| Illuminata
John Turturro USA
|
|
| The idea of an erotic farce set within a theatre company in turn-of-the-century
New York brings to mind a wealth of comic associations, most of them involving
greasepaint, dressing rooms and large quantities of ham. But, as producer
John Penotti explains from the new offices of Greenstreet Films in Tribeca,
New York, Illuminata is not so easy to pin down.
|
 |
| "It was originally intended as a turn-of-the-century Italian
erotic farce – it's very provocative, but it would be better described
as a turn-of-the-century passionate love story with elements of erotic
farce."
The search for a snappy generic label for the film – directed by writer, producer and star John Turturro – is proving tricky. "It's very sexy – bawdy would go too far, but it's not in the vein of 91/2 Weeks," says Penotti, his tongue stuck for a moment in his cheek. "It's definitely shocking. John Turturro had a lot of fun with the period. He took a lot of liberties. It's not an overtly sexual piece, but it is very provocative." To get a flavour of the finished article, try to imagine Christopher Walken as a foppish drama critic who becomes the object of a unique seduction orchestrated by a handsome clown (Bill Irwin). Walken suggested that he should wear an outrageous hairpiece for his role but Turturro persuaded him to make his own hair look like a wig, which is exactly what happened. The result – Walken's most remarkable screen barnet to date. Illuminata, originally written for the theatre, arose from the experiences of co-screenwriter Brandon Cole on the play which inspired the movie Mac, Turturro's directorial debut. Turturro was attracted to Cole's script and added his own experiences of theatrical life to the project, along with the spirit of his favourite movies. "I looked at La regle du jeu, Jean Renoir's masterpiece," recalls Turturro. "I read the script and was struck by the fact that he was inspired by Georges Feydeau's farces and then took that structure to explore serious themes. This, and the intensity of Michael Powell's The Red Shoes, were the starting points for inspiration for me." Turturro's reputation helped secure a heavyweight ensemble cast. Beverly D'Angelo and Donal McCann play the theatre owners, Susan Sarandon tackles that most fearsome of luvvies, the aging diva, Ben Gazarra is the company's senior actor, while Turturro himself plays Tuccio, the playwright eager to put on his new work, entitled Illuminata. There's also room for a couple of Brits, Georgina Cates and Rufus Sewell, as well as Katherine Borowitz, who worked with Turturro on Mac. Actors playing actors; a play within a movie; life and art blurring into one – it all sounds a little uncanny. "The comedic aspects of the movie may seem overblown, but that's what really happens. The actors had real impetus to draw upon. The machinations that go on with five or six actors in a room, all vying for attention, happened with us but only in a way that served the script – thank God, because it could have been a nightmare," says Penotti. "The ingenue Georgina Cates came into her own because she was pushed by Katherine Borowitz and Susan Sarandon to rise to the occasion – and she did just that." Making his screen debut with the established actors is circus performer Leo Bassi as the veteran clown Beppo. "In the movie he spins an armoire on his feet," explains Penotti. "The audience will think it's made of balsa wood but in fact it's a real armoire." Bassi, evidently a bit of a joker in real life, conned the Mayor of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and has been arrested 11 times in Paris. Exactly what he was up to in the French capital is unclear. Apart from curbing Bassi's natural urges to juggle furniture and deceive local bigwigs, Penotti's greatest challenge was in turning the clock back 90-odd years. "When John first imagined the film, he was thinking about shooting in Italy and Portugal on a much broader scale. The trick was finding a way to do it in New York City – from a practical point of view the actors mostly live here. We found some key locations just outside of New York, including a beautiful turn-of-the-century theatre (Loew's movie palace) in Jersey City. As it turned out, it was better than the venues we scouted in Portugal and Italy – and it was in our back yard." Anyone weighing up Illuminata's chances in competition with an eye to taking bets should pay close attention to the form book. Turturro won the best actor award for Barton Fink in 1991, and Director's Fortnight entry Mac scooped the Camera d'Or in 1992. There's no reason to believe he won't be up there with the favourites this time around – as long as Leo Bassi doesn't do to Gilles Jacob whatever he did to the Mayor of Tashkent. Mike Hodgkinson |
|