January 2003
Masked & Anonymous:
The Reviews
CultureDose.com
- A Good Review!!! - Bob Dylan: New Shakespeare of the Movies
The
Globe & Mail: Dylan unmasked as movie's writer
Chicago
Sun -Times: Sundance's biggest star by Roger Ebert
Salt
Lake Tribune: Dylan Ducks Out
LA
Times: Making Movies
Daily
Telegraph - It's Been A Hard Reign
Aint-It-Cool-News
- Masked & Anonymous with Bob Dylan!
Rocky
Mountain News - Mystique takes a hit in Dylan's 'Masked'
Detroit
Free Press - Not masked or anonymous, but pretty well covered
UseNet
- Masked and Anonymous - a review
UseNet
- I think I'll stop raving now
Masked & Anonymous
Premieres at Sundance
Loads of first night coverage on web and paper media. Here's a selection:
The Salt Lake Tribune: Photo:
Sundance Sight
Jam!
Showbiz: Cast just a-blowin' in Sundance wind
Europemedia.net:
Microsoft fetes Hollywood at Sundance
13 pictures at Yahoo!
News Pictures
37 photos at WireImage.com
- search for 'Bob Dylan'
Premier
Night Out - Sky News
Masked and Anonymous Web Site Launches!
http://www.maskedandanonymous-themovie.com/
complete with 2 video clips, pictures and a mailing list!
Sundance Press
Coverage
As the Sundance Premier draws ever closer the press coverage begins
to crank up. In true 'Expecting Rain' stule I'll just include links to
general stories but will expand on anything new or interesting...
Sundance
hopefuls set to face the music - bayarea.com
Billboard
Bits: Bob Dylan - billboard.com (rehash of distribution rights story)
Promising
films set the scene at Sundance - boston.com
Dylan's
Masked & Anonymous gets distro - cinescape.com
Sundance:
MASKED AND ANONYMOUS - aint-it-cool-news.com
Sony Snags
Dylan's Masked & Anonymous - filmforce.com
IMDb Masked and
Anonymous page
The
Internet Movie Database has launched its Maked &Anonymous page,
confirming the cast list and character names:
Bob Dylan .... Jack Fate; John Goodman .... Uncle Sweetheart; Jessica
Lange .... Nina Veronica; Luke Wilson .... Bobby Cupid;
Jeff Bridges .... Tom Friend; Penélope Cruz .... Pagan Lace; Angela
Bassett .... Mistress; Steven Bauer; Bruce Dern;
Alex Désert .... Nestor; Treva Etienne; Dan Frischman .... Eddie
Quicksand; Laura Elena Harring (as Laura Harring);
Ed Harris; Shawn Michael Howard .... Nestor; Val Kilmer; Reggie Lee ....
Armed Man; Antonio David Lyons .... Government Soldier;
Cheech Marin; Chris Penn; Giovanni Ribisi; Mickey Rourke .... The President;
Sam Sarpong
.... Blunt;
Jon Sklaroff .... The young Jack Fate; Christian Slater; Shirley Jones
(III) .... Third-World Prostitute (uncredited)
Dylan Film
Picked Up by Distributor
The
Hollywood Reporter tells us that with 'Only one week before it premieres
at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival, the Bob Dylan flick Masked &
Anonymous has been acquired by distributor Sony Pictures Classics.
This
marks the beginning of what is sure to be a frenzy of wheeling and dealing
at the festival, as studios try to snap up promising films for distribution.
Anonymous has been widely anticipated, and not just because it's Dylan's
first major feature-film role since 1987's Hearts of Fire. Sony
Pictures co-presidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard told The Hollywood
Reporter, "Bob is a legendary artist who has created a loyal
and profound following; this is a film that audiences will embrace and
is relevant to the times." '
December 2002
Masked and Anonymous confirmed
for Sundance
Premiere of Masked and Anonymous would
appear to be scheduled for 6:00pm on 22 January 2003 at the Eccles Centre
as part of next years Sundance Festival. It's listed as a 'Centrepiece
Premier' - check out the listing at the Sundance
Site. If you can't access the 5MB+ pdf file (the on-line list isn't
available yet) Dag has kindly put the relevant page up at his
NorthCountryBlues site.
The write up promises much, and suggests there's a finished film in the
can: 'There is such a creative audacity to Masked and Anonymous, such
a flow of ideas and provocations, transported by a literal barage of wit,
performance and, of course, song that one comes away from the challenge
of this rather singular undertaking provoked by its elements and satiated
by its feats.'
The picture from the programme can be seen on the Masked
and Anonymous Photo Page.
October 2002
Penelope Cruz interview
Penelepe
Crus was on UK TV today promoting the 'Voices of Hope' charity CD. She
mentioned she'd just made a film with Dylan but suggested she didn't share
any screen time with him. She caught up with him at their dentist where
she persuaded him to take part!
All Quiet...
Well into post-production and all is quiet regarding Masked &
Anonymous. I expect it to stay that way until a preview trailer is
released, though I've no idea when that might be. The cast have also been
fairly quiet on the filming, though Jessica Lange referred to the filming
at a recent Spanish
Press Conference as being one of her recent 'most rewarding experiences'
August 2002
Larry Campbell
has spent part the summer working on the set of "Masked and Anonymous"
The web site of band member Larry
Campbell promises some more backstage pictures from the film set.
Not there yet (1 August) but promised 'in a few days'. These
photos are now on-line!
July 2002
Dylan takes the
stage and screen in 'Masked' By Edna Gundersen,
USA
TODAY
In Masked and Anonymous, Bob Dylan is cast against type as underachieving
cult singer Jack Fate, a weary troubadour mustering energies for a final
benefit concert. The movie, due next spring, also draws on the reality-based
iconic Dylan in relating a futuristic tragicomic myth that director Larry
Charles dubs "Shakespeare told by John Cassavetes." Dylan will
be unmasked in Masked, Charles promises.
"The irony is, I didn't want him to fully lose himself in his character,
which has the laconic quality of a film-noir or spaghetti-Western hero,"
he says. "I wanted him to draw upon his thoughts, memories, emotions
and his incredible history to infuse the character. He doesn't relate
to himself as the powerful force we see. To me, Bob is like a post-apocalyptic
Humphrey Bogart in this movie."
Though better known in film circles for the groundbreaking 1967 documentary
Don't Look Back, Dylan adopted fictional personas for 1973's Pat Garrett
and Billy the Kid, 1978's Renaldo and Clara and 1987's Hearts of Fire.
His return to the big screen attracted a slew of Hollywood brand names
eager to work with the bard. The cast boasts John Goodman, Jeff Bridges,
Penelope Cruz, Jessica Lange, Angela Bassett and Luke Wilson, plus cameos
by Val Kilmer, Chris Penn, Mickey Rourke, Christian Slater and Ed Harris.
They provided "a crash course in acting" for Dylan, says Charles,
whose first film follows a decade of writing, directing and producing
TV series from Seinfeld and Mad About You to Curb Your Enthusiasm. Masked
and Anonymous, the first project by Spitfire Productions, finished shooting
last week in Los Angeles with Dylan's lively performance of rock, gospel
and country tunes. As Fate would have it, a soundtrack is inevitable.
Rex Features has more photos from the
set.
HOLLYWOOD
(Variety) By Army Archerd, Daily Variety Senior Columnist
'There was a special Bob Dylan concert Thursday.(17 July). It was
not on the tour, although he was joined by regular band members
Larry Campbell, Tony Garnier, George Recile and Charlie Sexton. The "concert"
was for Dylan's final scene in "Masked and Anonymous,"
which was filming on Stage 6 of Ray-Art Studios in Canoga Park. Among
the songs he played/recorded for the film -- the traditional "Dixie.".
But he also played "If You See Her, Say Hello", "I'll Remember
You", "Dirt Road Blues" and some new songs yet to be recorded
-- on both electric and acoustic guitars. The all-star film is being shot
with 24-frame digital cameras by Larry
Charles, making his feature bow following dozens of TV successes (including
two Emmys for "Seinfeld"). He says the footage looks
fabulous. Many of the cast, although not working Thursday, returned to
the set to catch the filming of the Dylan concert. They included Ed Harris,
Val Kilmer, Steven Bauer and Jessica Lange.
In the story, set sometime in the future, John Goodman plays Uncle Sweetheart,
the manager of Dylan's character Jack Fate. Goodman
described the manager as "a combination Don King and Colonel Tom
Parker." Goodman drove out from New Orleans to play the role. "I'm
still pinching myself that I'm in this movie with him."
Besides Dylan's obvious musical talent -- "He's always singing between
takes -- and he's very funny" -- Goodman allows, he took the role
"as a labor of love." The same could be said for the rest of
the cast, as producer Nigel Sinclair told me the film is budgeted "below
$10 million and above $5(million)." And the cast is paid "on
an appropriate working formula to share proceeds" -- plus Dylan's
share with his Destiny Prods. Sinclair, who produces with Jeff Rosen for
Spitfire Prods., says they were able to assemble the cast because of director
Charles' relationship with Dylan.
The six major players are Dylan, Goodman, Lange, Luke Wilson, Jeff Bridges,
Penelope Cruz. The supporting players: Harris, Kilmer, Angela Bassett,
Giovanni Ribisi, Mickey Rourke, Bruce Dern, Christian Slater,Chris Penn,
Cheech Marin and Bauer.
In addition to the finale concert, Dylan and his music are heard throughout
the film's story. With no release deal made, they hope to
launch it next year at Sundance.'
Missed the set photos? - Here's TV Talkin's Masked
and Anonymous Photo Page!
17 July 2002 - If things went to schedule, shooting for 'Masked
and Anonymous' wrapped (as they say in the movie business) today.
Three More Photos from the shoot (at DylanTree)
from Star magazine
Bob
and Penelope Cruz #1
Bob
and Penelope Cruz #2
Bob
and Penelope Cruz #3
Jon Sklaroff (Sympatico)
(thanks to Derek for the link)
'Jon Sklaroff has been added to the cast of Intermedia Films' "Masked
& Anonymous" for director Larry Charles. In the film, Bob
Dylan stars as Jack Fate, whom Sklaroff will play as a young boy. His
credits include "Three Kings" and "Life Without
Dick."'
Presumably this is the boy who will sing 'Times They Are-a Changin''?
Various sources confirm shooting is due to wrap on 17 July 2002.
NEW YORK POST -- Dylan Tries The Screen Again (5 July)
Usual rehash of the Daily Telegraph story (see below) but includes
a Mickey Rourke quote that 'Dylan is doing an incredible ****ing job'.
We also learn that 'Rourke plays a post-apocalyptic president of the
United States and Dylan's childhood friend... For the past two years Dylan
has been developing the BBC-funded flick, based on a short story by Enrique
Morales, with "Seinfeld" co-producer Larry Charles, who's
also directing. Dylan has kept the $15 million project shrouded in secrecy,
but it reportedly will feature 40 minutes of live concert footage...
The
Guardian (UK, 5 July) Speculates on what 'Masked and Anonymous'
might be like...
Post on rec.music.dylan
newsgroup from someone who reckons they've read the script... could
be a hoax, but an interesting read nontheless!
Variety.com (1 July)
'The Bob Dylan movie "Masked & Anonymous," a darkly
poetic tale of a singer who has fallen from grace will mark the first
production for Guy East and Nigel Sinclair's new shingle, Spitfire Pictures.'
Jeff Bridges
on 'Masked and Anonymous' (jeffbridges.com)
'I landed a cool gig! I'm doing a movie with bob Dylan. It's called
'Masked and Anonymous'. It's got a great cast, including John Goodman,
Jessica Lange, Luke Wilson, Penelope Cruz, Christian Slater, Chris Penn,
Bruce Dern, Cheech Marin, Fred Ward, Val Kilmer, Mickey Rourke, Susan
Tyrell, Angela Bassett and Ed Harris. It's going to be shot on DV (Digital
Video), a first for me. I haven't made a movie in about a year and this
one, happily, has a sort of 'Our Gang' (Lil' Rascals) vibe to it... you
know 'Come on, let's make a movie'. Our director, Larry Charles, is one
of the Creators of 'Seinfeld'. I find it's a real interesting gathering
of creative souls - I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of bird this
egg will hatch.'
Variety Magazine (via Yahoo!)
Ed Harris and Giovanni Ribisi are the latest to join the Bob Dylan
movie "Masked & Anonymous," a darkly poetic tale
of a singer who has fallen from grace. Also set for the film's high-powered
ensemble cast are Jeff Bridges, Penelope Cruz, John Goodman, Jessica Lange,
Luke Wilson and Angela Bassett. Harris and Ribisi will take supporting
roles, along with Steven Bauer, Bruce Dern, Laura Harring, Val Kilmer,
Cheech Marin, Chris Penn, Mickey Rourke, Richard Sarafian, Christian Slater
and Fred Ward.
"Seinfeld" veteran Larry Charles will direct the film, which
is targeting a release in the first half of 2003. The filmmakers hope
to take it to Sundance or Cannes next year. Shooting will finish July
15, about which time Dylan will record a concert for the film in Los Angeles.
Nascent firm Spitfire Pictures. will co-finance "Anonymous"
with Intermedia Films and BBC Films, and co-produce with Destiny Prods.
and the BBC.
Masked & Anonymous Adds Harris & Ribisi (1 July) (Comingsoon.net)
The Hollywood Reporter says that Ed Harris and Giovanni Ribisi
have been added to the roster of talent in Masked & Anonymous.
June 2002
Penelope Cruz discusses her role in 'Elle'
Magazine
Cruz has
signed on to play a disturbed young woman in Masked and Anonymous,
an offbeat ensemble drama starring Jessica Lange, Luke Wilson, and Bob
Dylan as a jailed troubadour. With Masked, Cruz.....will finally get a
chance to play more than just sexy onscreen. "Everybody is really
weirdmy character talks to herself," she says. "Ive
never seen anything like this movie, and Ive never done anything
like it."
First Pictures
from the set of 'Maked And Anonymous'!!
(Rex Features Picture Agency - Thanks to Christian for the link)
Bob
with stetson 1
Bob
with stetson 2
Bob with
stetson 3
Bob with
stetson 4
John
Goodman 1
John
Goodman 2
John
Goodman 3
John
Goodman 4
Billboard
- Filming will have to be complete by August as Bob announces US Tour
kicking off on 3rd August.
Film
Journal (more plot info)
"Bob Dylan, Penelope Cruz, Jessica Lange and Luke Wilson will
star in Masked & Anonymous, the story of a disgraced singer
who is forced to return to the stage for a final benefit concert. Written
by Rene Fontaine and Sergy Petrov, the Intermedia picture marks the feature
directing debut of Seinfeld writer-producer Larry Charles."
Dylan film attracts all-star cast By Nigel Reynolds, Arts Correspondent
(Daily
Telegraph 24/6/02)
Penelope Cruz, the girlfriend of Tom Cruise and one of the world's
most sought after actresses, has agreed to appear in a BBC-funded film
starring Bob Dylan for basic Equity rates. Dylan, still on an almost perpetual
tour at the age of 61, is reviving his film career after a gap of almost
15 years. The BBC-produced venture's high-octane cast includes Jessica
Lange, Jeff Bridges, Christian Slater, John Goodman, Val Kilmer and Mickey
Rourke. Most were so keen to appear with the rock legend, who brought
out his first album 40 years ago, that they have agreed to appear for
minimum rates or for pay deferments.
Shooting for Masked and Anonymous, an independent film with a budget
of less than $10 million (£6.9 million), started in secret last
week. David Thompson, the head of BBC Films, which is co-producing the
project with the new American firm Spitfire Pictures, said yesterday that
other well-known stars had wanted to be in the film but that there were
not enough parts for them all. Though Dylan's acting record is unexceptional,
his reputation has been boosted by two recent successful albums after
a long period in the musical wilderness, prompting some of Hollywood's
finest actors to fall over themselves to appear alongside him. The anthem
writer of the 1960s protest movement is the central character, playing
an ageing rock singer, Jack Fate - not himself, but not unlike himself.
The film will feature at least 30 minutes of Dylan performing several
of his classics plus, it is believed, at least one new song.
It is set in apocalyptic times in an unnamed country - which could easily
be the United States - where order and morality have broken down. Dylan
is released from prison to play one last stadium concert in an attempt
to save the world. He is surrounded by corrupt politicians and manipulative
business men with other agendas. One of his greatest numbers, The Times
They Are A Changin', will be sung by a young boy. Cruz plays a prostitute
and the girlfriend of Bridges, a journalist. Lange is a cynical concert
promoter and Goodman is Fate's agent in the screenplay based on a short
story by Enrique Morales.
Dylan, who has spent a lifetime cultivating an air of mystery, is believed
to have wanted filming to begin with no publicity or fanfare. He had been
quietly developing the film, with director Larry Charles, co-producer
of the television series Seinfeld, for about two years.
They hope to show it at the Sundance or Cannes film festivals next year,
and that the combination of music and actors will turn it into a cult
classic.
Dylan's appeal may be more than just music - one body of opinion compares
his lyrics favourably with those of Keats and some scholars regularly
lobby for him to be given the Nobel Prize for Literature - but his screen
career has not been a conspicuous success.
His last two big films, Renaldo and Clara (1978) with Joan Baez,
and Hearts of Fire (1987) with the late Ian Dury and Rupert Everett,
were dismissed by the critics as turkeys. His best role was probably as
Alias, a mysteriously silent troubador who spends most of his time picking
his teeth with a knife in Sam Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy The
Kid (1973). The singer has not told his collaborators why he wants
to make the new film. But they believe that the big success of his last
two albums, Time Out Of Mind and Love And Theft, and an
Oscar last year for best original sound in the Michael Douglas film Wonder
Boys, have buoyed him up and left him seeking new challenges. "The
film is going to be terribly exciting" Mr Thompson said. "It
is very bold, not heavy and portentous but very witty and wry. I think
you can tell from the calibre of the people who want to work with him,
and how quickly they agreed to come on board, that his reputation is still
enormous."
Irish Times (20/6/02)
"In one of his rare movie roles, Bob Dylan is taking the starring
role in Masked and Anonymous, which started shooting this week
in Los Angeles. The first feature directed by Larry Charles, the film
is described as a fable-like musical drama set in a nameless country wracked
by an endless and senseless civil war in which all have forgotten what
they are fighting about. Dylan stars as Jack Fate, a washed up singer
wrestling with his personal demons on the eve of his final benefit concert,
a massive event intended to revive his career and to bring peace to the
country. the movie will feature 40 minutes of music from Dylan. including
new songs written specially for the film.the eclectic cast also included
Jessica Luke Wilson, Penelope Cruz, Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Mickey
Rourke, Angela Bassett and Val Kilmer."
LA Daily News
(5/6/02)
Reports that production is set to begin on 17 June 2002 and last about
a month - there are currently two roles still uncast - the role of Fate's
father and a young girl who will sing 'The times they are a-changin'
whilst holding a gun...
E-Drive
Gossip
Mulholland Drive's Laura Harring rumoured to be appearing.
Angela
Bassett joins the cast. "Bassett, currently working on the Bob
Dylan musical drama Masked & Anonymous with Penelope Cruz,
Jessica Lange and Jeff Bridges." (USA Today)
Bassett will play Mistress, who has a past with Fate.
May 2002
Penelope Cruz,
Jeff Bridges and Jessica Lange join the cast.
Hello! Magazine
- "Cruz is about to kick off filming with American music legend Bob
Dylan on Masked And Anonymous - a comedy about a musician released
from prison for one last concert, also starring John Goodman, Jessica
Lange and Jeff Bridges."
jessicalange.net:
"May 2, 2002: Penelope Cruz, Jessica Lange and Luke Wilson will star
opposite Bob Dylan in "Masked & Anonymous," with
Jeff Bridges also in negotiations to join the cast. The Intermedia Films
project marks the feature directorial debut of "Seinfeld" writer-producer
Larry Charles. Written
by Rene Fontaine and Sergy Petrov and based on Enrique Morales' unpublished
short story "Los Vientos del Destino," "Masked &
Anonymous" tells the story of a singer (Dylan) who has fallen
from grace and is forced to return to the stage for a final benefit concert.
The film is slated to go into production this July in Los Angeles. "
"Penelope
Cruz has committed to star in Masked and Anonymous opposite
Bob Dylan and Jessica Lange, despite her declared intent to take a break
from film-making. The movie, based on an unpublished short story by Enrique
Morales, is about a wandering troubadour named Jack Fate (Dylan) who is
released from prison to perform one final concert for charity. Cruz will
play the girlfriend of a burnt-out reporter assigned to cover the concert
who falls in love with Fate. Luke Wilson has already been confirmed to
star as one of Fate's former roadies."
April 2002
'Masked
and Anonymous' - more details announced
Luke Wilson will star opposite rocker Bob Dylan in "Masked &
Anonymous," the big-screen directorial debut of television writer-director-producer
Larry Charles. The
film is set to go into production in July. Based on the unpublished short
story "Los Vientos del Destino," written by Enrique Morales,
it is the story of Jack Fate (Bob Dylan), a wandering troubadour brought
out of prison by his former manager for one last concert. Luke Wilson
is playing Bobby Cupid, a former roadie of Fate's who tends bar. He drops
everything to join Fate in the charity concert. (Fetal
Films)
Enrique
Morales (Spanish)
February 2002
Dylan
Knockin' On Big Screen Again
"It looks like Bob Dylan's blowin' back into theaters. The folk-rock
maestro has signed on to star in the feature-length drama Masked and
Anonymous for Intermedia Films--it will be his first major acting
role in 15 years. Dylan will step into a role that's practically tailor-made
for him, playing a character by the name of Jack Fate, an itinerant bluesman
who's sprung from prison by his former manager so he can perform one last
show. Veteran television producer-director Larry Charles (Mad About You,
Seinfeld) is slated to make his feature debut on the project, which is
being produced by Intermedia's Nigel Sinclair who has spent more than
a year developing the script written by newcomers Rene Fontaine and Sergy
Petrov. "The character of Jack Fate is not unlike Bob Dylan's persona,
so he is a natural for this role," Sinclair tells the Hollywood Reporter.
"This has been Larry Charles' passion project, and we feel fortunate
to be associated with this."
(E! Online)
Dylan
returns to the screen (27 February 2002)
Bob Dylan is planning a return to the screen after a 15 year absence.
The legendary singer, who won an Oscar last year for his song Things Have
Changed, will star in Masked and Anonymous for Intermedia Films,
according to Variety.
Dylan will play Jack Fate, an imprisoned singer who is released to perform
a final concert. The film will feature some of Dylan's songs, but it's
not known whether he will be writing any new ones specifically for the
project.
Dylan has not had a large part in a feature film since 1987's Hearts
of Fire, in which he co-starred with Rupert Everett. His role in Sam
Peckinpah's Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid is thought to be his
best acting performance.
Shooting on Masked and Anonymous is scheduled to begin in June,
under first time director Larry Charles.
(The Guardian)
Script
Sale Logged:
Title: Masked & Anonymous
Log Line: A wandering troubadour finds his destiny.
Writer: Rene Fontaine and Sergy Petrov
Agent: n/a
Buyer: Intermedia Films
Price: n/a
Genre: Drama
Logged: 2/27/02
More: Larry Charles to direct. Bob Dylan to star in. Dylan will write
original material and or use existing songs for the film.
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