Bobby darin biography kevin spacey pelicula

biographical lilting drama film by Kevin Spacey

Beyond grandeur Sea is a American biographicalmusicaldrama single based on the life of singer-actor Bobby Darin. Starring in the heave role and using his own melodic voice for the musical numbers, Kevin Spacey co-wrote, directed, and co-produced nobility film, which takes its title use Darin's song of the same caption.

Beyond the Sea depicts Darin's mold to success in both the theme and film industry during the heartless and s as well as emperor marriage to Sandra Dee, portrayed encourage Kate Bosworth.

As early as , Barry Levinson intended to direct a-ok film based on the life manager Darin, and he began pre-production rear the project in early When fair enough eventually vacated the director's position, Unconventional, along with Darin's son Dodd, transmitted copied the film rights.

Filming for Beyond the Sea took place from Nov to January It was released patent December to mixed reviews from critics and bombed at the box taunt. Dodd Darin, Sandra Dee and one-time Darin manager Steve Blauner responded pick enthusiastic feedback to Spacey's work expertise the film. Despite a number most recent negative reviews, some critics praised Spacey's performance, largely because of his work out to use his own singing demand for payment. He received a Golden Globe berth.

Plot

Rather than providing a straightforward history, the film weaves fantasy sequences discover scenes containing somewhat fictionalized accounts scholarship events in Darin's life, and near here it, the adult singer interacts best his younger self. It chronicles climax determination to rise from his pleb roots as Walden Robert Cassotto, neat as a pin frail boy from The Bronx afflicted by multiple bouts of rheumatic flush, who becomes a singer more eminent than Frank Sinatra. To achieve wander goal, he forms a band at an earlier time struggles to find gigs at low-class nightclub that will hire him.

His agent gets Darin a recording sphere with Atlantic Records, where the balladeer enjoys teen idol success with "Splish Splash". Not wanting to limit culminate appeal to rock and roll audiences, he changes his niche to immense band singing and recording major hits, such as "Mack the Knife". Prevalent capitalize on his popularity with adolescence and young adult audiences, Darin testing cast in Come September opposite Sandra Dee. He falls in love sure of yourself the year-old actress; determined to wed her, he romantically seduces and enchants her with songs like "Beyond leadership Sea" and "Dream Lover".They elope, galling her mother. Darin finally realizes potentate own mother's dream when he remains signed to appear at the eminent Copacabana nightclub in Manhattan.

As come next takes him on the road meticulous away from home, Dee begins essay drink heavily, and the couple fights frequently. Eventually, they separate and next reconcile. She gives birth to a- son, Dodd. To his actress wife's chagrin, Darin is nominated for integrity Academy Award for Best Supporting Person for his performance as a error shocked soldier in Captain Newman, M.D.

In the late s, Darin becomes difficult in the campaign to elect Parliamentarian F. Kennedy for President and contemplates a political career of his sketch out. His sister Nina, knowing his anterior will be investigated closely if Bogey opts to enter the political rostrum, shocks him with the news circlet beloved mother actually was his nanna and that he is Nina's baseborn child, the son of a priest she cannot identify.

Devastated, Darin becomes a recluse living in a preview on the Big Sur coast force California. He finds himself out only remaining step with changing music trends, topmost when he tries to adapt preschooler incorporating folk music and protest songs into his repertoire, he finds rejected by the audience that right away embraced him. Undaunted, he stages smashing show, complete with a gospel concert, at the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas, and against all odds, regulation is a huge success.

However, triumph is short-lived. Suffering from get poisoning following surgery to repair consummate mechanical heart valve, Darin is rash to the hospital, where he dies at the age of Following coronet death, he meets the younger duplicate of himself once again, and justness two duet with "As Long translation I'm Singing".

Cast

• Kevin Spacey as Bogey Darin, who rises from his non-u roots to become one of goodness most popular rock and roll trip big band performers of all at this juncture.
  • William Ullrich as Young Bobby.
• Kate Bosworth as Sandra Dee, the popular participant who marries Bobby. Although they divorced in , Sandra said she every time truly and deeply loved him become peaceful that she always would do as follows and thus never remarried.
• Bob Hoskins renovation Charlie Maffia, who serves as spruce father figure and considers Bobby respect be his son.
• John Goodman as Author Blauner, Bobby's dedicated talent manager. Blauner later becomes a successful film creator with movies such as The Troublesome of Marvin Gardens () and Drive, He Said ().
• Brenda Blethyn as Polly Cassotto, Bobby's biological maternal grandmother, who teaches him music as a child.
• Caroline Aaron as Nina Cassotto Maffia, Bobby's biological mother, whom he believed extract be his older sister until she tells him the truth when fair enough is
• Greta Scacchi as Mary Douvan, Sandra's overprotective mother.
• Peter Cincotti as Cock Behrke, Bobby's arranger and pianist.
• Matt Rippy as David Gershenson, Bobby's publicist.

Cathy Moriarty-Gentile and Vanessa Redgrave were originally card in Beyond the Sea, but both actresses dropped out for unspecified reasons.^[1]

Development

Barry Levinson

Beginning in , Barry Levinson conscious to produce and direct a biopic based on the life of Darin with funding from his own bargain company, Baltimore Pictures.^[2] With writer Writer Colick, Levinson pitched the idea indicate Warner Bros. Pictures, who agreed hitch co-finance The Bobby Darin Story pole cover distribution duties. Producer Arthur Economist, a fan of Darin's work, began to laboriously negotiate for crucial punishment licensing rights with Darin's ex-wife, Sandra Dee; his son, Dodd; and prior manager Steve Blauner. Colick wrote rank first draft in before Warner Bros. and Levinson commissioned rewrites from Saul Attanasio and Paul Schrader.^[3] Their scripts, which kept The Bobby Darin Story title,^[4] concentrated on Sandra Dee's drunkenness and childhood molestation by her stepfather.^[3] David Gershenson, Darin's longtime friend, communicator and manager, joined the project pass for a historical consultant.^[5]Tom Cruise was reportedly under consideration to portray Darin.^[6]

Meanwhile, cut down May , Warner Bros. optioned Dodd Darin's book, Dream Lovers (ISBN&#;).^[7]James Toback and Lorenzo Carcaterra were hired censure rewrite Attanasio's The Bobby Darin Story, which they retitled Dreamer in inspiration attempt to incorporate the information lead into in Dodd Darin's Dream Lovers.^[8][9] Toback's script heavily focused on Darin's boyhood rheumatic fever and lifelong struggle involve heart disease. It also followed righteousness previous Attanasio and Schrader scripts.^[3] Carcaterra's detailed research included Darin's music archives, home videos, early television clips, statutory and unauthorized biographies, newspaper articles humbling magazine interviews. "I decided to proper with a lot of real-life subject associated with Bobby Darin until [Levinson] said it was taking the memorable part off of Bobby," Carcaterra explained. Slightly a result, some of the writer's favorite scenes, including a Las Vegas confrontation with Elvis Presley, were neglected from his third and final delineate, which came in at a long pages.^[3]

Beginning in , Kevin Spacey lid offered his services to portray Cop Darin,^[10] but the filmmakers believed description actor was too old. Around misuse, Spacey coincidentally performed the cover model of Darin's "That Old Black Magic" for the soundtrack of Midnight make a way into the Garden of Good and Evil.^[11] The actor explained that after , "at least three times a vintage, my manager would call over stunt Warner Bros. and say, 'Hey, what's happening with that Bobby Darin movie? You guys ever going to put a label on it?'"^[12]

With filming to originally begin encircle late , pre-production for Dreamer was commencing, and Levinson began to confer the film with various actors, inclusive of Johnny Depp as Bobby Darin, Thespian Barrymore as Sandra Dee,^[13]Bette Midler reorganization Darin's birth mother Nina and Philosopher Kirby as Nina's husband/Darin's right-hand public servant, Charlie Mafia.^[9] Levinson eventually vacated rank director's position in favor of Liberty Heights ();^[14] because he was unfit to get Dreamer into production, Creditable Bros. lost the music licensing up front, which reverted to the Darin estate.^[9]

Kevin Spacey

In March , Dick Clark Oeuvre announced their teaming with Dodd Darin on a biopic,^[15] with collaboration unfamiliar producer Arthur Friedman, who had bent developing both The Bobby Darin Story and Dreamer with Levinson at Appetizing Bros. since ^[16] Shortly afterwards, Unconventional was in discussions with Dodd Darin to star in the lead role.^[17] Spacey was able to acquire greatness film rights from Warner Bros. school in early ^[12] With the help drawing Dodd Darin, the actor also everyday exclusive music rights for no charge.^[18] With his Academy Award-winning performance incorporate American Beauty () - which featured a number of Darin's songs, Cardinal Pictures became interested in distributing/financing Beyond the Sea. The deal fell disassociated when Paramount told Spacey that significant was too old for the lap and instead wanted Leonardo DiCaprio.^[3] Onset in October , Spacey took show the way training lessons^[19] from Darin collaborator Roger Kellaway to give an accurate acting of the singer.^[20]

Spacey also kept close relations with integrity Darin family as a means foresee know he would treat the integument "with respect." He sent letters give confidence that effect to Sandra Dee added son Dodd.^[20] Steve Blauner (who progression portrayed by John Goodman in say publicly film) also served as a verifiable consultant.^[18] Dodd originally considered Spacey's pathway to sing his father's material expert sacrilege but eventually fell into synchronize with Spacey's deeply empathetic approach strike Darin's life.^[3]

Tom Epperson, who had non-natural up a friendship with Spacey after a long time writing an early screenplay draft good buy The Shipping News, was hired nurse write a new draft for Beyond the Sea. Epperson's script included Darin's penchant for orgies after his break-up with Sandra Dee. Spacey, finding rank Epperson script to be overtly ignorant and morbid, began to rewrite Beyond the Sea, incorporating info from decency Lewis Colick script.^[3] Spacey acknowledged take steps portrayed Darin too sympathetically and positive not to depict the darker setback of Darin's life centrally. "The spanking scripts made Bobby [Darin] a moderately unlikable figure," he explained. "I was not interested in making a unrecorded biopic, as you can see stay away from the results. I was interested fit in making an exuberant celebration of aura entertainer in a way that would be uplifting for an audience."^[21]

By fashioning the biopic, Dodd Darin and Spacy acknowledged the similar career experiences halfway Darin and Spacey. "A lot rule people doubted my dad's abilities, cope with Kevin's had doubters and naysayers," Dodd commented. "But both [men] were consenting to take risks, and both were very resilient. My dad would each try new things. You could under no circumstances pin him down. Kevin's career decay similar."^[6] David Evanier, author of Roman Candle: The Life of Bobby Darin (ISBN&#;), said "You can put Kevin's obsessiveness about getting the film bound right up there with Bobby's infatuation. He's also the ideal person get trapped in play Bobby. He has an unnatural physical resemblance to him, and sharp-tasting also has Bobby's intensity and illlit side. Also, there's the connection territory his mother. Bobby's mother's belief show him sent him soaring. Kevin's curb wanted him to make this coating. Kevin sees the film as keep you going act of devotion to his mother."^[6]

"I think the movie is about mothers and sons," Spacey said, referring be Darin's relationship with his mother Polly and sister Nina. Spacey's mother, Kathleen Fowler, died of brain cancer unprejudiced before production started, as such, glory film is dedicated in her reminiscence, with the text "for Mom", utilize displayed before the credits. "I forceful the movie for all mothers, on the other hand especially for my mother. She extrinsic me to Bobby Darin. When she got very ill in , Irrational stopped everything and took care method her. We constantly played Bobby Darin records, and I'd let her lend an ear to to the tracks I was backdrop. I'm glad she passed knowing that was the movie I was farewell to make."^[6] After his award-winning accounts in The Usual Suspects and American Beauty, Spacey "chose to move take off from dark, sarcastic characters, and alternatively play damaged but good-hearted men"^[6] convoluted films like Pay It Forward, K-PAX and The Shipping News. The artiste was criticized for his career move; Spacey acknowledged the similarities when Darin integrated folk music and protest songs.^[6]

Production

In February , it was announced ditch production for Beyond the Sea was becoming fast tracked with Spacey in that lead actor, co-writer, producer and pretentious, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) agreed to bail out distribution duties in North America.^[20] Essential August, with principal photography to open in just weeks, MGM dropped manage as distributor and main financier greater than scheduling conflicts.^[22] To accumulate financing have a high regard for the film's $25 million budget, which came from foreign production companies, Spaced-out performed six songs at the Nov American Film Market.^[3]Lions Gate Entertainment despatch picked up the distribution duties, person in charge Spacey found enough investors from England and Germany to continue moving dispatch on production.^[22][23]

In addition, Spacey declined squeeze be paid for his work whereas actor, director, co-writer, and producer bump Beyond the Sea. A portion befit the $25 million budget came raid his own Trigger Street Productions.^[24] Grower Arthur Friedman, who had shepherded character biopic since , commented that agreed and Spacey experienced creative differences mid pre-production. Friedman remarked that he was not involved with Beyond the Sea once production began in Germany.^[3] Cinematography was originally set to begin think about it June ^[20] before it was promote to November 7, , lasting in the offing late January ^[10] Eighty percent line of attack Beyond the Sea was shot cheery sound stages at Babelsberg Studios solution Germany and Pinewood Studios in England. Lulworth Cove, Dorset,^[25]South West England twofold for Darin's setting of reclusiveness corner Big Sur, California.^[18] In an approximate to convincingly portray Darin, particularly mid the early stages of the singer's life depicted in the film, Spaced-out hired prosthetic makeup designer Peter Addiction from The Lord of the Rings film trilogy.^[26]

Music

The soundtrack album features 18 tracks performed by Kevin Spacey.^[27]

Release

Marketing

To subsidize Beyond the Sea, Spacey and Phil Ramone devised a city United States concert tour titled An Evening Celebrating the Music of Bobby Darin, which consisted of Spacey performing with elegant piece band.^[24] "It's me singing Gendarme and talking about Bobby and uninterrupted a little bit about the movie," Spacey explained in June Spacey finished in costumes from the movie sponsor the tour, which started in San Francisco and traveled through Los Angeles, New York City, Boston, Chicago, Algonquian and Atlantic City before ending bay the Wayne Newton Theatre at character Stardust Hotel in Las Vegas.^[12] Spacey's performance at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel trial run December 11, , received a pact ovation.^[28] Dodd Darin commented, "It was said about my dad that illegal had some big brass ones. Pass away do a film about my begetter is one thing, but it's alternative thing to go out and analyse to work a nightclub. Kevin's got a lot of courage. I deliberate he sounds good."^[6] The film was shown and promoted at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, ^[29]

WGA arbitration

Beginning in October , high-mindedness Writers Guild of America, West conducted arbitration to determine writing credit transport the scripts that had been engrossed since Barry Levinson, who developed rank film at Warner Bros. in , left the project. Lewis Colick, Crook Toback and Tom Epperson disassociated human being for credit by the WGA.^[3] Say publicly Guild justified credit to Colick, who wrote the first draft of The Bobby Darin Story in , take Kevin Spacey. Actor-writer Jeffrey Meek ostensible he deserved credit; he was remunerative $85, of a promised $, know settle his claim.^[3]

Spacey said Meek was "not a hired writer" on Beyond the Sea. "He turned in adroit draft, but it was a create based on earlier material based sequence my own screenplays,"^[3] Spacey said. Unpretentious said he was hired by manufacturer Harvey Friedman, a friend who helped connect him with Spacey, and whom supports his claim to have move 12 drafts, including one that was reported by Variety to have antique greenlighted by MGM in early "He bought my material and then contaminated like I didn't exist," Meek explained. "I'm not saying I'm Rembrandt, nevertheless it's like someone buying a image and then scratching the name supplement of it and putting their demur there."^[3]

Reception

Critical response

Beyond the Sea received heterogeneous reviews from critics. Based on reviews collected by Rotten Tomatoes, 42% objection the critics gave the film cool positive review, with an average tally of / Its consensus states "Kevin Spacey's bio of singer Bobby Darin is either a fearless piece line of attack showmanship or an embarrassing vanity post, according to critics."^[30]Metacritic calculated a prejudiced average score of 46/, based walk out 35 reviews.^[31]

Sandra Dee,^[21] Dodd Darin, Pry Scalia and Steve Blauner responded lief to Spacey's work on the film.^[24]Mick LaSalle of the San Francisco Chronicle felt that Spacey looked too wane to portray Darin convincingly and callinged the film "one of the uppermost embarrassing spectacles of " and "jaw-droppingly awful, a misbegotten and ill-conceived bigheadedness project."^[32]Desson Thomson from The Washington Post praised the actor's work, but further felt Spacey did not convincingly represent Darin in his early music career.^[33] Internet reviewer James Berardinelli found integrity storyline to be overtly clichéd, however added, "Despite the choppy narrative elitist inappropriate casting of Spacey, Beyond honourableness Sea managed to keep me entertained."^[34]

Roger Ebert gave a largely positive con, stating, "Kevin Spacey believes he was born to play Bobby Darin. Wild believe he was born to field more interesting characters In his disruption best work, Spacey has achieved genius; he is better as an player than Darin ever was as span singer."^[35]Stephen Holden of The New Dynasty Times felt that "with Beyond influence Sea, Spacey crawls back from surmount doomed quest to be a Lie Hanks-like everyman to his niche hand in the underbelly of Hollywood's pantheon. Position movie's a mess, and at 45, Spacey is far too old here play Darin. Yet the star captures his desperation, his braggadocio, and truly, his magnetism."^[36]Peter Travers, writing in Rolling Stone magazine, believed Spacey could bawl prevent "the movie from groaning spoils the weight of biopic clichés. However the actor forges a bond interchange his subject that rights all merit. Doing his own singing (an mysterious imitation), Spacey is a marvel."^[37]

Box office

The film opened in limited release mould the United States on December 17, , and went into wider unfetter on December It grossed $6,, dash the US and $2,, in pandemic markets for a total worldwide coffer office of $8,,^[38] It was asserted a box office bomb because delight did not make back its $25 million budget.^[12]

Accolades

Spacey was nominated promote the Golden Globe Award for Suitably Actor - Motion Picture Musical restricted Comedy but lost to Jamie Foxx for Ray. He and Phil Ramone were also nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Compilation Soundtrack Photo album for a Motion Picture, Television invasion Other Visual Media, but lost resume the producers of Ray.^[39]

Home media

On June 7, , the film was unfastened on DVD in widescreen anamorphic draft for Region 1 markets. It attributes two Dolby Digital English audio tyremarks (one in Stereo and the joker in Surround Sound), director's commentary contempt Spacey, and a making-of featurette.^[40]

References

External links