Zulu press kit
You can now download Zulu press kit at this link:
http://www.festival-cannes.fr/assets/Image/Direct/049363.pdf
You will be able to read interview to director and co-writer Jerome Salle, ( who said that "Conrad Kemp, for example, the young actor who plays Dan Fletcher and who turned out to be quite extraordinary, is going to move to New York this summer because he’s appearing on Broadway with Orlando Bloom in “Romeo and Juliet”, starting in September"), and also said:
ALONG THE WAY, YOU REWORK THE CLASSIC COP FILM STRUCTURE OF TWO COLLEAGUES WITH NOTHING IN COMMON, BUT WHO HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER TO FULFILL THEIR MISSION.
Yes. You’ll notice that Ali and Brian are rarely seen together in the film. Of course, you can really feel their friendship and mutual respect. But deep down, these two guys are also very lonely. They are a reflection of their country, living with the weight of the past. Black or white, they bear responsibility for the acts of their parents and their ancestors.
"As for Orlando, we needed a white Anglo-Saxon and we had a list of three or four possibles. It was me who insisted on him, despite knowing that he wasn’t going to be everyone’s obvious choice. There were three objective reasons that motivated me: first off, the character of Brian could easily become a caricature. The washed-up cop, who has problems with his ex-wife, who no longer speaks to his son, who drinks and pops pills - it’s a bit of a cliché. I thought that Orlando Bloom, who in real life gives off a very positive vibe, could surprise us all and provide another facet to Brian to avoid that cliché. Then, having looked into his background, I learned that he has close family ties with South Africa. His father, Harry Bloom, who wasn’t in fact his biological father, was a well-known South African journalist and writer, and an anti-apartheid militant. He had to flee the country and that’s how he came to meet Orlando’s mother in England. So I thought that was an interesting avenue to explore. Lastly, right from our first meeting I felt the incredible motivation which drives him. He’d perfectly understood the story and the film that it could make. We were on the same wavelength, and since Orlando is an intelligent man, all that remained was to work together to shape Brian. The role was a big risk for him, but he really impressed me."
There are also interviews to the author Caryl Férey, who said:
A WORD ABOUT THE ACTORS: DID FOREST WHITAKER AND ORLANDO BLOOM FIT WITH YOUR ALI AND BRIAN ON PAPER?
It’s extraordinary, given that the casting changed since the initial idea for an adaptation. In the end, Forest Whitaker took on the role of Ali, and he’s more well-built than I’d imagined the character. But when I went on the shoot and I heard him say his first lines, I thought I couldn’t have dreamed of a better Ali than him. As for Brian, it was a wonderful surprise. We all know Whitaker is a giant of an actor, he’s proved it. But Orlando Bloom hadn’t yet achieved that status or tackled this kind of role. All the girls are nuts about him, but not because of this kind of character. When I was on set, he literally jumped on me, saying: “Are you the author? Thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for. For years I’ve been playing an elf in LORD OF THE RINGS!” He was totally submerged in the role. He arrived three weeks before the shoot to familiarize himself with the locations.
Then interviews to co-writer Julien Rappenau and composer Alexandre Desplat, who said about the screening at Cannes Festival:
ZULU IS GOING TO CLOSE THE FESTIVAL DE CANNES. YOU KNOW THIS EVENT WELL, HAVING HAD FILMS IN COMPETITION THERE AND HAVING SERVED ON THE JURY IN 2010. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE JÉRÔME SALLE, RICHARD GRANDPIERRE AND ALL THEIR TEAM TO HELP THEM DEAL WITH THE ANXIETY OF A SCREENING IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE OF WORLD CINEMA?
I’d simply tell them to stay humble, and also to have faith in their film. ZULU is a remarkable adaptation of Caryl Férey’s novel, carried by a fabulous cast with Forest Whitaker back to his best and Orlando Bloom as you’ve never seen him before, with directing that is brilliant in its simplicity - and extraordinary music, obviously!
source Zulu press kit, and blogsindiewire.com
http://www.festival-cannes.fr/assets/Image/Direct/049363.pdf
You will be able to read interview to director and co-writer Jerome Salle, ( who said that "Conrad Kemp, for example, the young actor who plays Dan Fletcher and who turned out to be quite extraordinary, is going to move to New York this summer because he’s appearing on Broadway with Orlando Bloom in “Romeo and Juliet”, starting in September"), and also said:
ALONG THE WAY, YOU REWORK THE CLASSIC COP FILM STRUCTURE OF TWO COLLEAGUES WITH NOTHING IN COMMON, BUT WHO HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER TO FULFILL THEIR MISSION.
Yes. You’ll notice that Ali and Brian are rarely seen together in the film. Of course, you can really feel their friendship and mutual respect. But deep down, these two guys are also very lonely. They are a reflection of their country, living with the weight of the past. Black or white, they bear responsibility for the acts of their parents and their ancestors.
"As for Orlando, we needed a white Anglo-Saxon and we had a list of three or four possibles. It was me who insisted on him, despite knowing that he wasn’t going to be everyone’s obvious choice. There were three objective reasons that motivated me: first off, the character of Brian could easily become a caricature. The washed-up cop, who has problems with his ex-wife, who no longer speaks to his son, who drinks and pops pills - it’s a bit of a cliché. I thought that Orlando Bloom, who in real life gives off a very positive vibe, could surprise us all and provide another facet to Brian to avoid that cliché. Then, having looked into his background, I learned that he has close family ties with South Africa. His father, Harry Bloom, who wasn’t in fact his biological father, was a well-known South African journalist and writer, and an anti-apartheid militant. He had to flee the country and that’s how he came to meet Orlando’s mother in England. So I thought that was an interesting avenue to explore. Lastly, right from our first meeting I felt the incredible motivation which drives him. He’d perfectly understood the story and the film that it could make. We were on the same wavelength, and since Orlando is an intelligent man, all that remained was to work together to shape Brian. The role was a big risk for him, but he really impressed me."
There are also interviews to the author Caryl Férey, who said:
A WORD ABOUT THE ACTORS: DID FOREST WHITAKER AND ORLANDO BLOOM FIT WITH YOUR ALI AND BRIAN ON PAPER?
It’s extraordinary, given that the casting changed since the initial idea for an adaptation. In the end, Forest Whitaker took on the role of Ali, and he’s more well-built than I’d imagined the character. But when I went on the shoot and I heard him say his first lines, I thought I couldn’t have dreamed of a better Ali than him. As for Brian, it was a wonderful surprise. We all know Whitaker is a giant of an actor, he’s proved it. But Orlando Bloom hadn’t yet achieved that status or tackled this kind of role. All the girls are nuts about him, but not because of this kind of character. When I was on set, he literally jumped on me, saying: “Are you the author? Thank you! This is exactly what I was looking for. For years I’ve been playing an elf in LORD OF THE RINGS!” He was totally submerged in the role. He arrived three weeks before the shoot to familiarize himself with the locations.
Then interviews to co-writer Julien Rappenau and composer Alexandre Desplat, who said about the screening at Cannes Festival:
ZULU IS GOING TO CLOSE THE FESTIVAL DE CANNES. YOU KNOW THIS EVENT WELL, HAVING HAD FILMS IN COMPETITION THERE AND HAVING SERVED ON THE JURY IN 2010. WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE JÉRÔME SALLE, RICHARD GRANDPIERRE AND ALL THEIR TEAM TO HELP THEM DEAL WITH THE ANXIETY OF A SCREENING IN FRONT OF THE WHOLE OF WORLD CINEMA?
I’d simply tell them to stay humble, and also to have faith in their film. ZULU is a remarkable adaptation of Caryl Férey’s novel, carried by a fabulous cast with Forest Whitaker back to his best and Orlando Bloom as you’ve never seen him before, with directing that is brilliant in its simplicity - and extraordinary music, obviously!
source Zulu press kit, and blogsindiewire.com