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Straits Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Straits Times
In Wes Anderson's film The Phoenician Scheme, real masterpieces get a starring role
NEW YORK – At the end of Wes Anderson's new caper The Phoenician Scheme, there are some unusual credits. In addition to the cast and crew, the artworks featured in the film are listed, complete with ownership details. That is because the pieces on-screen are not reproductions. They are, in fact, the actual masterpieces from Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Rene Magritte and other well-known artists. In the past, the 56-year-old American film-maker has faked a Kandinsky and a Klimt. Here, he went for the real thing. 'We have a character who's a collector, who's a possessor; he wants to own things. And we thought because it's sort of art and commerce mixed together this time, we should try to have the real thing,' Anderson said via a voice note. What he ended up with was impressive. The fictional collection of businessperson Zsa-zsa Korda (played by Benicio del Toro) includes Renoir's Enfant Assis En Robe Bleue, which was once owned by Hollywood icon and screen legend Greta Garbo, and Magritte's The Equator. There is also a selection of works from the Hamburger Kunsthalle in Germany that includes pieces from the 17th century. Getting a collector or an art institution to hand over a painting worth millions of dollars to a film production is not an easy task. The negotiations fell mostly to Mr Jasper Sharp, a curator who had worked with Anderson and his wife, Juman Malouf, on their 2018 exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria, where Mr Sharp is based. 'A film set has vast amounts of light, heat, no climate control, very lax security and people running everywhere with booms, lights and props,' Mr Sharp said in a video interview. 'The walls that (the paintings) will be hung on are made of plywood sometimes. There are less desirable places to hang art, but this was certainly a challenging environment in terms of me trying to persuade (people) that they maybe want to lend an object.' To offset concerns, the production hired a conservator and a registrar to be on set overseeing the paintings. There, in a darkened, fenced-off corner, a security guard watched over the pieces and made sure they would not be exposed to more light than necessary. 'I felt, to have any real conviction in being able to ask somebody to lend an object, we needed to have that sort of support network to assure them that the works would be handled exactly as if they were lending them to a museum,' said Mr Sharp, who explained that this network included insurers, art handlers and shipping services. Still, even with his connections, some of his initial outreach was met with 'howls' of laughter and hang-ups. His search was both creative and practical. After discussing with Anderson what would make sense for Zsa-zsa, a domineering man who prides himself on owning masterpieces, Mr Sharp contacted museums and collectors in the vicinity of the set at Studio Babelsberg in Potsdam, Germany. Mr Sharp considers the Old Master selections from the Kunsthalle more in the 'best supporting actor' category of the art in Zsa-zsa's abode compared with the Renoir or the Magritte, which draw your eye. Anderson said he thought Juriaen Jacobsz's 1678 painting of dogs fighting over meat was 'an encapsulation of part of what our story is about'. (The film is very much Anderson's exploration of capitalism.) But Zsa-zsa does not just collect classical still-life works and paintings of animals. Mr Sharp said he suggested to Anderson that perhaps the character owned some impressive art from the film's period setting – to show his keen sense of taste, specifically a work of surrealism. Mr Sharp reached out to collector Ulla Pietzsch, who had never heard of Anderson but was interested in the project. 'I wasn't surprised when Wes settled on Magritte,' Mr Sharp said. 'If you think about where Wes grew up in Houston, The Menil Collection has, if not the greatest collection of Magrittes in the US, very close to that. So, he has been looking at Magritte for a long time.' Mr Sharp noted that The Equator is not the most recognisable of Magrittes – there is no bowler hat – but it is enigmatic. Anderson, meanwhile, envisioned that a Renoir would hang in the bedroom of Zsa-zsa's daughter Liesl (Mia Threapleton). Mr Sharp found one in the collection of Mr David Nahmad. 'I think it was maybe even in the script,' he said. Knowing that the elder Renoir painted his son Jean as a small child, 'somehow I thought Renoir might have painted somebody in this family, maybe Zsa-zsa'. The loans from Hamburger Kunsthalle remained on set for about a month, but the Magritte was in and out in a day, and the Renoir stayed just a night. Production designer Adam Stockhausen said in an e-mail that he and set decorator Anna Pinnock had full-sized mock-up prints made to roughly place the art and try multiple positions. 'Once Wes finalised the placements, the conservators brought in the art and we swopped with the mock-ups,' he said. Mr Sharp visited the set only once – the day the Renoir was present – but he said he felt the stars of the film were deferential to a portrait of Renoir's nephew that they were able to acquire on loan. This revealed itself in a conversation with Puerto Rican actor del Toro. 'He confessed it made him and everybody quite nervous to have this here, in a good way,' Mr Sharp said. Observing the dynamic between the stars and the star artwork gave Mr Sharp insight into the reasons Anderson had pursued the actual paintings. 'It changed the energy and atmosphere on set as it would do if you lived with an object like that,' he said. As soon as The Phoenician Scheme wrapped, Mr Sharp started to suspect that it would not be the last time he and Anderson embarked on a project of this nature. The film-maker, he said, agreed. 'It's really hard once you've done this for the first time to put it back in the bottle,' Mr Sharp said. NYTIMES The Phoenician Scheme is showing in Singapore cinemas. Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Observer
08-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Observer
In Wes Anderson's new movie, real masterpieces get a starring role
At the end of Wes Anderson's new caper, 'The Phoenician Scheme,' there are some unusual credits. In addition to the cast and crew, the artworks featured in the film are listed, complete with ownership details. That's because the pieces onscreen are not reproductions. They are in fact the actual masterpieces from Pierre-Auguste Renoir, René Magritte and other well-known artists. In the past, Anderson has faked a Kandinsky and a Klimt. Here he went for the real thing. 'We have a character who's a collector, who's a possessor; he wants to own things and we thought because it's sort of art and commerce mixed together this time we should try to have the real thing,' Anderson said via a voice note. What he ended up with was impressive. The fictional collection of businessperson Zsa-zsa Korda, played by Benicio Del Toro, includes Renoir's 'Enfant Assis en Robe Bleue,' which was once owned by Greta Garbo and Magritte's 'The Equator.' There is also a selection of works from the Hamburger Kunsthalle in Germany that includes pieces from the 17th century. Getting a collector or an art institution to hand over a painting worth millions of dollars to a film production isn't an easy task and the negotiations fell mostly to Jasper Sharp, a curator who had worked with Anderson and his wife, Juman Malouf, on their 2018 exhibition at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna, where Sharp is based. 'A film set has vast amounts of light, heat, no climate control, very lax security, people running everywhere with booms and lights and props,' Sharp said in a video interview. 'The walls that it will be hung on are made of plywood sometimes. There are less desirable places to hang art, but this was certainly a challenging environment in terms of me trying to persuade someone that they maybe want to lend an object.' To offset concerns, the production hired a conservator and a registrar to be on set overseeing the paintings. There, in a darkened, fenced-off corner, a security guard watched over the pieces and made sure they would not be exposed to more light than necessary. Benicio Del Toro's character is a businessman who prides himself on owning masterpieces like Floris Gerritsz van Schooten's 'Still Life of Breakfast With Roast Ox.' 'I felt, to have any real conviction in being able to ask somebody to lend an object, we needed to have that sort of support network to assure them that the works would be handled exactly as they were if they were lending them to a museum,' said Sharp, who explained that this network included insurers, art handlers and shipping services. Still, even with Sharp's connections, some of his initial outreach was met with 'howls' of laughter and hang-ups. His search was both creative and practical. After discussing with Anderson what would make sense for Zsa-zsa, a domineering man who prides himself on owning masterpieces, Sharp contacted museums and collectors in the vicinity of the set at Studio Babelsberg in Potsdam, Germany. Sharp considers the old master selections from the Kunsthalle more in the 'best supporting actor' category of the art in Zsa-zsa's abode compared with the Renoir or the Magritte, which draw your eye. Anderson said he thought Juriaen Jacobsz's 1678 painting of dogs fighting over meat was 'an encapsulation of part of what our story is about.' (The film is very much Anderson's exploration of capitalism.) But Zsa-zsa doesn't just collect classical still lifes and paintings of animals. Sharp said he suggested to Anderson that perhaps the character owned some impressive art from the film's period setting — to show his keen sense of taste, specifically a work of surrealism. Sharp reached out to collector Ulla Pietzsch, who had never heard of Anderson but was interested in the project. 'I wasn't surprised when Wes settled on Magritte,' Sharp said. 'If you think about where Wes grew up in Houston, the Menil Collection has, if not the greatest collection of Magrittes in the United States, very close to that. So he has been looking at Magritte for a long time.' Sharp noted that 'The Equator' is not the most recognisable of Magrittes — there is no bowler hat — but it is enigmatic. Anderson, meanwhile, envisioned that a Renoir would hang in the bedroom of Zsa-zsa's daughter, Liesl (Mia Threapleton). Sharp found one in the collection of David Nahmad. 'I think it was maybe even in the script,' he said. Knowing that the elder Renoir painted his son Jean as a small child, 'somehow I thought Renoir might have painted somebody in this family, maybe Zsa-zsa.' The loans from Hamburger Kunsthalle remained on set for about a month, but the Magritte was in and out in a day and the Renoir just stayed a night. Production designer Adam Stockhausen said in an email that he and set decorator Anna Pinnock had full-size mock-up prints made to roughly place the art and try multiple positions. 'Once Wes finalised the placements, the conservators brought in the art and we swapped with the mock-ups,' he said. Sharp visited the set only once — the day the Renoir was present — but he said he felt the stars of the film were deferential to a portrait of Renoir's nephew that they were able to acquire on loan. This revealed itself in a conversation with Del Toro. 'He confessed it made him and everybody quite nervous to have this here, in a good way,' Sharp said. Observing the dynamic between the stars and the star artwork gave Sharp insight into the reasons Anderson had pursued the actual paintings. 'It changed the energy and the atmosphere on set as it would do if you lived with an object like that,' he said. As soon as 'The Phoenician Scheme' wrapped, Sharp started to suspect that it wouldn't be the last time he and Anderson embarked on a project of this nature. Anderson, he said, agreed. 'It's really hard once you've done this for the first time to put it back in the bottle,' Sharp said. — The New York Times
The Citizen
04-06-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
No hanging about in Gold Challenge at Greyville
The Equator's southern appearance will be closely watched. Oriental Charm, seen here winning last year's Durban July, is in the field for the Gold Challenge on Saturday. Picture: Gerhard Duraan/Gallo Images There'll be no dawdling behind the Drill Hall at Greyville on Saturday afternoon; no ambling, loitering, strolling or sauntering. It'll be, 'Quick march! At the double!' – recalling the bad old days when the infantry base resounded with fighting energy. The 1600m starting pole next to the Drill Hall plays host to 12 horses in the Hollywoodbets Gold Challenge and making the 2025 contest really interesting is a glut of accomplished front runners in the field. The high-quality line-up includes Equus Horse of the Year, and likely favourite, Dave The King, who always likes to make the pace in a race. Reigning Durban July champ Oriental Charm does not like to be headed at any stage – and can get a bit annoyed if it happens. The excellent Montien is seldom out of the first two in running, and See It Again performs best when travelling in a handy position. Other contenders Those are some of the best middle-distance racehorses in the country who'll be fighting it out for the early lead. But they're up against some sprinters with natural gate speed and cruising power – such as Café Culture and William Robertson. The real 'milers' in the race, such as Great Plains, Gladatorian and Royal Aussie might be outgunned at the start but will be hoping overeager speedballs cut each other's throats and leave the way clear for 'closers'. It'll be a good watch. A Grade 1 trophy and R2-million are on the finishing line, while several runners are also getting their acts together for the Hollywoodbets Durban July a month hence. The Greyville meeting will get massive international exposure with Races 7 to 10 being part of a Hong Kong World Pools Saturday extravaganza that also takes in the famous English Derby at Epsom. Turffontein meeting Sunday's meeting at Turffontein racecourse is a bit overshadowed by that glamour, but racing aficionados will watch it keenly. The Jubilee Handicap and the Egoli Mile feature a number of Durban July hopefuls – all out to do well and crack the nod for the big one. Among them are Legend Of Arthur, Confederate, Atticus Finch, Son Of Raj, Musical Score, Olivia's Way and Immediate Edge. But the most intriguing is surprise July entry The Equator, making his South African debut after being imported from the Irish stables of the world's top trainer Aiden O'Brien. Nigel Riley, new co-owner of the colt, who is a son of the great Galileo, put out a media statement on Wednesday saying: 'We have been inundated with enquiries about the well-being of The Equator and have decided to appraise the racing public of the situation, so that they can make their own decisions… He went into (trainer) Tony Peter's yard on 28 March, where he has made excellent progress and has put up some eye-catching work. 'Last Sunday, The Equator had a 1600m gallop on the inside track at Turffontein against a couple of horses, including a Grade 1 winner. He won the gallop by three lengths, going away from them, and his work rider was as impressed as onlookers. We look forward to the race. We hope this will assist punters.'
Buzz Feed
27-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
7 Films That Used Real, Original Props For Their Iconic Scenes
Set and prop design are essential parts of the movie-making process, and sometimes films end up renting or creating real costly props in order to make a scene pop or ensure historical accuracy. So, here are seven films that used real, expensive, original items for props: The Phoenician Scheme In Wes Anderson's most recent film, business man and industrialist Zsa-Zsa Korda has a vast mansion, filled with an array of artworks and antiques; acquisitions that continue to be made over the course of the film. 'Never buy good pictures. Buy masterpieces," Zsa-Zsa advices one of his sons, and it seems that director, Wes Anderson, had a similar ethos when it came to set-design. Art curator, Jasper Sharp, was brought in to assemble a real collection of original pieces worthy of the character, which included, René Magritte's The Equator (1942), Pierre-Auguste Renoir's Enfant Assis en Robe Bleue (Portrait of Edmond Renoir Jr.) (1889), and a 17th-century Floris Gerritsz van Schooten still Benicio del Toro, who portrayed Zsa-Zsa was enamoured by the Magritte, and told us: "[the painting] was so incredible, and between action and cut, that was MY painting." The Wolf of Wall Street Movies often use replica cars, particularly when they intend on destroying them. But for the iconic scene of Leonardo Di Caprio attempting to remove his limp, drug-riddled body from his car, it was a real Lamborghini Countach that was intentionally crashed for the scene. The film used two of the cars in production, intentionally destroying one. Wirth only 658 of this particular model being produced by the Italian car manufacturer, it was a fairly bold decision not to use a replica for the scene. Stuart little The children's film about a little mouse named Stuart actually featured a long lost Hungarian painting, Sleeping Lady with Black Vase by Robert Bereny. You may be wondering why the producers of Stuart Little thought that the film required the use of a masterpiece, and the answer is that they didn't. In fact, the painting had been lost since the 1920s until a researcher at Hungary's national gallery in Budapest, Gergely Barki, was watching the film with his daughter in 2009, and noticed the painting in the background. 'I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw Bereny's long-lost masterpiece on the wall behind Hugh Laurie. I nearly dropped Lola from my lap," Gergely said. After a flurry of emails, he eventually got a reply from the set-designer, who had picked up the painting for barely anything at an antiques store in Pasadena, California. The painting was eventually sold at auction and had an estimated worth of around $300,000. Back to the Future The iconic status of the DeLorean has as much to do with it's use in Back to the Future that anything else, and the film used a number of the cars in production. In fact, the production team bought three used 1981 DeLorean DMC-12's, which were referred to as the "A-car," "B-car," and "C-car," with all three having different roles for the film. As to why they chose the DeLorean for the car that would be the centrepiece of the movie, Screenwriter Bob Gale gave this reason: "When we were working on the movie, the company's founder, John DeLorean, was on trial for cocaine trafficking—he was in the news pretty much every day — and then, of course, his company went bust. But to us, there was something dangerous, something counterculture, something so very gorgeous about just how beautiful that car was. And we loved those gullwing doors." Pretty Woman One of the most iconic moments of the film features an incredibly expensive prop, one that had to be escorted by it's own security team when on set. For the scene where Vivian is dressed in red gown for a night at the opera and is presented with a ruby and diamond necklace, the production team actually loaned the jewellery from Fred's jewellers in Beverly Hills. It's estimated worth was around £116,000 – £193,000 at the time of production in the late 1980s. Costume supervisor, Dan Lester, remembered the day the necklace was brought onto set: "That day that she wore it we had to go to pick up the jewellery, and I had to sign for it, and then two security guards with me, and they spent the entire day on the set.'" Moulin Rouge! On the subject of expensive necklaces, Nicole Kidman's neckwear for Moulin Rouge! was worth an eye-watering $2.5 Million. Speaking about why the necklace was used, director, Baz Luhrmann said that, "in those days, you couldn't make something sparkle on film like real diamonds. You needed real diamonds." He and his wife, Catherine Martin, herself an Oscar-winning costume designer, brought their vision to life alongside jewellery designer Stefano Cantur, who spent weeks researching late-1800s French jewellery in order to nail the accuracy. The necklace was made using 1,308 diamonds and a Sri Lankan blue sapphire, it required two security guards when it was on set. The Hateful Eight When studios rent expensive items, there is always a risk involved, as proven by a costly mishap in the filming of The Hateful Eight. The studio had loaned an antique Martin guitar from the 1860s from the Martin Museum. In a scene where actor Jennifer Jason Leigh was playing the guitar, Kurt Russel's character comes up, snatches the guitar out of her hands and demolishes it against a beam. While Jennifer knew the guitar was a real one, and wasn't expecting Kurt to destroy it, he and director Quentin Tarantino were seemingly under the impression that it was the dummy-guitar, intended to be demolished. On the event, Jennifer said: "I don't think Quentin knew that it was the [original instrument], either. The scene was going exactly the way he wanted it to go, and he wanted to play one scene in the movie in real time without a cut, in one long take. Kurt felt terrible; he had no idea. When he found out, his eyes literally welled up."The guitar was worth $40,000, but it's antique, irreplaceable nature was the real loss, and the museum in question expressed it's sincere regret and discontent with the incident. What other films used expensive props? Let us know in the comments below!
The Citizen
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Citizen
Former Aiden O'Brien-trained Irish colt 25-1 for the July
The Equator switches hemispheres. The Equator has been priced up at 25-1 by Hollywoodbets for the 2025 Durban July, which might turn out to be excellent value for an adventurous punter. Or not. The surprise entry for South Africa's premier horse race blindsided most July watchers. And an explanation that the Irish-bred colt had been imported primarily with stud duties in mind seemed to lull many observers into overlooking his racing credentials. Top pedigree The facts are: The Equator won once in six starts in Ireland and England and finished second twice. He was considered good enough to run at Royal Ascot. Yet it seems he was deemed surplus to requirements by trainer Aiden O'Brien. However, scratch the surface and a more promising picture emerges. O'Brien, it should be remembered, is the world's most successful trainer, so even a cast-off from his Balldoyle stable might be a long way off a dud. Most significantly, The Equator's pedigree is quite fabulous. He is a son of Galileo, one of the greatest racehorses of his time and certainly one of the greatest stallions of all time – being champion sire of Ireland and Great Britain a remarkable 12 times. The mother, Quiet Reflection, a granddaughter of two standout stallions in Oasis Dream and Haafd, was Britain's Cartier Champion Sprinter in 2016. With that blood in his veins, and being from Galileo's final crop, it's no wonder the proprietors of breeding powerhouse Coolmore decided to keep The Equator for their own racing enjoyment. He was a fine specimen – a big bay like his dad, with a sassy walk – who O'Brien was quite excited about. Outing at Royal Ascot In the famous blue and orange colours of Michael Tabor, Derrick Smith and Sue Magnier, The Equator made his debut as a juvenile at Leopardstown racecourse in July 2023 – as 2-1 favourite with star jockey Ryan Moore in the irons. He finished fourth, but trainer and rider praised the way he ran to the line. An eight-month break followed, which didn't seem to bother the colt as he won easily by 3.25 lengths next time out at the same venue, ridden by Wayne Lordan. The connections were encouraged enough to take The Equator to Royal Ascot in June 2024, where he finished fifth in the Group 2 Queen's Vase – with stable-elect Illinois winning the race under Moore. The Equator was runner-up in his next two races, at Navan and York. In November 2024, his three-parts sister Lake Victoria stretched her unbeaten record to five from five when taking out the Breeders' Cup Fillies Juvenile Sprint at Del Mar in California. Just days before that spectacular action, South African horse owner Willem Ackerman bought The Equator on the UK's Tattersalls Horses in Training Sale, along with three other notable thoroughbreds. At Ackerman's side giving advice was former South African champion trainer Paul Peter, whose son Tony now has The Equator in training at his Turffontein yard and might be saddling the big fellow at Greyville on 5 July. More than stud duties It's been reported that The Equator will, at some date, retire to Nigel Riley's Heversham Farm stud outside Joburg, where the likes of Jackson, MK's Pride and Pomodoro already stand. The latter, of course, is a Durban July winner. Thoughts about impending stud duties were, unusually, to the fore when the 61 first entries for the 2025 Hollywoodbets Durban July were unveiled at the weekend. Cape Town Met champion Eight On Eighteen was among the names, despite his connections speculating publicly that he might not be in the final line-up for the R5-million showpiece – with the Daily News 2000 and Champions Cup potentially offering better value in terms of stud fees. Also nominated was last year's July winner Oriental Charm, who is already being featured in stallion adverts for the coming covering season at Drakenstein Stud. If breeding shed notions are putting punters and bookmakers off The Equator, they're certainly not distracting them from the other two entires. Eight On Eighteen and Oriental Charm share the top rungs of the odds boards at 5-1 and 6-1. Notable absentees from the first draft of 61 July hopefuls were Cosmic Speed, Garrix and All Out For Six, all of whom had attracted ante-post betting money.
