VENICE 2020: JIM BROADBENT, HELEN MIRREN SHINE IN THE DUKE ART HEIST DRAMEDY, DAVID WENHAM, AHMED MALEK IN 19TH CENTURY AUSTRALIAN WESTERN THE FURNACE

     'THE DUKE' MOVIE 

EXPLORES A HEIST OF ART THAT WILL STEAL YOUR HEART

We are reporting from Venice Film Festival today where two of the films I wrote about before received praise this week. THE DUKE, with Jim Broadbent and Helen Mirren, has aired at Bienalle this week, lauded as

The Duke will hit UK cinemas this November

very moving and heartwarming, and will arrive into cinemas in November. In this fun true story, he plays a man who made the headlines in 1961 after Goya’s painting of the Duke of Wellington was stolen from the National Gallery in London.

 The Roger Michell Movie Is Set
in 1961, when Kempton Bunton (Jim Broadbent), a 60 year old taxi driver, stole Goya's portrait of the Duke of Wellington from the National Gallery in

The incident was, and still is, the only art theft in National Gallery's history

London. He sent ransom notes saying that he would return the painting on condition that the government invested more in care for the elderly. What

Kempton's heist was inspired by his fierce belief that war widows and old-age pensioners should not be forced to pay the BBC licence fee.

happened next became the stuff of legend. An uplifting true story about a good man who set out to change the world and managed to save his marriage. Matthew Goode and Fionn Whitehead also star.

     'THE FURNACE' MOVIE 

DEPICTS AUSTRALIAN GOLDRUSH

Also praised this week at the Lido, was another period set movie, this time an Australian Western THE FURNACE in which David Wenham plays a thief who joins forces with an Afghan cameleer. Roderick Mackay's debut

David Wenham and Ahmed Malek play the lead roles in The Furnace

feature was applauded for depicting a wonderful mix of cultures in the 19th century Australia and beautiful desert landscapes vistas which dominate the movie.

     What's The Story About?
Set during Western Australia's early gold rush in the 1890s, the film revolves around an Afghan cameleer (Ahmed Malek, thousands of cameleers were imported by The Crown in the mid 19th century to transport goods across the

The film was shot around Mount Magnet in Australia's Midwest

inhospitable country. They developed a kinship with the Aborigines to find better routes) and a bushman (David Wenham) racing to melt down gold

The film does not have a cinematic release date yet

bars at a secret furnace while being pursued by a police sergeant! The richness of different cultures and religions in the film is seen also in the fact that the characters speak English, Pashto and the local Yamatji Badimia language.

LOVE AIN'T EASY IN THE FIRST TRAILER FOR AUSTRALIAN DRAMA DIRT MUSIC WITH DAVID WENHAM, GARRET HEDLUND, KELLY MCDONALD

     'DIRT MUSIC' TRAILER

GIVES GARRETT HEDLUND A VERY HOT BEARD INDEED

First trailer has been released for the big screen adaptation of acclaimed Australian novel DIRT MUSIC by Tim Winton, in which the stunning landscape of Western Australia is the backdrop for an impassioned tale of love

Dirt Music is coming soon to Australian cinemas

and grief. Stuck in a loveless relationship with legendary local fisherman Jim Buckridge (David Wenham), the despondent Georgie (Kelly Macdonald) becomes enamoured with Lu (Garrett Hedlund), a young poacher who is encroaching on her tyrannical partner's territory. A reticent loner with a tragic past who gave up his life as a musician, Lu is wary of letting Georgie in. But their fervent attraction gets the better of them, and secrets are uncovered that will change their lives. When Jim finds out about the affair, Lu flees into the punishing terrain with no intention of returning, and Georgie sets off on a chase to bring her lover back. Three tempestuous

Along with the novel, a "soundtrack" was produced, which included both bluegrass and classical music and was intended to embody the quote in the novel, "Anything you could play on a verandah. You know, without electricity. Dirt music."

characters, worn down by traumas, find themselves bound together and forced to face one another's inner conflicts in this blistering outback melodrama. 

     DAVID WENHAM TO ALSO STAR

IN THE FURNACE WESTERN

Speaking of Australian films and their star David Wenham, he has also finished production on 19th century western THE FURNACE director Roderick MacKay's feature film debut! Set in Western Australia’s 1890s gold

Ahmed Malek and David Wenham lead the Furnace cast

rush, THE FURNACE is an unlikely hero’s tale, navigating greed and the search for identity in a new land. Ahmed Malek plays Hanif, a young cameleer who forms a partnership with a bushman (David Wenham) on the run with Crown gold. Together, they must outwit zealous troopers in a race to reset the gold bars at a secret furnace.