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searchlight pictures Chevalier A beautiful film that shines a light on the virtuoso violinist and composer Joseph Bologne, who was awarded the title of Chevalier of Saint-Georges.Born to an enslaved Senegalese woman, Joseph Bologne became a constant figure at Marie Antoinette’s court, but eventually took up arms against the nobility and fought in the French Revolution. story Chevalier At a crucial time in Bologne’s life, he was embroiled in a fateful incident that put him in danger of falling out with the Queen of France.
Chevalier Directed by Stephen Williams, noted television director, The Walking Dead, Watchmen, and WestworldUnfortunately, season 4 was canceled despite being arguably one of the best sci-fi TV shows of 2022. Williams collaborated with writer Stephanie Robinson to create a contemporary, timely, thrilling, tragic and educational film. the recognition he deserves. A proud Jamaican, Williams interestingly referenced the work of Bob Marley to contextualize scenes from the film and aspects of Chevalier’s life.
Stephen Williams spoke screen rant About his journey from learning about Joseph Bologne to setting his sights on Bob Marley, and much more:
Stephen Williams of Chevalier
Screen Rant: Other than Stefani (Robinson), few people involved in the film knew who Joseph Bologne was before joining the project. Why do you think his story hasn’t been truly explored until now?
Stephen Williams: Unfortunately, I think the life of Joseph Bologne, the life of Chevalier, has been erased. There is no polite way to say it. Napoleon came to power in post-revolutionary France and ordered the suppression of Joseph’s life. [and] his music. As a result, little has been written about Joseph, and little Chevalier’s music survives. I’m guessing, but only a third of his musical output is still available, unless someone discovers a cache of compositions somewhere in the basement of a French monastery somewhere far, far away. He is just one historical figure who remained obscure on the side of the road until relatively recently.
This movie is beautiful. [I especially loved] For example, when he is writing an opera. how to move the camera [and] The way you do everything is great. Was it a conscious effort to shoot this film in a way that felt very modern?
Stephen Williams: Yes, of course. As you said, I was surprised because I didn’t know anything about Chevalier until I got the script. I was like, ‘How did I not know someone whose life was so vast? he was very goodhe was a virtuoso violinist [and] composition, [he wrote] concerto [and] Opera. [He was a] archery champion, equestrian champion, [and a] fencing champion.
American President John Adams described him as the most successful man in all of Europe, but I knew nothing about him. If you try to gather information about him and the era in which he lived, try to gather a story, if this movie is not set in a certain era, if the characters are not set in a certain era, as a result, They were forced to wear wigs and costumes.
there is a cultural relevance [and] A very recognizable contemporary quality to so many events in his life. “The tonal visual grammar of the piece is that Joseph must plant one foot to honor the era in which he lived, and the other to speak to its immediacy and contemporary sense. ” Vibes. ’ It was kind of like our operating MO in terms of trying to develop, evolve, and execute on the film’s visual grammar.
And where do you make the choice to be as modern as it looks, yet so historically accurate? [is that done through] Are you looking at the sets, costumes, or the music of your choice? Where do you choose as accurately as possible and where do you make your own interpretation?
Stephen Williams: There’s a great quote from playwright Tom Stoppard. “Facts are facts, truths are something else altogether, figments of the imagination.” We didn’t set out to make a cradle-to-grave biopic. We started making a film imagining this historical figure, but in order to get what we experienced as being the true essence of this person’s life, we made our own connection to the material. I used it. [We did this] Even if the factual aspects of it were unknown to us, or rearranged and redeployed to better tell the story in this part, [Joseph’s] Live life in the most cinematic and operatic way possible.
His life was defined by enormous passion, enormous excellence, striving, spectacular love affairs, betrayal and loss. [and] All the classics of opera. I was like, “What a meta way to take this movie visually.” This guy was an opera composer who happened to live an operatic life. It shows how to choose which aspects of his story to prioritize and how to do it visually.
As for what you want to prioritize, you and Stephanie said you created 24 drafts of this. When you first joined the project and read what she had already done, were there any threads you, as a director, wanted to expand on?
Stephen Williams: There were areas I wanted to extend and areas I wanted to remove. Joseph Bologne was the descendant of a French plantation owner and her 16-year-old woman who was enslaved on his plantation. So part of Joseph’s life revolved around the Guadeloupe plantation, probably until about the age of ten, before he was taken to France by his father. We messed around with it, but felt like we had seen enough of it, so we finally decided to remove it.
He carries with him his baggage, his cultural heritage, which informs his journey, but he does not have to spend much time on the plantations of Guadeloupe to tell the repetition of his life. There was one that was deleted and one that was extended. It was to try and get to the heart of his story, the evolution of sorting and sorting.
I want to ask you about Bob Marley, because you were talking about it yesterday. You said you quoted Bob Marley on every call sheet and explained what you were doing through the lens of Bob Marley’s lyrics. Can you talk about how his music influenced your work, and were there any parallels you saw between Bob Marley and Joseph Bologne?
Stephen Williams: Bob Marley is clearly part of my cultural tapestry. [and] of my birthplace. I was born in Jamaica and he is such a big cultural figure. His influence extends beyond reggae music. He’s a musical revolutionary and a revolutionary on both counts. [the] Not only on the socio-political stage, but also internally, [in regards to] Spiritual evolution, spiritual revolution, growth and change.
These two elements were part of Joseph Bologne’s life. He became a literal revolutionary by leading a battalion of 1,000 men in the French Revolution against the monarchy, but he also experienced an inner and spiritual revolution from the opening to the end of the film. It was so important to me that I looked at all the Venn diagrams of Bob Marley, my life, Joseph Bologne, Chevalier’s life. [starting] I tried to find a way to visually render it into one large DNA helix strand. The film’s final performance, and when Marie Antoinette reads the flyer advertising the film’s final concert… is deliberately called the Uprising. Because it was the last album Bob Marley recorded before shedding this deadly coil. [They] It might not be obvious to the average viewer, but it’s there.
I think musicians all over the world really appreciate it when it’s clear that movies in general care about being authentic to the music. You’ve put a lot of effort into submitting your performance, but what’s the most difficult thing as a director when it comes to putting together a musical performance sequence and making it feel authentic to the audience?
Stephen Williams: You’re right, it’s on Kelvin’s shoulders. [and] in a really reliable way. As I told you last night, there is no trickery. No stunt doubles, no movie magic. It’s a long take with Kelvin bowing that violin like a maestro. It would be disingenuous to talk about the hardest things for me, but the truth is, it’s the actors who have had to take on the toughest job duties. [for me it was] I try to keep front and center through all this stuff we’ve talked about.Joseph Bologne was a real person. He was a real person, and at the end of the day, we all wanted to honor that and honor the life of this true musical revolutionary.
almost Chevalier
Inspired by the wonderful story of Joseph Bologne, composer of the Chevalier de Saint-Georges. The illegitimate son of an African slave and a French plantation owner, Bologne (Kelvin Harrison Jr.’s Tour de Force performance) went on to become a famous violinist, composer and swordsman in France after an ill-fated love affair. Reach incredible heights in society. and the falling out between Marie Antoinette (Lucy Boynton) and her court.
check out our other Chevalier Read the interview here:
Chevalier It is currently playing in theaters.
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