‘I THINK I CAN DO EVERYTHING NOW - I'M NO LONGER AFRAID'
Siren from Smolensk
Russian actress Dina Korzun has been compared to everyone from Audrey Hepburn to Julia Roberts. Tom Dawson met her on the eve of her US film debut.
ina Kor/un is running through some of the
benefits of being a l‘atnous actress in lter
Russian homeland. ‘I don‘t haye to pay t‘or ta\is in Moscow it the driyer recognises tny lace. l get l't‘ee meals at restaurants. and tree clothes from Russian designers'. she explains in l‘luent linglish. ‘l’eople stop me in the street and say nice things. I tltink it‘s because I do charity yyork for kids yyith cancer perhaps people respect me tor that more than tor my tilms.‘
'l‘he golden—haired. 35-year-old ls'or/un tirst came to the attention ol‘ British audiences yyith her acclaimed portrayal ol~ the asylum~seeking Russian single mother in l’ays‘el l’ayylikoyyski's I.u.\l Resort. llaying been classically trained as a stage actress at the prestigious Moscoyy .-\rts 'l‘heatre. she \y as understandably nery‘ous abottt yyorking on a tiltn in a language she then couldn't speak. and collaborating with a director yy ho ysorkcd from a rough outline rather than a complete script. ‘l‘m so thankl'ul to l’ayy'el tor letting tne experience his style ot' yyorking‘ she enthuses. 'It yyas like oyercoming a phobia or jumpng into cold yyater. I think I can do eyerything noyy I'm no longer atraid.‘
She‘s equally impressiye in the sloyy—burning ['8 indie l-orry' Shut/es of Blue from yyriter-director lra Sachs. Set in the filmmakers hometoyyn ot' Memphis. 'l‘ennessee. it explores the loye-triangle betyyeen a charistnatic southern music producer (Rip 'l‘ornl. his mttch younger Muscoyite trophy girlfriend l.aura (Kor/unl. and the patriarch‘s groy'sn-up academic son (Darren Burroyys). 'l haye a beautil‘ul lite. I don't haye the right to complain‘. says Laura other materially cosseted existence. yet Kor/un‘s outstanding performance subtly reveals the solitude.
lragility and hurt thence the films titlei beneath her characters immaculately beautit'ul l'acade.
‘\\’hen Ira sent me the script. I didn‘t l'cel there ysere enough possibilities l'or me to e\press my lcclmgs‘. reseals ls'or/un. ‘But talking to lra. I realised he \yas a yery deep person. and I treated the liltn like a proliessional challenge. lle yyanted it to be like a silent moyie. yyhcre you can understand \yhat’s going on \yithotit arty dialogue. and that‘s especially true tor l.aura. You don't really knoyy \yho she is. bttt you l'ecl deeply l'or herf
ls'or/un. yyho greyy tip in Smolensk. spent the sis months prior to the .\lemphis shoot back in Russia. yy here she constructed ltcr oyyn yersion ol l.atira. 'l‘m absolutely ditterent from her I don't knots anything about people like that. so it was hard making her cottte aliyc'. continues the actress. ‘I used t'riends ot' mine as the basis t'or l.aura. I thought that she probably has to moye like this person. attd that she has to be sensitiye like tltat person. Shes like a Sleeping Beauty \yho's yyoken tip by lose. and yy ho realises she can‘t go on mm the same lil'e.’ Kor/un is currently \yeighing tip a number of possible lilm attd theatre roles. hoping tor soittething that matches the quality Ul. I'll/'1) Sluu/ry n/ Blue. 'l ysant to e\press something that could be really interesting tor an audience and for mysell". she concludes. ‘I don't “ant to be in something superficial “here I can't e\press my sell. I think it's more to do yyith lttck and destiny hoyseyer. You can try and you can hope. btit it's not vlll\l about our \y ishes and capabilities.'
Forty Shades of Blue is at GFT, Glasgow from Fri 21-Thu 27 Jul only. See review, page 46.
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THE BEST FILM & DVD RELEASES
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* Kiss Me Deadly Robert Aldrich's unflinchineg brilliant 1955 film noir gets a welcome re release in a lovely new print. See revrew, page 45. Film/rouse, Edinburgh from Fri 2 l—Thu 27 Jul only.
* Superman Returns Bryan X -Men Singer delivers the goods in this thrilling return for the Man of Steel. See review, page 44. General release.
* Forty Shades of Blue Rather special character drama set amidst the music scene in Memphis. See interview. left and review, page 46. GFT, Glasgow from Fri 2 7 —Thu 27 Jul.
* The Death of Mr Lazarescu Unbelievably good Romanian black comedy. Filmhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 27-Thu 27 Jul.
* Fateless Intense. sustained and immensely moving Hungarian Holocaust drama. Fi/mhouse, Edinburgh from Fri 28 Jul.
* Witchfinder General One of the more bizarre pleasures of this season highlighting the best films from 59 years of the Edinburgh International Film Festival. Michael Reeves‘ virulent. corpulent horror first premiered at the EIFF in 1970. Fi/mhouse, Edinburgh (sat 22 and Sun 23 Jul only).
* Ellie Parker Long gestating jobbing actress docu-drama from writer/director Scott Coffey and actress Naomi Watts. See review, page 48. TLA Releasing (Out Mon 24 Jul).
1|! The Louis Malle Collection Vol 2 More of the French master's best on DVD. See review, page 48. Optimum World (Out Mon 31 Jul).
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