HUSBAND CLOSES MELBOURNE FILM FEST

An Ideal Husband was the closing night film of the Melbourne Film Festival this past Sunday evening, and by all accounts, the event came off without a hitch, was a great success and a splendid time was had by all.

It's good news that two of Cate's three films to appear in 1999 have now made their way to Australia, and now, only The Talented Mr. Ripley remains the elusive object of desire. We understand, of course, that Husband has yet to receive it's general release in Oz (won't be until the year 2000), nor in many other parts of the globe. Still, with only one major Cate sighting left this year, we can already feel the withdrawal pains kicking in.

ELIZABETH'S WAR OF WORDS CONTINUE

Well, the bloody aftermath of the non-release of Elizabeth in India, and the canceling of the Premiere in New Delhi, only after Cate and Joe Fiennes had arrived, continued this week as a war of words in all the papers.

Shekhar Kapur responded indignantly to remarks by India's chief censor, Asha Parekh, that the director put up a fight "over minor matters" in his film that the Censor Board deemed unsuitable. In an interview appearing in Wednesday's Times of India, Kapur remarked. "There are a lot of other people, too, who are saying, 'Jaane bhi do, Shekhar!' ('Why bother, Shekhar!') 'Why must you bother about just three cuts? But all my life I have fought against this jaane-bhi-do attitude. Sometimes I have lost and sometimes I have won. But I have never given up."

In the interview Kapur went on to explain why he believes the cuts demanded by the board are not "minor matters." Responding to a demand that a scene showing a woman's bare breasts be removed, Kapur said that he recognizes that 5 percent of the audience might "whistle and pass comments ... simply because those people come only for entertainment. [But] What about the 95 percent of the audience which views films in a mature fashion?"

Later on Wednesday, the debate grew more heated when Kapur denounced as "horrifying" and "humiliating" a charge by India's chief censor that he challenged the board's demands that three scenes in the film be cut in order to attract publicity.

At a New Delhi news conference on Wednesday, attended also by Elizabeth costar Joseph Fiennes, Kapur said, "Why would I need publicity for a film which has already won sundry awards and grossed $100 million the world over? ... I am merely fighting because I believe no shot in the film is unimportant and every cut affects the film."

Asked by a reporter why the film, which had been nominated for 7 Oscars, received only one minor award, Kapur replied: "The Oscars have become a financial consideration now. The whole business of an Oscar award increases the business prospects of the film by almost $ 100 million. There is so much at stake, so many pressures at work."

So, it sounds like we have an old fashioned standoff. It's too bad, really. The people of India are the obvious losers here, and it's hard to underestimate the value to the people of India to see the great international achievement of one of their own native sons. Plus, on a basis of pure morality, it's hard to reason the censor board objecting to a head on a stake when Indian television was overflowing last week with graphic footage of dismembered bodies in the aftermath of the train wreck that killed 500+. One is a current event and one an historical event. Alas...

D. W. ARMFIELD

We came across an interesting tidbit this week that has to do with the esteemed artistic director of the Belvior Street Theatre and other assorted theatrical ventures. You only have to peruse the various reviews and articles in the Cate Library in relation to Cate's brilliant stage career to see Neil Armfield's name pop up again and again.

Well, it would appear that Mr. Armfield is about to make the giant leap from theatrical director to cinema director. Neil will be following in a grand tradition of sorts. Nicholas Hytner is probably only one of the latest and well known stage directors to make the move, and his efforts have included both The Madness of King George and The Crucible.

This story came to light in an interview with Toni Collette, who remarked, "When I was in drama school, I left to go work with theatrical director Neil Armfield. He's making his first feature next year based on a fantastic book called 'Candy' by Luke Davies, a young Australian writer. The book is amazing and everything Neil does gives something amazing to the audience."

SO, we will certainly bookmark that title and keep our eyes open in the future.
Guess that's all for now, Cate-aholics. Until next time, remember, when all else fails, "PLAY A VOLTA!!"

Aussie Cate Online © 1999 Lin, Dean, Lance
800x600 screen size recommended.