Desperate Remedies (film)

Last updated

Desperate Remedies
Desperate Remedies FilmPoster.jpeg
Film poster
Directed by Stewart Main
Peter Wells
Written by Stewart Main
Peter Wells
Produced byTrishia Downie
Starring Jennifer Ward-Lealand
Kevin Smith
Lisa Chappell
Cliff Curtis
Cinematography Leon Narbey
Edited byDavid Coulson
Production
companies
Distributed by Miramax
Release date
  • 26 November 1993 (1993-11-26)
Running time
93 minutes
CountryNew Zealand
LanguageEnglish

Desperate Remedies is a 1993 New Zealand drama film directed by Stewart Main and Peter Wells. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1993 Cannes Film Festival. [1]

Contents

Plot

Set in "Hope, New Britannia", an overwrought nineteenth century New Zealand community seemingly on the edge of destruction, Dorothea Brooke (Ward-Lealand) is a shopkeeper and dress designer with a troubled past. She strives in vain to keep her feckless, opium-addicted sister Rose out of the clutches of her former lover, Fraser (Curtis). Dorothea is in a lesbian relationship with Anne Cooper (Chappell) but tempted by newcomer and former radical Lawrence Hayes (Smith). MP and war profiteer William Poyser (Hurst) wants her business and property to shore up his tottering career, through marriage. Dorothea, Anne and Lawrence become enmeshed in a tortured triangle, resolved when Lawrence agrees to marry Rose for convenience and to get her away from Fraser. Rose dies ravaged from her opium addiction, although Lawrence and Fraser have fought a battle on board a vessel as passengers and both are missing, presumed dead. Dorothea has been coerced into accepting Poyser in marriage.

Two years pass and Fraser returns, as does Lawrence. At an opera, a mise-en-abyme version of Fraser's sudden death is replayed – but the veiled female assailant turns out to be Anne, not Dorothea. Realising that Anne is her true love, Dorothea leaves Poyser to his fate, given the exposure of his financial mismanagement and gambling debts. Lawrence sees them off at the dock as they depart Hope, and Dorothea and Anne are last seen together at the vessel's helm, embracing and arm in arm.

Cast

Production

The film was shot on a relatively modest budget of $2 million. As a money saving device it was mostly shot in a shed on the Auckland harbour. To further save on costs the cast members each played multiple roles. By utilising Fuji stock for its excessive colour the film was able to make the most of it costuming and art direction to create visuals that far exceeded what was to be expected from its budget. [2]

Release and reception

Desperate Remedies premiered at the Miami Film Festival to wide acclaim. It appeared at many festivals including Cannes Film Festival, Kiev International Film Festival and the Turin Lesbian and Gay Film Festival. The film picked up many awards including Best Design and Best Film at Kiev and the Audience Prize in Turin. It was also well received in New Zealand, winning awards for Best Cinematography, Best Design and Best Costume Design at the 1994 New Zealand Film and Television Awards. [3]

The film also garnered critical acclaim in the US and United Kingdom with many high-profile publications giving it positive reviews. In the US The New York Times described the film as "gorgeous but silly" while the Los Angeles Times noted that "Wells and Main never stumble, and their film emerges as a glittery triumph". In the UK the film received glowing reviews from NME who described it as "gloriously overblown, shamelessly camp and utterly wonderful" while The Sunday Times reviewed it as "Deliciously Dotty". [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vincent Ward (director)</span> New Zealand film director, screenwriter and artist

Vincent Ward is a New Zealand film director, screenwriter and artist. His films have received international recognition at both the Academy Awards and the Cannes Film Festival.

<i>I Shot Andy Warhol</i> 1996 biographical drama film by Mary Harron

I Shot Andy Warhol is a 1996 biographical drama film about the life of Valerie Solanas and her relationship with the artist Andy Warhol. The film marked the feature film directorial debut of Canadian director Mary Harron. The film stars Lili Taylor as Valerie, Jared Harris as Andy Warhol, and Martha Plimpton as Valerie's friend Stevie. Stephen Dorff plays Warhol superstar Candy Darling. John Cale of The Velvet Underground wrote the film's score despite protests from former band member Lou Reed. Yo La Tengo plays an anonymous band that is somewhat reminiscent of the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roger Donaldson</span> Australian-New Zealand filmmaker

Roger Lindsey Donaldson is an Australian and New Zealand film director, screenwriter, and producer. His 1977 debut film, Sleeping Dogs, is considered landmark work of New Zealand cinema, as one of the country’s first films to attract large-scale critical and commercial success. He has subsequently directed 17 feature films, working in Hollywood and the United Kingdom, as well as his native country.

Lisa Irene Chappell is a New Zealand actress and musician. She is known for her roles as Chelsea Redfern in Gloss (1987–90), her acting debut, and as Claire McLeod in McLeod's Daughters (2001–03), a performance which earned her two Logie Awards, for Most Popular New Female Talent and Most Popular Actress.

Michael Eric Hurst ONZM is a British-born New Zealand actor, director and writer. He is known internationally for acting in the television programs Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and companion series Xena: Warrior Princess as Iolaus. Most recently, he is known for his role in directing the Starz series Spartacus: Blood and Sand and Ash vs Evil Dead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niki Caro</span> New Zealand filmmaker (born 1966)

Nikola Jean Caro is a New Zealand film, television, and music video director and screenwriter. Her 2002 film Whale Rider was critically praised and won a number of awards at international film festivals. She directed the 2020 live action version of Disney's Mulan, making her the second female and the second New Zealand director hired by Disney to direct a film budgeted at over $100 million. Caro's works ranged from music videos, commercials, television dramas, and films, etc.

<i>Smash Palace</i> 1981 New Zealand film

Smash Palace is a New Zealand feature film that premiered at Cannes in May 1981 and was released theatrically in April 1982. The film chronicles a former race car driver who inadvertently contributes to the end of his marriage, then kidnaps his daughter. Lawrence's character runs a carwrecking yard in an isolated area of New Zealand's North Island.

<i>Bread and Roses</i> (2000 film) 2000 film by Ken Loach

Bread and Roses is a 2000 film directed by Ken Loach, starring Pilar Padilla, Adrien Brody and Elpidia Carrillo. The plot deals with the struggle of poorly paid janitorial workers in Los Angeles and their fight for better working conditions and the right to unionize. It is based on the "Justice for Janitors" campaign of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and the lead union organizer, Sam Shapiro, is based on SEIU organizer Jono Shaffer.

Cinema of Unease: A Personal Journey by Sam Neill is a documentary about the history of New Zealand cinema written by Sam Neill and co-directed by Neill and Judy Rymer. The film was released in 1995, and was New Zealand's contribution to the British Film Institute's Century of Cinema series. The title refers to the dark and brooding nature of many of New Zealand's most notable films, which Neill considers a reflection of the nation's struggle to find, or form, its own identity. The film screened in the 1995 Cannes Film Festival, and won Best Documentary in the 1996 TV Guide Film and Television Awards of New Zealand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennifer Ward-Lealand</span> New Zealand actor and director

Jennifer Cecily Ward-Lealand is a New Zealand theatre and film actor, director, teacher and intimacy coordinator. She has worked for 40 years, appearing in over 120 theatre performances: Greek, Shakespeare, drama, comedy, devised, and musical theatre. Her screen credits include the 1993 movie Desperate Remedies as well as appearances in The Footstep Man, the soap Shortland Street and Australian comedy series Full Frontal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Wells (writer)</span> New Zealand writer and filmmaker (1950–2019)

Peter Northe Wells was a New Zealand writer, filmmaker, and historian. He was mainly known for his fiction, but also explored his interest in gay and historical themes in a number of expressive drama and documentary films from the 1980s onwards.

Geeling Ng is a New Zealand model, actress and restaurateur. She is best known as the title character in the English rock musician David Bowie's 1983 music video for his worldwide hit single "China Girl". She was a 23-year-old cook, in the salad section, at The Bayswater Brasserie in Sydney, with no acting experience when she auditioned for the role. Following her appearance in the video, the two had a brief affair. She has appeared in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985), Illustrious Energy (1988) and Desperate Remedies (1993). She was a host of the music television show Kulture Shock.

<i>Blue Is the Warmest Colour</i> 2013 film by Abdellatif Kechiche

Blue Is the Warmest Colour is a 2013 romantic drama film co-written, co-produced, and directed by Abdellatif Kechiche and starring Léa Seydoux and Adèle Exarchopoulos. The film follows Adèle (Exarchopoulos), a French teenager, who discovers desire and freedom when Emma (Seydoux), an aspiring painter, enters her life. It depicts their relationship from Adèle's high school years to her early adult life and career as a schoolteacher. The film's premise is based on the 2010 graphic novel of the same name by Jul Maroh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rachel House (actress)</span> New Zealand actress and director

Rachel Jessica Te Ao Maarama House is a New Zealand actress and director. She has received numerous accolades including an Arts Laureate, NZ Order of Merit, 'Mana Wahine' from WIFT NZ and Te Waipuna a Rangi for her contributions as an actor and director.

Louis Sutherland is a New Zealand film, television and advertising director and actor. He is of Samoan and Scottish descent, and based in Wellington.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiona Samuel</span> New Zealand writer, actor and director

Fiona Samuel is a New Zealand writer, actor and director who was born in Scotland. Samuel's award-winning career spans theatre, film, radio and television. She graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School in 1980 with a Diploma in Acting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jackie van Beek</span> New Zealand playwright, director and actor

Jackie van Beek is a New Zealand film and television director, writer and actress.

Vanessa Alexander is an Australian, New Zealand and British screenwriter, director and producer best known for writing on Vikings: Valhalla and The Great.

Gone Up North for a While is a 1972 New Zealand film directed by Paul Maunder.

References

  1. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Desperate Remedies". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 22 August 2009.
  2. ↑ "Desperate Remedies". nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  3. 1 2 "Desperate Remedies". nzonscreen.com. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.