Esther Kahn

Started by J.A.F._Doorhof, November 1, 2002, 23:57:09

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J.A.F._Doorhof

From: Wellspring Media

For Immediate Release

Wellspring Presents Arnaud Desplechin's Esther Kahn Starring Summer Phoenix And Ian Holm

-- Film Was An Official Selection at The Cannes Film Festival --

New York, NY (October 21, 2002) - This November, Wellspring presents Summer Phoenix (The Believer, The Laramie Project, The Faculty) and Ian Holm (The Lord of the Rings, From Hell) in the "intellectually provocative" (The New York Times) film Esther Kahn. The Onion hailed the film as "surely among the most complex and beguiling films ever made about the craft of acting." Directed by Arnaud Desplechin (My Sex Life, La Sentinelle), Esther Kahn is about a young Jewish migrant living in London, dreaming of becoming an actress. The video (SRP 59.98) and DVD (SRP $24.98) will be available at local outlets on November 19, 2002. The DVD special features include:16X9 presentation; 5.1 mix; deleted scenes; interview with Summer Phoenix; and filmographies.

In this psychological period film set in 18th century London, a young girl, Esther Kahn is raised among the poor Jewish tailors of the city's East End. She is the weak link in the family enterprise, sewing too slow. She is void of feelings and believes people pretend to love each other and pretend to be human beings; therefore, she loves no one. She lives trapped in herself, surrounded by shadows.

For Esther, the only place where people are true is in the theatre. She aspires to become an actress and secretly looks for a job in the local theatres. She is hired for a small part in a play and the audience taken in by her "void of life" presence. Her acting career takes off and she is ready to leave her family and move to the Strand.

An old actor, Nathan Quellen (Holm) takes Esther under his wing, teaching her how to become a better actress. He realizes her lack of life experience, and tells her that her acting is dead without it. He recommends she take on a lover. She begins an affair with a playwright who encourages her cultural education and supports her acting. On the eve of opening night he dumps her brutally, after she catches him with another woman. Esther is devastated. He brings his new love to the theatre on his arm. Suddenly, for the first time, Esther enters into the ordinary stream of life. During the performance she feels every nerve in her body burning and finally begins to live a real life.

The Los Angeles Times hailed "Exquisite. A superbly evoked period piece." Film Journal International said "A film worthy of comparison to Truffaut's best cinematic poems." The film has a running time of 142 minutes, is not rated and is in English.

Wellspring Media, Inc. is a leading independent supplier of notable film, television and video programming for customers with a sense of aesthetic, cultural and intellectual adventure. The company serves as a trusted filter, sifting through all available material and releasing only those titles worthy of it clients' attention.

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