Why Did I Get Married Films
Karri Weston
The rules say that critics don't discuss movies after screenings. After I saw Jonathan Demme's "Rachel Getting Married" for the second time, however, a friend asked: "Wouldn't you love to attend a wedding like that?" In a way, I felt I had. Yes, I began to feel absorbed in the experience. A few movies can do that, can slip you out of your mind and into theirs.
Rachel (Rosemarie DeWitt) does indeed get married. There is an engrossing plot involving her sister Kym (Anne Hathaway). But I believe the film's deep subject is the marriage itself: How it unfolds, who attends, the nature of the ceremony, what it has to observe about how the concept of "family" embraces others, and how our multicultural society is growing comfortable with itself.
The story centers on Kym (Hathaway), a recovering drug addict who after being in and out of rehab for 10 years is now several months into a treatment that seems to be working. She's given a day pass to attend her sister's wedding. Her family lives in a big old country house in Connecticut, filled with memories, family, future in-laws, and the friends of bride and groom. Sidney (Tunde Adebimpe, lead singer of the rock group TV on the Radio), Rachel's intended, is a classical musician, and all kinds of music fill a film that has no formal score. The wedding party is what we call "diverse." I'm not going to identify characters by race, because such a census would offend the whole spirit of the film. These characters love one another, and that's it.
Notice the visual strategy of Demme and his cinematographer, Declan Quinn. Some shots are dealt with in a traditional way (establishing, closeups, etc). More shots plunge right into the middle of the characters; some may be hand-held, or maybe not, but for me, they reproduce an experience we've all had. That's when we wander through a party looking first here and then there, noticing who is where and why, connecting threads, savoring. Sometimes we walk outside and look through doorways and windows. This visual approach is how they populate the film with a large number of characters, establish them, familiarize us and don't pause for redundant identifications. We don't meet everyone at a wedding but we observe everyone.
Consider in this context the former and present wives of the father, Paul (Bill Irwin). His first wife, Abby (Debra Winger), is the mother of Kym, Rachel and a younger brother who drowned. She is of intense importance to Kym. Their private conversation is filmed in a traditional, powerful way, underlining dialogue and emotion. Then consider Paul's second wife, Carol (Anna Deavere Smith). She has limited dialogue and no big dramatic scenes. But without being obvious about it, Demme and Quinn make her very present. As we wander through the house and sit through the rehearsal dinner, the wedding and the party, we are always aware of her.
This is exactly right, and observant of the way a loved and comfortable "second wife" functions at an event where the bride's parents have higher billing. She knows everyone, watches everything, is pleased or concerned, stands quietly behind her husband, loves his daughters, smooths the waves. To give her a foregrounded role would have been a mistake. But you will not forget her.
One of the reasons Smith works so well as an unobtrusive soothing element is typecasting. She looks like she would be the kind of person she plays. Whether she really is or not, I wouldn't know. But that's not the point of typecasting. Why have I given so much attention to a relatively minor character? Because she represents the film's approach to all the characters. When Robert Altman is thanked in the end credits, I imagine it is not only because he was Demme's friend, but because his instinct for ensemble stories was an example. Demme's owes much to his editor, Tim Squyres, who also edited Altman's "Gosford Park," another film that kept track of everyone at a big house party. That might have been the very reason he was hired.
Demme's achievement is shared with the original screenplay by Jenny Lumet. This is her first writing credit, but the story might have felt like second nature to her. She is descended from artists; her grandparents on her mother's side were the singer Lena Horne and the jazz legend Louis Jordan Jones; her grandparents on her father's side were Baruch and Eugenia Lumet, an actor-director and an actress. Her father is director Sidney Lumet, and her mother, writer Gail Lumet Buckley. The apple did not fall far from those trees. I don't have to be told that her life has included countless gatherings of the nature of Rachel's wedding. Although I do not know Sidney Lumet well, I know enough to say he is kind and warm; I suspect he was an inspiration for the character Paul, who can hear Carol even when she isn't talking.
Jenny Lumet has an older sister, sound editor Amy Lumet. That's interesting. Is the film autobiographical? I have no way of knowing. Demme demonstrates something he shares with Altman: He likes to be surrounded by his own extended family. The gray-bearded man who performs the ceremony is his cousin, the Rev. Robert Castle, subject of Demme's doc "Cousin Bobby" (1992). And so on. Apart from the story, which is interesting enough, "Rachel Getting Married" is like the theme music for an evolving new age.
Debating which film is the Greatest San Francisco Movie of All Time is not new. So many of us have spent (wasted?) time arguing online over a swath of films set in the city, or scoffing at the latest listicle rankings on fly-by-night websites.
A hilarious scene of Charlie and his best friend Tony Giardino (played by Anthony LaPaglia) takes place at Alcatraz, with park ranger Phil Hartman guiding them through the actual cell block A. I love this scene for driving home the unexpected romanticism of what is otherwise a morbid prison tour, which surely every respectable San Franciscan has been on at some point, right?
In a series of stories separated by the seasons themselves, Another Year follows Tom and Gerri Hepple (Jim Broadbent and Ruth Sheen), a happily married couple, as they work in their garden and in the lives of those nearby. Exploring what it means to be a married couple in a community, and the virtue of hospitality itself, this is a deeply sad but also moving portrayal of patient love, longsuffering, and hopeful encouragement for the broken lives around us.
Tanaka has long been cited as a pioneering female filmmaker in Japan, but it is only in the last few years that her films began to receive international screenings and attention. Now, Film at Lincoln Center and Janus Films are presenting all six titles in lustrously restored prints (accompanied by a sampling of her on-screen performances). They range from gentle romantic comedies (The Moon Has Risen) to three-hankie tragedies (Forever a Woman), from realist studies of postwar social problems (Love Letter, Girls of Night) to ceremonious feudal-era costume dramas (Love Under the Crucifix).
We search for distinctive & delicate moments showcasing your personalities as a couple. Using natural light and a level of artistry we can create your cinematic wedding video in an non intrusive way, so you have a wedding film you can't wait to share with friends & family.
Inspiration for our films comes from the built up in the morning preparations and seeing the bride and groom all nervous and excited. I love to capture the lovely moments that happen on the day between guests laughing and having a giggle over a wee dram.
A truly wonderful and magical wedding in the heart of Glencoe . Ceilidh dancing, romantic vows and a hell of a lot of love between Claire and Cameron. My god what a wedding day. Turn up that sound and check out their highlights.
A truly wonderful day at Hatch House in Wiltshire. Timeless and emotive runs through Dan and Emmas wedding day. Myself and Tracy capture not only the beauty of the wedding venue but the emotion of the day to create this cinematic story.
Tracy and I love a Roadtrip and travelling to the Scottish Highlands on the West Coast is always stunning. Check out Carrick Castle Wedding Venue its amazing! Surrounded by Beautifal Scottish landscape and the ceremony taken place on the beach.
What an absolute delight it was to have Drew and Tracy film our wedding day. From the start of the process, they were so friendly, helpful and professional, yet relaxed and made us feel totally at ease. They are incredibly talented with a superb eye for detail and great creative flair. It was so much fun to capture all the special and emotional moments with them, as the wedding day passes so quickly. We absolutely loved our day with them and will treasure our special wedding film and the highlights forever. We could not recommend this film duo enough!
That is absolutely amazing Drew!! I think I've watched it 20 times since you sent it. We love it so so much. Thank you and Tracy, it captures our day so brilliantly and we can't wait to see the full version
It is certainly much better to be married with a family instead of being single and alone all the time which can be very unhealthy and depressing as time goes on. Very difficult for many of us single men trying to find love today though.
Part of the appeal of "A Quiet Place" was seeing this beloved Hollywood couple flex their acting chops together. Not only did the married couple play a married couple in the movie, but also Krasinski directed his wife in the supernatural thriller about a monster that hunts when you make a sound.
Two years before the film premiered, Krasinski told E! News, "I would rather act with Emily than direct [her]. I don't know if I need that responsibility. She's so good and I'd be so scared to screw it up. But happy to be in scenes with her because that would be really fun. We're always up for doing something, it's just gotta be the right thing."
The couple fell in love on the set of "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" and got married in 2014, so they were married when they filmed their 2015 flick "By the Sea." Interestingly, Jolie also wrote and directed the film which follows a long-term couple dealing with marital issues.
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