INTERVIEW THE RED RAG PIERCE BROSNAN talks about life, work and playing The Matador.
“Richard Shepherd [writer/director of The Matador] changed my life. He came bearing gifts with his script. At the time I was just looking for good work and the best people to work with and for. This script just made me howl with laughter. I thought it was hysterical. I thought it was really well founded by Richard, who seemed to have a stream of consciousness that was uncensored. The script had texture and it had heart.
“Doing something like The Matador or The Tailor of Panama, which have a theatrical spine to them, is very different from doing Bond, in the sense that the scenes are 12-15 pages long - that is the closest I will get to the theatre. That’s what I loved about this particular piece - it has a theatricality to it. When the clapper goes down you have 12 pages of dialogue to get through and it gives you room to move and to give a performance. I don’t know about going back to the stage, I’ve been invited a few times in Dublin. But it’s a bit scary.
‘After all these years my energy is good. I’m still passionate about film and have the stamina to stay at it. If there is anything to tell a young actor it is to get going - emotionally, spiritually, psychologically, physically . . . because it is warfare out there. I am more passionate now than ever because of this film and the joy it is bringing to everybody. I had been wondering about when a piece of material was going to come my way that was going to tilt the scales or give a new colour on the palette and it came in the shape and form of The Matador, so it seems.
‘I have been blessed. I came to this country 23 years ago on a wing and a prayer - Freddie Laker, sandwiches at the back of the plane - so I got a job, a TV show. I was looking to work with Martin Scorsese. Beggars can’t be choosers, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth - whatever you want to say, it’s work. Relish it, enjoy it, get on with it.’
I The Matador is on general release from Fri 3 Mar. See review, page 42.
professional actress GraCiana Chiioni. who plays the 8-1»yeai-old matriarch Emilia.
With restless. handheld camei‘awork and tight framing magnif\ing the collective discomfort of the travelling clan. Trapeio also piotides us with some tasCInating glimpses of rural Argentina: the landscapes grow more \erdant the further neith the family (Tm es. cowboys roam the roads and a small town is decked Out in blue and white national flags to celebrate a holiday. And amidst the bickering and disagreements amongst Emilia's relatives. the film pays tribute to the
practical iesotircefulness of its characters in the face of numerous obstacles. The ‘iolling family' of the title becomes a metaphor for Argentinean
society as a whole. struggling along but
sticking together despite the country's parlous economic circumstances. iTom Dawson)
I Fi/rnhouse, Edinburgh from Fri
7,‘— Thu 35‘ Feb.
PSYCHO SEMI/Kl HORROR FEED (18) 100min «o
Brett The Ltll‘.’lll77()L‘l’t?!’ Man Leonard delves deep into the world explored in the startlsng and disturbing
documentan. Fat Girls and Feeders the
latter are men who admire obese women and purposefully make them gain weight for their own (lGSlTGS'. The difference is that this is an extreme herro." film and not a documei‘itary. Coo Philip Jackson 'JaCk’ Thompson. stumbles onto a snuff feeder site and Quickly becomes obsessed ‘.‘.’lllT tracking down the sooopath Feeder X
w. fits .i {‘lll"l7ll'l? for stu-
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past a shame The budget and a rather til".l(\1_,“ fat suit don't ll‘.“ up to ll‘, lftllt' concept, drawing out a sii‘glr- premise for far too long, But the pace picks up waiting to a twisting. iiueast, finale [Hit] has it'one pretty well on the horror and fantasy film festival circuit. it refuses to baulk at exert the foulest detaiis You may want to eat before you go to see this one. «Henry Northiiioret I Vue Ocean Park. Edinburgh lrorn Fri i'.’ Feb and selected release later on.
and you can see “.‘Jll‘,
ACTION ADVE Nlthl: SEVEN SWORDS (15) 140mm 000
Unusually for a martial arts movie. Seven S's-words begins with a close-up of a mountain goat. However, this brief
scene of rustic guiet is soon interrupted
by the sound of riders on horseback. Villagers including women and children are then put to death by mercenaries dressed in attire more suited to Mad Max 2 than 17th century China. Prolific director producer Tsui Hark made his name with the wuXia lmartial chivalryi epic Z u-li'l/arriors From the Mi’igic
Once Upon a Time in China franchise. It
is not surprising then that a canny operator like Hark should seek to emulate the crossover appeal of Zhang Yiincu's Hero and House of Flying
Daggers. Based on a novel by Liang Yu
Silent . Seven Swords is set after the .l
Manchurians ousted the Chang dynasty
and attempted to quell uprisings by banning martial arts. FITC'V/llltl iSun
Honglen. an ex-Ching soldier, ruthlessly
executes the law. but finds himself
‘J a: confronted by seven heroes. each armed with a sword speCialIy soited to their personality. The formidable presence of Donnie Yen i/ron Monkey. Heroi registers strongly as a taciturn warrior. but at well over two heurs Seven Swords may require conSiderable patience from non-genre fans. iKeVin Sturtoni I Se/ected release from Fri 24 Feb.
Film
A little dab of film news will do ya!
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I Calling all actors, technicians and extras who worked on Bertrand Tavernier’s bn'lliant 1979 film Deathwatch (pictured) which was filmed in Glasgow and Scotland. Tavemier is returning to Glasgow this March for the Renault French Film Festival UK and there’s a party planned. Hell, Harvey Keitel may even turn up. Contact Marie-Alice at the Alliance Francaise, Glasgow on 0141 331 4080 or e-mail directionQ afglasgow.org.uk. Merci!
I There's a lot going down at the Glasgow Media Access Centre. First up there's the Super Short Film Festival (films of five minutes or under). at 7pm, Wed 22 Feb at G-MAC. 3rd Floor, 34 Albion St. Admission is free and the programme lasts for 90 minutes. Go to supershortsorguk for details. On top of this GMAC has introduced a writing group for budding scriptwriters aged from 12 to 18. The group's focus is on scriptwriting for film. Places are limited but it's free. The next meeting is Tue 28 Feb. Call Beth on 0141 553 2620. or email gmac_4u@hotmail.co.uk.
I Over in Edinburgh there’s another excellent Future Shorts. To mark Valentines month, the theme this time is love. Films include Taika Waititi’s enjoyable New Zealand short Two Cars One Night, on at 8pm at the Left Bank on Wed 22 Feb.
WIN THE ARISTOCRATS ON DVD
We have five
copies of The ? unnuml Aristocrats to 6 "9‘1""! give away. This ' ’7" scurrilous :5“, documentary 5 captures Over
100 comics a telling the
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9‘
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16 Feb—2 Mar 2006 THE LIST 43