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Simon News, Articles, Info
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| 258pce |
Date: Sunday, 25-Jan-15, 8:36 AM | Message # 541 |
 Cobber
Messages: 119
Status: Offline |
wow DS and Marta--our own detectives! I suspected that he might be making the appearance to garner support for "Breath" He also made a big point of praising the French film industry in an interview last year....
looks like he's not wasting any time getting back to work! |
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| Fran |
Date: Monday, 26-Jan-15, 11:56 AM | Message # 542 |
 Fair Dinkum
Messages: 4127
Status: Offline |
Quote DS_Pallas (  ) Fran, "Le grand Journal"on Canal Plus is always live.
Thanks for that, confirms that Simon will be there. I agree he must have other reasons to make the journey worthwhile, not necessarily in Paris though, could be somewhere else in Europe I suppose. |
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| DS_Pallas |
Date: Tuesday, 27-Jan-15, 1:13 PM | Message # 543 |
 Fair Dinkum
Messages: 1979
Status: Offline |
An Australian film for Simon?
As it inches towards pre-production, Fred Schepisi’s “The Olive Sisters”, based on the best-selling book by Amanda Hampton, thickens it’s cast.
We’re told Leslie Mann (“The Other Woman”) and Simon Baker (“The Mentalist”) have joined the film, which is set to go into production down under shortly. The film sees Baker return to his native Australia, where he cut his teeth on such shows and features as “E-Street” and “Love From Ground Zero”; while Mann’s versatility as a performer – she’s best known for comedies, but has done her fair share of dramatic work – will see her a worthy addition to a terrific yarn.
The movie will tell the story of two generations of an Italian family . Part of the film will focus on the family in the ’50s, while the other will be set in the modern-day and follow the granddaughter. The movie, which Hampton is also adapting for the screen, has been in development for quite some time but is now welcomingly gearing up for a shoot down under.
Here’s the synopsis of the book from Amazon :
When Adrienne’s marketing company goes down, her lifestyle does too. She retreats from the city to the beautiful, abandoned olive grove once owned by her Italian grandparents. A ‘tree change’ isn’t what Adrienne has in mind, however, and life in the country delivers some surprises as she confronts the past and learns the secrets of the Olive Sisters . . . Old loves, new loves, warm toast and rich traditions are all part of the delicious blend of this absorbing story.
http://moviehole.net/201584706mann-baker-pick-olive |
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| Wand6122360 |
Date: Tuesday, 27-Jan-15, 1:25 PM | Message # 544 |
Bee's Knees
Messages: 517
Status: Offline |
Great news indeed. I looked up the director on IMDB, and he has a very good resume, so hopefully this movie will get worldwide distribution, though I'll hunt it down even if it doesn't. It seems that Simon is following his heart these days, and his heart is in Australia.
PS thanks for posting, Pallas.
Message edited by Wand6122360 - Tuesday, 27-Jan-15, 1:29 PM |
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| Fran |
Date: Tuesday, 27-Jan-15, 1:26 PM | Message # 545 |
Fair Dinkum
Messages: 4127
Status: Offline |
Thanks DSP. Wasn't expecting this! I wonder how big Simon's part is, he doesn't have Italian looks, but maybe he's an "old love" or a "new love" 
Wanda, I think Australia is not just where Simon's heart is, I think he also wants to give something back to the Australian film industry.
Can't see the film on imdb yet, but here's the page for Fred Schepisi for those who'd like to check him out: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0770961/ |
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| Wand6122360 |
Date: Tuesday, 27-Jan-15, 1:30 PM | Message # 546 |
Bee's Knees
Messages: 517
Status: Offline |
Good point Fran. |
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| Fran |
Date: Tuesday, 27-Jan-15, 1:55 PM | Message # 547 |
Fair Dinkum
Messages: 4127
Status: Offline |
A little bit more info here: https://www.thefilmcatalogue.com/catalog/FilmDetail.php?id=19819
i.e. Made by Arclight Films (who made S&D101). Due for release in 2016. |
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| June |
Date: Tuesday, 27-Jan-15, 2:10 PM | Message # 548 |
 Bee's Knees
Messages: 585
Status: Offline |
What a great news! Fred Schepisi is a good director, Australian too, I watched many of his films in the 90s, as "A cry in the dark" with Meryl Streep and her famous "a dingo ate my baby!". In my opinion his best work is a TV movie titled "Empire Falls" with an amazing cast: Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Ed Harris, Philip Seymour Hoffman and more. It's worth watching it.
I hope this movie and "Breath" mean the beginning of a new and successful phase for Simon. He deserves it. |
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| Tina |
Date: Tuesday, 27-Jan-15, 2:26 PM | Message # 549 |
 Fair Dinkum
Messages: 2066
Status: Offline |
Very interesting. Great news. He sure doesn't look Italian ..maybe I'll wait with reading the book until I know which part Simon will play...
So good that Simon seems to stay busy.
Couldn't wait and just ordered the book in the German version ...I love Australian novels.
Message edited by tinamarianne - Tuesday, 27-Jan-15, 2:48 PM |
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| bee |
Date: Tuesday, 27-Jan-15, 2:50 PM | Message # 550 |
 Fair Dinkum
Messages: 1525
Status: Offline |
Good news indeed. It will be great to see him in a new role. With this film and Breath in the offing it will show that Simon (as we all know) has a lot more to give and will hopefully open more acting/directing doors for him. In his position he will at least now be able to pick and choose his future roles and it's great to see him stick to his Australian roots. |
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| Deedee |
Date: Tuesday, 27-Jan-15, 2:55 PM | Message # 551 |
 Bee's Knees
Messages: 704
Status: Offline |
This is such exciting news and am so glad that Simon will be in an Australian film and of course with Breath presumably coming before too long we have so much to look forward to. |
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| Tina |
Date: Tuesday, 27-Jan-15, 4:51 PM | Message # 552 |
Fair Dinkum
Messages: 2066
Status: Offline |
Found some more info. It seems it's set in Australia. So he might be Jack? Or some Aussie man in the present story.
Adrienne Bennett is a successful businesswoman with an enviable lifestyle but when her business goes down her life falls apart and her self-confidence quickly crumbles. She is forced to move from her beautiful Sydney apartment to the small rural community of Duffy’s Creek and the run-down olive grove she has inherited from her grandparents.
Over the next few months she makes some startling discoveries about her identity that lead her towards a deeper exploration of who she really is. She’s forced to confront and deal with secrets from the past and along the way she learns something about humility, friendships, forgiveness and love.
In a parallel narrative we follow Adrienne’s grandparents, the Martino family, Italian migrants who worked hard to establish the olive grove in the belief it would provide a legacy for their two daughters, Isabelle and Rosanna. They take local mining engineer Jack under their wing and he falls in love with and marries Isabelle, the elder sister. When problems in the marriage emerge, a pact is made between the sisters that leads to heartbreak and estrangement.
http://melissagfans.livejournal.com/650728.html
Message edited by tinamarianne - Tuesday, 27-Jan-15, 4:52 PM |
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| Tassie |
Date: Tuesday, 27-Jan-15, 5:54 PM | Message # 553 |
Bee's Knees
Messages: 517
Status: Offline |
This is wonderful news. I was worried in case Simon didn't take an acting part in Breath, but now we have another chance to see him on the big screen.  |
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| Fran |
Date: Tuesday, 27-Jan-15, 7:49 PM | Message # 554 |
Fair Dinkum
Messages: 4127
Status: Offline |
Yes Tina, I wondered if Simon might be playing Jack.
Here are some other little snippets of information about the film:
2013 - Screen Australia Producer Directory Cannes 2013
Listed as in development, Estimated Budget A$15
http://www.screenaustralia.gov.au/getmedi....013.pdf
May 2014 - excerpt from interview with Fred Schepisi
What do you have coming up next that you’re excited for audiences to see?
SCHEPISI: The Olive Sisters will be next. It’s a film I’m doing in Australia about two generations of an Italian family, one in the late 50’s and the other now [in the present] with the granddaughter. It’s all about prejudice and changes in prejudice and farming. It’s a beautiful story.
We have Sarah Jessica Parker, Anthony LaPaglia, Josh Lucas, and Melissa George.
http://collider.com/words-and-pictures-interview-fred-schepisi/
July 2014 - excerpts from interviews with Fred Schepisi
Okay Fred, so what sort of projects are you doing in the future, and will there be further long gestation periods?
Well, in a month’s time I was supposed to start something called The Olive Sisters, based on a novel by Amanda Hampson… But my financing just fell through, so that’s the end of that.
http://www.adelaidereview.com.au/arts....ictures
What’s next for you as a director?
Well it’s supposed to be a thing called The Olive Sisters but there’s some financial stuff going on, hopefully it happens this year.
http://iris.theaureview.com/2014....nd-more
[Presumably funding is in place now, and the movie is going ahead]
December 2014 - from Amanda Hampsons website
The Olive Sisters – Movie Update
Over the last couple of years I’ve had the privilege of working on the screenplay for The Olive Sisters with the internationally admired and hugely talented Australian director Fred Schepisi. Over the last seven years I’ve written and rewritten this script but the last couple of years under Fred’s direction have been quite a learning curve for me and taken the script to a new level.
Setting a novel on two different time frames is an absolute doddle compared to trying to turn that into imagery. It’s incredibly complex working out how the two stories intertwine and support each other and in what order the revelations should appear.
While my first love is – and always will be – the novel, working on a script for a visual medium where the entire story has to be delivered in around 110 pages has been a real education in structure, stage management and brevity. I can really feel the difference in my writing now that I’m back working on a new novel.
http://www.amandahampson.com/27/ |
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| Tina |
Date: Tuesday, 27-Jan-15, 8:10 PM | Message # 555 |
Fair Dinkum
Messages: 2066
Status: Offline |
I can't wait to read the book. Just reading another Australian novel by Monica McInerney. Love her books. They are always big so I spent a lot of time reading today so I have this finished til I get The Olive Sisters.
I would be a bit disappointed though if Simon is shooting this one first...but who knows. Maybe it's a great part for him, this is why I need to read the book very soon  |
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