News Items
July - August 2001
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August 30: Empire online has a review of Enigma posted. Reviewer Ian Nathan rates it only 2 stars out of 5, feeling that there is "premium British acting talent on display", but that "Apted doesn’t have enough faith that his spy games and brain-busting are dynamic enough to keep an audience attentive, and resorts to melodramatic impulses." Read the entire review on the Enigma Reviews page.
August 29: BBC has a couple of Enigma-related interviews by James Mottram posted: Director MICHAEL APTED: How
did it feel moving from the James Bond film "The World Is Not
Enough" to "Enigma"? There
is a lot of code-speak in the film. Were you ever concerned that this
would alienate the audience? Do
you see it as a film about obsession? DOUGRAY SCOTT: You
appear very tired in the film. Did you deliberately deprive yourself of
sleep to affect this? Describe
your character's journey through the film. It's
a delicious irony that he's comfortable with one enigma, the machine,
but not the other, Claire. How
did you feel about losing the "X-Men" role to Hugh Jackman,
when "MI:2" needed re-shoots? How
do you perceive your career now? SAFFRON BURROWS: Was
Claire is a difficult role to play, because you are off-screen but must
maintain a presence throughout the film? Did
you delve into code-breaking at all? Do
you see your character as a femme fatale? How
was it working with Mick Jagger, who produced the movie? I’m also re-posting in this space the comments by KATE: Your
character, Hester, has been significantly boosted from her subsidiary
role in the novel... Were
you good at mathematics at school? Do
you think that the period in which "Enigma" takes place, the
1940s, were better times aside from the war? What
film do you hope to do next? "Enigma" is released in UK cinemas on 28th September.
August 28: The Toronto Film Festival site has been updated today. A page on Enigma has been added and includes this great review: Versatile
veteran Michael Apted has a proven record with gripping suspense films,
from Gorky Park to The World Is Not Enough. Acclaimed
playwright and screenwriter Tom Stoppard has frequently demonstrated his
facility for riddling, mind-bending narratives. Together, they have
adapted Robert Harris’s best-selling novel into a first-class thriller
about the infamous Nazi Enigma code and the desperate struggle of
those assigned to crack it. The film is a vigorous, tense and
startlingly sexy account of a crucial turning point in the Second World
War. Enigma will be screened September 14 and 15.
August 27: Register with the Film Factory to win tickets to the premiere of Enigma on September 24! We are offering you the chance to rub shoulders with HRH The Prince of Wales, stars Kate Winslet and Dougray Scott and Rolling Stone Mick Jagger... Go HERE to register. Thanks to my pal Sylvia of Dougray Scott in Focus for the link!
August 26: The UK Sunday Times mentions Enigma in an article about the Edinburgh Film Festival: Exposition instead of explosions, characters not car chases: the intelligent thriller is back, declares Brian Pendreigh from the Film Festival "Brains, Not Brawn" While dying from a terminal disease has been a recurring theme throughout the two weeks of the Edinburgh International Film Festival, one old friend, missing presumed dead for some time, has turned up safe and well: the intelligent thriller. It appeared to have gone the way of the dodo following the phenomenal success of Speed. Film-makers substituted explosions for narrative, and it seemed more important for lead characters to be drop-dead gorgeous than interesting or believable. It has taken the re-emergence of Jack Nicholson, the star of Chinatown, and the blossoming of Tilda Swinton, who became famous for sleeping in an art gallery, to prove that there is intelligent life in the genre, moving the focus back onto character in two American independent movies, The Pledge and The Deep End. The Believer and the wartime thriller Enigma deserve honourable mentions, too. All four open soon. Enigma is a slick marriage of noir elements, including the blonde beauty who drives the obsessed hero to despair, and the old-fashioned yarns John Buchan used to write - a civilian must save England while pursued by foreign spies and domestic police. Tom Jericho (Dougray Scott) is a brilliant mathematician, returning to the Bletchley Park code-breaking base after a nervous breakdown ascribed to the pressure of the job, but really due to his split from girlfriend and colleague Claire Romilly (Saffron Burrows). He works round the clock to break German codes and possibly turn the tide of the second world war. And, in his spare time, he tries to solve the mystery of Claire's disappearance, which seems even more sinister after the discovery of stolen, coded messages under her floorboards. The focus is on narrative rather than characters: Scott looks more like he has had a heavy night in the boozer than a nervous breakdown, and the resemblance of Claire and her housemate (Kate Winslet) to the two female members of the Famous Five is unfortunate. But Tom Stoppard makes an intelligent job of adapting Robert Harris's bestseller. The twisty plot mixes fact, fiction and mathematics, and demands a degree of attention inconsistent with the visits to the popcorn counters that can be accommodated in most Hollywood thrillers, but the director, Michael Apted, has a great sense of pacing and period detail. Enigma also marks Mick Jagger's move from rock star to film producer.
August 24: I have added several great new pics of Kate at the Enigma screening on August 18 to the Edinburgh Film Fest page.
August
24: Here's a message I just received from the folks at the Toronto Film
Festival:
August 23: Associated New Media has an article today about Jagger’s interview for Saga magazine to promote Enigma: ...There is a reason for the sudden display of maturity, as the first film he has produced, Enigma, is counting on the pensioner pound to be a success at the box-office. The movie is about British codebreaking triumphs at Bletchley Park during the Second World War and is expected to be popular with older audiences. Jagger pre-Saga -- Canny Jagger granted the monthly magazine [Saga] an exclusive interview but instead of talking about ageing or his romantic history, stuck to his pet project which is set in 1943 - the year of his birth. Based on the Robert Harris bestseller and starring Kate Winslet, it is the first film from Jagger's production company Jagged. It may rankle slightly that much of the money came from Germany, of all places, while one call to Jagger's bank manager could have produced the funds. In his interview - which comes a few pages before an article entitled 'Raging Grannies: A Pressure Group With A Difference' - he explained: 'We could not get British backing. I find the business side of it all boring and ghastly. I just wanted to make the movie. I put in seed money, not heavy stuff. It is an absolute rule. I made a rule when I started this that I was not going to be heavy-handed. I did not want to come on to the set very often. And when I did, I wanted to be encouraging. Since it was my idea, it is very tempting to have a lot to say. But I have learned when to keep my mouth shut. I believe in British films and British talent. We've had some of the best technicians and film crews around for years. We are now getting a crop of strong young actors coming through who are acceptable to Americans. I am not against having an American actor in any film, so long as they are good. Where it goes wrong is having to employ an American who is no good just to keep the financiers happy.' Saga editor Paul Bach said: 'He's got a new film coming out and for our readers Enigma is a very interesting subject, so he was happy to talk about it.
August 23: The folks at Intermedia actually updated their site (not the Enigma site) earlier this week and posted this bit: "Royal Premiere For Enigma" Michael
Apted's ENIGMA will have its London premiere in the presence of HRH
Prince Charles on 24 September with proceeds going towards the Prince's
Trust - the UK's leading youth charity - and Bletchley Park, home of the
original World War II code breakers. ENIGMA, which stars Dougray Scott,
Kate Winslet, Jeremy Northam and Saffron Burrows, had a gala screening
at the Edinburgh Film Festival on August 18 and at screened at Taormina
in July.
August 23: Mick Jagger has been promoting Enigma. Several papers and web sites have covered an interview he did recently that was published in Saga Magazine: LONDON (Reuters) - Mick Jagger once sang "What A Drag It Is Getting Old.'' On Thursday he was the front-page spread in a magazine for Over Fifties. Amid the Saga Magazine advertisements for retirement homes and orthopedic beds, the wrinkly rocker extols the virtues of ''Enigma,'' a film he produced about World War Two code breakers at their secret location at Bletchley Park, a country estate north of London. The film is set in 1943 -- the year Jagger was born -- and Saga editor Paul Bach thought it was the perfect subject for his readers. "Many of our readers will have worked there or least be familiar with it,'' Bach said. "And don't forget that people in their 60s and 70s would have been youngsters when Jagger was beginning to make his mark on the world.'' From the UK Times: Jagger, who turned 58 this year and has therefore been eligible for a Saga holiday and cut-price car insurance for eight years, looks almost boyish in the picture published to accompany an interview with him about his backing of the film Enigma, based on the Robert Harris novel of life in the wartime codebreaking centre at Bletchley Park. ..."The subject of the Jagger interview is Bletchley Park in wartime, and many of our readers will have worked there, or at least be familiar with it," Mr Bach said. From ITN: Apparently, Jagger and his people are unhappy with Saga’s article and cover: A spokesman said he was "horrified that Saga didn't have the courtesy to check with us" over publication of the article. The interview, in which Jagger discusses his forthcoming film Enigma, was carried out by a freelance journalist and the rock star was unaware of where it would be printed.
August 23: The Megastar mentions Enigma in this item about Mick Jagger: "Jagger Rolls On" Driven Jagg: Still in fast-lane - even at 58 Mick Jagger is embarking on a heavy promotional push for two films and his first solo album in eight years. The 58-year-old Stones frontman produced code-cracking thriller Enigma, due for release in September, and co-stars in The Man from Elysian Fields, which is currently in post-production. His new album, Goddess in a Doorway, is scheduled for release in early November and reportedly includes performances by guest stars Lenny Kravitz and Who legend Pete Townshend. Enigma stars Kate Winslet and tells the story of a young genius who is racing against time to crack the code that will reveal the mystery behind the women he loves. The Man from Elysian Fields, which also stars Andy Garcia, Julianna Margulies and James Coburn, will be screened at the Toronto Film Festival next month. It focuses on the life of a failed novelist who, while working as an escort to help pay the bills, becomes entwined with a wealthy women whose husband is a successful writer.
August 23: Enigma author hits back at the UK Times! He wrote a letter to the editor, and it was published yesterday. He expresses many of the same thoughts I had after reading the couple of Times articles this past weekend that seemed to deliberately attack the film: Enigma film - From Mr. Robert Harris Sir, Has The Times secretly declared war on the forthcoming film, Enigma? Not only did you print a hostile review (fair enough), but also a news story which appeared to imply that Saturday’s British premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival was troubled, and, most bizarrely of all, an editorial asserting that the movie is a failure, even though it is not due to open for more than a month, and the limited critical response so far has been overwhelmingly favourable. I wrote the novel on which the film is based, and attended the Edinburgh screening, and if I thought it was a bad film, I would say so - or, at the very least, observe a discreet radio silence on the matter. But Enigma is a good film, and was enthusiastically received on Saturday. The three biggest movie industry newspapers - Variety, The Hollywood Reporter and Screen International - have respectively described it as "intelligent, involving and intricately plotted", "superbly crafted" and "compelling, sumptuously made". Of course, not everyone is going to like it. Enigma is a romantic thriller, not a documentary, and codebreaking is uniquely difficult to convey on screen. But of the thousands of surviving veterans of Bletchley Park, I know of only one who has actually seen the movie: Sarah Baring, née Norton, a former translator in the naval section, who was shown it by the BBC last week, and who told the PM programme on Friday that it was "a lovely film" which "illustrates so well the aura of excitement when codes are broken and the deep depression when they temporarily cannot be cracked". In these circumstances, without wishing to be over-sensitive, your editorial dismissal of Enigma as having been "judged to fall flat" seems both premature and baffling - what they might have called at Bletchley "a garbled text". Yours
faithfully,
August 22: "Film of British Wartime Heroics Had German Cash," By Martin Evans, Showbusiness Correspondent, PA NewsThe latest movie blockbuster to tell the story of heroic British wartime exploits had to be backed by German money after homegrown support could not be found. Enigma, starring Kate Winslet, is the dramatic tale of the British codebreaking triumphs by the experts at Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire during the Second World War. Their exploits, which are believed to have shortened the war by at least two years, have been immortalised in a film, made by Rolling Stone Mick Jagger's movie company, Jagged Films. But the wrinkly rock star has revealed the problems he had in preventing the story being hijacked by US movie-makers. Jagger bought the rights to the Richard Harris book but then found difficulties in getting financial backing for the project. In an interview with Saga Magazine, the 58-year-old said: "We could not get the American money to make this unless we changed it to an American story and how can you translate this to a place like Philadelphia." He said he believed in supporting homegrown talent and was fiercely proud of the film, which is set in 1943, the year Jagger himself was born. "I believe in British films and British talent. We've had some of the best technicians and film crews around for years. We are now getting a crop of strong young actors coming through who are acceptable to the Americans. I am not against having an American actor in any film so long as they are good. Where it goes wrong is having to employ an American who is no good, just to keep the financiers happy." But with the lack of US support and no British backing available, Jagged Films were forced to look elsewhere to get the movie off the ground and the search eventually led them to Germany. Jagger explained: "We could not get British backing. I find the business side of it all boring and ghastly. I just wanted to make the movie." Enigma, which also stars Dougray Scott and Saffron Burrows, had its UK premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival last weekend and will open on general release in September. Thanks to my pal Sylvia of Dougray Scott in Focus for the above two items!
August 22: Kate spoke about her Enigma character, Hester Wallace, to BBC News: Kate Winslet at the Edinburgh Film Festival; interviewed by James Mottram Your
character, Hester, has been significantly boosted from her subsidiary
role in the novel... Were
you good at mathematics at school? Do
you think that the period in which "Enigma" takes place, the
1940s, were better times aside from the war? What
film do you hope to do next? "Enigma" is released in UK cinemas on 28th September.
August 21: I just took a look at the official site for the Toronto Film Festival, which runs September 6-15, and find that Enigma is one of the ‘Viacom Gala’ films. It will be presented on Friday, September 14 at 6:30 PM: Viacom Galas: The Festival's high-profile showcase of premieres includes 18 films, a balance of Canadian, U.S. studio productions and foreign language films. Many of these films are world or North American premieres. They are presented in Roy Thomson Hall. Visit the official site for box office and travel info. Here is some basic info on tickets: Subject to availability, advance single tickets may be purchased at the Festival Box Office beginning Wednesday, September 5th, 2001. Advance tickets for VIACOM Gala screenings at Roy Thomson Hall are $23.55; all other screening tickets are just $13.00. You do not require a Pass or Coupon Book to purchase single tickets. All prices include GST.
August 21: Reuters report on the Toronto Film Festival: "Mick, Uma and Denzel to descend on Toronto fest," By Amran Abocar TORONTO (Reuters) - It's Mick, Uma and Denzel. For 10 days in September, "Toronto the Good" becomes "Toronto the Chic" when those Hollywood celebrities and others light up the 26th International Film Festival, which is often used as a launching pad for Academy Award-winning films. Organizers unveiled a dazzling list of films, actors and directors on Tuesday for the festival -- considered one of the world's most important, along with Cannes, Venice and Berlin. They also scuttled fears that this year's event, which runs Sept. 6 to 15, would be a damp squib shunned by major stars. Appearances by Rolling Stone turned film producer and actor Mick Jagger, box office favorites such as Denzel Washington, Nicole Kidman and Uma Thurman, as well as legends such as director Bernardo Bertolucci and actor Anthony Hopkins, will likely assure a solid audience turnout. Jagger is showcasing two films: The Second World War romantic thriller "Enigma" starring Kate Winslet, which he produced. The rocker also has a role in "Man From Elysian Fields," co-starring Andy Garcia and Juliana Marguilies. But festival director Piers Handling insists most Toronto movie goers are more interested in the art than the celebrity factor. "The festival's largely about showing films you don't have a chance to see elsewhere," Handling told a press conference. "A lot of savvy festival-goers will go see films from countries which they'll never get a chance to see again, and for them it's a different star system. It's more director-oriented." A little smaller than last year's 25th anniversary festival, the 2001 event will showcase 326 films, including 175 making their world or North American premieres, from 56 countries stretching from Chile to Kazakhstan. NOSTALGIC FILMS About 60 percent of the films are non-English and the tone is decidedly darker than the previous year, with many films dealing with the Second World War, family dysfunction and loss. "There's a certain nostalgia in the work this year, a lot of filmmakers, the baby boom generation in particular, who are looking backward in time," Handling said. "A lot of films dealt with angry young people who were often in dysfunctional families and had derelict parents." The disenchanted youth theme was apparent in not only American films but Asian and European ones, Handling said. The film festival will be launched by Canadian Bruce Sweeney's "Last Wedding" and will be closed by Australian director Ray Lawrence's psychological thriller, "Lantana", starring Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush and Barbara Hershey. Other films making their world premiere include "Last Orders" with Michael Caine, "Novocaine," starring Steve Martin and Helena Bonham-Carter, and Scott Hick's "Heart in Atlantis," with Anthony Hopkins. North American debuts include David Lynch's "Mulholland Drive," David Mamet's "Heist," starring Danny De Vito and Gene Hackman, "From Hell," with Johnny Depp and "Training Day" starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. A bevy of other Hollywood stars will accompany their films, including Ben Kingsley, Mira Sorvino, Kate Beckinsale and John Cusack, Glenn Close, Harvey Keitel and Richard Harris. In the world cinema segment, directors from countries including Cuba, India, Mexico, Belgium, Iran, Argentina, Ethiopia and France bring films that range from five hours to one minute. The spotlight will fall on Scandinavian cinema this year with 15 films by Nordic filmmakers in a program entitled "Nordic Visions: Recent Films from Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden." "We just felt that something was beginning to bubble and happen in Scandinavia," Handling said. Up-and-coming filmmakers featured in the Discovery segment will get a crucial opportunity to show their work to potential distributors in hopes of getting a deal. So far, 600 buyers and sales agents have registered with the festival, which has a reputation as a good place to find a distributor.
August 21: More on the Toronto festival from Canada.com: "Relationships, Family and War Tales Dominate at Toronto Film Festival," By Marlene Habib TORONTO (CP) - Get ready for celluloid images of war nostalgia, dysfunctional and grieving families and angry youth. They're the dominant themes at next month's Toronto International Film Festival. This year the movie-premiere marathon has attracted stars like Harvey Keitel, Anthony LaPaglia, John Cusack, Sara Beckinsale, Kate Winslet and Mick Jagger. There will be 326 movies shown around Toronto during the 10-day festival that starts Sept. 6. Of those, 249 are features, of which 175 are world and North American premieres, festival director Piers Handling told a news conference Tuesday. And it's not just hype... Enigma, from director Michael Apted and produced by Lorne Michaels and Jagger, is a romantic thriller about the code-breakers who diffused the threat of Nazi U-boats. It headlines Titanic star Winslet.
August 21: I found a mention of Kate and Enigma in an Independent article about director Michael Apted: While directing the last James Bond film, The World is Not Enough, Apted continued to work on his latest British installment of 7 Up, which saw the documentary's subjects reaching the age of 42. It was broadcast on BBC1 in 1998 and he will return to them in 2005. Apted is best known as a movie director with a credit list that includes Gorillas in the Mist, Gorky Park, Nell and Dracula. His latest thriller, Enigma, is based on the book by Robert Harris about Second World War code- breaking. But Enigma has taken five years to reach the screen. Despite a screenplay by Sir Tom Stoppard and stars including Kate Winslet, Saffron Burrows and Dougray Scott, there was a nervousness from American studios about the complex plot and it was eventually funded by German and Dutch backers.
August 20: I posted yesterday the Associated Press story, 'It must be hard for movie stars to be dull. Just ask Kate Winslet.' Today, many, many papers and sites (including the Washington Post, NY Times, USA Today) have included the story in their entertainment news round-up columns. Must be a slow new day. It's nice, though, that more people will read quotes from Kate and a little about Enigma. Here’s a re-working of the story from the Sydney Morning Herald - with a nice pic of Kate in character as Hester: "Quite boring": Kate Winslet's enigmatic new role," By Claire O'Rourke and AP It must be hard for movie stars to be dull. Just ask Kate Winslet. The Titanic star says she was challenged by the unglamorous role she plays in the Mick Jagger-produced movie Enigma.
The World War II drama had its first screening outside the United States at the Edinburgh Film Festival on Saturday. "She's quite boring," Winslet said of heroine Hester Wallace, "but she's a really good character and was a real challenge for me." The movie is a tale of romantic intrigue among British code-breakers trying to unravel German U-boat ciphers during World War II. Enigma debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Sneak preview -- Director Michael Apted Stars Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet, Saffron Burrows, Jeremy Northam The story Adapted from the Robert Harris bestseller of the same name, the film is set against the murky backdrop of England during World War II. It's spring 1943, and inside secret Station X at Bletchley Park the Atlantic war is being won, as the subterranean heroes crack the Nazi Enigma code. But when the Germans change the code, the Allies find themselves racing against time as the enemy approaches England. The hype Talk about an all-star rollcall. Director Michael Apted was also responsible for Gorillas in the Mist and, more recently, the Bond film The World is not Enough, while co-writer Tom Stoppard won an Oscar for Shakespeare in Love. But there was more than one surprise from co-producer Mick Jagger. Not only has he teamed up with Saturday Night Live's Lorne Michaels as co-producer, he also lent the film his original, four-rotor Enigma encoding machine for historical accuracy in constructing props. What the critics say "The script didn't try too hard to simplify things - the code-breaking sequences are so tediously complex that the story was often as indecipherable as a secret Nazi message. Only on-set rewrites or future reshoots can help make the plot more accessible to a mass audience." - The Stax Report: Script Review of Enigma, ign.com Official site www.enigma-themovie.com Due in Australia October 25 Gee, hasn’t that writer done her research and found the many positive reviews of the film?!
BTW - A big 'thank you' is in order for Sylvia of Dougray Scott in Focus and Ruth of Discover Kate. We’ve been trying to keep each other up-to-date on articles, reviews, etc. Ruth emailed me with the tip on the above article.
August 20: There’s an article in today’s UK Times about bringing the events of Bletchley Park to the big screen. They judge Enigma to ‘fall flat’. Thanks to my pal Sylvia of Dougray Scott in Focus for the find: "Bletchley Blandness A riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an Enigma" How small our achievements can look next to those of our forebears. As our Arts pages report today, a new film based on Robert Harris’s Enigma, the bestselling novel about the intrepid code-crackers of Bletchley Park, took longer to wend its way on to the big screen than it took the Allies to push to victory in the Second World War. Regardless of the Blitz spirit demonstrated by the likes of Tom Stoppard, Kate Winslet and the producer Mick Jagger, the film is judged to fall flat. Like Ms Winslet’s star vehicle, Titanic, Enigma is victim to that lamentable technique of grafting a cracking good yarn on to a flimsy slip of love interest. If the film’s audience is really curious about Bletchley’s goings-on, then - with the exception of Mr Jagger - satisfaction will be thin on the ground. Why such an opportunity has been missed is, in itself, an enigma. The story of the "Station X" code-breakers lay secret for three decades. As World War gave way to Cold War, it was essential that the Soviet Union should be kept in the dark about the Park’s past activities. By March 1946 every scrap of evidence of the unit’s existence had been eradicated, its thousands of residents moved on. In Churchill’s felicitous phrase, Bletchley’s staff were "the geese that laid the golden eggs and never cackled". The cackling began in 1974 with the publication of F.W. Winterbotham’s The Ultra Secret and has since risen to a clamour - cryptography is in vogue, and even nearby Milton Keynes seems slightly less insipid. The narrative ingredients are enough to make a film director salivate. The men and women of Bletchley were a brilliant and cosmopolitan tribe - linguists, mathematicians, technologists, logisticians, anthropologists, Egyptologists, chess champs and crossword addicts. They arrived under the guise of "Captain Ridley’s shooting party", although local rumour soon transformed the Park into a sanatorium, peopled as it was by muttering mathmos spilt out in huts upon the lawn. Eccentricity prevailed, as the country’s greatest minds encouraged university-aged boys and gels to play as hard as they worked at tennis, am dram and romance. The work was its own reward. With 17.2 million encoding permutations for every letter, the odds against cracking the Nazis’ Enigma cipher were an unfathomable 150,000,000,000,000,000,000 to one, but crack it they did, shaving two years off the war, and all on a diet in which boasting was more rationed than the food. The story of Bletchley Park is a very British tale. Comedy, melodrama and romance all play their part, but the prevailing genre is epic. Considering the many positive reviews of Enigma, I'm quite surprised by the obvious efforts of the Times' writers to pan the film.
August 20: An Intermedia rep has mentioned a February release for 'Enigma' to the press: "Much-delayed Winslet/Jagger Film to get US Release" Much discussed and much delayed, the World War II romantic spy thriller Engima was greeted warmly at its premiere in Edinburgh on Saturday. And one of the production companies behind it has revealed that Enigma will finally get a release in the US next February, well over a year after it was made. The film, co-produced by Mick Jagger and starring Kate Winslet and Dougray Scott, chronicles the work of a group of decoders working round the clock to crack the German Enigma coding machine. A spokesman for Intermedia said it received a fantastic reception in Edinburgh. He said: 'It was a very enthusiastic audience, much inspired by the presence of local star Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet, the director [Michael Apted] and [the writer] Robert Harris.' Enigma will get a UK release on September 28, however the film has struggled to get a US release after its debut at the Sundance Festival in January. Manhattan Pictures will distribute it in the US, but not until next February. US reports suggested that the release of the critically-praised movie was delayed because it was seen as hard to market to US film audiences. Note: Intermedia is not distributing the film in the US, Manhattan Pictures International is the company that is choosing the release date. As I have reported previously, an MPI exec has stated that they have been considering a February release, but that could move forward or backward, considering ‘certain factors’, such as theater availability. An ‘official’ release date has not yet been announced. When it is, I’ll post it!
August 20: ‘Enigma’ will be screened at the Scottish People’s Film Festival. Thanks to Tamara of Dougray Net for sending me the tip on this article from the Sunday Mail: "Stars Flock to the People’s Film Festival" The Sunday Mail has teamed up with McEwan's to bring the Scottish People's film festival to a cinema near you. A series of gala screenings of top films will be on show during the event, which opens on September 26. Top stars from both sides of the Atlantic - including Oscar-winner Robert Duvall and Scots hunk Dougray Scott - are due to attend. Among the movies being showcased are A Shot At Glory, starring Robert Duvall and Ally McCoist, Enigma, with Kate Winslet and Dougray Scott, and Ghosts Of Mars. The festival will close in style with an all-star awards night, when some of the film world's big names will be honoured. Previous winners included Ewan McGregor and the late Ian Bannen. Tickets for the film galas will be on sale at the various cinemas which are supporting the event. Full details of how to get tickets will be announced soon. Among the gala screenings to look out for are: ENIGMA A Second World War thriller that harks back to the golden age of movies like Brief Encounter and The 39 Steps. It's based on the Robert Harris best-seller in which a troubled expert frantically races against time to crack the Nazis' Engima code and solve the mystery surrounding the woman he loves. Starring Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet, Saffron Burrows and Jeremy Northam. GHOSTS OF MARS A story of human colonists on Mars who must be rescued after becoming possessed by vengeful Martian ghosts. The latest film from cult director John Carpenter, whose work includes Escape From New York, The Thing, Starman and Hallowe'en, has a cast that features Ice Cube, Natasha Henstridge and Lock, Stock And Two Smoking Barrels star Jason Statham, above. A SHOT AT GLORY Gordon McLeod is the manager of a struggling Scottish football team from the lower divisions who recruits a former star to have a shot at glory. Robert Duvall, Michael Keaton and Brian Cox star and Ally McCoist makes his big -screen debut. ROCK STAR The story of a wannabe rock singer who got to be the front man of the world's top heavy metal band. Inspired by events that happened to legendary outfit Judas Priest. With Planet Of The Apes star Mark Wahlberg and Friends favourite Jennifer Aniston, left. WOMEN TALKING DIRTY Edinburgh is one of the stars of the first production from Elton John's film company. An outspoken single mother in Edinburgh develops an unlikely friendship with a shy cartoonist. The film stars Helena Bonham Carter, Gina McKee, James Nesbitt and Elaine C. Smith. Keep an eye on your Sunday Mail for details of more movies and events at the festival.
August 20: Another great review of Enigma! IOFilm rates it 4 out of 5 stars. Read the review on the ‘Enigma Reviews’ page. Excerpt: Stoppard and director Michael Apted, last seen at the helm of the superfranchise, James Bond Inc, with The World Is Not Enough, weave a web of intrigue, suspicion and, for God's sake, romance into what might have been as incomprehensible as a computer hacker's notebook. Winslet is wonderful in specs and sensible shoes.
August 20: The UK Times has an article today containing comments about the Hollywoodization of world-changing events by Enigma author Robert Harris: "Novelist Condemns Hollywood's Yen to Rewrite History as Cultural Imperialism" Fiachra
Gibbons, arts correspondent Harris, whose own thriller Enigma, about the code breakers of Bletchley Park during the second world war, has now been turned into a film starring Kate Winslet, Dougray Scott and Saffron Burrows, said the American reflex to rewrite history so they "always came out top" had become so deluded it was now dangerous. It's a form of cultural imperialism. No matter what the situation, or where the film is supposed to be set, an American has to be central, to be seen as the good guy, or to save the day in some way," Harris said. "This domination of the popular imagination has been allowed to go to ridiculous lengths. What worries me most is that it has become an almost instinctive reaction now, so you have British and European films incorporating these pointless American elements now too. That is very worrying and quite dangerous." His fears were echoed at the Edinburgh book festival by the US novelist and screenwriter Gore Vidal, who said the twin American desire to "dominate and to be seen as entirely innocent at the same time... had led to the casual disregard of history and all its lessons. We now see ourselves as the one indispensable nation". Their attacks follow furores over big budget Hollywood movies which have taken liberties with history, including U-571, which had the Americans rescuing an Enigma machine from a sinking U-boat, when it was the Royal Navy which pulled off the coup. The capture of the machine which the Germans used to encode their messages was one of the turning points of the war, allowing the "boffins of Bletchley", led by Alan Turing, to read communications. Harris said his book Fatherland was a victim of Hollywood dumbing down. But he added that he was delighted with the way the playwright Tom Stoppard had adapted Enigma. "Fatherland was supposed to be an all-singing, all-dancing number until the studio bosses consulted the target audience, 16- to 21-year-old Americans, and discovered that they didn't even know there had been a second world war let alone who had won it," said Harris. "Enigma is different, thankfully, it takes no prisoners in that way, it is very British, and it is also quite intellectually demanding for a mainstream movie." Winslet, who attended Enigma's premiere at the Edinburgh film festival at the weekend, said she had no trouble playing the bespectacled heroine Hester, "a bit of a dumpy potato", in the film because she had been pregnant with her first child, Mia. "I just go so fat we had to strap everything in," she said. Combining motherhood and the pressure to look glamorous, however, had been a little more tricky. "I have to remind myself to check my clothes for carrot and snot before I go out. That's the main problem. But I'm lucky because I can take her to work." Winslet, who is playing the Irish-born writer Iris Murdoch in her next film, alongside Judi Dench, admitted neither role would do much for her reputation as a sex symbol. "Iris is not my pulling film either. I look like a soap dodger."
August 20: The UK Times also ran today a review of Enigma. I have posted it on the 'Enigma Reviews' page. It's generally negative (only the second negative review I've seen), but has nice words for Kate's performance: The women acquit themselves best, with Winslet especially lighting up the screen whenever her perky sleuth is called upon.
August 19: Pics from the UK premiere are up - Go to the Edinburgh Film Festival page!
August 19: Another great review! It’s posted on the Reviews page. Thanks to my pal Sylvia of Dougray Scott in Focus for the tip she received - from the writer. Excerpt: The strength of Enigma lies in the performances of its talented cast. Scott, in his first lead role, is impressive as he conveys a troubled man that must pull himself together for the greater good. Looking haggard and exhausted, with the exception of the flash back scenes, Scott portrays a believable hero... Winslet is easily one of the most charming and likeable actresses on the circuit just now, and she is perfectly cast as the undaunted Hester. As sharp with her mind as she is with her tongue Hester becomes invaluable as she helps Jericho solve the mystery surrounding Claire.
August 19: It’s hard being dull, especially for someone like Kate! From today’s Guardian: "Winslet Plays Dull Woman in 'Enigma'" Sunday August 19, 2001 8:30 pm EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) - It must be hard for movie stars to be dull. Just ask Kate Winslet. The "Titanic" star says she was challenged by the unglamorous role she plays in the Mick Jagger-produced movie "Enigma." Winslet says her character "doesn't wear much makeup and also wears really dodgy glasses." The World War II drama had its first screening outside the United States at the Edinburgh Film Festival on Saturday. "She's quite boring," Winslet said of heroine Hester Wallace, "but she's a really good character and was a real challenge for me." The movie is a tale of romantic intrigue among British code-breakers trying to unravel German U-boat ciphers during World War II. "Enigma" debuted at the Sundance Film Festival in January .Isn't it funny how so many reports claim yesterday's screening was the first outside the U.S.? Guess they forgot about the screenings at the Taormina Film Festival in Italy!
August 19: My local paper, the Orange County Register, has deciphered (pardon the pun) Kate’s lingo: "Corsets Hide Winslet's Titanic Pregnancy in Film" Titanic actress Kate Winslet says she had to squeeze into corsets to keep from looking overweight and pregnant on the set of her latest movie. "I just got so fat, so we used to strap everything in to make it not show. I was about six months' pregnant by the end," she told reporters at the premiere of Enigma at the Edinburgh film festival. But the 25-year-old British actress said the look went well with her character, a dowdy code-breaker in the World War II spy thriller. "I did look quite podgy, which kind of worked with a boffin," Winslet said. According to the People Central Code Book, "podgy" means "pudgy" and "boffin" translates into "research scientist." Sky News also carried one of the earlier stories.
August 19: The Sunday Mail has a story about love and secrecy at Bletchley Park (the setting for 'Enigma'): "How Our Secret Heroes Cracked True Love" Young Scot Sheila McKenzie became part of one of the most covert operations of World War II. She was then a naive 20-year-old from Inverness, who had never been out of Scotland. But she was set to become part of Station X - a vital code-cracker in a team of young men and women recruited to break Nazi codes, including the famous Enigma machine. Sheila, now 78, had no idea what her part in the conflict was to be. But after an interview with the War Office, she was told to report to Bletchley Park, 50 miles north of London. A car collected her on that night in 1943 and she entered a world in which there was one rule - forget everything. Sheila explains: "Everything was on a need-to-know basis. I was told what my work involved, but not how the cracked codes would be used. The area in which I worked was the only part of the site in which I was allowed to roam. I couldn't snoop around. Nor could I discuss my work with anyone outside of my team, or ask anyone else what they were doing. I had to do my work, then go home and forget all about it." Sheila and the thousands of workers at Bletchley Park kept silent for almost 50 years. Even those who married colleagues at the secret base never discussed the war work they did with their spouses. Sheila says: "We'd signed the Official Secrets Act and our silence was imperative. So until everything started to go public, almost 40 years later, my husband had no idea what I did at Bletchley, and I had no idea what he did." Sheila's husband, Oliver Lawn, now 82, was one of around 30 mathematicians recruited to crack Enigma. Oliver worked in Hut 6, the area in which Kate Winslet works in the movie Enigma. He met Sheila at a Scottish country dance club, one of many social events at Bletchley Park, aimed at raising morale.
August
19: Enigma plays at the fest again today at 1 PM. Here’s the
listing from Scotland on Sunday’s Festival Planner:
August 18: A few brief clips of Enigma are included in a BBC video story about the film. Watch for a kiss at the very end! Thanks to my pal Sylvia of Dougray Scott in Focus for the find! GO!
August 18 (12 noon PDT): Here’s the first story about the Enigma premiere in Edinburgh! From Ananova News: "Scots Rain Has Ruined My Hair, Says Kate Winslet" Kate Winslet arrived for the international premiere of her latest film and said the wet Edinburgh weather had ruined her hair style. She was joined by her co-stars as Enigma was given its first screening outside the US at the Edinburgh Film Festival. The actress said she had only arrived in Scotland an hour before and had to put her make up on in a hurry. She said: "I only got here off the plane half-an-hour ago, so it's been a bit of a rush. I didn't have long to put my make up on and the rain outside has made my hair go a bit funny." Winslet also revealed what attracted her to the part of Hester Wallace, the heroine who assists a brilliant mathematician in his attempt to crack the German Navy's secret codes during the Second World War. She said: "She is completely unglamorous, doesn't wear much make up and also wears really dodgy glasses. There aren't many nice costumes in this film. She's quite boring, but she's a really good character and was a real challenge for me to play." The film's producer, Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger, was due at the gala screening, but had to pull out at the 11th hour. Fife-born actor Dougray Scott plays the film's leading character Tom Jericho. He turned up for the beginning of the premiere but left after 15 minutes to watch Hibs play Rangers on TV in a nearby pub. He said: "It's really nice to be here, but I'd rather be at Ibrox where the match is being played. In fact I'm going to nip out to the pub to watch the game later on."
Go to the Edinburgh Film Festival page for all the stories about the premiere!
August 18: Enigma is screened today at the Edinburgh Film Festival. I'll post press photos and news from the UK premiere as soon as they become available! "Scottish Preview For Enigma Film" The long-awaited movie version of Robert Harris' best-selling historical thriller Enigma is to be previewed at the Edinburgh Film Festival this Saturday. The film, a fictional account of code-breaking operations at Bletchley Park during the Second World War, is produced by Rolling Stone Mick Jagger and stars Kate Winslet and Dougray Scott. It goes on general release in late September. This year's movie premiere hot ticket looks set to be 'Enigma', a very British film about code cracking during the Second World War. Hunky Fife man Dougray Scott stars with Kate Winslet and Jeremy Northam.
August 18: Thanks to my pal Sylvia of Dougray Scott in Focus for passing along to us this article from the Edinburgh Evening News: "Titanic
Star to Appear at City Premiere"
August 17: Ananova entertainment news reports that Kate is expected to attend the 'Enigma' screening on Saturday: Kate Winslet is expected to attend the Edinburgh premiere of her latest film. Enigma will receive its international premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival on Saturday. Dougray Scott and Jeremy Northam are already on the list of stars due to attend at the event. The movie is an adaptation of Robert Harris's best seller. The 1940s thriller is about a boffin trying to crack the infamous Enigma code at Bletchley Park. Winslet plays the housemate of his ex-lover. Enigma is due to be released in the UK on September 28.
August 17: Thanks to Sylvia of Dougray Scott in Focus for this report: Decca Records will be releasing the Enigma soundtrack by John Barry in the UK, around the same time as the opening of the film in London next month. Thanks to the John Barry Discussion Group.
August 17: I found this interesting article on the BBC News site about ‘Enigma’ and the efforts to be historically accurate: "Enigma film splits codebreakers," By arts correspondent Rebecca Jones It may have taken longer to make than it took to win World War II, but a new film about code-breakers at Bletchley Park finally opens at the Edinburgh Film Festival on Saturday. It has taken six years to turn Robert Harris's best-selling book Enigma into a film, which chronicles British attempts to crack the Nazi Enigma Code - the backbone of German military and intelligence communication. The film was produced by Mick Jagger, and stars Kate Winslet and Dougray Scott, who plays a brilliant young code-breaker. Scott immersed himself in the history of the period because he wanted the film to be as authentic as possible. "Historical films are very difficult to get right," he says. "If you change history to make your film then that is fine, but not when it involves people's lives and the bravery of people. I think that's kind of insulting. The need to get this right was in homage to the people at Bletchley Park who did so much to help win the Second World War." In fact, some say their code-breaking efforts helped shorten the war by at least two years. But have the film makers got it right? "It couldn't be historically accurate because, to be historically accurate, you'd had to have worked there," was the first response of the Honourable Sarah Baring who, as Sarah Norton, worked as a translator at Bletchley Park. "I thought the canteen was much nicer than ours was. But I thought it was a wonderful film, with great action," she adds. "The film illustrates so well the aura of excitement when codes are broken and the deep depression when they temporarily cannot be cracked." The release of Enigma comes after Hollywood stands accused of re-writing history. Films like Saving Private Ryan and U-571 overlook the British contribution to the war and make the Americans the heroes. There is even talk of an American version of the escape from Colditz. Robert Harris, who worked closely with the makers of Enigma, says he hopes the film will set the record straight. "It's important that we try, as far as we can, to give an accurate representation of what happened," he says. "Because for many people, especially children, this is going to be their main contact with the historical period. If you get it wrong, if you do what the Americans increasingly do and make the war completely American-centric, and have ludicrous errors, then I think that is a disservice to history by the most powerful medium of the age." But for some, the disservice comes from making the movie in the first place. Not everyone who worked at Bletchley Park is happy about the film. Bobby Osbourne, now Lady Bobby Hooper, worked in Hut Eight - which was the Enigma Hut - for four years and did not like Robert Harris's book. "It bore no relation to the Bletchley Park I knew and worked at," she says. And she will not be going to see the film. Sixty years after the British cracked the Enigma code, she can see only pitfalls in fictional films inspired by real events. "I think it trivialises it. It's a way of making money. It's a way of entertaining people. I don't particularly care for it, but I'm only one. Plenty of people have read the book, and plenty of people will go to see the film." August 17: The September issue of Film Review magazine (UK) includes this preview of ‘Enigma’: "Forthcoming Attractions" Anwar Brett looks forward to September’s new film releases September 28 - Enigma Based on Robert Harris’ best selling book about the cracking of the German Enigma code during World War Two - an act that foreshortened the war and turned the tide in the Allies favour - Michael Apted’s film also tackles a more personal story. Tom Jericho (Dougray Scott) is the man who cracked the code, but suffered a mental breakdown in the process, precipitated by his falling in love with the mysterious Claire (Saffron Burrows). When he returns to Bletchley Park there is a new code awaiting his talents, and a host of people looking for his now disappeared former lover. Kate Winslet and Jeremy Northam also star.
August 17: There is a nice review of ‘Enigma’ in today’s issue of The Scotsman. Go to the ‘Enigma Reviews’ page to read the review; here’s an excerpt: Enigma’s values may be old-fashioned, but its strength lies in capturing the mood of the times as well as giving its audience some cerebral stimuli. In a cinematic climate where too many mindless explosions rule and plots could be written on the back of a matchbox, it makes a refreshing change.
August 16: Who will attend the Saturday screening of ‘Enigma’? The speculation continues... "Edinburgh: One Surprise Down, But More To Come? " By Adam Minns Mick Jagger may be wavering, but Tim Roth paid an unexpected visit to the Edinburgh International Film Festival last night (August 15) to introduce the event's surprise film - Planet Of The Apes. The festival is now hoping that Jagger, who was to have been the star guest this weekend, changes his mind after publicists said that he is unlikely to attend. The Rolling Stones front-man was to hit the Scottish capital for the international premiere of Enigma, the first film from his production outfit Jagged Films. But the pressure of finishing off a solo album means no one will know for sure if he is coming until he arrives. Kate Winslet may, however, turn up for Enigma, which screens on Saturday. Scottish actor Dougray Scott is amongst those confirmed for the Intermedia film. Sean Penn is scheduled to arrive towards the end of the festival for The Pledge, along with Robin Wright Penn. Emma Thompson is to attend for closing film, Wit, and may give a public interview with festival artistic director Lizzie Francke. Ghost World, screening on Friday, is expected to be supported by director Terry Zwigoff and actors Steve Buscemi and Thora Birch. Kooky French hit Amelie, which opened the festival on Sunday (August 12), has so far proved the most popular film in the audience poll. UK title Gabriel And Me is next, followed by Thai western Tears Of The Black Tiger. It also emerged that Norwegian film Cool And Crazy, which opened the documentary section, was picked up for the UK in the run-up to the festival by indie distributor Artificial Eye. Amelie director Jean-Pierre Jeunet was amongst those attending, giving a public interview. Other guests so far included Glasgow-born comedian-turned-actor Billy Connolly, in town for Gabriel And Me, apparently with his beard died green in honour of football club Celtic. Jagger fans, however, can at least rely on the Fringe arts festival which runs alongside the film event. The rock 'n' roll legend appears alongside an Edinburgh health-and-safety inspector and a camp cocaine vendor amongst the characters in the well-received comedy sketch show, Crouching Ferret, Hidden Beaver.
August 13: Small mention of ‘Enigma’ in BBC News: Enigma -- The [Edinburgh] Film Festival will see a host of première screenings including the first UK showing of The Full Monty director Peter Cattaneo's Lucky Break, and Billy Elliot screenwriter Lee Hall's Gabriel and Me, starring Billy Connelly. Four Weddings and a Funeral star Andie MacDowell's film Crush and the adaptation of Robert Harris' best-seller Enigma, produced by Rolling Stone Mick Jagger, will also be shown. Jagger is expected to attend the event.
August 13: A writer for The Scotsman comments on the absence at the film festival of ‘A-list’ stars: In
recent years, the opening night of the Edinburgh International Film
Festival has been heralded with a gathering of celebrities worthy of any
glitzy American premiere. Famous names who have graced the prestigious
event over the last few years include Sir Sean Connery, Cate Blanchett,
Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle. And Hollywood’s golden couple
Catherine Zeta Jones and Michael Douglas were among other big names who
attended major events at the festival as it established itself as a
leading player on the international film circuit. It’s interesting that the papers reported at first that Jagger, Kate, Dougray, Jeremy Northam and Saffron Burrows were all expected to attend the screening on the 18th; then, it was reported that Kate wouldn’t be able to attend. Since then, I heard that Kate was planning on attending - at that time. Now, it’s being reported that only Jagger will attend. It appears that we won’t know for certain until Saturday!
Please note: According to the US distributor, no firm release date for ‘Enigma’ has been set. A February 2002 date has been considered; however, certain factors may move the date forward or back. As soon as a firm release date has been set and announced by the distributor, I will post it here!
August 12: Kate talks about the film in an interview published today in the Sunday Herald. Excerpts: Her new
film, the Mick Jagger-produced Enigma, premieres at the Edinburgh
International Film festival this week. Once again, it sees Winslet climbing into
something her great-grandmother might have worn. She has nothing but praise for Jagger. "Mick is everything you'd want him to be. He's fabulous but I'd also have to say I think it's very difficult being someone like Mick, being so famous and breaking into making movies. People would naturally be very cynical about why he's doing that. Is he doing it just because he wants to stick his name on something else or is it because he genuinely wants to make films? And, in Mick's case, the latter is true. He was a really good producer." Unlike some producers with whom Winslet has worked, Jagger even appeared on set. "It was pouring down with rain and he was there with his umbrella like everybody else, getting on with it, mucking in, and he was just fantastic. He has a very good sense of family. Don't believe everything you read because all I can say about Mick is that he adores his kids and he loves Jerry [Hall]. He's a really solid individual. He's got it right. He really has." Part of the [Edinburgh] Film Festival, Enigma screens on August 18 and 19.
August 12: I found a nice article on ‘Enigma’ costar Dougray Scott in the Sunday Times. Following are excerpts from the article that relate to this film: "The flying Scott," by Lynn Cochrane On Saturday, the much anticipated war thriller Enigma, in which he stars with Kate Winslet, Saffron Burrows and Jeremy Northam, premieres at the Edinburgh International Flim Festival. Mick Jagger, the co-producer, says: "When we cast him, we felt he was on the edge of enormous fame." ...I am warned against posing obvious questions. "Someone asked him what it was like working with Kate Winslet," says the film's British publicist, rolling her eyes in despair. "I could tell the interview wasn't going well." ...In person there is a refreshing, if surprising, self-deprecating wit about Scott, coupled with a polite curiosity about other people. He teases the make-up artist about getting his foppish, wavy locks "just right" and interrogates the photographer about his children. "It's true, I am obsessed with other people's lives," he says, in a voice that has lost nothing of its Fife gruffness. "It's not that I find my own vacuous, I'm just very curious." His curiosity extends to not just immersing himself in a film role but wallowing in it. In Enigma, a Tom Stoppard adaptation of Robert Harris's bestseller, Scott plays Tom Jericho, a young Cambridge boffin sent to the secret wartime code-breaking centre of Bletchley Park. This handsome film, directed by Michael Apted, is an old-fashioned British thriller that takes the audience to the edge of their seats. Scott learnt how to operate the Enigma machine for the role. For five months he traveled to the Bletchley Park Museum, between Oxford and Cambridge, where he would be put in a room and given codes to break. "I found the numbers very intriguing," says Scott. "My character finds a beauty in them and I came to see that. It was really a key to understanding him." Jericho, says Scott, is unlike anybody he has played before. "He's cerebral, a genius, and I needed to get inside his head and discover what makes him tick." When the film starts, Jericho has suffered a nervous breakdown caused by exhaustion and unrequited love. To achieve the tortured hero look, Scott lost more than two stones of the muscle he had pumped up for Mission: Impossible II. I almost expect him to tell me he shed the weight on wartime weekly rations of powdered egg and a quarter of margarine. "No, I just went on a huge diet and did some running," he laughs... Enigma will be shown at Edinburgh's Odeon cinema on Saturday, August 18, at 6pm, and at the UGC on Sunday, August 19, at 1pm. It will be released nationwide on September 28.
August
10: Thanks to Ruth
of Discover Kate and Steven
for sharing with me the ‘Enigma’ poster that
August 7: Jeannette Walls reports that Jagger has been grumbling about the Hollywoodization of British history in her gossip column for MSNBC: "No U.S. Victory For Jagger" Mick
Jagger can’t get no satisfaction from American producers. The mossy
Rolling Stone recently produced a film, "Enigma," a true World
War II story about a spy ring. Jagger has been bitterly complaining to
colleagues that he couldn’t get U.S. money for the project because all
the Hollywood film companies wanted him to "Americanize" the
movie. "He thinks it’s a disgrace the way that Hollywood is
trying to co-opt British history," says a source. One U.S. film
company that Jagger is known to have approached is Miramax, which has
been accused of turning all Allied victories into American ones.
August 6: The Sunday Mirror included this bit on the Enigma screening at the Edinburgh Film Fest: ENIGMA, the first film rock star Mick Jagger has produced, will have its premiere in Edinburgh on August 18. Guests will include the film's stars, Kate Winslet, Dougray Scott, Jeremy Northam, Saffron Burrows and Michael Apted.
August 6: Here’s another brief mention of the film, from The Express -- thanks to Sylvia of Dougray Scott in Focus: Forget Cannes and Venice - Britain's finest Film Festival provides the first glimpse of this autumn's hottest new movies... ENIGMA -- Mick Jagger's production company makes an impressive bow with this elegant adaptation of the Robert Harris novel, unearthing skullduggery and betrayal among the Bletchley code-breakers of World War Two. Dougray Scott and Kate Winslet co-star. Odeon, August 18.
August 5: Mick talks Enigma; excerpts from an article about Mick Jagger published today: Jagger
has produced his first film after six years of trying - an unexpectedly
traditional and thoroughly British spy thriller.
August 3: Today’s issue of the UK Times includes this nice mention of ‘Enigma’ at the Edinburgh Film Fest: The 55th Edinburgh Film Festival promises the Scottish capital’s most prestigious programme to date... Enigma (15, 2001) -- Odeon, Aug 18; UGC7, Aug 19 Based the book by Robert Harris, Michael Apted’s classy thriller has Kate Winslet and Dougray Scott sharing top billing in a ripping yarn about love and military code-cracking, set among the legendary Bletchley Park crowd who broke the Nazi cyphers during the Second World War. Saffron Burrows and Jeremy Northam also star in this best-of-British affair.
August 3: BBC News says ‘Enigma’ is one of the ‘acts to watch’ at the Edinburgh Film Festival: ...Also watch out for the premiere of WW II thriller Enigma starring Kate Winslet - Rolling Stone Mick Jagger is expected to attend on 18 August as producer of the movie. August 2: I found a recent mention of Kate attending the upcoming Edinburgh Film Festival in a Scottish newspaper: FILM -- You may be wiping your eyes in disbelief on the city streets over the next few weeks with Sean Penn, Mick Jagger and Kate Winslet jetting in for the Film Festival. A line-up of movies directed by the Coen brothers, Mike Nichols, Alan Cumming and Danny Boyle, featuring performances by Emma Thompson, Tilda Swinton, Billy Connolly, Jack Nicholson, Dougray Scott, Thora Birch, Billy Bob Thornton, Benicio Del Toro, Vincent Gallo and Jacqueline Bisset mixes with fascinating pop promos and advertising, the Mirrorball section, the Rosebud new talent forum and Late Night Romp with films sure to raise temperatures after the sun goes down. Reel Life live offer interviews with movie greats. Now, you may recall that it was first reported that Kate will appear at an ‘Enigma’ screening. Then, BBC News reported that she would be unable to attend. But, you never know (wink).
July 31: Another positive review! Go to the 'Enigma-Reviews' page to read. Excerpt: Tom Stoppard's dense and literate script may be a tad confusing at times, but Enigma is still an intriguing wartime caper that keeps you on tenterhooks right to the end. Director Michael Apted, whose last big screen outing was a very different type of spy thriller, The World Is Not Enough, brings a flair to proceedings, while Winslet (who was four months pregnant during filming) is simply adorable as the unflappable Hester.
July 30: The UK Times reports on the popularity of this year’s Edinburgh Film Festival: The Edinburgh Festival is set for its best-yet year as English tourists flock to the Scottish capital to avoid the lingering effects of foot-and-mouth disease in the countryside. Advance ticket sales for the festival have surged by 70 per cent - the sharpest jump on record — as the theatres have found huge demand for the record 16,000 performances being laid on this year... Brian McMaster, director of Edinburgh International Festival, said that its greatly enhanced 2001 programme has felt no effect of any tourism downturn. This year, the festival needs audiences for 1,350 shows in nearly 200 venues. "It’s frightening at the moment because the box office is way up and absolutely no one has cancelled," Mr McMaster said. "Everything’s fantastic." ...The Edinburgh Film Festival has also laid on an enhanced bill including Amélie, the new French film from the producers of Delicatessen and Enigma, which has been adapted from the Robert Harris novel and stars Kate Winslet and Dougray Scott.
July 26: Pete’s Movie Page has added the link to the ‘Enigma’ trailer. So far, the ‘Enigma’ page has only a synopsis and main cast list, but it’s nice that more movie sites are spotlighting this film. BTW - Tamara of Dougray Net found another source for the trailer; if you had trouble loading the trailer on the bvimovies site, try the trailer on the filmreactor site.
July 26: The UK Times carried an article this week about "what to see, where to be seen": ...Film buffs should, of course, head for the Edinburgh International Film Festival, the last for artistic director Lizzie Francke... Star-spotters will be able to catch actor/director Sean Penn, in Edinburgh for the British premiere of his film The Pledge. The British contribution includes From Here to Where; Disco Pigs, an adaptation of an Edinburgh Fringe play; Enigma, featuring Kate Winslet and Dougray Scott, and Lucky Break, a sort of Full Monty 2. From the Scots there’s Danny "Trainspotting" Boyle’s Vacuuming Completely in the Nude and Strumpet.
July 25: C.H.U.D. has published this item: "An Enigma Wrapped In A Trailer" There's a trailer online now for the upcoming WWII thriller, Enigma, based on the novel by Robert Harris. As you all know, Enigma was the code the Ratzis used in WWII, which was cracked after Jon Bon Jovi's men captured a U-Boat (well, not exactly). The movie Enigma is about the guy who broke the code, and his girlfriend who may be a spy and a sabotage attempt and other things that will keep you on the edge of your seat, one assumes. The movie stars Dougray Scott and the mouth wateringly voluptuous Kate Winslet. The UK release date is September 28th - nothing has been announced for us Yanks yet. Contributing sources: Dougray Scott in Focus The folks at C.H.U.D. included a great older photo of Kate with the story (go here to see).
July 24: My pal Sylvia of Dougray Scott in Focus and I have been searching the net for a trailer of Kate's upcoming release, 'Enigma'. Sylvia found one this morning - GO! (You need Quicktime to view). I've made a few screen captures from the trailer:
July 20: New features have been added to the Edinburgh Film Festival site, including a page on ‘Enigma’, where you will find ticket info and this synopsis: Adapting Robert Harris’s compelling best seller, Michael Apted’s team has produced a smart 1940s-set thriller that evokes the suspenseful pace of such classics as The 39 Steps. The exceptional British cast includes Scott as Tom, a boffin who is key to cracking the infamous Enigma code at Bletchley Park. Burrows plays the beguiling Claire, his ex-lover and colleague who has mysteriously disappeared. The intricate tale commences when Tom, on the mend from a breakdown, returns to Bletchley. Teaming up with Claire’s housemate, the redoubtable Hester (Winslet), the two discover their missing friend was implicated in something quite sinister. Add in Northam as the urbane agent Wigram on their trail, and you have a real savvy jaunt of a film.
July 20: There’s a nice article about ‘Enigma’ co-star Dougray Scott in today’s issue of The Scotsman. Go here to read entire article. Excerpt: Scott, who turns 35 in November, has had time to become accustomed to such switchbacks of fate. Enigma, scripted by Tom Stoppard, in which he plays a brilliant but troubled young mathematician and ace Nazi code-cracker, gives him his first major opportunity to carry a $20 million film rather than sharing the limelight. On screen for most of its 120-minute running time, Scott has romantic interludes with both Saffron Burrows and Kate Winslet.
July 18: Kate to dine with Prince Charles and Mick Jagger prior to the Enigma premiere in September. I found this item in the Sun: "Charles’ Pal Mick" Now here's one dinner where I'd love to be a fly on the wall - Prince Charles and Mick Jagger. The get-together was arranged after the Prince said Jagger's film ‘Enigma’ could have a royal premiere. The star of the film Kate Winslet will also be at the dinner, which will take place near the September 24 premiere. ‘Enigma’, about British code-crackers in World War Two, is the first movie made by Mick's company Jagged Films.
July 15: Scotland on Sunday writer Allan Hunter believes that Enigma is one of the "must-see" movies at the Edinburgh Film Festival: This year’s programme is [festival director] Francke’s last and is a typical mixture of exciting discoveries, quirky charmers and local premieres of some of the most acclaimed films of the past year. If there is one thread running through her final choices it is an incredible array of strong female performances and films that explore all the joys and woes of womanhood... Short
films, animation, the cutting-edge delights of Mirrorball and the Surprise Film
all make welcome returns this year amid a list of potential guests that include
Sean Penn, director Jean-Pierre Jeunet, cinematographer Robby Muller, composer
Angelo Badalamenti, actress Kate Winslet and Mick Jagger, who has abandoned the
day job to embark on a parallel career as a film producer.
July 15: I found a mention of Kate and Enigma in a UK Sunday Times article about The Rolling Stones: The band had previously announced they would tour this year, but this was called off so that Jagger could complete a solo album and film projects - including Enigma, a thriller starring Kate Winslet. If the tour collapses, it will not be because the band are losing their allure, but because they are being dragged down by a malaise threatening the entire American rock business. "The Rolling Stones are in a league of their own, charging $1,000 for the best seats," said Jeff Dorenfeld, assistant professor of music business at Berklee College in Boston. "If they do not tour next year then the whole business will suffer." The top tours of the year so far have been by U2, the Irish rockers, who sold £40m worth of tickets and the duo of Sir Elton John and Billy Joel (£35m). Even they have faced empty seats at some venues.
July 13: Prince Charles will attend the UK Enigma premiere in September, according to the Daily Mail: It was a big secret, but I can't keep it any longer. The Prince of Wales is to meet the king of rock, Mick Jagger. I've managed to crack the code and I can tell you that Charles will attend the premiere of Enigma, Jagger's first film as a producer. Starring Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet, Jeremy Northam and Saffron Burrows, the movie is a fictionalised tale about how staff at Bletchley Park broke the German's Enigma code. The premiere, in aid of the Prince's Trust and The Bletchley Park Trust, will be on September 24 at the Odeon, Leicester Square. The film goes on general release on September 28. For ticket details, call Caroline Wright on 020 7543 1389. Thanks to Gill and to Sylvia of Dougray Scott in Focus for sending me the item. The Prince's Trust helps 14-30 year olds to develop confidence, learn new skills and get into work. Go here for more info. Go here for more info on The Bletchley Park Trust.
July 12: Popcorn News has a review of ‘Enigma’ posted. Go to the ‘Enigma Reviews’ page to read! Excerpt: A classy and romantic noir thriller, 'Enigma' is a throwback to the Brit-flicks of the '40s and '50s, with a superb cast, a classic John Barry score and assured direction from Michael Apted enriching Tom Stoppard's excellent adaptation of Robert Harris' bestseller.
July 12: The Popcorn site also has an article today about the Edinburgh Film Festival. Excerpts: Several films will hold their world premieres at Edinburgh, including the Scott McGhee-directed 'The Deep End', starring Tilda Swinton, and the British comedy 'Lucky Break', starring James Nesbitt, Timothy Spall, Bill Nighy and Olivia Williams. Michael Apted's World War II drama 'Enigma', starring Kate Winslet and Dougray Scott, will also hold a special gala screening at the festival... Tickets for the event will be available from Saturday July 14, and you can get hold of them by visiting www.edfilmfest.org.uk or phoning 0131 623 8030.
July 12: There is also an article about the film festival in The Scotsman. Excerpts: Actor Sean Penn and rock legend Mick Jagger will be among the famous names to attend this year’s Edinburgh International Film Festival, it was announced yesterday. They will also be joined at the 55th festival, which takes place in August, by Dougray Scott, Saffron Burrows, Robin Wright Penn, Jeremy Northam and Alan Cumming. Among the world premieres is... The adaptation of Robert Harris’s best-selling 1940s thriller surrounding attempts to crack the infamous Enigma code at Bletchley Park stars Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet and Jeremy Northam, has been directed by former James Bond director Michael Apted and produced by Jagger.
July 11: I found an article on the BBC news site that states Kate is "unable to attend" the Edinburgh Film Festival : Edinburgh's 55th International Film Festival has unveiled its programme for this year at an event in the city. It will show more than 100 films from around the world and conduct master classes with some of cinema's top talent during a 15-day run in August... British stars Dougray Scott, Jeremy Northam and Saffron Burrows are expected to appear in the city for a showing of Enigma, directed by Michael Apted. The blockbuster adaptation of the Robert Harris bestseller stars Kate Winslet, who is unable to attend. Note that there are conflicting reports about Kate's attendance at the festival.
July 11: Thanks to my pal Sylvia of Dougray Scott in Focus for sending me this info she received about the screening of Enigma at the festival: "The Enigma Premiere is at the Odeon Cinema at 6pm on Saturday 18th of August. There is also a screening on the Sunday 19th at the UGC at 1pm. Other industry screenings of Enigma will be prior to premiere."
July 11: Ananova News has also published a story about the films being screened at the festival: ...The festival will also see the first screening outside the United States of Enigma, directed by 60-year-old former James Bond director Michael Apted and produced by Mick Jagger. The film, starring Dougray Scott, Kate Winslet and Jeremy Northam, is an adaptation of Robert Harris's best selling 1940s thriller surrounding attempts to crack the infamous Enigma code at Bletchley Park.
July 11: Dark Horizons posted a new review today! It's posted on the 'Reviews' page.
July 8: I found confirmation in a UK paper that ‘Enigma’ will be screened at the Edinburgh Film Festival in August - and that Kate is scheduled to attend: "Hollywood
Stars Come out for Edinburgh Premiere," By Gina Davidson The
showing is a major coup for the Edinburgh Film Festival as it will only be the
second time it has been screened in public - the first was at the Sundance Film
Festival in January where critics described it as "compelling",
"sumptuous" and "unabashedly old-fashioned". Visit the official film festival site.
July 7: Dougray Net reports that the July 6 issue of the Daily Mail indicates that ‘Enigma’ will be screened at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, which takes place August 12-26. The official site states that the festival includes a "focus on British cinema - showcasing this year’s shapshot of British film" and "galas - world, international and UK premieres of international films with the big movie feel destined for commercial release." The schedule of films to be shown at the festival is not yet posted on the official site; it will be updated Monday, July 9.
July
6: Sylvia of Dougray
Scott in Focus sent me a tip that there are a few new ‘Enigma’ set
July 3: My dear friend ‘Andy’ has generously taken time out from her busy schedule to translate an article for us that appeared in an Italian newspaper this week: This
afternoon [July 1] the Taormina Film Festival suggests for the peak hour a
British spy thriller: Michael Apted’s ‘Enigma’. Based on a Robert Harris
novel, ‘Enigma’ presents a talented screen writer Tom Stoppard and a
excellent leading couple: Dougray Scott and Kate Winslet, the actress who is
building an intelligent career to avoid being labeled as just Titanic’s
leading lady.
July 2: This morning, I have been reading press coverage of the ‘Enigma’ screening that occurred yesterday evening at the Taormina Film Festival in Sicily. The film will also be screened tonight. (I wish I could read Italian better!) One news site stated that Kate was scheduled to attend as host for the presentation of ‘Enigma’, but ‘at the last moment’ had to bow out (no reason given). Today, Dougray Scott and producer Victoria Pearman were scheduled to be available for interviews at noon. Several Italian newspapers mentioned ‘Enigma’ in their coverage of the festival, and included a synopsis of the film. One writer commented that Kate is an actress who is ‘constructing an intelligent career in order to always avoid being identified as the heroine of Titanic’. I’ll be monitoring the news sites for more coverage of the ‘Enigma’ screenings and Scott/Pearman interviews.
Older news can be found HERE |
Winslet
says her character "doesn't wear much makeup and also wears really
dodgy glasses."
The story of Bletchley Park's
code- breakers, it does at least, take place in the 20th century, during the
second world war. Winslet gives a good-natured laugh. "I'm getting
there," she quips. "Enigma's World War Two."
