From the producer of Henry V and the director of Prime Suspect comes frothy comedy First Night.

Originally titled Cosi, Richard E. Grant plays Adam, a rich industrialist and frustrated amateur opera singer, who throws his own production of Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte in his stately home. Adam aspires to a more cultured world. Spurred on by playful jibes that he is little more than a city suit living the capitalist’s dream. He decides to host an opera in his lavish country retreat so that, once his friends see him belting out the notes, he feels it will surely put an end to their shallow taunts. In fact, it might even help him win the hand of a female conductor he has been pursuing whom – it just so happens – is the first to be recruited for his showpiece.

Sarah Brightman co-stars as the conductor and object of Grant’s affections.

For the rest of the cast and the production Adam brings in the experts and enlists the aid of a troupe of sexy young singer with enough collective sexual tension to light up the stage.

His choice of opera? Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte, the master composer’s fabled romp through the bittersweet territory of sexual infidelity.
And as this disparate group flexes their melodic and melodramatic muscles, it won’t be long before life imitates art as relationships flourish and flounder.

Cosi Fan Tutte is Mozart’s most popular opera. Although it has always been regarded as his most lyrical it has a cynical vein running through it which resonates with contemporary audiences.

The story unfolds while rehearsals take place. As in the opera so it is in the film. Mozart’s music heightens a comedic drama as a classic tale of love and betrayal plays out.

The film is directed by Christopher Menaul and will be released on the 14th October.

From ScreenDaily.com – 23 August, 2011

Black & Blue’s Loser finds a friend in Crabtree Films.

By Andreas Wiseman

UK distributor Crabtree Films has picked up Black & Blue Films’ London-set, low-budget comedy How to Stop Being a Loser.

The cast for the comedy about a single man who meets a romance guru includes Simon Philips, Gemma Atkinson, Richard E Grant, Stephanie Leonidas, Jill Halfpenny, Martin Compston, Billy Murray, Colin Salmon, Martin Kemp, Neil Maskell and Craig Conway.

Dominic Burns directs the as yet undated film which will be released theatrically in the fourth quarter of 2011.

From TVTonight.com.au – 23rd August, 2011

By David Knox

Next month UKTV will premiere the BBC miniseries The Crimson Petal and the White, based on Michel Faber’s international best selling novel.

In this 4 part series the streets of London in the 1870s are anything but a safe place. It was adapted by playwright and screenwriter Lucinda Coxon and directed by Marc Munden.

The series received mixed reviews, but was noted for being provocative, bold and experimental.

This provocative and riveting four-part drama tells the story of Sugar (Romola Garai), an alluring, intelligent young prostitute who yearns for a better life away from the brothel she is attached to, run by the contemptible Mrs Castaway (Gillian Anderson).

Highly sought after and sexually adept “she never disappoints”, Sugar yearns for a better life and craves the freedom to make a living using her brain rather than her body. When not at work, Sugar pens a dark, gothic novel in which a prostitute enacts revenge on all the men who wronged her – a theme that has threatened to seep into reality.

However, things change for her when she meets wealthy businessman and reluctant heir to a perfume business, William Rackham (Chris O’Dowd). Sugar is a thrilling antidote to William’s life, saddled with a pious brother, Henry Rackham (Mark Gatiss) and fragile wife Agnes (Amanda Hale). Agnes regularly endures visits from the invasive physician Doctor Curlew (Richard E. Grant), leaving her unable to perform her wifely duties.

William ensconces Sugar as his mistress and she soon grows accustomed to her new life. Yet unbeknown to William, Sugar begins to hatch a plan which sets a series of events in motion that will change their lives forever…

“What distinguishes this intimate psychological thriller from other period dramas on television today is that it really delivers a Victorian-era experience with a contemporary storytelling approach. There is a wonderful dichotomy between the characters bound by order and duty, and those who inhabit the darker side of London, a place seething with vitality, sexuality, ambition and emotion,” said Deirdre Brennan, Director of Television, BBC Worldwide Australia.

“Period drama and mystery are two genres which galvanise the UKTV audience. I know they’ll enjoy this superb literary adaptation,” concluded Brennan.

UKTV Thursday September 1 at 9:30pm.

Two of Richard E. Grant’s films “book-end” the list of 10 Best Movies On Advertising according to the ScreenJunkies.com website. “How To Get Ahead In Advertising” tops the list at number one, while “A Merry War” takes up the rear at number 10. According to the website “These excellent films all feature major characters that work at advertising agencies.”

For the full list, go to the ScreenJunkies.com website here. In the meantime, this is what Andrea Miller from the site had to say about Richard’s two contributions:

1 – “How to Get Ahead in Advertising” (1989). This comedic fantasy is the story of Dennis Bagley, a young advertising executive whose inability to come up with a slogan for a new pimple cream hits close to home. He develops a large boil on his shoulder, which grows a face and starts a running commentary on Bagley’s life. This movie, written and directed by Bruce Robinson, stars Richard E. Grant as the unlucky Dennis.

10 – “A Merry War” (1997). This British film is about a couple, played by Richard E. Grant and Helena Bonham Carter, who both work at an advertising agency. But when he quits to become a poet, the pair faces poverty and hardship.

The REAL SA celebrities

A recent post on Sarah Cangley’s “Cheek To Chic” website talks about the real South African celebrities. Sarah is a journalist living in Johannesburg, South Africa, who writes a weekly social column called Cheek to Chic. During the article, Sarah writes:

“And who can forget the inimitable Richard E Grant, whose debut in Whitnail and I had me doubled over. He plays humorous and serious roles with equal flair. OK, OK, he was brought up in Swaziland, but, again, has lived in South Africa for many years. I used to see him lurking about the Market Theatre in the 90s.”

You can find the entire post at Cheek To Chic.

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