THE PROPOSITION

[Ugly Mackems 133]

A decent way to while away 1hr 44 mins of anyones time.

[Rob W 0]

Is this the one about life in modern Australia?

[Happy Face 29]

Is this the one about life in modern Australia?

106045[/snapback]

 

[Guest alex]

A decent way to while away 1hr 44 mins of anyones time.

105604[/snapback]

In all honesty that's barely a review, let alone a revue

[Rob W 0]

from the beeb

 

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Actor Huston on The Proposition

By Neil Smith

BBC News entertainment reporter

 

Actor Danny Huston can currently be seen in The Proposition, a blood-soaked Western set in the Australian outback of the 1880s.

 

Huston plays Arthur Burns, a psychotic outlaw in 1880s Australia

As the grandson of actor Walter, son of film-maker John and half-brother to actress Anjelica, Danny Huston belongs to one of cinema's most celebrated dynasties.

 

But where some Hollywood offspring have distanced themselves from their famous forebears, the 43-year-old American star embraces his heritage and all that goes with it. "I carry the Huston name with a lot of pride, and I'm not bashful about using it to get my foot in the door," he says.

"But I would hate to embarrass that name and let my family down.

"When I'm unsure about something, the best way to judge it is to think of my father and my sister and ask, 'What would they do?'" says Huston.

 

One assumes John Huston, the late director of The Maltese Falcon, The African Queen and The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, would approve of his son's current venture.

 

Harrowing conclusion

 

Written by cult singer Nick Cave, The Proposition is a gritty Western set against the harsh and unforgiving landscape of the Australian outback.

 

Memento star Guy Pearce stars as a bandit ordered to murder his deranged older brother, played by Huston, in order to save their younger sibling from the gallows.

 

Guy Pearce and Danny Huston

Ex-Neighbours star Guy Pearce (l) plays Huston's brother in the film

But his quest takes a series of bizarre turns that propel the action towards a brutal and harrowing conclusion.

 

"It's a classic Western of sorts, and also slightly unhinged," said Huston, who appeared last year with Ralph Fiennes in critically acclaimed thriller The Constant Gardener.

 

"I found Nick's screenplay lyrical and beautiful, with very strong themes that are almost biblical in a way."

 

Described as "mesmerising" and "fascinating" by trade paper the Hollywood Reporter, the film features British actors Ray Winstone, Emily Watson and John Hurt in supporting roles. According to Huston, shooting in the north-eastern state of Queensland was an ordeal he would be reluctant to repeat.

 

"The heat was something I'd never experienced before, and one really had to be Zen about the flies," says Huston. "They would get in your eyes, up your nose and in your mouth. During an intake of breath it wasn't unusual to swallow one by mistake."

 

Acting career

 

As hard as The Proposition was to make, though, Huston says he was able to take solace from the material. "Even though it's a dark and violent film and all the characters are doomed, there are elements of humour that are quite delightful."

 

Having started out as a director like his father, Huston's acting career almost came about by accident.

 

"I was always waiting for the eternal green light to get my pictures made, so out of the kindness of their hearts my fellow directors would give me small roles in their films.

 

"It was a way to experience other ways of working, and involve myself in projects that were not the norm."

 

A breakthrough part as a dying movie producer in 2000's Ivansxtc led to more sizeable roles in the Nicole Kidman film Birth, in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator and, most recently, as Orson Welles in the forthcoming Fade to Black.

 

But Huston refuses to draw a line between his performances in front of the camera and his work behind it.

 

"It's all about storytelling, so in a way for me it's the same gig."

 

"But I do love being able to jump from one film to the next, instead of spending two years of my life trying to get a picture going."

 

The Proposition opens in the UK on 10 March.

[Happy Face 29]

John Hurt is quality. His voiceovers on Dogville and Manderlay are like a hot toddy for the ears.

[Rob W 0]

I wouldn't want to stand next tto you the next time you take a drink and pour it into yer earhole.............................