Hotel
- 2001
- Mike Figgis
- 111 mins
Review
With this part-improvised film-making "exercise" - shot over a weekend in Venice using a cast as varied as David Schwimmer, Rhys Ifans and John Malkovich - director Mike Figgis confirms his position as one of Britain's most visionary directors. The story, which unfolds in a decidedly obtuse and sketchy fashion, concerns the fraught making of a movie-within-a-movie of John Webster's Duchess of Malfi according to Dogme rules, against a background of murder and casual cannibalism. It's odd, yes, but compelling and even darkly funny. Shot on DV (digital video), Figgis apes the back-to-basics manifesto of the Dogme directors, then flouts it by using arch post-production such as split screen (even four ways, echoing his previous ground-breaker Timecode). The result is occasionally frustrating (and foul-mouthed whenever Ifans is on-screen) but mostly captivating and commendably European for a film-maker with Hollywood form. Salma Hayek is superbly irritating as an MTV-style documentary host, and when Burt Reynolds pops up as a financier, you know you're in weird waters.
How to watch
Credits
Cast
role | name |
---|---|
Trent Stoken | Rhys Ifans |
Naomi / Duchess of Malfi | Saffron Burrows |
Jonathan Danderfine | David Schwimmer |
Charlee Boux | Salma Hayek |
Flamenco manager | Burt Reynolds |
O, tour guide | Julian Sands |
Hotel manager | Danny Huston |
Kawika | Lucy Liu |
Nurse | Chiara Mastroianni |
Italian actress | Valeria Golino |
Omar Jonnson | John Malkovich |
Crew
role | name |
---|---|
Director | Mike Figgis |
Details
- Theatrical distributor
- ICA Projects
- Released on
- 2002-04-05
- Languages
- English
- Available on
- video and DVD
- Formats
- Colour