Screenwriter: Philippa Goslett. Director: Paul Morrison. APT Films, Aria Films, Met Film Production.
Little Ashes Available on DVD Here
I hope Little Ashes won't go the way of Brokeback Mountain which people kept calling a 'gay western'. The movie, starring Robert Pattinson and Javier Beltran, isn't just a gay take on the early love lives of two of the towering artistic geniuses of the twentieth century. Like Brokeback Mountain, the movie's themes are universal and not restricted to questions of sexual orientation.
Link to Robert Pattinson Interview on Little Ashes Here:
It's a story about self-discovery, the struggle for sexual freedom, the challenges of retaining your artistic integrity,and what it means to love.
Against the backdrop of the repression and political turmoil of the years leading up to the Spanish Civil War, two young university students - the surrealist artist Salvador Dali (Robert Pattinson), and Spain's great poet, Frederico Garcia Lorca (Javier Beltran) find themselves increasingly drawn to each other, and their story of complex, forbidden love begins. With them is the legendary avant garde film director Luis Bunuel (Matthew McNulty).
The Kiss - Robert Pattinson and Javier Beltran Clip
Screenwriter: Philippa Goslett. Director: Paul Morrison. APT Films. Aria Films. Factotum Barcelona S.L.Met Film Production. Met Film
And, if you've been reading this site since it started, you'll know how much I bang on about the importance of visual grammar. Study the scene - not just for the kiss - but for how the visuals are contributing to mood, atmosphere, character, story - everything. So I think a special mention needs to go to cinematographer Adam Suschitzky.
The story of lust, love, art and poetry, opens when Dali, Lorca and Bunuel meet as students at a Madrid university in 1922 when a backlash against new, radical ideas about art, politics and sexual identity led to persecution of intellectuals, artists and homosexuals.
In this interpretation of the relationship between Dali and Lorca, which has been the subject of debate for years, the two become more and more fascinated by each other and... I don't want to give any more of the story away!
Link to Interview with Robert Pattinson on Playing Dali
