Exclusive: Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman (Rain Man), Emmy nominee Sam Neill (Jurassic Park), BAFTA winner Eileen Atkins (The Crown), BAFTA winner Derek Jacobi (Gladiator), IFTA nominee Aidan Turner (The Hobbit), Endeavour star Roger Allam and Pitch Perfect star Brittany Snow are set to lead cast in feature comedy Mr. Shaw Goes To Hollywood, which is being launched for the TIFF market.
Set in 1933, the movie will chart how celebrated playwright, George Bernard Shaw (Jacobi), visited Hollywood with his formidable wife, Charlotte (Atkins). The idea of turning Shaw’s most successful play, Pygmalion, into a film was a hot topic of conversation as the great and the good of Hollywood vied for his attention, desperate to be part of the next big motion picture. How would the Irish-born writer and social reformer rub along with the Hollywood elite and, perhaps more importantly, did he have any intention of selling the rights...
Set in 1933, the movie will chart how celebrated playwright, George Bernard Shaw (Jacobi), visited Hollywood with his formidable wife, Charlotte (Atkins). The idea of turning Shaw’s most successful play, Pygmalion, into a film was a hot topic of conversation as the great and the good of Hollywood vied for his attention, desperate to be part of the next big motion picture. How would the Irish-born writer and social reformer rub along with the Hollywood elite and, perhaps more importantly, did he have any intention of selling the rights...
- 9/8/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Romeo & Bernadette: A Musical Tale of Verona and Brooklyn, an updated – somewhat – musical comedy take on Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers that enjoyed a pre-pandemic Off Broadway run, is headed to Broadway, producers announced today.
Producer Eric Krebs, in association with Amas Musical Theatre, are aiming for a Spring 2022 production on Broadway. Casting, creative team and theater will be announced at a later date.
“It seems to me that Romeo & Bernadette is the perfect musical for this challenging time,” said Krebs in a statement. “It is joyous. It is funny. It is romantic. It will feel like a great banquet of comfort food after a long period of deprivation.”
With book and lyrics by Mark Saltzman and music adapted from classic Italian melodies, Romeo & Bernadette finds the Bard’s Romeo in 1960 Brooklyn, chasing a girl he believes is his beloved Juliet. As the synopsis says, “But no, it’s Bernadette, the beautiful,...
Producer Eric Krebs, in association with Amas Musical Theatre, are aiming for a Spring 2022 production on Broadway. Casting, creative team and theater will be announced at a later date.
“It seems to me that Romeo & Bernadette is the perfect musical for this challenging time,” said Krebs in a statement. “It is joyous. It is funny. It is romantic. It will feel like a great banquet of comfort food after a long period of deprivation.”
With book and lyrics by Mark Saltzman and music adapted from classic Italian melodies, Romeo & Bernadette finds the Bard’s Romeo in 1960 Brooklyn, chasing a girl he believes is his beloved Juliet. As the synopsis says, “But no, it’s Bernadette, the beautiful,...
- 5/10/2021
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
New York, Feb 3 (Ians) Researchers are developing a skin cancer treatment that involves injecting nanoparticles into the tumour, killing cancer cells with a two-pronged approach, as a potential alternative to surgery.
The results, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates that an injection-based therapy would also mean that patients could have multiple tumours treated in a single visit.
According to the researchers, for the treatment, tumours are injected with polymer-based nanoparticles carrying a chemotherapy agent.
Key to the treatment's success is that the nanoparticles are bioadhesive -- that is, they bind to the tumours and remain attached long enough to kill a significant number of the cancer cells, the researchers said.
"When you inject our nanoparticles into a tumour, it turns out that they've retained within that tumour very well," said co-author Mark Saltzman from the Yale University.
"They accumulate and bind to the tumour matrix,...
The results, published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, indicates that an injection-based therapy would also mean that patients could have multiple tumours treated in a single visit.
According to the researchers, for the treatment, tumours are injected with polymer-based nanoparticles carrying a chemotherapy agent.
Key to the treatment's success is that the nanoparticles are bioadhesive -- that is, they bind to the tumours and remain attached long enough to kill a significant number of the cancer cells, the researchers said.
"When you inject our nanoparticles into a tumour, it turns out that they've retained within that tumour very well," said co-author Mark Saltzman from the Yale University.
"They accumulate and bind to the tumour matrix,...
- 2/3/2021
- by IANS
- GlamSham
Jagged Little Pill, Moulin Rouge!, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical, Grand Horizons, Mary-Louise Parker and Jonathan Groff are among this year’s Outer Critics Circle Awards recipients, a collection of Broadway and Off Broadway recipients that make up the organization’s first-ever slate of multiple honorees.
With the Tony Awards remaining a mere possibility this year, the 70th Annual Outer Critics Circle Awards took an unusual approach to an unusual, pandemic-shortened theater season: In lieu of selecting traditional nominees with one winner from each category, the Occ named five honorees in each of its technical categories and up to six honorees in acting categories. Four artists received the annual John Gassner Award this season, commemorating works by new American playwrights.
Recalibrated to celebrate “widespread excellence in New York theater this season,” the Occ Awards – chosen by the official organization of writers on New York theatre for out-of-town newspapers and national...
With the Tony Awards remaining a mere possibility this year, the 70th Annual Outer Critics Circle Awards took an unusual approach to an unusual, pandemic-shortened theater season: In lieu of selecting traditional nominees with one winner from each category, the Occ named five honorees in each of its technical categories and up to six honorees in acting categories. Four artists received the annual John Gassner Award this season, commemorating works by new American playwrights.
Recalibrated to celebrate “widespread excellence in New York theater this season,” the Occ Awards – chosen by the official organization of writers on New York theatre for out-of-town newspapers and national...
- 5/11/2020
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Producer Eric Krebs, has announced today that theOff-Broadway production of Romeo Bernadette A Musical Tale of Verona and Brooklyn with book and lyrics by Mark Saltzman, music adapted from classic Italian melodies, and directed and choreographed by Justin Ross Cohen will move from the 99-seat Mezzanine Theatre at A.R.T.New York Theatres to the 199-seat Theatre 3 formerly The Acorn at Theatre Row 410 West 42nd Street - between 9th and Dyer Avenues for an open-ended engagement.
- 2/11/2020
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Amas Musical Theatre Donna Trinkoff, Artistic Producer in association with Eric Krebs will presentthe Off-Broadway premiere of Romeo Bernadette A Musical Tale of Verona and Brooklyn, with book and lyrics by Mark Saltzman, music adapted from classic Italian melodies, and directed and choreographed by Justin Ross Cohen. Previews begin at the Mezzanine Theatre at A.R.T.New York Theatres 502 West 53rd Street 10th Avenue 53rd Street tomorrow night, Tuesday, January 14th at 7pm with an official opening on Thursday, January 23rd at 8pm. Performances will continue through February 16, 2020.
- 1/13/2020
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
There has been yet another twist in the saga over Bert and Ernie’s sexuality.
Former “Sesame Street” writer Mark Saltzman said his recent comments about the famed children’s show characters were misconstrued in the “uproar.”
“As a writer, you just bring what you know into your work,” he said in an interview with the New York Times on Tuesday. “Somehow, in the uproar, that turned into Bert and Ernie being gay. There is a difference.”
Also Read: Michael Rapaport Fumes Over Ernie and Bert Sexuality Debate: 'You Sick F--s, You!' (Video)
“They are two guys who love each other,” he said. “That’s who they are,” added Saltzman, saying that the puppet duo’s relationship is simply an example of love, likening it to “poetry. It’s what you need it to be.”
Saltzman told The New York Times that he does think “Sesame Street” should introduce...
Former “Sesame Street” writer Mark Saltzman said his recent comments about the famed children’s show characters were misconstrued in the “uproar.”
“As a writer, you just bring what you know into your work,” he said in an interview with the New York Times on Tuesday. “Somehow, in the uproar, that turned into Bert and Ernie being gay. There is a difference.”
Also Read: Michael Rapaport Fumes Over Ernie and Bert Sexuality Debate: 'You Sick F--s, You!' (Video)
“They are two guys who love each other,” he said. “That’s who they are,” added Saltzman, saying that the puppet duo’s relationship is simply an example of love, likening it to “poetry. It’s what you need it to be.”
Saltzman told The New York Times that he does think “Sesame Street” should introduce...
- 9/19/2018
- by Ashley Boucher
- The Wrap
LeVar Burton is not down with anyone who is not down with Bert and Ernie coming out as gay. The iconic "Reading Rainbow" host was at Lax when he weighed in on the big revelation his fellow PBS stars are a couple ... according to "Sesame Street" writer Mark Saltzman, anyway. LeVar says it's hardly news to him -- and millions of others -- but still thinks it's a powerful step for society. And, for anyone bitching about the news,...
- 9/19/2018
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
Why, Sesame Street? Why? After longtime staffer Mark Saltzman told Queerty that he’d always written Bert and Ernie as gay, the venerable educational show for kids didn’t respond, “Of course they’re a couple — who else would quarrel like that?” or even, “Viewers can ascribe to the roomies whatever qualities they feel best fit them.”
Instead, it pointed out in a statement that the beloved characters “are identified as male… and possess many human traits,” then discounted them as puppets who, as such, “do not have a sexual orientation.” (Which must have come as quite a shock to Kermit the Frog.
Instead, it pointed out in a statement that the beloved characters “are identified as male… and possess many human traits,” then discounted them as puppets who, as such, “do not have a sexual orientation.” (Which must have come as quite a shock to Kermit the Frog.
- 9/19/2018
- TVLine.com
The debate over whether beloved “Sesame Street” characters Ernie and Bert are actually a gay couple got Michael Rapaport totally hot on Tuesday. Hot under the collar, anyway.
“Atypical” star, author and podcaster Rapaport fired up his social media on Tuesday to weigh in on the debate, saying that Twitter interest in the topic was being fueled by “grown-ass, sick lunatics.”
He also wondered why people are “friend-shaming” the long-running “Sesame Street” characters.
Also Read: 'Sesame Street' Reminds Everyone Bert and Ernie Are Not Gay or Straight Because They're Friggin' Puppets
The speculation was reignited anew on Tuesday, thanks to an interview with former “Sesame Street” writer Mark Saltzman.
“And I always felt that without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert & Ernie, they were,” Saltzman said of the puppets’ sexual orientation, suggesting they are a gay couple. “I didn’t have any other way to contextualize them.
“Atypical” star, author and podcaster Rapaport fired up his social media on Tuesday to weigh in on the debate, saying that Twitter interest in the topic was being fueled by “grown-ass, sick lunatics.”
He also wondered why people are “friend-shaming” the long-running “Sesame Street” characters.
Also Read: 'Sesame Street' Reminds Everyone Bert and Ernie Are Not Gay or Straight Because They're Friggin' Puppets
The speculation was reignited anew on Tuesday, thanks to an interview with former “Sesame Street” writer Mark Saltzman.
“And I always felt that without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert & Ernie, they were,” Saltzman said of the puppets’ sexual orientation, suggesting they are a gay couple. “I didn’t have any other way to contextualize them.
- 9/18/2018
- by Tim Kenneally
- The Wrap
“I created Bert,” says Frank Oz. “I know what and who he is.” And no, he isn’t gay.
Those old rumors about the Muppets pals were reignited earlier this week when former Sesame Street writer Mark Saltzman told website Queerty that he “contextualized” Bert and Ernie as a couple based on his own relationship with film editor Arnold Glassman.
“I always felt that without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert and Ernie, they were,” Saltzman said when asked if the two Muppets were gay. “I didn’t have any other way to contextualize them.”
The statement drew a response from Sesame Workshop, saying, in part, “they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.”
“As we have always said, Bert and Ernie are best friends,” tweeted Sesame Workshop. “They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves.
Those old rumors about the Muppets pals were reignited earlier this week when former Sesame Street writer Mark Saltzman told website Queerty that he “contextualized” Bert and Ernie as a couple based on his own relationship with film editor Arnold Glassman.
“I always felt that without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert and Ernie, they were,” Saltzman said when asked if the two Muppets were gay. “I didn’t have any other way to contextualize them.”
The statement drew a response from Sesame Workshop, saying, in part, “they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.”
“As we have always said, Bert and Ernie are best friends,” tweeted Sesame Workshop. “They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves.
- 9/18/2018
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
After a former “Sesame Street” writer said the characters Bert and Ernie were a couple, Sesame Workshop issued a statement on Twitter denying the claim.
“As we have always said, Bert and Ernie are best friends,” said the nonprofit education organization behind the PBS series. “They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves. Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics … they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.”
This comes after ex-“Sesame Street” writer Mark Saltzman said in an interview Sunday that he wrote the relationship between Bert and Ernie based off his own with his partner, the late editor Arnold Glassman.
“I don’t think I’d know how else to write them, but as a loving couple,” Saltzman told Queerty. “That’s what I had in my life,...
“As we have always said, Bert and Ernie are best friends,” said the nonprofit education organization behind the PBS series. “They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves. Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics … they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.”
This comes after ex-“Sesame Street” writer Mark Saltzman said in an interview Sunday that he wrote the relationship between Bert and Ernie based off his own with his partner, the late editor Arnold Glassman.
“I don’t think I’d know how else to write them, but as a loving couple,” Saltzman told Queerty. “That’s what I had in my life,...
- 9/18/2018
- by Rachel Yang
- Variety Film + TV
Updated 1:38 p.m. PT: Frank Oz shot down former “Sesame Street” writer Mark Saltzman’s remarks about Bert and Ernie’s sexual orientation in his own statement, tweeted Tuesday.
“It seems Mr. Mark Saltzman was asked if Bert & Ernie are gay,” Oz, a longtime Muppets veteran and Bert’s creator, wrote. “It’s fine that he feels they are. They’re not, of course. But why that question? Does it really matter? Why the need to define people as only gay? There’s much more to a human being than just straightness or gayness.”
It seems Mr. Mark Saltzman was asked if Bert & Ernie are gay. It's fine that he feels they are. They're not, of course. But why that question? Does it really matter? Why the need to define people as only gay? There's much more to a human being than just straightness or gayness.
— Frank Oz (@TheFrankOzJam...
“It seems Mr. Mark Saltzman was asked if Bert & Ernie are gay,” Oz, a longtime Muppets veteran and Bert’s creator, wrote. “It’s fine that he feels they are. They’re not, of course. But why that question? Does it really matter? Why the need to define people as only gay? There’s much more to a human being than just straightness or gayness.”
It seems Mr. Mark Saltzman was asked if Bert & Ernie are gay. It's fine that he feels they are. They're not, of course. But why that question? Does it really matter? Why the need to define people as only gay? There's much more to a human being than just straightness or gayness.
— Frank Oz (@TheFrankOzJam...
- 9/18/2018
- by Tony Maglio and Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Updated Below. According to Sesame Workshop, the non-profit educational organization behind “Sesame Street,” Bert and Ernie are still just friends. On Tuesday, Sesame Workshop released an official statement via Twitter, following comments by former “Sesame Street” writer Mark Saltzman. An out gay man himself, Saltzman wrote for “Sesame Street” from 1985 to 1998. In a recent interview with Queerty, Saltzman likened his relationship with his late partner to the relationship between Bert and Ernie, and said many of their friends and colleagues did as well.
“I always felt that without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert & Ernie, they were. I didn’t have any other way to contextualize them,” Saltzman said. As the couple’s jokester, Saltzman was Ernie, while his partner, the film editor Arnold Glassman, reminded him of Bert. “It was the Bert & Ernie relationship, and I was already with Arnie when I came to ‘Sesame Street.’ So...
“I always felt that without a huge agenda, when I was writing Bert & Ernie, they were. I didn’t have any other way to contextualize them,” Saltzman said. As the couple’s jokester, Saltzman was Ernie, while his partner, the film editor Arnold Glassman, reminded him of Bert. “It was the Bert & Ernie relationship, and I was already with Arnie when I came to ‘Sesame Street.’ So...
- 9/18/2018
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
11:40 Am Pt -- A spokesperson for Sesame Workshop has countered Saltzman, telling TMZ ... "As we have always said, Bert and Ernie are best friends. They were created to teach preschoolers that people can be good friends with those who are very different from themselves." They continue, "Even though they are identified as male characters and possess many human traits and characteristics (as most Sesame Street Muppets™ do), they remain puppets, and do not have a sexual orientation.
- 9/18/2018
- by TMZ Staff
- TMZ
It’s one of the universe’s many unanswered questions: Are Bert and Ernie, the unmarried Muppets who have shared an address on Sesame Street since 1969 (and still look amazing!), more than merely friends and roommates? To some, it may seem odd to even attempt to assign a sexual preference to a pair of children’s characters. But to countless others, who have looked to Bert and Ernie as ambiguous Lgbt icons for decades, a little confirmation would be appreciated.
And that confirmation has finally arrived (sort of) in an interview with former Sesame Street writer Mark Saltzman, who began...
And that confirmation has finally arrived (sort of) in an interview with former Sesame Street writer Mark Saltzman, who began...
- 9/18/2018
- TVLine.com
Sesame Street fans have always wondered whether Muppet roommates Bert and Ernie were more than just best friends.
Hoping to put the speculation to rest, former Sesame Street writer Mark Saltzman addressed the rumored relationship during a Tuesday interview with Lgbtq lifestyle website Queerty, saying the audience should trust their intuition that the two puppets are a couple.
“I remember one time that a column from the San Francisco Chronicle, a preschooler in the city turned to mom and asked 'Are Bert & Ernie lovers?' And that, coming from a preschooler was fun,” Saltzman said in the interview....
Hoping to put the speculation to rest, former Sesame Street writer Mark Saltzman addressed the rumored relationship during a Tuesday interview with Lgbtq lifestyle website Queerty, saying the audience should trust their intuition that the two puppets are a couple.
“I remember one time that a column from the San Francisco Chronicle, a preschooler in the city turned to mom and asked 'Are Bert & Ernie lovers?' And that, coming from a preschooler was fun,” Saltzman said in the interview....
- 9/18/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Today’s top casting notices could have you center stage at the Wyoming Theater Festival, starring in a new comedic television pilot, or in a techy online commercial. Everywhere you look, you’re a star! “Alice Formerly Of Wonderland”Following the true story of Alice Liddell, the inspiration behind author Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland,” this new play from seven-time Emmy winner Mark Saltzman (“Sesame Street”) is seeking submissions for its lead, Alice (aged 18–25), and supporting role Queen Victoria. The play will be staged at the Wyoming Theater Festival this summer; rehearsals run July 4–29. Travel, housing, and pay will be provided. “The Uncle Gerry Show”Executive producer Peter Ferriero and director Clarke Mayer are seeking New York City and Montclair, New Jersey–based talent for this new comedic pilot. Set in the 1970s, the series centers on a fictional late night talk show with three supporting roles (all aged...
- 5/24/2016
- backstage.com
The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance will hold a free workshop performance of Helldrivers Of Daytona in the Oscar G. Brockett Theatre today and tomorrow, January 15th-16th at 730pm. A new musical with music by Berton Averre The Knack, lyrics by Rob Meurer 'Sailing' amp book by Mark Saltzman The Tin Pan Alley Rag, The Adventures of Milo and Otis.
- 1/15/2016
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
The University of Texas at Austin Department of Theatre and Dance will hold a free workshop performance of Helldrivers Of Daytona in the Oscar G. Brockett Theatre on January 15th-16th at 730pm. A new musical with music by Berton Averre The Knack, lyrics by Rob Meurer 'Sailing' amp book by Mark Saltzman The Tin Pan Alley Rag, The Adventures of Milo and Otis.
- 1/8/2016
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
Los Angeles' Colony Theatre Company will soon present the world premiere of Another Roll Of The Dice, a musical featuring the works of the team that created Guys and Dolls. With a book by Mark Saltzman, Another Roll Of The Dice includes the music of Frank Loesser and is based on the stories of Damon Runyon. The musical will premiere April 16 and will run through May 15, 2015.
- 2/5/2015
- by BWW News Desk
- BroadwayWorld.com
The long-running Apes franchise got the re-boot and origin treatment all at once this past summer in 20th Century Fox's production Rise of the Planet of the Apes. A surprise late-summer hit at the box office, the film makes its way to DVD and Blu-Ray this week.
The action-packed crowd-pleaser follows a group of American scientists whose genetic experiments lead to an uprising by a race of intelligent apes that they helped create. The cast is an impressive one with James Franco, Freida Pinto, Tom Felton and the always awesome John Lithgow all along for the ride but the real story here is Caesar, the ape at the center of it all. Caesar's emotionally gripping story grabs you right from the get-go thanks, in no small part, to the incredible job special effects house Weta did in creating him via actor Andy Serkis' magnificent motion-capture work.
Gear Guide's...
The action-packed crowd-pleaser follows a group of American scientists whose genetic experiments lead to an uprising by a race of intelligent apes that they helped create. The cast is an impressive one with James Franco, Freida Pinto, Tom Felton and the always awesome John Lithgow all along for the ride but the real story here is Caesar, the ape at the center of it all. Caesar's emotionally gripping story grabs you right from the get-go thanks, in no small part, to the incredible job special effects house Weta did in creating him via actor Andy Serkis' magnificent motion-capture work.
Gear Guide's...
- 12/14/2011
- by Emma Badame
- Cineplex
The Blank Theatre Company is set to open the World Premiere of Setup & Punch a comedic play written by Mark Saltzman with original songs by Berton Averre & Rob Meurer and directed by The Blank's Artistic Director Daniel Henning. Hedy Burress, Pj Griffith and Andrew Leeds star in the third and final offering of The Blank's Mainstage season which begins performances on Saturday May 9, 2009 and opens on Thursday May 14, 2009 at The Blank's 2nd Stage Theatre in Hollywood.
- 4/16/2009
- BroadwayWorld.com
Here! said Wednesday that it has greenlighted a new original series titled Third Man Out. Chad Allen has signed on to star in the series bound for the premium TV network targeted to gay and lesbian audiences. Here! founder and CEO Paul Colichman made the announcement during the network's portion of the Television Critics Assn. winter press tour. The series, based on the books by Richard Stevenson, centers on a gay detective (Allen, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) who delves into the world of corruption, making enemies as he sets about solving crimes. Third Man Out, set to premiere in the summer, is directed by Ron Oliver and was written by Mark Saltzman.
- 1/13/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The latest addition to the talking pooch genre, "Napoleon" is no bone apart.
A "Babe" wannabe, this live action Aussie import offers colorful nature footage, but the clumsy storytelling, ill-fitting dialogue and shrill voice characterizations leave it in the doghouse.
While clearly aimed at the kiddies, the story is fraught with peril and references to death and killing, while much of the humor is surprisingly mean-spirited.
A cuddly golden retriever puppy, Napoleon (called Muffin by his mom) yearns to leave the domestic life behind and heed the call of his wild brethren.
He gets his wish when a makeshift hot-air balloon carries him from his suburban backyard home out to the Australian bush, where he befriends a talkative Galah (a native Australian migratory bird) called Birdo Lucci.
Napoleon picks up a few quick pointers in survival skills during bouts with a feral cat, not to mention stampeding horses, a sugar cane blaze and flash flooding. Ultimately the frisky pup learns, like many screen creatures before him, that there's no place like home.
Writer-director Mario Andreacchio and director of photography Roger Dowling offer up an exotic menagerie of co-stars, including wallabies, wombats, lorikeets, and dingos in addition to the obligatory kangaroo.
But the accompanying story and dialogue have a slapped-together, after-the-fact feel and the inclusion of a handful of banal songs, credited to score composer Bill Conti and lyricist Mark Saltzman, do nothing to infuse the film with some much-needed charm.
NAPOLEON
MGM Distribution
Australian Film Finance Corp.,
Herald Ace Inc., Goldwyn Entertainment Co. present in association with Nippon Herald Films,
Fuji Television & Pony Canyon
a Film Australia, Herald Ace
and Furry Feature Films production
Director Mario Andreacchio
Screenwriters Michael Bourchier,
Mario Andreacchio, Mark Saltzman
Producers Michael Bourchier,
Mario Andreacchio
Executive producers Masato Hara,
Ron Saunders
Director of photography Roger Dowling
Production designer Vicki Niehus
Editor Edward McQueen-Mason
Music Bill Conti
Lyrics Mark Saltzman
Color/stereo
Voices:
Napoleon Jamie Croft
Birdo Philip Quast
Conan Casey Siemaszko
Mother Penguin Joan Rivers
Parenti Lizard/Father Penguin Stuart Pankin
Kangaroo Dame Edna Everage
Running time - 81 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
A "Babe" wannabe, this live action Aussie import offers colorful nature footage, but the clumsy storytelling, ill-fitting dialogue and shrill voice characterizations leave it in the doghouse.
While clearly aimed at the kiddies, the story is fraught with peril and references to death and killing, while much of the humor is surprisingly mean-spirited.
A cuddly golden retriever puppy, Napoleon (called Muffin by his mom) yearns to leave the domestic life behind and heed the call of his wild brethren.
He gets his wish when a makeshift hot-air balloon carries him from his suburban backyard home out to the Australian bush, where he befriends a talkative Galah (a native Australian migratory bird) called Birdo Lucci.
Napoleon picks up a few quick pointers in survival skills during bouts with a feral cat, not to mention stampeding horses, a sugar cane blaze and flash flooding. Ultimately the frisky pup learns, like many screen creatures before him, that there's no place like home.
Writer-director Mario Andreacchio and director of photography Roger Dowling offer up an exotic menagerie of co-stars, including wallabies, wombats, lorikeets, and dingos in addition to the obligatory kangaroo.
But the accompanying story and dialogue have a slapped-together, after-the-fact feel and the inclusion of a handful of banal songs, credited to score composer Bill Conti and lyricist Mark Saltzman, do nothing to infuse the film with some much-needed charm.
NAPOLEON
MGM Distribution
Australian Film Finance Corp.,
Herald Ace Inc., Goldwyn Entertainment Co. present in association with Nippon Herald Films,
Fuji Television & Pony Canyon
a Film Australia, Herald Ace
and Furry Feature Films production
Director Mario Andreacchio
Screenwriters Michael Bourchier,
Mario Andreacchio, Mark Saltzman
Producers Michael Bourchier,
Mario Andreacchio
Executive producers Masato Hara,
Ron Saunders
Director of photography Roger Dowling
Production designer Vicki Niehus
Editor Edward McQueen-Mason
Music Bill Conti
Lyrics Mark Saltzman
Color/stereo
Voices:
Napoleon Jamie Croft
Birdo Philip Quast
Conan Casey Siemaszko
Mother Penguin Joan Rivers
Parenti Lizard/Father Penguin Stuart Pankin
Kangaroo Dame Edna Everage
Running time - 81 minutes
MPAA rating: G...
- 10/13/1997
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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