Friday, September 28, 2007

Reel People: Julianne Moore is Barbara Daly Baekeland

The film is Savage Grace, directed by Tom Kalin.

Barbara Daly was a model who married Brookes Baekeland, a wealthy sociality who's grandfather had made his money as a chemist who invented Bakelite in the early part of the twentieth century.

Barbara was characterized as having an unstable personality, often drinking, having sex with multiple partners, as well as manic-depressive behavior. Brooks left Barbara had a son named Anthony, and got divorced.

Anthony and Barbara had a very dependent relationship on each other, that became incestuous. It is believed that the primary reason Barbara wanted to have sex with her son was because Anthony was gay, and she was trying to cure him of his homosexuality.

Barbara and Anthony would get in fights frequently, often involving knifes, and while Anthony, like his mother showed mental health related problems, his father refused to pay for psychiatric services because he viewed them as amoral.

In 1972, Anthony, at the age of 25, killed his mother, stabbing her in their London home. Anthony was institionalized, later got out, stabbed his grandmother in New York (she survived), Anthony was institionalized again, where he killed himself by suffication.

The film is based on the book by Natalie Robins. Eddie Redmayne plays the part of Anthony, while Stephen Dillane plays the part of Brooks Baekeland.

Will this biographical film earn 4 time academy nominee Julianne Moore her fifth nomination this year for his portrayal of this Real (Reel) Person?

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6 comments:

kat said...

Well, that sure sounds like the feel good movie of the holiday season. Can't wait.

nate said...

creepy

Michael Parsons said...

I will be seeing this next month. I hope it is good, although Best Actress is kind of crowded this year.

Anonymous said...

thoroughly depressing... no redemptive theme in sight. I suspect I'll pass.

Anonymous said...

I saw this in Iceland. Moore is sensational in all the character's ostentation matched beautifully by Redmayne's still, simmering understatement. I was compelled but the film completely divided people.

Anonymous said...

Oh please give her the 5th nomination!!! The question is just if it gets an US distributor this year... It's showed at many filmfestivals and imdb says it will start "limited" in November but is that true?! hopefully. This is Moore's first great role for YEARS and the academy should still be ashamed for not giving Moore an Oscar for her genius work in "Far From Heaven" - and, in the same year, not even as best supporting actress for "The Hours" (that failure was in 2003). She's maybe the best living american actress, among Meryl Streep.