Pride and Glory's world premiere - Sept 9

Pride and Glory

The full film list for the Toronto International Film Festival has now been released, with Pride and Glory forming part of the Gala Presentations group. The Gala schedule is also up and informs us that the film will be screened on Tuesday September 9, 2008 at 6:30pm. (The complete official schedule will be up from Aug 26.)

A plethora of articles mention Pride and Glory's line up in 'the world's second most prestigious filmfest', with Jam! for example shortlisting it as one of nine films 'whose buzz could reverberate well into the fall'. Among the rest, Australia's ABC News describe the film as 'hotly anticipated', while the New York Daily News ponders Hollywood's general fascination with New York cop movies.

Nicely putting the TIFF in context meanwhile, Thaindian explains:

[...] Unlike the festivals at Cannes, Berlin or Venice, Toronto is not known for its prizes but rather is seen as the starting gong for the North American film prize season, culminating with Hollywood’s Oscar ceremonies. [...]

It is unclear at this stage whether or not Ms Ehle will be attending the festival, which runs from September 4 to 13.

Before the Rains

In the run-up to Rains' release in South Africa on September 5, the South African Times offers a short article with some insightful words from the film's director:

[...] The story “is a metaphor for the great promise - and tragic flaw - of British colonialism. This man fights to straddle the great cultural and racial divide but he, his family and workers ultimately suffer for his attempts" [says Sivan]. "The colonial illusion about creating a British-Indian partnership always clouded their personal interactions and resulted in their destruction. This is a powerful theme because the world has not seen the last of imperialism and colonialism, as we now see in Iraq and Afghanistan, for example,” he says. “The timeless story of the unfaithful husband evokes the larger political drama,” says Sivan “because human beings don’t operate outside time; even the most enduring elements in human life take place under specific social and historical conditions.” [...]

In addition, a full 5 spots have been bestowed upon the film by yet another New York Times reader, whose evaluation reads as follows:

[...] Wonderful movie. I went hoping it would not be a soap opera and it was so much better than I thought it would be. Wonderful, understated performances by everyone. Beautifully directed and much more to the story than I had hoped. I was really impressed. I just wish this film were marketed better. It was kind of snuck into the local theater for a week and then gone. I just happened to get to see it. [...]

Finally, a blogger gives his thoughts on reading The Coast of Utopia for the first time, commenting briefly on the play, its players, and Sir Tom's metaphorical juggling abilities.