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Following along of the lines of “Mary Kom”, 2014 Toronto is the year of the bio-pic. There are close to 25 or more fictionalised or directly narrated films on the lives of persons well known in their respective fields. Another trend this year is the filmed version of the literary classic. On the slate are two versions of Madame Bovary, Gustav Flaubert’s novel that was published in 1857.
The bio-pic list includes “Foxcatcher”, which premiered earlier this year in Cannes. Directed by Academy Award nominee Bennett Miller, the film presents a sinister look at the ominous multi-millionaire du Pont, the scion of a prominent Pennsylvania family who took an unseemly interest in sibling Olympic gold medallist wrestlers Dave and Mark Schultz (portrayed by Mark Buffalo and Channing Tatum respectively).
In “The Theory of Everything”, directed by Oscar-winning James Marsh, actor Eddie Redmayne gives a towering performance as the genius physicist Stephen Hawking, twisting his body every which way to convey the crippling disease of ALS at the time he was first diagnosed with it as a youthful Cambridge graduate student. This was also when he was falling in love with first wife Jane as well as embarking on his seminal study into the nature of time.
“The Imitation Game” profiles Alan Turing, the innovative computer scientist who provided invaluable help to the Brits during the Second World War before being prosecuted for homosexuality in 1952. He died two years later. Keira Knightley portrays his close friend, Joan Clarke.
Other films are on the troubled Beach Boys (the American rock band formed in 1961 which started with brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine), the chess prodigy Bobby Fischer and the Colombian coke lord Pablo Escobar.
Directors of these films seem to be in agreement that making the bio-pic does not rest on sticking to the facts and the recorded linear progression of the lives they are presenting. They need to highlight what is unusual and striking about these world figures. They see the bio-pic as going far beyond the documentary with the director bringing creative insights that are not so apparent or visible about the person they are bringing to life.
The Literary Classic
The brooding story of Emma Bovary has intrigued filmmakers over decades (the best known perhaps being Claude Chabrol’s relatively faithful 1991 adaptation). Now comes the Belgian/British film directed by Sophy Barthes and starring the incredible Mia Wasikowska with Paul Giamatti as her husband. Emma Bovary marries a dull village doctor to escape from the pig farm run by her parents. She finds her new home in provincial Normandy full of ennui and finds her husband’s job demeaning. She embarks on a series of love affairs hoping for yet another escape, but her wilful, wasteful yearning for social status and excitement lead to disaster and her death. The film is far too immersed with the picturesque imagery of its period setting. Besides, the characters it deals with remain too set and stolid to be able to capture the gripping nuances and inner compulsions of the novel.
Another film on the same subject also surfaced at TIFF. Titled “Gemma Bovery” and based on the English writer/illustrator Posy Simmonds’ 1999 graphic novel. Here Emma’s life is completely re-written. Directed by Anne Fontaine, “Gemma Bovery” is set in recent times. Its heroine is an Englishwoman who takes off with her husband Charlie for what she believes will be a more rich and exciting life in rural Normandy. Her disappointment leads her to follow Emma’s known penchant for being lured by other men, which finally leads to her suicide.
Both films on Emma fail to capture the deep inner compulsions of this contrary woman beleaguered by her worldly needs and fantasies on an exciting, upper class life that she can never access.
Spot News!
Deepa Mehta was noticeably absent at 2014 TIFF. As the much-lauded member on the festival’s Governing Board, she usually plays a prominent role in the festival’s proceedings. Deepa was away in Vancouver completing the shoot of her latest feature. Returning on the last day of the festival, a tired and satiated Deepa was excited about casting Randeep Hooda in the main role. “He is a wonderful, committed actor to work with, meticulous in his preparation and subtle and powerful in his performance”. Other Indian actors in the cast are Kulbhushan Kharbanda and Gulshan Grover.
