marjorie prime is an american science-fiction film written and directed by michael almereyda , based on jordan harrison 's pulitzer prize-nominated play of the same name .

it stars jon hamm , tim robbins , geena davis , and lois smith .

footage was screened for buyers at the 66th berlin international film festival .

it premiered at the 2017 sundance film festival .

it is scheduled to be released on august 18 , 2017 by filmrise .

marjorie prime

marjorie prime will be available on amazon prime video this year as part of amazon video direct’s film festival stars program .
‘marjorie prime’ review : an intelligent but airless a . i . drama – variety
‘marjorie prime’ arrives with awards hopes – specialty b . o . preview | deadline
watch the official trailer for jordan harrison ' s pulitzer prize finalist ‘marjorie prime . ’
jon hamm is eternally young , smart and attractive in the trailer for “ marjorie prime . ”
tim robbins is joining the marjorie prime , the sci - fi dramedy that will star jon hamm .
‘marjorie prime’ arrives with awards hopes ; ‘patti cake $ ’ bows – specialty b . o . preview
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing marjorie prime near you .
“marjorie prime” premiered in the premieres section at the 2017 sundance film festival . it is currently seeking distribution .
fortitude international is handling sales on marjorie prime and will be showing footage to buyers at the european film market .
the play marjorie prime had its world premiere at the center theatre group / mark taper forum in los angeles in september 2014 . veteran actor smith starred in the playwrights horizons staging of marjorie prime in new york in december 2015 .
marjorie - 85 . walter - early 30s . tess - 55 . marjorie ' s daughter . jon - 55 . marjorie ' s son - in - law .
directed by kimberly senior in the bookstore venue , marjorie prime will take audiences on a twisting journey into uncharted theatrical terrain .
jon hamm and tim robbins are in a familial face - off in the hollywood reporter ' s first look at marjorie prime .
+ the cast of marjorie prime discusses their experiences in rehearsing the play . video by luke millett . ( 2 : 53 )
harrison’s play was concerned with the limits and abilities of technology , but almereyda seems much more preoccupied with the notions and possibilities of storytelling . early in “marjorie prime , ” walter prime tells marjorie a story about a memorable night out at the movies when they were much younger , and while both marjorie and the audience must take the story at face value , marjorie throws in an alteration that will appear the next time walter prime tells the story . it’s not true , but it doesn’t matter ; it’s the feeling that does , and “marjorie prime” feels less true at every turn .
the haunting and allusive marjorie prime is a sci - fi film set in the near future but its emotional resonance is bracingly immediate .
marjorie prime opens on 18 august in new york city with a nationwide expansion to follow . a uk date is yet to be announced
+ director kimberly senior discusses her upcoming production of marjorie prime at writers theatre . video by luke millett . ( 2 : 25 )
jordan harrison lets us in on two of his sources of inspiration for his pulitzer prize finalist ‘marjorie prime’ : a chatbot and his grandmother .
marjorie prime premiered at the mark taper forum / center theater group in los angeles in september 2014 . the production was directed by les waters .
explore popular and recently added tv series available to stream now with prime video .
marjorie prime is adapted from stage to screen with such a lack of creativity , ingenuity , or re - imagination that i ' m almost offended .
‘there are scenes of remarkable insight for those willing to look past the unashamed staginess’ . . . jon hamm in marjorie prime . photograph : jason robinette / ap
uri singer produced michael almereyda’s 2015 film experimenter . while screening the title at the beijing film festival , almereyda told singer he had seen the play marjorie prime .
lisa emery , left , as tess , lois smith as marjorie and frank wood as jon in the world premiere of
marjorie prime
at the mark taper forum in los angeles . ( lawrence k . ho / los angeles times )
featuring performances from the cast interspersed between an eye - opening conversation between playwright jordan harrison , director anne kauffman , and author brian christian , whose book inspired ‘marjorie prime . ’
smith : ( as marjorie ) it means i haven ' t been eating .
i expected marjorie prime to present me with some sort of philosophical quandary , however , i expected that quandary to relate to the standard robot stuff : identity , humanity , what it means to be alive , that old chestnut . instead , marjorie prime philosophises about memory , and beyond that , truth . still doesn ' t stop it from being pretty crap though .
marjorie prime …is primarily concerned with something eternal : the way our humanity is shaped and warped by the mysterious ebbs and flows of memory .
- los angeles times , read more
hamm : ( as walter ) of course . marjorie , where are the dishes ?
hamm : ( as walter ) marjorie , we both know what no dishes means .
marjorie and walter’s grown daughter , tess ( davis ) , isn’t a fan of walter prime ; marjorie is much nicer to him than she is to her own child . even so , tess recognizes the comfort and stimulation he provides to her . meanwhile , tess’ husband , jon , is secretly feeding memories to walter prime , a move that initially seems kind and eventually turns needlessly cruel . as “marjorie prime” continues ( and other primes stop by ) , that becomes the film’s primary problem : performances are solid , but characters are so thinly written that they prove impossible to know .
but although marjorie prime hints at deep themes , it doesn’t always give them the emotional weight they deserve . the phenomenal black mirror episode “san junipero” explored similar ideas of aging , romance , and living on after death through virtual reality , and marjorie prime feels like it never quite reaches the same heights . marjorie’s family spends so much of their time sitting around talking about their lives instead of living them that it’s hard for the audience to ever emotionally connect with any of them .
the virtues in marjorie prime are modest , but the muted cinematography by sean price williams adds enormously to the blurred vision of reality the characters feel throughout , and the cast is first - rate .
this startling and profound new drama – a realistic work , and a brilliant one at that – is devastatingly rendered by the superior ensemble under anne kauffman’s beautifully balanced direction . see marjorie prime now .
lois smith : ( as marjorie ) i feel like i have to perform around you .
filmrise picked up the title in march . the distributor will open marjorie prime in one theater each in new york , los angeles and san francisco this weekend , followed by a national roll - out .
in marjorie prime , the holograms ( usually of the deceased ) are meant to provide comfort , although they sometimes act as caretakers . for example , walter prime obligingly tells marjorie stories of how he wooed her and when he proposed , based on the tales she had told him in the past . it ' s an unconventional form of therapy , but the act of talking to a loved one without fear of judgment can be just as cathartic as traditional counseling . walter prime also reminds marjorie to eat , calmly questioning the excuses she comes up with to avoid doing so . by contrast , marjorie ' s human caretaker , julie , sneaks the ailing woman cigarettes when tess and jon aren ' t around .
here ' s how it works . the prime begins as more or less a blank slate . but by the time , we meet walter prime , he ' s absorbed the key information about marjorie ' s life . he can reminisce , share stories and respond to questions . since marjorie has growing dementia , walter prime might soon , quote ,
remember more of her life than she does .
the 86 - year - old lois smith has a brightness , a girlishness that makes her loss of memory seem even more poignant .
we are only human , and our recollections are imperfect . so when we try to create an account of our past , can we trust ourselves ? that ' s the question at the heart of the new film marjorie prime , which opens today in 15 cities ( with a national rollout to eventually follow ) . it is a quiet , contemplative drama that studies our fear of technology and mortality by juxtaposing people with computerized versions of themselves . thanks to convincing performances by jon hamm ( walter prime ) , lois smith ( marjorie / marjorie prime ) and geena davis ( tess / tess prime ) , the movie forces us to consider if we ' re to blame for all the times ai goes awry . it also questions whether we ' re entrusting technology with too much responsibility .
“marjorie prime” is so beautifully and consistently focused on the human that i wanted to introduce marjorie and walter as people with a rich and complex relationship . but walter , in addition to being a very charming and well - spoken guy , is also a hologram . he is , in fact , a “prime”—a hologram created to technologically reincarnate a dead person for therapeutic purposes ( the real walter died 15 years before ) . walter prime provides comfort to marjorie by helping her recall her past as age slowly eats away at her memory . but their conversations also benefit him , so to speak , since his knowledge of her history must be supplied and augmented by others , including her .
set in the near future , marjorie prime centers on smith’s marjorie , who spends time with the young likeness of her deceased husband walter ( hamm ) . this revitalized walter is a sophisticated holographic projection that provides companionship while stimulating marjorie’s memory—allowing her to explore their shared past as she lives with dementia . marjorie’s daughter tess ( davis ) and her husband jon ( robbins ) develop their own complex feelings about the new walter , uneasily coming to terms with the nature of identity , memory , and our ever - shifting relationship to technology .
david edelstein , byline : there are four main characters in the haunting sci - fi chamber drama
marjorie prime ,
some of them computer - generated holograms of the dead . a better title would be
ghost sonata ,
but strindberg already used it . it opens with a gentle conversation between lois smith ' s 85 - year - old marjorie and jon hamm as her husband walter , who died 15 years earlier . the holograms are called primes . and marjorie ' s daughter and son - in - law have bought her one . walter prime looks so young , like jon hamm , because marjorie asked for one at the age he was when they were married .
if you are feeling especially dumb , or hungover , steer clear of “marjorie prime . ” michael almereyda’s film is so subtly smart , and veiled in such layers of suggestion , that you need to be on your toes from the beginning .
marjorie prime is set to bow on a limited number of screens in new york and los angeles on aug . 18 , with a national rollout planned for subsequent weeks . watch ew’s exclusive trailer above , and check out the film’s poster below .
this is fresh air . the new film
marjorie prime
is set in the near future in a world where people can purchase holographic versions of their dead loved ones . the movie , directed by michael almereyda , stars lois smith , geena davis , tim robbins and jon hamm as the first hologram - or prime - that we meet . film critic david edelstein has this review .
marjorie prime has an intriguing premise and an interesting creative team behind it . the director is michael almereyda , perhaps most famous for his 2000 version of hamlet , which had ethan hawke delivering “to be or not to be” in a blockbuster video store . the cast of marjorie prime includes lois smith , tim robbins , jon hamm , and geena davis , with hamm playing a hologram of a younger version of robbins’s father - in - law . so , sounds wacky and very sundance . could be something !
jon hamm is eternally young , smart and attractive in the trailer for “marjorie prime . ” in the movie he portrays a computerized version of the deceased husband of lois smith’ titular 86 - year - old marjorie . “i’ll be right here — i have all the time in the world , ” he assures her in the trailer , released wednesday by distributor [ … ]
directed by michael almereyda , marjorie prime is adapted from jordan harrison’s 2014 pulitzer prize - nominated stage play of the same name , which saw smith originating the same role she plays in the film . smith says she fell in love with marjorie after the script was first brought to her some years ago , partly because she identifies with a number of the character’s struggles .
that in itself is unexpected coming from a director whose films have at times been somewhat chilly and cerebral . but even at its most sorrowful , marjorie prime is suffused with warmth , the core of it emanating from smith in two complementary iterations of the same character .
marjorie prime
is not the kind of movie in which we learn the background of prime technology , who invented it and so on . it ' s sci - fi as a means of exploring our inner lives , the way charlie kaufman and michel gondry do in
eternal sunshine of the spotless mind .
john hamm ' s face as the holographic walter prime is not flat or neutral but radiantly not judgmental , even beatific , even beautiful . the movie is suffused with despair but also an abiding sense of forgiveness . it ' s transcendentally woebegone .
marjorie prime may be a sci - fi movie , but there are no flying cars , aliens , or far - flung solar systems . most of the action takes place in a single beach house , where almost every scene consists of two people talking . the plot hinges on a distinctly sci - fi concept — deceased loved ones can be resurrected in the form of a “prime , ” a hologram designed to absorb information and hold conversations about the past — but writer - director michael almereyda ( experimenter ) isn’t interested in exploring the mechanics of artificial intelligence . instead , marjorie prime is a quiet , contemplative family drama about memory . and about how those memories shape who we are .
“i’m pleased that the wave of good feeling generated by our sundance screenings has been caught by filmrise , and i look forward to working with them on marjorie ’s american release . ” added singer : “i’m very enthusiastic to be working with filmrise on the american release of marjorie prime . after a successful premiere at sundance , i’m excited that the film is in good hands and will reach a wide audience . ”
smith : ( as marjorie ) i ' m not hungry . it ' s their fault , feeding me all those pills .
in the movie he portrays a computerized version of the deceased husband of lois smith ’ titular 86 - year - old marjorie .
in this film , smith plays marjorie , who spends her final , ailing days with a computerized version of her deceased husband . with the intent to recount their life together , marjorie’s “prime” relies on the information from her and her kin to develop a more complex understanding of his history . as their interactions deepen , the family begins to develop ever diverging accounts of their lives , drawn into reconstructing the often painful past .
marjorie , 86 , is dying . in her final months , she finds solace in an artificially intelligent holographic re - creation of her late husband , walter , called
walter prime .
they talk every day , recounting special moments of their life together . but her memory isn ' t perfect , and walter prime can rely only on retellings to piece together what happened . he also talks to other people , including marjorie ' s daughter tess and son - in - law jon , who move in to take care of her . from all of his exchanges , walter prime gathers various bits of information on how to play his part , and pieces together a history shared among all the characters , which he refers to in his conversations .
smith : ( as marjorie ) maybe it ' s not bad if i feel that way . i used to entertain a lot .
the film’s story has two other main characters . marjorie shares the beach house with her daughter tess ( geena davis ) and son - in - law jon ( tim robbins ) . tess is troubled by various things in her past and present , including walter prime . it just doesn’t feel right to have this image of her dad as a young man having chats with her mom in the living room . jon , though , is an enthusiastic supporter of the new technology ; he thinks walter prime is good for marjorie and is happy to share his memories of the family to help out .
haunting ' marjorie prime ' is suffused with forgiveness and despair the new film is set in the near future , when people can purchase holographic versions of their dead loved ones . this drama isn ' t about technology — it ' s sci - fi as a means of exploring our inner lives .
eighty - six - year - old marjorie spends her final , ailing days with a computerized version of her deceased husband . with the intent to recount their life together , marjorie ' s prime relies on the information from her and her kin to develop a more complex understanding of his history . as their interactions deepen , the family begins to develop diverging recounts of their lives , drawn into the chance to reconstruct the often painful past .
i’ve known almereyda for many years and have struggled to come to terms with his work for nearly as long . made on tiny budgets , his films are dense with detail and can seem a tad overintellectualized . but in his last few films — experimenter , the current documentary escapes , and now marjorie prime — his formal devices bring us closer to his subjects instead of distancing us . the world of marjorie prime is alive with reflections and refractions , with imperfect copies of people who could be seen — as a result of their selective memories — as imperfect copies of themselves . it’s a transcendently lovely work — a ghost sonata .
marjorie’s “prime” relies on the information from herself and others to develop a more complex understanding of his history . so as their interactions deepen , the family begins to develop diverging accounts of what has transpired in their lives . geena davis stars as the daughter of smith’s character and tim robbins portrays the son in law .
marjorie prime will receive a $ 20 , 000 cash award from the alfred p . sloan foundation . the prize is selected by a jury of film and science professionals and “presented to outstanding feature films focusing on science or technology as a theme , or depicting a scientist , engineer or mathematician as a major character . ”
i have the same reluctance to talk about the role artificial intelligence plays in marjorie prime as i had to discuss the nuclear meltdown setting of anne washburn’s acclaimed mr . burns . in some respects , both plays feel as if they were written in response to our pop culture’s unslakeable appetite for certain sensationalistic science fiction tropes .
marjorie prime / u . s . a . ( director and screenwriter : michael almereyda ) — in the near future—a time of artificial intelligence—86 - year - old marjorie has a handsome new companion who looks like her deceased husband and is programmed to feed the story of her life back to her . what would we remember , and what would we forget , if given the chance ? cast : jon hamm , geena davis , lois smith , tim robbins . world premiere
jordan harrison was a 2015 pulitzer prize finalist for marjorie prime . the play had its new york premiere at playwrights horizons and its chicago premiere at writers theatre after premiering at the mark taper forum / ctg in los angeles . his play maple and vine premiered in the 2011 humana festival at actors theatre of lo . . .
in the near future , a time of artificial intelligence : 86 - year - old marjorie – a jumble of disparate , fading memories - - has a handsome new companion who looks like her deceased husband and is programmed to feed the story of her life back to her . what would we remember , and what would we forget , if given the chance ? marjorie prime is based on jordan harrison’s pulitzer - nominated play , exploring memory and identity , love and loss .
marjorie is the fulcrum of marjorie prime but not its dramatic center . she has more than a touch of dementia . she’s on her way out . it’s her daughter , tess ( geena davis ) , who feels the instability of the world most acutely , and tess’s husband , jon ( tim robbins ) , who feels the instability of tess . a dead child figures in the plot , as a dead child figures in so many — probably too many — plots , but here the child is used to mysterious and tantalizing effect . he was tess’s older brother , and marjorie has almost expunged his memory . he’s absent from the stories she tells walter prime . the question is whether the boy can be written out of the past altogether or whether the fact of him will be signaled by the hole where he should be .
rather than gizmos or hypothetical futures , almereyda is interested in philosophical issues concerning memory and identity . adapted from the acclaimed 2014 play by jordan harrison , “marjorie prime” has a gentle , probing chekhovian feel , and a deliberate dramatic approach that invites us to look at those aforementioned issues from various angles before coming to our own conclusions about them .
marjorie prime
is a smart new play that doesn ' t always feel particularly welcoming . harrison , a writer on the netflix original series
orange is the new black ,
doesn ' t exactly specialize in ingratiating characters . marjorie and tess at times put me in mind of bruce norris ' contentious crew , and like much of norris ' work , there ' s an abstract quality to harrison ' s writing here that stems from ideas being more highly valued than their personal embodiment .
beginning with the first scene’s revelation of walter’s nature as a hologram , “marjorie prime” contains a steadily accumulating stream of ingenious plot twists , sometimes very subtle or subtly revealed . to discuss these would be to venture into spoiler territory , so suffice it to say that almereyda’s script is very sharp and especially good at delineating the film’s four main characters .
does every good play benefit from becoming a movie ? in the sense that it brings a broader audience to a hitherto limited - access entertainment , of course . but the camera can have a diminishing effect on some highly expansive stage works — and so it proves in “marjorie prime , ” a sporadically fascinating but airless adaptation of jordan [ … ]
eighty - six - year - old marjorie spends her final , ailing days with a computerized version of her deceased husband . with the intent to recount their life together , marjorie ' s
prime
relies on the information from her and her kin to develop a more complex understanding of his history . as their interactions deepen , the family begins to develop ever diverging recounts of their lives , drawn into the chance to reconstruct the often painful past . built around exceptional performances from a veteran cast , marjorie prime shines a light on an often - obscured corner in the world of artificial intelligence and its interactions with mortality . bringing us robustly into the future , michael almaryeda ' s poetic film forces us to face the question - if we had the opportunity , how would we choose to rebuild the past , and what would we decide to forget ?
lois smith stars as the titular marjorie , reprising her role from jordan harrison’s 2014 pulitzer prize - nominated stage play . marjorie is an 86 - year - old widower , and with both her health and her memory fading , she starts to rely on a hologram version of her husband , walter ( jon hamm ) — who’s been dead for about 15 years . with guidance from marjorie’s adult daughter tess ( geena davis ) and son - in - law jon ( tim robbins ) , walter listens , learns , and eventually holds entire conversations with marjorie , reminiscing about a past she doesn’t remember and that he wasn’t even there for .
in his new play ,
marjorie prime ,
which is having its world premiere at the mark taper forum in a production directed by les waters , jordan harrison explores the fraught subject of memory from a variety of fascinating angles , including senior dementia , our ever - increasing dependence on technology and that old freudian standby , the perils of repression .
writer / director michael almereyda ( who also wrote the screenplay for the kitschy yet daring 1987 film cherry 2000 , set in a world where men marry sexually compliant androids ) has created a worthy addition to this soulful subgenre in a big - screen adaptation of jordan harrison’s pulitzer prize - nominated play marjorie prime . he’s smartly retained the off - broadway casting of lois smith , the 86 - year - old industry veteran who plays marjorie with such soft ease that it’s impossible to imagine anyone else in the role .
tess ( lisa emery ) , marjorie ' s frosty daughter always spoiling for a fight , is suspicious . but jon ( frank wood ) , tess ' husband , is enthusiastically on board , offering background information about his mother - in - law ' s salty past to enhance the
prime ' s
conversational acumen . conflict between the caretakers ensues .
having spent over 60 years appearing on screens big and small , lois smith’s roots as a performer extend deep into hollywood’s past , but her latest film , sundance award - winner marjorie prime , is a black mirror - esque , sci - fi - tinged peek into the future , where technological advances have allowed humans to reconnect with computerized versions of their departed loved ones .
the sci - fi chamber drama marjorie prime is exquisite — beautiful , intense , shivering with empathy . it opens with a gentle , affectionate conversation between the ailing 86 - year - old marjorie ( lois smith ) and her husband , walter ( jon hamm ) , who died 15 years earlier — presumably looking much older than the dark , slender man who represents the walter whom marjorie first met . this walter is not marjorie’s fantasy but a hologram — a “prime” — that begins as a blank slate but gradually absorbs information to the point where it can reminisce , share stories , and respond to questions — eventually “remembering” more than humans , whose memories are malleable and transient . primes seem to have been invented to give comfort to the bereaved , the old , the lonely — to function as virtual - reality opiates . but they’re so open , shiny - eyed , and nonjudgmental that people want to say everything to them . they want to say what they couldn’t say to those who can no longer hear them . this isn’t escapism . it’s an intensification of the past , both longed for and hellish .
memory is an essential element of life – crucial to thought , feeling , progress , identity . but it also comes into play with particular power and meaning after someone who has been loved dies . and it is this tension between life and death – with memory functioning as connective tissue – that animates jordan harrison’s subtly shattering play , marjorie prime .
- chicago sun - times , read more
walter ( jeff ward ) is a computer - programmed , pixel - generated companion brought in to keep marjorie ' s mind from atrophying further . shady lane , the assisted - living facility in which marjorie has a cookie - cutter apartment ( austerely decorated by set designer mimi lien in various shades of soul - erasing beige ) , has recommended this form of therapy .
much like harrison ' s
maple and vine ,
a play about a community pretending to live in the 1950s to escape the technologically dizzying rat race ,
marjorie prime
has an audacious concept that isn ' t easy to dramatically sustain . this is the kind of work that would probably benefit from a more intimate space , though the taper has gathered a first - rate cast under waters ' expert direction .
still , all four lead actors breathe life into characters who , on their own , would fall flat . smith’s marjorie is regretful , hopeful , loving , and disoriented , often all at once , and hamm is fantastic as the holographic walter , adjusting his performance subtly so he appears sometimes devastatingly human and sometimes unsettlingly robotic . ( hamm’s mechanical movements bring to mind michael fassbender’s dual android roles in this year’s alien : covenant — and not just because one of fassbender’s characters is also named walter . ) marjorie prime in itself feels not unlike walter’s hologram — almost real and almost human , but not quite flesh and blood . b -
while marjorie is the most solid construction ( and one smith knows well , drawing out all of her shades with staggering skill ) , jon and tess are so foreign to the audience that even robbins and davis can’t quite crack them . major plot points are baffling , if only because the characters remain so vague to us . prime performances are purposely low key , but hamm still breathes life into a role who’s literally made out of air .
the film challenges our mistrust of ai and technology , showing that if anything is untrustworthy , it ' s our own memories . we are the ones who contaminate software with our own biases . we don ' t need marjorie prime to show us that - - our own world today is full of examples : microsoft ' s ai chatbot tay , who was turned racist by twitter users , and the company ' s subsequent bot zo , who met the same fate . some believe that in the us justice system , the use of algorithms that predict a person ' s potential for recidivism as a way to determine punishment is inherently biased . ai is a man - made product , and its flaws are created by us . it is also our fault when we entrust the technology with responsibilities , like making them our therapists , as the characters in marjorie prime have done , however unwittingly .
michael almereyda’s marjorie prime , the film adaptation of the pulitzer prize finalist play by jordan harrison , won the feature film prize . other winners included adam benic’s levittown ( sundance institute | alfred p . sloan foundation episodic storytelling grant ) ; darcy brislin and dyana winkler’s bell ( sundance institute | sloan lab fellowship ) ; and jamie dawson , howard gertler , and likely story ' s untitled smallpox eradication project ( sundance institute | sloan commissioning grant ) .
set in the near - ish future , michael almereyda’s sci - fi pic marjorie prime is based on jordan harrison’s pulitzer - nominated play exploring memory , identity , love and loss . the film , which won the sundance film festival’s alfred p . sloan foundation feature film prize , will bring an awards push for the title star , the 86 - year - old lois smith , who starred in elia kazan’s east of eden opposite james dean in 1955 .
if the work is ultimately more conceptually intriguing than dramatically satisfying , it ' s the kind of experience that keeps unfolding in the mind long after the 80 - minute play is over . and for all its fancy , futuristic invention ,
marjorie prime ,
which also grapples with the hidden legacy of suicide in a family , is primarily concerned with something eternal : the way our humanity is shaped and warped by the mysterious ebbs and flows of memory .
“ marjorie prime , ” directed by michael almereyda and based on jordan harrison’s play of the same name , debuted in january at the sundance film festival . the film won the sloan feature film prize , which includes a $ 20 , 000 cash award . the award jury cited its “imaginative and nuanced depiction of the evolving relationship between humans and technology , and its moving dramatization of how intelligent machines can challenge our notions of identity , memory and mortality . ”
his 2001
hamlet
with ethan hawke and kyle maclachlin is a truly cinematic rethinking of that masterpiece . his documentaries
this so - called disaster
about sam shepard and
william eggleston in the real world
are revelatory . last year ' s
experimenter ,
a fictionalized treatment of the life of yale social scientist stanley milgram , was playful in form but had real moral urgency .
marjorie prime
might be my favorite of his films .
there’s very little in marjorie prime that explains how the holo - technology works ; tim robbins’s character admits at one point that he hasn’t read the brochure . but even this works as part of the story . miraculous inventions have become part of our lives , and have certainly changed us , just as much as people have . the transference of emotion from the real to the programmable—a sort of technology most of us hardly understand—may not be so far off after all .
the first scene of michael almereyda ’s graceful , enthralling chamber drama “marjorie prime” takes place in the well - appointed living room of a long island beach house . the sounds of waves outside are heard throughout . a woman in her mid - 80s and a handsome man who appears to be in his 40s sit across a table and talk for a good while . if you came in not knowing the film was adapted from a play , you might guess it here .
the questions of trusting ai and contrasting humans with machines have already been heavily explored ( think : her or the episode
be right back
in black mirror ) , but marjorie prime delves deeper into how human nature is to blame . yet it withholds judgement and shows how we can ' t help our failings , especially as we age . the beauty of humanity often lies in its flaws , and it ' s something ai can imitate but not fully replicate .
exclusive : filmrise has acquired u . s . distribution rights to marjorie prime , the michael almereyda sci - fi pic starring lois smith and jon hamm . it bowed this year at sundance , where it won the festival’s alfred p . sloan foundation feature film prize . filmrise plans a mid - 2017 theatrical release and an awards - season push for its 86 - year - old star smith , whose credits go as far back as elia kazan’s 1955 classic east of eden .
edelstein : director michael almereyda adapted
marjorie prime
from a play by jordan harrison , much of it a series of conversations between family members and the primes who eventually take their places , all set in a beach house in the near future . at the movie ' s heart is a paradox that ' s rather stunning . primes seem to have been invented to give comfort and companionship to the bereaved . but the bereaved don ' t use them just as vehicles for lovely pipe dreams . they end up saying things to primes that they couldn ' t say to the people on whom the primes were modeled . jon hamm looks so trim and open and receptive that the awkwardness between him and marjorie fades .
such moments are quietly affecting . there ' s tenderness also in walter ' s gentle reassurance that while marjorie ' s accomplishments as a violinist are no longer within the capabilities of her arthritic hands , the sense memory remains .
tess , a prickly type whose difficult relationship with her mother is mirrored in tension with her own unseen daughter , is skeptical of the benefits of the prime , and a little jealous of marjorie ' s fondness for him . but jon participates with great care in walter ' s
education ,
embellishing details of his mother - in - law ' s romance with a tennis player before her marriage , and even filling in gaps about a family tragedy during a drunken chat . that sheds new light for walter on marjorie ' s recollection of a long - ago trip to new york with her husband , during which she was enchanted by the billowing saffron banners of christo ' s
the gates
in central park .
“i’ve been acting for many decades now , i’ve had deeply interesting roles to play both on stage and screen , this one is particularly precious i suppose , because it’s complicated , it’s lively , ” smith , whose first film appearance was a supporting role alongside james dean in 1952’s east of eden , tells ew of marjorie prime . “the beauty of it , to me is its humanism and seeing how it connects how we live and explore connections with each other , our family , and memory . ”
in a beautiful house by the sea , an elderly woman , marjorie ( lois smith ) , talks to a more youthful man , named walter ( jon hamm ) . he sits erect on the couch , unflappable and neatly groomed , like don draper crossed with a robot ; there’s something not quite right about him , and it’s only at the end of the scene that the something becomes clear . as marjorie brushes past him , she walks through his shoes as if they weren’t there at all . and they’re not . walter is a prime—a computer program , providing a 3 - d facsimile of a deceased person . in this case , the true walter was marjorie’s late husband , and she has chosen to have him return as an earlier self , thus setting an immediate moral test : if you could summon up those you have loved and lost , at what stage would you capture them ? in their heyday ? or as they were in yours ?
it ' s the age of artificial intelligence , but 86 - year - old marjorie is worried that her memory may be fading . that is until the appearance of walter , a mysterious and charming young visitor programmed to help marjorie uncover the intricacies of her own past . as walter ' s true nature is revealed , new levels of complexity emerge , leading to profound questions about the limits of technology and whether memory might be a purely human invention .
awkward pacing and questionable narrative choices pepper the feature , which starts strong and raises bigger questions to which it will return during its otherwise lumpy run . now in her twilight years , marjorie ( smith ) struggles to remember things big and small , but she’s aided by a handsome hologram ( hamm ) designed to look and act like her deceased husband , walter . like all primes , walter prime learns more about “himself” by conversing with lois , ingesting knowledge and memories and smartly calling them back up when required .
as the story unfolds , almereyda raises questions about how perspective and time can alter memory : if a painful family event is never talked about or remembered , did it even really happen ? at one point , walter recounts a long - ago date with marjorie , where they watched my best friend’s wedding together — only for marjorie to ask him to revise the story to a more romantic movie choice , like casablanca . before long , that becomes the truth they both accept .
the story delves into themes of accepting loss and growing older , following an elderly , arthritic former violinist named marjorie , staring headlong into the decline of old age as her memories begin to fail her . availing herself of a service that provides holographic recreations of deceased loved ones as their survivors would like them remembered , marjorie spends her time with her daughter and son in law , and with an imperfect copy of her deceased husband , walter , as he looked in his 30s and 40s .
compared with ai , people ' s imperfections stand out . these imperfections are passed on to the primes . the stories that marjorie shares with walter prime ( that he later tells back to her ) are the versions she wants to remember . for a variety of reasons , she casually changes details like the movie she was watching with her late husband when he proposed , and even the people involved in certain events . the primes are also designed to mimic verbal signs of hesitation like stuttering or pausing to appear more realistic , and thus more flawed .
as for marjorie prime , this is probably davis’ best film performance in 20 years , and for smith , maybe ever . it is a provocative subject that smith says draws varying interpretations . “some people are creeped out , and some people are comforted about the whole thing , ” she said . “it really is about how we are human and what we do with it . that’s what the piece is about . ” and she should know , having played it so often on stage and now film , but smith notes that she has learned new things about the role over and over with each performance . davis thinks the whole idea of having a prime is not that far off , considering the technological advances in our world . “it’s kind of like cord blood , that when you have a baby they want to save the cord blood for future medical advances . i think we all have to start recording ourselves so that the prime ( which is fed information about the deceased human being ) can be very accurate . i really think we have to start banking the information , ” she said , adding that making the film reminded her of her own relationship with her father , who lived to be 95 . “and yet there were still things that i forgot to ever ask him , and well , nobody knows that now . and it’s not like a prime could know it , i guess , unless somebody told it . they can’t see the past . ”
the production found a house in the hamptons as the primary location . the crew had to juggle their schedule to accommodate smith’s obligations with the theater rehearsals for marjorie prime . though the schedule was a heavy one , singer said smith rose to the occasion . “lois did not behave her age , ” he said . “though she was 86 , she was up before everyone , knew her lines and was as young as anyone can expect . at one point , she had to swim in the pool , but the heater wasn’t working . but she did it . ”
walter is a
prime ,
a simulated companion with the density of a high - grade hologram , infinite bandwidth and a capacity for empathy , albeit expressed with a cool robotic edge . serene , attentive and unfailingly pleasant , his only limitation is that he relies on personal information provided by marjorie and her family to develop a fuller understanding of their history together .
i ' ll remember that now , ” walter says as he processes each new detail from the past , a sense of gratitude and a hunger to be
more human
seemingly programmed into him .
all that inevitably is part of the process with walter , and almereyda dramatizes this gradual remolding of the past with both playfulness and poetry . marjorie is like a child at story time when walter recounts episodes she has previously shared with him . for instance , when he reminds her how much they enjoyed the julia roberts movie my best friend ' s wedding , providing a droll recap of the plot .
what if we went to see casablanca instead ?
suggests marjorie , savvy enough even in her dotage to realize that memories can be finessed .
the actors , for their part , offer performances worthy of such a generously stripped - down platform . davis , in particular , is stoically heartbreaking as a woman who feels increasingly alone in processing and preserving the least pleasant chapters of her past , as well as her mother’s , while smith captures dementia’s rapidly alternating moods of panic , placidity , and fleeting , absolute presence with a wry precision that should resonate with viewers who have had to live beside it . hamm , meanwhile , is most beguiling in a difficult role that balances cold automaton authority with a quasi - human awareness of his deficiencies as a being , in addition to stray , mirthful echoes of the man he’s been programmed to evoke . one leaves “marjorie prime” pleased to have witnessed these actors at work , and rather wishing you’d got to see them tackle this intimate piece in a warmer , flesh - and - blood theatrical context . as with walter prime , however , their projections will suffice .
while the dialogue sounds a bit stagey , it does draw us into the personalities of the characters . marjorie ( lois smith ) , pleasant and voluble , obviously enjoys conversing with dapper walter ( jon hamm ) , and together they explore the subject of her past , recalling , for example , two dogs named toni the family once owned . walter , it seems , can help in the task of recollection because he is marjorie’s husband . or rather , a walking , talking , smiling and very helpful image of her husband as he was several decades before .
the future will be here soon enough , you might as well be friendly with it ,
says the title character played by the magnificent lois smith in marjorie prime . that advice represents a philosophical departure from the usual dire screen depictions of the role technology will play in our lives moving forward . it gives michael almereyda ' s exquisitely acted chamber drama a visionary quality , with its depiction of a near - future in which pixel - generated avatars can provide human comfort . naturally , that exchange also comes with risks , being subject to our own propensity for trying to tidy up the past , shaving off the messy edges of imperfect lives .
given the obnoxious flash that often accompanies the science fiction genre , it’s always refreshing to see a film that posits us in the future without the need for overly tiresome exposition and attention - grabbing effects . the technical minutiae of marjorie prime’s conceit isn’t on offer here and neither is a view of the wider effect it has on the world . this is a small film , largely set in just one location , yet its thoughtful meditation on how we construct our relationships and our lives through a frequently unreliable lens of our own making is of universal significance . without conscious awareness , we’re constantly rewriting history with age , the details shifting to fit our own narrative .
in the near future , a time of artificial intelligence : 86 - year - old marjorie has a handsome new companion who looks like her deceased husband and is programmed to feed the story of her life back to her . what would we remember , and what would we forget , if given the chance ?
in the opening scene we’re faced with marjorie’s memory of her marriage , sullied by time and her ill health , contrasted with her holographic husband , whose recollection of the past is the result of his son - in - law’s second hand stories . who is better equipped to remember their relationship ? did he propose after casablanca or my best friend’s wedding ? like many scenes in the film , we’re thrown into a dialogue without entirely understanding how we got there . there’s a dreaminess to almereyda’s direction , which coupled with a woozy mica levi score , makes marjorie’s house feel otherworldly and we’re never too sure who might be real or artificial .
“we are thrilled to partner with sundance for the 14th year in a row and award the 2017 sloan feature film prize at sundance to michael almereyda ' s marjorie prime , ” added doron weber , vice president at the sloan foundation . “with cool intelligence , wit and poignancy—allied to a deft directorial hand and a stellar cast—almereyda explores the emotional landscape of artificial intelligence and dramatizes the emerging impact of intelligent machines on our most intimate human relationships . sloan is also delighted to award three new screenwriting grants at sundance focusing on scientists and inventors who helped shape the modern world as part of our ’non - profit movie studio for science’ and a national development pipeline which has resulted in 20 feature films to date . ”


the mighty quinn is a 1989 thriller film starring denzel washington , robert townsend , james fox , mimi rogers , m. emmet walsh , and sheryl lee ralph .

the screenplay by hampton fancher is based on a. h. z. carr 's 1971 novel finding maubee .

in the film , washington plays xavier quinn , a police chief who tries to help his childhood friend maubee ( townsend ) after he becomes a murder suspect .

the film takes its name from the bob dylan song of the same name , a reggae cover version of which appears on the soundtrack .

film critic roger ebert gave the film an overwhelmingly positive review , calling it one of the best films of 1989 .

the mighty quinn ( film )

anthony : the mighty quinn
. bbc news . june 3 , 2001 .
david humphrey resides in pendleton , indiana , and covers the american midwest for mighty quinn .
back in the day :
the mighty quinn
( feb . 1989 ) | we love movies . hard .
looking for movie tickets ? enter your location to see which movie theaters are playing the mighty quinn near you .
the mighty has reached out to netflix for comment but has yet to hear back .
caribbean police chief xavier quinn ( denzel washington ) storms into the office of the governor ( norman beaton ) , angry about interference in his investigation in the mighty quinn , 1989 . >
© 2018 mighty proud media , inc . all rights reserved . privacy | terms
with fancher ' s dialogue and washington ' s comedic timing , the mighty quinn is more fun than a cabana full of bananas .
urltoken ; people magazine , june 18 , 2001 vol . 55 no . 24 , mighty quinn , by stephen m . silverman , macho actor anthony quinn made passion his compass
' ' the mighty quinn ' ' is an entertaining , touristy sort of movie that manages to be lighthearted without being soft in the head .
the fullest version of the bob dylan song which shares the movie ' s name , performed by lola ( sheryl lee ralph ) with quinn ( denzel washington ) in the audience from the mighty quinn , 1989 .
the fullest version of the bob dylan song which shares the movie ' s name , performed by lola ( sheryl lee ralph ) with quinn ( denzel washington ) in the audience from the mighty quinn , 1989 . >
in addition to the pecuniary benefits , walters pointed out that overseas film projects facilitate invaluable training and knowledge transfer to the local film industry .
island police chief quinn ( denzel washington ) , rushing to a crime scene , runs into local hoodlum and childhood pal maubee ( robert townsend ) in director carl schenkel ' s the mighty quinn , 1989 . >
2 . 0 2 . 1
anthony quinn biography ( 1915 - 2001 )
. film reference . com .
set on a fictitious caribbean island that resembles jamaica ( where the film was actually shot ) , ' ' the mighty quinn ' ' is a breezy semitopical whodunit about a ghastly murder , island politics , washington interference , a little voodoo and the expert sleuthing of the chief of the local police , xavier quinn .
peter quinn writes above that quinn was presented with convincing evidence that the diaries were authentic . i should like to know what form this evidence took and also what quinn’s response was .
when police officer xavier quinn ' s childhood friend , maubee , becomes associated with murder and a briefcase full of ten thousand dollar bills , the mighty quinn must clear his name . or try to catch him , which could be even trickier .
making the most of its lush caribbean setting , bouncy reggae soundtrack , and the charismatic presence of denzel washington , the mighty quinn is both a formula thriller and a buddy film with a twist . xavier quinn ( washington ) is the dedicated police chief of a small island nation who isn ' t particularly popular with either the rich whites who dominate the . . . read more
was released , a film in which his performance would earn a second nomination for a best supporting actor oscar . the first nomination came two years before , from the film
the film has the unmistakable ( or maybe only semi - mistakable ) feel of a television pilot .
filmmaker lucy walker is the winner of the third annual polly krakora award for artistry in film , presented by peter o ' brien , executive director of the environmental film festival in the nation ' s capital .
the film noir genre generally refers to mystery and crime dramas produced from the early 1940s to the late 1950s . …
sarah schuster is the mental health editor at the mighty . she thinks every day should be a mental health day . follow her on twitter @ saraheliztweets .
it is with a heavy heart that i have to announce that the mighty quinn is merely pretty good fun , thus denying you the chance to see my magnificent
you ain ' t seen nothing like this !
gag .
the mighty quinn is a spy thriller , a buddy movie , a musical , a comedy and a picture that is wise about human nature . and yet with all of those qualities , it never seems to strain .
a cultural misunderstanding between two men from different worlds — inuit hunter anthony quinn and traveling missionary priest marco guglielmi — results in the priest ' s death and the native hunter being accused of murder . maligned and misunderstood at the time of release , the film has earned a cult audience of admirers over the years , including bob dylan , who riffed on the film in his song
quinn the eskimo ( the mighty quinn ) .
in its ecological , ethnographic and political concerns , it ' s arguably as significant and ahead of its time as wind across the everglades .
— geoff andrew ,
the films of nicholas ray .
xavier quinn is caribbean - born but united states - trained ( by the federal bureau of investigation ) . the islanders , who knew him before he rose to prominence , refer to him with affectionate sarcasm as ' ' the mighty quinn , ' ' which is also the title of the bob dylan song with which they serenade him at odd moments .
' ' the mighty quinn , ' ' which opens today at the astor plaza and other theaters , is successively witty , romantic , simple and pretty . without looking embalmed in the way of the images on picture postcards , the film has been photographed in the crystal - clear heightened colors that recall the way an island paradise should look but really didn ' t while you were there .
the mighty quinn is not at all a significant film , but it is a significant film moment in which washington went from supporting actor to actor , mainstream actor , leading actor , and oscar - winning ac - tor . townsend , however , did not . washington plays xavier quinn , a stylish police chief on a caribbean island run by a governor who cares more about tourists than racists . townsend is maubee , the chief’s childhood friend who is suspected of murdering a wealthy man staying at a posh resort .
island police chief quinn ( denzel washington ) , rushing to a . . .
thanks , scotty ! i do agree the film’s portrayal of jamaica is one of the its highlights . i haven’t seen the film in a long time , so i don’t remember the character of jax , i must admit ; thanks for the correction .
every film roger ebert has given a four - star rating . this is an ongoing project .
( 1982 ) . the film sports an impressive supporting cast , with robert townsend as maubee leading the way . townsend has established himself as a pioneering force in african - american film with risky and daring projects such as
the union ended in 1997 , after quinn had children with his secretary , katherine benvin . he then married benvin , with whom he had two children , antonia quinn ( born july 23 , 1993 ) and ryan nicholas quinn ( born july 5 , 1996 ) . [ 13 ] [ 14 ] quinn and benvin remained together until his death .
quinn also had two children with friedel dunbar : sean quinn ( born february 7 , 1973 ) , a new jersey real estate agent , and alexander anthony quinn ( born december 30 , 1976 ) , an event producer in los angeles , ca .
the national council of la raza gives the anthony quinn award for excellence in motion pictures as an alma award .
‘the mighty quinn’ is a delight , mainly due to schenkel’s deceptively casual direction and the main character . no , not denzel , who portrays police chief quinn , and not local folk hero maubee , played by robert townsend . the people , scenery and lifestyle of the film’s carribean locale are fondly depicted , and it’s their island charm that entices the viewer to flop down in a bean bag chair , take a long pull from a bottle of whatever , and enjoy this fun , funky ride .
at the local premiere of the film on june 23 at the carib cinema , jampro president sancia bennett templer underscored the importance of promoting jamaica as a location for international films , while also affirming the agency ' s commitment to supporting the development of jamaica ' s indigenous film industry .
maxine walters , an experienced and highly respected local line producer who has worked in various capacities on hollywood projects in jamaica such as treasure island , clara ' s heart and the mighty quinn in portland , as well as instinct and legends of the fall in other parts of the island , stated that a film project represents a quick short term injection of funds that also creates good temporary jobs .
the tomatometer score — based on the opinions of hundreds of film and television critics — is a trusted measurement of critical recommendation for millions of fans . it represents the percentage of professional critic reviews that are positive for a given film or television show .
on a small caribbean island , police chief xavier quinn investigates a murder where the prime suspect is maubee , a charming local troublemaker and quinn ' s childhood friend . as quinn investigates further , the case proves to be more complex than it appears in this often comic mystery loaded with local color .
this article uses material from the article anthony quinn from the free encyclopedia wikipedia and it is licensed under the gnu free documentation license .
you ain ' t seen nothing like the mighty quinn ! what a wonderful little movie , great reggae soundtrack , a badass denzel performance , a big heart at the center of the story and a few exciting action scenes . it may be a little slow in the middle but it ' s a great ride .
i really enjoyed watching
the mighty quinn
. the picture is very well directed and well casted . denzel washington plays a west indies chief xavier quinn ( cool name ) handling a murder case and is facing a problem since his good friend maubee ( robert townsend ) may have been involved . filmmaker carl schenkel has a real feel of the carribean culture , the music and the characters . i admired the small relationship between washington and mimi rogers since they both reminded me of walter neff and phyllis dietrichson .
the mighty quinn
is one of those great drama thrillers like arthur penn ' s
night moves
where you got a very smooth , handsome main character all caught up in a plot that will eventually get in way over his head . in this case it would be xavier quinn . for a low budget picture drama , this movie sure puts a badly big budget film to shame .
full support is always at hand . we like to meet and speak with our new clients regularly because we believe that there is no substitute for personal communication - and mighty quinn is all about knowing our clients well and generating ideas that are individually tailored for them .
brian st juste , owner of timecode productions and president of the jamaica film and video producers ' association , expressed similar sentiments as he called for the continued development and growth of the local film industry . he noted that 20th century fox ' s decision to film in jamaica represented an endorsement of the talented cadre of seasoned professionals who have repeatedly demonstrated their competence and ability to work on major projects .
the reason i point this out is because the emotional undercurrent of the story is the estrangement of his wife lola ( the wonderful sheryl lee ralph ) . unable to cope with his desperate need for acceptance from the island elite , her disappointment in quinn is reflected in the derisive tone when she sings ‘the mighty quinn’ . if she had been in the bar ( which she wouldn’t have - their young son lives with her ) to see him come in drunk , i doubt she would have been singing along so happily .
carl schenkel , the swiss director whose first american film this is , and hampton fancher , who wrote the screenplay based on a . h . z . carr ' s novel , appear to have adapted the film ' s style and tone from the sort of reggae lyrics that so delight visitors from the north .
the films of anthony quinn alvin h . marill google boeken , google books . url accessed january 7 , 2012 .
though their friendship was tempered by quinn’s dismay at casement’s unabashedly pro - german sympathies , the death sentence handed down in an english court led quinn to put aside his enmity for the central powers and mount a campaign to spare casement from hanging .
quinn’s efforts were to no avail . casement was hanged in london’s pentonville prison on august 3 , 1916 . ten days later , on august 13 , quinn published an elegy in the new york times magazine in which he wrote :
kim marie spence , jampro ' s creative industries manager and film commissioner , indicated that in addition to areas such as institutional strengthening , training and industry certification , intellectual property rights and investment in infrastructure , the film policy will explore a framework for incentives and funding .
brian st juste opined that jamaica ' s experienced and highly competent film professionals , who have worked on every major film shot in the island , require support in hurdling the challenge of attracting the large investments needed to fund indigenous productions . he noted that despite the suite of incentives provided to filmmakers under the motion picture encouragement act , which include duty free entry for film equipment and tax holidays on profits , there is still more that needs to be done .
while we seek to attract major film projects from overseas to the island , we are also dedicated to working with the local film industry . we have already met with local industry players who have expressed their concerns as it relates to support for promotional activities and access to financing . jampro , through the film commission , will be working closely with local filmmakers to address these matters and facilitate the development of local content ,
stated bennett templer .
quinn was born antonio rodolfo quinn oaxaca in chihuahua , mexico , during the mexican revolution . his mother , manuela
nellie
oaxaca , was of aztec ancestry . [ 1 ] [ 2 ] his father , francisco ( frank ) quinn , was also born in mexico , to an irish immigrant father from county cork and a mexican mother . [ 3 ] frank quinn rode with mexican revolutionary pancho villa , [ 1 ] then later moved to los angeles and became an assistant cameraman at a movie studio . in quinn ' s autobiography the original sin : a self - portrait by anthony quinn he denied being the son of an
irish adventurer
and attributed that tale to hollywood publicists . [ 4 ]
quinn spent his last years in bristol , rhode island . he died aged 86 in boston , massachusetts from pneumonia and respiratory failure while suffering from throat cancer shortly after completing his role in his last film , avenging angelo ( 2002 ) .
the film policy , now in the final stages of drafting , will attempt to alleviate funding issues for local filmmakers as it seeks to establish a partnership with financial institutions such as development bank of jamaica and credit unions to establish a specific line of credit for film ,
said spence .
in 1965 , quinn and demille were divorced , because of his affair with italian costume designer jolanda addolori , whom he married in 1966 . they had three children : francesco quinn ( march 22 , 1963 august 5 , 2011 ) , danny ( born april 16 , 1964 ) , and lorenzo quinn ( born may 7 , 1966 ) .
beginning with mr . washington and mr . townsend , each member of the cast performs with an engaging ease that reflects the spirit of the music , which , for once , is integral to the film .
xavier quinn ( denzel washington ) is chief of police and his friend maubee ( robert townsend ) is in trouble .
the ballad of narayama
is a japanese film of great beauty and elegant artifice , telling a story of startling cruelty . what a space it opens…
the time to come together is now as we must move expeditiously to build an industry that will place jamaica as the premier film production centre for the caribbean ,
stated st juste .
he appeared on broadway to great acclaim in becket , as king henry ii to laurence olivier ' s thomas becket in 1960 . an erroneous story arose in later years that during the run quinn and olivier switched roles and quinn played becket to olivier ' s king . in fact , quinn left the production for a film , never having played becket , and director peter glenville suggested a road tour with olivier as henry . olivier happily agreed and arthur kennedy took on the role of becket for the tour and brief return to broadway . [ 9 ] [ 10 ]
declared he
gives the smooth , funny , laid - back performance that could help make him the first black matinee idol since sidney poitier .
indeed , a highlight of the film is watching washington tickle the ivories while singing
cakewalk into town .
music plays a major role in the film - - a reggae - induced version of bob dylan ' s
double act . . . colin quinn and jerry seinfeld at the broadway opening of long story short . photograph : theo wargo / getty images
as a young man , quinn boxed professionally to earn money , then studied art and architecture under frank lloyd wright , at wright ' s arizona residence and his wisconsin studio , taliesin . the two very different men became friends . when quinn mentioned that he was drawn to acting , wright encouraged him . quinn said he had been offered $ 800 per week by a film studio and didn ' t know what to do . wright replied ,
take it , you ' ll never make that much with me .
he plays xavier quinn , a local boy who once played barefoot with maubee and got into the usual amount of trouble , but who grew up smart , went to america to be trained by the fbi , and has now returned as the police chief . the people of his district call him
the mighty quinn ,
after the bob dylan song , and there is something both affectionate and ironic in the nickname . he knows everybody in town , knows their habits , and is on good terms even with the island governor ( norman beaton ) , a cheerfully corrupt hack who only wants to keep the lid on things .
casement’s treason in trafficking with germany , quinn argued , had to be balanced against his motives as an irish patriot . quinn wrote a long memorandum to the british foreign office arguing for commutation of casement’s sentence . he gathered the signatures of prominent americans and pressured the state department to send a cable .
soon after the execution , quinn learned that in the interests of dampening calls for sparing casement’s life , the british government had stealthily circulated diaries detailing his “degenerate” behavior as a closeted homosexual . furious at what he saw as a vile smear directed against his dead friend , quinn threatened to take the matter public and expose the diaries as forgeries .
the mighty quinn is a great time , a murder mystery set on an unnamed caribbean island , where denzel washington is chief of police and people sing reggae versions of quinn the eskimo . it is a light - hearted , sometimes sexy , crime mystery , that is less interested in the mystery and more interested in the location . it is such a good time that you don ' t mind the slightly underwhelming direction by carl schenkel , nor the walking plot device in m . emmet walsh . mind you , if anyone is going to be a plot device it should be walsh .
there is obviously great value in attracting film projects to jamaica . many sectors benefit , and as a member of the accommodation sector , it ' s easy for me to see the benefits in terms of occupancy levels . hotels and villas tend to do very well whenever there is a major film project ,
said lawrence .
this children ' s fable is about the power of advertising , the meaning of life and ultimately the test of a mother ' s love . it ' s the story of a young cow , mesmerized by the marketing power of a hamburger billboard , and his ultimate goal of becoming the best hamburger he can be . nominee , best short film , annecy film festival . us , 2010 , 6 min .
if washington is the discovery in this movie , he is only one of its many wonderful qualities . i ' ve never heard of the director , carl schenkel , before . i learn from press releases only that he is swiss and has directed a lot of commercials , but on the basis of this film he ' s a natural . he is able in the moderate running time of 98 minutes to create a film that seems as rich and detailed as one much longer . he uses his jamaican locations and interiors so easily that the movie seems to really inhabit its world , instead of merely being photographed in front of it . and the music helps ; reggae somehow seems passionate , lilting and comforting , all at once .
the mighty quinn
is one of the year ' s best films .
quinn had a personal relationship with new york mafia crime boss frank costello and other genovese gangsters . [ 14 ] [ 15 ]
transcript :
remembering anthony quinn
. larry king live . cnn june 4 , 2001 . accessed may 12 , 2008 .
in 1987 , both denzel washington and robert townsend appeared in a soldier’s story , a very good norman jewison film about the murder investigation of a black soldier on a louisiana military base in 1944 . jewison , who also directed in the heat of the night , specifically pursued this film , based on a stage play written by charles fuller . but that’s not the important part .
there is a statue of anthony quinn ( originally from chihuahua ) doing his famous
zorba the greek
dance in chihuahua mexico . [ 16 ]
one correction : the woman that the above article identifies as quinn’s wife lola was in fact jax , played by the beautiful maria mcdonald . it is jax we see in the opening scene of the movie , attempting to pick up quinn at a wedding , even after he reminds her that he is married . undaunted , she pursues him playfully but hungrily , causing quinn to hide from her at one point . and it is jax who joins him onstage when his ‘cakewalk into town’ segues to the title song .
the execution of the rising’s leaders affected a change . quinn’s nationalist sentiments , stoked by british intransigence and the courage with which pearse and his companions went to their deaths , were ignited by the fate of sir roger casement . quinn met casement in 1914 when he came on a fundraising trip for the irish volunteers . an admirer of casement’s idealism as a defender of human rights in africa and south america , quinn hosted him in his apartment and put him in touch with potential sources of funds .
once again , afi silver is proud to host screenings in this year ' s environmental film festival in the nation ' s capital . for a complete schedule of films , visit
he recalled the filming of treasure island in 1989 , which featured the late film star charlton heston , and how the construction of a ship required an amazing and intensive collaborative effort from the production ' s technical personnel from overseas and members of the local team .
a fascinating and frightening exploration of the dangers of nuclear weapons , this film is a wake - up call about the urgency of the nuclear threat . it exposes a variety of present - day threats and features insights from a host of international experts and world leaders who advocate the total elimination of nuclear weapons . the film tells a story of uncertainty , exposing the real possibility of nuclear disaster and revealing the truth behind an issue on which human survival itself depends .
soaked in mystery with a terrific reggae soundtrack ( i didn ' t think i liked reggae ) , quinn investigates the case which could implicate his childhood best friend and local legend maubee ( robert townsend ) . the plot such as it is , isn ' t the film ' s strong point but what ' s there is utilized well and is freshened up by…
12 . 0 12 . 1
chronology of anthony quinn and related world events
. urltoken ( adobe acrobat * . pdf document )
barrington mckie , a portland resident and jamaica union of travellers association ( juta ) driver who has been in the transportation business for over 30 years , also attested to the benefit of film projects to the economy of port antonio .
portland is almost a forgotten parish in some respects , so we welcome the business opportunities that come with the shooting of a film . everybody tends to benefit from something like this ,
said gasch .
mighty quinn management was founded by tim quinn to offer a friendly creative alternative to the often harsh world of publishing and the music industry . with 30 years’ experience in the arts , tim has worked in education , theatre , tv , radio , print media and the music industry . he has been a producer for lwt’s the south bank show , a writer for the guardian newspaper , editor of marvel comics as well as america’s saturday evening post magazine and currently is a welcome guest on the lecture and workshop circuits . all of this experience means you receive regular , direct contact with someone with a very high level of experience of working alongside media people , artists , publishers , actors and musicians .
and that’s when more instruments , including a banjo , chime in , but the tune is slightly different now ( we also get a close - up of lola , who’s been sitting in the crowd all this time , nodding to the music appreciatively at this point ) . at first , quinn doesn’t notice , or doesn’t seem to mind , as he’s still grooving on the song . but at some point , there’s a laugh from the crowd , and the tune starts to sound familiar enough quinn stops and gets a look on his face as if to say , “not this shit again . ” sure enough , the musicians on stage , and the crowd , start to sing “the mighty quinn” ( with a slight change in the lyrics ; instead of “you’ve not seen nothing” , it’s “you ain’t seen nothing” ) , and lola , who’s clapping along now , makes her way to the stage . there’s a profile shot of quinn as he’s about to close the piano in disgust until he feels a hand on his shoulder , and he looks around him to see lola , who chimes in on the chorus . from there , we cut to a medium overhead shot of lola , who starts singing a verse about maubee and quinn , and steyn pulls back the camera until we can see the other musicians playing along . after a few seconds of this , schenkel then cuts back to quinn , who by now is smiling ruefully . we see the hand of the bartender ( i think ) handing quinn a bottle of whiskey , and he takes a large swig from the bottle before appreciatively thanking the bartender , and lola finishes the verse ( “sunshine is for everyone / sunshine come back again” ) . up till now , she’s been the only one singing , but now it’s time for the chorus , and everybody joins in ( we see the crowd standing , dancing , and clapping along as well ) , even quinn , who is back to playing the piano again , and has a big smile on his face . after one last rendition of the chorus , the song ends , and we get an overhead shot of the crowd applauding lola and quinn as he appreciatively hugs her from the side , and raises the bottle in the air .
if you have any appreciation for big - budget epics set during the days of the roman empire , you won ' t be disappointed by this film . the gladiator training outdoes spartacus , and anthony quinn gives one of his finer performances . the writing - - or quinn ' s improvisation - - gives him plenty of good , understated lines as he goes through his torturous odyssey . jack palance is a special treat . this film offers an even - handed , sober treatment of budding christianity - - it is not out to appease or make converts , just tell a story about the man the mob preferred over jesus . suitable for most of the family except maybe the youngest members who might get shaken by some of the violence . a stoning scene is quite disturbing . rent , zap a bag of popcorn , and enjoy .
quinn made an appearance at the john gotti trial , according to john h . davis , author of mafia dynasty : the rise and fall of the gambino crime family . he told reporters he wanted to play paul castellano , the boss of the gambino family after carlo gambino . gotti had castellano murdered , becoming the boss of the gambino family thereafter . gotti was on trial concerning a variety of felony charges when quinn visited the courtroom . although he tried to shake hands with gotti , federal marshals prevented him from doing so , davis says . the actor interpreted the testimony of sammy (
the bull
) gravano , gotti ' s underboss , against gotti as
a friend who betrays a friend .
he hadn ' t come to
judge
gotti , quinn insisted , but because he wanted to portray castellano , who inspired the actor because he had had a
thirty - year - old
mistress , which quinn believed was
a beautiful thing .
he would later portray gambino family underboss aniello dellacroce in the 1996 hbo film gotti . armand assante portrayed john gotti and richard c . sarafian portrayed paul castellano . quinn was nominated for a golden globe for his performance as dellacroce .
in ( 1979 ) , walsh has established himself as one of the most prolific and popular character actors in american films . movie critic roger ebert immortalized him with his
stanton - walsh rule
, stating that any film with walsh or harry dean stanton couldn ' t be all that bad ! mimi rogers , probably better known for her marriage to tom cruise than for her film roles , plays the seductive wife of elgin . heated scenes between washington and rogers created lots of sexual tension in the original cut but , unfortunately , a kissing scene between the two was deleted out of the film after testing audiences objected to the interracial coupling . two television veterans round out the cast ; esther rolle as the island ' s witch figure , and sheryl lee ralph as quinn ' s aspiring singer - wife . rolle is best known for her work on
1 . 0 1 . 1 actor anthony quinn dies , reuters in wired , june 3 , 2001 . url accessed on june 19 , 2009 .
on january 5 , 1982 , the belvedere county public library in east los angeles was renamed in honor of anthony quinn . the present library sits on the site of his family ' s former home . [ 17 ]
all of the obvious economic benefits come with the filming of a hollywood movie in jamaica , and the only thing it takes out of the country is a roll of film . . . you can ' t beat that for an investment ,
said walters .
still , this scene in the bar helps quinn ( and us ) understand that the locals accept both sides of him – the ball - busting , fbi - trained police chief who protects them , and the local boy that loves and secretly admires the raffish maubee .
amendments are needed to provide additional incentives to the local investor . in recognising the challenges that face the industry and the need to develop a solid platform from which to build , the government has convened a film policy committee to review industry recommendations that will form the basis for the roadmap to increase the productive output and wealth creation ,
said st juste .
the veteran driver indicated that his stint of several months on an episode of the fox reality series forever eden in 2004 , which pumped some us $ 7 million into the national economy , allowed him to complete the payments on his bus in short order . mckie , who once worked as a waiter at frenchman ' s cove , pointed out that gas stations also cash in on the increased transportation activities in the town during big film projects . he noted that this fuel cost was often absorbed by the film studio .
presented with convincing evidence the diaries were authentic , quinn dropped his plan . still , he wondered , how did casement’s private sexual behavior justify his being hanged for high treason ?
mcfarland , jodi ( may 6 , 2008 ) . mid - michigan hispanic business association hosts art reception honoring the late anthony quinn . mlive . retrieved on august 7 , 2011 .
there are also a witch ( esther rolle ) who keeps a basket of deadly snakes in her parlor , quinn ' s wife ( sheryl lee ralph ) who sings and dreams of becoming a lounge act at a local inn , and all sorts of other beautiful women who want to get their hands on quinn .
though the characters and the plotting are strictly paperback , the film is written , directed and acted with an intelligence that doesn ' t demand that you leave your senses at the door . the picture of island life is neither unknowing nor fraudulent . it ' s a permissible idealization of far bleaker realities .
early in life quinn had an interest in painting and drawing . throughout his teenage years he won various art competitions in california and focused his studies at polytechnic high school in los angeles on drafting . later , quinn studied briefly under frank lloyd wright through the taliesin fellowshipan opportunity created by winning first prize in an architectural design contest . through wright ' s recommendation , quinn took acting lessons as a form of post - operative speech therapy , which led to an acting career that spanned over six decades .
it was disturbing that quinn does absolutely nothing when the manager accuses his wife of seducing the chief and then slaps her in the face directly in front of the police chief . any police officer who does not address that is immediately void of all respectability , credibility , and likability . i had to rewind and watch the face - off and explanation between chief quinn and maubee three times , and i still do not clearly understand what happened .
the struggle in our hearts between good and evil , the ways of man in general , various historical elements , the values of christianity , all these given in a truly beautiful movie . anthony quinn shows once more that one must born to be an actor of his magnitude . the other actors are very convincing , the scenery is great and so is the sound track . there is also enough food for thought in this film because of its nature , and it can create intense emotions . splendid
there is an anthony quinn bay and beach in rhodes , dodecanese , greece , just 2 . 7 miles ( 4 . 3 km ) south of the village of faliraki ( aka falirakion or falirákion ) . [ 18 ] [ 19 ] the land was bought by quinn during the filming of the guns of navarone in rhodes ; however , it was reclaimed by the greek government in 1984 due to a change in property law . [ 20 ]
quinn ' s film career slowed during the 1990s , but he nonetheless continued to work steadily , appearing in revenge ( 1990 ) , jungle fever ( 1991 ) , last action hero ( 1993 ) , a walk in the clouds ( 1995 ) and seven servants ( 1996 ) . in 1994 , he played zeus in the five tv movies that led to the syndicated series hercules : the legendary journeys . ( however , he did not continue in the actual series , and the role was eventually filled by several other actors ) .
few places in jamaica can lay claim to being as naturally beautiful and diverse as port antonio , a quality that continues to make it an ideal location for major overseas film projects that engage the local industry and contribute in a significant way to the economy of the town and the wider jamaica .
this film is perhaps one of the least known of hollywood ' s extensive list of biblical background epics . after leaving the theaters , it was being forgotten due to the little interest of the television channels . i think this lack of interest is due to three factors : the lack of a star cast ( anthony quinn is the biggest name here ) , the focus on a secondary biblical character and the invention of a fictional storyline around him . thus , the plot relates the life and walk of conversion of barabbas , after having been liberated by acclamation of the jews , in the events that preceded the crucifixion . quinn is an excellent actor and manages to endow his character with enormous dramatic and psychological depth . its worth watching it just for his performance . vittorio gassman is equally great thanks to his extraordinary work as sahek , a convicted christian who helps barabbas to overcome his spiritual crisis . okay , sets and costumes are a far cry from the quality and priceyness of
quo vadis
or
ben hur
, but still satisfy and give the film a classic epic scent . the soundtrack is ordinary .
in 1971 , after the success of a tv movie named the city , where quinn played mayor thomas jefferson alcala , he starred in the single - season abc television series entitled the man and the city . though the program was filmed in albuquerque , new mexico , the name of the city is not disclosed on the program . his subsequent television appearances were sporadic , among them jesus of nazareth .
as his investigation makes its way through this moral quicksand , quinn also weathers trouble at home . his wife , lola ( sheryl lee ralph ) , is rehearsing with a reggae trio and is just a shade too emasculating to make a man truly comfortable around her . a local beauty ( tyra ferrell ) wants to steal quinn away from her . an old crone ( esther rolle ) who is the island ' s resident witch makes prophecies of dire outcomes . and the carefree maubee himself ( played by robert townsend ) turns up to taunt quinn with his innocence .
on tuesday , netflix released a trailer for the movie , “to the bone , ” staring lily collins as ellen , a woman whose struggle with an eating disorder lands her in a treatment program . the film is loosely based on the experience of its director , marti noxon , who dealt with anorexia herself .
apart from art classes taken in chicago during the 1950s , quinn never attended art school ; nonetheless , taking advantage of books , museums , and amassing a sizable collection , he managed to give himself an effective education in the language of modern art . although quinn remained mostly self - taught , intuitively seeking out and exploring new ideas , there is observable history in his work because he had assiduously studied the modernist masterpieces on view in the galleries of new york , mexico city , paris , and london . when filming on location around the world , quinn was exposed to regional contemporary art styles exhibited at local galleries and studied art history in each area .
animator , cartoonist and illustrator bill plympton is known as
the king of indie animation .
his award - winning short films have highlighted many film festivals and he is the only person to hand - draw an entire animated feature film . on this special evening , plympton presents two new animations , summer bummer and a restoration of the 1921 the flying house , as well as a sneak peek at an upcoming project . he also screens a selection of his classic shorts and discusses his oblique , off - beat style . he received oscar nominations for an early animation , your face , in 1988 and for guard dog in 2005 , while his short film , push comes to shove , won the prestigious palme d ' or at cannes in 1991 .
for his part , john quinn never renounced roger casement’s friendship . he never recanted his admiration nor questioned the sincerity of casement’s sacrifice . he knew the man’s courage and the cause he sacrificed his life for . was casement a patriot or a traitor ? was he one with those in the dublin gpo whose “excess of love bewildered them till they died ? ” was he to be numbered in their song ? john quinn had little doubt what final judgment history and the world would reach . ♦
the 20th century fox summer blockbuster knight and day , which was in theatres recently and stars hollywood a - list actors tom cruise and cameron diaz , is the most recent example of this . in early february , jampro ' s film commission facilitated the shooting of a scene for the film at frenchman ' s cove in portland , which pumped us $ 1 . 35m ( j $ 121m ) into the local economy and created employment for 80 jamaicans . some 100 crew members from overseas worked on the project , resulting in full occupancy levels for hotels and a demand for providers of transportation and catering services throughout the filming of the project
oscar - nominated director lucy walker set out to make
a visual haiku about cherry blossoms
in japan but changed her plans radically following the devastating earthquake and tsunami that hit the country on march 11 , 2011 . taken with the cherry blossom ' s beauty and ability to symbolize the ephemeral quality of life , walker links the disaster with the power of japan ' s most beloved flower to heal and inspire in this stunning visual poem . opening with a long clip of jaw - dropping footage of the tsunami , the film shows water sweeping houses and buildings along like toys , lifting up cars and swallowing people . interviews with survivors are framed by the metaphor of cherry blossoms , a symbol deep in japanese culture that suggests rebirth . 2012 academy award nominee , best documentary short ; winner , jury prize in short film , non - fiction , 2012 sundance film festival .
quinn ' s job is to maintain the peace in a tiny country whose income depends largely on the self - absorbed concerns of people who stay one or two weeks and are mostly worried about whether it ' s going to rain .
the memorial included film clips of johnny ' s life and career ( note to nesn : what was with the commercial in the middle of one of them ? ) , the players leaving roses at a huge number six in the dirt at shortstop , and at the end , with the music of
field of dreams
playing in the background , the current and former players went to a newly - painted yellow pesky pole and signed it with markers .
washington plays xavier quinn , the chief of police in a jamaica - esque town ( although filmed there , the locale is never specified ) . when a well - known white businessman is found gruesomely murdered , cross finds himself in the middle of strong political forces pitting the haves against the have - nots , with strong undercurrents of the black and white tensions that are deeply embedded in the town ' s history . the prime suspect is quickly determined to be the town ' s favorite local career criminal , maubee , who also happens to be quinn ' s childhood friend . the race is on to solve the mystery , amidst exotic scenery and driving reggae music .
no amount of 4 / 4 reviews by roger ebert calling it one of the best films of the year could do the mighty quinn justice or keep it in the cinephile consciousness it seems . denzel and m . emmett walsh , it ' s the kind of unlikely headlining pair that you certainly wouldn ' t see today and really sums up where ebert ' s train of thought was heading when he compared it to the classic capers from warner brothers and referenced greenstreet and lorre , a combination of great character actors and talented star on the rise . it ' s all go from start to finish and denzel is front and centre , charming his way throughout . it really shouldn ' t be overlooked that this is what hampton fancher did after blade runner either . i ' ve had a really good time with this film twice now and can ' t recommend it enough for those looking for a fun but not cozy murder mystery thriller .
art critic donald kuspit , explains ,
examining quinn ' s many expressions of creativity togetherhis art and actingwe can see that he was a creative genius . . .
[ 11 ]
having been an anthony quinn fan for many years , i came across this video recently and rented it . i wasn ' t sure what to expect , but was pleasantly surprised to see quite a different performance from quinn . while he had moments of gruffness , for the most part he tackled this role as the confused , tormented barrabas with a great deal of inner work . the most impressive moments where when his face reflected the conflicts of belief , choice , and commitment . as one of the most famous individuals in history it was an imaginative characterization of barrabas , much like the other enigmatic individual in christianity - judas - as characterized by ian mcshane in jesus of nazareth ( 1977 ) . wonderful music score , and cinematography . notice especially the care given to the staging of the scourging of jesus in the beginning of the film - silence except for heaven ' s angels screaming in anguish . breathtaking .
wolfhard gasch , general manger of the jamaica palace hotel , indicated that the increased level of occupancy translates into more work for the hotel staff . he explained that during slow periods , some staff members are assigned as few as two work days , but the advent of a film project can increase their time on the job to five or six days during a week .
cast : denzel washington ( xavier quinn ) , robert townsend ( maubee ) , james fox ( elgin ) , mimi rogers ( hadley elgin ) , m . emmet walsh ( miller ) .
antonio rodolfo quinn oaxaca ( april 21 , 1915 june 3 , 2001 ) , more commonly known as anthony quinn , was a mexican american actor , as well as a painter and writer . he starred in numerous critically acclaimed and commercially successful films , including la strada , the guns of navarone , lawrence of arabia , zorba the greek , guns for san sebastian , the message and lion of the desert . he won the academy award for best supporting actor twice : for viva zapata ! in 1952 and lust for life in 1956 .
when he was six years old , quinn attended a catholic church ( even thinking he wanted to become a priest ) . at age eleven , however , he joined the pentecostals in the international church of the foursquare gospel ( the pentecostal followers of aimee semple mcpherson ) . [ 5 ] for a time he played in the church ' s band and was an apprentice preacher with the renowned evangelist .
i have known most of the great actresses of my time , and not one of them could touch her ,
quinn once said of the spellbinding mcpherson , whom he credited with inspiring zorba ' s gesture of the dramatically outstretched hand . [ 6 ]