Tamara Drewe (film)
| Tamara Drewe | |
|---|---|
 UK theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Stephen Frears |
| Screenplay by | Moira Buffini |
| Produced by | Alison Owen Tracey Seaward Paul Trijbits |
| Starring | Gemma Arterton Dominic Cooper Luke Evans Tamsin Greig |
| Cinematography | Ben Davis |
| Edited by | Mick Audsley |
| Music by | Alexandre Desplat |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Diaphana Films (France) Momentum Pictures (UK) Sony Pictures Classics (US) |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 111 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Box office | US$11,910,695[1] |
Tamara Drewe is a 2010 comedy feature film directed by Stephen Frears.
The screenplay was written by Moira Buffini, based on the newspaper comic strip of the same name (which was then re-published as a graphic novel) written by Posy Simmonds. The comic strip which serves as source material was a modern reworking of Thomas Hardy's nineteenth century novel Far from the Madding Crowd.
The film premiered at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival in May and was released nationwide in France on 14 July 2010.[2][3] Momentum Pictures released the film in the United Kingdom on 10 September 2010.[4]
Plot
Set in Ewedown, a fictitious village in Dorset, England. Tamara Drewe, a young and attractive journalist, returns home with the intention of selling her now-deceased mother's house which she has inherited, and in which she grew up. Locals are amazed at the improvement in her appearance after she had a nose job while away. Andy had been interested in her when she was a girl, and when he sees her now it is clear he is attracted to her.
Across the valley is a neighbour's home where authors retreat to work on their stories. The owner, Nicholas, is a prolific crime novelist and a serial philanderer, while his wife Beth provides food, lodging, and encouragement for her patrons. At one point Nicholas embarks on an affair with Tamara, after she finishes with rock-band drummer Ben, whose dog Boss enjoys chasing cows. Andy has been asked by Tamara to work on the house so she can sell it, and he becomes aware of the affairs, as do two local teenage schoolgirls (Jody and Casey) who cause some havoc due to their childish jealousy of Tamara. Jody is infatuated with Ben, and when he leaves Ewedown after Tamara's affair, she uses her wiles to lure him back. Eventually her deceit is discovered and she receives a hard dose of reality. In a strange turn of events, Nicholas is killed somewhat accidentally by stampeding cows. Beth's friend (Glen), a Thomas Hardy scholar who had become infatuated with her over the months he spent there, reveals his love for her despite feeling guilty about Nicholas' demise, and she easily persuades him to remain at the retreat with her. By this time the true love of Andy and Tamara brings them together. Tamara then decides to stay in Ewedown after all.
Cast
- Gemma Arterton as Tamara Drewe
- Roger Allam as Nicholas Hardiment
- Bill Camp as Glen McCreavy
- Dominic Cooper as Ben Sergeant
- Luke Evans as Andy Cobb
- Tamsin Greig as Beth Hardiment
- Jessica Barden as Jody Long
- Charlotte Christie as Casey Shaw
- John Bett as Diggory
- Josie Taylor as Zoe
- Bronagh Gallagher as Eustacia
- Pippa Haywood as Tess
- Susan Wooldridge as Penny Upminster
- Alex Kelly as Jody's mother
- Lola Frears as Poppy Hardiment
Premiere
The premiere was held on 6 September 2010 at the Odeon Leicester Square. Most of the cast and crew were in attendance as well as Jack Gregson, Lily Allen and Stephen Fry. The public premiere was also held on 6 September 2010 at the National Film Theatre. Most of the cast were in attendance as well as director Stephen Frears, screenwriter Moira Buffini, and book author Posy Simmonds. The film's showing received long applause and was followed by questions to the stars from the audience.
Critical reception
The film received generally positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 65% out of 114 critics gave the film a positive reviews, with a rating average of 6.3/10.[5] It also received a score of 64/100 on Metacritic signifying 'generally favourable reviews'
Empire gave four stars out of five stating the film was "Very intelligently funny, with stellar performances."[6] Lisa Mullen wrote in Sight & Sound in September 2010:
Turning graphic novels into films can be a tricky business...an impressively limpid, compressed and visually textured piece... here the romantic themes—concerning sensible spouse choice... are undercut by a bawdy appreciation of chaos, mischief and mayhem... Beth Hardiment played with great subtlety and a kind of concentrated stillness by Tamsin Greig...
References
- ^ "Tamara Drewe (2010)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 20 September 2010.
- ^ Higgins, Charlotte (17 May 2010). "Tamara Drewe comic strip charms Cannes in film form". guardian.co.uk (Guardian News & Media). Retrieved on 31 May 2010.
- ^ Tamara Drewe. premiere.fr. Retrieved 26 August 2010.
- ^ Bamigboye, Baz (17 July 2009). "Gemma Arterton is wanted by The Queen director to get crowd Madding in sexy new role". Daily Mail (Associated Newspapers).
- ^ Tamara Drewe (2010). Rotten Tomatoes. Flixter. Retrieved 30 June 2012.
- ^ "Empire's Tamara Drewe Movie Review". Empireonline.com. Retrieved 20 April 2011.
External links
- Official website (US)
- Tamara Drewe at IMDb
- Tamara Drewe at Rotten Tomatoes
- Tamara Drewe interviews, BBC Film Network
- Screenplay at BBC writersroom
Thomas Hardy's Far from the Madding Crowd (1874) | |
|---|---|
| Adaptations | |
| Related |
|
