'Nights In Rodanthe' tells of love's second chances

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‘Nights In Rodanthe’ tells of love's second chances LOS ANGELES (Reuters)— When romantic thriller "Unfaithful" debuted in theatres in May 2002, odds were that it would be quickly forgotten because it opened in the summer season against action-filled competitors such as "Spider-Man" But the pairing of Richard Gere and Diane Lane won the hearts of audiences. "Unfaithful" pulled in a strong $119 million at global box offices, and the film about a mesmerizing married couple earned Lane an Oscar nomination. Gere and Lane are together again this Friday in romance "Nights in Rodanthe," and it is easy to see that the on-screen chemistry between the two translates to real life. Despite spending little time together outside work, Gere, 59, and Lane, 43, talk like old friends and finish each other's sentences when discussing love, life, and career at middle-age, which are key elements of "Nights in Rodanthe." "You get a little bit tired around 40 and you think, 'Have I earned some momentum that I can coast with my, thus far, good deeds.' But there are no days off," Lane told Reuters. "You still have 20, 30, 40 more years of stuff to learn, of growth," Gere added in a joint interview. "And something to offer," Lane finished. "Nights In Rodanthe" is based on the Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, and it follows his other books such as "The Notebook" and "A Walk to Remember" that went from novel to movie. Gere and Lane play lonely stran-

gers thrown together at a deserted seaside inn on the North Carolina coast as a storm, both real and emotional, bears down on them. Unbending doctor Paul Flanner (Gere) and brittle artist Adrienne Willis (Lane) turn to each other to survive the tempests around them and make fresh starts in their lives—neither of which turned out as they had hoped. The pair said the flirtation between Paul and Adrienne is different than each would have played in their younger years. Indeed, "Rodanthe" treats love like an ongoing conversation that can be as riveting as it is life changing. "It's very respectful and very balanced. The balance is toward friendship as opposed to erotic fantasy, and I like that," Gere said. "They actually were talking to each other." "...And listening, and learning," Lane said. Like their on-screen characters, the two actors say they seem fated to have found one another—on film at least. "I don't think there is any question that we have prehistory," Gere said of Lane. "We are not together. We are not married (but) I have no doubt we have many lifetimes of history between us." "The music is harmonious between us," Lane said, laughing. "We dance in every movie we make—metaphorically and not metaphorically." In their real lives, Gere is married to actress Carey Lowell, and Lane is married to actor Josh Brolin.

FALLING IN LOVE: Paul (Richard Gere) and Adrienne (Diane Lane) in a scene from “Nights in Rodanthe.”

Independent film review: ‘The Man from London’

FILM NOIR: A scene from the artistically shot “The Man from London” screening this week at the MoMA. FORTISSIMO FILMS

By JOE BENDEL

Special to the Epoch Times

Although Belgian Georges Simenon’s crime fiction often had strong psychological components, his novels still might seem to be unlikely source material for Hungarian art-house director Béla Tarr. Indeed, some will surely wish Simenon’s most famous character, Inspector Maigret, was on

hand to spur the action along in Tarr’s painstakingly deliberate adaptation of “The Man from London,” screening this week at New York’s Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). In an exquisitely fi lmed opening tracking shot, we see the nocturnal world of Maloin, the railway switchman at a seaport station. Given the late hour and foggy ambiance, it seems like anyone about must be up

to something nefarious. Indeed, the two shadowy figures moving in and out of Maloin’s field of vision eventually scuffle over a suitcase, sending one permanently into the drink. When the coast is clear, Maloin ventures down to fish out their suitcase, which he discovers is full of British pounds. So we have our MacGuffi n and the game’s a foot, right? Not exactly. London is a master class in the use of light and shadow, but not in breakneck thriller pacing. Tarr’s shots are meticulously composed and Fred Kelemen’s black-and-white cinematography is arresting. Every still of the fi lm is worthy of framing. However, pulling viewers through the story is clearly not their priority. For the most part, the actors, like Czech Miroslav Krobot as Maloin, are just props for Tarr, walking in and out of his scenes as needed. American audiences will recognize Tilda Swinton as Maloin’s wife, Camélia, but it is a largely thankless role. However, Hungarian actor István Lénárt provides the fi lm’s only spark of energy as Morrison, an elegantly sinister British in-

vestigator, reminiscent of the sort of roles Alec Guinness (Obi Wan Kenobi from “Star Wars”) excelled at late in his career. Tarr plays games with perception and implies more than he shows. Yet, “London” adopts enough of the trappings of a fi lm noir mystery that it is not unfair to judge it in that context. Though never explicitly stated, the setting seems vaguely French, shot on location in Corsica. A notoriously cursed project, there may have been more intrigue behind the scenes of “London,” than on the screen. The suicide of the original French producer led to a long hiatus in production, as the Hungarian-French-GermanU.K. fi nancing became even more complicated. The result is a fascinating exasperation of a viewing experience that screens at MoMA through Sunday. Joe Bendel blogs on jazz and cultural issues at www.jbspins. blogspot.com, and coordinated the Jazz Foundation of America's instrument donation campaign for musicians displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

Sony Ericsson to roll out music service in weeks COPENHAGEN (Reuters)— Sony Ericsson will launch a mobile phone service with unlimited music downloads within weeks, the company said on Tuesday, as it competes with Nokia in expanding business beyond the sale of handsets. Sony Ericsson's Play Now Plus, which will be available solely through telecoms operators, will provide subscribers access to millions of songs, and users can keep up to 300 songs after their 6-18 month contracts end. "In a few weeks' time this serv-

ice will be available with Telenor," Sony Ericsson's marketing head Lennard Hoornik told reporters as he outlined plans for the launch at a media event in Copenhagen. He said Telenor will initially launch the service in Sweden and expand to other Western European countries in the middle of the 2009 first quarter and to other parts of the world in the second quarter. "It is a further music offer in an increasingly crowded market, designed to compete with Nokia's Comes with Music," said Paolo Pescatore, analyst with research

firm CCS Insight. Users of Nokia's Comes with Music service, which will begin on October 17 in Britain, can download and keep unlimited amounts of music for a year. The service is expected to cost up to 70 pounds extra on top of the phone price. Nokia has not commented on the price of the service, but analysts expect it to reach consumers with free phone offers from operators if clients sign up for 12- or 24month contracts. "In the long term music lovers will clearly be drawn to devices

which will come with unlimited access to music. It is such an attractive proposition," Rob Lewis, the head of Omnifone, a technology partner for Sony Ericsson, told Reuters. The Play Now Plus service will cost 99 Swedish crowns a month, a Telenor executive told journalists at the event. Cellphone makers are seeking additional revenues from outside the maturing handset business, where price battles are getting tougher and consumer demand is slowing.

MICHAEL TACKETT/WARNER BROS. PICTURES

Clooney and ‘ER’ return? Thanks, but no thanks, says the star LOS ANGELES (Reuters)— The producers of hospital drama "ER" are hoping to entice George Clooney back for the show's upcoming fi nal season, even though Clooney has said he's not interested in putting his scrubs on one more time. "ER" executive producer David Zabel told TV Guide that story lines had been dreamed up for the show's 15th and last season for all major past characters, including Clooney's Dr. Ross and his old flame, nurse Carol Hathaway, played by Julianna Margulies. In an interview with TV Guide released on Monday, Zabel told the magazine he was "optimistic that we might be able to get them all. We have a really good story line for every (major) character from the past to show (the actors) what we want to do." Anthony Edwards, whose character, Dr. Mark Greene, died of brain cancer in May 2002, has already agreed to return in flashback scenes this season, along with Laura Innes (Dr. Weaver), Paul McCrane (Dr. Romano, who also died) and Noah Wyle (Dr. John Carter). But Clooney hasn't been tempted yet. "He is on record as saying he is not coming back," said Clooney's publicist, Stan Rosenfield, on Monday. "It is something he has already done. He is busy

NO RETURN: Actor George Clooney has initially declined to return to “ER,” the show that launched his career. FREDERICK M. BROWN/GETTY IMAGES

making movies." "ER" launched the career of Clooney as a matinee idol after he left the regular cast in 1999 to pursue his movie career full time. He returned for a surprise cameo in May 2000 marking the departure of Margulies from the show after six seasons. The groundbreaking series, set in the emergency room of the fictional Chicago-based County General Hospital, was the top-rated drama on U.S. television for several years but ratings have slipped in recent years. The series will end with a two-hour fi nale in May 2009, preceded by a one-hour retrospective.