Projects matching: Oliver Parker

Synopsis

I Really Hate My Job follows the lives of five women working together in a busy Soho restaurant who have little in common apart from their jobs. During the course of one evening, the women discuss every detail of their lives, from fear of getting old to dreaming of doing anything other than working in a second rate restaurant with delusions of grandeur. The customers come and go, unaware of the real concerns of the women: the restaurant's growing rat infestation, arguments about the nature of art, a communist rebellion in the kitchen - and the frenzied anticipation of the arrival of a famous Hollywood movie star.

Synopsis

A stylish thriller. Rome 1948. Orson Welles arrives in Rome to star in a movie. His career is on the slide and his heart is broken from divorcing Rita Hayworth. Then a bit part actor dies on set in Orson's arms, muttering his last words into his ears. While the police try to cover it up as suicide, Orson is convinced otherwise.

Synopsis

In 1890s England, Algy Moncrieff and his friend Jack Worthing are a spirited pair of London dandies who are keen to win the hands of the women they love. And their chosen brides, the pre-Raphaelite Cecily and the distinguished Gwendolen are their perfect women - except that they appear to have a pathological aversion to any name - other than Earnest.

But of course, adopting this unusual name is the least of their troubles when the imposing Lady Bracknell arrives to guard her beloved daughter's reputation and investigate her suitors. Quizzing Jack over his social pedigree, Lady Bracknell is utterly dismayed to discover that he has only the spurious claim to being parented by a 'handbag'. She presents him with an ultimatum: unless he can prove his suitable origin within the week, the marriage will be off.

Galloping between London and the country, this farcical comedy of mistaken identities, and undiscovered liaisons gathers speed as the rakish pair try desperately to conceal their duplicity and prevent the discovery of some astonishing truths.

Oliver Parker's imaginative adaptation combines Wilde's inimitable wit with an engaging romantic tale and a sparkling comedy of social manners.

Synopsis

Sir Robert Chiltern is a man who has everything. A brilliant politician and a perfect gentleman, he is the ideal husband for the captivating Lady Chiltern. Admired by all, they present an exquisite picture of wedded harmony. But when the scheming and seductive Mrs Cheveley threatens to reveal a dark secret from Chiltern's past, the very foundations of his prized career and marriage look set to crumble. Cornered, he turns to his life long friend, Lord Arthur Goring.


Famed all over town for his dazzling wit and cultivated misbehaviour, Goring soon finds himself caught up in a tangled web of lies, temptations and secret liaisons. Yet while he excels at the affairs of others, his own are to prove more challenging. The persistent charms of Mabel Chiltern, Sir Robert's sister are becoming an increasing threat to his cherished bachelorhood. She's a match for him if ever there was one . . .


Romantic, funny and moving, An Ideal Husband delivers political intrigue and sparkling wit, and summons a picture of a society grappling with issues which are as pertinent in our own society as they were 100 years ago . . .