Bright Star
ELLE subscribers will be the first to see hit costume drama Bright Star at one of the special ELLE preview screenings held nationwide. Ben Whishaw and Abbie Cornish star as the poet John Keats and his lover Fanny Brawne in director Jane Campion’s heartfelt study of the pair’s three-year affair. Prepare to be drawn deep into their romance, which starts in 1818 when they become neighbours. Their blossoming relationship is threatened by money (his lack of it), social scruples, Keats' friendship with fellow poet Charles Brown and finally illness, which tragically leads to Keats' untimely death aged 25. This is a quiet but emotionally intense film, a beautiful and intimate depiction of young love and loss, that will leave you reaching for your tissues and the latest edition of Keats' poems. Subscribe to ELLE today to receive future offers, including more exclusive film screenings.
By Claire Sacre
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The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
In this sumptuous tale, Dr Parnassus (Christopher Plummer) makes a bet with the devil (Tom Waits) whereby he gains immortality – but at the risk of losing his daughter Valentina (Lily Cole, left) on her 16th birthday. We meet mysterious Parnassus and his bohemian travelling theatre troupe (including Anton, played by Andrew Garfield) as she approaches that milestone, and her father has just three days to save her. The rickety, old theatre includes an unusual attraction: step through the makeshift mirror and you enter Dr Parnassus’ Imaginarium, a fantastical world created by your own imagination. And so begins the wildly surreal spectacle you'd expect from award-winning director Terry Gilliam (Monty Python; Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas). In a bid to save Valentina, Parnassus renegotiates the wager. Now the winner is whoever is the first to seduce five souls, with the Imaginarium his only weapon.
Meanwhile, Valentina discovers Tony, played by the late Heath Ledger, hanging from London Bridge with a rope tied around his neck and she rescues him. He joins the troupe, unable to remember his devious past. Switching between modern day London and the parallel worlds of various imaginations, a tale of morality unravels as Dr Parnassus races to save his daughter and Valentina becomes the centre of a love rivalry between Anton and Tony. It's a rich cinematic experience that may be a touch too art house for some, but with turns by Johnny Depp, Jude Law and Colin Farrell - who all stepped in after Ledger's death in 2008 to help complete his final film - and Ledger poignantly shining bright, it's an interesting, intriguing and absorbing watch.
Don't miss our interview with Terry Gilliam in this month's ELLE, on sale now.
By Claire Sacre
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The Film That Changed My Life
LOVEFiLM.COM has teamed up with ELLE this month to offer readers the chance to win an exciting collection of 25 must-watch films. ELLE asked influential people across fashion, film and the arts to name the films that have influenced and inspired them and, ultimately, changed their lives. From ELLE editor in chief, Lorraine Candy’s favourite, Withnail & I, and director and actor Noel Clarke’s affection for Pulp Fiction, to designer Henry Holland’s beloved Pretty Woman, this exclusive prize offers a diverse selection of cinematic entertainment. Here is a sneak preview, but to read all 25 and be in with a chance to win the collection, pick up a copy of November ELLE today.
PULP FICTION
Noel Clarke, actor, screenwriter & director
Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, a multi-plot story about LA gangsters, was the film that really cemented my decision to get into the film industry. Until that point I had always believed that stories in films had to be told a certain way, like A, B, C. Pulp Fiction completely played with the order of things, but still the story worked. No one before had ever shown me you could be so creative. Now that sort of thing is commonplace, although not always executed as well. From then on there was no stopping my imagination and I started formulating ideas that would later become some of the movies I’ve made and some of the movies yet to come.
WITHNAIL & I
Lorraine Candy, editor in chief, ELLE
I met my husband on a blind date 15 years ago. It didn’t start well – we had absolutely nothing to talk about. The evening looked like it would end early until we started talking about films. We both knew most of the lines from Withnail & I, it was the one thing we had in common that evening. It saved the date and we’re still together.
PRETTY WOMAN
Henry Holland, designer
My film choice was the unexpected hit of the early 1990s – the epitome of yuppie culture. Pretty Woman was an iconic film that defined a generation and is often described as a modern day Cinderella. The significance for me personally is that it awoke my fashion consciousness at an age when I was becoming aware of the power of clothing and how it can change people’s perceptions of you as an individual. My favourite fashion moment from the film is the fabulous brown spotty dress that Julia Roberts wears to the polo – tres chic.
An Education
In this month's ELLE we are offering existing ELLE subscribers the chance to see An Education, author Nick Hornby’s adaptation of Lynn Barber’s coming-of-age memoir, at one of the special ELLE preview screenings held nationwide. Starring Carey Mulligan, this is a witty, smart and moving tale of first love and heartbreak, set in 1960s London. Mulligan plays bright 16-year-old Jenny who is fixated on getting into Oxford University until a mysterious older man (Peter Sarsgaard) sweeps her off her feet, catapulting her into an adult world of city glamour and shady dealings. British stars Emma Thompson, Alfred Molina, Rosamund Pike and Dominic Cooper make up the impressive cast led by director Lone Scherfig. If you want to be an ELLE subscriber and receive future subscriber offers including more exclusive film screenings, subscribe today.
By Lucy Thackray
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The Soloist
On-screen chameleon Jamie Foxx makes a welcome return to the big screen (2007’s The Kingdom being his last major film) as schizophrenic homeless man Nathaniel Ayers, a musical prodigy who has fallen on hard times. LA Times journalist Steve Lopez (Robert Downey Jr.) takes an interest in the street musician after discovering he once attended Julliard, New York's prestigious performing arts school. Ayers becomes brilliant material for his column, but their relationship gets complicated when Lopez tries to intervene to put Ayer's life back on track. Based on Steve Lopez's memoir The Soloist: a Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the Redemptive Power of Music, published in 2008, expect a gritty eye-opening look at the poverty, crime and homelessness that lies beneath the bright lights of LA. Uncomfortably real at times, Lopez's dry wit lightens the mood and Foxx is endearing and funny as the troubled genius. Flashbacks to Ayers’ past mean the film loses some of its initial momentum, but the stormy relationship between the two male leads is so engaging it more than makes up for it. This is one that will make you think; an uplifting experience based on a compelling true story.
By Lucy Thackray
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