Mike Leigh is Up to His Same Old Tricks
Back to work and no word on what to expect
Mike Leigh is an interesting writer/director. For example, with his Oscar-nominated film Happy-Go-Lucky he worked one-on-one with star Sally Hawkins to create her character as he has been quoted saying he begins his films with nothing more than an idea and through work with the actors, research and improvisation a story and the characters begin to emerge. When I spoke with him last October I mentioned how hard it must be to get funding for a film with no script, he told me, "It always is. I'm the guy with no script, I won't talk about casting and I won't talk about the content. You give us the money and we go away and make the film and don't interfere with us. Not all backers are interested in that proposition." Well, he's got the money and he's back to work.
Gregg Kilday at The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Leigh began production on his latest, currently untitled, film on Wednesday (8/26/09) in London. His cast is filled with his regulars including Michele Austin, David Bradley, Jim Broadbent, Phil Davis, Karina Fernandez, Oliver Maltman, Lesley Manville, Stuart McQuarrie, Martin Savage, Ruth Sheen, Imelda Staunton and Peter Wight. Kilday points out only Bradley and McQuarrie have not worked previously with the director.
As my opening probably led you to believe, we don't have any details on the story. The film is financed by Focus Features International, the U.K. Film Council's Premiere Fund and Film4.
This is definitely a film to keep in the back of your mind and remember for next year as Leigh's films always drum up some attention. I have still a lot of his pictures to watch, but if you are looking for one film of his as a recommendation, beyond Happy-Go-Lucky which I really enjoyed, give Secrets and Lies a try. It's a gem.
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"Happy Go Lucky" was a disappointment. If you have diabetes, you need to make sure you're current on your shots before sitting down. And the film didn't seem to go anywhere. But there were some very good performances within.
"Secrets and Lies" is superb. I can forgive Mike Leigh a lot for having created that film.
But he gets financing with no script? That is frankly, in this economic time, an abomination. How are up and coming British directors/writers going to get started when money is being used to feed Leigh's ego?
In contrast, Ramin Bahrani, who I think is one of the most interesting new directors coming up in the U.S., says that no matter how spontenous his dialogue seems, it is always highly scripted. Now THAT's talent.
@Patricia: Completely disagree about Happy-Go-Lucky, it's a film that I think examined the audience more than it did its characters. My review explains a little further, which is here if you're interested.
Agree on Secrets and Lies though, that film was stellar.
@Brad Brevet: Yes, "Happy-Go-Lucky" is a film done a mis-service by its title. Poppy is a person who has come to accept her life's perspective and refuses to compromise it. She is an absolute glass-is-almost-full type of person. Sometimes it can overwhelm, as I stated earlier. But she isn't mindless, we witness her confronting some real challenges in life that she meets with patience and intelligence. She treats her driving instructor with compassion and understanding, something that ultimately infuriates him more than her misunderstanding would. And I especially love the scene with the homeless man. I could watch that over and over, and to tell you the truth, its a scene that in order to see it justifies people renting "Happy-Go-Lucky."
Overall, I gave this film a C+, not an A. I ddn't like that it didn't take us anywhere. But after reading your review, I see what you say about it being a shot in the arm, almost an antidote, against today's cynicism. I never looked at it that way. I know people like Poppy, in fact, to a lesser degree, you're talking to one. That's perhaps why I was a bit more critical of the film, I wanted Poppy so much to articulate and celebrate her perspective more than she does. Wouldn't it have been perfect if the crisis in the film was someone pushing into Poppy articulating herself? This is what happens when you work without a script.
@Patricia:
But he DOES have a script by the time the camera rolls. He has emphasised thiis so many times in so many interviews that I'm amazed that anyone can still get this wrong. He is also spectacularly generous in his support of young film makers in the UK. Really, you might try and get at least one fact right before you make insulting personal remarks about someone you don't even know.