Elegy pictures, Synopsis & quote

LAKESHORE ENTERTAINMENT

Presents

Elegy

A LAKESHORE ENTERTAINMENT Production

PENÉLOPE CRUZ, BEN KINGSLEY

PETER SARSGAARD , PATRICIA CLARKSON And DENNIS HOPPER

Directed By ISABEL COIXET

SYNOPSIS:

Charismatic professor DAVID KEPESH (Ben Kingsley) glories in the pursuit of adventurous female students but never lets any woman get too close. When gorgeous CONSUELA CASTILLO (Pénelope Cruz) enters his classroom, however, his protective veneer dissolves. Her raven-haired beauty both captivates and unsettles him.

Even if Kepesh declares her body a perfect work of art, Consuela is more than an object of desire. She has a strong sense of herself and an emotional intensity that challenges his preconceptions. Kepesh’s need for Consuela becomes an obsession, but ultimately his jealous fantasies of betrayal drive her away.

Shattered, Kepesh faces up to the ravages of time, immersing himself in work and confronting the loss of old friends. Then, two years later, Consuela comes back into his life—with an urgent, desperate request that will change everything.

ABOUT THE CAST

PÉNELOPE CRUZ (Consuela)

Academy Award® nominee Penelope Cruz has proven herself to be one of the most versatile, young actresses by playing a variety of compelling characters, and most recently becoming the first actress from Spain to be nominated for an Academy Award. First introduced to American audiences in the Spanish films Jamon, Jamon and Belle Epoque, in 1998 she starred in her first English language film, The Hi-Lo Country for director Stephen Frears opposite Woody Harrelson, Patricia Arquette and Billy Crudup. In 1999, Cruz won the Best Actress award at the 13th Annual Goya Awards given by the Spanish Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences for her role in Fernando Trueba’s The Girl of Your Dreams.

Confirming her status as Spain’s hottest international actress, Cruz landed the coveted role opposite Matt Damon in the film adaptation of All the Pretty Horses, directed by Billy Bob Thornton. Next, she portrayed Isabella, in Woman on Top for Fox Searchlight. The film was a whimsical tale of a gifted gourmand who journeys across the world in search of success, but ultimately finds herself. Other featured credits include her starring role in the thriller Open Your Eyes, Twice Upon a Yesterday, and Pedro Almovodar’s Live Flesh and Talk of Angels.

Additionally, Cruz co-starred in Pedro Almovodar’s critically acclaimed All About My Mother which was awarded the Golden Globe and Oscar® for Best Foreign Film. Up next for Pénelope was New Line’s Blow for director Ted Demme. The film portrayed the true story of how cocaine became the designer drug in the U.S. in the early 70’s seen through the eyes of an American, played by Johnny Depp, who became one of the biggest traffickers for reputed drug kingpin Carlos Escobar. Cruz portrayed Depp’s wife. She next starred opposite Nicolas Cage and Christian Bale in Captain Corelli’s Mandolin. The film, directed by John Madden was shot in Greece and is based on Louis de Bernieres’ bestselling novel set during WWII.

Pénelope starred opposite Tom Cruise in the erotic thriller Vanilla Sky. The film also starred Cameron Diaz and Jason Lee and was directed by Cameron Crowe. She then tackled Masked & Anonymous, Fan Fan la Tulipe, which opened the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, and Don’t Tempt Me. She received rave reviews for her eagerly awaited performance in Don’t Move (Non ti Muovere) in which she was honored with a David Di Donatello Award (Italian Oscar) and European Film Award for Best Actress.

Pénelope’s next films only added to her already brilliant and diverse choice of film credits. Recent films include Gothika, in which she co-stared with Halle Berry and Robert Downy Jr.; director John Duigan’s romantic drama Head in the Clouds opposite Charlize Theron and Stuart Townsend; Noel opposite Susan Sarandon; and Chromophobia with Ralph Fiennes. Penelope also co-stared with Matthew McConaughey and William H. Macy as Dr. Eva Rojas in the action packed film Sahara.

Most recently, Pénelope starred in Volver, which again teamed her with director and friend Pedro Almodovar. Critically acclaimed for her role as Raimunda, she won the “Best Actress” awards at the European Film Awards, the Spanish Goya Awards, the Cannes Film Festival, and received both Golden Globe and Oscar® nominations. Penelope’s next film, The Good Night, written and directed by Jake Paltrow, opened in select theaters this past fall. This past summer, she completed filming on Woody Allen’s Untitled Spanish Project opposite Javier Bardem and Scarlett Johansson.

BEN KINGSLEY (David Kepesh)

After earning an Academy Award®, two Golden Globes and two BAFTA Awards for his riveting portrayal of Indian social leader Mahatma Gandhi, Ben Kingsley continues to bring unequaled detail and nuance to each role. Garnering three additional Oscar nominations for Bugsy (1991), Sexy Beast (2000) and House of Sand and Fog (2003), his roles have been as diverse as his talents, from a sturdy vice president in Dave to the scheming Fagin in Oliver Twist. Since

being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in the New Year’s Eve Honors List 2001, Kingsley has continued to earn honors as a truly international star.

Two films recently screened at the Sundance Film Festival give further perspective to his work: The Wackness, in which he plays a drug-addled psychiatrist opposite Josh Peck, Famke Janssen, Olivia Thirlby and Mary-Kate Olsen; and the crime thriller Transsiberian, as a mysterious traveler opposite Woody Harrelson, Eduardo Noriega and Thomas Kretschmann. Kingsley verifies his comedic chops opposite Mike Meyers, Jessica Alba and Justin Timberlake in Paramount’s The Love Guru, slated for Summer 2008. Two other completed films include Man on the Run, a thriller set against the dangerous backdrop of 1980s Ireland, and the more lighthearted crime comedy War, Inc. Currently in pre-production is Martin Scorsese’s 1950s drama Shutter Island, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Mark Ruffalo and Michelle Williams.

Steeped in British theatre, Kingsley marked the beginning of his professional acting career with his acceptance by the Royal Shakespeare Company in l967. From roles in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest, Brutus in Julius Caesar and the title roles in Othello and Hamlet, among others, his more recent and diverse stage roles include those in The Country Wife, The Cherry Orchard, A Betrothal, The Elephant Man and Waiting for Godot.

Kingsley’s film career began in l972 with the thriller Fear Is the Key, but his first major role came a decade later in the epic Gandhi, directed by Richard Attenborough. He followed this Oscar-winning performance with such early films as Betrayal, Turtle Diary, Harem, Pascali’s Island, Without A Clue (as Dr. Watson to Michael Caine’s Sherlock Holmes) and The Children opposite Kim Novak. During the ‘90s Kingsley distinguished himself through such roles as Mayer Lansky in Bugsy, Sneakers, Searching For Bobby Fischer and Dave. In 1994 he was nominated for a BAFTA Award for his memorable supporting role as Itzhak Stern in Steven Spielberg’s seven-time Oscar® winner Schindler’s List.

During the past decade, Ben Kingsley has remained a coveted and ubiquitous talent. Beginning with such films as Rules of Engagement, What Planet Are You From? and an Oscar®-nominated role as a brutal gangster in Sexy Beast, he received his most recent Oscar® nomination in 2004 for his performance as a proud Iranian emigrant in the highly acclaimed House of Sand and Fog. Among his films in the last several years are Roman Polanski’s Oliver Twist, the crime drama Lucky Number Slevin, John Dahl’s You Kill Me and the Roman empire saga The Last Legion.

DENNIS HOPPER (George O’Hearn)

An acclaimed actor and filmmaker with an iconic and distinctly American voice, Dennis Diego, California. Following stage performances at the Old Globe Theatre and the La Jolla Playhouse as well as early television appearances, Hopper made a lasting, national impression with his performance in Nicholas Ray's classic Rebel Without a Cause, opposite James Dean and Natalie Wood. He quickly followed this with equally revelatory performances in George Stevens' epic Giant and John Sturges' Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. He expanded his range and career after relocating to New York City where he studied with one of the giants of the craft, Lee Strasberg; while in New York, Hopper starred in a myriad of television shows, including The Rifleman, Naked City, The Defenders, The Twilight Zone andWagonTrain.

Following a return to Hollywood and continued work in cutting-edge, independent films (as both an actor and second-unit director), Hopper forever changed the face of American cinema with the 1969 film Easy Rider, which Hopper directed, co-wrote (with co-star Peter Fonda and Terry Southern) and headlined. The film received an Academy Award® nomination for Best Screenplay, as did another of its stars, Jack Nicholson (for Best Supporting Actor). The film, made for $350,000, went on to gross in excess of $50 million and garnered Hopper the Best New Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival.

Since Easy Rider, Hopper has been a familiar presence both in front of and behind the camera for more than three decades. He has been in over 140 television shows and has starred in more than 150 films including Apocalypse Now, River's Edge, Blue Velvet, Hoosiers, True Romance, Speed, Waterworld and EdTV. Hopper received the prestigious CIDALC award at the Venice Film Festival for The Last Movie (1971), which he directed, co-wrote and starred in. He received Golden Globe and Academy Award® nominations for his role in Hoosiers. He also received a Golden Globe nomination for his role as Frank Booth in David Lynch's now-classic Blue Velvet.

In 2007 alone, Hopper has appeared in 4 films, including Charlize Theron’s Sleepwalking; Quentin Tarantino’s Hell Ride; Kevin Costner’s Swing Vote with Kelsey Grammar and Nathan Lane; and Wim Wender’s The Palermo Shooting. Other film projects for Hopper include: a starring role in father-of-the-zombie-genre George A. Romero's Land of the Dead; he also starred as legend Frank Sinatra in the independent film The Night We Called It a Day; and the films 10th & Wolf (starring opposite James Marsden, Giovanni Ribisi and Brad Renfro); Out of Season (opposite Gina Gershon); The Keeper (with Asia Argento) and played opposite outstanding cast members Joseph Fiennes, Sam Shepherd, Elisabeth Shue and Debra Unger in the feature Leo. He became Chair of the CineVegas Film Festival in June of 2004. On television Hopper has appeared on HBO’s Emmy award-winning Entourage, as well as Las Vegas with James Caan, in the USA Networks feature The Last Ride and on the acclaimed series 24, and co-starred opposite Benjamin Bratt in the Jerry Bruckheimer/Warner TV produced NBC series E-RING, which started fall 2005 (pilot directed by Taylor Hackford). Hopper was born in Dodge City, Kansas and grew up in San Fransisco .