*SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!!*
What a brilliant idea for a plot! An afterlife-resort just for famous people? No matter how the fame was gained? Fascinating!!
It really reminds me in many ways on Jean Paul Sartre's "Huis clos". You cannot quite decide whether it's Heaven or Hell. It all depends on the celebrities and what they do to each other. The worst thing for those famous souls isn't death but to vanish into oblivion.
Peter O'Toole plays Cesar Valentin, an actor on the height of his fame. He is frantic that his stardom will soon be over but he manages to gain new attention as he writes a bestselling book.
Colin Firth is Brian Smith, a nobody, who seems to stalk the famous actor. He is constantly on Valentin's toes and tries to get his attention. At a filmfestival where the actor continues to ignore him, Brian spontaneously grabs a pistol from a security officer and shoots Valentin. Directly after that he himself is killed by accident. And here the real story starts......
Both end up on this island for dead celebrities. Brian's fame results from his murdering the famous actor. So both fates are intertwined in the afterlife and the quality of their accommodation and the service of the Hotel rises and falls with their fame.
It's amazing how the famous actor and the nobody cope with that.
Valentin tries to figure out why he was shot. The dialogues between him and Brian are most fun to watch! Brian is playing games with him, enjoying every moment. He couldn't care less that eventually he will fall into oblivion since he never was famous by own accomplishments.
This story is about vanity, self-knowledge, evolving above yourself or selling yourself for something as transient as fame. The conclusion is unexpected and as fascinating as the story throughout! O'Toole and Firth are both uniquely brilliant in their performance. But Colin Firth is the one who made my day! Desperate, mad, curious, cunning, caring, loving and forgiving. He does all that so convincingly and endearingly, it really took my breath away!
This is a real treat! 10 of 10 by all means!
What a brilliant idea for a plot! An afterlife-resort just for famous people? No matter how the fame was gained? Fascinating!!
It really reminds me in many ways on Jean Paul Sartre's "Huis clos". You cannot quite decide whether it's Heaven or Hell. It all depends on the celebrities and what they do to each other. The worst thing for those famous souls isn't death but to vanish into oblivion.
Peter O'Toole plays Cesar Valentin, an actor on the height of his fame. He is frantic that his stardom will soon be over but he manages to gain new attention as he writes a bestselling book.
Colin Firth is Brian Smith, a nobody, who seems to stalk the famous actor. He is constantly on Valentin's toes and tries to get his attention. At a filmfestival where the actor continues to ignore him, Brian spontaneously grabs a pistol from a security officer and shoots Valentin. Directly after that he himself is killed by accident. And here the real story starts......
Both end up on this island for dead celebrities. Brian's fame results from his murdering the famous actor. So both fates are intertwined in the afterlife and the quality of their accommodation and the service of the Hotel rises and falls with their fame.
It's amazing how the famous actor and the nobody cope with that.
Valentin tries to figure out why he was shot. The dialogues between him and Brian are most fun to watch! Brian is playing games with him, enjoying every moment. He couldn't care less that eventually he will fall into oblivion since he never was famous by own accomplishments.
This story is about vanity, self-knowledge, evolving above yourself or selling yourself for something as transient as fame. The conclusion is unexpected and as fascinating as the story throughout! O'Toole and Firth are both uniquely brilliant in their performance. But Colin Firth is the one who made my day! Desperate, mad, curious, cunning, caring, loving and forgiving. He does all that so convincingly and endearingly, it really took my breath away!
This is a real treat! 10 of 10 by all means!