Heavenly Creatures
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Introduction:
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Heavenly
Creatures marked the film debut of Kate and Melanie Lynskey. It is based
on the true story of the friendship that developed between two
schoolgirls in New Zealand in the 1950s. Kate plays Juliet Hulme, an
English girl who has experienced chronic illness and separation from her
family. Melanie plays Pauline Parker, a shy girl who has also endured
physical ailments. As Juliet and Pauline become more involved in a
fantasy life and with each other, their parents become concerned.
Pauline sees her mother as the obstacle to her future life with Juliet,
and she convinces Juliet to help her remove the obstacle. Heavenly Creatures received great critical acclaim for its outstanding direction, production design, and particularly the acting. Kate's portrayal of Juliet was called ''One Of The Top Ten Performances By An Actor Under Thirty (In The Last Five Years)'' by Movieline Magazine in 1998. ''It's simply astonishing that Winslet was just 17 when she embarked on this unsettling characterization…Winslet makes the beautiful, monstrously galvanized Juliet so entertaining that we run with her even before we have sympathy…Winslet's commanding presence convinces us that Juliet could indeed be the architect of an alternate reality so compelling her disciple/friend would come to share it psychologically and sexually, and to wish her own mother dead for threatening it.'' Release dates: The film was released in the U.S. in November 1994 and in the UK in February 1995. It played at the Toronto and Venice Film Festivals in 1994. The video was released March 6, 1996. Domestic gross: $3,049,000 |
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Cast/Credits:
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Melanie Lynskey ...Pauline Parker Kate Winslet ...Juliet Hulme Sarah Peirse ...Honora Parker Diana Kent ...Hilda Hulme Clive Merrison ...Henry Hulme Simon O'Connor ...Herbert Rieper Jed Brophy ...John/Nicholas Peter Elliott ...Bill Perry Gilbert Goldie ...Doctor Bennett Geoffrey Heath ...Reverend Norris Kirsti Ferry ...Wendy Rieper Ben Skjellerup ...Jonathon Hulme Darien Takle ...Miss Stewart Elizabeth Moody ...Miss Waller Liz Mullane ...Mrs. Collins Moreen Eason ...Mrs. Stevens Pearl Carpenter ...Mrs. Zwartz Lou Dobson ...Grandma Parker |
Production
Credits:
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Honors:
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1994 - Toronto International Film Festival - Winner - Metro Media Award -- Peter Jackson 1994 - Venice Film Festival - Winner - Silver Lion -- Jackson 1994 - New Zealand Film & Television Awards - Winner -- Kate Winslet, Best Foreign Actress 1995 - Academy Awards - Nominee - Best screenplay written directly for the screen -- Peter Jackson and Frances Walsh 1995 - Writers Guild of America - Nominee - Best screenplay 1995 - Toronto Film Festival - Winner -- Kate Winslet and Melanie Lynskey, Best Actress 1996 - London Film Critics Circle Awards - Winner -- Kate Winslet, British Actress of the Year; Nominee, Film of the Year 1996 - Empire Magazine - Winner -- Kate Winslet, Best British Actress |
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Trivia:
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Links:
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Fourth World -- great analysis of the film, info about the real-life case, gallery of real-life people The Borovnian Archives -- gallery, audio clips, links to other pages Heavenly Creatures Webhome -- image gallery, screenplay, reviews |
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Kate's Comments:
More screen shots here
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''I was reading the script in the back of the car and I turned to my dad and yelled, 'I've GOT to get this!' And he replied, 'Then you will.' And I thought, 'Yep, that's it. I'm bloody well going to.' And that was it. I was so determined. It was something crucial to my life. I just so communicated with her, the story and their relationship. And when I found out, I just couldn't believe it. I was so happy, I cried. I remember I was working part-time at a deli at the time because I didn't have any money and was in the middle of making a sandwich when they phoned and said I'd got the job. I burst into tears and had to leave work because I couldn't control myself. It was absolutely brilliant... Filming Heavenly Creatures there [in New Zealand] was wonderful. We shifted location quite a bit, so I got to see a lot of the countryside. It's stunning and incredibly English, like Cornwall, and I had a fantastic time. I loved the experience and absolutely adore New Zealand... We finished shooting Heavenly Creatures in June 1993 and it wasn't released until February 1995. And I didn't see it until September 1994 at the Venice Film Festival. So that was just a funny old 18 months of nothingness and just waiting for it to be released. Then things went crazy when it took off in America and I was introduced to all these agents, which was frightening.'' |
