Obviously the title leaves much to be desired, but in every other possible way, Anton Chekhov’s The Duel is everything a costume drama should be—filled with stellar acting by winsome British and Irish stars, beautiful costumes and set dressing, gorgeous cinematography and breathtaking scenery—all blue skies, peach-roofed villas and deep, mesmeric, ink blue sea.
Even better, all of these pleasures complement a gripping story propelled by carefully placed moral weights and counterweights. The whole is brilliantly orchestrated by a director who absolutely understands both Chekhov’s subtle wit and deep humanistic sympathies.
And just who is this director? Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather when I found out it was the same man responsible for the 2001 contemporary Israeli drama Late Marriage, but on consideration it shouldn’t be surprising. Although it was only Kosashvili’s second feature, Late Marriage was remarkable for its deft, uncompromising storytelling, rich depiction of character and relationships, and masterful control of tone—always somewhere between comic and horrifying—qualities it shares with Anton Chekhov’s The Duel, and indeed all of Chekhov.
Furthermore, what seems an unlikely choice of material, given the contemporary Israeli settings of his earlier films, makes a lot of sense when one learns that the Israel-dwelling Kosashvili was actually born in Georgia, on the coast of the Black Sea, exactly the location of this longest of Chekohov’s stories (although the production was actually shot on the Croatian coast).
In a follow-up to my previous article about Andy Whitfield, whose epic battle with a treatable form of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma has delayed Season 2 of Starz hit series Spartacus : Blood and Sand, Starz has announced that pre-production is underway on a new six-part prequel to the show.
While Andy Whitfield, who played the title role in the series, will briefly appear in two episodes of the prequel, it will be Lucy Lawless and John Hannah who take center stage. The story will center on the rise of the House of Batiatus and its champions before Spartacus arrives as a captured Thracian slave. With the title still to be determined, the prequel will begin production this summer in New Zealand, and is slated to air on Starz in January 2011.
Other returning actors include Peter Mensah (Doctore), Manu Bennett (Crixus), Antonio Te Maioha (Barca), Nick E. Tarabay (Ashur), Lesley-Ann Brandt (Naevia) – and others. New characters will also be added – most notably the gladiator who was champion of the House of Batiatus before Spartacus or even Crixus – who will help fill in the story about the people and politics in the House of Batiatus and ancient Capua as a whole.
“The prequel story maintains the excitement and entertainment value of the first season of ‘Spartacus,’ giving audiences the engaging experience they’ve come to expect,” said Starz President and CEO Chris Albrecht. “We look forward to continuing the Spartacus story.”
Produced by Rob Tapert, Sam Raimi, Joshua Donen and Steven S. DeKnight, Spartacus: Blood and Sand was the highest rated show for the 18-49 demographic among all cable networks for 12 of the 13 Fridays on which it aired based on coverage rating. The production team remains intact for the six-part prequel which is expected to air later this year or in January of next year.
Here at The Flickcast there is near unanimous love for the Starz Spartacus: Blood and Sand series. With its blatant gladiator-driven homo-eroticism, 300-level gore, violence and the treacherous characters whose destinies are tied to the sands of the Roman Arena of Capua and the House of Batiatus, there’s something for everyone.
Unfortunately, Spartacus lead Andy Whitfield has been diagnosed with a treatable form of non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, which leaves fans wondering just how Starz will handle Andy’s indefinite leave from the show while he is in treatment. A recent statement from Starz Entertainment indicates that it will postpone production on season 2, titled ‘Spartacus: Vengeance,’ while Whitfield undergoes cancer treatments.
Show writer Maurissa Tancharoe, elaborates via Twitter: “The second season is still happening; however, it is on hold at the moment due to star Andy Whitfield’s health problems.” Another tweet seemed to reassure fans that season 2 is definitely not cancelled declaring, “Season two of #Spartacus has NOT been cancelled. Don’t know where that rumor came from.”
Rumors have also surfaced that a prequel series could be under way with a younger actor filling Whitfield’s role as Spartacus, but it’s not clear if Lucy Lawless and John Hannah will be starring in that as well. NY Magazine seems to be confirming that Starz will be developing a 6-episode mini-series prequel to keep momentum going with the show’s nearly one million weekly viewers. Whatever happens, we wish Andy Whitfield a speedy recovery.
When you say the word “history” out loud, it’s usually met with a chorus of groans. “I hated history in school! All those dates and crap! So boring.” It’s depressing.
History, if taught right, is a story. (That’s why it has “story” embedded into it. No joke.) It’s not names, dates, and places. It’s blood and sex, with a dash of art and higher aspirations. It’s the stuff you pay to watch in theaters or on HBO but with the kicker that it actually happened.
I couldn’t be happier that television has decided to take that idea and run crazy with it. The new trend on cable is taking finding some notorious era of history, populated with sex and swearing, and spin a few seasons out of it. HBO kicked off the trend with Rome and Deadwood (and promptly broke our hearts in the process), and now Showtime and Starz have taken up the gauntlet.
Showtime has been happily running around Renaissance England with The Tudors, which is about to wrap up in its fourth season now that Henry VIII is coming to the end of his wives. While it’s played a little fast and loose with history, it’s been a sumptuous watch, and fans won’t have to look far for a replacement.
Previously here at The Flickcast, we brought you the first promo for the new show The Philanthropist, which premieres June 24th on NBC. The show is an interesting mix of action, drams, suspense and seems to have great production value, an interesting and talented cast and all of the other ingredients that usually go into a hit show. Its one that will undoubtedly make its way onto our Tivos so we can check it out.
To further illustrate this point, we’ve got another promo for the show to, well, show. In this one, billionaire Teddy Rist who, according to NBC’s info, “loves women, money and power but after the tragic death of his only child, has an awakening and becomes the world’s first vigilante philanthropist”, saves a boy from drowning, hand carries a vaccine across mountains to villagers, gets shot at and is told he’s “not a superhero.” Tough job.
The show stars James Purefoy (Rome), Jesse L. Martin (Law & Order) and Neve Campbell (Scream). Check out the new promo for The Philanthropist after the break.
I’m a fan of TV shows with action, suspense, good acting, fast cars and well-written episodes. Sometimes many of those elements come together to form great television programs such as The X-Files, The Wire, Dollhouse or Fringe. NBC ‘s got a program that debuts next Winter, in the post-Heroes timeslot, called The Philanthropist and it looks like, at least based on the promo and info, it may end up being another one of those shows that just works.
The show, in case you’re not familiar, concerns billionaire Teddy Rist who, according to NBC’s info about the show, “loves women, money and power. After the tragic death of his only child, Teddy has an awakening and becomes the world’s first vigilante philanthropist — a renegade billionaire who uses his wealth, connections and power to help people in need.” Sounds interesting.
Even better is that the show is produced by by Universal Media Studios, Original Media and the Levinson/Fontana Company. Tom Fontana (Homicide: Life on the Street), Barry Levinson and Charlie Corwin (L.A. Ink) are the executive producers. Not a bad bunch of folks to be involved with your show. In addition to the producing team, the show has also assembled a pretty decent cast as well including James Purefoy (Rome), Jesse L. Martin (Law & Order) and Neve Campbell (Scream).
Check out the promo for The Philanthropist below and see what you think.
Obviously the title leaves much to be desired, but in every other possible way, Anton Chekhov’s The Duel is everything a costume drama should be—filled with stellar acting by winsome British and Irish stars, beautiful costumes and set dressing, gorgeous cinematography and breathtaking scenery—all blue skies, peach-roofed villas and deep, mesmeric, ink blue sea.
In a follow-up to my previous article about 
Previously here at The Flickcast, we brought you 
I’m a fan of TV shows with action, suspense, good acting, fast cars and well-written episodes. Sometimes many of those elements come together to form great television programs such as The X-Files, The Wire, Dollhouse or Fringe. NBC ‘s got a program that debuts next Winter, in the post-Heroes timeslot, called 
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