Ralph Fiennes News Archives- October 2000-April 2001

Ralph Fiennes Forum Archives Oct 2000-Apr 2001

4/23/01 Ralph to possibly Star in Private Lives on Broadway

Thanks to Freya, who contributed this on the forum:
(21 April 2001) Telegraph

Ralph Fiennes, so long associated with the little Almeida Theatre,
will not be doing his next stage play there. Last week the actor shot
over to New York for a private reading of Private Lives with Natasha
Richardson.

Their chemistry was said to be "terrific" and the pair hope to appear
in the Noel Coward classic on Broadway in the autumn. It should make
its way to London some time afterwards.

4/02/01 New Forum Address

I will be keeping this on top of the news for awhile until everybody gets over to the new location:
http://www.fiennesforum.com/discus

4/02/01 New Ralph Browser Skins

Here's a link to get Ralph Fiennes browser skins. They are yummy. If you don't know what a browser skin is, it's worth checking this new way to decorate your screen.
http://www.patiolanterns.com/ralphskin.html

4/2/01 Francesca in Ghosts, Ralph in Red, and other news...

People News (great web site...http://www.peoplenews.com)
The Comedy Theatre Monday 2nd April
A casual Ralph Fiennes (in the pic he's dressed in his infamous red suit) was first in line to congratulate a radiant Francesca Annis on her wonderful performance in Ghosts, Ibsen's tale of supernatural retribution, which opened at The Comedy Theatre last night. At the after-party at Le Meridien Piccadilly Jenny Seagrove and Paula Wilcox plotted an updated version of The Odd Couple and Anthony Andrews was congratulated by his whole family for his performance. In fact, the champagne reception was quite a family affair, with actresses Patricia Hodge and Hannah Gordon proudly showing off their sons.
Photographs

This is London
Francesca's family secrets
Ghosts
Dir: Robin Phillips.Francesca Annis
Rating: Where it's playing

by Robin Stringer, Arts Correspondent

Back on the London stage for the first time in five years, Francesca Annis opens at the Comedy Theatre on Monday in a play so controversial in its day that it was banned.
The play is Ibsen's Ghosts, in which Annis plays a widow who is preparing for the opening of an orphanage in memory of her husband, and whose son is returning home for the celebrations.
But it was the family secrets that Ibsen exposed in this semi-autobiographical piece - syphilis, incest, arson, blackmail and moral hypocrisy - that proved too much for Victorian audiences.
"In this play the audience quickly sees the irony of the drama," Miss Annis says. "The actors can be sure that the effect of Ibsen's lines is still relevant today."
Annis was last seen on stage at the Hackney Empire as Gertrude, mother to Ralph Fiennes' Hamlet.

Ibsen still has shock value
Ghosts
Dir: Robin Phillips.Francesca Annis
Rating: Where it's playing

by Nicholas de Jongh
What a blast of horror Ibsen's stupendous drama of family-life haunted by sex, lies and secrets, can still inflict upon hardened theatre-goers and innocent newcomers alike.
There were some moments last night, when Robin Phillips's production, which is far too cool and collected for its dramatic good or ours, did manage to remind us that Ibsen's grim, 19th century tragedy, has a date-stamp for today.
Unfortunately Richard Harris, the popular comedy and thriller writer who's responsible for this awkward adaptation of Ghosts, offers no fresh slant upon Ibsen's guilt-laden family. As if embarrassed he subdues the play's high passions. Surprisingly he mines no new vein of comedy from the spectacle of Anthony Andrews's bizarrely aggressive, petulant Pastor Manders, the middle-aged cleric in the vice-like grip of hypocrisy and to whom sexual repression comes naturally.
But Paul Farnsworth's stage design springs a surprise and casts just the right, disturbing spell. For Farnsworth recognises that Ghosts, although realistically set in the conservatory of Helena Alving's country house in southern Norway, also lies on the verge of nightmare terrain and gradually drifts into it.
So the conservatory looks menacingly askew, its dark walls uneven and tilted forward, with the odd cornice-piece absurdly placed. The high back windows, which rear up from floor to rafters lean into the room and provide a mirror-like, distorted reflection of its inhabitants. The garden view is of white clouds of mist and trees that cast an eerie, silvery glow upon the bareish room with its table and chairs.
At first Mrs Alving, to whom Francesca Annis in silver dress and plaited hair, lends an air of understated sexiness and relentless calm, wears the trappings of success. An orphanage in memory of her dead husband is about to be opened on the estate.
Her 27-year-old artist-son has returned to live at home, after years abroad. And Pastor Manders, her long-lost family, has arrived for the ceremony. Regina, the young maid, whom Sarah Tansey invests with plenty of spirit, seems all deference. But then truth, the skeleton that always lies in dangerous wait within the typical Ibsen closet, edges its way into the light of day.
It ought be a subtle, awful process as Mrs Alving is goaded by Manders's smug remonstrances into revealing her marriage as a loveless sham, her husband as freelance fornicator whose liaisons have had more than consequences. Yet an expressionless Andrews, sepulchral of voice, surrendering to petulance and flourishes of melodrama, dehumanises Manders, making him an absurd caricature of sexual repression and rigid conservatism. And his odd moments of erotic contact with her, a touching of hands or clasping of waist, unconvincingly belabours the notion that the couple have not lost their ancient, unexpressed passion for each other.
Miss Annis remains beautifully unruffled and poised too long. She faces up to Martin Hutson's Oswald, in his impressive outbursts of unease, temperament and tears, with delicate regret. As the blows of fate hammer down upon her and Helena discovers that Oswald, in the late throes of syphilis, would have her be his executioner, Miss Annis registers pain but no rending anguish.
She's at her best in conveying Mrs Alving's regret she learned too late from her liberal books that life is better lived by being true to yourself. There's not enough to ensure this Ghosts becomes truly or deeply haunting.

3/19/01 Forum Outage Temporary (possibly permanent) Solution

Forum Members

The Internet Service Provider that has hosted the forum for the past
three years was bought out and I believe they are moving things
etc...and that should account for the outage of the forum this
weekend.

I'll be on the phone to them first thing this morning to find out
what's going on. However, this does bring up the opportunity to talk
about something I've wanted to address recently. My space on the
tidalwave servers is extremely limited (why we don't have
archives,etc). I'm trying to move the forum to a new location on
another "free" place, and am in the process of trying to get the
forum to work there. If I cannot get it to work on the new site we
may have to temporarily set up shop on Yahoo groups. I already have a
group established here, and can add the forum. That is a last resort,
but please be prepared just in case. My ISP has been very unreliable
recently, and I'm afraid this buy-out might lead to further problems.

The safest bet is to move the forum. Now, another problem I'm
encountering is that the free bulletin board program no longer exists
in the format we are using. The new free version is extremely limited
and only a trial version. If I cannot successfully move the older
version to the new server, I may have to try another program. I'm
looking into that further.

I'd like to have your opinions about Yahoo groups and if you'd be
interested in using that. It's free and we'd have archives. We would
give up control over some aspects..like...what if they decide to do
away with that part of their company..we're at their mercy..etc. On
the other hand Yahoo Groups (used to be Egroups) has a lot of cool
features, like a place to upload files, etc. So, think about it.
Everyone send me your opinions about this situation if you have one.

In the mean time I'll work to get the old forum up..and figure out
the future location. Please be patient.

Here is our Yahoo Groups Address:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/fiennesforum

3/9/01 Ralph Wins Shakespeare Award

Fiennes gets award, adoration at gala
By Jabeen Bhatti
THE WASHINGTON TIMES

With the same quiet ferocity he brings to the stage, actor Ralph Fiennes pleaded to keep Shakespeare relevant.

"Shakespeare is a huge force, and we must continually reevaluate this force," he told his enraptured audience at the Shakespeare Theater Will Awards Saturday night. "Theaters must be ruthless about investigating his contemporary quality. With enough conviction, it is possible to cut through to the heart."
As Mr. Fiennes does, and rather brilliantly.

For that accomplishment, the theater awarded the 38-year-old English stage and screen actor its William Shakespeare Award for Classical Theater at its annual gala. The event, which transformed the Library of Congress´ Jefferson Building into a glittering Elizabethan setting, raised $200,000 for acting school scholarships.
During a cocktail reception, actors in costumes from various Shakespeare plays sipped honey and mead and mingled with arts patrons, theater trustees and, of course, the two award winners of the evening, Mr. Fiennes and actor Richard Thomas. Mr. Thomas won the Millennium Recognition Award.

Dinner, which followed the awards presentation, was heavy enough to have delighted Henry VIII´s palate. Served banquet style at long tables set up on all four sides of the mezzanine, guests nibbled on pates, smoked fish, dried and fresh fruits and various cheeses before being presented with a hearty crown roast of lamb that was followed by sticky toffee pudding with whipped cream.

There was much speculation about Mr. Fiennes´ new movie, "Spider," and whether the Shakespeare Theatre might eventually be able to lure him to perform in one of its productions. Mr. Fiennes admitted there were still "masses" of Shakespearean roles he yearns to play, especially "Much Ado About Nothing" (Benedick) and "A Winter´s Tale" (Leontes). The theater´s artistic director, Michael Kahn said mysteriously later that there is "one other that we talk about."

Not surprisingly, Mr. Fiennes´ raffishly spiked hair and two-day stubble drew many admiring glances from female admirers as he charmed guests in the receiving line.
Venture capitalist Adam Waldman beat a hasty retreat for the bar after his wife, Ashley Allen, commented, "Oh, you have to do your hair like his. Ask him what gel he uses."
Other guests, including National Endowment for the Humanities chief William Ivey and arts patron Jaylee Mead reveled in the celebration of what Mr. Ivey termed, "the unique contribution of William Shakespeare to our cultural heritage."
The hour-long program in the Coolidge Auditorium downstairs, however, proved to be the evening´s highlight.
Two students from regional high schools performed scenes from "Richard II" as part of the partnership the theater company has developed to improve the exposure of local high school students to the Bard´s works.
Mr. Kahn spoke about the importance of sustaining interest in the witty, profound and sometimes bawdy writer.
"My [Russian] mother read me Shakespeare every night," he said. "She cut out the dirty parts of the Bible, but she didn´t know where they were in Shakespeare."
"To tell the truth, I didn´t know either."
Mr. Kahn also praised Mr. Thomas´ portrayal of Richard II at his theater in 1993, a performance that the New York Times critic said "will change the way we look at Richard II forever."
And then it was Mr. Fiennes´ turn.
"It is his heart that makes him an artist," wrote actress Julianne Moore, Mr. Fiennes co-star in "The End of the Affair," in a note read by British Ambassador Sir Christopher Meyer.
"He inhabits the characters and gives them humanity. He exemplifies every quality that is [this] award."
In his short acceptance speech, before reading a passage from "Hamlet," he spoke about the importance of classical theater.
"It should provoke us, make us laugh and make us cry," he said.
Most of all, it should "leave us "changed."

3/7/01 Out and About (Washington Post)
In Fiennes' Company
By Roxanne Roberts
Monday, March 5, 2001; Page C03

First of all, it's pronounced Rafe Fines. (Don't ask;
we don't know why.)

Second of all, movie star Ralph Fiennes is a fabulous Shakespearean actor -- notable for his Tony-winning Hamlet -- which is why he was presented with the Shakespeare Theatre's Will Award at a black-tie gala Saturday at the Library of Congress.

Off-off "broodway": from left, Michael Kahn and Ralph Fiennes. (Rebecca D'Angelo - The Washington Post)

Third, one should never assume that an international sex symbol who plays intense, brooding characters (Heathcliff in "Wuthering Heights," Count Almasy in "The English Patient" and Maurice Bendrix in "The End of the Affair") is -- in actual fact -- intense and brooding. "I think a lot of actors don't want to be known," Fiennes said passionately, staring intently with those deep blue eyes. Fine. So we didn't ask the 38-year-old actor anything about the melodramatic private life that those British tabloids write so much about. No, this night was about art. And women admiring his . . . art.

The Shakespeare Theatre's acclaimed artistic director, Michael Kahn, gives the Will to world-class actors who've never appeared on his stage in the hopes that they will fall madly in love and do a play here. This year's gala -- which included an elegant, Elizabethan-inspired dinner -- also celebrated the 10th anniversary of the "Text Alive!" program, which brings the Bard to local classrooms, and gave a belated Millennium Recognition Award to gracious alumnus Richard Thomas, who played the title role in "Richard II" at the theater and calls it "the finest resident company in America."

Reason enough for Fiennes to come to the nation's capital, which is the general idea after all. But which brooding, passionate role?

"Whichever one he'd like," said Kahn. **************************************************** Also, yesterday was the UNICEF AIDS auction. Ralph had his shirt from TEP, as well as some naughty drawings from Onegin and the quills he used in the film. You can find out more about the auction at: http://www.fineartsbrokerage.com/fab/product.asp?sku=10002025
and
http://www.fineartsbrokerage.com/fab/product.asp?sku=10001850

2/23/01 Ralph to play Paranoid-schizophrenic

NEW YORK (Variety) - Ralph Fiennes has committed to play a brilliant paranoid-schizophrenic in ``Fear Itself,'' a psychological
thriller set to begin shooting in early April.

Fiennes' character uncovers a conspiracy that leads to the White House, but he cannot persuade anyone to believe him.

The project is out to directors, with a director expected to be signed shortly. Patrick Cirillo (''Man of War'') wrote the script.

Wolfgang Petersen, director of ``The Perfect Storm,'' will produce the independently financed film with his business partner, Gail
Katz. ``Fear Itself'' is not aligned with a distributor.

After producer Mandalay Pictures called an abrupt halt on ''Beyond Borders,'' in which Fiennes was set to star with Angelina Jolie
for director Oliver Stone (who stepped away from the project), the actor became one of the few A-list male stars available in the
run-up to possible writers and actors' strikes this summer.

2/20/01

RALPH FIENNES TO RECEIVE THE SHAKESPEARE THEATRE’S 2001 "WILL
AWARD"
--Acclaimed actor to be honored for his work in classical theater-

Washington, D.C. -- Artistic Director Michael Kahn and The Shakespeare Theatre Board of Trustees announced today that award-winning actor, Ralph Fiennes will receive The Shakespeare Theatre’s 14th annual William
Shakespeare Award for Classical Theatre (the "Will Award") in recognition for his contribution and commitment to classical acting in America.
Mr. Fiennes received the Tony Award® for his performance as Hamlet in the Almeida Theatre Company’s Broadway production in 1995 and was recently acclaimed for his performances as Richard II and Coriolanus in London and at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in New York last September. He played leading roles with both the National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company before he was brought to a wider audience through his work in television and cinema with a number of starring roles
including "Quiz Show" and in his Academy Award® nominated performances in "Schindler’s List" and "The English Patient."

The award will be presented to Mr. Fiennes on Saturday, March 3, 2001 at a black-tie gala at the Library of Congress (101 Independence Avenue SE). The gala, a benefit for The Shakespeare Theatre’s outreach and education programs—including Text Alive! and The Southeast Project—is chaired by Patty Perkins Andringa. The evening will begin with a cocktail reception at
6:30 p.m., an award ceremony at 8 p.m. and dinner immediately following the ceremony.

The William Shakespeare Award for Classical Theatre is an annual tribute given by The Shakespeare Theatre to persons who have made a significant contribution to classical theatre in America. Past honorees include Sir Anthony Hopkins, Dame Maggie Smith, Hal Holbrook, Patrick Stewart, Sam Waterston, Lynn Redgrave, Christopher Walken, Morgan Freeman, Mel Gibson, Kenneth Branagh, Christopher Plummer, Kevin
Kline, and the late Joseph Papp.

1/22/01 Beyond Borders, beyond all hope?

I was holding off on printing this news, but things look pretty bleak....and so the GREAT RALPH DROUGHT OF 2001 (possibly 2002 depending on this strike business..sigh)...here's an article:

Stone Loses 'Borders' (from Showbizwire.com)

Has Oliver Stone put a hex on his own career?

Just two days ago the director announced he would retire after his next two projects. But that number has just halved. Stone's next movie was due to be the troubled 'Beyond Borders'. However, the project is on the verge of being called off altogether, unless the director and Mandalay Pictures can agree on money.

According to Variety, the two sides are currently about $10m apart on budget. Normally this would not be a big problem, but with an impending actors' strike throwing Hollywood out of sync, an agreement has to be reached by the end of the week, otherwise the project will be shelved completely.

'Borders' has had a long and troubled history. Stone first began prepping the project over a year ago, almost signing Kevin Costner and Catherine Zeta-Jones to play the leads. After Jones decided to pull out, Costner changed his mind too, only to change it back again a couple of weeks later. Meg Ryan then began talks to play the female lead, but this eventually came to nothing. Angelina Jolie was then signed up, but Costner pulled out again, leaving the male lead to be taken over by Ralph Fiennes.

Jolie has already started receiving offers on the assumption that 'Borders' isn't going to make it to production. One of those is the lead role in 'Sweet Home Alabama', a movie that once had Charlize Theron attached to it.

It's unclear what Stone or Fiennes would do next if the plug is pulled on 'Beyond Borders'.

12/03/00 Ralph Touring Uganda for UNICEF

Apparently Ralph is acting as an AIDs embassador of sorts supporting the World Aids Day efforts of UNICEF. You can listen to his reports from Uganda at the link below.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/africa/newsid_1047000/1047098.stm

12/3/00 Ralph Meets the Queen

You can also read about how Ralph, among other RADA alumni met the Queen at a recent dedication ceremony. Here's the link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/entertainment/newsid_1047000/1047325.stm

10/23/00 Finally some news from Tokyo

Thanks to Eva for contributing this article:

The Daily Yomiuri (Tokyo), October 19, 2000

Fiennes 'a young Olivier' as Coriolanus
Isabel Reynolds Daily Yomiuri Staff Writer ;
Yomiuri CORIOLANUS Akasaka ACT Theater, Tokyo, Oct. 12

In the 10 years since its inception, the Almeida Theatre has injected a dose of high-octane glamour to the London stage, by dint of introducing the likes of Kevin Spacey, Juliette Binoche and Cate Blanchett in various acclaimed productions. Importing celebrities better known for their big screen work is at once a way of attracting an audience that might otherwise steer clear of straight theater, and of reestablishing stars' credentials as "real" thespians. The bonus for regular theater-goers is, of course, that most of these people just happen to be superb actors.

The year 1995 saw a master stroke when the Almeida's artistic director, Jonathan Kent, staged a sensational production of Hamlet with Ralph Fiennes in the title role. The same duo came together again as the driving force behind these productions of Coriolanus and Richard II, which have finally reached Tokyo as the last leg of a mammoth run spread across three continents and nine months. Amazingly, despite a grueling schedule that left the cast with just three days' break between the New York and Tokyo runs, the production of Coriolanus remains compelling--in fact a must-see for any theater fan within striking distance of Tokyo.

The slender Fiennes is cast against type as macho Roman warrior, Coriolanus, who fights fearlessly for his countrymen, but afterward shows such contempt for the ordinary people that they banish him from the city. Infuriated, Coriolanus then joins forces with his former enemies, the Volscians and prepares an all-out attack on his own compatriots, disregarding the fact that his own friends and family will be among the victims.

Described by fellow cast members variously as "the best actor I have ever worked with" and "like a young Olivier," Fiennes is pretty bloodthirsty when required, and deftly executes a dramatic sword fight with Linus Roache's Aufidius, as choreographed by Bill Hobbs. But he really comes into his own when spitting contempt at the nonmilitary population of Rome, or interacting with his domineering mother, Volumnia (a truly formidable Barbara Jefford). Those who have seen Schindler's List (1993) know that no one can play arrogance with quite Fiennes' withering intensity.

Roache's Aufidius, general of the Volscian army on the other hand, is something of a thug, but one with an inferiority complex about Coriolanus, whom he lives to fight. Roache, acclaimed for his roles in the films Priest and Wings of a Dove, says he believes Aufidius is the more intelligent character of the two, which is why he is able to exploit his opponent's fatal single-mindedness .