One of the World Premieres playing at the 2012 Seattle International Film Festival was Russell Brown's "White Camellias" starring Cybil Shepard and David Burtka (Yes, NPH's Hubby). The story is a melodrama that revolves around an artist in her early 60s (Cybill Shepherd) who throws a Spanish-themed dinner party (Planned by David Burtka and BF, Peter Paige) in the hopes of rekindling the great love affair of her youth. A passionate woman who fills her home with poetry and paintings, Annie is a genuine romantic which also leaves her vulnerable to disappointment and occasional delusion. As the evening progresses, her expectations of love transform as she faces painful truths about her past and present. Fueled by the strong words of her favorite poet -- Federico Garcia Lorca -- Annie will redefine her vision for the future and her definition of happiness over the course of this dark night of reckoning. I chatted with Brown in-person earlier today.
MK: Tell us a little bit about how you got started with this project?
Brown: Uh, well, the movie began as sort of an experiment for me. My favorite sort of writer, dramatist, poet is this guy, you know, Frederico Garcia Larka[], the Spanish dramatist and poet. And I sort of came up with this idea to try and write my version of a Larka play as an experiment, really. And I started writing, and that’s kind of how this movie began is writing, you know, writing … writing a Larka play through my own voice, what that would be like.
And so in regards to the, it’s more of a, it’s a modern day plot. And that it’s all regarding this character, Annie, And it tells us a little bit about what happens when, well, it’s the story, she is, she has one great love affair in her youth, when she was in her 20s and she was living in Spain, and she was a young artist and it was a very passionate time for her. And she’s, you know, grown up now and is single, and she has run into this man again before the movie begins and has decided that she wants to plan the most fabulous, beautiful, romantic dinner party she can plan. She sort of rekindled this great love affair of their youth. And it’s about what happens over the course of this evening and how her expectations of love, and her feelings of love, transform because of this thing.
MK: And what was the purpose of this symbolism the camellias?
Brown: Well, camellias are, they play in this movie a lot. Camellia is a flower that Larka actually wrote about a lot. And also when, and then in terms of the plot, he called her, this man that she had this affair with, he called her my wife Camellia when they were young. So there’s sort of a plot function of Camellia’s, and also a fanatic function, that sort of ties into Larka. So that’s really, that’s really how the Camellia thing came about.
MK: I do know that there’s a couple of really great cast members, supporting cast members including Peter Paige (QAF).
Brown: We all love Peter Paige.
Brown: Well, David was introduced to me by the casting director of the movie, and he is, you know, David has his own catering company, which is part of his other career.
MK: Wow.
Brown: And so it was kind of a life imitating art thing going on there. And David also has a really strong theater background. He was a Broadway actor. And the movie is very theatrical in a lot of ways. And so it just seemed like a great fit. I mean he had, we just met and talked, and he had read it and, you know, we decided to work together. And that’s how David got involved.
MK: And how about Peter?
Brown: Peter, Peter I had known for a while, through the festival treatment. And I had done some stage readings of the material before I decided to turn it into a film, as I was working on it. And Peter always played that part. And I always had him in mind for that part. And Peter is so talented, and so smart, and so sharp. And it’s just I was so excited to work with him. I think he’s an amazing talent.
MK: And so Peter, he plays David’s partner?
Brown: Yeah, he plays David’s boyfriend.
MK: So they’re brought in to plan this party?
Brown: Yeah, that’s David’s job. And Peter has another job. He’s a television writer. So he’s, he’s more successful. He’s got more money. He’s probably got a little bit more power in this relationship. And it’s part of the friction of what goes on between them in the movie. Trying to work out how that dynamic of money and power, you know, plays into their relationship.
MK: And also you brought back somebody you worked in your other film, The Bluetooth Virgin, Bryce Johnson?
Brown: Yeah. I worked with Bryce a couple of times. I worked with him on something called Harry Max. It wasn’t my movie, but Bryce was the start of that movie, so I met him there. And then he starred in my second feature. And now he has a smaller part in this one, but I, you know. I think he’s really, that’s a great actor.
MK: How long did the whole film take?
Brown: The shoot was 13 days. And then the post was probably a year.
MK: Wow.
Brown: Yeah. You know, the way I work on my other films, you know, I’ll edit for a couple of months, then I’ll take a break, then I’ll come back to it, and then maybe I’ll shoot a little bit more, and then I’ll edit some more. And then, you know, before I send the film to fit the final screen, or the final, you know, element that they’re going to show at the movie, I was still trimming. So it never really ends.
MK: And so what is next? Have you found a distributor? Where do you hope for this?
Brown: Well, the movie doesn’t have a distributor. And, you know, what’s happened in my other movies is they’ve always found kind of the right home for themselves, but they’re not necessary the film that I thought. So I decided I no longer think. I just sort of wait for a bad one. So we’ll see what happens. But, and I do have other things I’ve written I really want to make.
MK: What is the next film for you?
Brown: I mean there’s a couple of things that I’ve written. I don’t know necessarily which one will be the first. I mean the one that I really hope is a movie, it’s a story of a woman who is in her 30s and she’s a very successful lawyer, but she’s also a competitive swimmer, and it’s about how her life changes after she has a traumatic experience on a weekend holiday swimming in a river. And she almost drowns. And it’s about sort of our relationship with water, and recovery, and spirituality, the spirituality of water. (Laugh) That’s what the movie is about. And that’s why I hope I can do that.
MK: Alright, Well, thank you for joining us…
Brown: Thank You!
Brown: Thank You!
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