Jane Campion isn’t exactly a prolific filmmaker but she has made a few stunners in her time and her films always prominently feature women struggling through some sort of emotional and relationship issues. It’s refreshing to see a female director approach female characters with sensibility and passion and Campion has proven that she can do so like a pro and her next film will likely follow the same path.
Screen Daily is reporting that Campion has picked up the rights to Alice Munro’s short story “Runaway” which is part of a short story collection of the same title for which she won the Giller Prize. Runaway is the story of a woman trapped in an unhappy marriage and prominently features the psychological and relationship oriented themes that Campion favours.
Campion is hoping to make the film on “quite a low budget and keep our values and make it work financially and commercially but at a different level than I think studios are trying to.” Can’t blame the woman for having her own vision and making the film she wants to make. In addition, Campion is also looking to shoot in Australia, substituting it for America, though the original short story takes place in Canada.
Runaway will start shooting once Campion finishes work on her current production Bright Star, a drama starring Abbie Cornish and the great Ben Whishaw, based on the three-year romance between 19th century poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne.
Good to hear I have a little time to catch up with “Runaway”, a collection I’ve had sitting on my shelf for a few years but have yet to read. And to boot, also great to hear I have another period drama to look forward to and with Whishaw, Cornish and Campion together, it’s likely to be a great one!
An Angel at My Table remains a favourite. And In The Cut is a surprisingly underrated film, probably crapped on by the critics because folks focused on plot/story (which is trite at times) more than atmosphere and feeling and overall sexuality – The film has that in spades. And puts it to good use. A great example of Mark Ruffalo succeeding against type.
Someone just recommended Angel at My Table to me yesterday, had never heard of it. Looked up Campion filmography and I did not know she directed Holy Smoke, a rare Winslet film I have not seen.
Shamefully, I haven’t gone back to check out some of Campion’s other works. At this point, I’ve only seen (and loved) The Piano and The Portrait of a Lady. Have gone back and added a few other to my zip list. Thanks for the recommendations guys.
HOLY SMOKE Is bloody fabulous, it is what NOTHING IS PRIVATE should have been. Or something like that. Another fabulous Harvey Keitel performance, and Kate is as solid as ever. It’s a very interesting movie with a lot to chew on. Get the to a library and check out HOLY SMOKE.
Also, I have a big thing for actress Kerry Fox, who admittedly isn’t in all that much, she was the girl roommate in Danny Boyle’s SHALLOW GRAVE and she was excellent as one of the women Jude Law seduces in the excellent vampire flick WISDOM OF CROCODILES, and very solid in Thom Fitzgerald’s THE HANGING GARDEN, but lately only TV work. A shame. She is all kinds of fabulous in AN ANGEL AT MY TABLE.
as I told my friend, you had me at Kate Winslet.