What Do The Critics Say?

"It took devotees of the French New Wave to re-evaluate the reputation of the master of melodrama, Douglas Sirk, whose 1950s hits included "All That Heaven Allows", "Written on the Wind" and "Imitation of Life". Popular contemporary French director, Francois Ozon, is clearly a fan of Sirk's melodramatic style of movies, usually centred on the rise and fall of a flamboyant character. There are intentional touches of homage to Sirk and other filmmakers of his era in Ozon's deliberately over the top saga of ambition. Garai recalls the star Barbara Stanwyck in her all-stops-out performance, and the entire movie features convincing performers. You can leave your troubles at the door, and enjoy watching Angel deal with hers." Des Partridge BRISBANE COURIER MAIL "Sporting an excellent performance by a very promising young actress, this is a film that forces you to pay attention. More than that, it's fulfills the first requirement of any good movie: it's one you'll want to watch again." Filip Vukcevic IGN MOVIES "There are moments when it feels one is watching a 1957 Universal soapie with Rock Hudson and Jane Wyman. Angel is based on Elizabeth Taylor's (not THE Elizabeth Taylor) 1957 novel, inspired by British author Marie Corelli, who satirised Edwardian melodramas. Romola Garai plays ambitious and talentless Angel Deverell as if freshly-plucked from the Scarlett O'Hara tree. Stan James ADELAIDE ADVERTISER GUIDE

"If you think they “don’t make movies like that anymore”, French filmmaker Francois Ozon is here to prove you wrong. In an energetic homage to MGM of old and its stable of beloved directors (Douglas Sirk springs to mind), Angel is melodrama writ large. Based on Elizabeth Taylor’s scorching satire, it arrives preloaded with the staples of its genre: a feisty young female, a handsome drunk, a tragic love, an inconvenient war, sumptuous sets, acres of velvet and the most obvious rear-projection seen in decades. Ozon’s devotees might take pause at the idea of an English-language bodice-ripper, yet they miss the point. Angel is an audacious work, an extraordinary film, and a remarkable achievement from one of Europe’s most interesting directors." Colin Fraser FILMINK "Romola Garai (Amazing Grace, Scoop) carries much of the film on her shoulders with a melodramatic performance to blow you away. The photography makes the most of the opulence in every frame, and like the music follows in the traditional mold. It's a eye feast of saturated colour and sumptuousness making shrewd satirical comment on the rise and fall of a determined young lady in a man's era." John Bale THE BLURB "Ozon constantly pits reality against illusion. Highlighted effectively when Angel falls in love with the angry Artist Esme whose dark disposition is at odds with the times and Angel’s childlike view of the world. Angel played by Romola Garai, is mercurial, manipulative and strangely beguiling. She is so self centred that it defies belief. Garai’s portrayal is forthright and unapologetic. It works a treat, though I imagine could annoy some. Sam Neil, as always, is wonderful as her patient publisher. This is a lavish spectacle, rich in colour and texture. Ozon’s confident direction beautifully pays homage to the technicolour films of the 40s." THE MOVIE SHOW SBS

The Inside Story Mention the name Elizabeth Taylor and the mind immediately turns to the iconic two time Oscar winning ("BUtterfield 8" 1963 & "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" 1967) actress. In the case of François Ozon's latest film, this Elizabeth Taylor is a British author, born on the 3rd of July 1912 in Reading, England (passed away on the 19th November 1975), who's book "Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont" was recently made into a movie. Her work includes "At Mrs Lippincote's" (1945), "A View of the Harbour" (1947), "Angel" (1957), "In a Summer Season" (1961), "Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont" (1971) and the posthumous "Blaming" (1976). So why would an acclaimed French director take on an English novel and adapt it to the screen? "I read it in one sitting five or six years ago and thought it would be a perfect opportunity to try an epic film in the tradition of the 1930s and 40s melodramas, recounting the rise and fall of a flamboyant character," says Ozon. "And I fell in love with Angel, she amused and fascinated me, and ultimately touched me very deeply. So I asked my producers to buy the rights. It seemed clear that the story wouldn't work if it were transposed to France. It's a very English story, in the tradition of English women writers." And what did he discover about the films main character? "The character of Angel was inspired by Marie Corelli, a contemporary of Oscar Wilde and Queen Victoria's favorite writer. Corelli was one of the first writers to become a star, writing bestsellers for an adoring public. Today she has been totally forgotten, even in England. She had no equivalent in France in her day." Ozon didn't start work on the film straightaway, instead turning his attention to the wickedly sensational, "Swimming Pool". "That was a chance to get my feet wet, no pun intended! At the time, I didn't feel ready to adapt "Angel", but "Swimming Pool" allowed me to explore some of the same themes: the relationship between a writer and her publisher, the frontier between reality and fiction, the origins of creative inspiration and certain aspects of British culture," he explained. "A few years later I finally felt ready to take on the English language and Elizabeth Taylor's novel." How challenging was that? "My main challenge was to make Angel likeable," he said. "In Elizabeth Taylor's book, the character is often grotesque. The author takes a rather sardonic view of Angel, her books and her behavior. Taylor acknowledges her ability to write and her drive to become famous, but ridicules her constantly, describing her as bizarre and unattractive. I didn't think we'd want to spend two hours with such an utterly negative character on screen, whereas in the book the cruelty works. I felt it was important that Angel be charming and endearing despite her more obnoxious, even nasty, characteristics. Scarlett O'Hara immediately came to mind. She is truly a character you love and hate at the same time. I wanted Angel to be aware of her powers of seduction and use them, particularly with her publisher and Nora. My Angel is more manipulative than Elizabeth Taylor's. But in a playful, amusing way, not perverse." There are three main characters in the book: Angel, Esmé and Nora. Did you feel close to them? "What matters to me is being able to create in the here and now. Will my work survive the test of time? I don't ask myself that question, it would paralyze me. Art can cross centuries, but it's also made for immediate consumption. I can relate to Angel's sense of urgency, her drive to create. Her pragmatism gets her out of her social condition. Her art is in service to her life. It allows her to buy her mansion, surround herself in luxury, get the man she loves and support him financially." What of Angel's unrelenting faithfulness to Esmé? "In the book, the love story was clearly a sham: Angel was in love with the idea of this romantic, brooding painter, their honeymoon was a catastrophe, Esmé was only in it for the money. Here again, I felt that in order for us to like Angel on screen, we had to believe in the sincerity of her love. Angel is mainly in love with her own personal idea of what love is, but at the same time she fervently believes in it, and she truly wants to help Esmé." There is also the aspects of Nora's lesbian attraction to Angel as well? Your Nora is far removed from the one portrayed in the book, right? "In the book the homosexual subtext was present, but Nora was really ugly, she even had a mustache. I softened her up a bit, tempered her frustration and bitterness, brought her out of the shadows. I wanted her to have some appeal, not just be a slavish doormat devoted body and soul to her idol. In the book, Nora keeps her brother's mistress a secret from Angel in order to keep Angel for herself. In the film, Nora eventually tells Angel the truth about her brother's mistress. But shouldn't she have told Angel earlier, right after catching Esmé in the act? Suddenly Nora has a tragic dimension. She becomes an accomplice to Angel's suffering, torn between her desire for Angel and her bond with her brother." Like many aspects of the film, the soundtrack is a "standout'. How was that conceived? "I had in mind the music Frank Skinner composed for the Douglas Sirk melodramas at Universal. I even used some of it when we started editing the film and found it worked brilliantly. But I came to realize that it sounds dated to today's audience. So I asked my composer Philippe Rombi to take inspiration from Skinner's melodramatic music and not be afraid to wax lyrical, while at the same time coming up with a theme melody that reflects Angel's secret aspirations and thus facilitates audience identification with her." I note that this is the third time you've worked with the remarkable Charlotte Rampling. In this case it's rather a small, unobtrusive role? "I'd worked with Charlotte twice before, and it meant a lot to me to have her with me on my first English-language film. It was really out of friendship that she accepted the small role of Hermione, who mirrors the audience's dubious attitude toward Angel. Her character is somewhat removed from the action." I hear you had some trouble casting the role of Nora. What happened? "I saw a lot of actresses for the role of Nora. During the screen tests, I realized that many of them actually wanted to be Angel. How did he know that? Ozon says that as soon as they'd auditioned they would offer, "I could play Angel too, I am Angel!" So what made Lucy Russell, who by the way is delightful to watch, ideal for the role of Nora? "She showed up for her screen test dressed like an old maid, with thick glasses and her hair in a strict bun. She was actually there to play Nora! Of course the role is far less glamorous than that of Angel, but Lucy was smart enough to know that it is often the person in the shadows who gets noticed, even if she's not the one wearing the beautiful dresses. And like Charlotte, Lucy speaks fluent French, so she was my second crutch on the set!" Ozon's "Angel" is played by the ravishing beauty, Romola Garai. She remembers meeting Ozon and the demands of auditioning. "I met him at the audition for the role and I was extremely nervous, because I’m a genuine fan of his. Sometimes you read a script and you understand the character straight away, instinctively. I didn’t intellectualize it. And François didn’t guide me much. It seemed my idea of who Angel was corresponded to his idea. Later my agent told me François thought I was very good but not glamorous enough, so I tidied myself up a bit and went back a second time. I guess he didn’t like my cardigan!," says the london born actress who grew up inSingapore and Hong Kong until she was eight, before returing to the U.K. Was there any difficulties with Ozon's script? "I thought it was extraordinary, but very bizarre. I didn’t know what to make of it at first. It’s the kind of film that is very difficult to understand on the page. When you watch the finished film, you see that it is quite tongue in cheek and it works totally on two different levels. You have to be in on the filmmaker’s joke," says Garai, who lists Samantha Morton ("Control") and Emily Watson ("Miss Potter") as her favourite actresses. Garai was in for a surprise when it came to the costumes used in the film, all of which were made before she was cast in the lead role. "Pascaline and François had already done the costumes before I was cast and they were utterly extraordinary. I saw racks and racks of clothes and asked if they were all for the film. Pascaline said they were just for me! I had some thirty dresses, handmade shoes, gloves. I have never had so many clothes in my life, and they were magnificent," she recalls. "Angel" is Costume Designer Pascaline Chavanne's eigth collaboration with Ozon. "Eight completely different films, each one exploring a different genre. In the same way, our working relationship has been different with each film," Chavanne offered. Is Ozon a hands on person? "He is always very involved in every aspect of costume design, selecting patterns, materials and colors not only for the lead roles but also for supporting roles and extras. Which makes our working relationship very intense and sometimes complicated, but always extremely rich." Michael Fassbender was cast as Esmé. How does he describe his character? "Esmé is the black sheep of the family, he likes to enjoy life on a sensual level: gambling, women, drink. I see him as a rebel, but he’s also a frustrated painter." Did it take much preperation to play opposite Romola Garai. "It wasn’t difficult to play a love story with Romola," he said. "She's an attractive girl and a very good actress, so whatever you give her, she gives something back." Synopsis

Head-strong Angel Deverell lives in a world of her own. Her wild imagination and excellent writing skills are misunderstood by her teacher and classmates, after all, no-one so young could write with such style. Even the prospect of expulsion fails to deter her. Angel sets about completing her book and, with high hopes, submits it for publishing. Her forunes change when she is invited to London and meets publisher Théo and his wife Hermione. The meeting goes well until Théo points out there are some obvious errors in her work. Angel won't budge. Faced with the prospect of losing a talented client, he relents. To the surprise of everyone who knows her, her first book is a huge success. It will be the first of many for the prolific writer. Her life changes when she meets the outspoken, frustrated artist Esmé. He becomes the love of her life. Will she be as lucky in love as she's been with her writing?

The Verdict "Ozon has created a grand send-up in the syle of "Gone With The Wind", Mills & Boon and the Hallmark series. What wonderful escapism it makes. Sumptuously costumed, remarkabley well acted, a resounding soundtrack and noteable moments that pay tribute to a genre from the 50's & 60's in the last century. Whatever you do, don't fall into the trap as many critics have by taking this as some sort of 'serious' work. It's all very tongue in cheek and meant to be enjoyed as a wickedly, entertaining sendup. Keep that in mind and you'll find that "Angel" is so much fun to watch. Highly inventive. Very recommended. 4 STARS." Cast & Crew Bytes "ANGEL" stars .......
1989 AFI Award winner Sam Neill ["The Dish", "Wimbledon", "Little Fish" and "Irresistible"]; Lucy Russell ["Far from China", "Red Rose" and "Tristan + Isolde"]; Michael Fassbender ["300", TV'S "Hex" and "Murphy's Law"]; European Film Best Actress Award winner Charlotte Rampling ["Under the Sand", "Spy Game" and "Swimming Pool"]; Jacqueline Tong ["How to Get Ahead in Advertising", TV'S "David Copperfield" and "The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby"] and Romola Garai ["I Capture the Castle", "Vanity Fair", "Scoop", "As You Like It" and "Amazing Grace"] as Angel.
"ANGEL" was .......
directed by 2003 Lumiere Award winner François Ozon ["Under the Sand", "8 femmes" and "Swimming Pool"]; from the novel by Elizabeth Taylor ["Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont"]; set decoration by Gérard Marcireau ["My Wife Is an Actress", "Head in the Clouds", "Bandidas" and "Le Grand appartement"]; costume design by Pascaline Chavanne ["Swimming Pool", "Nathalie", "5 x 2: Five Times" and "Time to Leave"]; production design by Katia Wyszkop ["My Wife Is an Actress", "Monsieur Ibrahim" and "Le Grand appartement"]; edited by Muriel Breton ["Las Amigas", "Far West" and "Pick-Up"]; 2002 American Society of Cinematographers Award winner cinematography by Denis Lenoir ["The Clearing", "Control" and "Paris, je t'aime"]; original music by Philippe Rombi ["Swimming Pool", "Look at Me", "5 x 2: Five Times" and "Joyeux Noël"]. Who's Who?

Romola Garai Sam Neill Lucy Russell Michael Fassbender Charlotte Rampling Jacqueline Tong Janine Duvitski Christopher Benjamin Tom Georgeson Simon Woods Jemma Powell Alison Pargeter Seymour Matthews Una Stubbs Rosanna Lavelle Geoffrey Streatfield Roger Morlidge Teresa Churcher Alexandre Garcia-Hidalgo Roland Javornik David Vanholsbeeck

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Angel Théo Nora Howe-Nevinson Esmé Hermione Mother Deverell Aunt Lottie Lord Norley Marvell Clive Fennelly Angelica Edwina Norley Doctor Miss Dawson Lady Irania Sebastian Journalist Governess Party Guest Party guest Wounded Soldier in Cafe

Run Time 120 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2007 - Dendy Films - All Rights Reserved ©2007 All Rights Reserved - Protected by Australian & International Copyright. Trademark Laws Apply.