The Moderns
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Alan Rudolph
Shep Gordon
Carolyn Pfeiffer
| The Moderns | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster by Keith Carradine | |
| Directed by | Alan Rudolph |
| Written by | Jon Bradshaw Alan Rudolph |
| Produced by | David Blocker Shep Gordon Carolyn Pfeiffer |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Toyomichi Kurita |
| Music by | Mark Isham Charlélie Couture |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Alive Films |
Release date |
|
Running time | 126 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $3.5 million[1] |
| Box office | $2,011,497 |
The Moderns is a 1988 film by Alan Rudolph, which takes place in 1926 Paris during the period of the Lost Generation and at the height of modernist literature. The film stars Keith Carradine, Linda Fiorentino, John Lone, and Geneviève Bujold among others.
Nick Hart (Keith Carradine) is an expatriate American artist living in Paris among some of the noted artists and writers of the time, including Ernest Hemingway (Kevin J. O'Connor), Gertrude Stein (Elsa Raven), and Alice B. Toklas (Ali Giron). Nick is torn between his ex-wife Rachel (Linda Fiorentino) and Nathalie de Ville (Geraldine Chaplin), who hires him to forge her paintings. He must also contend with Rachel's current husband, Bertram Stone (John Lone), who does not know that his wife is still married to another man.
Cast
- Keith Carradine as Nick Hart
- Linda Fiorentino as Rachel Stone
- John Lone as Bertram Stone
- Wallace Shawn as Oiseau
- Geneviève Bujold as Libby Valentin
- Geraldine Chaplin as Nathalie de Ville
- Kevin J. O'Connor as Ernest Hemingway
- Charlélie Couture as L'Evidence (credited as Charlelie Couture)
- Elsa Raven as Gertrude Stein
- Ali Giron as Alice B. Tokias
- Gailard Sartain as New York Critic
- Robert Gould as "Blackie"
- Antonia Dauphin as Babette
- Véronique Bellegarde as Laurette (credited as Veronique Bellegarde)
- Isabel Serra as Armand
- Brooke Smith as Abigail
- Marthe Turgeon as Rose Selavy
- Timothy Webber as Stone's Business Associate
- Mance Edmond as "Coco"
- Normand Brathwaite as Butler Laloux
- Michael Rudder as Buffy, Group Montparno
- Paul Buissonneau as Alexandre, Group Montparno
- Lenie Scoffié as Femme de Lettres, Group Montparno (credited as Lenie Scofie)
- Reynald Bouchard as Chapelle, Group Montparno
- Flora Balzano as Pia Delarue, Group Montparno
- Beverly Murray as Eve, Group Montparno
- Renée Lee as Chanteuse, Group Montparno (credited as Renee Lee)
- Stephanie Biddle as Fille de Nuit
Production
Rudolph first wrote the script in the early 1970s after making his first film, Premonition. The film was originally planned to be shot in 1977, after Welcome to LA. Rudolph attached Keith Carradine and Mick Jagger (as Betram Strone) and received development funding from David Puttnam; Carolyn Pfeiffer was going to produce. However funding failed to materialize after Puttnam went to make Midnight Express. Puttnam loved the sense of period in the script but felt there was a lack of narrative.[2]
Rudolph kept working on the script with the journalist Jon Bradshaw over ten years.[3] Bradshaw was married to Pfeiffer, who had by this stage made several films with Rudolph. Bradshaw died in November 1986 of a heart attack.[4] Rudolph told Pfeiffer he would make the film for whatever she could raise; she managed to get $3.7 million, $2 million less than the original budget.[1] The bulk of the funds came from Nelson Entertainment. Under the deal, Nelson received foreign theatrical, worldwide video, pay-television, and syndication rights while Alive (Pfeiffer's company) got domestic theatrical rights and a distribution fee.[2]
Meg Tilly was set to play the part of Rachel Stone, but withdrew due to scheduling conflicts. Linda Fiorentino eventually signed on to replace her. Mick Jagger and Sam Shepard were considered to play Bertram Stone, before John Lone was cast. Isabella Rossellini screen-tested for the role of Nathalie de Ville, but lost to Geraldine Chaplin.
The film was shot in Montreal in May 1987 over 35 days.[2] Forger David Stein made six paintings for the film including copies of works by Paul Cézanne, Amedeo Modigliani, and Henri Matisse. Stein waived his normal high fee for the movie because of his enthusiasm for the project; he also played a French critic in the film.[5]
