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Focus (2001 film)

May 01, 2024

Focus is a 2001 American drama film starring William H. Macy, Laura Dern, David Paymer and Meat Loaf based on a 1945 novel by playwright Arthur Miller. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was given a limited release on October 19, 2001.[2]

Focus
Directed byNeal Slavin
Screenplay byKendrew Lascelles
Based onFocus
by Arthur Miller
Produced byRobert A. Miller
Michael R. Bloomberg
Starring
CinematographyJuan Ruiz Anchía
Edited byTariq Anwar
David B. Cohn
Music byMark Adler
Production
company
Focus Productions
Distributed byParamount Classics
Release dates
  • September 9, 2001 (2001-09-09) (TIFF)
  • October 19, 2001 (2001-10-19) (United States)
Running time
106 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$645,418[1]

Plot edit

In the waning months of World War II, Lawrence Newman is a mild-mannered, gentile man who works as a personnel manager and lives with his mother in Brooklyn. His next-door neighbor, Fred, is friendly to him but is also a member of an antisemitic group called the Union Crusaders, who blame Jews for the war. Neighborhood tensions have also intensified with the arrival of a Jewish storekeeper named Finkelstein. One day, a gentile woman named Gertrude Hart shows up at Lawrence’s workplace to apply for a job, but Lawrence brushes her off on his suspicion that she’s Jewish and his fear of being fired.

Lawrence buys a new pair of eyeglasses that people around him say makes him "look Jewish" when he wears them. As he continues to wear the eyeglasses, he himself becomes the target of antisemitic sentiment. His boss demotes him with no explanation, and Lawrence resigns in protest. He has no luck in finding a new job until he runs into Gertrude, who has found secretarial work in a Jewish-owned business. After he apologizes to her for his behavior, she helps him find work at the company. The two befriend each other and eventually marry.

As a couple, Gertrude and Lawrence become subject to multiple social humiliations, including a rejection from a resort where they had made reservations for a weekend trip. The attitude of their neighbors towards them also becomes frostier. Gertrude, who knows more than her husband about the Union Crusaders, urges him to attend a rally for his own protection. Soon, Lawrence finds himself in a situation where he must contend with the neighborhood’s prejudice, as well as his own.

Cast edit

Production edit

Photographer Neal Slavin had wanted to direct an adaptation of Arthur Miller's novel Focus since he was a student at art school in the 1960s.[3] In the 1990s, Slavin struck a deal with Miller that if a good screenplay could be written, the playwright would grant him permission to adapt the novel. Slavin commissioned playwright Kendrew Lascelles to write the script, and after some revisions and suggestions by Miller, the adaptation was approved.[3] One of the changes which Slavin made was his decision to root the film "on the outer edges of surrealism and film noir."[3]

For the part of Lawrence, Slavin specifically sought out William H. Macy, basing his choice on the belief that the story is a fable about how "people’s perceptions and...intolerance blinds [one] to seeing the [actual] person."[4] Macy hesitated to play the role, saying that he "had a nagging fear that having an uber-Lutheran play a victim of antisemitism might offend someone, thinking we were trivializing the subject."[4] Macy decided to play the role after he consulted his mentor and collaborator David Mamet.[citation needed]

The movie was filmed in Toronto, where its producers built a simulacrum of 1940s Brooklyn. Said Slavin, "One of my goals was to build a 'Mary Poppins'-like world, stylizing the setting so that everything looked perfect, so that you felt rather than saw the dark underbelly. You're taken in by the prettiness, but you don't trust it."[3] Editor Tariq Anwar, who had worked on the film American Beauty, was chosen by Slavin to achieve this vision.[3]

The film was personally financed by Michael Bloomberg, a friend of Slavin's who was a candidate for mayor of New York City at the time. Slavin said, "Michael read it in one day, called me and said, 'Let's do it.' This movie happened because of him. And it wasn't like he just put the money down and walked away. He was involved in the inspiration every step of the way."[3]

Reception edit

Critical response edit

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 56% based on 81 reviews. The site's consensus reads, "Though full of good intentions, Focus somehow feels dated, and pounds away its points with a heavy hand."[5] On Metacritic the film has a score of 53% based on reviews from 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[6]

Stephen Holden of The New York Times said the film "conveys the eerie claustrophobia and choked-back panic of an especially grim and creepy episode of The Twilight Zone. Its view of 1940's America is pointedly opposite from today's prevailing gung-ho nostalgia about World War II. It pointedly reminds us that prejudice and xenophobia are the flip sides of unity and togetherness."[7] Though Holden noted the film's themes are "as subtle as a brickbat" and were handled with more "subtlety and passion" in Arthur Miller's The Crucible, he said Focus "builds up a thunderhead of suspense."[7] Holden concluded that the film's subject matter has become relevant again in wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks and anti-Muslim sentiment.[7] Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it 3 out of 4 stars and wrote the film is an effective parable about xenophobia because it "doesn't reach for reality; it's a deliberate attempt to look and feel like a 1940s social problems picture, right down to the texture of the color photography."[8]

Criticisms were directed towards the film's "didacticism", the story's implausibilities and its "heavy-handed" messaging,[9][7][10] in addition to the casting of Macy and Dern as characters who appear to be Jewish.[9][11] Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly said the film was miscast and wrote, "The movie...has a topsy-turvy sense of injustice. Its central outrage isn’t anti-Semitism, really, but the far more banal fact that Macy and Dern have to endure the inconvenience of being scorned for what they’re not."[11] In her review for The Austin Chronicle, Marjorie Baumgarten touched on these points, but concluded, "Still, [the] performances, the story's historical origins, and the inherent goodness and contemporaneity of its storyline make Focus a movie worth viewing."[9]

Accolades edit

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ "Focus (2001)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved September 7, 2022.
  2. ^ "Focus (2001)". AllMovie. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Grode, Eric (October 28, 2001). "STAGE TO SCREEN: Maintaining "Focus". Playbill. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  4. ^ a b "William H. Macy interview for "Focus" (2001)". SPLICEDwire. October 9, 2001. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  5. ^ "Focus (2001)". Rotten Tomatoes.
  6. ^ "Focus". Metacritic.
  7. ^ a b c d Holden, Stephen (October 19, 2001). "FILM REVIEW; Surreal Fable Considers The Realities Of Prejudice". The New York Times.
  8. ^ Ebert, Roger (November 9, 2001). "Focus movie review & film summary (2001)". Chicago Sun-Times.
  9. ^ a b c Baumgarten, Marjorie (December 7, 2001). "Focus". Austin Chronicle. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  10. ^ Harvey, Dennis (September 27, 2001). "Focus". Variety.
  11. ^ a b Gleiberman, Owen (October 18, 2001). "Focus". EW.com. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  12. ^ a b "Focus (2001) Awards & Festivals". MUBI. Retrieved December 3, 2022.
  13. ^ Hobbs, John (February 11, 2002). "Sound editors tap noms for Golden Reel Awards". Variety. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  14. ^ "37th KVIFF Awards". www.kviff.com. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
  15. ^ "Film Gets Political with the PFS". Film Threat. March 27, 2002. Retrieved November 11, 2022.

External links edit

May 01, 2024
focus, 2001, film, focus, 2001, american, drama, film, starring, william, macy, laura, dern, david, paymer, meat, loaf, based, 1945, novel, playwright, arthur, miller, film, premiered, toronto, international, film, festival, given, limited, release, october, 2. Focus is a 2001 American drama film starring William H Macy Laura Dern David Paymer and Meat Loaf based on a 1945 novel by playwright Arthur Miller The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and was given a limited release on October 19 2001 2 FocusDirected byNeal SlavinScreenplay byKendrew LascellesBased onFocusby Arthur MillerProduced byRobert A Miller Michael R BloombergStarringWilliam H Macy Laura Dern David Paymer Meat LoafCinematographyJuan Ruiz AnchiaEdited byTariq Anwar David B CohnMusic byMark AdlerProductioncompanyFocus ProductionsDistributed byParamount ClassicsRelease datesSeptember 9 2001 2001 09 09 TIFF October 19 2001 2001 10 19 United States Running time106 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBox office 645 418 1 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 4 Reception 4 1 Critical response 4 2 Accolades 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksPlot editIn the waning months of World War II Lawrence Newman is a mild mannered gentile man who works as a personnel manager and lives with his mother in Brooklyn His next door neighbor Fred is friendly to him but is also a member of an antisemitic group called the Union Crusaders who blame Jews for the war Neighborhood tensions have also intensified with the arrival of a Jewish storekeeper named Finkelstein One day a gentile woman named Gertrude Hart shows up at Lawrence s workplace to apply for a job but Lawrence brushes her off on his suspicion that she s Jewish and his fear of being fired Lawrence buys a new pair of eyeglasses that people around him say makes him look Jewish when he wears them As he continues to wear the eyeglasses he himself becomes the target of antisemitic sentiment His boss demotes him with no explanation and Lawrence resigns in protest He has no luck in finding a new job until he runs into Gertrude who has found secretarial work in a Jewish owned business After he apologizes to her for his behavior she helps him find work at the company The two befriend each other and eventually marry As a couple Gertrude and Lawrence become subject to multiple social humiliations including a rejection from a resort where they had made reservations for a weekend trip The attitude of their neighbors towards them also becomes frostier Gertrude who knows more than her husband about the Union Crusaders urges him to attend a rally for his own protection Soon Lawrence finds himself in a situation where he must contend with the neighborhood s prejudice as well as his own Cast editWilliam H Macy as Lawrence Larry Newman Laura Dern as Gertrude Gert Hart David Paymer as Mr Finkelstein Meat Loaf as Fred as Meat Loaf Aday Kay Hawtrey as Mrs Newman Michael Copeman as Carlson Kenneth Welsh as Father Crighton Joseph Ziegler as Mr Garage Arlene Meadows as Mrs Dewitt Peter Oldring as Willy Doyle Wendy Lyon as Elsie Robert McCarrol as Meeting Hall Man as Robert Mccarrol Shaun Austin Olsen as Sullivan Kevin Jubinville as Mr Cole Stevens B J McQueen as Mel Conrad Bergschneider as Tough s LeaderProduction editPhotographer Neal Slavin had wanted to direct an adaptation of Arthur Miller s novel Focus since he was a student at art school in the 1960s 3 In the 1990s Slavin struck a deal with Miller that if a good screenplay could be written the playwright would grant him permission to adapt the novel Slavin commissioned playwright Kendrew Lascelles to write the script and after some revisions and suggestions by Miller the adaptation was approved 3 One of the changes which Slavin made was his decision to root the film on the outer edges of surrealism and film noir 3 For the part of Lawrence Slavin specifically sought out William H Macy basing his choice on the belief that the story is a fable about how people s perceptions and intolerance blinds one to seeing the actual person 4 Macy hesitated to play the role saying that he had a nagging fear that having an uber Lutheran play a victim of antisemitism might offend someone thinking we were trivializing the subject 4 Macy decided to play the role after he consulted his mentor and collaborator David Mamet citation needed The movie was filmed in Toronto where its producers built a simulacrum of 1940s Brooklyn Said Slavin One of my goals was to build a Mary Poppins like world stylizing the setting so that everything looked perfect so that you felt rather than saw the dark underbelly You re taken in by the prettiness but you don t trust it 3 Editor Tariq Anwar who had worked on the film American Beauty was chosen by Slavin to achieve this vision 3 The film was personally financed by Michael Bloomberg a friend of Slavin s who was a candidate for mayor of New York City at the time Slavin said Michael read it in one day called me and said Let s do it This movie happened because of him And it wasn t like he just put the money down and walked away He was involved in the inspiration every step of the way 3 Reception editCritical response edit On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 56 based on 81 reviews The site s consensus reads Though full of good intentions Focus somehow feels dated and pounds away its points with a heavy hand 5 On Metacritic the film has a score of 53 based on reviews from 27 critics indicating mixed or average reviews 6 Stephen Holden of The New York Times said the film conveys the eerie claustrophobia and choked back panic of an especially grim and creepy episode of The Twilight Zone Its view of 1940 s America is pointedly opposite from today s prevailing gung ho nostalgia about World War II It pointedly reminds us that prejudice and xenophobia are the flip sides of unity and togetherness 7 Though Holden noted the film s themes are as subtle as a brickbat and were handled with more subtlety and passion in Arthur Miller s The Crucible he said Focus builds up a thunderhead of suspense 7 Holden concluded that the film s subject matter has become relevant again in wake of the September 11 terrorist attacks and anti Muslim sentiment 7 Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave it 3 out of 4 stars and wrote the film is an effective parable about xenophobia because it doesn t reach for reality it s a deliberate attempt to look and feel like a 1940s social problems picture right down to the texture of the color photography 8 Criticisms were directed towards the film s didacticism the story s implausibilities and its heavy handed messaging 9 7 10 in addition to the casting of Macy and Dern as characters who appear to be Jewish 9 11 Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly said the film was miscast and wrote The movie has a topsy turvy sense of injustice Its central outrage isn t anti Semitism really but the far more banal fact that Macy and Dern have to endure the inconvenience of being scorned for what they re not 11 In her review for The Austin Chronicle Marjorie Baumgarten touched on these points but concluded Still the performances the story s historical origins and the inherent goodness and contemporaneity of its storyline make Focus a movie worth viewing 9 Accolades edit Chicago International Film Festival 12 New Directors Competition Neal Slavin nominated Ghent International Film Festival 12 Grand Prix Neal Slavin nominated Golden Reel Awards 13 Best Sound Editing Music Feature Film Domestic and Foreign Joanie Diener nominated Karlovy Vary International Film Festival 14 Best Actor William H Macy won Grand Prix Neal Slavin nominated Political Film Society Award for Human Rights won 15 See also editAntisemitism in the United States History of antisemitism in the United StatesReferences edit Focus 2001 Box Office Mojo IMDb Retrieved September 7 2022 Focus 2001 AllMovie Retrieved November 5 2022 a b c d e f Grode Eric October 28 2001 STAGE TO SCREEN Maintaining Focus Playbill Retrieved November 5 2022 a b William H Macy interview for Focus 2001 SPLICEDwire October 9 2001 Retrieved November 5 2022 Focus 2001 Rotten Tomatoes Focus Metacritic a b c d Holden Stephen October 19 2001 FILM REVIEW Surreal Fable Considers The Realities Of Prejudice The New York Times Ebert Roger November 9 2001 Focus movie review amp film summary 2001 Chicago Sun Times a b c Baumgarten Marjorie December 7 2001 Focus Austin Chronicle Retrieved November 5 2022 Harvey Dennis September 27 2001 Focus Variety a b Gleiberman Owen October 18 2001 Focus EW com Retrieved November 5 2022 a b Focus 2001 Awards amp Festivals MUBI Retrieved December 3 2022 Hobbs John February 11 2002 Sound editors tap noms for Golden Reel Awards Variety Retrieved November 11 2022 37th KVIFF Awards www kviff com Retrieved November 11 2022 Film Gets Political with the PFS Film Threat March 27 2002 Retrieved November 11 2022 External links editFocus at IMDb nbsp Focus at AllMovie Focus at Rotten Tomatoes Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Focus 2001 film amp oldid 1213733666, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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