Still as much of an enigma as when he first burst onto the scene in 1981 with “The Draughtsman’s Contract,” director Peter Greenaway has consistently shirked the conventional approach and stayed true to a unique narrative compass from film-to-film. That means heading from a stagy drama, inspired by the 16th century Dutch engraver Hendrick Goltzius, to a planned “romantic comedy”. The latter has been pushed, unfortunately, but the project that will replace it has its own share of passion—especially in regards to one of cinema’s pioneers.
Sergei Eisenstein, the Soviet Russian filmmaker and “Father of Montage,” has proven a figure rarely dramatized in films following his impact, but Greenaway aims to do just that with “Eisenstein in Guanajuato,” which follows a life-changing ten days of love and humanism in 1930s Mexico with the director. Finnish actor Elmer Back (“The Spiral”) will step into Eisenstein’s shoes alongside a supporting cast of Luis Alberti, Stelio Savante, and Lisa Owen, and the film is said to focus on how the time in Mexico shifted Eisenstein’s outlook of life and filmmaking tremendously.
Shooting is currently underway in Mexico, and the film is scheduled to hit theatres in September of this year. But as frustrating, brilliant or perhaps a mixture of both people believe Greenaway to be, it’s nonetheless a treat to keep track of his constantly hopping interests, and his new film looks to keep in line with that unpredictability.
Check a batch of new photos from the production below.
