Soprano claims rights to Florence Foster Jenkins film
mainA US-French coloratura, Julia Kogan, is claiming in the British courts that her ex-bf stole her idea for Meryl Streep’s Florence Foster Jenkins film.
Most singers would use lawyers to deny any connection to the Jenkins screech, but Julia is claiming a screen credit as co-author from her ex-partner Nicholas Martin.
photo (c) Jan Persson
The Times reports: She says that she contributed to the script by not only introducing him to the tale of the New York heiress, but by furnishing him with much of the technical knowhow and colourful detail about the “lifestyle, vocabulary, idiosyncrasies and idioms” of professional opera singers portrayed in the film.
More here (firewall).
UPDATE: We understand that the Times version above is contested by Julia Kogan.
More here:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3580706/Soprano-legal-row-ex-came-idea-Florence-Foster-Jenkins.html#comments
I’m tearing out what little remains of my hair at the idea of yet another tedious, twee film for seniors about some neurotic failure or other. Whether it’s Alzheimer’s, a lost illegitimate child, depression or some kind of neurosis when is somebody going to deliver intelligent, gritty, complex cinema for older audiences? I’m so bored with elderly actors like Streep, Maggie Smith, Judy Dench and Helen Mirren. Yaaaawn. The only one of these who remains half decent is Julie Walters.
Go away bland wallpaper movies!! Bring back the likes of “Gran Turino” and just about every modern film made by the great Clint Eastwood. This senior is bored rigid with pap.
Sue, the great thing in this life is that there is choice as to what we go to to see, so you don’t have to waste your money on going to see anything you don’t really want to see. I actually got taken last night plus a meal afterwards before I was doing a concert myself today on my birthday. I thought the film was good and after rehearsing in very hot weather yesterday, it was about the level of film I was capable of watching. What’s more I didn’t get bored, I don’t go to the pictures very often, and it was a damn sight better than that Lucia I saw from ROH a couple of weeks ago at the pictures live. But there was a sadness about it all in spite of the laughs, and it as filmed well. I must say I’m not sure what the general public would think about such a topic if, as in England, they wouldn’t have known who she was or any other singer that matter. And my accompanist and I were the only two in a 300-seater cinema last night. Probably answers my question. Even Grant was better than usual. But I neither went in nor got pulled out screaming – it was by choice I went through a friend’s kind generosity, and I enjoyed it for what it was worth.
I thought Michael Haneke’s “Amour” was gritty and anything but twee. Depends whether one wants an honest view of life or The Sound of Music (which I also enjoy at Christmas).