02/02/2007

Two mainstream European films are among today’s six new openers: French children’s film Arthur and the Invisibles [+see also:
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film profile] by Richard Eyre, released on 350 screens by 20th Century Fox.

Arthur and the Invisibles [+see also:
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The independent distribution company has the right financial muscle to support Arthur [+see also:
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film profile] with a heavy marketing campaign and print run, and the presence of Madonna (who lent her voice to Princess Selenia) should help attract the core children’s audience and cover the negative noise from UK reviewers.

The singer, who lives in London and was among the numerous VIPs who attended the film’s UK premiere on January 25, and Luc Besson also held a post-screening Q&A at London’s National Film Theatre last Saturday. Other actors/singers with star appeal lending their voices to Arthur [+see also:
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Targeting a totally different audience, Notes on a Scandal [+see also:
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Screening out of competition at the upcoming Berlinale, the film reunites UK filmmaker Eyre and Dench five years after Iris. The psychological thriller, written by Patrick Marber (nominated for an Oscar for his work), is based on Zoe Heller’s novel What Was She Thinking. Dench plays a lonely and bitter London schoolteacher who develops an obsession for the school’s new art teacher (Blanchett). However, their ambiguous friendship soon turns sour.

The film was produced in the UK by DNA Films with Scott Rubin in the US for 20th Century Fox. The UK Film Council and BBC Films also co-financed the film.