Guinevere (1999)

A young girl from an affluent family rebels and becomes involved with a much older photographer.

Director:

Audrey Wells

Writer:

Audrey Wells

Stars:

Sarah Polley, Stephen Rea, Jean Smart

2 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sarah Polley	...	Harper Sloane
Stephen Rea	...	Connie Fitzpatrick
Jean Smart	...	Deborah Sloane
Gina Gershon	...	Billie
Paul Dooley	...	Walter
Carrie Preston	...	Patty
Tracy Letts	...	Zack
Emily Procter	...	Susan Sloane
Sharon McNight	...	Leslie (as Sharon Mcnight)
Gedde Watanabe	...	Ed
Carlton Wilborn	...	Jay
Sandra Oh	...	Cindy
Francis Guinan	...	Alan Sloane
Oded Gross	...	Gary
Grace Una	...	April

Storyline

Connie, an aging Bohemian photographer, meets mousy Harper, headed for Harvard Law from a high-powered San Francisco family, and immediately sees her beauty. He also guesses she has talent and invites her to be his pupil and share his bed. He's Alfred Stieglitz, she's Georgia O'Keefe, and he calls her his Guinevere. When she realizes she's the latest Guinevere in a string of ingenues, she bolts, only to return, sick of her family. She's blossoming, reading, learning, but hasn't yet taken her first photograph when he tells her they're going to L.A., broke, him drinking too much, to sell some photographs. On the trip, she finally snaps the shutter; so does her awe and dependence.

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Plot Keywords:

photographer | photograph | bohemian | drinking | reading | 

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Taglines:

He was her first love... she was his last.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language and sexuality

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 November 1999 (Portugal)

Also Known As:

A Lente do Desejo

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,600,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$54,145 (USA) (24 September 1999)

Gross:

$614,202 (USA) (5 November 1999)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Miramax Films, Millennium Films, Bandeira Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During the non-union shoot in San Francisco, crew members struck and were joined by star 'Sarah Polley', who walked the picket line. Striking crew members report that they were quite touched by her action, which was more than a gesture, but rather a sincere belief in workers' rights. On her part, Polley called her union, the Screen Actors Guild, to tell them of her action, and the union representative told her they'd back her if she crossed the picket line. SAG assumed that she was calling to ask whether she could defy the strike and cross the picket line! A shocked and dismayed Polley stayed out with the strikers, and the strike ended after three days when their grievances were met. Subsequently, Polley has stated that she has been told that she lost several job offers due to this incident as producers don't want a union 'militant' despite the film industry being a craft industry dominated by the guild (union) system and she did what she felt was right.

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Goofs

The wet spots on Harper's shirt after taking a shower.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Harper Sloane: These photographs of me were taken when I was 21 years old. They were shot on Plus X with a 105-mm lens on a Nikon F-2, developed normal, two stops overexposed. I like this one a lot. The F-2 was lost forever to a pawn shop in Los Angeles four years ago. The photographer lived in San Francisco up until last week. He was the worst man I ever met, or maybe the best, I'm still not sure. If you're supposed to learn by your mistakes, then he was the best mistake I ever made. He was my ...

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Soundtracks

"Goodbye Sadness (Tristeza)"
(1965)
Written by Norman Gimbel, Haroldo Lobo & Niletinho (as Niltinho)
Performed by Astrud Gilberto
Courtesy of Verve Records under license from Universal Music Special Markets

User Reviews

Reminiscent of Casablanca, he sends his love off to safety.

I suspect the theme of this movie is a relatively common fantasy among "mature" single men. Namely, find a very young woman who needs guidance and love, attach no strings, and plan on her leaving as she grows up. "Guinivere" is hard to watch in places, especially as the couple arrives in L.A. and it becomes crystal clear to her what her man really is all about. However, it is a well-done study of human needs and conflicts. And ultimately, resolutions.

Guinivere's mother's analysis is spot-on, mature women just don't have "awe" of this dysfunctional photographer, and that's why he is always with a much younger woman.

I gave this movie "8" of "10". Not because it is fun to watch, but because it does such a good job of exploring family relationships and individual growth.

Oct 2006 addition: Seeing part of it again today, I realized something which escaped me on first viewing. The first time he asks her to pick which of two photos is best, he was just setting up the rest of his ruse. He used it as a trick of sorts to make her believe she had a photographic talent.