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==Screenings and publicity== |
==Screenings and publicity== |
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After premiering at the 64th [[Venice Film Festival]] on [[August 30]], [[2007]],<ref name=Morris/> ''Sleuth'' was screened at the [[2007 Toronto International Film Festival|Toronto Film Festival]] on [[September 10]], [[2007]].<ref>[http://www.tiff07.ca/industry/filmsandschedules/galas/sept10.aspx Gala Programme Schedule] [[2007 Toronto International Film Festival|Toronto Film Festival]] Official site.</ref> It was also screened at the [[Atlantic Film Festival]], in [[City of Halifax|Halifax]], on [[September 22]], [[2007]],<ref>Etan Vlessing, [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/awards_festivals/news/e3i3a070e987d4f747c852fe0ce6323bb67 "'Sleuth' Closes Atlantic Fest"], ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'', [[September 10]], [[2007]].</ref><ref>[http://atlantic2007.bside.com/2007/?_action=search&festivalId=25852793&keyword_operator=ilike&keyword_id=&keyword=sleuth ''Sleuth''] [[Atlantic Film Festival]] Official site.</ref> the [[Aspen FilmFest]] on [[September 26]], [[2007]],<ref name=aspentimes>Stewart Oksenhorn, [http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20070808/AROUND09/108080037 "Full House for Filmfest ..."], ''[[The Aspen Times]]'', [[August 8]], [[2007]]; ''[http://www.aspenfilm.org/index.cfm?S=1:1:2:2&ID=715 Sleuth]'' screening schedule on the official site of the Aspen FilmFest.</ref><ref>[http://www.aspenfilm.org/index.cfm?S=1:1:2:2 ''Sleuth''], |
After premiering at the 64th [[Venice Film Festival]] on [[August 30]], [[2007]],<ref name=Morris/> ''Sleuth'' was screened at the [[2007 Toronto International Film Festival|Toronto Film Festival]] on [[September 10]], [[2007]].<ref>[http://www.tiff07.ca/industry/filmsandschedules/galas/sept10.aspx Gala Programme Schedule] [[2007 Toronto International Film Festival|Toronto Film Festival]] Official site.</ref> It was also screened at the [[Atlantic Film Festival]], in [[City of Halifax|Halifax]], on [[September 22]], [[2007]],<ref>Etan Vlessing, [http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/awards_festivals/news/e3i3a070e987d4f747c852fe0ce6323bb67 "'Sleuth' Closes Atlantic Fest"], ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]'', [[September 10]], [[2007]].</ref><ref>[http://atlantic2007.bside.com/2007/?_action=search&festivalId=25852793&keyword_operator=ilike&keyword_id=&keyword=sleuth ''Sleuth''] [[Atlantic Film Festival]] Official site.</ref> the [[Aspen FilmFest]] on [[September 26]], [[2007]],<ref name=aspentimes>Stewart Oksenhorn, [http://www.aspentimes.com/article/20070808/AROUND09/108080037 "Full House for Filmfest ..."], ''[[The Aspen Times]]'', [[August 8]], [[2007]]; ''[http://www.aspenfilm.org/index.cfm?S=1:1:2:2&ID=715 Sleuth]'' screening schedule on the official site of the Aspen FilmFest.</ref><ref>[http://www.aspenfilm.org/index.cfm?S=1:1:2:2 ''Sleuth''], |
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[[Aspen FilmFest]] Official site.</ref> the [[Copenhagen International Film Festival]], on [[September 27]], [[2007]],<ref>[http://www.copenhagenfilmfestival.com/Site/ProgramEngine/Programtitel.php?id=3109 "Dobbeltspil: Sleuth"], Copenhagen International Film Festival Official site.</ref> the [[Calgary International Film Festival]], in [[Alberta]], on [[September 28]], [[2007]],<ref>[http://calgaryfilm.com/schedule.php?fd=989 Sleuth] [[Calgary International Film Festival]] Official site.</ref> |
[[Aspen FilmFest]] Official site.</ref> the [[Copenhagen International Film Festival]], on [[September 27]], [[2007]],<ref>[http://www.copenhagenfilmfestival.com/Site/ProgramEngine/Programtitel.php?id=3109 "Dobbeltspil: Sleuth"], Copenhagen International Film Festival Official site.</ref> the [[Calgary International Film Festival]], in [[Alberta]], on [[September 28]], [[2007]],<ref>[http://calgaryfilm.com/schedule.php?fd=989 Sleuth] [[Calgary International Film Festival]] Official site.</ref> the [[Haifa International Film Festival]] on [[October 1]], [[2007]].<ref>[http://www.haifaff.co.il/Movie%20Info.php?id=sleuth "Sleuth"], Haifa International Film Festival Official site.</ref>, and the [http://www.pantallapinamar.com/ Pantalla Pinamar Festival] in [[Pinamar]], [[Argentina]] on [[December 15]], [[2007]]. |
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On [[October 3]] and [[October 4]], [[2007]], respectively, ''Sleuth'' was screened at ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]’s 2007 Screening Series'' in [[New York]], at the Chelsea West Cinemas,<ref>''[http://www2.variety.com/screening/ny/default.asp?show=10 Sleuth]'', ''Variety Screening Series 2007, New York'' (official website), accessed [[September 20]], [[2007]].</ref> and in [[Los Angeles]], at the ArcLight Theatre.<ref>''[http://www2.variety.com/screening/la/default.asp?show=10 Sleuth]'', ''Variety Screening Series 2007, Los Angeles'' (official website), accessed [[September 14]], [[2007]].</ref> Kenneth Branagh, Michael Caine and Jude Law made a number of interviews promoting the film on television programs ''[[Today (NBC program)|The Today Show]]'', [[RAI TV]], ''[[The Late Show with David Letterman]]'', ''[[The Charlie Rose Show]]'', and ''[[Reel Talk]]''.<ref name=interviews>[http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/wahoo/index/php/20071002.phtml Interview with Jude Law], |
On [[October 3]] and [[October 4]], [[2007]], respectively, ''Sleuth'' was screened at ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]’s 2007 Screening Series'' in [[New York]], at the Chelsea West Cinemas,<ref>''[http://www2.variety.com/screening/ny/default.asp?show=10 Sleuth]'', ''Variety Screening Series 2007, New York'' (official website), accessed [[September 20]], [[2007]].</ref> and in [[Los Angeles]], at the ArcLight Theatre.<ref>''[http://www2.variety.com/screening/la/default.asp?show=10 Sleuth]'', ''Variety Screening Series 2007, Los Angeles'' (official website), accessed [[September 14]], [[2007]].</ref> Kenneth Branagh, Michael Caine and Jude Law made a number of interviews promoting the film on television programs ''[[Today (NBC program)|The Today Show]]'', [[RAI TV]], ''[[The Late Show with David Letterman]]'', ''[[The Charlie Rose Show]]'', and ''[[Reel Talk]]''.<ref name=interviews>[http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/wahoo/index/php/20071002.phtml Interview with Jude Law], |
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| Sleuth | |
|---|---|
Promotional film poster
| |
| Directed by | Kenneth Branagh |
| Written by | Harold Pinter (adaptation of stage play SleuthbyAnthony Shaffer) |
| Produced by | Kenneth Branagh Simon Halfon Jude Law Simon Moseley Marion Pilowsky Tom Sternberg Ben Jackson co-producer |
| Starring | Michael Caine Jude Law |
| Cinematography | Haris Zambarloukos |
| Edited by | Neil Farrell |
| Music by | Patrick Doyle |
| Distributed by | Sony Pictures Classics - USA - Paramount Pictures - UK, Australia, South Africa - Mongrel Media - Canada - |
Release dates | October 12, 2007 (limited; in the U.S.) November 23, 2007(limited; in the UK) |
Running time | 86 min. |
| Country |  United States |
| Language | English |
Sleuth is a 2007 film directed by Kenneth Branagh based on 2005 Nobel Laureate in Literature Harold Pinter's screenplay adaptation of the Tony Award-winning play Sleuth, by Anthony Shaffer. It was produced by Jude Law, who also stars in it as Milo Tindle opposite Michael Caine as Andrew Wyke, who performed as Tindle opposite Laurence Olivier as Wyke in the original 1972 film Sleuth. Though the new film adaptation is termed a "remake", Pinter, Branagh, Law, and Caine and reviewers emphasize that Pinter's "take" on the play differs almost entirely from the original play and film, which he had not seen prior to writing his screenplay.[1][2][3]
(in order of credits)
(additional)
"A millionaire detective novelist matches wits with the unemployed actor who ran off with his wife in a deadly serious, seriously twisted game with dangerous consequences."[4]
According to most accounts, this is a remake of the 1972 film, but Pinter's screenplay offers "a fresh take" on Shaffer's play and "a very different form" from the original film.[5] In his review of the film's debut at the 2007 Venice Film Festival, Morris observes: "The reworking of the play is not just an adept transformation of theater to film ... but also casts a revealing light on social history, reflecting the enormous changes in English society, language and morals in the nearly 40 years since the play first appeared on the London stage."[6]
Caine played the role of Milo Tindle in the original film. In the 2007 film, Caine performs the role of Andrew Wyke, originated by Laurence Olivier, and Law performs Caine's original role of Milo Tindle.[7] This is the second film in which Law performs a role originated by Caine (The first was the title role in Alfie).
Pinter, the actors, and the director say this version of Sleuth is not strictly a "remake."[8] Law has called it "a completely reinvented Sleuth" ... It didn't feel like a remake. I always loved the idea at its heart of two men battling it out for a woman you never meet....'"[9] Law further felt that, "I was creating a character [Milo Tindle], I wasn't recreating one.'"[9] Caine said, "I never felt that I had gone back to Sleuth", and called the Pinter script "an entirely different thing. There isn't a single line in it that was in the other one, and Pinter had never seen the [1972] movie. Jude [Law] gave him the stage play and said, 'Write a screenplay for me' ... It was a completely different experience'".[9] In a television interview conducted on RAI TV during the Venice International Film Festival, Caine states: "If the script hadn't been by Harold Pinter, I wouldn't have done the movie".
Pinter said, "'It's a totally new take. ... I had not either seen or read the play, and I hadn't seen the film adapted from the play either, so I knew nothing about it. So I simply read the play and I think it's totally transformed. I've kept one or two plot things because you have to but apart from that, I think I've made it my own.'"[1][2]
After premiering at the 64th Venice Film FestivalonAugust 30, 2007,[6] Sleuth was screened at the Toronto Film FestivalonSeptember 10, 2007.[10] It was also screened at the Atlantic Film Festival, in Halifax, on September 22, 2007,[11][12] the Aspen FilmFestonSeptember 26, 2007,[13][14] the Copenhagen International Film Festival, on September 27, 2007,[15] the Calgary International Film Festival, in Alberta, on September 28, 2007,[16] the Haifa International Film FestivalonOctober 1, 2007.[17], and the Pantalla Pinamar FestivalinPinamar, ArgentinaonDecember 15, 2007.
OnOctober 3 and October 4, 2007, respectively, Sleuth was screened at Variety’s 2007 Screening SeriesinNew York, at the Chelsea West Cinemas,[18] and in Los Angeles, at the ArcLight Theatre.[19] Kenneth Branagh, Michael Caine and Jude Law made a number of interviews promoting the film on television programs The Today Show, RAI TV, The Late Show with David Letterman, The Charlie Rose Show, and Reel Talk.[20]
A two-page feature article, written by Sarah Lyall, led the "Arts & Leisure" section of the Sunday edition of The New York TimesonOctober 7, 2007, previewing the film before its opening on Friday, October 12, 2007.[3]
Manohla Dargis from The New York Times entitled her review, "A Dance of Two Men, Twisting and Turning With a Gun That's More Than a Gun." In contrast to Sarah Lyall's New York Times preview "Still Pinteresque", it is not a favorable review and reveals that she did not like watching the film, finding it too claustrophobic: "Mr. Branagh fiddles with the lights, tilts the camera and hustles his hard-working actors upstairs and down and back again and into an elevator as small as a coffin built for one. He embellishes the screenplay’s every obvious conceit and word, hammering the point until you feel as if you’re trapped inside the elevator with Milo and Andrew, going up and down and up and down, though nowhere in particular."
In his interview with Martin A. Grove, Branagh mentions that the danger of inducing claustrophobia in audience members is a risk that he took into account in filming Sleuth: "What Branagh didn't do that many Hollywood directors would have done is to open the film up by, for instance, having the two men drive to a nearby pub at some point in their conversation. 'Well, it's interesting you say that,' he told [Grove], 'There were discussions about that, but we said, 'If we believe in the power of the writing here and the power of the performances, but also, frankly, if we believe in the audience and believe that the audience can find this as fascinating as I do on the pages and if we can realize it to meet all of their expectations then the claustrophobia (won't be a problem).' " Time film reviewer Richard Corliss entitles his review "Murder Mystery: Who Killed Sleuth?", indicating that he is not pleased with the outcome either and concluding: "if you consider what the exalted quartet of Branagh, Pinter, Caine and Law might have done with the project, and what they did to it, Sleuth has to be the worst prestige movie of the year."
While some seem to agree with Dargis and Corliss, Claudia Puig is more appreciative: "Caine and Law are in fine form bantering cleverly in this entertaining cat-and-mouse game, thanks to the inspired dialogue of Harold Pinter. They parry, using witticisms instead of swords. Then they do a dance of deception, a veritable tango. There's thievery, peril and plenty of double-crossing. ... As directed by Kenneth Branagh, this new version is darker and more claustrophobic. In the original the house where all the action took place was Gothic and laden with gewgaws. The new domicile is stark and minimalist, and much more threatening. Branagh's version has more incipient horror and less camp." Roger Ebert finds "It's no mystery that 'Sleuth' is fascinating," observing that Pinter "has written a new country house mystery, which is not really a mystery at all in terms of its plot, and eerily impenetrable in its human relationship" and that "In 'Sleuth' what [Kenneth Branagh] celebrates is perplexing, ominous, insinuating material in the hands of two skilled actors." Carina Chocano from the Los Angeles Times states: "... the verbal sparring is so sharp it's a wonder nobody loses an eye ... it's an unmitigated pleasure to observe Caine and Law attack it with such ferocity ..." Jean Lowerison from San Diego Metropolitan finds: "Caine and Law are terrific together, verbally circling each other like panthers ready to pounce. And though some have complained that "Sleuth" is all words, I say, "Yes, isn't it wonderful?""
The texts of further reviews from several publications are excerpted (with hyperlinked full texts) on the Rotten Tomatoes website.
Patrick Doyle is the composer. The soundtrack is produced by Varèse Sarabande and was released in October 2007.[21]
. Accessed October 21, 2007.
