Step Right Up, Folks!

I must apologize for my absence firstly to the filmmakers of A Rogue in Londinium and to all of you out there who sometimes surf here to my blog. I’ve been MIA in remote parts Tanzania and Khazakstan helping work on a documentary. Can’t say any more about the project for nondisclosure reasons but, alas, I am back in the good ole’ US of A. Upon my return I have found some exciting films about to be released and am eager to compile and compare. What I find interesting is that several of these high profile films and possible Oscar contenders are period pieces. In the time I’ve been away the chatter about new distribution modes and the beginning of festival season has been amazing, surprising, depressing and yet refreshingly challenging. 

I want to begin with “The King’s Speech”. It began as a play and was adapted for the screen. However, because of budget constraints the pomp and circumstance of Royal Britain, i.e., the crowds, balls and state dinners could not be produced. It makes for a very intimate human drama with a good amount of classic British humor and fascinating behavior. It is a favorite in the Oscar race. The performances are sublime and nuanced with a handful of favorites with a cast including Colin Firth, Geoffrey Rush and Helena Bonham Carter. A film about the younger brother with a speech impediment in line for the throne after his older sibling, Edward, abdicates for the love of an American divorcee would be a hard sell. It is the stuff that the Weinstein brothers like best and recalls their past accomplishments and roots. Having strayed way off the path the Weinsteins first sold Miramax to Disney in 1993 and then tried to buy it back. They left the Disney owned studio in 2005 and after expanding in ventures on the internet, social media and gaming and trying to grab a demographic not usually theirs they found themselves in deep debt scaling back to the essential elements that made them trailblazers in the first place with classics like Pulp Fiction, Heavenly Creatures and Shakespeare in Love. They remind me of the old days when Sam Goldwyn would pull a rabbit out of his hat like “The Best Years of Our Lives” (directed by William Wyler in 1946). “The King’s Speech” is one to watch and you will be satisfied. Colin Firth for Best Actor and Geoffrey Rush as Best Supporting.

The second film “The Conspirator” is the first production for The American Film Company. It has committed to making films absolutely based on the facts of American History. The founder of Ameritrade is the force behind this interesting new company. Where Ted Turner fell in love with the Civil War and at times made exceptional films like “Gettysburg” and “Andersonville”, his passion for the subject seemed to exhaust the interest of his larger audiences. “Gods and Generals” was mediocre at best and the third in the trilogy, “The Last Full Measure” has been in the works for years now. The American Film Company’s creed involves all of American History. Stories we were never told in school, truths that have been hiding, myths that no longer satisfy and adventures lost in the dusty archives of our libraries.

“The Conspirator” is more like an old time movie – Inherit the Wind or Twelve Angry Men. A period courtroom drama set during the Civil War. Directed by Robert Redford and starring James MacAvoy and Robin Wright Penn as Mary Surratt and her court appointed attorney. After John Wilkes Booth assassinated President Lincoln and was tracked down and shot, Edwin Stanton, Secretary of War at the time took over the running of the government. To quell any thoughts of insurrection and rebellion by the South they rounded up anyone associated with Booth as conspirators in the plot. Mary Surratt’s son escaped and was never found yet she was held responsible on the thin evidence that they met once in the boarding house she ran. In the end she was publicly hung. Her attorney, a Union veteran is torn between the honorable reasons he fought in the Civil War and the sham trial being performed to satisfy public discontent. Will it find its audience to sustain a theatrical release? It premiered in Toronto this year without a distributor. However, Lionsgate and Roadside have agreed to roll it out for a March 2011 release. Is Redford whispering to Oscar with this period drama?

“Bel Ami” is another small period flick with Robert Pattinson, Kristin Scott Thomas and Uma Thurman. Set in 1895 in Paris, Bel Ami is the story of Georges Duroy, who travels through 1890s Paris, from cockroach ridden garrets to opulent salons, using his wits and powers of seduction to rise from poverty to wealth, from a prostitute’s embrace to passionate trysts with wealthy beauties, in a world where politics and media jostle for influence, where sex is power and celebrity an obsession. This logline comes courtesy of the official website. Here is a small film based on a classic novel, produced by Simon Fuller of American Idol fame and it had quite a hard time finding a distributor. Studio Canal of France finally agreed to release it in that country for May 2011 and Optimum Releasing will pick it up for a UK release in August. How can a movie with Robert Pattinson of the Twilight trilogy vampire fame not find distribution in the US? It makes one pause. The power is shifting from the studios that are going broke to the filmmakers who can - with the power of the web - reach their audiences without a middleman. According to a recent quote from Thomas Mai, ‘now more than ever is the time for filmmakers to hold onto their film’s rights.’ That is the only way a filmmaker will see any revenue from his or her project. Sell the foreign territories but hang onto the North American DVD, VOD rights.

Now this brings me to “A Rogue in Londinium”. I was away during the private screening at the Player’s Club in New York in October but the filmmakers graciously accommodated me and a few close friends that were not able to make the earlier date. A mutual friend had access to a small screening room in the building where he lives and we sat down the other night to take a look at Elizabeth’s new film. Wow…I was speechless for some time. Knowing what I know about how they made it for less than $100K, I was astounded, impressed and moved. The performances each rock solid and nuanced, stand up to the previously mentioned films. Whit Hamilton has succeeded in carrying his part of the story with sex appeal, charisma and poignant vulnerability. An unlikely choice for the part he rivals James Franco and Johnny Depp and holds his own. The only difference is he is not famous…at the moment. The secret behind his character will only add to his future success and will be the talk of the town when revealed. Rebecca Damon’s portrayal of Victoria Thornton is magical with every nuanced look and gesture. Judy Krause who plays Catherine Burroughs is a miracle – at once charming and gorgeous then calculating and downright evil and again sympathetic and tortured. The only difference between this micro-budgeted film and the other Independents are that the people involved are not well-known…yet. They will be. Take my word for it. If this little film can run the obstacle course of the festival circuit and gain momentum you will see these exceptionally talented people working again and again. If you feel like supporting this amazing small film go to their facebook page and become a fan. You won’t be sorry.

Did Someone Say Muuurder?

I show up in Prospect Park near the boathouse to help the Londinium crew with their first scene of the day. It is gorgeous out and not too hot, although that could change as the day wears on. Thom informs me that the scene is between Richard and another actress playing an actress in the film as they have a clandestine meeting in a tunnel. ‘Lisa’ is playing Ophelia in the Royal Court’s production of Hamlet and has slipped away during rehearsals to meet with him. When he produces a coin her rehearsals slip by the wayside. The last thing we see are Richard and Lisa walking away together sealing a deal that may be of the flesh. In a previous scene (see All of Brooklyn’s a Stage entry), Catherine (Judy) performs Queen Gertrude’s monologue from Hamlet. The dots begin to connect. Catherine knows this young woman Lisa, played wonderfully and with great sensitivity by Cooper Harris. That thought and the sexual game-playing begs the question: Is Catherine involved in this rendezvous? Is she also involved in the outcome? As the camera tilts upward a man watches the pair from his perch on the bridge. The whole thing is creepy. Parks (or woods) and murder seem to have struck a deal in a hotter than normal place in hell. That’s why it seems the brambles and brush seem to belch up more corpses than other locales. Whit is dressed in his top hat and frock coat looking dashing. As he channels Richard he oozes with charisma and I can see why these women will over rule their better judgment to go along with him. It’s the Ted Bundy effect. I am instructed to stand on the other side of the lake with a walkie-talkie and convey instructions from the AD who is just of camera in the woods. I can see Whit and Cooper chatting for a moment and then the Director steps in and gives a few notes. We wait a moment until she can get around the lake and take her place in front of the video tap. ACTION! She says. ACTION! I say into the walkie. ACTION I hear Thom’s voice echo through the woods on the side of the lake. Lisa, stunned, dirty and unkempt wanders a bit aimlessly towards the water. She has been attacked and apparently suffered some kind of trauma. She hums a child’s nursery rhyme and then plants herself at the water’s edge. Still humming, she dips her hands in the water and the dots really connect in this thick skull ‘o mine. Lisa and Ophelia are the same---contemplating suicidal thoughts from different traumatic events. And so I am stunned when we move to the next set-up and Cooper goes into SFX make-up and wardrobe. She makes a lovely corpse with a huge slash across her neck from ear to ear. She is wearing a medieval robe and Jules is placing different types of flowers in her stiffening hands. Flowers that Gertrude makes reference to in her Shakespearian monologue. The jib arm is assembled, Cooper is laid out in the grass and Jules straightens her robe before taking a post-mortem image of her with his motion picture camera. Murder? Did someone say Murder? Who Dunnit!? Was it Richard? Was it Jules? Or was it the voyeuristic man on the bridge?

That question remains unanswered through most of the movie.

We pack up quickly and caravan back to the Brooklyn brownstone where another scene between Richard and a prostitute takes place. I hang out as Whit changes costume.

“So isn’t Judy in this scene?” I ask.

“No man.” He says distracted.

“It says here in the sides that she’s behind that screen watching.” I continue.

“Dude we already shot that. Don’t you remember?” He replies.

“That’s a bummer.” I mumble.

“She was shot out yesterday.” Whit adds as he starts tying his shoelaces.

“WHAT? And no one told me?” I bellow. The indignity of not being notified! “But I didn’t get to say goodbye.” I whimper foolishly.

“You’ll see her at the screening.” Whit says as he picks up his script and looks it over with a seering intensity. Elisa Gierasch shows up to wardrobe. She will be playing Gert, the prostitute that Richard rustles up at the behest of Catherine and her voyeuristic game-playing. At that moment the Director taps me on the shoulder and says I have to clear set. Again, they are shooting a sensitive scene and she wants to close the set to all non-essential crew. Damn! I wish I could ‘Hollywood’ a light or hold a boom pole or wrangle cables or something. I look over the sides as I am relegated to the stoop with Ed.

“I think it’s time for a five minute power nap.” He says.

“It says plainly that Richard ‘fornicates’ with the prostitute while Catherine looks on.” I say to no one in particular. And then I watch as Ed stretches his six foot plus frame out on one of the steps and closes his eyes for a minute.

“Jees. Someone is gonna think you’re dead or passed out.” I warn.

“Not if you stay right where you are.” He replies. “If the landlord comes by tell him I had a diabetic sinking spell and I’m waiting for my insulin to kick in.”

“No way!” I exclaim. “I don’t want anyone calling an ambulance!”

“You’re a little high strung, aren’t ya, Sean.” He says. “If someone comes by I’ll jump up.” In thirty seconds flat Ed is snoring and I nervously read the New York Times on my blackberry. We look like a couple of swells on skid row. As we all know by now I am writing these blog entries well after the shoot. And since I am continuing to write even after the wrap of the film I have been given the opportunity to watch a few edited scenes as they come about. I got the chance to watch the edited scene of Richard and Gert and it is truly provocative. I have to give credit to the director who has created a seductive, sensual movie with no nudity. Some of the actors who have been given the opportunity of a sneak peek think that they have seen nudity but the reality is that there isn’t any. The power of the mind is amazing and a lot more visceral when you ‘think’ you’ve seen something that in turn creates a scintillating type of emotion. Elisa is stunning. She has ‘it’. ‘It’ is that quality that made Lauren Bacall a film classic. The smoky come hither look is innate. It cannot be learned. The scene might make some people uncomfortable but the director is fine with that. “I want people to feel something when they watch this story and if it happens to be uncomfortable then they’re paying attention.” She says.

We break for a meal and wait for Keith to arrive for the last scene of the day. In this scene Richard arrives to an interview with Charles Thornton. In a previous scene Charles asks Catherine if she can refer a starving artist to paint his wife’s portrait. She suggests Richard. Once again the dots start to connect this time on screen. Richard is led to a parlor by a servant to wait for Charles. He begins observing the pictures and mementos on the fireplace mantle. At the very end he is stunned to find an image of the kind woman who tended to him on that fateful snowy night in the street. It is Victoria. His face melts into hers as he remembers that night. It seems as though fate has stepped in and brought them together. Charles interrupts Richard’s daydream and the two men sum each other up. This is the first hint we have as to why Charles is in an arranged marriage. Charles decides to hire Richard at which point Richard suggests that it might speed things up if he is able to meet Mrs. Thornton. Mrs. Thornton, by the way, does not know Richard’s name and has no idea that she is about to be reunited with him in her very own home. And so the dots keep connecting until the whole picture blooms before our very eyes!

Adam's Apple or How Lilith was Banished

Ahhh, September is here.  But the heat of the summer remains and the heat on the Londinium set just keeps getting hotter.  It is common practice and practical logistical sense for scenes to be shot out of sequence and today is no exception.  When I appear on the set in Fort Greene I ask the Director if I can sit in.  She clears it with the actors who seem to be comfortable enough with me observing.  Not so fast, though.  I have to work for my peeping tom privileges.  I am asked to ‘Hollywood’ a light with a large silk flag.  Easy enough.  I have to divide my attention, but I’ll do it.  Focus, Sean, focus.

In a prior scene (see Organic Fruitloops entry) Victoria shows up to Richard’s studio to see the portrait he has painted of her.  The chemistry between them is amazing.  They so want to be together and yet she tells him she must go to New York.  He tries to persuade her to stay, stay with him.  Emotional, she leaves.  In order to pursue her Richard must collect on money owed him to book passage to the states.  Catherine owes him quite a bit of money and so he immediately stalks her outside the theatre where she performs and threatens her.  But Catherine is not easily frightened.  She tells him when the portrait is finished she will pay him.  “That means you’ll have to perform.” She chides.

She is Lilith.  So here’s a little Sunday school lesson that’s never taught.  Lilith was Adam’s first wife but because she wanted to be ‘on top’.  In other words, to be in control of her own sexual pleasure and satisfaction she was thrown out of paradise and demonized.  She is a seductress, a goddess and disincarnated spirit representing sensuality and, perhaps the darker side of that---obsession.  Lilith in proto-semitic language has as its root meaning “night”.  i.e. darkness, secretive, intrigue, entrapment.  Originally Adam and his ‘helpmeet’ occupied the same body.  The first man was androgynous and bisexual or, rather omnisexual.  But duality had to come into being to manifest on the material plane.  Opposites attract. On the other side of the coin ‘like attracts like’.  So it is with Richard and Catherine they are the same manifesting in different forms, male and female.  Yet, Richard has made a concerted effort to redeem himself.  Two steps forward, one step back.  The forces of his station and situation work against him.  He must play the game to get what he wants or retain what integrity he has acquired (through Victoria) and possibly never see his soul-mate again.  In his mind the moment is now.  And so he acts from a place of passion to be set free unknowingly tightening the shackles that are already in place. Catherine has pulled together all of her power to control Richard.  He is her whore for as long as she can manage to keep him.  He must do all the things she requests or commands in order to be paid and set free. 

The scene begins with Richard feverishly painting on the huge portrait of Catherine in his studio.  Various remnants of drink, food and fruit dot the set.  She is drunk in her corset and bloomers polishing off who knows how much Champagne.  Interrupting him at every turn she taps on her glass so that Richard, her piss-boy, can wait on her every need.  A darkness washes over him and he is seething with rage.  Throwing down his brushes he saunters over and fills her glass.  Then with confident bravado he takes the glass away unbuttons his trousers and lifts her off the bed and into position.  She is absolutely in her element enjoying every moment.  Angry, controlled sex ensues and she is almost surprised by his skill and acumen at finding her.  But then it gets darker when he pulls a hidden knife and as he is about to strike, we immediately think OMG he’s the killer, he stabs an apple and begins to cut it into pieces while he is still on top of her.  Who is in control now?  She’s pinned in every sense.  She cannot reach satisfaction even though he is still engaged and she cannot get away because he is on top.  He offers her a piece of apple.  It is apparent that she is not pleased and is biding her time until he finishes with his little game.  But he insists.  She refuses.  He insists yet again.  Frightened she refuses and as she states her displeasure he rams the apple pieces into her mouth and begins choking her.  CUT!  Jeez.  I need a break after that.  Judy and Whit take a minute and drink some water.  They are like athletes.  Not because there is anything exceedingly physically strenuous that happens but the pinpoint precision of each psychological turn makes for one hell of a scene.  Catherine emasculates Richard to such a point that I need not point out the symbolic use of the apple.  After a brief break the actors hit their first marks and start all over again.  In take after take the actors refine their character arcs and even though it is disturbing to watch, it is also quite thrilling to see them at the top of their game.  Illusion. 

We break for lunch and Judy and Whit wander into wardrobe.  The next scene scheduled is with Keith Herron and a day-player who is the new detective assigned to the Jack the Ripper murder case.  Charles Thornton returns to London after discovering that Victoria had miscarried Richard’s child.  Still devoted to her, he has allowed her the freedom that he enjoys. (More on that later).  In order to collect the portrait of his wife that he commissioned at the beginning of the story he must be let into Richard’s studio by a detective of the Metropolitan Police, played with sublime subtlety by Hayden Morris.  Charles finds the brilliant portrait in the abandoned studio.  The detective informs Charles that Mr. Rhys had not been seen for a month or so.  “The Murders have stopped, by the way.”  He adds.  Charles is left alone with the painting.  It is all he had ever really had of her in the first place. 

We break for dinner and wait for it to get dark outside.  Then Whit and Judy are whisked into wardrobe and we all jump into various vehicles to make a trek to downtown Manhattan.  We set up on a cobblestone street down near Wall Street.  It is the corner of Mill Lane and if you look at it at a particular angle it could just as well be nineteenth century London.  Patrick will have to shoot around parking signs and other anachronisms to make the scene work.  Stephanie gives Whit a few last looks and he steps into a corner behind a small buttress.  The way the lamplight hits him and the way he leers out like a wolf about to pounce gives me the creeps.  In between takes I even say to him, “Dude you really creep me out sometimes.”  I would definitely cross the street if I saw him walking in my direction.  Whit tells me he knew a guy at Art School that was just like Richard.  

“But this guy was emotionally unbalanced.  I mean, he was the type of guy who would intentionally harm animals for fun.  I remember he was in my sculpture class and his eyes were so dark and soulless that he seemed like a shell.  But there was something there because he was angry and dangerous.  I stayed far away from him and he sort of disappeared, stopped coming to class.  He wandered around like a homeless man for a while and then completely disappeared.  No one ever saw him again.  I’m basing part of Richard on him.” Whit explains.

Thom calls places and the actors find their first marks.  Sound is an issue since the area is a popular tourist attraction.  The soundman stops the scene twice.  Then the director steps in.  “Look, we’re not going to be able to get clean audio.  It’s impossible, so do your best and we’ll use the sound for reference when we go in to ADR the lines.”  ACTION!  Catherine ambles along the street when Richard steps out from the shadows blocking her passage.  She is surprised and possibly a bit uneasy about seeing him so unexpectedly.  He wants his money.  When she threatens to scream again his plan disintegrates.  He must play or walk away.  But he can’t afford to walk away.  For all he knows Victoria has set sail for New York. So the cat and mouse games begin.  And Catherine gets her way…for now.

Gosford--No, Prospect Park

I stroll along Prospect Park West at eight, a relatively early hour…for me, that is.  I decided to take my time and drink in a little nature on the way.  This is how New Yorkers stay connected to trees and grass.  I detour into the park as joggers, cyclists and dog walkers pass by.  I meet Thom walking from the other entrance clutching a very tall cup of coffee.

“So what’s on tap for today?” I ask.

“We’re doing the dinner scene.  It’s the largest scene in the film with eight actors --- all the principles and supporting.”  He replies.  “My brother’s house is just across the street and the parlor floor is our set.”

At that very moment as Thom is telling me the history of the house a dog walker lets his large bulldog take a hot steamer literally within yards of us.  Thom has his back to the park patron and his animal and I watch in glee to see how long it takes before the stench wafts our way.

“My brother has been restoring it for over a year and now that it’s finished he has graciously let us shoot inside for a day---OOOOHHHH JEEEEEES!”  His face turns white and he literally runs from the spot.  I don’t blame him as I am on his heels to find refuge from the offending poo.  Once inside I am amazed at the grandeur of the home.  Al and Lynn Milano have a spectacular mansion.  And they are extremely generous to let a film crew and large cast take over for the day.  The dining table is period correct and tiger oak with clawfoot legs.  The room is huge with a balcony on four sides looking down on the dining area.  The walls painted a sophisticated Victorian mustard, oak parquet floors and oak staircase with hand carved banisters.  Suspended over the table is a Victorian chandelier with etched glass globes.  Hardly any set dressing had to be done.  I ask Stephanie if the dressers were here and what had been placed.  She said the only thing they added were potted palms to hide any electrical outlets in the walls and two urns.  The actors begin arriving and are sent to the front room where the rack of costumes are located and Ashley and her assistant help everyone into their formal wear.  I take a moment and chat with Patrick.

“I see the dolly track is laid out and you have a camera op today.” I say.

“The entire scene which is about eight minutes long is going to be covered multiple times and constantly moving.”  He says.

“Sounds like an Altman film.”  I reply.

“That’s exactly what the director wants.  And she made us watch Gosford Park so we’d understand perfectly.”  He explains.

“I Love Gosford Park.  Next to M*A*S*H and Nashville it’s one of his classics.”  I say.

“I like The Player myself.”  Pat comments and then he’s off to give orders to the crew.  As the actors file out I notice how amazing everyone looks and how perfectly orchestrated the colors on each person fit.  The men are in Victorian tuxedos with the exception of the gentleman playing Prince Albert Victor, Duke of Clarence portrayed brilliantly by Dennis Davies.  The character is introduced in this scene and then never seen again in the film.  I ask the director about this.

“I wanted to show that these people/characters are connected with royalty and that Richard Rhys is completely out of his element. He is invited for everyone else’s sport---except Victoria, of course. There was a scene in the script where Charles actually meets with Queen Victoria herself but we had to cut it because it would have been too expensive to set and costume dress.  I needed a little bit of royalty to establish their connection instead of just hearing about it through dialogue.”  She explains.

“I keep hearing rumors that the Prince may have been the killer.”  I say.

“Back in the 1960’s there was a theory that Prince Albert Victor might have been Jack the Ripper.  It persists today as a kind of urban legend.  It is documented that Prince Eddie had an art studio in the Whitechapel area at the time and that he took painting lessons from a teacher and worked from live models that were probably hookers.”  She explained.  “He also contracted syphilis and by 1888 was declining in mental health due to the disease.”

“What do you believe?”  I ask.

“Eddie was mentally challenged.  Maybe even very mildly retarded.  His sexuality was in question and so there never seemed to be any interest in women whatsoever and he seemed to be a follower and not a leader.  I don’t think he was capable of the kind of murders committed by the perpetrator and I think the whole Royal cover-up is just high drama and myth.  The only cover-up by the monarchy was the fact that he had syphilis.  They claimed he died of the flu.”

“So who do you think it might have been?”  I ask.

“In fact or in the movie?” She asks.

“In fact.” I clarify.

“There are two suspects that I think certainly could have pulled it off.  One was Walter Richard Sickert, a well known painter of the time.  He did a series of macabre paintings called the Camden Town Murders.  What makes these paintings suspicious is that according to the police records of the time the details are so accurate that the art looks like crime scene sketches.  Also the only original surviving letter from Jack the Ripper ---the imfamous ‘from Hell’ note---has a weave and watermark that is identical to a batch of letters that Sickert wrote during the time of the murders. The other suspect and most likely the actual murderer was a man named James Kelly who was emotionally unstable.  He was an upholsterer in London.  He got upset and went into a psychotic rage killing his wife by stabbing her in the neck.  He was arrested and committed to an insane asylum outside of London.  However, he escaped a week before the first Ripper murders began.  Ship records indicate that he fled to the U.S. in November 1888 right after Mary Kelly’s murder.  John Kelly returned to the insane asylum twenty or thrity years later asking to be readmitted.  He confessed to a series of murders across the United States including New York, Texas and California.  The dates in his confession correspond with newspaper articles about grisly murders in those very towns and states.  No one ever connected the dots since he was always on the move.” She went on.  I find it fascinating.  Apparently there was a horrible murder on Pearl Street in lower Manhattan in 1891 of a prostitute nicknamed Shakespeare.  According to the incisions and wounds on the body they were consistent, almost identicle with the Ripper murders in London.

The actors are in place and the crew is about to shoot the first master of the entire scene. 

Jerry Marsini plays Vincent Morris a business associate and close confidant of Charles.  He is hosting the dinner party in honor of Charles being chosen by the Queen to head the Department of Treasury.  I understad that Richard was unaware that Victoria would be at the dinner gathering and he cannot help but be infatuated with her much to Catherine’s chagrin.  In order to emasculate Richard, Catherine showers her affection on her sometime lover, Sophie Newhardt played wonderfully by the talented Sandra DeLuca.  Richard is captivated by Victoria as the conversation steers toward the Ripper murders.  Everyone at the table takes the upper class---hands off attitude to the crime.  No one would believe that a gentleman could be responsible for such grisly killings.  Richard counters by suggesting that perhaps the murders are being committed to get their --- the Upper classes---attention.  Perhaps it is a cry for reform.  This further intrigues Victoria while revealing Richard’s humble origins.  His façade removed.  To which Catherine says he would know what a hooker might feel.  Uncomfortable tense silence.  Catherine further emasculates and humiliates Richard to the point that he can longer be the target of their inside humor.  He abruptly leaves.  It is an ensemble scene and all the subtle connections between each character are wonderfully revealed.  We know that Charles and Vincent are having an affair without any dialogue.  It’s all in body language and suggestion.  The Altman style of covering the scene only enhaces the ensemble aspect.  Bravo to all the actors!  During the lunch break the Director makes an announcement.

“We’ve had fifteen wonderful shooting days with Rebecca Damon and this is her last day!  So let’s give it up for her.”  She says.

Everyone stands and claps and a few woohoos from Eddie Joe.

“You are officially shot out and can have your life back!!! And Thank you!”  She adds.

Whit gives her a well deserved hug as the crew moves the dolly track to the other side of the room.  I decide that I’ll spend the rest of the afternoon with Justin but the question will still linger in my mind.  Whodunnit!