Monday, July 20th was a very important day in history. We all know that by now. I probably don't need to tell you but for those out of the loop it was the day that Ed Howard wrote up Black Book at Only the Cinema for The Oldest Established Really Important Film Club. What? You were thinking something else?
Anyway, as it goes with these things I was introduced to a film I had not yet seen and as it further goes was more than impressed by the lead performance by Carice van Houten playing the heroine with the duel identity of Rachel Stein / Ellis de Vries. I was curious to see what else she had done and did a quick search on IMDB. Coming out later this year was the title Vivaldi and I thought, "Hey, a bio about the composer. I'd like to see that." Curious to find out more I clicked on the link and discovered the first name in the cast was...
Neve Campbell.
Huh?
Don't get me wrong. I don't hate Neve Campbell (although full disclosure, I don't think much of her as an actress at all) it's just that she doesn't fit in a movie named Vivaldi.
"Wait a minute," I thought, "Beethoven was about a St. Bernard. Maybe Vivaldi is the name of Neve's parakeet or something."
Nope. It's about the composer. The composer named Antonio Vivaldi. The Venetian Baroque composer who lived from 1678 to 1741. And the first person listed in the credits is Neve Campbell.
Let's look at it another way. I like Sylvester Stallone. While I may not think very much of many of his movies I've always liked his presence onscreen. I like him in Rocky, I like him in First Blood and I like him overall. I'm not going to compare him to Robert DeNiro but he's okay in my book. Nonetheless, if I'm looking up a new historical biopic named, oh let's say Robespierre, and I click on it and the first name on the cast list is Sylvester Stallone I'm going to think, "Wow, somebody really dropped the ball here. Somewhere between the pitch meeting and the first day read-through someone really, really blew it."
That's how I feel about Vivaldi. Someone dropped the ball. Someone doesn't care about getting the right person for the job. Although you know, I could be completely wrong. I still remember hearing way back when that Amadeus was being made into a movie and the guy from Animal House was going to play Mozart. Pinto! Flounder's pledge buddy! That was going to be Mozart! What the ...? And yet, for me at least, it worked. So maybe I'm wrong about Campbell and Vivaldi and Stallone and Robespierre (if that movie ever gets made - fingers crossed) but something tells me "No." Something says it's going to be bad and that Campbell's going to employ that insufferable "naturalistic" pausing after every third word that has been the hallmark of her performances thus far. Something tells me when it comes time to buy the ticket I'll turn around and just say, "Neve(r) mind."
47 comments:
You have to admit that the rest of the cast is interesting. Plus give Campbell props for her part in extending Robert Altman's career with The Company. Plus this new Vivaldi allows her to reunited with co-star Malcolm McDowell. Unless this turns out to be really bad, it looks like it has a future on my DVD queue.
Vivaldi is going to be another cookie-cutter composer biopic, mark my words. Just pick up a CD of his stuff instead.
I never thought I'd do this (by "this" I mean defend Neve Campbell publicly) but have you seen Altman's The Company? That was her project through and through, and the script is well-written and she is fantastic in it. That she was smart and classy enough to talk Altman into doing it certainly says something about her. She's fantastic in that movie, so maybe we just haven't seen all she's capable of?
And wasn't Robespierre little-ish? Like 5'5? Maybe they'll do for Sly what they did for The Hobbits in The Lord of the Rings movies.
Peter, you are definitely more enthused about this than I am. But I got to be honest, I just don't see it, for now at least. I'm with Marilyn.
Marilyn, see above comment.
Ryan - You have to forgive Greg. He doesn't normally like any actresses without a full body of work behind them. I believe his favorites are all dead.
You have to forgive Greg.
No way!!
Ryan, I haven't seen The Company so I can't say but I'll take your word for it. But that's why I threw in Stallone to make clear that even though I don't like Campbell, it's more to me that she doesn't fit. Her style is too modern in my opinion. But I'm definitely going to get The Company now, thanks.
I have a bunch of Ken Russell BBC bios of composers. When is "Vivaldi" supposed to be released? I think I create an alternative composer-biopic series on FonF around the release date.
I like plenty of modern actresses right up to the most current Oscar nominee Amy Adams. I just don't like Campbell very much. I've never liked her acting style so sue me. Actually don't, I have no money.
Greg - Maybe if you imagine that Neve Campbell is not actually playing the role of Vivaldi...oh wait, she's not.
No release date given except the year. I want to watch The Music Lovers again but I always forget about it, which I'll probably do again by the time I get around to logging into Netflix.
I know she's not playing Vivaldi himself, geez.
You're worrying about Campbell when Alfred Molina(!) is in the cast?! Get your priorities straight, man!
Alfred Molina(!) is in the cast?! Get your priorities straight, man!
You may be right, but I can see him in a period piece much more than affected, naturalistic Neve. Hey, that's a good nickname for her.
Greg, yes, I know she's Canadian, and probably just too nice for the Baroque Period (isn't everyone?), but buck up. People acted naturally in Vivaldi's time. Artifice isn't all it's cracked up to be.
I can't wait to see Sly play Robespierre, maybe Arnold can step up and play Johann Sebastian...
I'll be Bach
I'm beginning to think Neve Campbell is Marilyn's sister or cousin or something. Okay, okay, I'm sure she'll be wonderful!
Tommy, I think Arnold would have been excellent in that role, Bach in the day.
I do like Neve Campbell, but I was a Party of Five fan.
I would so tap Neve Campbell. And if I had to say nice things about Vivaldi to make that happen, I would do that faster than you could say Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione.
Stallone was interested for years in doing a biopic of Edgar Allan Poe, so let's all consider ourselves lucky that didn't happen.
Okay, Neve Campbell looks a bit like my first wife, so there's some unfinished business there, obviously.
Marilyn, those Ken Russell composer biopics are pretty cool, though obviously unconventional as all get-out.
Marilyn, that's funny because I watched Party of Five too when it was on. It's funny because I never really liked it all that much but I kept watching it. Also, as you have probably already gathered, I was dissatisfied with the whole damn party as far as acting went. I liked the guy who played the first Jeremy but I can't remember his name and don't feel like looking it up. What a disappointing finale though huh?
I would so tap Neve Campbell.
On the shoulder? To get her attention? Is that what you mean?
Also, I can say "Il cimento dell'armonia e dell'inventione" pretty damn fast so whatever you're going to do, make it quick.
I think he meant tap dance with her. Arbo is more light on his feet than any other film blogger. Especially you, Greg "Two Left Feet" Ferrara.
Well at least I didn't choose to write "more light" than "lighter."
Greg "Two Left Feet" Ferrara
I liked Lacy Chabert the best. I identified with her.
I liked Lacy Chabert the best. I identified with her.
Actually, I liked her the best too of the family members. My least favorite was Scott Wolf who really bugged me with his Tom Cruise impersonation. But seriously, I will say this for it: The teens and twentysomethings on the show didn't talk in ultra-clever post-modern dialects. They sounded like the normal teens and twentysomethings I know through my kids. In real life, kids never sound as clever by half as they do in tv and the movies and Party of Five seemed to get that. Maybe that's why I watched it.
If you prejudge a film by who's listed first in the IMDb credits...well, man, there's just not much I can say that's going to help you.
Johnny B, you know this is all tongue in cheek, right? The Amadeus mention alone is admitting up front pre-judgments are often wrong. It would still be a pretty good measure for the Robespierre movie though. In fact, I now desperately want someone to do a Robespierre film with Sly Stallone. Please someone make that movie!
OH! Humor! Ah, yes, I have heard of this.
In that case, never mind. Party on.
I shall use the spirits that bear your name to party on indeed. Here's to booze!
Hear, hear! And here's to Neve Campbell!
And Lacey Chabert!
What's wrong with Alfred Molina?
He's got eight arms, always grabbing at everything!
Och, du Lieber!
Stallone as Robespierre??...no Guillotine blade could cut thru that fat hambone neck!..They'll have to jump on it like they did King Louie!
I'm intrigued about this film about the Red Priest tho..wheres Ken Russell these days?
Thanks for clearing up the pre-judgment thing. If you reject Neve in this film sight unseen, that'd make you just as bad as the crackerheads who reject films like Scorsese's Last Temptation sight unseen because of some kind of imagined moral differences.
Neve could surprise us one day. As far as I can tell, she's never had a good script or character to sink her teeth into. She may be far more talented and compelling than we realize.
Or not.
As for Ken Russell, he was most recently seen on Brit TV in a celebrity version of "Big Brother." He also writes for newspapers and magazines.
Christopher, I'm trying to get some deals going on this pronto. I'll let you know if I can get Russell.
that'd make you just as bad as the crackerheads who reject films like Scorsese's Last Temptation sight unseen...
I like to think I'm a crackerhead regardless of what I think of that sinful, blaspheming, anti-God hatefest that I will NEVER see because I don't have to lift up the lid to know what's in the sewer! I will pray for you Mr. Flickhead.
He also writes for newspapers and magazines...
I thought I recognized his signature style in the latest issue of Field and Stream.
Yes, Greg. He was talking about the relative merits of using consecrated hosts to catch bass in his article "Bait Your Fly with the Guy in the Sky".
I think I need to call Blasphemers Anonymous. I hear they have a 12-step program called, I think, the Stations of the Cross.
And while I can't discuss Neve Campbell's body of work, one can appreciate Neve Campbell's body in James Toback's When will I be Loved. Bonus is a humorous cameo by Mike Tyson, and Toback in a small role. Not so smart: a wannabe filmmaker named Ford Welles.
This comment thread is perilously close to becoming "Smart! Hip! Irreverent!"
Yes, Greg, you can use that as a pullquote. Anything to class this place up.
Marilyn's comments are brilliant and worthy of their own post somewhere.
Peter, you missed the obvious completion of this sentence: And while I can't discuss Neve Campbell's body of work... I sure wouldn't mind discussing her body! Bada-bing!
Flickhead, FINALLY(!) someone provides me with pullquotes. God-Damn that took a long time. I mean, really, Jesus H. Christ!
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