Barrymore Trailer

Here's an intriguing one. Christopher Plummer stars in an adpatation of William Luce's play about the great actor John Barrymore (Drew Barrymore's granddad). What makes it all the more interesting is that it concentrates on Barrymore rehearsing for a 1942 revival of his 1920 turn on Broadway as Richard III, which is considered one of the greatest Shakespearean performances of all time. However by 1942 he was an old man who's mind was going, and indeed was only a few months from death. Luce's 1997 play was first staged as a one-man-show starring Plummer, who himself had great succes as Richard III for the RSC (in 1961)and others. Plummer won a Tony for the stage version of Barrymore, and now brings it to film, with the action largely kept to just him on a stage, as it was on Broadway. The film is premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, and while it many never find mainstream success, it does look rather fascinating, with art and life intersecting as two trult great actors come together.