VENUS [2006 / 2007] [DVD] [UK Release] One Of The Best Pictures Of The Year! There’s life in the old dog yet!
Academy Award® nominee Peter O’Toole (2006 Best Actor) leads a powerful cast to deliver a charming and poignant portrayal of Maurice, an aging veteran actor who becomes absolutely taken with Jessie – the grandniece of his closest friend. When Maurice tries to soften the petulant and provincial young girl with the benefit of his wisdom and London culture, their give-and-take surprises both Maurice and Jessie as they discover what they don’t know about themselves. Featuring brilliant performances from a superb supporting cast in the film ‘VENUS’ that is a witty and wise celebration of how the greatest lessons in life can come from the most unlikely places.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 2006 British Independent Film Awards: Win: Best Supporting Actor for Leslie Phillips. Nominated: Best Actor for Peter O'Toole. Nominated: Best Supporting Actress for Vanessa Redgrave. Nominated: Most Promising Newcomer for Jodie Whittaker. Nominated: Best Screenplay for Hanif Kureishi. 2006 Chicago Film Critics Association Awards: Nominated: Best Actor for Peter O'Toole. 2006 Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards: Nominated: Best Actor for Peter O'Toole. 2006 Satellite Awards: Nominated: Best Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical for Jodie Whittaker. Nominated: Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical for Peter O'Toole. Nominated: Best Motion Picture in a Comedy or Musical. 2006 Seville European Film Festival: Win: Golden Giraldillo Award for Best Film for Roger Michell. 2006 Women Film Critics Circle Awards: Win: Hall of Shame. 2007 Academy Awards®: Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role for Peter O'Toole. 2007 Golden Globes: Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture in a Drama for Peter O'Toole. 2007 BAFTA Film Awards: Nominated: Best Actor in a Leading Role for Peter O'Toole. Nominated: Best Actor in a Supporting Role for Leslie Phillips. 2007 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Nominated: Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role for Peter O'Toole. 2007 AARP Movies for Grownups Awards: Nominated: Best Actor for Peter O'Toole. 2007 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards: Nominated: Critics Choice Award for Best Actor for Peter O'Toole. 2007 Humanitas Prize: Win: Feature Film Category for Hanif Kureishi. 2007 London Critics Circle Film Awards: Nominated: ALFS Award for British Supporting Actor of the Year for Leslie Phillips. Nominated: ALFS Award for British Newcomer of the Year for Jodie Whittaker (actress). 2007 National Society of Film Critics Awards, USA: Nominated: Best Actor for Peter O'Toole. 2007 Online Film & Television Association: Nominated: OFTA Film Award for Best Actor for Peter O'Toole. 2007 Online Film Critics Society Awards: Nominated: Best Actor for Peter O'Toole.
FILM FACT No.2: The film ‘VENUS’ premiered at the Telluride Film Festival, and was put on limited release in the United States on the 21st December, 2006. Filming began in November 2005, with a break for the Christmas/New Year period. O'Toole fell and broke his hip on Boxing Day 2005, which meant filming did not begin again until the end of January 2006.
Cast: Peter O'Toole, Leslie Phillips, Beatrice Savoretti, Philip Fox, Lolita Chakrabarti, Carolina Giammetta, Jodie Whittaker, Kellie Shirley, Ashley Madekwe, Ony Uhiara, Cathryn Bradshaw, Joanna Croll, Liam McKenna, Meg Wynn Owen, Sam Spruell, Tom Brooke, Vanessa Redgrave, Richard Griffiths, Harvey Virdi, Emma Buckley, Marlene Sidaway, Christine Bottomley, Daniel Cerqueira, Sam Kenyon, Andrea Riseborough, Tom Mison, Paul Chahidi, Piers Harrisson, Bronson Webb, Tim Faraday, Didier Dell Benjamin (uncredited), Naresh Bhana (uncredited), Nicolas D. Blake (uncredited), Garry Marriott (uncredited), Benn Northover (uncredited) and Jo Price (uncredited)
Director: Roger Michell
Producers: Charles Moore, Kevin Loader, Miles Ketley, Rosa Romero, Scott Rudin and Tessa Ross
Screenplay: Hanif Kureishi
Cinematography: Haris Zambarloukos, B.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080i
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 (Anamorphic)
Audio: English: 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio Descriptive Service
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English and English SDH
Running Time: 95 minutes
Region: PAL
Number of discs: 1
Studio: Miramax Films / FILMFOUR / UK FILM | COUNCIL / Buena Vista Pictures
Andrew’s DVD Review: ‘VENUS’ [2007] Who could be better suited than Peter O'Toole to the role of an actor growing old disgracefully? After watching ‘VENUS,’ it's impossible to imagine another septuagenarian getting away with groping a teenager's breast, and moreover, inspiring sympathy when he gets a subsequent knee to the crotch. It's Peter O'Toole's towering presence – even while doubled over – that elevates this otherwise wavering comedy drama from director Roger Michell and writer Hanif Kureishi.
Two grumpy old luvvies, Maurice [Peter O'Toole] and Ian [Leslie Phillips], share their time together between sparse employments, essentially waiting to die. When Ian's grand-niece Jessie [Jodie Whittaker] arrives to “help in his dotage,” and Ian is mortified to find Jessie's a lippy and outspoken little chav, but Maurice however, is quite taken with her, and so begins a strange pairing.
Leslie Phillips, famous for camping it up in the early years of his career, gives a subtle, endearing turn as Maurice's pal and fellow thespian Ian. Their coffee shop banter is wickedly funny, with Ian playing the grumpy old ham to Maurice's diehard hedonist. When Ian receives news that his niece's daughter is coming to stay, he buys pink towels to prevent mix-ups in the bathroom. But Maurice can't think of anything more delightful than swapping fluids with a nubile young woman...
Whether or not this was the original intention, the entire film provides a platform for Peter O’Toole to strut his stuff. In the early scenes, Peter O’Toole and old-boy friend Leslie Phillips have a devilish time of it, swapping camp, barbed lines of dialogue and prescription pills with the same level of gusto. It’s a delight to watch them perform, but this is more than a luvvie-fest: both characters are defiantly holding off mortality with an arsenal of wit, bad behaviour and pissed-off bravado.
In the face of the Grim Reaper continues in hilarious scenes with Richard Griffiths, as this dying breed gather in a café to scan the newspaper obituaries and bitch about their departed colleagues. A more melancholy tone is introduced when the selfish side of Maurice’s charm reveals itself in conversations with his estranged wife Valerie, played sympathetically by Vanessa Redgrave. It’s only in later scenes with chav princess Jessie that the film slips off track, particularly when her belligerent boyfriend [Bronson Webb] comes into the story as a disruptive plot device.
Newcomer Jodie Whittaker holds her own with Peter O'Toole. Audiences might waver during somewhat uncomfortable scenes where Jessie tempts Maurice with a smell of or kiss on her neck — to do so fails to see the point, as though no old man ever recollected the joys of being young. Directed by Richard Michell film doesn’t pretend that a sexual relationship is “correct,” or even that there is some concrete sexual link between the two. Richard Michell gives their friendship an ambiguous tone, so we’re never sure what either will do next. Only their basic mutual affection for each other is apparent. It's a patchy plot, but the Gods are surely smiling on Peter O'Toole, especially.
Director Roger Michell is adept at pulling great performances from his cast and writer Hanif Kureishi first collaborated on TV series “The Buddha of Suburbia,” but Venus is more of a companion piece to The Mother. This time, however, the sexual relationship that spans the generation gap is less physical, more lustful — in thought, not deed. O’Toole captures the duality of Maurice’s rapport with Jessie: part Professor Higgins in Pygmalion, part Humbert Humbert in Lolita. In return for sharing the artistic joys that have enriched his life, he wants to experience a final erotic frisson. There’s a beautiful, sad, elegiac note to Peter O’Toole’s performance, as a cultured man enjoys earthly pleasures for the last time in his life. There are some quasi-sexual scenes in which Jessie allows Maurice to sniff her skin, abject and tragicomic moments; especially the saddest scene is that in when Maurice mopes around the winter streets all afternoon, remembering past theatrical glories, because he has lent his flat to Jessie and her new boyfriend to have sex.
This is an indulgent film and needs to be watched in the same spirit, but its wry and wintry Englishness is engaging and Peter O'Toole's Maurice, approaching his final curtain, appears to promise that what will survive of us is not love, but a mordant sense of humour.
VENUS MUSIC TRACK LIST
THE HOLLYOAKS THEME (Composed by Gordon Higgins and Steve Wright) [Performed by Gordon Higgins and Steve Wright]
Clarinet Quintet – Allegro (Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart) [Performed by Jozsef Balogh anf Danubius Quartet]
Avant Dernières Pensées (Idylle) (Composed by Erik Satie) (Arranged by David Arnold and Dave Hartley) [Performed by Rolf Wilson, Simon Baggs, Peter Lale and Jonathan Williams]
Avant Dernières Pensées (Idylle) (Composed by Erik Satie) [Performed by Dave Hartley]
Véritable Prélude Flasques (pour un chien) (Composed by Erik Satie) [Performed by Dave Hartley]
Slavonic Dances Op. 72, No. 2 in E minor: Dumka (Allegretto grazioso) (Composed by Antonín Dvorák) (Arranged by David Arnold and Dave Hartley) [Performed by Rolf Wilson, Simon Baggs and Dave Hartley]
Slavonic Dances Op. 72, No. 2 in E minor: Dumka (Allegretto grazioso) (Composed by Antonín Dvorák) (Arranged by Jeremy Birchall) [Performed by Abraxas String Ensemble]
Slavonic Dances Op. 72, No. 2 in E minor: Dumka (Allegretto grazioso) (Composed by Antonín Dvorák) [Performed by Berliner Philharmoniker and Lorin Maazel] [Lines quoted from the song "I Should Be So Lucky" was written by Mike Stock, Matt Aitken and Pete Waterman]
I’D LIKE TO (Composed by Corinne Bailey Rae, Tommy Danvers and Paul Herman) [Performed by Corinne Bailey Rae]
ANOTHER RAINY DAY (Composed by Corinne Bailey Rae) [Performed by Corinne Bailey Rae]
CHOUX PASTRY HEART (Composed by Corinne Bailey Rae and Teitur Lassen) [Performed by Corinne Bailey Rae]
PUT YOUR RECORD ON (Composed by Corinne Bailey Rae, John Beck and Steve Chrisanthou) [Performed by Corinne Bailey Rae]
LIKE A STAR (Composed by Corinne Bailey Rae) [Performed by Corinne Bailey Rae]
BREATHLESS (Composed by Corinne Bailey Rae and Marc Nelkin) [Performed by Corinne Bailey Rae]
DVD Image Quality – Miramax Films and FilmFour Productions presents the film ‘VENUS’ with a really nice 1080i image and especially for the DVD format and is enhanced with an 1.85:1 Anamorphic aspect ratio. To some reviewers they comment that it can seem sometimes slightly heavy and dark with interior shot scenes, but I did not experience this at all, instead what I viewed was scenes that were viewed in natural light and totally fitting for these types of scenes in the film, obviously they must have a very inferior Blu-ray player. But overall the majority of the film the image quality is really excellent, especially seeing very good detail, especially with vivid colours in the daylight scenes, and we also get to view realistic skin tones and nice inky blacks. What is also very good about this DVD is that there are no noticeable problems with grain or artefacts and in fact the image is so good, you think you are viewing a good standard Blu-ray disc. Please Note: Playback PAL: This will not play on most Blu-ray or DVD players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about the region specifications.
DVD Audio Quality – Miramax Films and FilmFour Productions brings us the film ‘VENUS’ with a first rate 5.1 Dolby Digital Audio experience. It is also first-rate and very immersive, but at times the audio performance of the actors can be a little erotic with their comments, which is very natural for a film of this calibre and adult content. The dialogue in a few spots is sometimes nearly drowned out by some ambient sounds, especially with outdoors scenes, but inside buildings and rooms, the dialogue is spot on and you can hear all the actors speak very clearly. So all in all, this is a really good audio experience.
DVD Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Venus: A Real Work of Art [2006] [1080i] [1.37:1] [13:17] Here we get to view first of all Hanif Kureishi who talks about wanting to do a story about an old man who is having a prostrate operation that he thought this was an exciting premise for the, and is also about Maurice film reminiscing about his past sexual life, and the storyline had to be set in present day London, and Hanif Kureishi use to go to his local café where all these old blokes would hang out, who were of course much older than Hanif, who would bring all their pills they had to take and sort out which ones to take first. They also wanted a young girl to crash into the story to make the film more interesting to counter balance the old men. Hanif Kureishi had an intense time working on the script and within six to seven weeks produced a 20 to 30 page draft, to a pretty good screenplay. We also get to view lots of clips from the film, and also lots of behind-the-scene filming, as well as lots of comments from the cast and crew. Some people commented that they thought the film was written for Peter O’Toole in mind, but it was just a bit of luck that Peter O’Toole was approach to play Maurice and of course was eager to sign up as soon as he read the script and was keen and eager to play the character in the film, as he felt the character was wonderful, and said that scripts like this only appear once in a blue moon. Leslie Phillips talks about his very long professional acting career, which has spanned over 70 years, and was over the moon to get a part in the film and especially working with his old acting buddy Peter O’Toole. Jodie Whittaker talks about hearing that Peter O’Toole would be in the film and had got the part, and felt she was not going to get a part in the film and was very passionate about the character and felt she had to nail the audition as she remembered every word and comma in the script and we get a shot clip of Jodie Whittaker’s audition tape, and you can see why Jodie got the part in the film and Peter O’Toole felt Jodie was very professional and kept the old actors on their toes. Leslie Phillips says that to find another script like ‘VENUS’ will be practically impossible and Peter O’Toole comments that it was a joy to be part of the film, from the beginning to the end, although it was exhausting work, but at the same time a joy and to go to work with a big grin on your face and to go home tired, and have a good snore and get up the next morning and start another days shooting, you cannot ask for more. So all in all, this was really interesting special feature documentary and well worth viewing and gives you a greater insight into the film ‘VENUS.’ Contributors include: Hanif Kureishi (Screenwriter), Roger Michell (Director), Kevin Loader (Producer), Peter O’Toole (Maurice), Leslie Phillips (Ian) and Jodie Whittaker (Jessie).
Special Feature: Deleted Scenes [2006] [1080i] [1.37:1] [3:56] Here we get to view four deleted scenes, and they consist of the following: Hospital; Reading Lines; Family Problems and Victoria Station. As usual you can either watch each deleted scenes separately or Play All.
Audio Commentary with Director Roger Michell and Producer Kevin Loader: Here we are introduced to Roger Michell and Kevin Loader and inform us that it is a rainy Wednesday in Soho in London, and here to plunge into viewing this DVD and talking about the film. They also comment and pleased that it will be the last time we will ever see the red and black FILMFOUR logo. They both comment that it is their third London film in a row, and this film was not easy to get off the ground financially, like their two previous films, and they talk about the three organisations that have funded the film ‘VENUS,’ which was just over £3Million pound sterling. They talk about the two ageing actors Peter O’Toole and Leslie Phillips in their first scene in the café sorting out their pills, and their combined age at the time of filming was 178 years, and the café scene takes place in Old Kentish Town in London, and it is a few miles down the road where Roger Michell and Kevin Loader live, and the scenes inside Leslie Phillips flat was on the set at Ealing Studios and was where Leslie Phillips appeared in all of his films. They talk about the scene where for the first time we meet Jodie Whittaker in Leslie Phillips flat and where Peter O’Toole eyes light up seeing his Venus for the first time and gets very interested in Jessie. When we see the scene with Peter O’Toole in the hospital bed, it is a scene being filmed for the Channel 4 “Hollyoaks” TV series, that was filmed at the BBC Elstree Studios and when Peter O’tool lights up the cigar still in the bed, they had to turn all the sprinklers off and it cost them £1,000 and was well worth the shot. They felt very lucky to get the actor Richard Griffiths to do his cameo parts, and was actually also appearing in a play in a London Theatre, and of course had to shoot his scenes in the daytime. They give great praise for Jodie Whittaker’s performance in the film, especially as it was her first film, and acted with great ease and also with truthful reality. We find out Jodie Whittaker did three auditions and a fourth one was with Peter O’Toole, and she said she felt slightly intimidated, but the same time the commentators felt Jodie did a very fine and wonderful auditions, and they also say Peter and Jodie got on really well together, and Peter O’Toole was extremely protective towards Jodie Whittaker. When you see the scene with Jodie and Peter in the massive limousine and being driven to the film shoot, the commentators talk about the song ANOTHER RAINY DAY by Corinne Bailey Rae that the Director’s daughter introduced the dong to him, which he endlessly played on a long car journey to the West Coast of England and got very infected by the song, and also felt it would work in the scenes in the massive limousine, They talk about the scene when Peter O’Toole visits Vanessa Redgrave’s home and Peter O’Toole cooks a meal and the scene where Peter tenderly kisses Vanessa, both commentators felt it was a totally remarkable and beautiful scene out of the whole film. When you see near the end of the film, where peter O’Toole and Jodie Whittaker have taken a train from London to Whitstable on the South Coast of England, to fulfil Maurice’s dream of being on the pebble beach and with the sea lapping at his feet, and we are told that this was the last days shoot and it was totally freezing cold that day in February, and they also comment on the extraordinary light of the clear blue sky. As we are nearing the end of the film we see Jodie Whittaker and guest at Maurice’s wake, and was filmed in the Aldwych Theatre in London. We are informed that Jodie Whittaker was very nervous doing her scene with Vanessa Redgrave and especially all through drama school Jodie idolized Vanessa. We are also informed that Vanessa was very sympathetic towards Jodie in that particular scene. So after a few more scenes, where are coming to the climax of the film, where we see Peter O’Toole and Jodie Whittaker on the beach at Whitstable, we come to the end of the audio commentary and it was a really nice informative one, as Roger Michell and Kevin Loader make it a very interesting one, as we hear lots of fascination anecdote facts about the filming and the locations especially round London, that made for a very extra specially audio commentary I have heard in a very long time and definitely gets a five star rating from me.
Trailers: Here we get to view five various types of trailers, that include Films, DVD and Blu-ray and they are as follows: ‘The Lookout;’ Grey’s Anatomy: Season Two; SCRUBS: Fifth Season; Blu-ray Releases and ‘Breaking and Entering.’
Finally, ‘VENUS’ is a small-scale English production that's full of reflective moments and witty, rapid-fire dialogue about mortality, the old days, and life's perpetual ambitions. Peter O'Toole gives a powerful performance, his character gripped by the realization that his life is in its final chapter. Ultimately, Jessie makes some important positive changes in her life, her self-opinion, and her feelings about her older friend. But teenagers may not grasp the messages of self-discovery, and some may interpret it as "just" a film about an old man's fling with a youngster. ‘VENUS’ has many merits and should not be dismissed at all. It's a marvellous showcase for Peter O'Toole, with stunning close-ups, perfect timing, and physical comedy that's as good as it gets. The depth, emotion, desperation, and affection of these moments are palpable and make it obvious that these performers are the masters of their craft. But no matter how much applause ‘VENUS’ earns for finally sexualizing an elderly character, having that sexuality focused on someone might be awkward for any viewer, and even more so for teenagers. Jodie Whittaker, Vanessa Redgrave and Leslie Phillips all turn in accomplished performances, but the film ‘VENUS’ is definitely Peter O'Toole's film all the way and deservedly so. Like the filmmakers, the screen legend achieves a sublime balance between poignancy and brilliant humour. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
