As meditation on the doomed love affair between the poet John Keats (Ben Whishaw) and Fanny Brawne (Abbie Cornish), Jane Campion’s Bright Star is not a typical period film. Critics have praised this intimate, unadorned romance since it premiered at Cannes this spring, as set decorator Charlotte Watts tells us, recreating its sets—all the way down to the upholstery nails—was …
Behind the Screen: A look at Julie & Julia with Mark Ricker
Julie & Julia serves up two stories: that of Julia Child (Meryl Streep), who introduced America to French cuisine a half-century ago, and that of Julie Powell (Amy Adams), the modern-day amateur cook (and memoirist) who went through every recipe in Child’s seminal Mastering the Art of French Cooking. We spoke with the film’s production designer, Mark Ricker, about automobiles …
Behind the Screen: A look at Chéri with Véronique Melery
Directed by Stephen Frears (Dangerous Liaisons, The Queen) and based on the novels of Colette, Chéri tells the story of an aging courtesan (Michelle Pfeiffer) who falls for the playboy son (Rupert Friend) of a rival courtesan (Kathy Bates). It’s a boudoir dramedy set mainly in Paris, and it goes without saying that the Belle Epoque interiors speak volumes. I …