Project Detail

Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story

Name: Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Genre: Literary Adaptation, Comedy, Drama
Released: 2005
Duration: 91 mins

Synopsis

Flipping back and forth between the 18th century and the hapless efforts of the 21st century filmakers, Tristram Shandy is the making of a movie adapted from the notoriously unfilmable English literature masterpiece, The Life and Opinons of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, written by Laurence Sterne.

The story begins with Tristram Shandy (Steve Coogan) narrating his life story as he sees it. Crammed with literary jokes and dark humour, Shandy's warped childhood tales are constantly interrupted by his family and household, inadvertently revealing far more about himself than any conventional autobiography.

At the dramatic moment of Tristram's birth, the 1st Assistant Director calls cut, marking the end of a filming day on the set of Tristram Shandy. We then see Steve Coogan, the other actors and crew through the course of a chaotic evening on set. Steve Coogan's wife arrives with their six month old baby, a journalist is chasing him about a scandalous story, his agent has arrived with a load of Hollywood scripts and the film financiers are threatening to pull the plug.

A clever, post-modern take on the construction of a film, from an intricate, hilariously complex autobiographical novel.

Details

Year: 2005
Type of project: Features
Running time: 91 mins
Format: 35mm
Director: Michael Winterbottom
Producer: David Thompson, Tracey Scoffield, Kate Ogborn, Julia Blackburn, Jeff Abberley, Henry Normal
Editor: Peter Christelis
Screenwriter: Martin Hardy
Director of Photography: Marcel Zyskind
Production Designer: John Paul Kelly
Sound: Stuart Wilson
Principal cast: Steve Coogan, Rob Brydon, Naomi Harris, Kelly MacDonald, Jeremy Northam, James Fleet, Ian Hart, Shirley Henderson, Stephen Fry, Gillian Anderson

Genre

Literary Adaptation Comedy Drama

Production Status

Complete

Production Company

Scion Films

c/o The Works

Sales Company

The Works

Portland House
4 Great Portland Street
London W1W 8QJ
UK

T+44 (0)20 7612 1080

joy@theworksltd.com

Visit Website

www.theworkslimited.com

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