During the interviews for The Wife, I asked Glenn Close, Annie Starke, Christian Slater, and Jonathan Pryce to talk about some of their favorite films. Below is the unedited three minute film discussion as well as isolated audio from Close who cited A Man For All Seasons as her favorite movie.
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Photo by Graeme Hunter, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
The Wife centers on Joan Castleman (Glenn Close), the supportive spouse of critically lauded scribe Joe Castleman (Jonathan Pryce). Things should be wonderful for the couple after they travel to Stockholm (Joe is set to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature), but everything pretty much unravels. Annie Starke, Close’s daughter in real life, portrays the younger Joan, as we gradually realize that she may be the true talent behind Joe’s work. Expect Close to be remembered come awards time for her performance (the film opens in New York and Los Angeles on August 17).
During the conversation, Close immediately mentioned A Man For All Seasons, a Fred Zinnemann (From Here To Eternity) directed feature that’s based on the Robert Bolt play of the same name. The feature, which centered on Sir Thomas More’s (Paul Schofield, who was honored with the Best Actor Oscar) battles against King Henry VIII (Robert Shaw), won a total of six Academy Awards (including Picture and director).
Glenn Close on A Man For All Seasons: –
I love a Man for All Seasons. It’s my favorite film. Brilliant writing. And I love what (Sir Thomas More) says about the law. I was quoting it the other day: “If the devil turns around and all the laws are flat, where will you be when the winds blow.” It’s kind of where we are, in many ways, in this country. So again, it’s a timeless movie and it’s also one of the great film performances of all time by Paul Schofield.”
*** Other films Close spotlighted in the movie discussion include Seance on a Wet Afternoon, Tom Jones and The Great Escape.
Credit goes to Christian Slater for keeping the conversation flowing, as he threw out a bunch of movie favorites (to honor Jonathan Pryce, Slater cited Brazil). Close also suggested he mention 101 Dalmatians (which he did), but Slater finally ended on Network, the Sidney Lumet film that’s based on the iconic Paddy Chayefsky screenplay. Annie Starke’s choice was To Kill A Mockingbird and Jonathan Pryce, after citing Heathers, also cited Jules and Jim as a personal favorite (he’s a fan of the French New Wave).
Slater mentions the Ned Beatty speech in Network, so ICYMI:
The unedited three minute conversation (Christian Slater was a bit off mic, so apologies!!):
Are you a fan of A Man For All Seasons (I recently purchased the DVD, hence the above pic!), Network, or any of the films mentioned in the talk? Feel free to comment below!!
