Razzle Dazzle in India
Razzle Dazzle releases this Friday in
PVR Forum Mall – Bangalore @ 10:05 AM & 6:05 PM
PVR Oberoi Mall, Goregaon – Mumbai @ 9:15 PM
PVR Dynamix Mall, Juhu – Mumbai @ 9:35 pm
Checkout the Director’s statement below:
Razzle Dazzle came about quite by accident. One evening I stumbled across a short story, untitled. It was a 3-page scenario about a desperate stage mother, her name Justine, her desire to see her child succeed at any cost. It was riveting. This brief, incredible story became the foundation of our lead female character. She was driven, dangerous and fantastic. It was from Justine that everything else was born.
Finding an actress to play her would be a challenge. On the one hand, she needed that unconditional and singular obsession with her daughter, and on the other, to betray her own failings, all without playing the clich'© stage mother. There were only two actresses I could see in the role, and one of them was Kerry Armstrong. I remember our first meeting, at Nick Hamon’s casting office in Melbourne. It was one of those encounters in which you’re meeting each other for the first time, testing each other out, exploring ideas. It wasn’t an audition; it was an experiment, and the results were exciting.
What I felt at that mad meeting was only confirmed when we began to work together. We’d spent over two hours pushing Justine one way then the other, Kerry improvising and wrestling with ideas, sometimes playing drunk and singing, at other times being forthright and determined. This pattern of discovery continued until the day we completed our last shot. Never had I met an actress who challenged me or came to a role with so much creative energy. Kerry never stopped thinking about her role, but she also did much more: she thought about the film and the relationships of the characters within the story.
One of the most exciting discoveries was when I read the first draft of the script was the character of Mr Jonathon – a man dedicated to expressing global issues through young dancers. The comedy derived from his view of the world was terrific, yet finding an actor to play him was near impossible. Not until we went to the UK did we discover Ben Miller. From the first moment I knew we’d found our man. It all made sense.
What evolved was something far stronger than anything I ever imagined. Ben was incredible. He was inventive, attacking the role with an inspiring vigour and insight. Not only was he very funny, but his comments on the script and character were intelligent. I suppose that’s to be expected when you work with someone who gave up a PhD in Physics to become an actor.
The choice to work in this genre was immediately obvious. The reality of the world was foremost in my mind, and also the manner in which the comedy needed to be played. Satirical and understated was the tone of this film; yet my affection for the subject, engendered unknowingly by my dance-crazy daughter, found its way into the script and ultimately the film. It is with immense affection that I guide the characters through this story.
We shot the concerts using real dance troupes performing as if in a real eisteddfod. This was an important part of creating a credible frame in which the film could unfold. The detail – especially in the background action – was allowed to evolve naturally. It is the smaller things that the cast do, particularly the background extras, that I believe give the film depth. For example, checking hair; kids refusing to go on or nervously awaiting their turn off stage; parents doting or trying to cajole their child; children playing hand clapping games – small details that all ring true.
To read more on the director’s statement click here.
PRODUCTION NOTES
Shot over just 27 days, Razzle Dazzle was a logistics challenge of some proportion from beginning to end. Not only did the film require an excellent cast to bring the characters to light, but it called for an ensemble cast of 14 children between the ages of 10 and 13 to provide the tableau of Jazzketeers.
Again, to keep the look and feel of the film authentic to the dance world scene, Follington devised a “Chi Chi” make up pack which was given to each of the Jazzketeers with instructions as to the look. This was for the girls and their parents to interpret and apply – just as they would if they were in an actual dance troupe. Similarly the girls were asked to do their own hair for both the class scenes and the competitions.
Having two editors provided a unique opportunity to have two people who brought very different strengths and skills to the editing process. Scenes would be cut independently by each editor, then brought together for discussion, and then they would swap and cut each other’s material. It was a truly collaborative editing process.
Music plays an integral role in Razzle Dazzle. Says Matterson: “It was especially important that the music feel authentic. There were songs that were ‘must haves’ – at every eisteddfod someone always trots out “Mickey” and “Flashdance” – they are in every dance teacher’s repertoire so had to be included in our soundtrack. We were amazed by how enormous the effect music has on this film.”
To read the complete article, please click here
blogged by Shamath Mazumdar, NDTV Lumière
Tags: Razzle Dazzle, World Cinema
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
looks cool!!!
colors and costumes
Dazzling.
I wish it could come in Hyd also..
guys, saw your DVDs at crossword! bought head on.phew! what a movie. waiting for CARAMEL ON DVD
saw quite a few world cinema labels at the store. things are changing!
Hi Anshul,
Caramel in fact would be out on DVD tomorrow along with a bunch of other great titles like :
• 8 1/2
• Short Sharp Shock
• Goodbye Bafana
• La Dolce Vita
• Crossed Tracks
• jour De Fete
• Mon Oncle
• Playtime
• Mr Hulots Holiday
Cheers!
I have heard from credible sources that NDTV Lumiere has sent a legal notice to Enlighten for ‘Children Of Paradise’. Apparently, its an NDTV Lumiere title which Enlighten has ’stolen’. Lets not buy this title till this legal matter is solved as it would be piracy. Also, personally i found Razzle Dazzle to be stunning. I got the last 2 tickets at PVR Juhu as it was housefull.