to see it again in the next couple of weeks (....and again and again....) ;-)

Along with Tumbledown,AMITC is one of my favorite of all of Colin's films.Thank you Meg: Eileen posted a short version of NEWSWEEK review on #126: Movies: Wilde at Heart Costume comedy in the grand Miramax tradition By David Ansen NEWSWEEK May 27 issue ? The best moments in Oliver Parker?s screen adaptation of Oscar Wilde?s comedy ?The Importance of Being Earnest? are when the movie just sits back and lets Wilde?s supremely witty scenes play. LIKE the one in which the imperious Lady Bracknell (Judi Dench) interrogates Jack Worthing (Colin Firth), who is pleading for her daughter Gwendolen?s (Frances O?Connor) hand in marriage. ?To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune,? she hisses icily upon discovering his orphan status, ?to lose both looks like carelessness.? The play is A total artifice, built on farcical symmetries: Jack and his ne?er-do-well friend Algernon (Rupert Everett) both have to pretend to be the nonexistent Ernest Worthing, for they have fallen in love with women, Gwendolen and Cecily (Reese Witherspoon), who insist on marrying men of that name. Probability wasn?t at the top of Wilde?s priorities. Parker, on the other hand, seems afraid that Wilde?s theatricality isn?t ?cinematic.? He encourages his cast toward a sotto voce naturalism and slices Wilde?s scenes into fragments, scattering them around the ?real? world to open things up. And the drawing-room settings get upgraded Miramax style: grand country estates and chambers worthy of monarchs. When the movie misfires?in the dreadful ?fantasy? sequences in which Cecily?s girlish romantic dreams are staged as Pre-Raphaelite tableaux, or the jarring flashback revealing Lady Bracknell?s ?secret? past as a chorus girl?Parker just gets in the way, spoiling the rhythm of Wilde?s shapely comic scenes with fussy business. This may be a less than ideal ?Earnest,? but it still has delights, not least of all Anna Massey?s Miss Prism, Cecily?s dotty tutor, and Tom Wilkinson?s Dr. Chasuble, her clergyman admirer. Firth?s comic timing is subtle and seductive, and plays nicely off Everett?s jaded foppery. Witherspoon is quite at home in the English surroundings, but surprisingly misses much of her character?s humor. You?d think Lady Bracknell was a role Dench would hit out of the ballpark. She is funny (how could you not be, with these lines?), but she plays her with a severity more befitting her Queen Victoria in ?Mrs. Brown.? I wish she?d had more fun with the part: she gets Lady B.?s tyrannical side, but neglects her silliness. Wilde, after all, was never more serious than when he was being utterly frivolous.

sorry about the "????". The elves are at it again.

Dorine---- Didn't OP mention something about an upcoming project set in Italy (or something to that effect)? FYI: As per the previous shoe discussions, those who get the Sundance catalogue should check out p.29 bottom lower right (not so bad, eh?).

(Amy) Didn't OP mention something about an upcoming project set in Italy (or something to that effect)? Yes, vaguely....would've been helpful to be "briefed" about this beforehand as well. Again...who knew we'd need it!

Thank you for typing up the review of AMITC, Meg. The reviewer is right, Colin is "outstanding" in that role and it is a lovely film. We'll be eager to see anymore of your flea market finds in this area. Chicago Tribune review...By Robert K. Elder Who is this guy? He's not even second string. Must be holding down the fort while everyone else is in Cannes. ;-D But he has good insight (either that or he's been watching the 1952 version): All of this subtracts from Jack, whose situation provides the core conflict and velocity of the story. While it's easy to understand Parker's move to make the movie adaptation more of an ensemble piece, Jack remains the ensemble lead. Very true, but OP I think gives slightly more focus to Algy. Besides, Wilde's sparkling dialogue comes through best when unadorned, and Parker's additions often play like lace curtains on a stained-glass window. Pretty much sums it up.

Carrie Rickey Philadelphia Inquirer Published: Friday, May 24, 2002 In the fussy hands of writer/director Oliver Parker, The Importance of Being Earnest is a punishingly funny (emphasis on the pun) Oscar Wilde bonbon that arrives wrapped in an abundance of tissue and ribbons. Despite the sparkling source material in the 1895 farce subtitled A Trivial Play for Serious People, despite pitch-perfect performances by Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Frances O'Connor and Reese Witherspoon, despite good taste and good will, this romp through Victorian parlors frequently falls flat on its rump. Parker, who made the lovely 1996 adaptation of Wilde's An Ideal Husband, errs in "opening up" Wilde's most famous play, a satire of theater conventions - and the artifice of social intercourse - that benefits from a highly theatrical staging. The film's Sherlock Holmesy opening, with its chase scene through the streets of London, and its emphatically jazzy score make for a confusion of tone and time period. Jazzing up Wilde, who composed syncopated rhythms in wordplay, is a textbook example of lily-gilding. Still, there are the slope-shouldered Everett and the square-jawed Firth as the fortunate men unfortunately in love with New Women (respectively Witherspoon and O'Connor) who prize, above all, a future spouse with the name of Ernest. And there is that human bull terrier, Judi Dench, as Lady Bracknell, barking at everyone's heels. While it is not the most important Earnest (that remains Anthony Asquith's 1952 version), it does, amid the frippery, convey Wilde's moral that to enjoy life and love, the importance is being frivolous.

One of the best ones yet: First-rate cast and material make 'Earnest' a worthy film By BRUCE WESTBROOK Copyright 2002 Houston Chronicle While megaplexes rumble and flash with summer action flicks, a different kind of dazzle awaits those who prefer deft dialogue and a debonair air. It's The Importance of Being Earnest, a dream movie with a dream cast. The latest film version of Oscar Wilde's play comes from the same writer-director, Oliver Parker, who adapted Wilde's An Ideal Husband in 1999. Again, he has Rupert Everett for his lead, and again, the British actor proves indispensable. His suave bearing and rakish charm suit Wilde's comic mix of manners and mayhem to a high tea. Here he plays Algernon, a gentleman who runs up debts while enjoying mild hedonism in 1890s London. Algy's best friend -- almost a brother -- is Jack (Colin Firth), a country squire who comes to town seeking a lady's hand in marriage. She's Gwendolyn (Frances O'Connor), the well-bred but amorously eager daughter of the stern Lady Bracknell (Judi Dench). Since Jack's ancestry is in doubt, Mum disapproves. Eventually, all wind up at Jack's estate, where he and Gwen spar while Algy falls for Cecily (Reese Witherspoon), Jack's well-off young ward. Comic complications ensue, triggered by the fact that both Jack and Algy have indulged in alternate identities with the same name: Earnest. Rarely has a cast been so suited and tuned to the material, melding vivid individual turns into a crisp ensemble. In effect, they all steal the show without detracting from each other. Firth is a portrait of handsome, conflicted civility -- wrestling to balance his sense of duty with his passions. Alongside Everett, he's stuck with the stuffy part, as he was with Hugh Grant in Bridget Jones' Diary. Yet Firth and Everett often share a boisterous camaraderie, skewering the decorum of polite society. The scornful Dench is even more of a straight woman, though she's entwined in the men's comic discomfiture. Edward Fox plays Algy's droll butler, and recent Oscar nominee Tom Wilkinson (In the Bedroom) is a quietly lustful vicar. O'Connor, unimpressive in Bedazzled and A.I., ably embodies a readiness for romance tempered by smart self-protectiveness. She and Witherspoon make a fun, sisterly team. The latter is radiant, as always, and has a credible accent (the Nashville native is the cast's sole American). As Cecily, her conceit is bodice-ripping daydreams about shining knights. Everett's roguish, impulsive Algy is hardly such a hero, but oh -- how he'd look in a suit of armor! Besides, it's not bad to be spontaneous -- not as long as he loves her. As Algy says, the very essence of romance is uncertainty. Purists may carp at the liberties Parker takes, from hot-air balloons to ragtime bands. But such freshening doesn't detract from Wilde's wit or signal irreverence toward an irreverent playwright. Besides, while the play's the thing -- on stage, at least -- this is a movie. As such, it needs its own life, not the taxidermy of a strict translation. Accenting absurd but delightful coincidences, Parker keeps things light and lively, and the cast never trips over Wilde's eloquence. This is a film where "Tis rather quixotic of you" sounds as natural as "pass the peas." Production design is handsome, the cinematography lends a sunny air, and there's a spry, faintly contemporary score. Part of the music is performed on-screen. Algy loves playing the era's budding ragtime on piano, and he and Jack stage ridiculous serenades to woo their peeved ladies. How can they resist such charm? Indeed, how can any of us? Grade: A

Muchas Gracias for the info about the TV times here. Welcome Cathey, don't slide back into lurkdom!!! I have sneakily asked my husband if we have any blank videos and if he ever read about actually taping on the new VCR!!!!! He did ask why and received vague, noncommital answers that eventually made him lose interest. ;)))))) In the midst of all this info about TIOBE, I have the littlest bit of news about Hope Springs. Hey, don't get your hopes up this may not really even be news, but, as I was checking Yahoo, (yes, my only source for news besides Drool) I clicked onto their TIOBE link, then on to CF link and got a list of his films. Well, there it was, HS, so of course, I clicked!!! They have a message board and some people have been to a preview somewhere in LA, this looks to have been about two months ago, but, a couple of comments posting just how good it was. There was mention of a confidentiality clause in seeing the film and the fact that it was grainy (poor quality). http://messages.yahoo.com/bbs?action=m&board=&tid=hv1807776052f0&sid=12172484&mid=1

Good morning, Today in NY gave TIOBE v. good review this morning. Sedate, Witty and Sly. Praised the cast.

OK, Post # 609 - Again, he has Rupert Everett for his lead, and again, the British actor proves indispensable. His suave bearing and rakish charm suit Wilde's comic mix of manners and mayhem to a high tea. why does this reviewer consider RE to be the lead? Just a little annoyed at CF's low profile and his being snubed. Glad it's an overall god review though.

sorry, thought closed tags

Not bad...I'd still want to see it! THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 2002 Steve Rhodes RATING (0 TO ****): ** 1/2 Great play, great cast, mediocre movie. Writer-director Oliver Parker's last picture was the absolutely charming AN IDEAL HUSBAND, which was based on an Oscar Wilde play. Trying his luck again with another Wilde comedy, THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST, the director shoots and just misses. It's a fine line, but Parker makes Wilde's dry, sardonic wit just a bit too dry and too silly. The killer cast of this comedy of manners and fake identities includes Rupert Everett (MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING), Colin Firth (BRIDGET JONES'S DIARY), Reese Witherspoon (LEGALLY BLONDE), Judi Dench (SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE), Frances O'Connor (A.I. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE) and Tom Wilkinson (IN THE BEDROOM). All of the actors do everything that is asked of them, including some bizarre fantasy sequences set in Medieval Europe, which manage only to look weird. Wilde's one-liners are terrific. "I do not approve of anything that interferes with natural ignorance," is one of the thoughts that Lady Bracknell (Dench) shares with Jack Worthing (Firth), a.k.a. Ernest, when he is applying for the position of future husband of Gwendolen Fairfax (O'Connor). Since the women in the story have taken a liking to the name Ernest, Algernon Moncrieff (Everett) tells Cecily Cardew (Witherspoon) that Ernest is his name. Like a slightly wet firecracker, the movie needlessly fizzles more often that it sizzles. I can't quite recommend it, but, if you go, you'll probably enjoy at least parts of it. THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST runs 1:40. It is rated PG for "mild sensuality" would be acceptable for all ages. The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, May 31, 2002. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the Camera Cinemas.

A thumbs up from Roger Ebert! THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING EARNEST / *** (PG) May 24, 2002 Algernon Moncrieff: Rupert Everett Jack Worthing: Colin Firth Cecily Cardew: Reese Witherspoon Lady Bracknell: Judi Dench Gwendolen Fairfax: Frances O'Connor Rev. Chasuble: Tom Wilkinson Miss Prism: Anna Massey Lane: Edward Fox Miramax Films presents a film written and directed by Oliver Parker. Based on the play by Oscar Wilde. Running time: 100 minutes. Rated PG.(for mild sensuality). BY ROGER EBERT Chicago Sun Times Be careful what you ask for; you might get it. Two weeks ago I deplored the lack of wit in "Star Wars: Episode II--Attack of the Clones," which has not one line of quotable dialogue. Now here is "The Importance of Being Earnest," so thick with wit it plays like a reading from Bartlett's Familiar Quotations. I will demonstrate. I have here the complete text of the Oscar Wilde play, which I have downloaded from the Web. I will hit "Page Down" 20 times and quote the first complete line from the top of the screen: All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That's his. Now the question is, does this sort of thing appeal to you? Try these: Really, if the lower orders don't set us a good example, what on earth is the use of them? To lose one parent, Mr. Worthing, may be regarded as a misfortune. To lose both looks like carelessness. It appeals to me. I yearn for a world in which every drawing room is a stage, and we but players on it. But does anyone these days know what a drawing room is? The Universal Studios theme park has decided to abolish its characters dressed like the Marx Brothers and Laurel and Hardy, because "a majority of people no longer recognize them." I despair. How can people recognize wit who begin with only a half-measure of it? Oscar Wilde's "The Importance of Being Earnest" is a comedy constructed out of thin air. It is not really about anything. There are two romances at the center, but no one much cares whether the lovers find happiness together. Their purpose is to make elegant farce out of mistaken identities, the class system, mannerisms, egos, rivalries, sexual warfare and verbal playfulness. Oliver Parker's film begins with music that is a little too modern for the period, circa 1895, following the current fashion in anachronistic movie scores. It waltzes us into the story of two men who are neither one named Ernest and who both at various times claim to be. Jack Worthing (Colin Firth) calls himself Jack in the country and Ernest in town. In the country, he is the guardian of the charming Miss Cecily Cardew (Reese Witherspoon), who is the granddaughter of the elderly millionaire who adopted Jack after finding him as an infant in a handbag he was handed in error at the cloakroom in Victoria Station. When Jack grows bored with the country, he cites an imaginary younger brother named Ernest who lives in London and must be rescued from scrapes with the law. This imaginary person makes perfect sense to Jack's friend Algernon Moncrieff (Rupert Everett), who lives in town but has a fictitious friend named Bunbury who lives in the country and whose ill health provides Algernon an excuse to get out of town. I have gone into such detail about these names and alternate identities because the entire play is constructed out of such silliness, and to explain all of it would require--well, the play. In town Jack is much besotted by Gwendolen Fairfax (Frances O'Connor), daughter of the formidable Lady Bracknell (Judi Dench), Algernon's aunt, who is willing to consider Jack as a suitor for the girl but nonplussed to learn that he has no people--none at all--and was indeed left in a bag at the station. Thus her remark about his carelessness in losing both parents. Algernon in the meantime insinuates himself into the country estate where young Cecily is being educated under the watchful eye of Miss Prism (Anna Massey), the governess; eventually all of the characters gather at the Manor House, Woolton, where there's some confusion since Algernon has taken the name Ernest for his visit and proposed to Cecily, so that when Cecily meets Gwendolen, they both believe they are engaged to Ernest although Cecily of course doesn't know that in town Gwendolen knows Jack as Ernest. But now I have been lured into the plot again. The important thing about "The Importance" is that all depends on the style of the actors, and Oliver Parker's film is well cast. Reese Witherspoon, using an English accent that sounds convincing to me, is charming as Jack's tender ward, who of course falls for Algernon. She is a silly, flighty girl, just right for Algernon, for whom romance seems valuable primarily as a topic of conversation. Frances O'Connor is older and more sensuous as Gwendolen, and gently encourages the shy Jack to argue his case ("Mr. Worthing, what have you got to say to me?"). Judi Dench keeps a stern eye on the would-be lovers, and a strong hand on the tiller. "The Importance of Being Earnest" is above all an exercise in wit. There is nothing to be learned from it, no moral, no message. It adopts what one suspects was Wilde's approach to sex--more fun to talk about than to do. As Algernon observes, romance dies when a proposal is accepted: "The very essence of romance is uncertainty." Wilde takes this as his guide. When the play's uncertainties have all been exhausted, the play ends. The last line ("I've now realized for the first time in my life the vital importance of being earnest") takes on an interesting spin if we know that "earnest" was a vernacular term for "gay" in 1895. Thus the closing line may subvert the entire play, although not to the surprise of anyone who has been paying attention.

'Earnest' isn't all it could be � but that's still quite a lot By Moira Macdonald Seattle Times movie critic If the cast of Oliver Parker's movie of Oscar Wilde's celestial trifle "The Importance of Being Earnest" were to assemble on stage, it would easily be the theatrical event of the century. I'd happily plunge myself into the depths of debt for a front-row seat. Judi Dench as Lady Bracknell, intoning, "A handbag!" like a dragon breathing fire? Rupert Everett in a smoking jacket, caressing lines of dialogue as if they're kittens? Reese Witherspoon in late-Victorian garb, looking like a grown-up Alice in Wonderland? Colin Firth, casting debonair glances at a breathy Frances O'Connor? They're all here, and they're all impeccable. But alas, we aren't in Wildean heaven here, exactly. Parker, by necessity, has had to truncate the play considerably, and some of us may find our favorite lines of dialogue vanished or infuriatingly trimmed to the bone. Why include Cecily's line about her diary ("it is simply a very young girl's record of her own thoughts and impressions") without its brilliant capper ("and consequently meant for publication")? Was it really worth saving the two seconds, Mr. Parker? And Parker's "opening-out" of the play isn't always successful. The settings are lovely, and some of the additions (Algernon, here, is constantly pursued by creditors � inspired, presumably, by the line "Half the chaps who get into Bankruptcy Court are called Algernon") are funny and apt. But other Parker innovations, including one about a tattoo that I shudder to recollect, just seem absurd. Somewhere in aesthete heaven, Oscar Wilde is raising an eyebrow. So this "Earnest" is a mixed bag for Wilde purists. But for those who haven't yet been introduced to the play, enough of the original work remains to make delightful entertainment. The play is by genre a romantic comedy, with two couples nicely paired up by the end, but really it's about language and cleverness. Its whirl of words seduces the listener � it's like a heaven-sent Victorian parlor game. The sheer silliness of the plot � love, deception, mistaken identity, two women determined to marry men named Ernest, and a mysterious tale of an abandoned baby � keeps the movie ticking along even when Parker's adaptation is less than graceful. Oh, and did I mention that cast, who bring moments to "Earnest" of such captivating pleasure that you'll forgive Parker all his infelicities? Dench, encased in satin, steals the movie (did you think she wouldn't?) as the stentorian Lady Bracknell. Witherspoon and O'Connor, demure as they sit side-by-side reading each other's diaries, are perfectly adorable, and their counterparts, Everett and Firth, personify debonair decadence. Anna Massey and Tom Wilkinson, as a governess and minister, are splendid in smaller roles. And, really, all criticism I might have had falls away when recollecting the joy of hearing once again of that handbag found in the cloakroom of Victoria Station. Even half-baked, "Earnest" is still delicious.

Aahh, a "name" reviewer who liked the film!! I believe Rex Reed liked it, too, so Miramax will have some recognizable reviewers to work with for marketing. Can't WAIT to get home this afternoon! Friend is taping Today, and will beg to have her tape the rebroadcast of Cast Party on VH1. Woo hoo!!!!!

(Seattle) Judi Dench as Lady Bracknell, intoning, "A handbag!" like a dragon breathing fire? Have they reshot the movie? 'Cause this doesn't happen in OP's version. She does the exact opposite of DEE's famous delivery, by nearly whispering the line. Not a single laugh in my audience at this line. Note: While it's great that Drool is really hopping with all of Colin's activity and news, I'd like to explain, especially to our newbies, that Drool is not like a chatroom. Back-and-forth personal messages should be carried on by email. Posting a one-liner and then coming back a minute later with another just uses up our finite messages within the topic (1999). These practices not only increase our bandwidth (which costs money) but makes using Drool more difficult for readers, who will be confronted with 100+ messages and then will wade through them only to find nothing worthwhile to read. We used to have a chatroom here, but it was eliminated due to website restrictions. I don't wish to put a damper on our fun, but please keep to the topic. Comments on Colin's articles, reviews, news, etc., are what we do here. If you have any questions, email me at nomdedrool@yahoo.com.

-100

Here is the review from the Dallas Morning News: By Chris Vognar Grade C+ Film adapters of classic literature are in a bind the minute they decide to take on a legend. From one camp: "Put your own personal stamp on the work. Don't just regurgitate it." From another camp: "You have to get the original tone right. Don't monkey with the classics." And from still another: "You mean The Importance of Being Earnest was a play?" The third group should get the most enjoyment out of Oliver Parker's Earnest, a mixed bag of a film that will give all camps something to grumble about. Colin Firth and Rupert Everett approach their lead roles with curious detachment and a minimum of Wilde's larkish glee, sure to disappoint those who like staying close to the text. Yet the look and tone of the film aren't particularly daring; this is by no means a wacky modernist interpretation. Instead, it's a pretty, bucolic and kind of bland modernist interpretation. Earnest is the ultimate example of Wilde's love affair with artifice and the trivial. Jack Worthing (Mr. Firth) splits his time between country, where he's Jack, and city, where he's Ernest. His friend Algy Moncrief (Mr. Everett) has an alter ego of his own, a perpetually ill fellow named Bunbury who seems to need particular care when Algy owes money. Jack is hot for Algy's cousin, Gwendolen (Frances O'Connor), while Algy wants Jack's ward, Cecily (Reese Witherspoon). And both girls have always dreamed of marrying someone named Ernest. That's all fine for them, but Mr. Parker should have told his leads to be a little less earnest. Both Mr. Firth and Mr. Everett are a bit pouty given all of the surrounding shenanigans, perhaps reflecting an effort on the director's part to make the proceedings more edgy and modern or to cut the gaiety with a touch of emotional realism. Originally designed as a speedy serving of artifice, this Earnest is slowed down to a half-court pace, even when the word play should be keeping spirits high. It's nigh impossible to kill the wit of Earnest, and Mr. Parker has no intention of doing so. But he does make the narrative into something strangely literal, a tact that saps much of the play's comic oomph! Earnest was made for zipping about and having shameless verbal fun; it's the one-night stand of Wilde's plays. This version is competent, but it's also weighed down by the requirements of its big Miramax logo. The Importance of Being Earnest doesn't need to be made more accessible than it already is; it doesn't need the lush, wide-open spaces of a prettified art film. It doesn't need to be cute, and this film is. Of course, you can afford to get a little cute when you've got Judi Dench, one of the advantages that comes with that big Miramax logo. She may get an Oscar nomination every time she sneezes, but she also creates small wonders out of bit parts. Her Lady Bracknell is a vivid gold-digging spitfire who also brings out Mr. Firth's best work, as Jack stops just short of groveling for Gwendolen's hand. She has the spirit to compensate for her male co-stars' habit of swallowing their lines. Mr. Parker also adapted Wilde's An Ideal Husband in 1999, and that play seemed a better fit � its plot actually matters, where Earnest's is just a worthy excuse to get absurd. The film doesn't take enough advantage of that opportunity; it would rather endow its characters with small touches of gravity. This Earnest misses the play's biggest joke: There's nothing the least bit earnest about any of it. Published in The Dallas Morning News: 05.24.02

Thanks Mari for the mixed- bag of reviews.Getting better.(What time did you get up;-)) (Dallas Morning News)Her[JD] Lady Bracknell is a vivid gold-digging spitfire who also brings out Mr. Firth's best work, as Jack stops just short of groveling for Gwendolen's hand. Huh? Hey Sue...let's send this dude a copy of AMITC.

Here is a link for Rotten Tomatoes where you can keep track of many (26) of the reviews that were done on TIOBE. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/TheImportanceofBeingEarnest-1114078/

CF on Radio today-New from a lurking friend (and her DH) http://www.npr.org/ All Things Considered Check your local listings Friday, May 24, 2002 Oscar Wilde's comedy play, The Importance of Being Earnest, has returned to the big screen in a movie that stars, among others, actor Colin Firth. Friday on All Things Considered, hear a review of the film and a conversation with Firth about his role and its challenges.

(Moonstar)Miramax will have some recognizable reviewers to work with for marketing. They already do. Remember my prediction on #498 above on the pull quotes to be used? So this appears in today's ad: "An entertaiing comedy with a blue ribbon cast!" --Stephen Holden, New York Times Can't WAIT to get home this afternoon! Friend is taping Today, Don't rush, he wasn't on. Katie was off today, and I suppose it would have looked weird to put on a pre-taped interview (which is supposed to look "live"). I'm guessing next week.

Thanks for the info, Meredith. It says the audio for the program will be online after 10:00 pm EDT.

Thanks, Meredith! You can search at that website for your local station carrying NPR. (Evelyn) What time did you get up;-)) Too early.;-) Meg, thanks for digging out that AMITC review. It's a pleasure to read about his dramatic roles--back in the days when he did a lot of them . . .

Ok...what the *bleep* happened with the Today Show? Not a trace of Colin anywhere : ( *sniff*...Just a little sad...

i cant believe that we were deceived so cruly! Where is he? He is scheduled to be on Regis and Kelly on Monday-that i heard this morning while watching the show. maybe because katie was off today and she wanted to inteview him( she reportedly has a crush on him also) it will wait til next week. keep the faith!

This happened the last time he was supposed to be on too. :-( Wasn't he listed on the TV Guide? These early morning programs are a torture to watch. Thanks for the all the reviews. When it opens wide next weekend the Ad will have plenty of great quotations.

very happy this morning. went to see TIOBE at the paris theater last night. now i can make my way to 126, have been trying to avoid it until i saw the film. kept trying to imagine where colin sat in the paris theater. will go to see it again in another theater next time. don't really like the theater, not much of slope so if u have someone sitting infront of you it really s*cks, head in the way and shifting in seat to try to get a view :( but i sill enjoyed the film immensely. pretty big crowd, there were alot of moments the audience just downright LOL. so colin was not on Today. is the Regis and Kelly show live? i haven't tuned in to that show in ages so i don't remember. thanks to all for the reviews/articles/links.

I thought that the interview with Katie would be taped, so wouldn't matter whether she was there or not. Of course, she might have wanted to introduce the bit, being such a fan... Although, last time, didn't it turn out to be live when he eventually made it on Today?

Regis named Colin as one of the guests Monday.

so colin was not on Today. But the frogs were so interesting! :) Nope, although it's good to know my VCR is working well now. I just wasted 30 minutes of my life fast-forwarding through the tape; should have checked here first! I'd like to know when they'll be running that, if anyone finds out. It should be good for a chuckle or two. I'm going to the theater on my day off today, and I was dreading the traffic coming back out of town. NPR will make it more bearable, no doubt. Karen, thanks for the info on the VH1 replay, I'm hearing that one's a must-see.

Who knows something about this "All Things Considered" radio program? In looking at the various times it plays around the country, the length of the show varies widely. Sometimes it is an hour. Sometimes two hours. Here, it is THREE hours. This is going to cut severely into my planned activities for this afternoon if I have to do another hurry up and wait routine. Gaaah!

You can get a realaudio playback of it at http://www.npr.org usually. They repeat a lot of the same stuff every hour. I programmed my tivo as a keyword search for "firth" so it records every program automatically. You can sometimes check what's on my tivo on the front page of http://www.spring.net.

Karen, I wonder if there's anything we in the Eastern time zone can do in the way of a heads up. Ours is 2:30 starting at 4pm EDT. I think they intersperse local news, etc. I always thought of it like "Morning Edition" in the afternoon. ;-)

Thanks Fran....I'm keepin' my chin up! : )

The Importance Of Being Earnest Peter Howell Movie Critic ** (out of 5) Bringing Oscar Wilde's The Importance Of Being Earnest to the screen should be as easy as making tea and crumpets. You take the best play by one of the wittiest of scribes, cast it with talented actors and start the camera rolling. Hilarity ensues. Which is pretty much what Anthony Asquith did in 1952, with the first, and still definitive, film treatment of Wilde's "trivial comedy for serious people," set in the town and country of 1890s England. Asquith was so confident about the material, and so blessed with thespian resources -- notably Edith Evans as the insufferably snobby Lady Bracknell -- he made little attempt to remove it from its stage cradle. Indeed, the film opens with a couple taking their seats in a theatre box, watching as the curtain rises for the show. Along comes another filmmaker, a half-century later, with the somewhat radical notion of wanting to bust the play loose. Oliver Parker seeks to free Wilde from his stage restraints so he can gambol among the hills, ramble inside the manors and revel in the fantasy lives of Victoria's reign. Ordinarily, this would be worthy of applause, since it's the rare stage play that translates directly to the screen. And Parker has already demonstrated his affinity for Wilde with his deliciously rendered An Ideal Husband (1999), which also featured Rupert Everett in a key role. Yet he's dropped the cricket ball this time, by concentrating more on the seriousness of Earnest than its trivialities. With a title based on a pun, and a plot that implausibly involves two dandies with assumed identities, two love-struck ladies seeking a mate named Ernest and a meddlesome matriarch to stir everything up, Wilde never intended for the story to get in the way of the hilarity. The dialogue is the thing: the breezy exchanges that are cloaked in social correctness, sheathing the barbs within. As when the imperious Lady Bracknell observes that "a man who desires to get married should know either everything or nothing," and then inquires of her daughter's suitor which type he is. With its plumy English accents and adroit word play, Earnest is as much a joy to listen to as to watch, something Parker seems to have forgotten in his headlong rush to tell a story. He has excised many of the choice exchanges in the play, deeming them inessential to the plot, and he has added scene changes and fantasy elements -- knights rushing to fair maidens, and an anachronistic trip to a tattoo parlour -- that seem inspired by Ally McBeal episodes, not Wildean invention. Parker is on firmer ground in his casting, the only criticism being that most of the players are just too obvious. The charmingly insincere Everett plays Algernon, the calculating ne'er-do-well who never misses a trick or a free meal. The stolid Colin Firth is the faithful and befuddled manor lord Jack Worthing, who has imagined himself into all sorts of trouble. Judi Dench plays Lady Bracknell, as she has before on stage (perhaps too many times before). Frances O'Connor (Mansfield Park) makes a fetching Gwendolyn Fairfax, daughter of Lady Bracknell and one of two ladies harbouring Ernest desires. The other is Cecily Cardew, the idealistic ward of Jack Worthing. She's played by Reese Witherspoon, the only American in the cast and the only surprise among the lot, especially in her facility with an English accent. With a cast as capable as this, and material as strong as this, it would be impossible for The Importance Of Being Earnest to be a complete failure. And so it isn't: there are moments of hilarity to be had. Still, the film lacks something of Wilde's amused worldliness and sly one-upmanship. It is important when filming the man that one not be too earnest, as Lady Bracknell would surely say.

sorry, that was from the Toronto Star today, forgot that part of the review

(Meredith) Ours is 2:30 starting at 4pm EDT. Great! If you can say when the Earnest segment shows up, that should help a bit. But I had wanted to go to the first screening of Earnest today, which is at 4:30. I'm thrilled, however, that they've switched theaters here, and Earnest is now playing at the one a block away.

in st. louis area looks like all things considered is 4-7pm with marketplace in between (6-6:30), a lot of our programs here are split into segments i think, it will be tricky tonight because cast party starts here at 4:30pm, will have to rush home and figure out vcr while listening to radio, i'm keeping fingers crossed that "school" will be let out early to day for the long weekend, thanks for all the reviews, one week to show time if my calculations are correct as to which level of market stl belongs

"All Things Considered" seems to be produced in 30-minute segments. In my area, it starts at 4 PM, after an hour of "Fresh Air", and they repeat some of the segments immediately after the full broadcast, for a total of 2.5 hours of ATC. Three hours almost certainly includes some repeat segments, Karen. It's meant for drive time, so it's very office-listenable, but usually winds up attracting my total attention for a story or two. Makes me wonder if he sat down for a talk with Terri Gross again, too...

My cohort has created a streaming audiofile of the entire serenade sequence from the film and I've linked it on two pages (main Earnest and the serenade page). There will be a gap but that is from how it is done in the film; the boys take their musical instruments inside and resume singing.

Welcome all newbies from a relative newbie. What a river of news and reviews, still swimming through it... :) Thanks for the news about npr (makes up for watching part of Today :( before checking in here): I called my local station to have show time for All things considered: 5:30-6pm here in Interior Alaska (in case we have lurkers from here!)...

A note for UK viewers: Talking Movies will be shown on BBC News 24 on Saturday at 5.30 am, 3.30 pm and 10.30 pm and on Sunday at 3.30 am(!). As it seems to be shown here a few days after in the US, this should be the edition featuring CF.

Radio Program note for our friends outside the US, many Public Radio stations have online streaming--for those of you who want to stay up (or is it get up early-guess it depends ;-) Here are a couple of examples in Eastern Daylight Zone: http://www.wfu.edu/%7Ewfdd/ http://wunc.citysearch.com/ Look for the "Listen Now" or similar button. There's also a station lookup at the NPR site. http://www.npr.org/members/

Thankyou Barbara for the tip-off, although there is a chance that it may not be CF's interview as, as Jennie reported it was shown on the BBC Morning News recently, but there is no harm in checking in. BTW re the discussion on Colin's choice of shoes, I loved the black loafers he wore last year for the BJD TV interviews, very smart, very italian. Thanks also to everyone for the news, interviews, am very envious as I cannot imagine Colin doing any interviews on UK TV, we just do not have the right shows, so we in the UK must live vicariously, through the kindness of our American friends. Still there is always the UK Premiere to look forward to in September.

Glad I checked here before watching my tape of "Today." Guess I'll rewind and try again...when? Does anyone know the next likely time they'll show the tape? Am having flashbacks to last spring, when I watched "Today" needlessly waiting for Colin's interview. Monday is Memorial Day. Will Regis be "live" or will they show taped interviews?

(in nyc) 93.9fm (npr) is now broadcasting "All things Considered"

For those planning on taping--the first hour of NPR is a bust. Yesterday at work, Chris O'Donnell came in. My Boss said "Who was that?" I said, "He was in 'Circle of Friends'." boss: "I never heard of that movie." I need to expand my frame of reference.... *update* CF is coming on in this hour.

Oh, yum, have just heard a snippet of the NPR interview!

Sounds like it might be on at the end of the second hour because that's the order it was mentioned in, but there was a teaser of him speaking about being exposed to Wilde and Coward as he was growing up during the intro.

Nice review in the Boston Globe: The Importance of Being Earnest 'Earnest' adaptation upholds original Victorian comedy By Loren King, Globe Correspondent Boston Globe Published: 05/24/2002 To hear Oscar Wilde's stinging lines springing from the mouth of Judi Dench is alone worth the price of a ticket to Oliver Parker's second Wilde adaptation (he made ''An Ideal Husband'' in 1999). American audiences would not have very many opportunities to see Dench onstage in a Wilde play; this film version is an adequate substitute, showcasing sharp performances and a literate script that never has to resort to cheap humor to be sidesplittingly funny. Parker ''opens up'' Wilde's peerless drawing room comedy, taking the film outside as much as possible. But the film works best when the comedy of manners is played out in parlors, music halls, and on the grounds of estates, where Wilde's elegant dialogue and perfect-pitch orchestrations are allowed to flow unencumbered. Colin Firth's Jack has invented a ruse where, away from his country estate, he poses as ''Ernest'' in London. There he courts Gwendolen (Frances O'Connor), daughter of the formidable Lady Bracknell (Dench). Dench wisely doesn't try to imitate Edith Evans's memorable Lady Bracknell in the excellent 1952 movie version, which more or less re-created the stage play. Rather, she offers her own inimitable spin on this delicious character, and, as always, nearly walks off with the film. Rupert Everett, who delivered a defining role in ''An Ideal Husband,'' plays Jack's friend Algernon, the layabout and very broke nephew of Lady Bracknell. Algy's fictional sick friend Bunbury provides Algy's own excuse for escaping dinners with his aunt and cousin and dashing out of the city generally to squander his time and money. In true Wilde fashion, the centerpiece scene mixes mistaken identities and revelations as the characters all wind up at Jack's country house. There, Algy pursues Jack's lovely young ward Cecily, and Reese Witherspoon matches her accomplished British co-stars with a smart and frothy performance. Meanwhile, Tom Wilkinson does a delightful about-face from his grim dramatic turn in ''In the Bedroom'' with a sparkling, broad comic creation as Dr. Chasuble. His comic timing is matched by that of Anna Massey's Miss Prism, Cecily's tutor, who holds the key to Jack's past and his hopes for a future with Gwendolen. Parker's decision to play Wilde broadly falters sometimes, mostly when he inserts flashbacks and fantasy sequences, seemingly in an attempt to spring his version from being stagebound. But the cast, not to mention Wilde's hard-to-botch dialogue and characters, easily and routinely rise above directorial missteps. This ''Importance of Being Earnest'' is a delightful alternative to most current multiplex fare, which wouldn't recognize a juicy bon mot if it tripped over one in the aisle. The Importance of Being Earnest - Directed by Oliver Parker. Screenplay by Parker (from the play by Oscar Wilde). Starring: Rupert Everett, Colin Firth, Frances O'Connor, Reese Witherspoon, Judi Dench. Movie Showtimes Movie Showtimes for Friday, May 24 Coolidge Corner 290 Harvard Street Brookline, MA 3:15, pm, 5:30, pm, 7:45, pm, 10:00, pm -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Loews Harvard Square 10 Church Street Cambridge, MA 2:20, pm, 4:40, pm, 7:00, pm, 9:45, pm

NPR just announced that it's on after the 5:30 pm local and national news. That's about the last 20 minutes more or less of the program (ATC).

for those playing a long at home--tune in , well, now. (about 1hr and 35min into the show)

Wow, this is an excellent interview, catch it if you can. I don't think I'd be planning a crossover album, either....:)

Interview over--15min?

Good interview on NPR. He really is good at this stuff (but then, I'm a relative newbie-only 4 years of CF watching). An item I hadn't heard before about Paul Scofield. Note to self, must rent "Man for All Seasons". Saw it in the theatre when released. Gah! Am ready for nursing home!

Excellent interview! Well done, Colin and well done, NPR.

NPR is an ideal format for ODB. He fits right into it. When he tried to be thoughtful and intellectual on VH1 it fell flat, but on NPR it's just right and he really shines. (Meredith)An item I hadn't heard before about Paul Scofield. Note to self, must rent "Man for All Seasons". I thought the same things. His retelling of his experience upon first seeing the Rocky Mountains during his year in America was great stuff too.

His retelling of his experience upon first seeing the Rocky Mountains during his year in America was great stuff too. That's when I tuned in! Did I miss much? I really liked what I heard. I hope to hear again on-line. :-D

i only caught the last few minutes, when they were talking about colin's singing. on npr.org it says the program will be available online after 10 PM ET. will have to wait till then to hear the whole thing.

From the NPR website, a description of the review and show. Looks like the whole segment ran 12 minutes. "The Importance of Being Earnest" NPR's Bob Mondello brings us a review of the latest movie version of Oscar Wilde's play, "The Importance of Being Earnest." He says Wilde's script is full of quick wit and this film's new approaches - songs performed by the actors, for example - don't detract. (3:45) The Importance of Being Spontaneous Actor Colin Firth plays the role of Jack in the new film version of "The Importance of Being Earnest." He says Oscar Wilde's comedy could be killed if it were analyzed too much. The script requires a certain ability to go with the flow. He talks with Robert Siegel about this new version of Wilde's play and the challenge of performing the musical aspect of it. (8:15)

Don't miss the the NPR interview-two thumbs up! He was very funny when talking about the singing in TIOBE. I love when he said he really studied playing the guitar for the duet to make up for his short-commings on the vocals, and it just turned into one big short-comming. I'm thrilled he did this interview. I really enjoyed last year's with Terry Gross. This was very much like that, but more discussion on what shaped his career and lots on TIOBE. I bet most of us will have perfect grilling parties this weekend now that we have all of Al Roker's recipes!

The great island continent in the south, awoke to dense fog. But this was nothing to the fog that had already gripped the hearts and minds of certain inhabitants, those who had stayed up last night. They knew this fog would come to grip those who were at the moment rewinding their VCRs. For the game was up when Ann in a stripped dress and biege cardigan, appeared on the screen. Excellent reporter she may be but it was not the outfit for a certain interview. Take pity and be kind to these ladies, for they have no TODAY to come only tennis, and tennis and more ffing tennis for the rest of the week. Ohhhh Victor Paul home shopping and Danoz Direct will follow the tennis, but retail is not the therapy that is required. Some will walk into the desert, others into the sea, I will try the absolut. Life really is cruel and unjust

(Meredith)An item I hadn't heard before about Paul Scofield. Note to self, must rent "Man for All Seasons". Ditto ;) (and thanks for spelling out the name; I couldn't quite catch it) I bet most of us will have perfect grilling parties this weekend now that we have all of Al Roker's recipes! LOL! Indeed after an initial bust, this turned out to be a fairly firthiful day! - I enjoyed the Regis & Kelly mentions of their Monday guest: Regis: "fine British actor CF", then the voice-over with the almost-kiss clip: "British heartthrob CF", but the next time toning it down (did CF call?) "actor CF". - Got to see Cast Party and really enjoyed all the smiles, and when he said they're all ganging up on him: who wouldn't, he's so cute when on the defensive :). - Then there was NPR (did anybody else hear a review of Greg Brown new album in the segment before - he's one of my favorites): the review before the interview was "thumbs up" and then CF: talking about coming upon the Rockies and seeing the mountains for the first time and at sunset and understanding why people would climb them (BJD connection anyone?) or paint them; the best was hearing him say the name Colorado (I'm going there next summer and will keep that in my mind -- I must say I'm such a sucker for his voice, his intonation on that word or "culture"...); another great plus, the interviewer made him laugh... So run to the online version... Connected question: like Reese, I must say I didn't know any of the artists that RE and CF mentioned, but when they showed clips, it didn't look like jazz; yet once again on NPR, he mentioned jazz. You would think he listens to it, not just mention it in interviews. :)

If you're looking for CF's NPR interview, go to this URL and scroll down until you find "The Importance of Being Spontaneous." http://search.npr.org/cf/cmn/cmnpd01fm.cfm?PrgDate=05/24/2002&PrgID=2 It's a great interview -- thanks for mentioning it, everybody! As a former St. Louisan, I got a kick out of the diplomatic way he managed to avoid talking about what a miserable year he spent in St. Louis in junior high school. He managed to quickly change the subject to the Rocky Mountains. Despite diligent searching on the Web, I've still never managed to discover which junior high he went to in St. Louis. I guess there is some information that eludes even the Internet! Since I'm de-lurking for the moment, I'll take this opportunity to thank all of you for being a great source of info on my secret obsession, which no one I know understands . Liz

You might try classmates.com Liz, I hear they can find anyone!

Time to wake up early again!! Another sighting of Colin will be repeated tomorrow morning. MTV broadcast a half hour show about the Tribeca Film Festival tonight and Colin was shown and he made a couple of comments about TIOBE. The program will be aired again Saturday morning at 9:00am., Tuesday at 6:30pm, and Wednesday at 2:30pm. Loved the NPR interview today. I thought it was better than the Fresh Air one. Colin seemed more relaxed and having a bit of fun. His dad's remark. LOL! I can't imagine what he was talking about there being no demand for his album. How much of Speaking with the Angels' total take came from Firth fans? ;-D (bring on Thomas More)

Anna - LOL - if despair can make you blurt out such verbal acrobatics on 665 - what would you be like if you found yourself in the presence of the One and Only? I was a bit kinder to myself last night - I set the alarm clock to wake up at 1.30 am but found out from Drool that I just needed to go straight back to bed. Though I had the VCR on - I still could not resist the temptation to watch Katie interviewing the cause of her heart palpitations. But instead of running to the TV room - I went online to Drool first because I know our US sisters would be all over the place commenting on what they saw. Well - there it was in black & white - No Katie ergo no CF. So switched off the VCR and went right back to sleep. Many many many thanks to all our US drooleurs. Off I go to NPR site now.

Oh my! - thanks everybody for the link to the NPR interview. Fresh Air last year was very good as it was quite exhaustive (as it was allowed to be) and it presented his intelligent and thoughtful nature. But he also sounded so serious and a bit self-conscious especially when talking about the motivations for the Department of Nothing (Remember his line? "Surely there must be a better answer to this.") But in this current interview at only 8 mins long - he sounded so much more relaxed and confident. I think he is really starting to enjoy himself and maybe he won't find it too difficult anymore to "play the town". Gives us a bit of hope, don't you think Mari? Bring on Ted Hughes! Even another go at Thomas More, Karen? Rupie's remarks about ODB during the shoot of Another Country reminds me of the TV interview during the UK promo for Tumbledown. He came across then looking like an earnest commie...a serious self-conscious young man without much sense of humour. I can understand Rupie's remarks. Gee - his public persona has come a long way since - developing like a good vino. All the more for us to savour. slurp ;-P~~~`

Hello Everyone - another Firth fan de-lurking here... I'm living in "Minkeeland" and am wondering if any others in the Sydney area would like to get together for the premiere of TIOBE on July 4. Please contact me via email if you are. Loved the NPR interview - couldn't believe him saying "Noone would have me." Nothing could be further from the truth! *lol*

Why oh why? I tried to listen the NPR interview online, and then..."the format is not supported" !!! I`m missing so much...I just have to imagine him on that VH1 interview...and on those talk shows...and on radio...

http://www.msnbc.com/news/TODAY_Front.asp Today has posted it's schedule for next week. *I* didn't see any mention of CF.

Soledad O'Brien just said something about Colin Firth and I didn't catch it all. This was on Weekend Today. Maybe she said he'll be on next week? Or tomorrow? Gah. This was right at the end of the show--maybe someone in a later time zone can catch it and tell us.

Colin's interview will be on tomorrow-Weekend Today Sunday. I had to rewind and make sure that's what she said.

Finally saw Cast Party yesterday and heard the NPR interview last night. While Cast Party has the obvious advantage of letting us see as well as hear ODB I have to say that I enjoyed the NPR interview more. Is it only me or did anyone else feel that CF was not at ease in the format? It seemed so artificial to me, the four of them sitting around laughing and joking about their experiences on the set and trying to be amusing. Now, don't get me wrong, I think they may very well have had a great time on the movie set but I felt that it (Cast Party) was forced for the camera. RE seemed over the top (so for him probably natural), RW young and cute and clueless, F'OC faded into the background and CF (being the good soldier that he is) going along with the banter. I'd really love to be a fly on the wall when they are together off-camera. Then I'm sure we'd get to see the silly side of CF without the self-awareness of being "on stage".

Yes, Kathy C, I definitely agree with you about Cast Party! Matter of fact, I was bordering on boredom for the first 10 mins or so (yes I know that's sacrilege :-} ) because they all seemed so stiff. RW acted like she did on Leno to me, overemphasizing little silly things. They all seemed like "What the hell are we doing here? and What are these stupid questions?" They did start to loosen up quite a bit later. It started to pick up for me when RE did the imitation of ODB kissing LOL!! (lindak) Colin's interview will be on tomorrow-Weekend Today Sunday. Thanks! Watched the whole show until the Pet Shop Boys and never went back. Did pick up a great grilling idea with the Beer Can Chicken, though! On the MTV Tribeca FF show, Colin was only on for maybe 6 or 8 secs tops in the first 5 minutes after HG's comments. The rest of the show was actually interesting to me to see what was going on at the comedy/rock concert while I was at the screening of TIOBE. Everyone in the US have a great holiday! Those everywhere else who are celebrating some kind of holiday, have a great weekend!

(LindaK) Colin's interview will be on tomorrow-Weekend Today Sunday. Let's not get confused. There was *always* to be two interviews: one on Today and one on Weekend Today, at least that is what I was told by Miramax. I watched the MTV special on the Tribeca FF this a.m. and Colin is shown twice in the first 5 minutes or so. He looks oh-so-lovely, wearing a black T-shirt. First, he's responding to why he's there and he says something about NYC, and the second bit is a focus on the films at the fest and he explains the plot of Earnest. And... Welcome Jane!! You're among many other Oz Firth fans.

Welcome to all new Drool Firthettes ! (Karen)I thought it was better than the Fresh Air one. Colin seemed more relaxed and having a bit of fun. His dad's remark. LOL! Thanks to Karen , and the telephone...I was able to listen to the interview. Yes...much better than the Fresh Air interview( no death-talk !) LOL at Dad's remark about TIOBE: "That old thing again". Hey, dad lots of us agree with you;-)

(Linda)Colin's interview will be on tomorrow-Weekend Today Sunday. I had to rewind and make sure that's what she said. Great--thanks, Linda! (Karen)He looks oh-so-lovely, wearing a black T-shirt. Mmm, looking oh-so-scrumptious sitting out by the harbor. He says that "everyone is rooting for New York" and something about that it's everyone's favorite city. Thanks for the reminder about this one.

Let's everyone e-mail NBC and find out when the weekday Today Show interview will be on: today@nbc.com

This may have been posted.... This web site seems pretty accurate (not much in the way of morning talk show listings though). http://www.interbridge.com/lineups.html

Re Talking Movies on BBC News24 in UK Have just watched 3.30pm edition and CF interview IS included. - Will be repeated tonight at 10.30pm.

Saw this movie scheduled to play June 26/27 on Lifetime movie network: "Fatal Woman"--Is this "Femme Fatal"? Are there two versions?

Yes it is Femme Fatal. Welcome newbies! And thanks for the link to the NPR interview. I agree with everyone, it is vg.

It is Femme Fatale, but edited down a bit. And it is those missing bits that we crave. Get the real thing unless you prefer your world PG.

Aaaargh! Just discovered that Optus TV in Sydney is carrying useless BORING French Open tennis day after tomorrow, instead of Today show with Colin Firth interview! Aaaargh!! Don't they have any women working there??? Morons!!! Will now have to wait interminably long time for friend in the US to send me videotape of CF's US tv interviews in order to see anything except "Talking Movies". Thank goodness for US Firthettes - without them we'd get almost nothing of Colin here!

Just saw the interview with Soledad O'Brien and CF (pre-recorded). She was completely clueless about him--made me squirm. I normally like her. He was *lovely*! Dimple alert! Sure hope the interview with Katie is for real and will be shown. She is not clueless.

He looked v. bored, I thought. Still yummy inthat always present black shirt. I'm sure he gets tired of rehashing the same questions and movie clips. I thought he was cute when he pretended not to know he was a heartthrob!

So right, that Soledad is no rocket scientist. The very first time he was mentioned, she said his love interest in the movie was Reese. Colin looked v. nice and handled himself v. well under the circumstances. How better to make your guest feel ill at ease than to start out with the "hottie" remark. Yuck! But then I have comment on Colin's rather sexist remark: 'someone's mother or friend or secretary.' Surely he could think of another profession for a woman other than that? [No offense to anyone who is one.] BTW, I thought the shirt was deep blue, and the film clips are pretty much always going to be the same. These programs are provided with what is called a 'B roll' of clips and they always show the clip that features their guest. Do you have any idea of how many times we saw the "I like you just the way you are" speech from BJ? ;-D

He looked scrumptious in that blue shirt and jeans.Relaxed, hands folded in lap. I didn't think he looked bored, and she was cute. Hey, at least she didn't ask "How come you aren't a bigger star",like the BBC's Talking Movies. He looked rather pleased when she called him "American's Hearthrob" remark; the little "blue soup " smile surfaced. If you have to be defensive that's a good one to be assualted with. Nice way to start a Sunday. Now to Regis tomorrow.

I have one quibble about his remark about "why don't I meet these people" who are such big fans. Liar, liar, pants on fire! ;-D We know many people who have put great effort in to meeting him. ;-)

Thank you very much for the alert. Now I *will* get out of bed and turn on TV and hope that they do show Weekend Today here (our TV guide says they do). It's 40 mins past midnight and it's freezing here - oh the life of a CF-er! Thank goodness for the US drooleurs who help ease it a bit ;-) Evelyn - the BBC Talking Movies guy did make me squirm (and noticeably, CF too) with that question. Gaahh! But still - whatsisname did make a mention of "heartrob" and CF looked as if he was trying to suck his cheeks in. I hope Chevy Chase is not on Regis tomorrow. That episode was another squirmer ;-( Everytime I think of the placenta....ugh!

Well, I had much better success today than last week of hiding my secret obsession from DH. Was able to leave the room with tape on when being asked to get his clothes from the dryer so he could go golfing! I did like this interview, he looked lovely as always. I did however really like the NPR radio interview, one of his best I think. Am truely going crazy now, as adds have been appearing for the movie and I don't think I will get it here for another week or so (at least). DH asked me if I wanted to go see it today as well. I quietly said that it wasn't out yet, in which he replied "but the adds are on". I had to hold my distress! Oh well, I now have 5 hours before his return, just enough time to watch P&P!!!

Karen, Evelyn, Sandi, Meredith, Fran - anyone... Is Weekend Today only a one-hour show? I just checked our guide - it's on free-to-air (Ch 7 to all Sydneysiders who are still awake) from 2 am - 3 am. I think I can't stay up that long but certainly won't try if it's not likely to be the "Soledad" version. It better be - this is our last chance for ANY Colin TV sighting. Not a #$%$^@$ chance to see the KCD ("Katie Couric Drooling"). For the next 2 weeks, The Today Show has been replaced by live coverage of the French Tennis Open - not likely to have a Colin sighting there ;-( but will still stay up for tennis

Yes, it is a one hour show. Colin is on during the second half of the program. Meredith, I had the same reaction to that comment. He's met them. By the hordes. Who is he kidding? ;-D

I thought for sure that Katie herself would do the interview. What is a major star like ODB doing on a Sunday morning Today! R&K better do a much nicer job! Love that blue soup smile!!!!

As I said, way back when, there are two different Today Show interviews. There is another one for the weekday program that should air at a later date. And there's nothing wrong or abnormal about having this appearance. Many actors appear on weekend television shows. Colin was on last Sunday's BWTA. That's the nature of the publicity. It's 7 days a week. :-)

May be wishful thinking, but I'd expect to see the KC interview on Today later next week. I believe you mentioned this, Karen. When the movie goes "wide", it would be a natural to show it. I *think* next weekend is wide (or at least moderately broad ;-) Or, is it two weeks until all markets (translation boonies)? Argh!