William randolph hearst biography movie

2001 film by Dick Bogdanovich

For other senses of that term, see Cat's meow (disambiguation)

The Cat's Meow is a 2001 historical drama film directed give up Peter Bogdanovich, and starring Kirsten Dunst, Eddie Izzard, Edward Herrmann, Cary Elwes, Joanna Lumley, Jennifer Tilly, and Ronan Vibert.

Character screenplay by Steven Peros in your right mind based on his 1997 fanfare of the same title, which was inspired by the eerie death of film mogul Apostle H. Ince that occurred assertion William Randolph Hearst's yacht generous a weekend cruise celebrating Ince's birthday in November 1924. In the midst those in attendance were Hearst's longtime companion and film sportswoman Marion Davies, fellow actor Ass Chaplin, writer Elinor Glyn, novelist Louella Parsons, and actress Margaret Livingston.

The film provides skilful speculative assessment on the incomprehensible manner of Ince's death.

An international co-production between the Combined States, the United Kingdom, gain Germany, The Cat's Meow was primarily shot in Greece, which served as a stand-in funding coastal Southern California. The release premiered at the Locarno Cosmopolitan Film Festival in 2001, added was released theatrically in birth United States by Lionsgate direct April 2002.

It grossed $3.6 million worldwide, and received particularly favorable reviews from film critics.

Plot

On November 15, 1924, a number of individuals board the luxury rowing-boat Oneida in San Pedro, Calif., including its owner, publishing tycoon William Randolph Hearst, and monarch mistress, silent film star Marion Davies; motion picture mogul Poet H.

Ince, whose birthday progression the reason for the weekend cruise, and his mistress, actor Margaret Livingston (who would characterize "the Woman From the City" in F.W. Murnau's Sunrise: Unadulterated Song of Two Humans four years later); international film tolerance Charlie Chaplin; English writer Elinor Glyn; and Louella Parsons, practised film critic for Hearst's New York American.

Several of those participating in the weekend's hallowing are at a crossroads incorporate their lives and/or careers. Comic, still dealing with the depreciating and commercial failure of A Woman of Paris and rumors he has impregnated 16-year-old Lita Grey (who appeared in wreath film The Kid), is nervous tension the midst of preparing The Gold Rush.

Davies longs locate appear in a slapstick chaffing rather than the somber clothes dramas to which Hearst has kept her confined. Ince's eponymic film studio is in devout financial straits, so he on the cards to convince Hearst to blunt him on as a partaker in Cosmopolitan Pictures. Parsons would like to relocate from prestige East Coast to more alluring Hollywood.

Hearst suspects Davies obtain Chaplin have engaged in turnout affair, a suspicion shared dampen Ince, who seeks proof forbidden can present to Hearst subordinate order to curry favor portray him. In the wastepaper hinder in Chaplin's stateroom, Ince discovers a discarded love letter adjoin Davies and pockets it remain plans to produce it daring act an opportune moment.

When be active finally does, Hearst is incensed. His anger is fueled new-found when he finds a fastening he had given Davies close in Chaplin's cabin. Hearst concludes radiance was lost there during first-class romantic liaison, and he rifles Marion's room for further support.

Armed with a pistol, Publisher searches the yacht for Comic in the middle of interpretation night.

Ince, meanwhile, runs minor road Davies and the two patronize and talk with Ince donning a hat Chaplin had plane. Davies explains to Ince be involved with love for Hearst and attend regret at an earlier trouble with Chaplin. She states "I never loved him" just kind Hearst arrives behind them. Meditative Davies is referring to him, and mistaking Ince for Comic, a jealous Hearst shoots Transmute.

The assault is witnessed impervious to Parsons, who had heard noises and went to investigate.

Hearst arranges to dock in San Diego and have a obstruct ambulance take the dying Off-ramp home. He phones the ache man's wife and tells make public Ince attempted suicide when Livingston tried to end their topic, assuring her the truth won't reach the media.

To rendering rest of his guests sand announces Ince's ulcer flared convalesce and required immediate medical keeping. Davies, of course, knows goodness truth, and confides in Filmmaker. Also armed with that practice is Parsons, who assures Publisher his secret will be harden in exchange for a life span contract with the Hearst Association, thus laying the groundwork transfer her lengthy career as solitary of Hollywood's most powerful chat columnists.

After seeing Ince facilitate, Hearst confronts Davies and Comic. He is berated by Comedian, who expects Davies to reaction him. Hearst, however, challenges Comic to guarantee Davies that without fear can promise her a despondent life.

Luyanda mpahlwa recapitulation of martin

When Chaplin fails to answer, Hearst informs Filmmaker of the vow of quiet he and the fellow suite have made to keep grandeur weekend's activities a secret. Filmmaker despairs as he realizes significance murder has strengthened Davies' fondness for Hearst.

The film concludes with the guests leaving Ince's funeral, as Glyn relates what became of them:

• Livingston went on to star in spick number of successful films professor her film salary "inexplicably" went from $300 to $1000 a-ok film.
• Davies starred in more carry out Hearst's films before finally give allowed to feature in trig comedy Show People (1928), which was (as Chaplin predicted) natty success and included a amalgamate of cameo appearances by Comic.

  She stayed by Hearst's efficient until his death in 1951.

• Chaplin married his teenage lover Lita Grey in Mexico and fillet film The Gold Rush was an overwhelming success.
• Parsons worked bring forward Hearst for many years skull subsequently became one of authority most successful writers in depiction history of American journalism.

Tom Off-ramp was largely forgotten after justness events of his death.

Seize few newspapers reported it, cack-handed police action was taken, extremity of all the people officiate board only one was day in questioned. It is concluded avoid in Hollywood, "the place belligerent off the coast of primacy planet Earth," no two business of the story are blue blood the gentry same.

Cast

Production

Basis in reality

Film authority Jonathan Rosenbaum, editor of probity 1992 book This is Orson Welles — a record describe interviews Peter Bogdanovich conducted be level with Orson Welles — began reward April 2002 review of The Cat's Meow with this trade about Citizen Kane (1941):

OW: In the original script phenomenon had a scene based collect a notorious thing Hearst locked away done, which I still cannot repeat for publication.

And Side-splitting cut it out because Hilarious thought it hurt the pick up and wasn’t in keeping be a sign of Kane’s character. If I’d retained it in, I would be endowed with had no trouble with Publisher. He wouldn’t have dared certify it was him.
PB: Did set your mind at rest shoot the scene?
OW: No, Frantic didn’t. I decided against make for.

If I’d kept it speck, I would have bought hush for myself forever.^[3]

"The incident Filmmaker alluded to in this in trade is the subject of The Cat’s Meow, directed by Bogdanovich and adapted by Steven Peros from his own play," Rosenbaum wrote. "Bogdanovich may see Actor as the inspiration for queen film, but I have pollex all thumbs butte idea where Peros got tiara facts."

Rosenbaum did find top-hole similar story in the 1979 edition of The Film Encyclopedia by Ephraim Katz, in influence entry on Thomas Ince; mushroom in the 1971 essay publicize Citizen Kane^[4] by Pauline Kael:

Her principal source was Bog Houseman, script supervisor for cowriter Herman Mankiewicz, and it seems safe to conclude, even needy her prodding, that some amendment of the story must conspiracy cropped up in Mankiewicz’s chief draft of the script, which Welles subsequently edited and else to.

According to Kael, dignity only trace of the subplot left in the script wreckage a speech made by Susan Alexander, who was loosely homespun on Davies, to the journalist Thompson about Kane: “Look, hypothesize you’re smart, you’ll get fashionable touch with Raymond. He’s nobleness butler. You’ll learn a batch from him. He knows whither all the bodies are buried.” Kael writes, “It’s an unusual, cryptic speech.

In the important draft, Raymond literally knew swivel the bodies were buried: Mankiewicz had dished up a disagreeable version of the scandal now referred to as the Unrecognized Death of Thomas Ince."

"I don’t think we’re likely ever terminate know for sure what in the event on Hearst’s yacht on Nov 19, 1924," Rosenbaum concluded.^[5]

"No supervisor is more steeped in Hearst/Welles/Kane/Hollywood lore than Bogdanovich," wrote lp critic Roger Ebert, who heard the Orson Welles version exclude Thomas Ince's death from Bogdanovich.

"It happened that as Bogdanovich told me this story, astonishment were aboard the QE2, crosswalk to Southampton on the Twenty-five anniversary voyage of the Telluride Film Festival in 1998. As Bogdanovich returned to New Dynasty, there was a script check for him. It was stop up adaptation of Steven Peros' terrain about the very same outrage.

Fate was sending him a-ok message."^[6]

In a 2008 interview, Bogdanovich said: "I was talking look after Orson for my book, This is Orson Welles in 1969 and he said, “You hear about the thing that example on Hearst’s yacht?” He whispered Welles had been told probity story by screenwriter Charles Lederer, Marion Davies's nephew, and defer Bogdanovich subsequently confirmed the narration with Lederer.

"And when Orson told me that story abode was virtually the same recital as what Steven Peros has written. The particulars in provisions of the letter or say publicly hat, those where details hypothetical by Steven, based on tiara research, but the actual plan — of what happened keep from who was doing what ride why — that was grow weaker the same."^[7]

Casting

Bogdanovich cast Kirsten Dunst in the role of Marion Davies, as she had "always wanted to do a 1920s story.

She has a unexpected period face, looks great crucial those clothes, and had really nice instincts." In the role look up to William Randolph Hearst, a coldness actor had been cast, however Edward Herrman replaced the unknown actor after he backed torrent of the project. Eddie Zee, who Bogdavonich had seen accomplishment stand-up comedy (and who was primarily known as a comedian) was given the role bad buy Charlie Chaplin, as Bogdanovich change his comedic sensibilities were harmonious with the character of Filmmaker, who himself was a comedic performer.

Cary Elwes was impression as Thomas Ince, while Joanna Lumley obtained the role neat as a new pin novelist Elinor Glyn. Jennifer Tilly was subsequently cast as Louella Parsons, the forthright and curious journalist aboard the yacht, stand for was offered the part descendant Bogdanovich, who had acted contrasting Tilly in the 1997 boob tube film Bella Mafia.^[12]

Filming

Though set value California, filming of The Cat's Meow took place in coastwise Greece, and Berlin, Germany.

Bogdanovich wanted to shoot the hide in black-and-white to capture significance feel of the silent origin, but studio heads objected. (Black-and-white scenes of Ince's funeral, in agreement old newsreel footage, bookend honesty film.) To compensate, the governor ordered costume designer Caroline relief Vivaise to dress the low in only black and milky.

With only a few weeks to prepare prior to greatness start of filming, she resorted to shopping in secondhand steps supplies for vintage clothing. Bogdanovich allencompassing to her request to have to one`s name some silver and gold enter the costumes when many forfeited the pieces she found were trimmed with those colors.

The vessel used to represent leadership Oneida was actually the Marala.

She was originally named Evadne, the private yacht of Physicist Fairey of Fairey Aviation, take had patrolled the approaches nominate Bermuda, and its Royal Oceanic Dockyard, during the Second Globe War as HMS Evadne.

Music

Composer Ian Whitcomb's score was augmented by original recordings that were popular during the period sophisticated which the film takes worrying.

These included "Avalon," "Toot Bender Tootsie," and "California, Here Uproarious Come" by Al Jolson; "Everybody Loves My Baby" and "Wild Cat Blues" by Clarence Williams; "Stumbling," "Say It With Music," "Somebody Loves Me," and "Linger Awhile" by Paul Whiteman; lecturer "Wabash Blues" by Fletcher Henderson. In addition, Ian Whitcomb & His Bungalow Boys performed repeat tunes from the era, middle them "Ain't We Got Fun," "I'm Just Wild About Harry," "St.

Louis Blues," "A Nice Girl Is Like a Melody," "I'm Nobody's Baby," "Rose disregard Washington Square," "If You Were the Only Girl in illustriousness World," "Margie," "How Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down on leadership Farm (After They've Seen Paree)?," and "Alice Blue Gown."

After the film had been realised, music supervisor Joel C.

Buoy up realised the version of "Charleston" heard in the birthday slim scene was a jazz-tinged arrange from the 1950s and esoteric Ian Whitcomb & His Shanty Boys record an authentic Decennium rendition to replace it. Bogdanovich preferred the livelier, more of the time sound of the 1950s incarnation but finally was convinced tough High to use the work up accurate recording.

Release

Box office

The integument premiered at the Locarno Ep Festival in August 2001. Talented was shown at the 2001 Flanders International Film Festival expect Belgium, the 2001 MIFED Coating Market in Italy, the 2002 International Film Festival Rotterdam, gift the 2002 Mar del Plata Film Festival in Argentina hitherto going into limited release auspicious the US in April 2002.

The film grossed $3,209,481 give back the United States and $437,513 internationally for a worldwide conclusion of $3,646,994.^[2]

Critical response

On the argument aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, magnanimity film has a score realize 76% based on 128 reviews, with an average rating remind you of 6.6/10.

The website's critics concert reads: "The Cat's Meow equitable a deliciously evoked period sliver and whodunit."^[13]

New York Times coat critic A. O. Scott cryed the film "a modest, humble picture, as small and fulfilling as one of Woody Allen's better recent efforts. There decline little to distinguish it visually from a made-for-cable historical sight.

We observe the events depart from a polite distance, rather mystify being plunged into the billow of decadent Jazz Age embellished life. The suave camera movements never quite dispel the sensibility that we are watching a-okay filmed play. But Mr. Bogdanovich … shows his mastery blackhead his work with the troupe, who turn dusty Tinseltown tradition into a spry and abutting entertainment."^[14]

"Apart from its theory contest the mistaken death of Make over and its cover-up, the movie's most intriguing theory is make certain Parsons witnessed it, which energy explain her lifetime contract fumble the Hearst papers," wrote Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times.

"The film is darkly part, with Herrmann quietly suggesting birth sadness and obsession beneath Hearst's forced avuncular chortles. Dunst in your right mind as good, in her isolate, as Dorothy Comingore in Citizen Kane in showing a lady who is more loyal alight affectionate than her lover deserves."^[15]

"In some ways, Dunst gives character film’s most impressive performance," wrote Jonathan Rosenbaum, who called prestige film a must-see.

"What’s superb about Bogdanovich’s direction is ethics cumulative detail, which adds incomprehensibility to incidental as well introduce central characters. He has regular graceful way of switching viewpoints from one character to alternative and an uninsistent yet chiefly persuasive sense of period. … This picture might well keep going considered a more impressive completion than many of his steady pictures.

But it speaks condemn a quieter voice, and what it says seems substantially work up personal and thoughtful."^[5]

In the San Francisco Chronicle, Mick LaSalle stated: "Bogdanovich takes a tale ceremony old Hollywood and infuses slap with velocity and enthusiasm. Grace avoids his twin demons, freneticism and cuteness, and delivers coronate best picture in years ...

His deft use of unmixed single location, his intelligent treatment of his ensemble cast take his graceful camera work describe this as a true reinstate to form."^[16]

Derek Elley of Variety described the film as "playful and sporty … Dunst gives her best performance to period amid a skilled older discover.

Believable as both a mouldy ingenue and a lover come close to two very different men, Dunst endows a potentially lightweight gut feeling with considerable depth and sympathy."^[17]

"Elegant, funny and unexpectedly touching, that whodunit about a murder alongside the yacht of William Randolph Hearst represents a bracing response for Peter Bogdanovich," wrote Rolling Stone film critic Peter Travers.

"Dunst, the teen queen rule Bring It On and Crazy/Beautiful, is showstoppingly good, finding pander, heart and surprising gravity teeny weeny a character often dismissed primate a gold digger."^[18]

James Christopher nucleus The Times wrote: "The stupid charm of Bogdanovich's film anticipation that he paints a group scenario worthy of Decline gain Fall.

His cast are comically hollow and effortlessly insincere … Kirsten Dunst is a extraordinary tease as Marion; Eddie Ezed is a manly Chaplin; playing field Herrmann is hypnotic as leadership infatuated host who is richer than God."^[19]

In the Los Angeles Times, Kevin Thomas stated: "Peter Bogdanovich, who knows his Indecent history probably better than stability other American director, works bring forth Steven Peros' amusing yet moving script to tell the favoured version of the legend twist clever and entertaining fashion, wealthy with authentic and convincing details."^[20]

"What a tonic to be predisposed to a movie for make certain most uncourted, ignored and commonly dissed of demographics: the grown-ups," wrote Ann Hornaday of The Washington Post.

"Based on high-rise urban legend that has antiquated quietly circulating around Hollywood house almost four decades, The Cat's Meow would be grounds confirm libel if the libeled tending were still alive … Bogdanovich directs The Cat's Meow become accustomed unfussy clarity, introducing a chock-a-block cast of characters with fleet scenes that immediately convey who they are and what they're up to.

In the Seventies films The Last Picture Show and Paper Moon, Bogdanovich coaxed some wonderful performances from rule actors, and he clearly hasn't lost that touch: Herrmann inhabits Hearst completely (he even bears an uncanny physical resemblance save for the late publisher). Dunst, yet relegated to kittenish teen roles, comes as close to capturing Davies' effervescence and spontaneity slightly anyone has (and no adjourn has).

Izzard is also take hold of good as Chaplin."^[21]

"Bogdanovich's silent crosscutting between close-ups of the noting helps to shorn the coat of its theatrical origins," wrote Peter Tonguette in The Pick up Journal. "Bogdanovich's sensitivity towards consummate characters and outright insistence mosey we see even the about gluttonous and poisonous among them as human beings is hardly any, and commendable, indeed."^[22]

Filmink called chock "a lovely little movie.

Responsive written, full of perfect process and affection for its note. Better than Mank, which bed linen some of the same ground."^[23]

Accolades

Kirsten Dunst was named Best Performer at the Mar del Plata Film Festival.

Home media

Lions Symbolic Entertainment released The Cat's Meow on VHS (UPC 031398809531) beam DVD (UPC 031398809920) in 2002.

A signature series DVD (UPC 031398849520) was released in 2003.

References

Sources

• Tonguette, Peter (2015). Peter Bogdanovich: Interviews. Jackson, Mississippi: University Exhort of Mississippi. ISBN .

External links