Subject
Lolita on cable? (fwd)
Date
Body
From: Michael Juliar <mjuliar@attmail.com>
>From The New York Times, 11 March 1998
Little Screen for Nymphet?
By BILL CARTER and LAWRIE MIFLIN
Depending on the outcome of negotiations between the French film studio Pathe and the
premium cable network Showtime, "Lolita,"
the big-budget, high-profile remake of the Vladimir Nabokov novel and the Stanley
Kubrick film may get its first American
exposure on television, not in theaters.
Executives familiar with the discussions said Tuesday that Showtime had a bid on the
table to acquire the first American rights to the new
version of "Lolita," which was directed by Adrian Lyne and stars Jeremy Irons.
A deal was said to be close last week, but Lyne is still looking for a theatrical
release of the film, and one executive close to the
negotiations said the deal was probably about 50-50.
Executives for the studio and for Showtime declined for the most part to comment on
the "Lolita" situation. Ronni Chassen, a
spokeswoman for Pathe, said, "The studio will decline all comment right now except to
say reports of a deal with Showtime are
premature."
No one would reveal the price being discussed, though one executive said it would be
"expensive by Showtime's standards, but not
enormously expensive."
Being able to serve as the outlet for the premiere of "Lolita," a $50 million movie
that has attracted wide publicity over the last several
years, would clearly be a coup for Showtime, a pay channel that is still trying to eat
into HBO's dominance in that category.
But Lyne and others involved in the creation of the film are understandably reluctant
to have their work steered to television before having
the usual exposure in movie theaters.
The film's subject matter, the sexual relationship between a man in his 40s and a
young girl, has been considered all but radioactive by film
distribution companies in this country. (The film has been playing in theaters in
Europe.) So far, Pathe has been unable to strike a deal
with a distributor in America.
Matt Blank, the chairman of Showtime, acknowledged that his company has held talks
about the film but said he would not comment on
where they stood. He noted that Showtime has served before as the outlet for films
that had some difficulty finding distribution.
Last year, for example, Showtime put on "Bastard Out of Carolina," after it had been
rejected by the Turner channel TNT for being far
too violent and sexually explicit. The film won critical acclaim and brought Showtime
numerous award nominations.
"The key for us in putting on a film like this is that we provide the artists, the
director and the other filmmakers, with a venue for their
work," Blank said.
>From The New York Times, 11 March 1998
Little Screen for Nymphet?
By BILL CARTER and LAWRIE MIFLIN
Depending on the outcome of negotiations between the French film studio Pathe and the
premium cable network Showtime, "Lolita,"
the big-budget, high-profile remake of the Vladimir Nabokov novel and the Stanley
Kubrick film may get its first American
exposure on television, not in theaters.
Executives familiar with the discussions said Tuesday that Showtime had a bid on the
table to acquire the first American rights to the new
version of "Lolita," which was directed by Adrian Lyne and stars Jeremy Irons.
A deal was said to be close last week, but Lyne is still looking for a theatrical
release of the film, and one executive close to the
negotiations said the deal was probably about 50-50.
Executives for the studio and for Showtime declined for the most part to comment on
the "Lolita" situation. Ronni Chassen, a
spokeswoman for Pathe, said, "The studio will decline all comment right now except to
say reports of a deal with Showtime are
premature."
No one would reveal the price being discussed, though one executive said it would be
"expensive by Showtime's standards, but not
enormously expensive."
Being able to serve as the outlet for the premiere of "Lolita," a $50 million movie
that has attracted wide publicity over the last several
years, would clearly be a coup for Showtime, a pay channel that is still trying to eat
into HBO's dominance in that category.
But Lyne and others involved in the creation of the film are understandably reluctant
to have their work steered to television before having
the usual exposure in movie theaters.
The film's subject matter, the sexual relationship between a man in his 40s and a
young girl, has been considered all but radioactive by film
distribution companies in this country. (The film has been playing in theaters in
Europe.) So far, Pathe has been unable to strike a deal
with a distributor in America.
Matt Blank, the chairman of Showtime, acknowledged that his company has held talks
about the film but said he would not comment on
where they stood. He noted that Showtime has served before as the outlet for films
that had some difficulty finding distribution.
Last year, for example, Showtime put on "Bastard Out of Carolina," after it had been
rejected by the Turner channel TNT for being far
too violent and sexually explicit. The film won critical acclaim and brought Showtime
numerous award nominations.
"The key for us in putting on a film like this is that we provide the artists, the
director and the other filmmakers, with a venue for their
work," Blank said.