Evening (2007)

Director:

Lajos Koltai

Writers (WGA):

Susan Minot (screenplay) and
Michael Cunningham (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

29 June 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Her greatest secret was her greatest gift.

Plot:

A drama exploring the romantic past and emotional present of Ann Grant and her daughters, Constance and Nina. As Ann lays dying, she remembers, and is moved to convey to her daughters, the defining moments in her life 50 years prior, when she was a young woman. Harris is the man Ann loves in the 1950s and never forgets.

Plot Keywords:

Wedding | 1950s | Nurse | Deathbed | Gay Kiss

Cast

Claire Danes	...	Ann Grant
Toni Collette	...	Nina Mars
Vanessa Redgrave	...	Ann Lord
Patrick Wilson	...	Harris Arden
Hugh Dancy	...	Buddy Wittenborn
Natasha Richardson	...	Constance Haverford
Mamie Gummer	...	Lila Wittenborn
Eileen Atkins	...	The Night Nurse
Meryl Streep	...	Lila Ross
Glenn Close	...	Mrs. Wittenborn
Ebon Moss-Bachrach	...	Luc
Barry Bostwick	...	Mr. Wittenborn
David Furr	...	Ralph Haverford
Sarah Viccellio	...	Lizzie Tull
Cheryl Lynn Bowers	...	Peach Howze

Also Known As:

Spuren eines Lebens (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for some thematic elements, sexual material, a brief accident scene and language.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA | Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:PG-13 | Netherlands:6 | Ireland:12A | Hong Kong:IIA | Germany:6 | Philippines:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | South Korea:15 | Finland:K-7 | Australia:M | Singapore:NC-16 (DVD rating) | Argentina:13 | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:Btl

Filming Locations:

85th St. and West End Avenue, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Hart-Sharp Entertainment

Trivia:

Mamie Gummer plays the younger version of her real-life mother Meryl Streep, while Natasha Richardson plays daughter to her real-life mother Vanessa Redgrave.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Ann points out her star, chosen by Buddy, to Harris as one of the Seven Sisters. The Seven Sisters is the Pleiades, which (in addition to Orion, which is also mentioned) is a winter constellation and could not possibly have been in the sky during the summer, when the wedding took place.

Quotes:

Young Ann: Aren't you starting a little bit early?
Buddy Wittenborn: It's Newport. We start at noon.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Jeopardy!: (#26.31)" (2009)

Soundtrack:

I've Got the World On a String

Texture

Saw this Saturday night at the Provincetown Film Festival, and it's a stick-to-your-bones movie -- it's really stayed with me. Adapted very smartly from what is probably an excellent novel, it's a back-and-forth-in-time drama with fully rounded characters, thoughtful rumination on life choices, and, I'm not exaggerating. one of the greatest casts ever assembled in 100+ years of movie-making. Wonderful work from everyone, led by a luminous Vanessa Redgrave as a dying, deluded Newport matron, and Claire Danes as her much younger self. Meryl Streep's daughter Mamie Gummer is, like Mama, the real deal; Patrick Wilson looks like Paul Newman circa 1958 and doesn't overplay the charm; and what a pleasure to see such excellent stage actors as Barry Bostwick and Eileen Atkins contributing sharp, detailed cameos. Hugh Dancy, also from the stage, doesn't bring much edge to the somewhat clichéd role of an unhappy rich wastrel, and the family issues are resolved perhaps more neatly than real life would allow. But it's a deliberately paced, visually gorgeous meditation on real life issues, and you can cry at it and not feel like you're being recklessly manipulated. Also, what a sumptuous parade of 1940s/50s automobiles.