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Late Fame

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Late Fame

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Summary

Forgotten poet Ed Saxberger finds new inspiration when young creatives embrace his work, but actress Gloria soon complicates his world.

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Review

A star rating of 4 out of 5.

Tom Dawson

Directed by Kent Jones (Diane) and scripted by Samy Burch (May December), this observant character study is an imaginative adaptation of Arthur Schnitzler's novella Late Fame, with the setting transposed from late 19th century Vienna to contemporary wintry New York. Back in the late 1970s, Ed Saxberger (Willem Dafoe) was a young poet in the downtown scene, authoring a collection titled Way Past Go, but he has spent the last four decades working at a postal sorting office. His everyday routine is disrupted by his unexpected involvement with the Enthusiasm Society, a group of 20-something aesthetes from rich backgrounds, who rail against contemporary culture and seemingly venerate his poems. Set exclusively in the Greenwich Village and SoHo neighbourhoods, Jones's film is a story of cultural New Yorks both past and present, and explores the contradictory feelings experienced by Saxberger at the prospect of literary "rediscovery". There's an appealing flow to the storytelling, and a generosity towards the characters, even during the more pointed moments in a film that comments on lower Manhattan's gradual gentrification. Impressive performances, too, from Dafoe and from Grace Lee, as a flamboyant cabaret artist who delivers a memorable recital of Brecht and Weill's Surabaya Johnny.

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6.6/10

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Credits

Cast

rolenameEd SaxbergerWillem DafoeGloriaGreta LeeMeyersEdmund DonovanBrussardClay SingerCarmichaelArthur LanglieSherfeyGraham CampbellWinnLuca PadovanPaulieTony TornArnoldClark JohnsonHankDaniel Oreskes

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Crew

rolenameDirectorKent JonesWriterSamy BurchWriterArthur SchnitzlerProducerPamela KofflerProducerJackie LangelierProducerEthan LazarProducerH.S. NajiComposerDon FlemingDirector of photographyWyatt GarfieldEditorMike SelemonCastingJodi AngstreichCastingLaura RosenthalProduction designerTommaso Ortino

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Details

Theatrical distributor

Vertigo

Released on

2026-09-04

Languages

English

Guidance

Swearing, sexual references, drug abuse

Formats

Colour

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