2012 television film directed by Philip Kaufman
Hemingway & Gellhorn
is a 2012 American
biographical drama
television film
directed by
Philip Kaufman
and written by
Jerry Stahl
and
Barbara Turner
, about the lives of journalist
Martha Gellhorn
(
Nicole Kidman
) and her husband, writer
Ernest Hemingway
(
Clive Owen
). The film premiered at the
2012 Cannes Film Festival
, and aired on
HBO
on May 28, 2012.
[2]
Plot
[
edit
]
The film tells the story of one of America's most famous literary couples. It begins in 1936, when the pair meet for the first time in a chance encounter in a
Key West
bar in Florida.
They encounter one another once again a year later in Spain, while both are covering the
Spanish Civil War
, and staying in the same hotel on the same floor. Initially, Gellhorn resists romantic advances made by the famous Hemingway, but during a bombing raid, the two find themselves trapped alone in the same room, and they are overcome by lust. They become lovers, and stay in Spain until 1939. Hemingway collaborates with
Joris Ivens
to produce
The Spanish Earth
.
In 1940 Hemingway divorces his second wife so that he and Gellhorn can be married.
[3]
He credits her with having inspired him to write the novel
For Whom the Bell Tolls
(1940), and he dedicates the work to her.
[4]
Over time, however, Gellhorn becomes more prominent in her own right, leading to certain career jealousies between the two. Gellhorn leaves Hemingway to go to Finland to cover the
Winter War
by herself. When she returns to the
Lookout Farm
in Havana, Hemingway tells her that he has divorced Pauline.
The two marry and, together, travel to China to cover the
bombing attacks by Japan
. In China, they interview
Chiang Kai-shek
and his spouse. Gellhorn is horrified after visiting an
opium den
. Chiang Kai-shek is fighting the Chinese Communists and Japanese invaders. The two secretly visit
Zhou Enlai
. Gellhorn covers
D-Day
in Normandy. She reports on the Dachau and Auschwitz concentration camps.
Ultimately, in 1945, Gellhorn becomes the only one of Hemingway's four wives to ask him for a divorce.
[3]
Cast
[
edit
]
Production
[
edit
]
Pat Jackson, the film's sound effects editor, said that the biggest challenge in doing sound for the film was "making the archival footage and the live-action footage shot locally appear seamless."
[5]
Much of the film was shot in the
San Francisco Bay Area
, with the abandoned
16th Street station
in
Oakland
standing in for the Hotel Florida.
[6]
Reception
[
edit
]
The film received mixed reviews with much praise going for
Nicole Kidman
's portrayal of
Martha Gellhorn
.
[7]
[8]
Mark Rozeman of
Paste
commented "In terms of the acting, there's little room for complaint. At 45, Kidman remains a fetching and powerful screen presence. Here, she captures Gellhorn's idealistic, gung-ho leftism without making herself sound overly self-righteous" but was less positive about
Clive Owen
, stating "While Owen easily embodies Hemingway's extraordinary charisma (and certainly his legendary temper), his performance is often undermined by the British actor's inability to hold his American accent."
[9]
Jeremy Heilman of MovieMartyr.com agreed with Roseman's opinions, stating "Kidman is strong here as Martha Gellhorn, using her exceptional figure and old-fashioned movie star glamour to full effect" and that Owen's performance was "inconsistent, goofy one moment and strongly seductive the next."
[10]
Todd McCarthy
of
The Hollywood Reporter
said, "Kidman is terrific in certain scenes and merely very good in others; there are a few too many moments of her traipsing around Spain, blond hair flying glamorously, not knowing quite what she's doing there. But for the most part, she rivets one's attention, lifting the entire enterprise by her presence.
[11]
Odie Henderson, writing for
RogerEbert.com
, praised both actors' performances while lauding the film's throwback feeling of romance. "The actors are first-rate, down to the supporting roles...This is Kidman's best work in years, smart, brassy, funny, sexy and tough. She brings her A-game because Owen's showier role must be legendary, a larger than life evocation of masculinity suited for the name Hemingway. Cinematographer
Rogier Stoffers
introduces Owen in a desaturated fishing sequence that culminates in an explosion of bright red blood. Owen's Hemingway grabs the bull by the horns, resisting cliche just barely enough to feel the breath of caricature on his neck. His Russian Roulette pissing contest with an uncredited, equally macho and over the top
Robert Duvall
is a highlight of the film. Anyone with a romantic appreciation of the male gender will swoon at Owen's constantly revealed chest hair. Everyone else can worship, as Kaufman's camera does, at the altar of Kidman's lower body, with its "legs that start at her shoulders."
[12]
Mike Hale of
The New York Times
panned the film, characterizing it as "a disheartening misfire: a big, bland historical melodrama built on platitudes about honor and the writing life that crams in actual figures and incidents but does little to illuminate them, or to make us care about the romance at its center."
[13]
In a similar vein,
James Wolcott
of
Vanity Fair
wrote that "none of the reviews quite prepared me for the unchained malady of
Hemingway & Gellhorn
." Of the director, he wrote, "it's as if Kaufman answered the call of wild and it turned out to be a loon."
[7]
In
The Huffington Post
,
Maureen Ryan
described it as "a gigantic missed opportunity, a jaw-droppingly trying waste of time. Don't let the fancy names in the cast fool you: This is a stupid, stupid movie."
[14]
Rotten Tomatoes
gives the film a 49% score based on 49 reviews, with an average rating of 5.33/10.
[15]
Accolades
[
edit
]
Year
|
Award
|
Category
|
Nominee(s)
|
Result
|
|
2012
|
Online Film & Television Association Awards
|
Best Motion Picture or Miniseries
|
Hemingway & Gellhorn
|
Nominated
|
[16]
|
Best Actress in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
|
Nicole Kidman
|
Nominated
|
Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture or Miniseries
|
David Strathairn
|
Nominated
|
Best Direction of a Motion Picture or Miniseries
|
Philip Kaufman
|
Nominated
|
Best Cinematography in a Non-Series
|
Hemingway & Gellhorn
|
Nominated
|
Best Costume Design in a Non-Series
|
Nominated
|
Best Makeup/Hairstyling in a Non-Series
|
Nominated
|
Best Production Design in a Non-Series
|
Nominated
|
Best Visual Effects in a Non-Series
|
Nominated
|
Primetime Emmy Awards
|
Outstanding Miniseries or Movie
|
Peter Kaufman, Trish Hofmann,
James Gandolfini
, Alexandra E. Ryan,
Barbara Turner
, Nancy Sanders,
and Mark Armstrong
|
Nominated
|
[17]
|
Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
|
Clive Owen
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
|
Nicole Kidman
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie
|
David Strathairn
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special
|
Philip Kaufman
|
Nominated
|
Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards
|
Outstanding Art Direction for a Miniseries or Movie
|
Geoffrey Kirkland
, Nanci Noblett, and
Jim Erickson
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or Movie
|
Rogier Stoffers
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Costumes for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
|
Ruth Myers
and Adina Bucur
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Hairstyling for a Miniseries or a Movie
|
Yvette Rivas and Frances Mathias
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Makeup for a Miniseries or a Movie (Non-Prosthetic)
|
Gretchen Davis, Kyra Panchenko, and
Paul Pattison
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Music Composition for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
(Original Dramatic Score)
|
Javier Navarrete
|
Won
|
Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie
|
Walter Murch
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special
|
Douglas Murray, Peter Horner,
Kim Foscato,
Steve Boeddeker
,
Casey Langfelder, Andrea Gard,
Pat Jackson, Daniel Laurie,
Goro Koyama, Andy Malcolm,
and Joanie Diener
|
Won
|
Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Miniseries or a Movie
|
Nelson Stoll
,
Lora Hirschberg
,
Peter Horner, and
Douglas Murray
|
Nominated
|
Outstanding Special Visual Effects in a Supporting Role
|
Chris Morley, Kip Larsen,
Nathan Abbot, and Chris Paizis
|
Nominated
|
Satellite Awards
|
Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television
|
Hemingway & Gellhorn
|
Nominated
|
[18]
|
Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television
|
Clive Owen
|
Nominated
|
Best Actress in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television
|
Nicole Kidman
|
Nominated
|
Television Critics Association Awards
|
Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries, and Specials
|
Hemingway & Gellhorn
|
Nominated
|
[19]
|
Women Film Critics Circle Awards
|
Best Theatrically Unreleased Movie by or About Women
|
Won
|
[20]
|
Women's Image Network Awards
|
Actress Made for Television Movie
|
Nicole Kidman
|
Won
|
|
2013
|
American Cinema Editors Awards
|
Best Edited Miniseries or Motion Picture for Television
|
Walter Murch
|
Won
|
[21]
|
American Society of Cinematographers Awards
|
Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Motion Picture/Miniseries
|
Rogier Stoffers
|
Nominated
|
[22]
|
Art Directors Guild Awards
|
Excellence in Production Design Award ? Television Movie or Mini-Series
|
Geoffrey Kirkland, Nanci Noblett,
William Beck, Gerard Howland, and
Jim Erickson
|
Nominated
|
[23]
|
Cinema Audio Society Awards
|
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for Television Movies and Mini-Series
|
Nelson Stoll, Lora Hirschberg,
Pete Horner, Douglas Murray,
Marc Blanes Matas, Andy Greenberg,
and Don White
|
Nominated
|
[24]
|
Costume Designers Guild Awards
|
Outstanding Made for Television Movie or Miniseries
|
Ruth Myers
|
Nominated
|
[25]
|
Directors Guild of America Awards
|
Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Miniseries
|
Philip Kaufman
|
Nominated
|
[26]
|
Golden Globe Awards
|
Best Actor in a Miniseries or Television Film
|
Clive Owen
|
Nominated
|
[27]
|
Best Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film
|
Nicole Kidman
|
Nominated
|
Golden Reel Awards
|
Best Sound Editing ? Long Form Music in Television
|
Joanie Diener
|
Won
|
[28]
|
Best Sound Editing ? Long Form Sound Effects and Foley in Television
|
Douglas Murray, Pete Horner,
Kim Foscato, Steve Boeddeker,
Andrea Gard, Pat Jackson,
Casey Langfelder, Goro Koyama,
and Andy Malcolm
|
Nominated
|
Guild of Music Supervisors Awards
|
Best Music Supervision for Television Long Form and Movie
|
Evyen Klean
|
Nominated
|
|
Screen Actors Guild Awards
|
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
|
Clive Owen
|
Nominated
|
[29]
|
Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie
|
Nicole Kidman
|
Nominated
|
Visual Effects Society Awards
|
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Broadcast Program
|
Nathan Abbot, Kip Larsen,
Chris Morley, and Chris Paizis
|
Nominated
|
[30]
|
Outstanding Compositing in a Broadcast Program
|
Nathan Abbot, Shelley Campbell,
Chris Morley, and Chris Paizis
|
Nominated
|
Writers Guild of America Awards
|
Long Form ? Original
|
Jerry Stahl
and Barbara Turner
|
Nominated
|
[31]
|
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Film Studios Bypass San Francisco"
.
wsj.com
. Retrieved
December 29,
2020
.
- ^
"HBO/Cinemax 2011/2012 Programming Overview"
.
The Futon Critic
. July 28, 2011
. Retrieved
May 31,
2013
.
- ^
a
b
"A Spanish romance"
. The Olive Press. December 1, 2010
. Retrieved
December 14,
2015
.
- ^
Hemingway, Ernest
(1940).
For Whom the Bell Tolls
. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. p. vii.
This book is for MARTHA GELLHORN
.
- ^
Buzz, Gator.
"A Sound Education"
.
SF State Magazine
. Archived from
the original
on May 4, 2013
. Retrieved
May 31,
2013
.
- ^
Whitlock, Cathy (December 31, 2011).
"The Sets of Hemingway & Gellhorn"
. Architectural Digest.
- ^
a
b
Wolcott, James
(June 3, 2012).
"No Time for Tulips: On Hemingway & Gellhorn"
.
Vanity Fair
. Retrieved
May 31,
2013
.
- ^
Tucker, Ken (May 28, 2012).
"
'Hemingway and Gellhorn' review: The fun also rises?"
.
Entertainment Weekly
. Retrieved
May 31,
2013
.
- ^
Rozeman, Mark (April 3, 2013).
"Hemingway & Gellhorn"
.
Paste
. Retrieved
May 31,
2013
.
- ^
Heilman, Jeremy (June 11, 2012).
"Hemingway & Gellhorn (Philip Kaufman, 2012)"
.
MovieMartyr.com
. Retrieved
May 31,
2013
.
- ^
McCarthy, Todd
(May 25, 2012).
"Hemingway & Gellhorn: Cannes Review"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
. Retrieved
May 13,
2018
.
- ^
Henderson, Odie.
"Hemingway & Gellhorn: Corny and canny | TV/Streaming | Roger Ebert"
.
www.rogerebert.com/
. Retrieved
May 3,
2021
.
- ^
Hale, Mike (May 27, 2012).
"Literary Lions Stalk Each Other Through Wars and Across the World"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
December 23,
2014
.
- ^
Ryan, Maureen
(May 25, 2012).
"
'Hemingway And Gellhorn' On HBO Review: Nicole Kidman And Clive Owen's Crime Against TV"
.
The Huffington Post
. Retrieved
December 23,
2014
.
- ^
"Hemingway & Gellhorn (2012)"
.
Rotten Tomatoes
. Retrieved
November 16,
2018
.
- ^
"16th Annual TV Awards (2011-12)"
.
Online Film & Television Association
. Retrieved
May 15,
2021
.
- ^
"Hemingway & Gellhorn"
.
Emmys.com
.
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
. Retrieved
July 13,
2017
.
- ^
"2012 Satellite Awards"
.
Satellite Awards
.
International Press Academy
. Retrieved
July 10,
2021
.
- ^
"The Television Critics Association Announces 2012 TCA Award Nominees"
.
Television Critics Association
. June 7, 2012. Archived from
the original
on August 18, 2012.
- ^
"Women Film Critics Circle Awards 2012"
.
Women Film Critics Circle
. December 17, 2013
. Retrieved
August 25,
2021
.
- ^
"American Cinema Editors Announce 63rd Annual Eddie Award Nominees"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
. January 11, 2013
. Retrieved
January 6,
2015
.
- ^
"ASC Awards: 'Skyfall's Roger Deakins Wins Feature Film Honor; TV Winners Include 'Great Expectations', 'Game Of Thrones', 'Wilfred', 'Hunted'
"
.
Deadline Hollywood
. February 11, 2013.
- ^
"Nominees/Winners"
.
Art Directors Guild
. Retrieved
July 29,
2018
.
- ^
"Cinema Audio Society Nominations Announced"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
. January 8, 2013
. Retrieved
May 9,
2019
.
- ^
"15th Costume Designers Guild Awards"
.
Costume Designers Guild
. Retrieved
May 21,
2016
.
- ^
"65th DGA Awards"
.
Directors Guild of America Awards
. Retrieved
July 5,
2021
.
- ^
"Hemingway & Gellhorn ? Golden Globes"
.
HFPA
. Retrieved
July 5,
2021
.
- ^
"
'Life Of Pi' Wins Pair of Sound Editors' Awards"
.
The Hollywood Reporter
. Retrieved
June 20,
2019
.
- ^
"The 19th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards"
.
Screen Actors Guild Awards
. Retrieved
May 21,
2016
.
- ^
"11th Annual VES Awards"
.
Visual Effects Society
. Retrieved
January 1,
2018
.
- ^
"Previous Nominees & Winners: 2012 Awards Winners"
. Writers Guild Awards. Archived from
the original
on May 12, 2015
. Retrieved
May 7,
2014
.
External links
[
edit
]
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