By Eric J. Lyman,Hollywood Reporter
September 6,2008
ROME – Darren Aronofsky's "The Wrestler," which set the Venice Lido abuzz after its world premiere Friday, won the festival's top prize Saturday.
Mickey Rourke, considered by many a favorite for the festival's best actor prize for his interpretation of an aging pro wrestler struggling to come to terms with the end of his career. The film, which may have sealed Rourke's acting comeback, had been a dark horse for the overall Golden Lion prize, however.
"Darren Aronofsky came here a couple of years ago and fell on his ass," Rourke told a packed Sala Grande crowd after the award was announced, referring to Aronofsky's "The Fountain," which flopped in Venice in 2006. "I'm glad he had the balls to come back. I don't think he wanted to come back but I told him, "You have to come back' and he did."
Source: AssociatedPress
Sunday, September 7, 2008
'The Wrestler' wins Venice's Golden Lion-VIDEO
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Bruce Springsteen Sings for 'The Wrestler'-Venice Film Festival Update
By Jessica Barnes,Cinematical
September 2,2008
By far, one of the most anticipated movies on the festival circuit this year is Darren Aronofsky's The Wrestler. But many have been wondering why the film had secured such an 'undesirable' closing spot at the Venice Film Festival -- could there be trouble ahead with the finished product? But it looks like all that fretting was for nothing, because Aronofsky updated his personal blog with the news that the only reason for the delay in the selection process was that he was awaiting a completed song from Bruce Springsteen for the end of the film.
The Wrestler is the story of Randy "The Ram" Robinson (played by an almost unrecognizable Mickey Rourke); a former star of pro-wrestling in the '80s who has been reduced to appearing at high schools and community centers. With a heart condition and early retirement looming, Robinson takes one last shot at the 'big-time' in a match against a former rival. I can't say pro-wrestling is my usual area of interest, but I am pretty excited to see what a visual maestro like Aronofsky can do with that world -- and for a great primer on the difficult life of a pro-wrestler, I highly recommend the documentary Beyond the Mat
According to Aronofsky, "Springsteen wrote a beautiful original song for the closing the film. called THE WRESTLER it is a wonderful acoustic piece. makes me choke up every time i hear it. he really captured the spirit of the film and mickey's character in the piece." The pairing of Springsteen with the film seems to be a perfect fit. Because, if anyone has the knack for singing about the travails of a downtrodden man, it's Springsteen (and that Oscar pedigree probably doesn't hurt either).
The Wrestler will premiere in Venice on September 5th (we'll have a review from Toronto), and is expected to arrive in theaters later this year.
[Thanks: /film]
UPDATE 6/9 (from Venice Film Festival):"The Wrestler" was the toast of the Lido on the Venice Film Festival's penultimate day, with star Mickey Rourke's interpretation of an aging wrestler struggling to come to terms with the end of his career creating a buzz that had been absent for most of the festival.
The Darren Aronofsky film helped the 65th edition of the Venice event wind up on a high note after days of steady criticism for what the domestic press has considered a relative lack of strong films in the lineup.
The competition film, which co-stars Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood, packed three Venice screenings Friday and prompted speculation among festival participants that Rourke could be a candidate for Venice's best actor prize, which will be announced with the other major awards Saturday.
Source:Hollywood Reporter
