Uncle

"Moral war nie gefragt in unserer Welt aus künstlichen Kulissen..."

"It's a thin curtain between theater and life..."

..nach einem Stück von Brendan Cole

The idea of an erotic farce set within a theatre company in turn-of-the-century New York brings to mind a wealth of comic associations, most of them involving greasepaint, dressing rooms and large quantities of ham. But, as producer John Penotti explains from the new offices of Greenstreet Films in Tribeca, New York, Illuminata is not so easy to pin down. 

"It was originally intended as a turn-of-the-century Italian erotic farce – it's very provocative, but it would be better described as a turn-of-the-century passionate love story with elements of erotic farce." 

The search for a snappy generic label for the film – directed by writer, producer and star John Turturro – is proving tricky. "It's very sexy – bawdy would go too far, but it's not in the vein of 91/2 Weeks," says Penotti, his tongue stuck for a moment in his cheek. "It's definitely shocking. John Turturro had a lot of fun with the period. He took a lot of liberties. It's not an overtly sexual piece, but it is very provocative." 

To get a flavour of the finished article, try to imagine Christopher Walken as a foppish drama critic who becomes the object of a unique seduction orchestrated by a handsome clown (Bill Irwin). Walken suggested that he should wear an outrageous hairpiece for his role but Turturro persuaded him to make his own hair look like a wig, which is exactly what happened. The result – Walken's most remarkable screen barnet to date. 

Illuminata, originally written for the theatre, arose from the experiences of co-screenwriter Brandon Cole on the play which inspired the movie Mac, Turturro's directorial debut. 

Turturro was attracted to Cole's script and added his own experiences of theatrical life to the project, along with the spirit of his favourite movies. 

"I looked at La regle du jeu, Jean Renoir's masterpiece," recalls Turturro. "I read the script and was struck by the fact that he was inspired by Georges Feydeau's farces and then took that structure to explore serious themes. This, and the intensity of Michael Powell's The Red Shoes, were the starting points for inspiration for me." 

Turturro's reputation helped secure a heavyweight ensemble cast. Beverly D'Angelo and Donal McCann play the theatre owners, Susan Sarandon tackles that most fearsome of luvvies, the aging diva, Ben Gazarra is the company's senior actor, while Turturro himself plays Tuccio, the playwright eager to put on his new work, entitled Illuminata. There's also room for a couple of Brits, Georgina Cates and Rufus Sewell, as well as Katherine Borowitz, who worked with Turturro on Mac. Actors playing actors; a play within a movie; life and art blurring into one – it all sounds a little uncanny. 

"The comedic aspects of the movie may seem overblown, but that's what really happens. The actors had real impetus to draw upon. The machinations that go on with five or six actors in a room, all vying for attention, happened with us but only in a way that served the script – thank God, because it could have been a nightmare," says Penotti. "The ingenue Georgina Cates came into her own because she was pushed by Katherine Borowitz and Susan Sarandon to rise to the occasion – and she did just that." 

Making his screen debut with the established actors is circus performer Leo Bassi as the veteran clown Beppo. "In the movie he spins an armoire on his feet," explains Penotti. "The audience will think it's made of balsa wood but in fact it's a real armoire." 

Bassi, evidently a bit of a joker in real life, conned the Mayor of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and has been arrested 11 times in Paris. Exactly what he was up to in the French capital is unclear. Apart from curbing Bassi's natural urges to juggle furniture and deceive local bigwigs, Penotti's greatest challenge was in turning the clock back 90-odd years. 

"When John first imagined the film, he was thinking about shooting in Italy and Portugal on a much broader scale. The trick was finding a way to do it in New York City – from a practical point of view the actors mostly live here. We found some key locations just outside of New York, including a beautiful turn-of-the-century theatre (Loew's movie palace) in Jersey City. As it turned out, it was better than the venues we scouted in Portugal and Italy – and it was in our back yard." 

Production Notes

Ever since Shakespeare's observation that "all the world's a stage," the theater has provided writers and artists an irresistible metaphor of the human condition. In ILLUMINATA, director/writer/actor John Turturro explores the classic theme with a surprisingly contemporary love story set in turn-of-the-century New York.

"It's a slender curtain between theater and life," observes the tempestuous diva Celimene (Susan Sarandon), one of the many colorful characters around whom the story of ILLUMINATA swirls. Appropriately enough, ILLUMINATA began as a theater piece, inspired by co-screenwriter Brandon Cole's experience working on the play which eventually became MAC, Turturro's directorial debut and winner of the Camera d'Or prize at Cannes. "I knew there was something about an acting company worth looking into," says Cole, and that was the beginning of a play called 'Imperfect Love,' subsequently re-titled 'Illuminata."' Turturro was immediately attracted to Cole's script, which combined a romantic love story with the structural elements of a classical farce.

In ILLUMINATA, Turturro explores how one co-exists in a relationship that is both public and private and encompasses love and work. "It's a story I know something about," says Turturro, who worked extensively on stage before embarking on a film career. "It's the world I love; it's something that is obviously close to myself, my co-writer Brandon Cole, my designer Donna Zakowska and just about everyone else involved in this particular project. Much of the film is drawn from personal experiences, past and present. If one person becomes famous and the other person goes unnoticed (and not for lack of talent, let's say), what does that do to a relationship, a friendship? I wanted to take the themes of the play and some of its dialogue that we could reapply and turn it into pure cinema. For me, Katherine's (Borowitz) face and sensibility, delicate but strong, intelligent and graceful, and her modesty were the inspiration, the soul of the piece. I tried to build everything around her," continues Turturro.

"I looked at "Rules of the Game"- Jean Renior's masterpiece, read the script of it and was struck by the fact that he was inspired by Georges Feydeau's farces and then took that structure to explore serious themes. This and the intensity of Michael Powell's "The Red Shoes" were the starting points for inspiration for me. If you can entertain someone, make them even laugh perhaps, (and that's a big if) then they, the audience, are open to traveling to new places, new emotions. The world of the theater allows you instant metaphor. Of course, I knew it was all very ambitious but it was a force that took me away and never let go. And we invented a whole new cast of characters to come along with us. We laid out a structure, that I continued to revise after many readings."

"We set it at the turn of the century because it was a time here in America and all over the world when the stage was the dominant form of entertainment... when the theatre was as popular as cinema today." In 1905, New York was teeming with live theatre, including serious drama, musicals, vaudeville, and burlesque. "It's a story that is universal, that could be placed anywhere, that is as modern as it is historical. One that celebrates life in all its forms. And this is what interested me in trying to do it."

Turturro and Cole finished the first draft of their screenplay in 1994, but the turning point in ILLUMINATA's evolution came with the formation of a partnership with producer John Penotti, co-founder of GreeneStreet Films, Inc., who had most recently produced I'M NOT RAPPAPORT and A PRICE ABOVE RUBIES.

"I was looking for a unique movie," says Penotti, "I chose ILLUMINATA because it's set in a romantic and classical time period but has all the elements of a modern love story, one with passion, comedy, and integrity."

Turturro easily communicated his enthusiasm for the project to an impressive roster of actors. "John's got unbelievable energy," says producer Penotti, "a natural state of heightened awareness. Instead of exhausting people with his energy, he invigorates them." The film's backstage theme additionally had a built-in appeal for performers. Securing the services of Susan Sarandon, who had just won the Best Actress Academy Award for DEAD MEN WALKING, was a major coup for an independent film. Penotti believes that Sarandon, who is perfectly cast as the lustful diva, brings mystery and charm to her portrayal of a scheming actress who will stop at nothing to steal Tuccio, and the leading role in his play.

In what is, arguably, the showiest role in a film bursting with showy characters, Christopher Walken appears as Umberto Bevalaqua, a flamboyant drama critic. Walken, who enjoys playing "wild and crazy people," originally wanted Bevalaqua to wear an outrageous wig, but Turturro suggested that Walken make his real hair look like a wig (which he did quite successfully). Walken had previously acted with Turturro in the film SEARCH AND DESTROY, and found both experiences to be positive ones. "When you work with a director who's also an actor," says Walken, "it's always a good experience." While he relished the chance to play a pompous critic, he is quick to point out that he harbors no personal animosity for the profession. "On the whole, critics have been very nice to me," Walken laughs.

Ben Gazzara immediately agreed to take the role of Old Flavio, a veteran actor with a touch of amnesia who lands himself in jail. "This is the first picture about an acting troupe in a long time," says Gazzara. "It's charming, literate, sexy, about people and humor.

As Astergourd, co-owner of the theater that bears her name, Beverly D'Angelo immersed herself in period research. "I knew very little about 1905, and the research I did fascinated me." D'Angelo took special inspiration from the story of Anne Horniman, a wealthy heiress and member of the Order of the Golden Dawn, a secret occult society of the Victorian era. On the basis of tarot card readings, Hornaman founded Dublin's Abbey Theatre, establishing the model for modern repertory companies. "Before women had the vote, they had to find other means to express themselves," D'Angelo notes. Paradoxically, she says, "even though this period was very restrictive for women, I found it very freeing as an actress." The heavy corseting, for instance, provided an immediate shift of perspective. "I tortured myself into a 23-inch waist!" she laughs.

The cast and crew especially appreciated the contributions of acclaimed performer Bill Irwin as Marco, the reluctant object of Bevalaqua's lustful attentions. Producer Penotti praised Irwin's versatility, dedication and much-acclaimed talent for physical comedy.

Design elements were crucial to the period film. Meticulous planning began over a year before pre-production officially began, in the spring of 1997. The enthusiastic crew sustained their momentum through a production that began in July and lasted through late September. To capture the period ambience, Turturro worked closely with cinematographer Harris Savides (who most recently shot THE GAME), production designer Robin Standefer (ADDICTED TO LOVE) and costume designer Donna Zakowska (who previously worked with Turturro on MAC).

Utilizing turn-of-the-century landmark sites in and around New York, Savides economically created a lush mise-en-scene. The old Loew's movie palace in Jersey City was used for various scenes; its gilt-and-velvet ornamentation and detail gave the setting an air of old-world grandeur. Similar magic was found in a seemingly ordinary building on a tree-lined Brooklyn street. The grand architecture of the Montauk Club, a former men's club with regal stained glass and a high concrete stoop provided a perfect facade for the Astergourd theater.

A particular challenge was creating the stage set for the play-within-the-movie, "Illuminata." Turturro arrived at an evocative concept that combined the techniques of nineteenth century stagecraft with a modern, almost avant-garde design sense. The result is a metaphorical reflection of the timeless relationship between Tuccio and Rachel, speaking eloquently to both our time, and to theirs.

Costume designer Donna Zakowska began her arduous work a year prior to shooting. Nearly 80 original, lavish costumes were designed and built for the principal cast in styles ranging from the rustic to the romantic.

Turturro also recruited some significant talent from outside the world of film and theater. Having decided that the scherzo from the Brahms Trio in B major was needed for a key scene, the director called his old friend, the renowned pianist Misha Dichter, telling him "I told you if I ever used classical music in a film, I'd give you a call!" Dichter in turn called his friend Peter Oundjian, a violinist-turned-conductor, who then recruited cellist Marina Hoover. The trio make their film debut performing for a reception following an opening night at the Astergourd.

Turturro dispensed with formal casting sessions, and instinctively picked his actors outright. In the process, he made some imaginative, non-traditional decisions. The French journalist Henri Behar was given the small but memorable role as Celimene's loyal secretary. Leo Bassi, a real-life performer who hails from a long line of European circus performers, was brilliantly cast as the theater's robust clown.

A particularly original, magical touch is the use of exquisitely crafted rod puppets in the opening and closing credits. The fascinating, startlingly realistic figures are the work of Roman Paska, and effortlessly encapsulate the film's thematic interplay of imagination and reality.