Possession (2002 film)
| Possession | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Neil LaBute |
| Written by | David Henry Hwang Laura Jones Neil LaBute A. S. Byatt (novel) |
| Produced by | Barry Levinson Stephen Pevner Paula Weinstein Len Amato (executive) David Barron (executive) |
| Starring | Aaron Eckhart Gwyneth Paltrow Jeremy Northam Jennifer Ehle |
| Cinematography | Jean-Yves Escoffier |
| Edited by | Claire Simpson |
| Music by | Gabriel Yared |
| Distributed by | Focus Features Warner Bros. |
Release dates | August 16, 2002 (Limited) August 30, 2002 |
Running time | 102 minutes |
| Countries | United States United Kingdom |
| Languages | English French |
| Budget | $25 million[1] |
| Box office | $14,815,898[2] |
Possession is a 2002 American/British romantic/mystery drama film written and directed by Neil LaBute, based on the novel of the same name by A. S. Byatt.
Synopsis
The film tells the story of two scholars, Roland Michell (played by Aaron Eckhart) and Maud Bailey (Gwyneth Paltrow), who investigate the affair of fictional Victorian era poet Randolph Henry Ash (Jeremy Northam), described in letters between him and another fictional poet, Christabel LaMotte (Jennifer Ehle).
Cast
- Aaron Eckhart as Roland Michell
- Gwyneth Paltrow as Maud Bailey
- Jeremy Northam as Randolph Henry Ash
- Jennifer Ehle as Christabel LaMotte
- Lena Headey as Blanche Glover
- Holly Aird as Ellen Ash
- Toby Stephens as Fergus Wolfe
- Tom Hollander as Euan
Production
Development
Early drafts of the film's screenplay were written by playwright David Henry Hwang in the nineties, but the project languished in pre-production for years (with directors like Sydney Pollack and Gillian Armstrong working on the film and eventually giving up) before LaBute came aboard.[3] LaBute made drastic changes to the story, partially based on notes that Byatt had made on earlier drafts of the screenplay.
LaBute recalled, "What she basically said was, 'This is Roland on the page; you must make him different in a film!' She got that Roland needed more drive. Just seeing those notes kind of gave me the keys to the kingdom. And so in the film, Roland keeps making these wild, imaginative leaps about the poets' lives, and Maud's both charmed and appalled."[3] LaBute changed Roland's nationality from British to American, in what he denied was "shameless pandering to the audience....in part, it was [just] more comfortable for me to write Roland that way."[3]
Casting
Ralph Fiennes was approached for the role that eventually went to Jeremy Northam.[4]
Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Ehle also appear in the 2011 movie Contagion. In both movies, they have major roles but no scenes together.
Releases
The film has been released on DVD with subtitles and captions.
References
- ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0256276/business
- ^ http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=possession.htm
- ^ a b c "FILM; Can Bookish Be Sexy? Yeah, Says Neil LaBute". by Daniel Zalewski, The New York Times. 2002-08-18. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - ^ "News Summary: Berry Sorry". by Sandra P. Angulo, Entertainment Weekly. 2000-05-11. Retrieved 2007-03-06.
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