What Do The Critics Say?

"It's a poignant examination of longing and grief and hope. It is a knockout." FILMINK "A beautiful, heartbreaking, life-affirming film that’s as warm and funny as it is devastating." HEAT MAGAZINE "Firth certainly delivers one of the best performances of the year." DETROIT NEWS "Firth thoroughly deserves the Oscar." EMPIRE MAGAZINE "Colin Firth is magnificent." TIMES-PICAYUNE "It is as gorgeous as you would expect, and surprisingly large-hearted." MINNEAPOLIS STAR TRIBUNE "It's a quiet and subtle film, one which if embraced has the power to break your heart." CINEMABLEND

"Stunning to look at, with a career best performance from Firth." NEWS OF THE WORLD "It's no surprise his performance has earned him a Best Actor Oscar nod." BRISBANE COURIER MAIL "Stylish direction from Tom Ford and a terrific central performance from Colin Firth." VIEW LONDON "You'll understand why people are clamoring to see Colin Firth win an Academy Award." JAM! MAGAZINE . "A tender, subtle and elegant feature. It is sensitive, soulful and true to its time." JOURNAL AND COURIER "Tom Ford delivers the surprise of the year with a startlingly beautiful and sorrowful meditation on grief." DAILY MIRROR UK "A movie of quiet but potent emotional power, perfectly suited to his (Firth's) singular gifts. WASHINGTON POST

The Inside Story "A Single Man" is a romantic tale of love interrupted the isolation that is an inherent part of the human condition, and ultimately, the importance of the seemingly smaller moments in life. "I first read the book, "A Single Man", in the early 1980s and was moved by the honesty and simplicity of the story," says Tom Ford, debut writer, director and producer of the film. "Three years ago, after searching for the right project to develop as my first film, it occurred to me that I often thought of this novel and its protagonist, George. I picked it up and read it again and the book resonated with me in an entirely different way. It is a deeply spiritual story of one day in the life of a man who cannot see his future. It is a universal tale of coming to terms with the isolation that we all feel, and of the importance of living in the present and understanding that the small things in life are really the big things in life." The gestation for Ford’s directing debut has been years in the making. As both a student and obsessive fan of motion pictures, he was familiar with the types of films that stirred him emotionally. Working as a creative director of still photography, advertising campaigns and commercials in the fashion industry for the past twenty five years helped Ford understand framing, lighting, and the importance of image in the telling of a story. Ford is quick to point out; however, that image and style can also kill a film if there is not a story or message that deserves to be told and challenges the viewer. For Ford the story is all: "We seem to have lost character driven films with dialogue, and these are ultimately the most rewarding films for me as a viewer and this is the type of film that I set out to make." Ultimately for Ford, "A Single Man" was the right story at the right time. "I have always had a kind of intuition or inner voice that has served me well. Fashion is so much about intuition because you have to anticipate what people will want a year before they want it." When the novel kept nudging his psyche, his intuition told him that he had found the right property. "I’ve been working on this project for quite a while. I worked on the screenplay off and on for almost two years and did many drafts. When you are imagining a scene while writing it, there are no problems. Actors speak their lines perfectly. The shot is beautiful. But, that is because you aren’t working in reality," muses Ford. Ford optioned both the Isherwood novel and a completed screenplay written by David Scearce, but realized quickly that neither would make the film that he wanted to make and set about creating his own plot points from scratch and writing a new screenplay on his own. His final screenplay differs considerably from both the book and the previous screenplay, but his primary goal was to maintain the essence of the story. He understood that the interior monologue style of Isherwood’s novel would not work visually for the film, and so he invented a variety of personal encounters throughout George’s day. Most significantly, he added a vital new angle to the story: George’s planned suicide at the end of his day. "George has been living in the past, he cannot see his future and cannot shake a deep depression and so decides to end his life. Thinking that he is seeing things for the last time, he begins to view the world differently and finds himself for the first time in years living in the present and confronted with the beauty of the world. This is a timely subject, I believe, as it is now more important than ever for us to all appreciate the gifts that we have in our lives." While the hero of the story is gay, Ford points out that the film transcends sexuality. "The movie is about loss and loneliness. It could be the same story if it was George’s wife." The theme of "A Single Man" is, according to Ford, a universal one. "This is a love story and one man’s search for meaning in his life." Ford put an autobiographical imprint on the film. The suicide that George constructs in the film is a replica of a suicide in Ford’s family. More importantly, Ford went through his own difficult juncture, like George, a few years ago. "There is much of me in my version of George. A kind of spiritual crisis at mid life comes to many people. I achieved much in the material world at a very early . I think that people who know my work as a fashion designer will be surprised by this film. It is very personal and an expression of a side of my character that most people don’t know." After he was satisfied with his script, the project came together in a relatively short period of time in film terms. "Julianne was the first actor to say yes," Ford recalleds. "Colin’s part was the hardest to cast because there are very few actors in the world with the right sensitivity to play the part of George." Firth was originally busy with another film, and suddenly became available when the shooting schedule for "A Single Man" changed. Ford immediately flew to London and convinced Firth to take the part. Firth, a classically trained British theatre actor, has been recognized for his work with numerous award nominations from the Screen Actors Guild, Emmys and BAFTA. "The incredible thing about Colin is his ability to telegraph what he’s thinking through his eyes, almost without moving his face and certainly without saying a line," says Ford. He added that Firth’s subtle acting skills worked perfectly for the restrained character of George. "Julianne was amazing on the set," says Ford. "She would be talking away with Colin until we called 'action', and just immediately go into her British accent and her character. She did it so smoothly; but you never really know how an actor prepares in their head." Three time Oscar ® nominee Moore (1998, 2000 & '03) portrays Charley, the Tanqueray-happy best friend to George. "I constructed a new Charley than that of the book," Ford revealed, "who is a conglomeration of my female friends and, actually, my grandmother. I also created a new back-story for George and Charley to illustrate the relationship that I have with several women in my life. Mr Isherwood’s Charley was less complex and certainly less attractive. All three of our principal characters are going through a change of life. Charley is having a mid life crisis just as George is and she too cannot see her future." Playing George’s late partner, Jim, is Matthew Goode, best known for his roles in "Match Point", "Brideshead Revisited" and in the sci-fi epic, "Watchmen". The character of Jim represents all of the good things about America for George. He is straightforward, uncomplicated, honest and sure of himself. "Matthew was perfect for the part. He has a fresh quality and gave us exactly what we needed, but his acting style is entirely different than that of Colin or Julianne. He was much more off the cuff and loose, or at least seemed that way on set but whatever his internal process is, the end result is brilliant," says Ford. Ford offers much praise for Nicholas Hoult, whose character Kenny is a student in George’s class and who finds a kindred spirit in his professor. Kenny is also at a juncture in his life. He is in the process of becoming a man and coming to terms with his true nature. "Nicholas was absolutely great. He was only eighteen when we were shooting. So serious and so professional which is a contrast to the wild English lad he is in real life. He’s hysterically funny off camera."” Hoult has been acting since he was a child, and co-starred in "About A Boy" and plays Tony in TV'S "Skins". One of Ford’s toughest challenges was a very abbreviated pre-production period. That added considerable pressure on production to find the right locations in the Los Angeles area. "We needed to find a completely deserted college that was correct for the period," Ford explained. The company found a small school across from the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena. Even tougher was locating George’s house because of Ford’s cinematic requirements. "The fact that Colin’s character is British…I wanted something that was modern, yet filled with a lot of wood: warmth and wood panelling seemed right for George. Also, I needed to find a house that I knew I could pull back from and get a beautiful architectural shot to show his entire world." More stress was on Ford and his costume designer, 2006 Oscar ® nominee Arianne Phillips ("Walk the Line"), during the short prep. "Arianne was amazing and a real support for me in many ways. She has a great eye that is not just limited to clothes. She is a brilliant costume designer and somehow managed to pull together absolutely perfect period costumes in no time and with little money," he points out. Ford manufactured the wardrobes in Milan for both Firth and Hoult. "I didn’t have a DP until a few weeks before principal photography was set to begin. I had looked at so many reels of DP’s and could just not find anyone who was available and seemed right. One day a DVD appeared on my desk with the name Eduard Grau on it. I popped it in my computer and I knew that I had found the right guy. Eduard came over the next day from London, we had lunch at Musso and Frank’s and talked for a few hours and I hired him. I was not sorry. He has a great eye, great technical knowledge despite his young age and his European sensibility fit with my own. We worked very well together and I think that he is a real talent. We were also very lucky because we had a terrific and very experienced camera crew and a great gaffer, Jim Plannette," Ford notes. The talented twenty eight year old Grau, winner of six awards to date, including the Munich International Festival of Film Schools Jury Award (2007), has created a gorgeous look for "A Single Man". The look of the film was also important to Ford as he saw this as a way to help the audience understand the characters and in particular, to understand what George is feeling as he moves through his day. "The use of colour plays an important part in the film. In the book we are inside George’s head so we know what emotions he is feeling at any given time. I needed a way to help convey George’s mood externally to the audience." Ford shot the film in a brisk twenty one day schedule, but was ultra-organized to deal with each day’s work. Discarding some early storyboards, Ford, instead, made detailed shot lists of each camera angle for each scene. The experience of his key actors as well as a concerted effort on the part of his crew helped the production move at the required quick pace. "I was pushing the line producer which is the opposite of how it usually is," he jokingly says and points out that even though everything went very smoothly, he still only averaged two to three hours of sleep per night during the shooting schedule. Ford was conscious of what kind of films move him as a moviegoer while working on the project. "A great movie haunts you. It’s both entertaining and thought provoking. In that way, I hope that "A Single Man" makes you question things; think about things in a way that you haven’t thought about before. I am hopeful that it will show the audience that the small things in life are really the big things in life." The Storyline

Los Angeles 1962. The height of the Cuban missile crisis. George Falconer, fifty two year old British college professor struggles to find meaning in his life after the death of his long time partner, Jim. George has just received the tragic news that Jim was killed instanly, when his car veered out of control and crashed, after hitting an icy patch of road. Jim's family wants a private funeral so George is left to grieve on his own while dwelling on the past. Suddenly, for once in his life, he can't see his future. George is consoled by his closest friend Charley, a fourty eight year old beauty and unhappy ex-pat Londoner, who's faced with questions about her own future. Kenny, a young student in one of George’s classes, feels they have a kindred spirit and approaches him. Kenny sees the pain on George face: he senses the hurt he's suffering. Can he turn George around? Or is he now beyond help?

The Verdict "Every generation of female cinemagoers has had its favourite leading man. In my dearly departed mothers day it was that handsome hunk, Rock Hudson. For the teenagers of her time it was the dark, brooding, James Dean. For todays young misses, it's Twilight heart-throb Robert Pattinson. For the ladies of our time it's every womans thinking man, Colin Firth. I remember the day I had to break the news to my mum that the man she idolized and probably fantasized over, was gay. I'll never forget the look on her face. It was as though her whole world had been destroyed. But there it was. Rock was getting his rocks of with, shock horror, men. The news that Gomer Pyle star Jim Nabors had been 'outed' by a newspaper (St Petersburg Times) was hard to take, but when news came that Raymond Burr was gay (and I don't mean overly happy) mums world was shattered beyond belief. That led mum to question the words 'Gay Paree'. My assurance that the 'city of love' wasn't a seething bed of steamy gay sex and filthy bathhouses, brought a sigh of relief. Life quickly returned to normal after that. Rock Hudson films together with episodes of "Perry Mason" and "Ironside" were reintroduced to our TV diet. I mention these quaint little facts because I don't want those millions of Firth fans to get the wrong idea. Just because dear Colin (looking very attractive in those thick black framed glasses) plays a gay professor, kisses his gay lover, skinny dips naked (oh yes he does ladies) in his latest film, which by the way is directed, written and produced by gorgeous gay man Tom Ford; it doesn't mean Firth is gay! Even if he did say in an interview that Matthew Goode, who plays his dead exlover Jim, was a good kisser. Firth did add that director Tom Ford had to remind Brit BAFTA winner Firth that he was playing a gay man. This came about after Firth got too close to that delicious doll Julianne Moore and naughtily gave her a good tongue kissing. Ooh la la! Full credit goes to Tom Ford who obviously put his whole being into making this beautiful film, "A Single Man". SOLID 3 1/2 STARS." Who Is Playing Who?

Colin Firth Julianne Moore Nicholas Hoult Matthew Goode Jon Kortajarena Paulette Lamori Ryan Simpkins Ginnifer Goodwin Teddy Sears Paul Butler Aaron Sanders Keri Lynn Pratt Lee Pace Adam Shapiro Marlene Martinez

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George Charley Kenny Jim Carlos Alva Jennifer Strunk Mrs Strunk Mr Strunk Christopher Strunk Tom Strunk Blonde Secretary Grant Myron Maria

The Production Team

Director Screenplay Adapted from Producers Original Music Cinematography Film Editor Casting Production Designer Art Direction Set Decoration Costume Designer

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Tom Ford Tom Ford & David Scearce the novel by Christopher Isherwood Tom Ford/Andrew Miano/Robert Salerno/Chris Weitz Abel Korzeniowski Eduard Grau Joan Sobel Joseph Middleton Dan Bishop Ian Phillips Amy Wells Arianne Phillips

Run Time 119 minutes Rated M [AUST] Copyright ©2010 - Icon Film Distribution - All Rights Reserved ©1999-2010 The Movie Pages & impact Internet Services. All Rights Reserved. Protected by Australian and International Copyright. Trademark Laws and Intellectual Property Rights apply.