To mark the release of Effie Gray on 31st May, we’ve been given 1 Special Collectors set to give away. Each set included a copy of the DVD and Blu-ray and along with the four art cards, 36 page collector’s booklet and fold-out poster.
Nineteen-year-old Effie Gray marries esteemed art critic John Ruskin, a cold and distant man who, seemingly repelled by his young bride, refuses to consummate their marriage. Neglected and shunned, and her health suffering from the strain of the crumbling relationship, Effie defies Victorian society by striking up a friendship with one of Ruskin’s acolytes, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood painter John Everett Millais. It’s friendship that blossoms into something else, that sends shockwaves through polite society.
Directed by BAFTA winner Richard Laxton (Him & Her), and written by and co-starring Oscar-winning script writer and actress Emma Thompson, the film also stars Dakota Fanning (Once Upon A Time…...
Nineteen-year-old Effie Gray marries esteemed art critic John Ruskin, a cold and distant man who, seemingly repelled by his young bride, refuses to consummate their marriage. Neglected and shunned, and her health suffering from the strain of the crumbling relationship, Effie defies Victorian society by striking up a friendship with one of Ruskin’s acolytes, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood painter John Everett Millais. It’s friendship that blossoms into something else, that sends shockwaves through polite society.
Directed by BAFTA winner Richard Laxton (Him & Her), and written by and co-starring Oscar-winning script writer and actress Emma Thompson, the film also stars Dakota Fanning (Once Upon A Time…...
- 5/24/2021
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
In 1854, the disintegration of the marriage between esteemed art critic and painter John Ruskin and his Scottish bride of six years, Euphemia 'Effie' Gray, was the talk of London. Although many had known that the couple were unhappy, they had not expected anything to follow from that, and certainly not in the manner that it did. Many suspected the scandalous involvement of another figure, the younger artist John Everett Millais. A great deal has been written on the subject over the years. Emma Thompson's handsomely shot heritage piece, in which she plays an older member of society who takes the lonely young woman under her wing, sticks close to the established facts but is upfront about its aim to restore Effie's reputation.
Much of what the film has to say is summed up by its title. Thompson is appalled by the way that tradition robs women of their names upon.
Much of what the film has to say is summed up by its title. Thompson is appalled by the way that tradition robs women of their names upon.
- 4/14/2021
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Dakota Fanning performs with gusto in this slightly hammy account of John Ruskin and Effie Gray’s marital disaster
• Why Effie Gray is the one film you should watch this week
One of John Ruskin’s many achievements was single-handedly creating a modern academic industry with the ambiguous way he described his unconsummated marriage to his young Scottish bride Euphemia “Effie” Gray. In the course of legal correspondence connected to their divorce, the great Victorian critic claimed there were “circumstances in her person” which disgusted him. Did that mean her pubic hair? Was he just reacting hysterically to her general nakedness? Was she eating chips in bed?...
• Why Effie Gray is the one film you should watch this week
One of John Ruskin’s many achievements was single-handedly creating a modern academic industry with the ambiguous way he described his unconsummated marriage to his young Scottish bride Euphemia “Effie” Gray. In the course of legal correspondence connected to their divorce, the great Victorian critic claimed there were “circumstances in her person” which disgusted him. Did that mean her pubic hair? Was he just reacting hysterically to her general nakedness? Was she eating chips in bed?...
- 4/12/2021
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Locarno, Switzerland — After “Jeanette,” “Jeanne.” Bruno Dumont, one of France’s big name auteurs and recipient later this week of a Locarno Lifetime Achievement Award, will roll from next Monday on “Jeanne,” the movie sequel to “Jeanette, the Childhood of Joan of Arc,” which premiered at Cannes last year. Paris-based Luxbox handles world sales on “Jeanne.”
The new movie shoot comes just days after Dumont will also world premiere at Locarno broadcaster Arte mini-series “CoinCoin and the Extra Humans,” sold by Paris-based Doc & Film Intl., and his sequel to his biggest more-mainstream hit to date, 4-part series “P’tit Quinquin.”
Written by Dumont, “Jeanne” will once more be a musical, adapting the second and third parts of Belle Epoque writer Charles Peguy’s “The Mystery of the Charity of Joan of Arc.” These take Joan of Arc’s story through her victorious battles against the English, court case and death,...
The new movie shoot comes just days after Dumont will also world premiere at Locarno broadcaster Arte mini-series “CoinCoin and the Extra Humans,” sold by Paris-based Doc & Film Intl., and his sequel to his biggest more-mainstream hit to date, 4-part series “P’tit Quinquin.”
Written by Dumont, “Jeanne” will once more be a musical, adapting the second and third parts of Belle Epoque writer Charles Peguy’s “The Mystery of the Charity of Joan of Arc.” These take Joan of Arc’s story through her victorious battles against the English, court case and death,...
- 8/2/2018
- by John Hopewell
- Variety Film + TV
Countless films are set during the Victorian Era, and with good reason. The style of dress and grand decor are ripe for cinematic use while its rigid structure typically offers a poignant exploration of oppression.
Set in 1847, Effie Gray tells the true story of the title character’s (Dakota Fanning) doomed marriage to art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise). The film’s muted tones and foggy backdrop convey the young woman’s inner turmoil while the binding costumes illustrate her limited options. Directed by Richard Laxton, the drama was penned by Emma Thompson, who also stars as journalism pioneer Elizabeth Eastlake.
During the film’s New York premiere at the Paris Theater, we had the chance to ask Fanning about working with a script written by an actor and understanding the social pressures of the time. Check out what she had to say in the video above, and enjoy!
Set in 1847, Effie Gray tells the true story of the title character’s (Dakota Fanning) doomed marriage to art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise). The film’s muted tones and foggy backdrop convey the young woman’s inner turmoil while the binding costumes illustrate her limited options. Directed by Richard Laxton, the drama was penned by Emma Thompson, who also stars as journalism pioneer Elizabeth Eastlake.
During the film’s New York premiere at the Paris Theater, we had the chance to ask Fanning about working with a script written by an actor and understanding the social pressures of the time. Check out what she had to say in the video above, and enjoy!
- 4/5/2015
- by Justine Browning
- We Got This Covered
As soon as I saw "Effie Gray," I asked for an interview with the movie's writer-star, Emma Thompson. Nope. Not doing any interviews. The reason? Two copyright lawsuits waged against the Oscar-winning screenwriter ("Sense and Sensibility") and actress ("Howard's End") prevented her from talking about the film. She won both cases that charged her with plagiarizing other scripts about the same subject, the strange relationship between young Euphemia "Effie" Gray (Dakota Fanning) and her older husband, workaholic art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise, Thompson's husband). Neglected and unfulfilled, Gray falls in love with Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge). In the specialty world, it seems, you're either a winner with a strong festival presence and marketing campaign behind you and possible awards attention ahead, or you're a small non-entity, a loser. (This story also reminds of the dangers of high-profile...
- 4/5/2015
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Back when she was a popular child actor, Dakota Fanning’s great strength was her intensity. She always seemed to have an unyielding focus and an unnerving glare. In her more grown-up roles, that intensity has waned, replaced by a certain reserve. At her best, she makes you wonder what’s going on inside her head — those huge eyes, so alert when she was just a child, now feel more coy, thoughtful. At her worst, though, she vanishes off the screen. In the new film Effie Gray, she manages to do both. Fanning’s controlled presence is ideal for a tale of Victorian repression. But as the film becomes one of quiet liberation, it needs more than her cool reserve. It needs passion — even if it’s of the slow-boiling kind — and I’m not sure that’s there.Fanning plays the title character, who was wed to the influential...
- 4/4/2015
- by Bilge Ebiri
- Vulture
In just a few weeks the multiplexes will give way to the big, brash Summer blockbusters. Too late for last year’s Oscars (in the Us at least) is this historical true-life romantic drama, which, oddly enough, shares several figures and settings from one of last year’s award nominees. Mr. Turner told the story of one of the nineteenth century’s most celebrated painters. Many of that film’s scenes were set at the prestigious Royal Academy of Art, where the merits of different works were vigorously debated. One of the strongest voices was that of John Ruskin, fellow artist, historian, and critic. Now comes the story that didn’t make it into the Timothy Spall biopic, a scandalous tale concerning the marriage of Mr. Ruskin and the much younger Effie Gray.
At the film opens, the narration tells us of the courtship of now nineteen year-old Effie (Dakota Fanning...
At the film opens, the narration tells us of the courtship of now nineteen year-old Effie (Dakota Fanning...
- 4/3/2015
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Dakota Fanning is so good in the title role that she almost validates Effie Gray…but not quite. Emma Thompson wrote this period piece, which features her real-life husband, Greg Wise, in a juicy leading role. But aside from good casting and a vivid recreation of Victorian England, the film has little to recommend it. This is the real-life story of the respected but emotionally frigid19th century art critic John Ruskin, who met and impressed Euphemia Gray when she was a girl. When she turned 19 he married her but never had sexual relations with her; in fact, he scorned and shunned her from their wedding night onward. All of this is portrayed with a heavy hand and a deadening monotony,...
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]...
[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]...
- 4/3/2015
- by Leonard Maltin
- Leonard Maltin's Movie Crazy
Coming to theater on April 3rd is the film Effie Gray.
The film explores the fascinating, true story of the relationship between Victorian England’s greatest mind, John Ruskin, and his teenage bride, Euphemia “Effie” Gray, who leaves him for the Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais.
Effie Gray is the first original screenplay written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Emma Thompson. In this impeccably crafted period drama, Thompson delicately and incisively probes the marital politics of the Victorian Era, and beyond.
Dakota Fanning stars as Effie Gray Ruskin. The cast includes Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Tom Sturridge, David Suchet, Greg Wise, Claudia Cardinale, James Fox, Sir Derek Jacobi and Robbie Coltrane.
The film is produced by Andreas Roald (Terrence Malick’s Voyage Of Time) and Donald Rosenfeld (Malick’s Tree Of Life and Voyage Of Time).
Producer Donald Rosenfeld spent 1987 to 1998 as President of Merchant Ivory Productions, in charge of the financing...
The film explores the fascinating, true story of the relationship between Victorian England’s greatest mind, John Ruskin, and his teenage bride, Euphemia “Effie” Gray, who leaves him for the Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais.
Effie Gray is the first original screenplay written by Oscar-winning screenwriter Emma Thompson. In this impeccably crafted period drama, Thompson delicately and incisively probes the marital politics of the Victorian Era, and beyond.
Dakota Fanning stars as Effie Gray Ruskin. The cast includes Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Tom Sturridge, David Suchet, Greg Wise, Claudia Cardinale, James Fox, Sir Derek Jacobi and Robbie Coltrane.
The film is produced by Andreas Roald (Terrence Malick’s Voyage Of Time) and Donald Rosenfeld (Malick’s Tree Of Life and Voyage Of Time).
Producer Donald Rosenfeld spent 1987 to 1998 as President of Merchant Ivory Productions, in charge of the financing...
- 4/2/2015
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Pubic hair ended the marriage between Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride Effie Gray, according to popular lore. Their union was never consummated, so the story goes, because the influential intellectual was too repulsed by the sight of his wife’s loins, which were rather dissimilar in appearance from what Ruskin was used to seeing on women in paintings and sculptures. Director Richard Laxton (“Burton and Taylor”) and screenwriter Emma Thompson retell the saga of Effie Gray’s suffering under and eventual escape from her eccentric husband, this time as a more conventional story of female subjugation.
- 4/2/2015
- by Inkoo Kang
- The Wrap
Portrait of a Lady: Laxton’s Mannered Version of Victoria Era Repression
There’s well-meaningness to Effie Gray that makes it worthy of discussion, at least for how it attempts to frankly portray the sexual oppression of women in Victorian era England, an aspect often subtly rendered or left altogether untouched. As directed by Richard Laxton, best known for his made-for-television films of varying quality (An Englishman in New York; Burton & Taylor), there’s a sense that the somewhat ambitious emotions existing beneath all those stuffy costumes have been a tad oversimplified. Considering the screenplay was penned by Emma Thompson, who appears in a warmly attenuated supporting role, perhaps expectations are poised a bit high for a tale that’s both representative and also conveniently uncommon (this seems the only possible way for this film to reach a believable yet upbeat solution), as it relates a famous art world scandal...
There’s well-meaningness to Effie Gray that makes it worthy of discussion, at least for how it attempts to frankly portray the sexual oppression of women in Victorian era England, an aspect often subtly rendered or left altogether untouched. As directed by Richard Laxton, best known for his made-for-television films of varying quality (An Englishman in New York; Burton & Taylor), there’s a sense that the somewhat ambitious emotions existing beneath all those stuffy costumes have been a tad oversimplified. Considering the screenplay was penned by Emma Thompson, who appears in a warmly attenuated supporting role, perhaps expectations are poised a bit high for a tale that’s both representative and also conveniently uncommon (this seems the only possible way for this film to reach a believable yet upbeat solution), as it relates a famous art world scandal...
- 4/2/2015
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
This weekend, Jason Statham seeks revenge against Vin Diesel and the rest of the gang in "Furious 7," complete with an emotional send-off to Paul Walker; and Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds take on the Austrian government to recover her family's stolen artwork in "Woman in Gold."
Also in theaters this weekend: "5 to 7" stars Anton Yelchin as an aspiring novelist who begins a relationship with a French woman (Bérénice Marlohe), but she's married and they can only meet between the hours of 5 and 7 each evening. "Lambert & Stamp" documents the unlikely partnership between Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert, aspiring filmmakers who became the managers of the rock band "The Who." "Effie Gray" examines the scandalous love triangle between Victorian art critic John Ruskin, his teenage bride Effie Gray (Dakota Fanning), and painter John Everett Millais.
Also in theaters this weekend: "5 to 7" stars Anton Yelchin as an aspiring novelist who begins a relationship with a French woman (Bérénice Marlohe), but she's married and they can only meet between the hours of 5 and 7 each evening. "Lambert & Stamp" documents the unlikely partnership between Chris Stamp and Kit Lambert, aspiring filmmakers who became the managers of the rock band "The Who." "Effie Gray" examines the scandalous love triangle between Victorian art critic John Ruskin, his teenage bride Effie Gray (Dakota Fanning), and painter John Everett Millais.
- 4/2/2015
- by Jonny Black
- Moviefone
Summer blockbuster season is just around the corner, but there's no need to wait until then to see a great movie. April brings us a wide variety of women-centric projects, as well as quite a few films helmed and/or written by women.
The month starts off with "Woman in Gold," starring Helen Mirren as a Jewish woman on a journey to recover her family's heirlooms, which was stolen by the Nazis. It's based on a true story, and Mirren roots the film with her powerful presence. "Closer to the Moon" is another WWII-era drama set for an April release, this one based on the crime capers of a group of Jewish resistance fighters a few years after the end of the war. "Marie's Story" is another period piece, centering around the efforts of a 19th-century nun to help a girl born blind and deaf.
There are a few more women-focused dramas being released in April, including the much-buzzed "Clouds of Sils Maria," which garnered Kristen Stewart the prestigious Cesar Award for supporting actress. Stewart has made waves for being the first American actress to win the French award, and the film looks to capitalize on that with its American release. “Félix & Meira" is another award-winner coming out this month. The Best Canadian Feature from the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival aims to make its mark with the story of an unconventional and radical love affair, one that reaches across racial and religious lines. "About Elly" also confronts cultural biases with its depiction of Iran's upper middle class.
"Effie Gray" tackles the sexual politics of the Victorian era, and with a screenplay from Emma Thompson, it's sure to be intriguing as well as quick-witted. Speaking of intriguing, "The Age of Adaline" follows a woman who mysteriously stopped aging eight decades ago. Blake Lively centers the film as Adaline, struggling with love and trust and all the other things that might follow when one lives seemingly forever.
Courteney Cox makes her big-screen directorial debut (the actress has previously directed episodes of "Cougar Town," which she stars in) with "Just Before I Go," and screenwiter Gren Wells makes hers as well with "The Road Within." Director Mia Hansen-løve ("Goodbye First Love") directs Greta Gerwig in "Eden," a look at the rise of French electronic music in the 90s.
The month will also see the release of a few very different documentaries. "The Hand That Feeds" focuses on undocumented immigrants struggling to form an independent union, while "Iris" follows 93-year-old Iris Apfel, a flamboyant New York City fashion icon. "Antarctic Edge: 70° South" is focused on the changing climate of the Antarctic's Peninsula and was made with the collaboration of Rutgers University students and scientists.
We'll also see comedic projects featuring Mary Elizabeth Winstead ("Alex of Venice") and Rose Byrne ("Adult Beginners"). Nia Vardalos returns to the screen with a role in "Helicopter Mom," which promises an outrageous performance from the "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" star. "Sweet Lorraine" and "Farah Goes Bang" round out the women-centric comedy offerings of the month.
Here are all the women-centric films opening in the month of April. All descriptions are from press materials unless otherwise noted.
April 1
Woman in Gold
"Woman in Gold" is the remarkable true story of one woman’s journey to reclaim her heritage and seek justice for what happened to her family. Sixty years after she fled Vienna during World War II, an elderly Jewish woman, Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren), starts her journey to retrieve family possessions seized by the Nazis, among them Klimt’s famous painting "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I." Together with her inexperienced but plucky young lawyer Randy Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds), she embarks upon a major battle, which takes them all the way to the heart of the Austrian establishment and the U.S. Supreme Court, and forces her to confront difficult truths about the past along the way.
April 3
The Hand That Feeds (doc) - Co-Written and Co-Directed by Rachel Lears
At a popular bakery café, residents of New York’s Upper East Side get bagels and coffee served with a smile 24 hours a day. But behind the scenes, undocumented immigrant workers face sub-legal wages, dangerous machinery, and abusive managers who will fire them for calling in sick. Mild-mannered sandwich maker Mahoma López has never been interested in politics, but in January 2012 he convinces a small group of his co-workers to fight back.
Risking deportation and the loss of their livelihood, the workers team up with a diverse crew of innovative young organizers and take the unusual step of forming their own independent union, launching themselves on a journey that will test the limits of their resolve. In one roller-coaster year, they must overcome a shocking betrayal and a two-month lockout. Lawyers will battle in back rooms, Occupy Wall Street protesters will take over the restaurant, and a picket line will divide the neighborhood. If they can win a contract, it will set a historic precedent for low-wage workers across the country. But whatever happens, Mahoma and his coworkers will never be exploited again.
Effie Gray - Written by Emma Thompson
In her original screenplay “Effie Gray,” Emma Thompson takes a bold look at the real-life story of the Effie Gray-John Ruskin marriage, while courageously exposing what was truly hiding behind the veil of their public life. Set in a time when neither divorce nor gay marriage were an option, “Effie Gray” is the story of a young woman (Dakota Fanning) coming of age and finding her own voice in a world where women were expected to be seen but not heard. “Effie Gray” explores the roots of sexual intolerance, which continue to have a stronghold today, while shedding light on the marital politics of the Victorian era.
April 8
About Elly
As with director Asghar Farhadi's better-known films, “About Elly” concerns the affluent, well-educated, cultured, and only marginally religious members of Iran's upper-middle class. Elly (Taraneh Alidoosti), a pretty young woman invited as a possible romantic interest for one of the newly single men among this group, disappears suddenly without a trace. The festive atmosphere quickly turns frantic as friends accuse one another of responsibility. Plot-wise, Farhadi's drama has been compared to “L’Avventura”; but the film is less concerned with Elly's disappearance per se than with exploring the intricate mechanisms of deceit, brutality, and betrayal which come into play when ordinary circumstances take a tragic turn.
April 10
Clouds of Sils Maria
At the peak of her international career, Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) is asked to perform in a revival of the play that made her famous twenty years ago. But back then, she played the role of Sigrid, an alluring young girl who disarms and eventually drives her boss Helena to suicide. Now she is being asked to step into the other role, that of the older Helena. She departs with her assistant (Kristen Stewart) to rehearse in Sils Maria; a remote region of the Alps. A young Hollywood starlet with a penchant for scandal (Chloë Grace Moretz) is to take on the role of Sigrid, and Maria finds herself on the other side of the mirror, face to face with an ambiguously charming woman who is, in essence, an unsettling reflection of herself.
The Sisterhood of Night - Directed by Caryn Waechter and Written by Marilyn Fu
Based on the short story by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Steven Millhauser, "The Sisterhood of Night" is a story of friendship and loyalty set against the backdrop of a modern-day Salem witch trial. Shot on location in Kingston, NY, the film chronicles a group of girls who have slipped out of the world of social media into a mysterious world deep in the woods. The tale begins when Emily Parris (Kara Hayward) exposes a secret society of teenage girls. Accusing them of committing sexually deviant acts, Emily’s allegations throw their small American town into the national media spotlight. The mystery deepens when each of the accused takes a vow of silence. What follows is a chronicle of three girls’ unique and provocative alternative to the loneliness of adolescence, revealing the tragedy and humor of teenage years changed forever by the Internet age.
Farah Goes Bang - Directed by Meera Menon, Written by Laura Goode and Meera Menon
A road-trip comedy that centers on Farah (Nikohl Boosheri), a twenty-something woman who tries to lose her virginity while campaigning for John Kerry in 2004. Farah and her friends K.J. and Roopa follow the campaign trail to Ohio, seizing this charged moment in their lives and the life of their country.
April 17
Closer to the Moon
Set in 1959 Bucharest, “Closer to the Moon” opens as the crime is hatched and executed by old friends from the WWII Jewish Resistance, who seek to recapture the excitement of their glory days. Led by a chief police inspector (Mark Strong) and a political academic (Vera Farmiga), the quintet also includes a respected history professor (Christian McKay), a hotshot reporter (Joe Armstrong), and a space scientist (Tim Plester). Their postwar influence fading amid an ongoing Stalinist purge of Jews and intellectuals, the disillusioned gang retaliates by hijacking a van delivering cash to the Romanian National Bank, staging the robbery to make it look like a movie shoot. Caught and convicted in a kangaroo court, the culprits, with help from an eyewitness (Harry Lloyd) to the robbery, are forced to reenact their crime in a devious anti-Semitic propaganda film.
Felix & Meira
Winner of Best Canadian Feature at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, “Félix & Meira” is the story of an unconventional romance between two people living vastly different realities mere blocks away from one another. Each lost in their everyday lives, Meira (Hadas Yaron), a Hasidic Jewish wife and mother, and Félix (Martin Dubreuil), a Secular loner mourning the recent death of his estranged father, unexpectedly meet in a local bakery in Montreal's Mile End district. What starts as an innocent friendship becomes more serious as the two wayward strangers find comfort in one another. As Felix opens Meira's eyes to the world outside of her tight-knit Orthodox community, her desire for change becomes harder for her to ignore, ultimately forcing her to choose: remain in the life that she knows or give it all up to be with Félix.
Alex of Venice - Co-Written by Jessica Goldberg and Katie Nehra
In “Alex of Venice,” workaholic environmental attorney Alex Vedder (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is forced to reinvent herself after her husband (Chris Messina) suddenly leaves the family. Dealing with an aging father (Don Johnson) who still aspires to succeed as an actor, an eccentric sister (Katie Nehra), and an extremely shy son (Skylar Gaertner), Alex is bombarded with everything from the mundane to hilariously catastrophic events without a shoulder to lean on. Realizing she will thrive with or without her husband, Alex discovers her hidden vulnerability as well as her inner strength as she fights to keep her family intact in the midst of the most demanding and important case of her career.
Cas & Dylan - Written by Jessie Gabe
When 61-year-old self-proclaimed loner and terminally ill Dr. Cas Pepper (Richard Dreyfuss) reluctantly agrees to give 22-year-old social misfit Dyland Morgan (Tatiana Maslany) a very short lift home, the last thing he anticipates is that he will strike her angry boyfriend with his car, find himself on the lam, and ultimately drive across the country with an aspiring young writer determined to help him overcome his own bizarre case of suicide-note writer's block. But as fate would have it, that is exactly what happens. Suddenly Cas's solo one-way trip out West isn't so solo. With Dylan at his side, the two take off on an adventure that will open their eyes to some of life's lessons -- both big and small.
Antarctic Edge: 70° South (doc) - Directed by Dena Seidel
Dena Seidel’s documentary not only offers rare, beautifully shot footage of West Antarctic Pennisula's rapidly changing environment, studying the connections that reveal the concrete impact of climate change; it is also a one-of-a-kind collaboration between the Rutgers University Film Bureau and the Rutgers Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences and contains interviews and insights from some of the world’s leading ocean researchers. It is a fascinating look at their life’s work trying to understand how to maintain our planet.
The Road Within - Written and Directed by Gren Wells
Vincent (Robert Sheehan), a young man with Tourette's syndrome, faces drastic changes after his mother dies. Because his politician father is too ashamed of the disorder to have Vincent accompany him on the campaign, Vincent is shuttled off to an unconventional clinic. There he finds unexpected community with an obsessive-compulsive roommate and an anorexic young woman, and romance eventually -- and uneasily -- follows.
One of Variety's "10 Directors to Watch," screenwriter Gren Wells makes her directorial debut with this ambitious yet light-hearted coming-of-age tale about the potent medicine we all carry within ourselves. The film is packed with a talented ensemble, from emerging talents Zoë Kravitz, Dev Patel, and Sheehan to beloved veterans Kyra Sedgwick and Robert Patrick.
April 23
Sweet Lorraine
The double life of a Methodist minister's wife (played by Tatum O'Neal) catches up to her, as her husband campaigns for mayor in a small New Jersey town.
April 24
Just Before I Go - Directed by Courtney Cox
Ted Morgan (Seann William Scott) has been treading water for most of his life. After his wife leaves him, Ted realizes he has nothing left to live for. Summoning the courage for one last act, Ted decides to go home and face the people he feels are responsible for creating the shell of a person he has become. But life is tricky. The more determined Ted is to confront his demons, to get closure, and to withdraw from his family, the more Ted is yanked into the chaos of their lives. So, when Ted Morgan decides to kill himself, he finds a reason to live.
The Age of Adaline
After miraculously remaining 29-years-old for almost eight decades, Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively) has lived a solitary existence, never allowing herself to get close to anyone who might reveal her secret. But a chance encounter with charismatic philanthropist Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman) reignites her passion for life and romance. When a weekend with his parents (Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker) threatens to uncover the truth, Adaline makes a decision that will change her life forever.
Adult Beginners - Co-Written by Liz Flahive (Simultaneously releasing to VOD)
A young, hipster entrepreneur (Nick Kroll) crashes and burns on the eve of his company’s big launch. With his entire life in disarray, he leaves Manhattan to move in with his estranged pregnant sister (Rose Byrne), brother-in-law (Bobby Cannavale), and three-year-old nephew in the suburbs – only to become their manny. Faced with real responsibility, he may finally have to grow up – but not without some bad behavior first.
Eden - Directed and Co-Written by Mia Hansen-løve
The film follows the life of a French DJ who's credited with inventing "French house" or the "French touch," a type of French electronic music that became popular in the 1990s. Greta Gerwig costars. (IMDb)
24 Days - Co-Written by Emilie Frèche
January 20, 2006: After dinner with his family, Ilan Halimi (Syrus Shahidi) gets a call from a beautiful girl who had approached him at work and makes plans to meet her for coffee. Ilan didn't suspect a thing. He was 23 and had his whole life ahead of him. The next time Ilan's family heard from him was through a cryptic online message from kidnappers demanding a ransom in exchange for their son's life. (IMDb)
Helicopter Mom - Directed by Salomé Breziner
An overbearing mom (Nia Vardalos) decides that college would be more affordable if her son were to win an Lgbt scholarship, so she outs him to his entire high school. However, he might not be gay. (Rotten Tomatoes)
April 29
Iris (doc) (Opening in New York City)
"Iris" pairs legendary 87-year-old documentarian Albert Maysles with Iris Apfel, the quick-witted, flamboyantly dressed 93-year-old style maven who has had an outsized presence on the New York fashion scene for decades. More than a fashion film, the documentary is a story about creativity and how, even in Iris' dotage, a soaring free spirit continues to inspire. "Iris" portrays a singular woman whose enthusiasm for fashion, art, and people are life's sustenance and reminds us that dressing, and indeed life, is nothing but an experiment. Despite the abundance of glamour in her current life, she continues to embrace the values and work ethic established during a middle-class Queens upbringing during the Great Depression.
April 30
Marie’s Story
At the turn of the 19th century, a humble artisan and his wife have a daughter, Marie (Ariana Rivoire), who is born deaf and blind and unable to communicate with the world around her. Desperate to find a connection to their daughter and avoid sending her to an asylum, the Heurtins send fourteen-year-old Marie to the Larnay Institute in central France, where an order of Catholic nuns manage a school for deaf girls. There, the idealistic Sister Marguerite (Isabelle Carré) sees in Marie a unique potential, and despite her Mother Superior's (Brigitte Catillon) skepticism, vows to bring the wild young thing out of the darkness into which she was born. Based on true events, “Marie's Story” recounts the courageous journey of a young nun and the lives she would change forever, confronting failures and discouragement with joyous faith and love. (Film Movement)...
The month starts off with "Woman in Gold," starring Helen Mirren as a Jewish woman on a journey to recover her family's heirlooms, which was stolen by the Nazis. It's based on a true story, and Mirren roots the film with her powerful presence. "Closer to the Moon" is another WWII-era drama set for an April release, this one based on the crime capers of a group of Jewish resistance fighters a few years after the end of the war. "Marie's Story" is another period piece, centering around the efforts of a 19th-century nun to help a girl born blind and deaf.
There are a few more women-focused dramas being released in April, including the much-buzzed "Clouds of Sils Maria," which garnered Kristen Stewart the prestigious Cesar Award for supporting actress. Stewart has made waves for being the first American actress to win the French award, and the film looks to capitalize on that with its American release. “Félix & Meira" is another award-winner coming out this month. The Best Canadian Feature from the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival aims to make its mark with the story of an unconventional and radical love affair, one that reaches across racial and religious lines. "About Elly" also confronts cultural biases with its depiction of Iran's upper middle class.
"Effie Gray" tackles the sexual politics of the Victorian era, and with a screenplay from Emma Thompson, it's sure to be intriguing as well as quick-witted. Speaking of intriguing, "The Age of Adaline" follows a woman who mysteriously stopped aging eight decades ago. Blake Lively centers the film as Adaline, struggling with love and trust and all the other things that might follow when one lives seemingly forever.
Courteney Cox makes her big-screen directorial debut (the actress has previously directed episodes of "Cougar Town," which she stars in) with "Just Before I Go," and screenwiter Gren Wells makes hers as well with "The Road Within." Director Mia Hansen-løve ("Goodbye First Love") directs Greta Gerwig in "Eden," a look at the rise of French electronic music in the 90s.
The month will also see the release of a few very different documentaries. "The Hand That Feeds" focuses on undocumented immigrants struggling to form an independent union, while "Iris" follows 93-year-old Iris Apfel, a flamboyant New York City fashion icon. "Antarctic Edge: 70° South" is focused on the changing climate of the Antarctic's Peninsula and was made with the collaboration of Rutgers University students and scientists.
We'll also see comedic projects featuring Mary Elizabeth Winstead ("Alex of Venice") and Rose Byrne ("Adult Beginners"). Nia Vardalos returns to the screen with a role in "Helicopter Mom," which promises an outrageous performance from the "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" star. "Sweet Lorraine" and "Farah Goes Bang" round out the women-centric comedy offerings of the month.
Here are all the women-centric films opening in the month of April. All descriptions are from press materials unless otherwise noted.
April 1
Woman in Gold
"Woman in Gold" is the remarkable true story of one woman’s journey to reclaim her heritage and seek justice for what happened to her family. Sixty years after she fled Vienna during World War II, an elderly Jewish woman, Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren), starts her journey to retrieve family possessions seized by the Nazis, among them Klimt’s famous painting "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I." Together with her inexperienced but plucky young lawyer Randy Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds), she embarks upon a major battle, which takes them all the way to the heart of the Austrian establishment and the U.S. Supreme Court, and forces her to confront difficult truths about the past along the way.
April 3
The Hand That Feeds (doc) - Co-Written and Co-Directed by Rachel Lears
At a popular bakery café, residents of New York’s Upper East Side get bagels and coffee served with a smile 24 hours a day. But behind the scenes, undocumented immigrant workers face sub-legal wages, dangerous machinery, and abusive managers who will fire them for calling in sick. Mild-mannered sandwich maker Mahoma López has never been interested in politics, but in January 2012 he convinces a small group of his co-workers to fight back.
Risking deportation and the loss of their livelihood, the workers team up with a diverse crew of innovative young organizers and take the unusual step of forming their own independent union, launching themselves on a journey that will test the limits of their resolve. In one roller-coaster year, they must overcome a shocking betrayal and a two-month lockout. Lawyers will battle in back rooms, Occupy Wall Street protesters will take over the restaurant, and a picket line will divide the neighborhood. If they can win a contract, it will set a historic precedent for low-wage workers across the country. But whatever happens, Mahoma and his coworkers will never be exploited again.
Effie Gray - Written by Emma Thompson
In her original screenplay “Effie Gray,” Emma Thompson takes a bold look at the real-life story of the Effie Gray-John Ruskin marriage, while courageously exposing what was truly hiding behind the veil of their public life. Set in a time when neither divorce nor gay marriage were an option, “Effie Gray” is the story of a young woman (Dakota Fanning) coming of age and finding her own voice in a world where women were expected to be seen but not heard. “Effie Gray” explores the roots of sexual intolerance, which continue to have a stronghold today, while shedding light on the marital politics of the Victorian era.
April 8
About Elly
As with director Asghar Farhadi's better-known films, “About Elly” concerns the affluent, well-educated, cultured, and only marginally religious members of Iran's upper-middle class. Elly (Taraneh Alidoosti), a pretty young woman invited as a possible romantic interest for one of the newly single men among this group, disappears suddenly without a trace. The festive atmosphere quickly turns frantic as friends accuse one another of responsibility. Plot-wise, Farhadi's drama has been compared to “L’Avventura”; but the film is less concerned with Elly's disappearance per se than with exploring the intricate mechanisms of deceit, brutality, and betrayal which come into play when ordinary circumstances take a tragic turn.
April 10
Clouds of Sils Maria
At the peak of her international career, Maria Enders (Juliette Binoche) is asked to perform in a revival of the play that made her famous twenty years ago. But back then, she played the role of Sigrid, an alluring young girl who disarms and eventually drives her boss Helena to suicide. Now she is being asked to step into the other role, that of the older Helena. She departs with her assistant (Kristen Stewart) to rehearse in Sils Maria; a remote region of the Alps. A young Hollywood starlet with a penchant for scandal (Chloë Grace Moretz) is to take on the role of Sigrid, and Maria finds herself on the other side of the mirror, face to face with an ambiguously charming woman who is, in essence, an unsettling reflection of herself.
The Sisterhood of Night - Directed by Caryn Waechter and Written by Marilyn Fu
Based on the short story by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Steven Millhauser, "The Sisterhood of Night" is a story of friendship and loyalty set against the backdrop of a modern-day Salem witch trial. Shot on location in Kingston, NY, the film chronicles a group of girls who have slipped out of the world of social media into a mysterious world deep in the woods. The tale begins when Emily Parris (Kara Hayward) exposes a secret society of teenage girls. Accusing them of committing sexually deviant acts, Emily’s allegations throw their small American town into the national media spotlight. The mystery deepens when each of the accused takes a vow of silence. What follows is a chronicle of three girls’ unique and provocative alternative to the loneliness of adolescence, revealing the tragedy and humor of teenage years changed forever by the Internet age.
Farah Goes Bang - Directed by Meera Menon, Written by Laura Goode and Meera Menon
A road-trip comedy that centers on Farah (Nikohl Boosheri), a twenty-something woman who tries to lose her virginity while campaigning for John Kerry in 2004. Farah and her friends K.J. and Roopa follow the campaign trail to Ohio, seizing this charged moment in their lives and the life of their country.
April 17
Closer to the Moon
Set in 1959 Bucharest, “Closer to the Moon” opens as the crime is hatched and executed by old friends from the WWII Jewish Resistance, who seek to recapture the excitement of their glory days. Led by a chief police inspector (Mark Strong) and a political academic (Vera Farmiga), the quintet also includes a respected history professor (Christian McKay), a hotshot reporter (Joe Armstrong), and a space scientist (Tim Plester). Their postwar influence fading amid an ongoing Stalinist purge of Jews and intellectuals, the disillusioned gang retaliates by hijacking a van delivering cash to the Romanian National Bank, staging the robbery to make it look like a movie shoot. Caught and convicted in a kangaroo court, the culprits, with help from an eyewitness (Harry Lloyd) to the robbery, are forced to reenact their crime in a devious anti-Semitic propaganda film.
Felix & Meira
Winner of Best Canadian Feature at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, “Félix & Meira” is the story of an unconventional romance between two people living vastly different realities mere blocks away from one another. Each lost in their everyday lives, Meira (Hadas Yaron), a Hasidic Jewish wife and mother, and Félix (Martin Dubreuil), a Secular loner mourning the recent death of his estranged father, unexpectedly meet in a local bakery in Montreal's Mile End district. What starts as an innocent friendship becomes more serious as the two wayward strangers find comfort in one another. As Felix opens Meira's eyes to the world outside of her tight-knit Orthodox community, her desire for change becomes harder for her to ignore, ultimately forcing her to choose: remain in the life that she knows or give it all up to be with Félix.
Alex of Venice - Co-Written by Jessica Goldberg and Katie Nehra
In “Alex of Venice,” workaholic environmental attorney Alex Vedder (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) is forced to reinvent herself after her husband (Chris Messina) suddenly leaves the family. Dealing with an aging father (Don Johnson) who still aspires to succeed as an actor, an eccentric sister (Katie Nehra), and an extremely shy son (Skylar Gaertner), Alex is bombarded with everything from the mundane to hilariously catastrophic events without a shoulder to lean on. Realizing she will thrive with or without her husband, Alex discovers her hidden vulnerability as well as her inner strength as she fights to keep her family intact in the midst of the most demanding and important case of her career.
Cas & Dylan - Written by Jessie Gabe
When 61-year-old self-proclaimed loner and terminally ill Dr. Cas Pepper (Richard Dreyfuss) reluctantly agrees to give 22-year-old social misfit Dyland Morgan (Tatiana Maslany) a very short lift home, the last thing he anticipates is that he will strike her angry boyfriend with his car, find himself on the lam, and ultimately drive across the country with an aspiring young writer determined to help him overcome his own bizarre case of suicide-note writer's block. But as fate would have it, that is exactly what happens. Suddenly Cas's solo one-way trip out West isn't so solo. With Dylan at his side, the two take off on an adventure that will open their eyes to some of life's lessons -- both big and small.
Antarctic Edge: 70° South (doc) - Directed by Dena Seidel
Dena Seidel’s documentary not only offers rare, beautifully shot footage of West Antarctic Pennisula's rapidly changing environment, studying the connections that reveal the concrete impact of climate change; it is also a one-of-a-kind collaboration between the Rutgers University Film Bureau and the Rutgers Institute for Marine and Coastal Sciences and contains interviews and insights from some of the world’s leading ocean researchers. It is a fascinating look at their life’s work trying to understand how to maintain our planet.
The Road Within - Written and Directed by Gren Wells
Vincent (Robert Sheehan), a young man with Tourette's syndrome, faces drastic changes after his mother dies. Because his politician father is too ashamed of the disorder to have Vincent accompany him on the campaign, Vincent is shuttled off to an unconventional clinic. There he finds unexpected community with an obsessive-compulsive roommate and an anorexic young woman, and romance eventually -- and uneasily -- follows.
One of Variety's "10 Directors to Watch," screenwriter Gren Wells makes her directorial debut with this ambitious yet light-hearted coming-of-age tale about the potent medicine we all carry within ourselves. The film is packed with a talented ensemble, from emerging talents Zoë Kravitz, Dev Patel, and Sheehan to beloved veterans Kyra Sedgwick and Robert Patrick.
April 23
Sweet Lorraine
The double life of a Methodist minister's wife (played by Tatum O'Neal) catches up to her, as her husband campaigns for mayor in a small New Jersey town.
April 24
Just Before I Go - Directed by Courtney Cox
Ted Morgan (Seann William Scott) has been treading water for most of his life. After his wife leaves him, Ted realizes he has nothing left to live for. Summoning the courage for one last act, Ted decides to go home and face the people he feels are responsible for creating the shell of a person he has become. But life is tricky. The more determined Ted is to confront his demons, to get closure, and to withdraw from his family, the more Ted is yanked into the chaos of their lives. So, when Ted Morgan decides to kill himself, he finds a reason to live.
The Age of Adaline
After miraculously remaining 29-years-old for almost eight decades, Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively) has lived a solitary existence, never allowing herself to get close to anyone who might reveal her secret. But a chance encounter with charismatic philanthropist Ellis Jones (Michiel Huisman) reignites her passion for life and romance. When a weekend with his parents (Harrison Ford and Kathy Baker) threatens to uncover the truth, Adaline makes a decision that will change her life forever.
Adult Beginners - Co-Written by Liz Flahive (Simultaneously releasing to VOD)
A young, hipster entrepreneur (Nick Kroll) crashes and burns on the eve of his company’s big launch. With his entire life in disarray, he leaves Manhattan to move in with his estranged pregnant sister (Rose Byrne), brother-in-law (Bobby Cannavale), and three-year-old nephew in the suburbs – only to become their manny. Faced with real responsibility, he may finally have to grow up – but not without some bad behavior first.
Eden - Directed and Co-Written by Mia Hansen-løve
The film follows the life of a French DJ who's credited with inventing "French house" or the "French touch," a type of French electronic music that became popular in the 1990s. Greta Gerwig costars. (IMDb)
24 Days - Co-Written by Emilie Frèche
January 20, 2006: After dinner with his family, Ilan Halimi (Syrus Shahidi) gets a call from a beautiful girl who had approached him at work and makes plans to meet her for coffee. Ilan didn't suspect a thing. He was 23 and had his whole life ahead of him. The next time Ilan's family heard from him was through a cryptic online message from kidnappers demanding a ransom in exchange for their son's life. (IMDb)
Helicopter Mom - Directed by Salomé Breziner
An overbearing mom (Nia Vardalos) decides that college would be more affordable if her son were to win an Lgbt scholarship, so she outs him to his entire high school. However, he might not be gay. (Rotten Tomatoes)
April 29
Iris (doc) (Opening in New York City)
"Iris" pairs legendary 87-year-old documentarian Albert Maysles with Iris Apfel, the quick-witted, flamboyantly dressed 93-year-old style maven who has had an outsized presence on the New York fashion scene for decades. More than a fashion film, the documentary is a story about creativity and how, even in Iris' dotage, a soaring free spirit continues to inspire. "Iris" portrays a singular woman whose enthusiasm for fashion, art, and people are life's sustenance and reminds us that dressing, and indeed life, is nothing but an experiment. Despite the abundance of glamour in her current life, she continues to embrace the values and work ethic established during a middle-class Queens upbringing during the Great Depression.
April 30
Marie’s Story
At the turn of the 19th century, a humble artisan and his wife have a daughter, Marie (Ariana Rivoire), who is born deaf and blind and unable to communicate with the world around her. Desperate to find a connection to their daughter and avoid sending her to an asylum, the Heurtins send fourteen-year-old Marie to the Larnay Institute in central France, where an order of Catholic nuns manage a school for deaf girls. There, the idealistic Sister Marguerite (Isabelle Carré) sees in Marie a unique potential, and despite her Mother Superior's (Brigitte Catillon) skepticism, vows to bring the wild young thing out of the darkness into which she was born. Based on true events, “Marie's Story” recounts the courageous journey of a young nun and the lives she would change forever, confronting failures and discouragement with joyous faith and love. (Film Movement)...
- 4/1/2015
- by Tory Kamen and Becca Rose
- Sydney's Buzz
In 1848 Euphemia Gray, a bright and pretty young girl from a family of modest means, left her home in Scotland to marry her era's equivalent of an art-world rock star, the imposingly erudite critic John Ruskin. Perhaps as early as her wedding night, Effie knew she'd made a mistake: Though no one knows exactly why, the marriage — by all accounts a deeply unhappy one for both parties — was never consummated. And while young Effie was still married to Ruskin, she fell in love with one of the artists he'd championed passionately, the Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais. After suffering her husband's neglect for years, in the marital bed and elsewhere, Effie finally sought and won an annulment. She and Millais eventually married, and remained a couple until the end...
- 4/1/2015
- Village Voice
She recently celebrated her 21st birthday in Las Vegas, and Dakota Fanning definitely looked like a fully-fledged woman at the premiere of her new film “Effie Gray” last night (March 30).
The “I Am Sam” actress showed up at The Paris Theatre in New York City for the shindig, showing off her curves in a lovely grey satin dress as she hobnobbed with fellow guests.
“Effie Gray” is slated to hit theaters on April 3rd and also stars Emma Thompson and Tom Sturridge. Per the synopsis, “This is a look at the scandalous love triangle between Victorian art critic John Ruskin, his teenage bride Effie Gray, and Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais.”...
The “I Am Sam” actress showed up at The Paris Theatre in New York City for the shindig, showing off her curves in a lovely grey satin dress as she hobnobbed with fellow guests.
“Effie Gray” is slated to hit theaters on April 3rd and also stars Emma Thompson and Tom Sturridge. Per the synopsis, “This is a look at the scandalous love triangle between Victorian art critic John Ruskin, his teenage bride Effie Gray, and Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais.”...
- 3/31/2015
- GossipCenter
In her original screenplay Effie Gray, Emma Thompson takes a bold look at the real life story of the Effie Gray-John Ruskin marriage, while courageously exposing what was truly hiding behind the veil of their public life. Set in a time when neither divorce, nor gay marriage were an option, Effie Gray is the story of a young woman coming of age, finding her own voice in a world where women were expected to be seen but not heard. Effie Gray explores the roots of sexual intolerance, which continue to have a stronghold today, while shedding light on the marital politics of the Victorian Era.
Directed by Richard Laxton, the film stars Emma Thompson, Dakota Fanning, Julie Walters, Tom Sturridge, David Suchet, Greg Wise, Claudia Cardinale, Robbie Coltrane, James Fox, Riccardo Scamarico, and Derek Jacobi.
Effie Gray opens in St. Louis at AMC Creve Coeur 12, Friday, April 3rd.
Directed by Richard Laxton, the film stars Emma Thompson, Dakota Fanning, Julie Walters, Tom Sturridge, David Suchet, Greg Wise, Claudia Cardinale, Robbie Coltrane, James Fox, Riccardo Scamarico, and Derek Jacobi.
Effie Gray opens in St. Louis at AMC Creve Coeur 12, Friday, April 3rd.
- 3/26/2015
- by Movie Geeks
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
★★★☆☆ Euphemia 'Effie' Gray was just twelve years old when esteemed Victorian art critic and writer John Ruskin wrote a novel for her called The King of the Golden River. It was a fable and the fairy tale looked like having a happy ending when some seven years later, Ruskin and Effie married, but things were not to turn out well. Due to an intense aversion to his young wife's body – an infamous case of Victorian repression – the marriage was never consummated and began to slowly decay until Effie made the courageous step of seeking an annulment. Richard Laxton's Effie Gray (2014) is a straightforward and somewhat televisual retelling of the oft-told story from a script by co-star Emma Thompson.
- 2/23/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
From Emma Thompson‘s own screenplay, Effie Gray is a period drama revolving around the life of Effie Gray, and her marriage to John Ruskin.
This one looks like it has the potential to be one of the best of the year, as Thompson takes a hard look at life when women barely had the right to exist, much less acknowledge and explore their sexuality.
Check out the trailer, and let me know what you think.
Effie Gray Trailer
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Tom Sturridge, Robbie Coltrane
In Theaters April 3rd, 2015
In her original screenplay Effie Gray, Emma Thompson takes a bold look at the real life story of the Effie Gray-John Ruskin marriage, while courageously exposing what was truly hiding behind the veil of their public life. Set in a time when neither divorce, nor gay marriage were an option, Effie Gray is the...
This one looks like it has the potential to be one of the best of the year, as Thompson takes a hard look at life when women barely had the right to exist, much less acknowledge and explore their sexuality.
Check out the trailer, and let me know what you think.
Effie Gray Trailer
Starring: Dakota Fanning, Emma Thompson, Julie Walters, Tom Sturridge, Robbie Coltrane
In Theaters April 3rd, 2015
In her original screenplay Effie Gray, Emma Thompson takes a bold look at the real life story of the Effie Gray-John Ruskin marriage, while courageously exposing what was truly hiding behind the veil of their public life. Set in a time when neither divorce, nor gay marriage were an option, Effie Gray is the...
- 2/11/2015
- by Marc Eastman
- AreYouScreening.com
Sneak Peek more new footage from director Richard Laxton's period 'biopic', "Effie Gray", written by Emma Thompson ("Sense and Sensibility"), starring Thompson, Dakota Fanning, Robbie Coltrane, Claudia Cardinale, James Fox, Julie Walters, Derek Jacobi and David Suchet:
"...'Effie Gray' (Fanning) has a doomed marriage to art critic 'John Ruskin' (Greg Wise) in 1840's London.
"Despite her beauty, Ruskin didn’t consummate the marriage and the devastated Gray eventually fell in love with Ruskin’s protégé, painter 'John Everett Milias' (Tom Sturridge)..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Effie Gray"...
"...'Effie Gray' (Fanning) has a doomed marriage to art critic 'John Ruskin' (Greg Wise) in 1840's London.
"Despite her beauty, Ruskin didn’t consummate the marriage and the devastated Gray eventually fell in love with Ruskin’s protégé, painter 'John Everett Milias' (Tom Sturridge)..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Effie Gray"...
- 2/4/2015
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
From the Pudsey The Dog movie to Joe Cornish and Roger Ebert, what happens when critics make films themselves?
Arts critics tend to get a rough time of it in the movies. Even looking at this year's awards season hopefuls, Birdman casts a wonderfully scabrous Lindsay Duncan as a theatre critic who is determined to kill the hero's play, and Mr. Turner presents John Ruskin as a lisping, pretentious fop, a representation that has led some to take mild umbrage.
To look even further back, at Ratatouille's sneering Anton Ego, or Lady In The Water's film-savvy 'straw critic', or Theatre Of Blood's gleefully murderous tract, there's not a whole lot of love for critics in film. Any of this might give way to the preconception that critics, especially film critics, don't actually like films and that they're out of touch with both the filmmakers whose works they...
Arts critics tend to get a rough time of it in the movies. Even looking at this year's awards season hopefuls, Birdman casts a wonderfully scabrous Lindsay Duncan as a theatre critic who is determined to kill the hero's play, and Mr. Turner presents John Ruskin as a lisping, pretentious fop, a representation that has led some to take mild umbrage.
To look even further back, at Ratatouille's sneering Anton Ego, or Lady In The Water's film-savvy 'straw critic', or Theatre Of Blood's gleefully murderous tract, there's not a whole lot of love for critics in film. Any of this might give way to the preconception that critics, especially film critics, don't actually like films and that they're out of touch with both the filmmakers whose works they...
- 1/22/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
Mr. Turner
Let us begin with difficulties. Mike Leigh's Mr. Turner, a film as rich as an afternoon in the Louvre, presents an austere and bilious portrait of the Englishman and a ridiculous one of a young John Ruskin, a critic who explicated Turner in many words over the course of different works—a critic who drew and painted, lecturing on both with a great avidity. In Leigh, the drama is the classic case of critic as obnoxious foil to the artist's majesty and magic, with Ruskin's exaggerated lisping accent and pushing every “r” out as a “w” being the cherry on top. Leigh has said, “...he was a kind of prick...” Well, maybe.
But I must bring in one of Leigh's most passionate fans—the poet-critic Guy Davenport, whose essays are jewels, and who averred he was “not writing for scholars or critics, but for people who like to read,...
Let us begin with difficulties. Mike Leigh's Mr. Turner, a film as rich as an afternoon in the Louvre, presents an austere and bilious portrait of the Englishman and a ridiculous one of a young John Ruskin, a critic who explicated Turner in many words over the course of different works—a critic who drew and painted, lecturing on both with a great avidity. In Leigh, the drama is the classic case of critic as obnoxious foil to the artist's majesty and magic, with Ruskin's exaggerated lisping accent and pushing every “r” out as a “w” being the cherry on top. Leigh has said, “...he was a kind of prick...” Well, maybe.
But I must bring in one of Leigh's most passionate fans—the poet-critic Guy Davenport, whose essays are jewels, and who averred he was “not writing for scholars or critics, but for people who like to read,...
- 1/21/2015
- by Greg Gerke
- MUBI
Sneak Peek more new footage from director Richard Laxton's period 'biopic', "Effie Gray", written by Emma Thompson ("Sense and Sensibility"), starring Dakota Fanning, Robbie Coltrane, Claudia Cardinale, James Fox, Julie Walters, Derek Jacobi and David Suchet:
"...'Effie Gray' (Fanning) has a doomed marriage to art critic 'John Ruskin' (Greg Wise) in 1840s London.
"Despite her beauty, Ruskin didn’t consummate the marriage and the devastated Gray eventually fell in love with Ruskin’s protégé, painter 'John Everett Milias' (Tom Sturridge)..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Effie Gray"...
"...'Effie Gray' (Fanning) has a doomed marriage to art critic 'John Ruskin' (Greg Wise) in 1840s London.
"Despite her beauty, Ruskin didn’t consummate the marriage and the devastated Gray eventually fell in love with Ruskin’s protégé, painter 'John Everett Milias' (Tom Sturridge)..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Effie Gray"...
- 1/14/2015
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Adopt Films just unveiled a domestic trailer for its upcoming "Effie Gray" historical drama, starring Dakota Fanning and Emma Thompson. Check it out below. Plot: The film tells the story of Euphemia "Effie" Gray. At 19, she married the prominent art historian and critic John Ruskin, but Ruskin refused to consummate their marriage. Lonely and frustrated Effie is drawn to painter John Everett Millais, and finds a friend and champion in Lady Elizabeth Eastlake. After five years trapped in a loveless marriage, Effie will defy the rules of Victorian society. "Effie Gray" is directed by Richard Laxton and is set to hit select theaters on April 3rd. Trailer:...
- 1/13/2015
- WorstPreviews.com
"You have married no ordinary man." If period romantic drama is your thing, then this spring, director Richard Laxton has just the story for you. The life story of Effie Gray is no Pride & Prejudice, but there's still plenty of drama as the story explores what happens in life after marriage during this time of such proper romantic affairs, especially when it's yet to be consummated. Dakota Fanning plays the title character, a woman who marries art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise), but then soon feels she might have made a terrible mistake and finds solace in the love of another man, artist John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge). And now the first Us trailer for the film has arrived, and it feels like any other period drama. Here's the first Us trailer for Richard Laxton's Effie Gray, originally from Apple: You can still watch the first UK trailer for Effie Gray right here.
- 1/9/2015
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
So you get married and...then what? Back in ye olden days, when refined folk didn't dare discuss the matters regarding the bedroom, betrothal could be tricky. Once you laid down in bed with the person you pledged your life to... what are you supposed to do? And what if you probably shouldn't have married them in the first place? Welcome to the world of "Effie Gray," via this new U.S. trailer for the film. Richard Laxton directs this drama about the marital trouble that arises between art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise) and his wife Effie Gray (Dakota Fanning), who have yet to consummate. But Effie finds hope of a better, more fulfilling life in a relationship with Pre-Raphaelite artist John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge), but in a time when divorce is unheard of, their affair is dangerous. Emma Thompson, David Suchet, Robbie Coltrane and Julie Walters round...
- 1/9/2015
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
How would you program this year's newest, most interesting films into double features with movies of the past you saw in 2014?
Looking back over the year at what films moved and impressed us, it is clear that watching old films is a crucial part of making new films meaningful. Thus, the annual tradition of our end of year poll, which calls upon our writers to pick both a new and an old film: they were challenged to choose a new film they saw in 2014—in theatres or at a festival—and creatively pair it with an old film they also saw in 2014 to create a unique double feature.
All the contributors were given the option to write some text explaining their 2014 fantasy double feature. What's more, each writer was given the option to list more pairings, with or without explanation, as further imaginative film programming we'd be lucky to catch...
Looking back over the year at what films moved and impressed us, it is clear that watching old films is a crucial part of making new films meaningful. Thus, the annual tradition of our end of year poll, which calls upon our writers to pick both a new and an old film: they were challenged to choose a new film they saw in 2014—in theatres or at a festival—and creatively pair it with an old film they also saw in 2014 to create a unique double feature.
All the contributors were given the option to write some text explaining their 2014 fantasy double feature. What's more, each writer was given the option to list more pairings, with or without explanation, as further imaginative film programming we'd be lucky to catch...
- 1/5/2015
- by Notebook
- MUBI
John Ruskin, as any liberal arts grad will tell you, is famous less for being the defining voice of Victorian art criticism and more for the putative story of his wedding night: He gazed upon his bride’s naked body, saw her muff, and fled in horror. Ruskin died in 1900, but our own repulsion at and fascination with female pubic hair continues to mirror his. The human body holds myriad uncanny sites, but few are as contested or as overdetermined as the female mons. Hairy or bare, it’s rife with meaning, intrigue, and analysis. It’s also the shiny, glossy, four-color subject of Marilyn Minter’s glam new art book, Plush. If you could epitomize the art world’s consensus on female pubic hair in art into a phrase you could paint on a wall, it’d go like this: Ruskin Lives! Like Frodo, like Morrison, like Che, Ruskin...
- 12/16/2014
- by Chelsea G. Summers
- Vulture
From Gone Girl's Tanner Bolt to the ladies of Pride, James lists a few more of 2014's supporting characters who deserve their own movie...
Look at the calendar and you'll see that time is marching on and moving us ever deeper into the deep, bleak midwinter. Christmas is coming and then the New Year will be hitting us, and such concurrent happenings are liable to combine and make some folk get all reflective. "'Tis the season to be pensive," as the old carol says.
It's at this time of year that people start to glance in the rearview mirror and ruminate on what's happened over the course of the past twelve months. Focusing specifically on cinema, it's time to think on the Film Year 2014 and make some lists. Movie fans need to decide which blu-rays they want as Christmas presents so they can write it down in a list to post to Santa.
Look at the calendar and you'll see that time is marching on and moving us ever deeper into the deep, bleak midwinter. Christmas is coming and then the New Year will be hitting us, and such concurrent happenings are liable to combine and make some folk get all reflective. "'Tis the season to be pensive," as the old carol says.
It's at this time of year that people start to glance in the rearview mirror and ruminate on what's happened over the course of the past twelve months. Focusing specifically on cinema, it's time to think on the Film Year 2014 and make some lists. Movie fans need to decide which blu-rays they want as Christmas presents so they can write it down in a list to post to Santa.
- 12/4/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Exclusive: Tim Grady and Jeff Lipsky’s New York-based Adopt Films has acquired Effie Gray, the period drama penned by Emma Thompson. Dakota Fanning stars as the eponymous character in the biopic of the 19th century Scotswoman who married critic and author John Ruskin as a teenager only to see their six-year relationship finally annulled with Gray still a virgin. She later wed celebrated pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais. For Millais, Gray bore eight children and became his muse (along with her younger sister Sophie).
The company plans an early spring 2015 release.
Julie Walters plays Ruskin’s baleful, controlling mother, and David Suchet is Ruskin’s feckless, enabling father. Thompson, Tom Sturridge, Greg Wise, Claudia Cardinale, James Fox, Derek Jacobi and Robbie Coltrane round out the cast.
Richard Laxton (Burton & Taylor) directs from Thompson’s first original screenplay. (She won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for 1995’s Sense And Sensibility.
The company plans an early spring 2015 release.
Julie Walters plays Ruskin’s baleful, controlling mother, and David Suchet is Ruskin’s feckless, enabling father. Thompson, Tom Sturridge, Greg Wise, Claudia Cardinale, James Fox, Derek Jacobi and Robbie Coltrane round out the cast.
Richard Laxton (Burton & Taylor) directs from Thompson’s first original screenplay. (She won a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for 1995’s Sense And Sensibility.
- 12/2/2014
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline
Adopt Films has picked up Effie Gray for the Us and plans a spring theatrical release.
Emma Thompson wrote the screenplay to Effie Gray starring Dakota Fanning stars in the title role as the former teen bride of 19th century art critic John Ruskin.
Gray later married pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais and bore eight children.
Factory 25 has acquired North American theatrical rights to Lance Edmands’ directorial debut drama Bluebird starring John Slattery, Amy Morton, Louisa Krause, Emily Meade, Margo Martindale and Adam Driver. The distributor has set a February 27 New York release followed by nationwide theatrical roll-out. Sundance Artist Services will oversee the digital release via iTunes, Amazon and other outlets.Gravitas Ventures has taken North American theatrical, VOD and DVD rights to Stephen Kijak’s documentary Backstreet Boys: Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of and set a January 30 VOD release.
Emma Thompson wrote the screenplay to Effie Gray starring Dakota Fanning stars in the title role as the former teen bride of 19th century art critic John Ruskin.
Gray later married pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais and bore eight children.
Factory 25 has acquired North American theatrical rights to Lance Edmands’ directorial debut drama Bluebird starring John Slattery, Amy Morton, Louisa Krause, Emily Meade, Margo Martindale and Adam Driver. The distributor has set a February 27 New York release followed by nationwide theatrical roll-out. Sundance Artist Services will oversee the digital release via iTunes, Amazon and other outlets.Gravitas Ventures has taken North American theatrical, VOD and DVD rights to Stephen Kijak’s documentary Backstreet Boys: Show ‘Em What You’re Made Of and set a January 30 VOD release.
- 12/2/2014
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Taking care of her to-do list, Dakota Fanning went for a stroll in New York City’s SoHo neighborhood on Monday afternoon (October 27).
Always beautiful, the “I Am Sam” actress kept it cool and casual in a black sweater with cuffed jeans and white sneakers as she toted her lovely lavender handbag up the street.
Dakota is enjoying some rare downtime after working hard to promote her latest film, the Richard Laxton-directed “Effie Gray.”
Due to hit theaters here in the States in November, the movie offers “a look at the mysterious relationship between Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride Effie Gray.”...
Always beautiful, the “I Am Sam” actress kept it cool and casual in a black sweater with cuffed jeans and white sneakers as she toted her lovely lavender handbag up the street.
Dakota is enjoying some rare downtime after working hard to promote her latest film, the Richard Laxton-directed “Effie Gray.”
Due to hit theaters here in the States in November, the movie offers “a look at the mysterious relationship between Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride Effie Gray.”...
- 10/28/2014
- GossipCenter
Emma Thompson’s intelligent dramatisation of a famous Victorian love triangle lacks sparkle
• Emma Thompson: ‘It’s a different patch of life, your 50s’
The story of Victorian art critic John Ruskin’s appalled reaction to the sight of his wife’s naked body (he knew of the female form only through hairless paintings and sculptures) has become emblematic of a wider cultural objectification of women which remains strikingly contemporary. This Emma Thompson-scripted account of Effie Gray’s ill-fated marriage (the release of which has been delayed by groundless plagiarism suits) intelligently dramatises the prison-like nature of Effie’s status while struggling to engage us in what is essentially a non-relationship; it may be billed as a “love triangle”, but there’s precious little love on display, even in our heroine’s growing affection for pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais. Instead, we have a handsome but rather inert...
• Emma Thompson: ‘It’s a different patch of life, your 50s’
The story of Victorian art critic John Ruskin’s appalled reaction to the sight of his wife’s naked body (he knew of the female form only through hairless paintings and sculptures) has become emblematic of a wider cultural objectification of women which remains strikingly contemporary. This Emma Thompson-scripted account of Effie Gray’s ill-fated marriage (the release of which has been delayed by groundless plagiarism suits) intelligently dramatises the prison-like nature of Effie’s status while struggling to engage us in what is essentially a non-relationship; it may be billed as a “love triangle”, but there’s precious little love on display, even in our heroine’s growing affection for pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais. Instead, we have a handsome but rather inert...
- 10/11/2014
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
The emotionally barren wedlock of celebrated 19th century man of letters John Ruskin (Greg Wise) and his teenage wife Effie Gray (Dakota Fanning) is grimly explored in Oscar-winning screenwriter Emma Thompson's portrait of a marriage that never was. The newly-wed Ruskin - backed by his spitefully ambitious parents - proves emotionally stunted, repulsed by the physicality of the marriage bed. Effie - ten years younger - dutifully accepts her fate but finds herself drawn to Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge) in a Victorian era where the stigma of divorce could spell social exile.
- 10/9/2014
- Sky Movies
Showing some love to her English fans, Dakota Fanning showed up at The Curzon Mayfair for the big UK premiere of her new flick “Effie Gray” on Sunday night (October 5).
The stunning “Runaways” starlet was hard to miss in her ravishing red Valentino dress and shoes as she mingled with fellow attendees and posed for photos.
Meanwhile, Sienna Miller also came out to show some support for her handsome husband Tom Sturridge, who also stars in the film.
“Effie Gray” is slated to hit theaters here in the States in November. Per the synopsis, “This is a look at the mysterious relationship between Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride Effie Gray.”...
The stunning “Runaways” starlet was hard to miss in her ravishing red Valentino dress and shoes as she mingled with fellow attendees and posed for photos.
Meanwhile, Sienna Miller also came out to show some support for her handsome husband Tom Sturridge, who also stars in the film.
“Effie Gray” is slated to hit theaters here in the States in November. Per the synopsis, “This is a look at the mysterious relationship between Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride Effie Gray.”...
- 10/6/2014
- GossipCenter
Metrodome Distribution has unveiled two new clips (via Variety) of Dakota Fanning as “Effie Gray” in the Richard Laxton-directed Victorian drama. Written by Emma Thompson, “Effie Gray” tells the true story of the six-year marriage between Victorian art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise) and his teenage bride, Euphemia ‘Effie’ Gray (Fanning), the latter of whom stirred up controversy when she filed an annulment under the grounds of “incurable impotency” in order to marry Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge). Although the film’s plot makes it sound like Effie is caught in the middle of a love triangle, her marriage [...]
The post Watch: Dakota Fanning in New Clips From Emma Thompson-Scripted ‘Effie Gray’ appeared first on Up and Comers.
The post Watch: Dakota Fanning in New Clips From Emma Thompson-Scripted ‘Effie Gray’ appeared first on Up and Comers.
- 10/2/2014
- by Alfonso Espina
- UpandComers
Though we won't know the Us distributor until next month, "Effie Gray" will bow in UK cinemas on October 10. This is the first original screenplay by Thompson, who won a 1996 Oscar for adapting Jane Austin's "Sense and Sensibility" and also penned the Nanny McPhee films. Fanning plays the titular bride -- of critic John Ruskin -- whose marriage was unconsummated and who left Ruskin for "Ophelia" painter John Everett Millais. Scandalous. The clip and moody trailer below hint at the Victorian salaciousness to come. Listen to Thompson's BAFTA talk on screenwriting here; read a Thompson interview from the 2013 award season here. The film is directed by Richard Laxton. Trailer and clip:...
- 9/30/2014
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Thompson on Hollywood
Sneak Peek the first trailer revealing footage from director Richard Laxton's period 'biopic', "Effie Gray", written by Emma Thompson ("Sense and Sensibility"), starring Dakota Fanning, Robbie Coltrane, Claudia Cardinale, James Fox, Julie Walters, Derek Jacobi and David Suchet:
"...'Effie Gray' (Fanning) has a doomed marriage to art critic 'John Ruskin' (Greg Wise) in 1840s London.
"Despite her beauty, Ruskin didn’t consummate the marriage and the devastated Gray eventually fell in love with Ruskin’s protégé, painter 'John Everett Milias' (Tom Sturridge)..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Effie Gray"...
"...'Effie Gray' (Fanning) has a doomed marriage to art critic 'John Ruskin' (Greg Wise) in 1840s London.
"Despite her beauty, Ruskin didn’t consummate the marriage and the devastated Gray eventually fell in love with Ruskin’s protégé, painter 'John Everett Milias' (Tom Sturridge)..."
Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Effie Gray"...
- 9/16/2014
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Dakota Fanning is trapped in a loveless marriage in the first trailer for Richard Laxton‘s Victorian drama “Effie Gray.” Written by Emma Thompson (who also co-stars in the film), “Effie Gray” tells the true story of the infamous marriage between a 29-year-old John Ruskin (Greg Wise) and the 19-year-old Euphemia ‘Effie’ Gray (Fanning). Set during a time when divorce was illegal, it shouldn’t be a surprise that the marriage was unable to avoid inevitable scandal when the latter filed an annulment under the grounds of “incurable impotency” in order to marry artist John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge) instead. “It’s about [...]
The post Watch: Dakota Fanning in First Trailer for Emma Thompson-Scripted ‘Effie Gray’ appeared first on Up and Comers.
The post Watch: Dakota Fanning in First Trailer for Emma Thompson-Scripted ‘Effie Gray’ appeared first on Up and Comers.
- 9/15/2014
- by Alfonso Espina
- UpandComers
"She has to get away from their clutches." What is wrong with Effie? That's the question that plays at the center of the biopic Effie Gray. And from the look of its first trailer, the simple answer is that it wasn't easy being a woman in the Victorian age, where sex and desire were four-letter curse words. The Telegraph premieres Effie Gray's debut trailer ahead of its world theatrical debut in the U.K. on October 10th. Dakota Fanning stars as its title character, a woman who caused quite a scandal in Victorian England when she cheated on her art critic husband John Ruskin (Greg Wise), with the painter John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge). Emma Thompson co-stars alongside David Suchet, Robbie Coltrane and Julie Walters, but it was her screenwriting credit that has caused the film's modern-day scandal. Indie Wire reports that director Richard Laxton completed production on Effie Gray...
- 9/15/2014
- cinemablend.com
Whenever the words “delayed release” are appended to any film, critics usually respond with an arched eyebrow and an intimation that the film is not as good as it should be. While this is often true, in the case of Effie Gray we need to use some restraint. Despite being completed eleven months ago, the film has been delayed as the result of a legal dispute concerning authors Eve Pomerance and Gregory Murphy. The authors both wrote plays and screenplays on the subject and have claimed that the film relies too heavily on their work. Those disputes have been resolved, so it’s only now that Effie Gray shall see the light of day.
Effie Gray tells the complex true story of a Victorian love triangle between the young lady of the title (Dakota Fanning), her husband art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise), and a Pre-Raphaelite painter named Everett Millais...
Effie Gray tells the complex true story of a Victorian love triangle between the young lady of the title (Dakota Fanning), her husband art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise), and a Pre-Raphaelite painter named Everett Millais...
- 9/14/2014
- by Lauren Humphries-Brooks
- We Got This Covered
The first trailer for Emma Thompson's Effie Gray has been released.
Written and directed by Thompson, the film depicts the true story of the doomed marriage between art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise) and Euphemia 'Effie' Gray (Dakota Fanning).
The childhood friends were married in 1848 but did not consummate their union due to Ruskin's apparent aversion to the female body.
After six years, the couple were granted an annulment and Gray went on to marry the pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge).
The film also stars Claudia Cardinale, Robbie Coltrane, James Fox, David Suchet, Julie Walters and Derek Jacobi.
Effie Gray will be released on October 10 in the UK.
Written and directed by Thompson, the film depicts the true story of the doomed marriage between art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise) and Euphemia 'Effie' Gray (Dakota Fanning).
The childhood friends were married in 1848 but did not consummate their union due to Ruskin's apparent aversion to the female body.
After six years, the couple were granted an annulment and Gray went on to marry the pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge).
The film also stars Claudia Cardinale, Robbie Coltrane, James Fox, David Suchet, Julie Walters and Derek Jacobi.
Effie Gray will be released on October 10 in the UK.
- 9/14/2014
- Digital Spy
Despite having been completed a year and a half ago, the period drama Effie Gray has been held back by silly legal entanglements from writers Even Pomerance and Gregory Murphy, both claiming that the film seemed to borrow too much from their existing plays and screenplays on the historical figure and Victorian-era love triangle. But all that's been solved, and the film is at least poised for release in the United Kingdom this fall with Dakota Fanning in the title role of Euphemia "Effie" Gray. The film follows her troubled marriage with art critic and social reformer John Ruskin (Greg Wise) and eventual relationship with painter John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge). It doesn't look half-bad for this kind of flick. Watch? Here's the first UK trailer for Richard Laxton's Effie Gray from The Telegraph (via The Playlist): Effie Gray is directed by Richard Laxton ("Burton & Taylor") and written...
- 9/12/2014
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Consummation was all the rage during the Victorian era.
The Telegraph previewed an exclusive first trailer for the period drama Effie Gray, which depicts the true story of the sexless marriage between art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise) and wife Euphemia “Effie” Gray (Dakota Fanning). Realizing that Ruskin is unwilling to consummate the marriage, Gray seeks to get her rocks off with Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge), causing a tumultuous love triangle spanning years. Those Pre-Raphaelites must sure know what they’re doing.
Watch Fanning’s frustration amidst the cold English backdrops below.
The Telegraph previewed an exclusive first trailer for the period drama Effie Gray, which depicts the true story of the sexless marriage between art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise) and wife Euphemia “Effie” Gray (Dakota Fanning). Realizing that Ruskin is unwilling to consummate the marriage, Gray seeks to get her rocks off with Pre-Raphaelite painter John Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge), causing a tumultuous love triangle spanning years. Those Pre-Raphaelites must sure know what they’re doing.
Watch Fanning’s frustration amidst the cold English backdrops below.
- 9/12/2014
- by Teresa Jue
- EW - Inside Movies
Want to know what British films are coming out this month? Then look no further than our fabulous movie calendar...
Welcome to our new, regularly updated calendar of all the British movies due for release in UK cinemas over the coming months. So if you're keen to keep up-to-date on the latest in home grown cinema - from documentaries to dramas, and comedy horror to science fiction - this is the ideal post for you.
So here's what's coming up in the future.
12 September 2014
Pride
Director: Matthew Warchus
Cast: Bill Nighy, Dominic West, Andrew Scott
Details: A drama about a group of gay and lesbian activists donating to people in need during the 1984 miners' strike.
Jack To A King - The Swansea Story
Director: Marc Evans
Cast: Tbc
Details: A documentary about Swansea football fans.
19 September 2014
Night Will Fall
Director: Andre Singer
Cast: Alfred Hitchcock, Sidney Bernstein
Details: A documentary...
Welcome to our new, regularly updated calendar of all the British movies due for release in UK cinemas over the coming months. So if you're keen to keep up-to-date on the latest in home grown cinema - from documentaries to dramas, and comedy horror to science fiction - this is the ideal post for you.
So here's what's coming up in the future.
12 September 2014
Pride
Director: Matthew Warchus
Cast: Bill Nighy, Dominic West, Andrew Scott
Details: A drama about a group of gay and lesbian activists donating to people in need during the 1984 miners' strike.
Jack To A King - The Swansea Story
Director: Marc Evans
Cast: Tbc
Details: A documentary about Swansea football fans.
19 September 2014
Night Will Fall
Director: Andre Singer
Cast: Alfred Hitchcock, Sidney Bernstein
Details: A documentary...
- 9/12/2014
- by sarahd
- Den of Geek
We’ve got our hands on the exclusive poster for Effie Gray, and it's a bit of a beauty. The film tells the tale of Victorian social scandal and Jen/Brad/Ange of its day – art critic John Ruskin, his mysterious unconsummated marriage to one Euphemia Gray, and her subsequent remarriage to John Millais. Our eponymous heroine is played by Dakota Fanning, with Greg Wise as Ruskin, and Tom Sturridge as Pre-Raphaelite dreamboat Millais. The cast also includes the likes of Emma Thompson, David Suchet, Robbie Coltrane, Julie Walters, which is...
.
.
- 9/11/2014
- by Fiona Gales
- TotalFilm
Exclusive: Metrodome to give wide UK release to period drama held up by legal disputes.
The long-running legal disputes holding back Emma Thompson’s period-drama Effie Gray would seem to be finally over, as the film is due for UK, Us and international release this autumn.
UK distributor Metrodome has struck a deal for a wide release in October while producers Donald Rosenfeld and Andreas Roald expect a November release in the Us.
Emma Thompson wrote and stars in the long-awaited period drama about the mysterious relationship between Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride Effie Gray.
The film’s cast includes Dakota Fanning as Effie, Thompson’s husband Greg Wise as Ruskin, Tom Sturridge as painter Everett Millais as well as David Suchet, Derek Jacobi, Robbie Coltrane, James Fox and Claudia Cardinale.
The UK deal was negotiated by Metrodome’s head of acquisitions Giles Edwards and Norwegian financier Roald of Sovereign Films.
Effie is based...
The long-running legal disputes holding back Emma Thompson’s period-drama Effie Gray would seem to be finally over, as the film is due for UK, Us and international release this autumn.
UK distributor Metrodome has struck a deal for a wide release in October while producers Donald Rosenfeld and Andreas Roald expect a November release in the Us.
Emma Thompson wrote and stars in the long-awaited period drama about the mysterious relationship between Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride Effie Gray.
The film’s cast includes Dakota Fanning as Effie, Thompson’s husband Greg Wise as Ruskin, Tom Sturridge as painter Everett Millais as well as David Suchet, Derek Jacobi, Robbie Coltrane, James Fox and Claudia Cardinale.
The UK deal was negotiated by Metrodome’s head of acquisitions Giles Edwards and Norwegian financier Roald of Sovereign Films.
Effie is based...
- 8/14/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
Fresh from a triumph in New York, one of our most extravagantly talented stars will soon unveil one of her most cherished projects to date, Effie, a film about John Ruskin – lawyers permitting.
Picture gallery here
It was only a matter of time until the BBC broadcast images of Emma Thompson's downstairs lavatory. The combination of her larky sense of humour and love of a theatrical flourish made it somehow inevitable. And so last month it came to pass. The actress, having been overlooked for an Oscar nomination, was televised at her home receiving a "Mark"; a golden statuette in the likeness of the Observer's film critic, which was offered in recognition of her screen portrayal of the author of Mary Poppins, Pamela Travers.
She was, Kermode said, "sheer perfection in the complex role of 'Mrs Pl', never allowing the author to descend into crotchety caricature, constantly suggesting a...
Picture gallery here
It was only a matter of time until the BBC broadcast images of Emma Thompson's downstairs lavatory. The combination of her larky sense of humour and love of a theatrical flourish made it somehow inevitable. And so last month it came to pass. The actress, having been overlooked for an Oscar nomination, was televised at her home receiving a "Mark"; a golden statuette in the likeness of the Observer's film critic, which was offered in recognition of her screen portrayal of the author of Mary Poppins, Pamela Travers.
She was, Kermode said, "sheer perfection in the complex role of 'Mrs Pl', never allowing the author to descend into crotchety caricature, constantly suggesting a...
- 3/23/2014
- by Vanessa Thorpe
- The Guardian - Film News
Always an avid fan of style, Dakota Fanning was in the house at the Proenza Schouler runway presentation at Mercedes-Benz New York Fashion Week Fall 2014 yesterday (February 12).
The “I Am Sam” starlet kept it simple in a cream shift dress with a long black coat and black gladiator sandals as she sat front row for the exciting event at the Gavin Brown Gallery.
Next month, Dakota’s new flick “Effie Gray” is slated to hit theaters in the UK, also starring Emma Thompson, Tom Sturridge and Claudia Cardinale.
Per the synopsis, “This is a look at the mysterious relationship between Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride Effie Gray.”...
The “I Am Sam” starlet kept it simple in a cream shift dress with a long black coat and black gladiator sandals as she sat front row for the exciting event at the Gavin Brown Gallery.
Next month, Dakota’s new flick “Effie Gray” is slated to hit theaters in the UK, also starring Emma Thompson, Tom Sturridge and Claudia Cardinale.
Per the synopsis, “This is a look at the mysterious relationship between Victorian art critic John Ruskin and his teenage bride Effie Gray.”...
- 2/13/2014
- GossipCenter
From new voices like NoViolet Bulawayo to rediscovered old voices like James Salter, from Dave Eggers's satire to David Thomson's history of film, writers, Observer critics and others pick their favourite reads of 2013. And they tell us what they hope to find under the tree …
Curtis Sittenfeld
Novelist
My favourite books of 2013 are Drama High (Riverhead) by Michael Sokolove, Sea Creatures (Turnaround) by Susanna Daniel, and & Sons (Harper Collins) by David Gilbert. Drama High is incredibly smart, moving non-fiction about an American drama teacher who for four decades coaxed sophisticated and nuanced theatrical performances out of teenage students who weren't privileged or otherwise remarkable and in so doing, changed their conceptions of what they could do with their lives. Sea Creatures is a gripping, beautifully written novel about the mother of a selectively mute three-year-old boy; when she takes a job ferrying supplies to a hermit off the coast of Florida,...
Curtis Sittenfeld
Novelist
My favourite books of 2013 are Drama High (Riverhead) by Michael Sokolove, Sea Creatures (Turnaround) by Susanna Daniel, and & Sons (Harper Collins) by David Gilbert. Drama High is incredibly smart, moving non-fiction about an American drama teacher who for four decades coaxed sophisticated and nuanced theatrical performances out of teenage students who weren't privileged or otherwise remarkable and in so doing, changed their conceptions of what they could do with their lives. Sea Creatures is a gripping, beautifully written novel about the mother of a selectively mute three-year-old boy; when she takes a job ferrying supplies to a hermit off the coast of Florida,...
- 11/24/2013
- by Ali Smith, Robert McCrum, Tim Adams, Kate Kellaway, Rachel Cooke, Sebastian Faulks, Jackie Kay
- The Guardian - Film News
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.