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尼蒙利斯連環不幸事件
LEMONY SNICKET'S A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS
繼《哈利波特》後 全新童話熱潮
首本擊敗《哈利波特》叢書 佔據【紐約時報】銷書榜首的小說
新世代至Cult童話 全美開畫No. 1
占基利 爆笑ｘ迷離ｘ童真
開創「黑色童話」新紀元
不幸大人無情 幸而細路好聰明
有「喜劇之王」占基利、影后梅麗史翠普，加上完美靚仔祖迪羅，一起演繹這個風行全球的尼蒙利斯另類童話…錯過了，屬你的不幸！
故事大綱
波德萊爾三姊弟妹聰穎過人──大家姐阿紫（艾美莉布朗寧飾演），14歲，堪稱天才發明家；二弟羅斯（尼安艾勤飾演），12歲，愛鑽研偏門學術，擁有不尋常之學問和技能；妹妹辛妮（嘉拉荷芙曼及莎碧荷芙曼分飾），BB一個，卻牙力驚人，乳齒如刀鋒！
可惜，無論他們多有天份，始終難逃惡運。不幸的事接二連三地發生在波德萊爾姊弟身上……
他們的父母在一次火災中喪生，三人淪為孤兒，自此由遠親奧拉夫伯爵（占基利飾演）照顧。誰知伯爵不單是一個自大狂妄的演員，他更與劇團各人勾結，密謀奪去波德萊爾三姊弟的財產。為了逃避伯爵的追趕，三人被迫亡命天涯，他們跑到養蛇專家莫迪叔叔（比利干諾利飾演）的家，甚至乎向神經質的約瑟芬姨姨（梅麗史翠普飾演）求救，但伯爵似乎無處不在！三個小孤兒惟有自食其力，對抗命運……一切一切，由尼蒙利斯（祖迪羅聲演）講俾你知！
人物介紹
大人：
奧拉夫伯爵（占基利飾演）：波德萊爾的遠房親戚，身份是伯爵，職業是（九流）演員，擁有自己的劇團，捧自己做主角。外在特徵：單眼眉、地中海；內在特徵：陰險自負貪心狡猾「大蝦細」。
占基利說：「他自大狂妄，遺害社會，你本來應該好憎他，但最終一定愛上他。」
約瑟芬姨姨（梅麗史翠普飾演）：超級神經質。例如：不開暖爐，因為怕它爆炸；不行近雪櫃，怕它突然倒下來，壓死自己；不用電話，怕會觸電致死……等等。
史翠普說：「我好鍾意這個角色，因為某程度上，我都好怕死，乜你哋唔係咩？」
莫迪叔叔（比利干諾利飾演）：爬行類動物家，愛在頸上纏著他那條８呎長蟒蛇！
干諾利說：「我簡直愛上了這條蟒蛇，牠在我耳邊深呼吸，好像和我講心事。」
細路：
阿紫（艾美莉布朗寧飾演）：波德萊爾大家姐，14歲，是小小發明家，作品有：一張會自動執床的床、自動演奏的口琴、石沉大海後可以把石從海中捕回來的儀器……等等。父母被燒死後，肩負起一家之主的重任。
導演說：「我選布朗寧演出的原因是，她的氣質古今皆宜，但富有時代感，與故事的設定一拍即合。」
羅斯（尼安艾勤飾演）：二弟，12歲，博學之才，無書不讀，是「知識改變命運」的人辦。
導演說：「我從未見過像艾勤一樣聰明的小演員，跟角色羅斯一樣，他想東西永遠比人快三步。」
辛妮（由孖生姊妹嘉拉及莎碧荷芙曼分飾）：BB細妹，講的BB話，只有阿哥家姐聽得明。她牙「尖」嘴「利」，咬人唔使本！
導演說：「別睇少這對Twins，人隻細細，但交足戲！」
製作花絮 有幸有不幸
∼有幸事件∼
有幸１：最具爭議性童話 打敗【哈利波特】登上銷書榜首
1999年面世的尼蒙利斯作品，一直以來是美國男女老幼必讀的怪誕童話，至今已推出了11集。其作品結集了黑色幽默、恐怖情節、荒涼背景等元素，主角更是悲劇人物──父母被燒死的三個孤兒兄弟姊妹。故事由尼蒙利斯以第一身敘述，講幾個小孤雛如何逃避大人、惡黨的追殺，保衛父母留給他們的財產。
有人說尼蒙利斯的小說是給悲觀的大人和孤獨的小童在晚上閱讀的；亦有人說尼蒙利斯是騙子、罪犯！眾說紛紜，但在文化評論界，尼氏的作品一致獲好評，他的著作更在短短５年間打入民心，至今已賣出超過2千7百萬部，亦是第一部成功將【哈利波特】踢落【紐約時報】銷書榜的作品，合共有600個星期在該榜佔一席位。
有幸２：英美聖誕票房No. 1 勢掀《尼蒙利斯》熱潮
打破傳統聖誕的溫馨感人氣氛，《尼蒙利斯連環不幸事件》以怪誕姿態，找來占基利做邪惡伯爵、梅麗史翠普演陰毒親戚、靚仔祖迪羅聲演尼蒙利斯講故事，以３千萬票房開畫成績成為美國04聖誕檔榜首，以２百萬英鎊成為英國聖誕檔榜首！肯定《尼蒙利斯》童話熱潮，即將襲擊全亞洲！
有幸３：作者大無畏精神 帶出童話新面貌
追溯至「格林童話」、狄更斯(Charles Dicken)等經典作品，不難發現自古以來，童話世界裡的小孩子都被安排經歷很多不幸事，其中不少也是孤兒！現年34歲的丹尼爾漢杜拿(Daniel Handler)化名尼蒙利斯推出的現代「黑色」童話系列，更將此傳統推至「癲」峰！書中波德萊爾三姊弟妹面對前所未有的恐怖經歷，身邊的大人史上未聞的陰毒古怪。
連作者尼氏本人也是徹頭徹尾的怪人，他最愛講反話，叫他宣傳一下本片，他竟然說：「親愛的記者：很抱歉告訴你，這是一齣令人極度不安的電影」，又說：「我求他們不要找好的導演，不要找巨星，不要改編我任何的作品，但他們竟然揀了三本書！我最希望大家看完我這番說話，湧去買戲飛，然後決定不去看電影。」當然，片中各位巨星也習慣了他的另類幽默，大家繼續各有各捧尼蒙利斯。
有幸４：巨星力撐「黑色」童話
肯首演出此片的巨星，全都是由心底裡發出對尼氏作品的愛戴。占基利說：「他筆下三個小孩子的瘋狂旅程，既精采絕倫，又一步一驚心。」
為人父母的梅麗史翠普及祖迪羅，更早已視尼氏作品為家中恩物。史翠普說，接拍此片時，最開心是她的女兒：「她興奮若狂。故事最吸引的地方是，看到小孩子可以很獨立，他們實踐夢想之餘，不忘自己的責任。波德萊爾三姊弟妹比任何大人都要聰明。」
膝下三個幼子的祖迪之所以認識尼氏作品，亦是因為兒子有一天興高彩烈地把一冊尼氏童話帶回家。祖迪說「尼氏系列以一個很獨特的方法吸引小孩和父母。跟其他兒童叢書不同，尼氏系列給人一種『不祥、凶兆』的感覺，任何年紀的人都難以抵抗這吊詭的魅力。」
有幸５：只看草稿 搶先買下三書版權
執導過《鬼馬小靈精》、《天使多情》等人氣電影的導演畢斯貝寧(Brad Silberling)亦非常欣賞尼氏的世界，認為他不放過任何一個機會，反叛到極。更有趣的是，尼氏作品隱藏了一個很諷刺的主題──大人不聽小孩子說的話，但其實在大部分情況之下，他們應該要聽！導演說：「故事給予小孩子靠自己的天份生存下去的權力。」
事實上，尼氏作品的嶄新風格很快就吸引了行內人的關注。Nickelodeon Movies的副總裁兼本片監製茱莉亞比絲達(Julia Pistor)說，他們公司在1999年發現尼蒙利斯時，已決定買下首三部小說的版權，即是【A Series of Unfortunate Events】之【The Bad Beginning】、【The Reptile Room】、【The Wide Window】。那時候小說還未面世，比絲達說：「我們當時看過草稿後，就馬上買下版權，因為我們很喜歡作品的破壞式幽默，是兒童文學中的全新嘗試。」而本片就是一口氣匯聚頭三集小說的精髓，改編而成。
有幸６：《無頭谷》金像美指 炮製三大「惡人屋」
不過，要把尼蒙利斯的世界影象化，可說是艱鉅的工程，因為故事中出現大量幻想式的情境，而且怪事多多，即使找來《無頭谷》金像美指力克軒列治斯(Rick Heinrichs)主持大局，亦頭痛非常。由於尼氏童話並沒有特定的時代背景，美指於是決定在荷李活廠房搭景拍攝。結果，動用了400名工程人員，花了足足９個月，才完成片中所需的70個場景（其中５個是在水景），當中以三大惡人的家最巧心思──
惡人屋１號：奧拉夫伯爵大宅
一般來說，邪惡伯爵的大屋會令人聯想到維多利亞式的鬼屋，但今次奧拉夫的大屋刻意擺脫這些舊有思想，反而強調伯爵浮華的一面，因此集合了哥德式建築，奇幻設計及歷史感等不同元素。結果，花了５個月時間才搭好伯爵的大宅，單是將簇新的道貝及材料變成百年歷史文物一樣，就要花兩星期用硫黃來處理。此外，導演又用了「眼睛」來象徵伯爵一直監視著波氏姊弟，好像在牆上會有一幅眼睛的畫、古董鐘上有一粒眼珠在跳動、木架上也竟然刻有眼睛！幽默又好玩。
惡人屋３號：莫迪叔叔爬蟲屋
爬蟲專家莫迪叔叔，除了他的大屋外，也有一間爬蟲房。這兩屋好像埋藏在莫迪叔叔的腦袋裡面一樣，非一般人有膽闖入屋內。像爬蟲房內，有近70條蛇和爬蟲，包括超毒眼鏡蛇、蝮蛇、響尾蛇、蟒蛇、大蜥蝪、大蠍子，以及一隻重200磅的大龜！至於叔叔的大屋，也是危機四伏，最令人興奮的是，室內的設計令人刮目一新，地板上用上了大蜥蝪圖案，屋內又珍藏了大蛇的骸骨，以及數之不盡的蛇蟲，單是鐵籠也用了90個……總之，包你毛骨悚然。
惡人屋２號：約瑟芬姨姨舊屋
姨姨的那幢山邊小屋，破舊不堪，危吊在山崖之上，下為大湖，一個大風就會付諸流水！結果正如大家所料，這間屋真的因大風被吹落湖，全屋散開！為做出迫真效果，攝製組先用油壓起重機把舊屋推高20呎，再讓它以兩秒時間墮下10呎，做成十萬磅的重力，墮水速度儼如真的大災難。
而片中所有水災場面，都在前身為穿梭機工場的唐尼片場(Downey Studios)完成，製作組並出動了片場內一個十呎深的水庫，用上250萬加侖水來製造一個人工湖。
∼不幸事件∼
不幸１：日日要脫髮 魔鬼樣捱足８個月
說到不幸事，首選占基利的造型。別看他一身剪裁得美輪美奐的維多利亞式服飾高雅又得體，其實，伯爵造型的重點是他的單眼眉古怪Look以及逐漸退後的髮線！
《衰鬼上帝》化妝大師標歌素(Bill Corso)今次再度為基利「整妝」，每次出場前都要化妝３個鐘，除了單眼眉，超長指甲，還要每日剃頭，Keep住「地中海」Look之餘，還要跟著情節發展，把髮線逐漸剃後，做出伯爵脫髮問題日趨嚴重的感覺。這種狀態足足維持了８個月之久，而基利在這段拍攝期間內，為Keep住殭屍一樣的蒼白膚色，亦一直避免在陽光下出沒，簡直包受肉體和心靈的煎熬！
不幸２：英國首映禮前 基利酒店失火
另一不幸事，亦發生在基利身上。去年12月中，本片在倫敦舉行宣傳活動時，占基利下榻的Claridges Hotel，竟然發生了火警！幸而基利自行逃生，並馬上與史翠普等人出席了首映禮，但他就大投訴：「無人來救我，又無人來找我，要我自己搵路走！」原來當時在酒店裡還有畢彼特和麥迪文，而他們更因為這次火警而取消了《盜海豪情12瞞徒》的記者會。基利人、事兩全，都算不幸中之大幸。
不幸３：尼安艾勤 錯失《鬼眼》、《哈利波特》兩個黃金機會
另一個屢遇不幸事件的主角，則要數尼安艾勤。剛滿15歲的尼安，原來曾兩度錯失走紅的黃金機會。七年前，他推了《鬼眼》一片，因為當時只有8歲的他覺得影片太恐怖。殊不知《鬼眼》瘋魔全球，捧紅了希里祖奧士文(Haley Joel Osment)。之後，片商找他演正面又健康的作品《哈利波特》系列。尼安在試鏡後被取錄了，獲得哈利波特男主角一席！尼安說：「我還記得，我飛去英國試鏡，一星期後，我贏得角色。誰知第二日，他們改變主意！占士邦一定要由英國人演，哈利波特亦一樣吧！」輸了給英國人丹尼爾韋基夫(Daniel Radcliffe)，紐約出生的尼安今次演美國童話《尼蒙利斯連環不幸事件》系列，應該無人反對。
超級卡士
喜劇怪傑──占基利
跟尼蒙利斯在童話界的處境一樣，占基利是當代最具爭議又最出色的喜劇演員。他以「橡筋面」為招牌，出道時在兩集《神探飛機頭》(Ace Ventura: Pet Detective)及《變相怪傑》(The Mask)闖出名堂；成名後，以追求有深度的喜劇為理想，如諷刺傳媒、玩轉真假世界的《真人Show》(Truman Show)、講述已故喜劇大師安迪裘夫曼一生的《娛人先生》(Man on the Moon)等，都可見基利追尋的是層次與笑料兼備的最高境界。
他的近作《無痛失戀》更一改風格，與琦溫斯莉上演了一個令人意想不到的愛情故事。在這個由《玩謝麥高維治》編劇查理考夫曼撰寫的劇本，基利以沉鬱的內心演繹，贏得
一致讚賞，獲金球獎提名最佳男主角。
之前，基利曾經憑《真人Show》及《娛人先生》兩度成為金球獎影帝，及憑《聖誕怪傑》、《大話王》(Liar, Liar)、《變相怪傑》等，前後共６度獲金球獎影帝提名。
1962年出生於加拿大安大略省的占基利，童年亦過得十分戲劇性。他出身自中產家庭，卻在初中時，家境中落，被迫搬往貧民區，放學時還要在工廠打工８個小時。不過，聲言３歲就知自己是食演員飯的基利，無懼困難，15歲已開始在多倫多的夜店表演楝篤笑，20歲那年被發掘到電視台演出。自此，基利展開他漫長的喜劇生涯，他的代表作還包括《衰鬼線人》(The Cable Guy)、《衰鬼上帝》(Bruce Almighty)、《忘我奇緣》(The Majestic)、《愛情黐筋Show》(Me, Myself and Irene)及《蝙蝠俠之不敗之謎》(Batman Forever)。
現時，基利正忙於籌備三部大作，無巧不成話，三片均是改編自過去的經典，包括與蒂雅莉安妮(Tea Leoni)合演的喜劇《Fun with Dick and Jane》；重新演繹瘋魔全球的70年代電視劇《無敵鐵金剛》(Six Million Dollar Man)；以及重拍1947年笑片《The Secret Life of Walter Mitty》。
童星版「占基利」──尼安艾勤
尼安艾勤(Liam Aiken)，1990年1月7日出生於美國紐約，在片中飾演波德萊爾二弟羅斯；影片開拍時，只得13歲。
跟片中角色同樣不幸，尼安兩歲半時，任職電視監製的父親因癌病去世。但尼安遺傳了亡父的演藝天分，上小學前已接拍廣告，六歲時正式登上百老匯舞台，演出易卜生著名劇作《玩偶之家》(A Doll's House)；翌年，初登銀幕，參演《Henry Fool》一片。之後，片約陸續而來，在《後備媽咪》(Stepmom)演茱莉亞羅拔絲的繼子、在《非洲之夢》(I Dreamed of Africa)中演金碧辛嘉的兒子，另外亦在奇洛里維斯及查里絲花朗合演的《偷心之約》(Sweet November) 等巨星級猛片演出。
2002年，尼安在《末路驕陽》飾演湯漢斯的兒子，令人留下深刻印象；翌年，更首次擔正主角，以鬼馬眼神和惹笑表情，在喜劇《Good Boy靈靈狗》與外星狗大爆笑料，旋即被美國傳媒封為「小小占基利」！當然，尼安除了喜劇，其他類型一樣應付自如。現時仍在求學階段的尼安，拍戲時聘有貼身老師指導功課。
澳洲美少女──艾美莉布朗寧
1988年出生於澳洲墨爾本的艾美莉布朗寧(Emily Browning)，在片中演出波德萊爾大家姐阿紫時，只得15歲。雖然年紀輕輕，但小女孩早在澳洲本土擁有豐富的演出經驗。她十歲時首次參演電視電影《The Echo of Thunder》；之後，憑當地電視劇《High Flyers》、《Thunderstone》、《Blonde》等深入民心。電視電影《Halifax f.p.: Playing God》更為她帶來「澳洲電影學院」最佳年青演員獎。
2001年，她首次演出電影，與比利干諾利、茱迪戴維絲(Judy Davis)合演喜劇《The Man Who Sued God》；翌年，首度參演荷李活大製作《鬼船》(Ghost Ship)，在美國嶄露頭角；之後與靚仔希思萊德格(Heath Ledger)合演的《法外狂徒》(Ned Kelly)同樣惹人注目。 布朗寧其他作品還包括《夜驚客》(Darkness Falls)及人氣電視劇《After the Deluge》。
最搶手美男──祖迪羅
在片中以尼蒙利斯之身分敘述故事的祖迪羅(Jude Law)是目前最炙手可熱的男星，單是2004年，就演出了六部猛片。除本片之外，還有與茱莉亞羅拔絲、妮坦莉寶雯合演的愛情小品《誘心人》(Closer)；與安芝蓮娜祖莉及桂莉芙柏德露合演的科幻片《轟天戰士決戰明日世紀》；演繹花心大情聖的《型男艾飛》﹝Alfie﹞；馬田史高西斯執導的《娛樂大享》﹝The Aviator﹞以及浪漫喜劇《I Love Huckabees》。2005年製作中的新作則有《Dexterity》及《All the King's Men》。片約之多，簡直令祖迪分身不下。
除一副俊俏臉孔之外，祖迪亦以實力見稱，曾兩度獲奧斯卡及三度獲金球獎提名，包括憑《亂世情天》獲奧斯卡及金球獎最佳男主角提名；憑《心計》獲奧斯卡及金球獎最佳男配角提名；以及憑《A.I.人工智能》獲金球獎最佳男配角提名。
1972年出生於英國倫敦的祖迪，12歲起已在英國的「國家青年音樂劇院」演出，17歲時為了拍電視劇輟學，從此展開其演藝生涯。1997年，祖迪首度演出美國片，在《變種異煞》(Gattaca)演完美人類，影片雖然大受抨擊，但祖迪的「完美」形象自此深入民心，在荷李活贏得不少大導賞識，演出了奇連依士活執導的《情迷殺人夜》(Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil)、大衛哥倫堡的《感官遊戲》(Existenz)、尚積美斯亞諾的《敵對邊緣》(Enemy At The Gates)以至史匹堡的鉅製《A.I.人工智能》、森曼迪斯的《末路驕陽》等。
近月來，祖迪的私生活亦是報刊追擊的頭條新聞，因為他在拍攝新片《型男艾飛》時，戀上比他年輕９歲的Sienna Miller，兩人更於05年一月閃電訂婚。祖迪與前妻Sadie Frost育有三子，兩人於2003年結束6年婚姻。
兩屆影后──梅麗史翠普
無需多介紹，梅麗史翠普(Meryl Streep)乃當今最重要的女演員之一，她憑《克藍瑪對克藍瑪》及《蘇菲的抉擇》兩度獲奧斯卡最佳女主角，另13度獲奧斯卡提名，是史上獲最多金像提名的女演員。2003年，史翠普憑《此時此刻》榮昇柏林影后。2004年，以55之齡榮獲「美國電影學院」辦授「終身成就大獎」，肯定她對影壇的貢獻。
從影以來參演了五十多部電影的史翠普，至今依然佳作輩出，包括《此時此刻》、《何必偏偏玩謝我》、《弘動我心》、《麥迪遜之橋》等等。
電視紅人踩影壇──導演畢斯貝寧
現年40歲的畢斯貝寧(Brad Silberling) 是電視界紅人，曾執導多輯深入民心的電視片集，包括《紐約重案組》、《L.A. Laws》、《Civil Wars》及《Judging Amy》等。他執導的電影共有三部，包括自編自導，由德斯汀荷夫曼、荷莉亨特主演的《情義三人行》；尼古拉斯基治及美琪賴恩主演的《天使多情》；以及全球票房總收３億美元的《鬼馬小靈精》。
斯貝寧1987年在洛杉磯加州大學攻讀美術碩士課程時，拍了一齣短片作為畢業功課，誰知因此獲環球電影公司錄用，至今一直從事導演工作。他旗下的製作公司Reveal Entertainment正打算在影壇大展拳腳，由斯貝寧監製及導演一連串的新作。
尼蒙利斯的真身──作者丹尼爾漢杜拿
現年34歲的丹尼爾漢杜拿(Daniel Handler)化名尼蒙利斯推出的一系列「不幸」童話，由1999年推出的第一集到2004年9月的第十一集為止，全球總銷量高達2千7百萬本，同時被翻譯成39個語言，是繼《哈利波特》及《魔戒三部曲》之後的另一捲童話旋風。
可是，尼蒙利斯作品的黑色玩味，以及他個人的「無厘頭」作風，一直在社會上掀起極大爭議性。有人指他是騙子、間諜、逃犯、敗壞社會風氣；不過，他亦大有群眾、讀者、文化界、評論界追捧。唯一肯定的是，他是美國現時最有人氣的作家。
| 主演﹕ | 占基利 (Jim Carrey) |
《無痛失戀》(Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind) 《衰鬼上帝》(Bruce Almighty) 《娛人先生》(Man on the Moon) 《真人Show》(Truman Show) 《聖誕怪傑》(How the Grinch Stole Christmas) |
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| 祖迪羅 (Jude Law) |
《誘心人》(Closer) 《亂世情天》(Cold Mountain) 《轟天戰士決戰明日世紀》 (Sky Captain And The World Of Tomorrow) 《人工智能》(A.I. : Artificial Intelligence) 《心計》(The Talented Mr. Ripley) |
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| 里安艾勤 (Liam Aiken) |
《Good Boy靈靈狗》(Good Boy!) 《末路驕陽》(Road to Perdition) |
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| 艾美莉布朗寧 (Emily Browning) |
《鬼船》(Ghost Ship) 《夜驚客》(Darkness Falls) |
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| 梅麗史翠普 (Meryl Streep) |
《此時此刻》(The Hours) 《何必偏偏玩謝我》(Adaptation) 《弘動我心》(Music of the Heart) 《麥迪遜之橋》(The Bridges of Madison) |
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| 導演﹕ | 畢斯貝寧 (Brad Silberling) |
《情義三人行》(Moonlight Mile) 《天使多情》(City of Angels) 《鬼馬小靈精》(Casper) |
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| 原著﹕ | 尼蒙利斯 (Lemony Snickets) |
【A Series of Unfortunate Events】全11集 |
| 上映日期： | 3月17日 | |
| 發行﹕ | 泛亞影業有限公司 聯合國際影片公司 |
|
| 片長： | 109分鐘 | |
| 級別﹕ | IIA | |
| 院線﹕ | 嘉禾港威、嘉禾旺角、嘉禾荷里活、嘉禾青衣、UA金鐘、UA時代廣場、UA沙田、UA德福、UA太古城、UA朗豪坊、UA黃埔、UA東薈城、旺角百老匯、數碼港百老匯、九龍灣百老匯、荃灣百老匯、葵芳百老匯、奧海城百老匯、嘉湖銀座百老匯、Palace IFC、AMC、皇室、銅鑼灣JP、康怡、將軍澳、華懋 |
"LEMONY SNICKET'S
A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS"
Production Information
Dear Reporter,
I'm sorry to tell you that the movie you are reading about is extremely unpleasant, an expression that here means, "it involves three ingenious orphans, a sinister villain and a hair-raising misadventure." It is the story of the Baudelaire siblings who, although unusually clever and charming, lead lives filled with misery and woe. In this alarming cinematic event alone, you will encounter a terrible fire, dim lighting, high tragedy, a giant snake, low comedy, man-eating leeches and Jim Carrey.
I am bound to continue my research into the unfortunate events that befall the doomed Baudelaire orphans at the hands of the sinister Count Olaf, but you are free to seek lighter fare, like a documentary about cheese fondue.
With all due respect,
Lemony Snicket
THE OMINOUS OVERVIEW
You'll be extremely alarmed to learn that two-time Golden Globe winner Jim Carrey stars as Count Olaf, an outrageously diabolical actor and master of disguise who is determined to swindle the Baudelaire orphans out of their family fortune in "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events." The film also stars two-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep as the children's overanxious Aunt Josephine and two-time Oscar nominee Jude Law as the voice of Lemony Snicket. The result is a dreadful spectacle, a phrase that here means, "it will stir the imagination of the entire family as it shatters the mold of adventure stories and evokes the magic of truly classic entertainment."
DreamWorks Pictures and Paramount Pictures present a Parkes/MacDonald Production and a Nickelodeon Movies Production of a Brad Silberling film, "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events," starring Jim Carrey, Jude Law as the voice of Lemony Snicket, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Timothy Spall, Catherine O'Hara, Billy Connolly, Cedric the Entertainer and Meryl Streep. Directed by Brad Silberling from a screenplay by Robert Gordon based on the books by Lemony Snicket, the film is produced by Laurie MacDonald, Walter F. Parkes and Jim Van Wyck, and executive-produced by Scott Rudin, Barry Sonnenfeld, Julia Pistor and Albie Hecht. If you know anything at all about any of these people, you know they are all suspiciously successful, successfully suspicious, or both.
Paramount Pictures is part of the entertainment operations of Viacom Inc., one of the world's largest entertainment and media companies and a leader in the production, promotion and distribution of entertainment, news, sports and music. It is not associated with any secret organization of noble volunteers, and it does not employ anyone whose name is Lemony Snicket, except in certain instances.
This film has been rated PG by the Motion Picture Association of America for thematic elements, scary situations & brief language.
THE STARTLING STORY
From the fairytales of the Brothers Grimm, to Victorian-era moralistic fables, to the twisted works of Roald Dahl, there is a long tradition in children's literature of absurdly awful things happening to perfectly nice children. The eleven books written and narrated by the mysterious Lemony Snicket - whom some accuse of being the same person as 34-year-old author Daniel Handler - take that tradition to new heights…and drop it off a cliff.
In a perplexing sign of the state of children and evil Counts today, Mr. Snicket's novels have won widespread critical praise and popular acclaim. They were the first books to knock the Harry Potter series off the top of the New York Times children's bestseller list, and since then, the books in the series have been on that list for more than 600 weeks combined. With rave reviews from respected publications including the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly and U.S. News and World Report, Mr. Snicket's books have sold more than 27 million copies worldwide - in spite of the author's repeated pleas to "read something else!"
Now, a major motion picture adaptation directed by Brad Silberling and featuring a distressingly talented cast that includes Jim Carrey and Meryl Streep is darkening theaters. The film employs the same subversive humor, peril, whimsy, imagination, heartfelt emotion, quirky style and man-eating leeches that make Mr. Snicket's books so unique.
"I begged them not to do it. I begged them not to get a good director. I begged them not to cast anyone talented. I begged them not to base the movie on any of my books, and they chose three of them!" exclaims Mr. Snicket, speaking from an undisclosed hole in the ground or luxury mansion. "My last hope is that hordes of volunteers will read this quote, buy every movie ticket available, and then not go see the film."
"Lemony Snicket is one of the most original voices out there," says Mr. Carrey, ignoring Mr. Snicket's feelings entirely. "His demented little journey into these kids' lives is both wonderful and frightening."
Ms. Streep, whose daughter was "wild about the project," couldn't pass up the opportunity to be in the film. "What's so appealing about the story is that it shows how independent kids can be," observes Ms. Streep. "It plays out their fantasies of being completely responsible for themselves, and in the case of the Baudelaire children, being smarter than any adult in the room." The actress did not comment, however, on the fact that one of the children in the film is forced to dress as a camel, albeit briefly.
Actor Jude Law, who voices Lemony Snicket, learned about Mr. Snicket's books when his son excitedly brought one of them home from school, despite the fact that no one appeared to be chasing him.
"The Lemony Snicket books attract the attention of both children and their parents in a very unique way," observes Mr. Law, who says that his narrator, though faceless, has an emotional attachment to the children and watches them from afar. "Unlike most literature aimed at young people, this series has a rather sinister quality to it, which people of all ages seem to find intriguing."
Sinister is a word which here probably means "Count Olaf," a terrible villain and a worse actor played by Mr. Carrey. Time and again, the children are forced to rely on their own keen intelligence and unique talents to escape Olaf's clutches. Some believe Count Olaf is a source of great comic relief. Others believe he smells odd and has only one eyebrow. Still others think he is one of the most frightening movie villains since Joan Crawford.
To director Brad Silberling, the books give children credit for having a sense of humor, and they don't play down to anyone. He says that's how he approached directing the film. "The books are rebellious; they take chances, and so does the movie." It should be noted, however, that Mr. Silberling is not the one taking the chance when a stunt child is required to hang from a cliff.
Building on the theme that adults often don't listen to children when many times they should, the story, according to Mr. Silberling, is one of survival and perseverance. It reinforces the power that kids can have when they rely on their own ingenuity - especially in a world that can be unfamiliar, unkind and filled with itchy clothing.
"Lemony Snicket's world is a collision of tenses, which manages to marry computers and cobblestones, and these kids have to use their wits in this very odd environment," observes Mr. Silberling. "It's just a wonderful story with a texture that can feel like it's part of another time, but technologically it's very contemporary and so are the issues it explores." Such issues may include community-based justice, hook-handed henchpersons and refrigerators.
Executive producer Julia Pistor, who is also the senior vice president of Nickelodeon Movies, remembers when the team at Nick Movies first discovered Lemony Snicket in 1999, shortly before The Bad Beginning, The Reptile Room and The Wide Window - the first three installments of the series, and the books upon which the film is based - were published.
"We read the books in manuscript form and snapped up the rights as fast as we could because we loved the slyly subversive humor," recalls Ms. Pistor. "It was completely new to children's literature and the story of these remarkable children constantly outwitting the adults fit perfectly within the Nickelodeon oeuvre." Oeuvre is a word which here probably means either "goat cheese omelet" or "body of work," depending on how it is pronounced.
Producer Walter F. Parkes notes that the film is not only an adventure story about three clever siblings, but also the story of Lemony Snicket himself, who relates to each of the characters - young and old - in very specific ways.
"In fact," says Mr. Parkes, "by the end of the film you have a sense that Lemony is going to follow everyone's lives because their stories must continue to be told." Mr. Parkes then put on a pair of dark glasses and a fake mustache, saying it was entirely possible Mr. Snicket was following him, too.
Producer Laurie MacDonald agrees, adding that she had never read children's books that were so sophisticated and funny, and simultaneously had something important to say. "Despite its irreverent comic tone, the movie, like the books, deals with survival," observes Ms. MacDonald. "The fact is, the Baudelaire children seem to actually know how to overcome all their misfortunes with their resourcefulness, while the adults remain rather blind to all that's going on around them." Ms. MacDonald then bumped into an angry mob while attempting to exit the room.
Yet another person convincingly disguised as a producer of the film, Jim Van Wyck agrees, adding, "This is a wonderfully intelligent and unpredictable story founded on the strength of family and the resiliency of children."
Executive producer Ms. Pistor concludes that the ingenuity of the Baudelaire children is nothing short of inspirational. "This film doesn't insult the intelligence of kids, it celebrates it," says Ms. Pistor, who was prompted by a suspicious 12-year-old "assistant." "I just love how the Baudelaires can see right through Count Olaf and outsmart him every time."
CASTING THE CONSIDERABLE CAST
Lemony Snicket's hysterically woeful account begins when the three Baudelaire siblings are bluntly told that their parents have just died in a fire that destroyed their home. Producer Walter F. Parkes says that Lemony Snicket's tale follows the tradition of literature dating back to the classics and carrying through to literature and film today.
"From the Brothers Grimm to Dickens, from 'Bambi' to 'Finding Nemo,' the idea of being orphaned is a central theme of family literature," observes Parkes. "Ironically, it often provides the foundation for the most hopeful and empowering of stories because it deals in a magnified way with the challenge that all children eventually face: growing up and dealing successfully with the adult world."
"These stories are classic because they allow children to deal with certain unavoidable fears in a safe context," adds producer Laurie MacDonald. "They also instill the feeling that no matter what happens, things will turn out all right."
In fact, things do turn out all right time and again in "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events," but not until the Baudelaire children are sent to live with a series of abominable guardians. The first is Count Olaf (Jim Carrey), who follows them to each of their new homes in a relentless campaign to trick the orphans out of their vast inheritance.
To Mr. Carrey, Count Olaf was a role he had to play because it allowed him to be so many characters within a character. "This guy is everything that's negative about a human being," laughs Mr. Carrey, whose character dons a series of outrageous disguises in the course of the film, including dressing up as a salty peg-legged sailor and a deranged lab assistant. "He's a megalomaniac. He's a sociopath. He's a complete facade who's insecure about everything from his acting ability to his hairline - though he'd never let anyone know that - and best of all, he allowed me to make fun of acting!" Suspiciously, Mr. Carrey denies being a terrible villain himself, despite the fact that he has amassed an enormous fortune.
"To Count Olaf, the Baudelaire children are the door to his future - nothing more," continues Mr. Carrey. "You'll like him even though you're supposed to hate him." The interview concluded, Mr. Carrey then returned to reading the thespian classic "Despicable Characters and the Fans Who Love Them."
Another caretaker of the children is their Aunt Josephine (Meryl Streep), a nervous widow who never turns on the radiator for fear it might explode, avoids her refrigerator because it might fall and crush her, and doesn't use her telephone because of the danger of electrocution. Frightened of just about everything except grammar, Aunt Josephine lives in an old house perched precariously on a cliff high above Lake Lachrymose, a long and complicated description which here means "not a very good idea, especially because it is about to be hit by a hurricane."
"Aunt Josephine is a great tremulous little bird of a person who was an adventurer in her youth until something spooked her," says Ms. Streep. "I just fell in love with this character who is terrified of absolutely everything, because at a certain level, so am I…so are we all," she concludes, peeking out from behind a false bookcase.
More intuitive and insightful than any of the adults in charge of them, Violet, Klaus and Sunny Baudelaire must employ every ounce of intelligence, ingenuity and courage to endure a series of fantastical misadventures that include an Incredibly Deadly Viper, a swarm of hungry leeches and dishwashing.
Violet (Emily Browning) is the eldest of the siblings and one of the finest 14-year-old inventors the world has ever known, having invented such contraptions as a bed that makes itself, an automatic harmonica player and a device that can retrieve a rock after it has been skipped in to the ocean. Violet's inventiveness serves the children well in their struggles, except perhaps during the incident involving the speeding train.
"I just loved the books. Right from the start when Lemony Snicket says you won't want to read them - then of course you totally do," says Ms. Browning. "My character is sort of the responsible one, and she feels that since her parents are gone, she's the one in charge. She's really a great kid - smart, caring and she throws an optimistic spin on all the horrible things that keep happening." The poor young actress then burst into tears.
Violet's younger brother Klaus (Liam Aiken) is an avid reader, having read more books at 12 years of age than most people read in their entire lives. That passion for knowledge helps him and his siblings survive a number of unfortunate events, although it doesn't do much good when he is hanging off the side of a very tall tower.
"There are a lot of things in this movie that you'll have to think twice about," observes Aiken. "It has some seriousness to it, but basically it's really very funny." Clearly, the up-and-coming actor still has difficulty coming to terms with his experience on the film.
Finally, their younger sister Sunny (played by twins Kara and Shelby Hoffman) is an adorable toddler who speaks in a series of shrieks only Violet and Klaus can understand. With her unusually sharp teeth, Sunny has a peculiar affinity for biting things.
"The only thing you know for sure about Sunny is that if she bites you hard, she doesn't like you," laughs Aiken, rubbing his ankle. "And if she bites you softly she does!"
Trying to steer the conversation away from the alarming conspiracy, director Silberling says he was thrilled with his entire cast - from the headline stars to the children who performed like veteran actors. "First of all, I think of Jim Carrey as sort of an odd cousin to Peter Sellers," says Mr. Silberling, who has no genealogical evidence to back up his claim. "He's a remarkable character actor - beyond being a fantastic comedian - and he can absolutely disappear into roles. The truth is, you can't find a greater chameleon to slip in and out of a number of characters, keep the comedy going, but also keep up a keen sense of mystery. He was my first choice for Count Olaf and he really runs with the role."
Meryl Streep was also the director's first choice to portray Aunt Josephine. "After all, she's like the 'Walter Cronkite' of living actresses - somebody you look up to as a bastion of stability and well-roundedness, so the irony of choosing her to portray this completely unstable character was just irresistible!"
Mr. Silberling acknowledges that the search for the right children to play the Baudelaire orphans was necessarily broader, at least partly because very few children would choose to subject themselves to a string of disasters, tragedies, misfortunes and inappropriate catering. But he feels very fortunate to have found such wonderful young actors to portray Violet, Klaus and Sunny.
"Casting Emily Browning as Violet was a no-brainer," recalls Mr. Silberling. "I saw a spirit in her that was timeless, yet utterly contemporary, which is also a perfect description of the world of Lemony Snicket. And Liam is one of the oldest souls I've ever met under the age of 14. He's a remarkable young actor, and just like Klaus, he's three steps ahead of everybody around him. Then there are the Hoffman twins, who together portray Sunny. It's remarkable how well they performed. They far exceeded my expectations."
Rounding out the cast is an extraordinary group of actors that includes Timothy Spall, Catherine O'Hara, Billy Connolly, Cedric the Entertainer, Luis Guzmán, Jennifer Coolidge, Craig Ferguson and Jane Adams, to name just a few. This eclectic troupe, along with a few surprising cameos, shows just how many people can be tricked into participating in a project this disturbing.
"The story is full of twists right from the beginning all the way through to the end," observes Mr. Spall, who portrays Mr. Poe, the bumbling executor of the Baudelaire estate. "For example, the narrator begins by describing these wonderful, clever children and you think it's going to be a pleasant tale about them. Then my character Mr. Poe shows up on the beach - a dry banker who's as out of place in the scene as a dolphin in a phone booth - and I inform the children their parents have perished in a fire. It's rather stunning." Stunning is a word which here means, "you'd better bring tissues."
"Unique - that's what this film is!" laughs Billy Connolly, whose character Uncle Monty, a herpetologist, often wears an eight-foot long albino Burmese python around his neck. "I grew very fond of that python. It used to breath heavily in my ear, make a wee moan and sort of a hiss as though it were whispering to me." The python had no comment.
In fact, "Lemony Snicket" features the services of over 100 supporting cast members of the nonhuman variety, a complicated expression which here means "animals." All were under the supervision of renowned Hollywood animal coordinator Jules Sylvester.
"The Reptile Room sequences often called for as many as 70 snakes and reptiles, including highly venomous cobras, Egyptian cobras, vipers, rattlesnakes, green tree pythons, jungle carpets, iguanas, scorpions, water moccasins and a 200-pound tortoise," says Mr. Sylvester. "They were even given their own green room, which Tank the tortoise found delicious. He ate through one of the walls!" Like those made by other actors, Tank's attempt to escape the set proved unsuccessful.
With its considerable cast of great actors, unwitting accomplices, fearless children and dangerous creatures, "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" is an unforgettable experience that will leave families everywhere severely shaken, hopefully with laughter.
THE PERILOUS PRODUCTION
Alarmingly, the filmmakers were adamant that "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" remain true to the unusual spirit and style of the best-selling books. The film had to capture the unpredictable tone of the series, its timeless setting and its extreme woefulness. To fully realize his vision for the movie adaptation, director Brad Silberling was passionate about assembling the best possible production crew.
The distinctively stylized production design was placed in the hands of the Oscar -winning production designer for "Sleepy Hollow," Rick Heinrichs.
"One of the great things about the world I was asked to create is that once you're in it, you're not exactly sure where or when you are," says Mr. Heinrichs. "The film gives you a sense of a parallel universe, and has an 'other worldliness' to it that is familiar and yet unfamiliar at the same time."
In fact, the production design for "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" is so prominent that it is virtually another unfortunate character in the story, especially since a series of terrible things happen to it, including a fire, a hurricane and dim lighting. To develop this "character," the filmmakers made the audacious decision to shoot the entire film on Hollywood soundstages.
"The biggest challenge in making this movie was that, basically, we were creating a world on a stage," explains Mr. Silberling or an impostor who looks and sounds exactly like Mr. Silberling. "Therefore, because we shot everything in the tradition of old Hollywood stage pictures, we really had to examine each scene to ensure that the look we got had a timeless quality which incorporated both contemporary and somewhat period textures. In that way, we were able to tell the story in a very controlled environment in terms of light, sound and atmosphere."
An art department under the supervision of production designer Mr. Heinrichs was assembled nine months before principal photography began. The conspiracy included two-time Oscar -nominated cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki ("Sleepy Hollow," "A Little Princess"), supervising art director John Dexter ("Planet of the Apes"), three-time Oscar -nominated set decorator Cheryl Carasik ("Men in Black," "The Birdcage," "A Little Princess"), Academy Award -winning costume designer Colleen Atwood ("Chicago") and set designer Luke Freeborn ("Arrested Development"), who built many of the models that would serve as prototypes for the sets.
"Rick Heinrichs was at the top of my dream team list because his production design has a way of communicating a very tactile yet imaginative world," says Mr. Silberling. "The look he has created is very handmade, perhaps a little on the gothic side, but at the same time it's exciting, beautiful and really spectacular."
"It was great working with Brad because he's very visually oriented," says Mr. Heinrichs. "From the beginning, he wanted to anchor his story and its characters in an environment that made sense, so he was involved with the art department through every step. When we ended up with a vaguely American look that we called 'a Dickens New England,' we were all very pleased. It was exactly what we wanted." Unlike Dickens or New England, however, the production design included a giant garden ornament shaped like a snake.
An important contributor to the look of "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events" is director of photography Emmanuel ("Cheevo") Lubezki, another suspicious person who appeared on the director's dream team list, as well as various other wanted lists.
"Cheevo is somebody like myself, who loves to find emotional beauty in the oddest of circumstances," says Mr. Silberling. "He found a way, with lighting and composition, to create an extraordinary look for the film."
Throughout the pre-production period of "Lemony Snicket," the art department immersed itself in massive amounts of research. There were ongoing exchanges of ideas, which would lead to drawings, photographs, nervous breakdowns and models, followed by more conversations about the sets and how they would reflect the story's various characters.
"This picture had, without a doubt, one of the most elaborate research departments I've seen on any film I've ever worked on, and that includes a lot of period films," observes set decorator Cheryl Carasik, who went to nearly every swap meet, flea market, and villain's mansion in California looking for authentic items that might be used as props or set dressings. In the end, after collaborating closely with Mr. Heinrichs, Ms. Carasik estimates that approximately 85 percent of the set dressings were modified in some way, while many of the furnishings were custom built in order to ensure a distinctive look to nearly every piece in the film.
"Because this story is not set in a period that can be pinpointed, I felt liberated in my designs," says Ms. Carasik, who may or may not have been speaking from a Moroccan bazaar in 1927. "It was a lot of fun having no time period constraints, and because of that, I could really push everything I did to the limit."
One particular set decoration Ms. Carasik recalls is the "saw art" that appears in the "Last Chance Superette" scene. "There are some amazing panoramic views in this movie, and so I had a scenic painter work his magic on this two-man, four-foot handled saw that we hung inside the superette," explains Ms. Carasik, who may have been speaking in code. "The saw was quite unique - like the film itself - with a cornfield painted across the metal part along with a forced perspective of the railroad tracks."
Ms. Carasik also remembers a particular table in Count Olaf's house that she took great pains in making quite sturdy. "We custom built this ten-foot long table out of beautiful mahogany and reinforced it with steel rods in the legs," says the set decorator. "I figured that at one point Jim Carrey would be getting up on top of it, and in fact, he did take a lively stroll down the middle!" According to witnesses, poor table manners were not unusual on the set.
Finally, in order to make the Count's home that much more ominous, Ms. Carasik says that she worked out a method to quickly "age" some of the materials - a highly unusual task to undertake in Los Angeles, where great pains are more often taken to make things look younger. "We developed a process of acid etching the material for Olaf's draperies that created a striated pattern," explains Ms. Carasik. "In essence, we took brand new fabric, and over a two-week process, aged it so that it was so faded and distressed-looking it appeared as though it had been hanging there for 100 years."
Costume designer Colleen Atwood contributed to the agelessness of the film's production design by incorporating elements of modern day dress with other costumes that had a stylized Victorian sensibility.
"My basis for the look of the costumes was driven more by the Lemony Snicket books, which called for an eclectic conglomeration of periods that loosely felt Victorian," explains Ms. Atwood, who often collaborates with actors, villains and members of secret organizations in the evolution of their costumes or disguises. "Like hair and makeup, wardrobe can be an invaluable tool to help an actor find his character. For example, Jim Carrey really uses his costumes, reinventing himself with each garment, which is the ultimate reward for a designer."
Resurrecting traditional Hollywood techniques, the filmmakers relied on scaled-down models of sets in order to pre-visualize how a real set would work. In order to create huge cornfields or seemingly endless train tracks, they incorporated innovative combinations of painted backdrops and forced perspective. This allowed them to take the limited space of the soundstage and create a landscape or an environment that fools the eye into thinking what it is seeing goes on forever. Like spies, desert camouflage and Eurasia, the set seems to blend into the background, making it impossible to determine where one thing leaves off and another begins.
"'Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events' was, without question, the most complex production challenge we've ever faced," says producer Laurie MacDonald who, with Walter F. Parkes, has produced "Gladiator," "Men in Black" and "Twister," among other outrageously ambitious pictures.
In fact, from a production standpoint, "Lemony Snicket" reflects two movies within one, in that the company shot on 10 different soundstages at Paramount Pictures, and then shifted to Downey Studios in suburban Los Angeles, which was formerly the Boeing facility where the Space Shuttle was built. All in all, the film required 70 different sets, 5 of which were on water. Like going to war or making an 82-egg omelet, the project involved staggering logistical challenges.
"At one point, we became known as 'Lemony Piggy' because we ended up taking over so many stages at Paramount to try to bring this world to life," recalls director Brad Silberling.
To be sure, there were times during the production when there were 300-400 conspirators working simultaneously on different soundstages on the studio lot, while others were building the water sets in Downey. The larger sets, particularly the adoptive homes where the children go to live, took an average of 14 weeks to build and dress, while it took 20 weeks to construct the imposing home of Count Olaf alone. Olaf's huge mansion, which was three stories tall, needed to be structurally sound in order to accommodate so much treachery, including the ambitious stunts of the film's climax.
In keeping with the attention to detail that pervaded the production design for "Lemony Snicket," the filmmakers went to great lengths to make each character's home reflect his or her personality. For example, the design for Count Olaf's house avoided the traditional look of a Victorian haunted house. Instead, the set reflected Olaf's vanity as an actor, incorporating nine alarming portraits of the Count in different theatrical roles, including Olaf dressed up as actor John Barrymore, George Washington pointing across the Delaware, a knight in shining armor and Queen Elizabeth I, complete with a big lace Victorian collar. Notably, however, there was not a single likeness of Count Olaf as Bruce Almighty.
The antagonist's home is also filled with a prominent "eye" motif, which suggests to audiences and orphans that Olaf is constantly watching them.
"Sometimes we did subtle things like incorporating eyes into the peacock wallpaper," remembers production designer and conspirator Mr. Heinrichs. "Other times we used more overt touches like the painting of an eye hanging on the wall."
Set decorator Carasik also used eyes in her designs. "I acquired an antique couch, stripped it, then completely reupholstered it, carving eyes into the wooden frame and using an eye-themed fabric," remembers Ms. Carasik shamelessly. "There's also a customized grandfather clock with an eyeball in the clock's face and a pupil in the pendulum. It's really something to see."
Meanwhile, Uncle Monty's house and the Reptile Room within were constructed to feel like the inside of Monty's head. Filled with the clutter and disarray of an absentminded professor, who is also a bachelor, both the interior and exterior of the country estate incorporate exotic and serpentine elements - including scaled arches, reptile-themed floor tiles and dirty socks. In addition, there are 90 cages holding exotic reptiles from around the world. It would all be quite startling if it didn't appear in the same movie as a villainous actor who has one eyebrow.
"My character Uncle Monty has one of the best homes of everybody in the movie," enthuses Billy Connolly. "The floor is all interlocking lizard shapes. There's a skeleton of a giant snake, and countless live snakes and creepy things all over the place!"
On the other hand, Aunt Josephine's home is a rickety old cottage built on stilts against a cliff overlooking a lake. It immediately suggests the loopiness and frailty of her character. And, because the one joy in Josephine's life is grammar, her library is filled with books on proper word usage, tense and spelling. Notably, however, it does not contain a single book titled, "How to Outwit a Terrible Villain Named Count Olaf".
But it wasn't just the set's "personality" that was precarious. The structure itself needed to be built in such a way that would allow it to collapse around the young actors when Hurricane Herman hits. The creative team accomplished this by building the house on hydraulic lifts that could lift it 20 feet high and drop it 10 feet in two seconds, and which were capable of supporting 100,000 pounds. In other words, even natural disasters were part of the production team's dastardly scheme.
For the five sequences shot directly on or beside Lake Lachrymose, Downey Studios came into play. A large industrial space, the Downey stages housed the largest indoor tank in North America. Spanning over 2-1/2 acres and measuring 130 x 250 feet, the enormous tank is 10 feet deep and holds 2-1/2 million gallons of water - perfect for bringing Lake Lachrymose to life or seeing if extras would sink.
If constructing the sets was a physical challenge, the makeup was both a physical and mental hurdle. Each day, Jim Carrey required three hours of make up by the mysterious Bill Corso, who had collaborated with the actor on "Bruce Almighty."
"Billy is an amazing artist in so many respects," says Mr. Carrey, who willingly endured the treachery Mr. Corso inflicted upon him. "I really think he's a genius."
As for how Mr. Corso feels about the actor, the makeup artist and master of disguise exclaims, "Talk about sacrificing yourself for your art! Jim had to go through life looking like a ghoul for eight months, wearing long fingernails, staying out of the sun to keep his skin pale, and allowing us to shave him bald daily!"
From a makeup perspective, Mr. Corso says that the biggest challenge was coming up with a character who then recreates himself to be other characters without losing the essence of the original -- Count Olaf.
"We wanted to stay true to the illustrations of Olaf in the books, so we took those elements, mixed them with Jim Carrey, and came up with something we never could have imagined," laughs Mr. Corso diabolically. "The character is really a latter day Lon Chaney who is a mixture of a vulture, a vampire and Sir Lawrence Olivier!" Unlike a vulture or a vampire, however, Sir Lawrence Olivier was a vegetarian.
According to Mr. Corso, creating the characters that Count Olaf portrays was an entirely different project altogether. "Captain Sham was a little easier than Olaf, since we had a wonderful picture of a crusty old seaman as a basis, but Stefano, the would-be herpetologist, went through a few different looks. We had a swashbuckler and a Captain Hook type for awhile, then we finally settled on an awkward insurance salesman with a bad comb over." In fact, the only thing more treacherous than a bad comb over is a good one.
As for working with Mr. Carrey, the veteran make up artist says it was a delight. "Jim contributed greatly to creating Olaf and all of his various disguises. It's rare to find an actor so astute in how make up is a part of formulating a character."
Besides a special effort by numerous people to make Mr. Carrey unspeakably evil (looking), hairstylist Anne Morgan's role was key in that she had to gradually thin Mr. Carrey's hair to create the illusion that the extremely vain Count Olaf was going bald.
Ambitious special effects work was also a huge part of "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events," and the filmmakers assembled a massive visual effects team to get the job done.
"The challenge of visual effects is to make them look as though they aren't visual effects and to make them look seamless with the rest of the picture," says visual effects producer Tom Peitzman. "In this movie, there was a real emphasis on building and photographing real settings and effects instead of just sitting down with a blank canvas on a computer and creating an image." This is a fancy way of saying that most of the unfortunate events in the film are real.
Michael Lantieri, who worked with director Brad Silberling on "Casper," served as the special effects supervisor, making him responsible for any disastrous effect that happened on the set in front of the camera. In that capacity, Lantieri made extensive contributions to the film, ranging from creating the hydraulic lifts for Aunt Josephine's house, to the on-stage, 80 mile-per-hour winds of Hurricane Herman, to overseeing the construction and use of the Downey Studios water tank that was Lake Lachrymose.
"We all agreed that, for this film, we would let the story drive the effect and not the other way around," says Lantieri. "In that way, the effects illuminate the characters' personalities."
To that end, Aunt Josephine's irrational fears come to life when her radiator blows up, her refrigerator comes crashing down and her doorknobs shatter when a huge hurricane destroys her house in what may be the movie's most eye-popping sequence. In addition, Count Olaf literally flies out of the reach of the Constable (Cedric the Entertainer) when his wedding plot goes awry, in a wonderfully fantastical scene that illustrates Olaf's wily wickedness. "Wonderfully fantastical scene" is a phrase which here means "you should probably wear a blindfold."
"Audiences are going to be treated to a very stylized, very interesting journey that has a huge scale and scope to it," concludes Mr. Lantieri. "So just sit back, go along for the ride and enjoy the odyssey."
Meryl Streep completely agrees. "The sets for this film were masterfully done. I mean, I've been on the sets of movies for 30 years and these ones for this film are the greatest I've ever seen in my life!"
Jim Carrey is equally enthusiastic. "I felt like I landed in the middle of 'The Wizard of Oz,'" exclaims Mr. Carrey. "This project really impressed me."
In the words of Mr. Snicket, wouldn't you rather see something else?
ABOUT THE CAST
JIM CARREY (Count Olaf) is currently in production on the comedy "Fun with Dick and Jane," directed by Dean Parisot and also starring Téa Leoni. He most recently starred opposite Kate Winslet in the popular drama "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," written by Charlie Kaufman ("Adaptation") and directed by Michael Gondry ("Human Nature").
In 2003, Carrey starred in the hugely successful comedy "Bruce Almighty," which reunited him with director Tom Shadyac ("Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and "Liar Liar") and writer Steve Oedekerk ("Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls").
In 2001, Carrey starred in the Castle Rock feature "The Majestic," directed by Frank Darabont, and in 2000, he had the distinction of appearing in the year's highest grossing film "How the Grinch Stole Christmas." He was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Actor for his portrayal of the Grinch, as well as a People's Choice Award in the category of Favorite Motion Picture Star in a Comedy.
In the summer of 2000, Carrey reunited with directors Peter and Bobby Farrelly for the comedy "Me, Myself and Irene," for which he received an MTV Movie Award nomination in the category of Best Comedic Performance for his portrayal of a split personality. Also in 2000, he won his second Golden Globe for Best Actor for his portrayal of Andy Kaufman in the film "Man on the Moon," the first having been for his starring role in the critically acclaimed "The Truman Show," the 1999 film which marked Carrey's first award for a dramatic role. In 2000, he was also named "Male Star of the Year" at ShoWest.
In 1997, Carrey received a Golden Globe nomination for "Liar Liar," just as he had for his role in 1995's hit "The Mask."
Born January 17, 1962 in Newmarket, Ontario, Carrey knew by age three that show business was in his blood. At age 15, Carrey took off for Toronto to perform at Yuk Yuks, the famous comedy club. Following the performance, his career took off and for the next few years he worked in comedy clubs all over Canada. In 1981, at age 19, he moved to Los Angeles and immediately became a regular at Mitzi Shore's Comedy Store, where he attracted the attention of comedy legend Rodney Dangerfield, who asked him to tour with him.
1982 proved to be a magical year for Carrey when MTM cast him as the star of their NBC series "The Duck Factory." Although the series only lasted 13 weeks, Carrey's work left a lasting impression in Hollywood. The next year he landed the lead role in the feature film "Once Bitten," starring Lauren Hutton. He followed that film with roles in Francis Ford Coppola's "Peggy Sue Got Married," and the Geena Davis comedy "Earth Girls Are Easy." In 1988, Carrey made a brief, but memorable, appearance as Johnny Squares, the self-destructive rock star in Clint Eastwood's "The Dead Pool."
In 1990, Carrey joined the cast of Fox Television's ensemble comedy hit "In Living Color." The following year, his first Showtime Special, entitled "Jim Carrey's Unnatural Act," premiered to rave reviews. He followed the special's success with a starring role as an alcoholic trying to cope with life in Fox's Emmy-nominated movie of the week "Doing Time on Maple Drive."
In 1994, after several successful seasons on "In Living Color," Carrey once again branched out into feature films by accepting the lead role in the Warner Bros. comedy "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." Carrey's no-holds-barred performance made him an instant sensation. He followed that success with the action-fantasy "The Mask," and the Farrelly brothers' "Dumb and Dumber," opposite Jeff Daniels.
In 1995, Carrey starred as the Riddler in the blockbuster sequel "Batman Forever." The following year he went on to star in "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls," continuing the misadventures of the world's favorite pet detective, and then starred in the dark comedy "The Cable Guy." Universal Pictures' hit "Liar Liar" then opened to record-breaking numbers in 1997, and his triumphant triple play earned him the honor of "NATO/ShoWest Comedy Star of the Year."
One of the most sought-after talents in the acting world, two-time Oscar nominee JUDE LAW (the voice of Lemony Snicket) was seen last year in Miramax's "Cold Mountain," opposite Nicole Kidman and Renee Zellweger. For his role as Inman, he received Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for Best Actor. Law was also nominated for both Academy and Golden Globe Awards for his performance as Dickie Greenleaf in "The Talented Mr. Ripley." He received the BAFTA Award that year for the role. Law was nominated for a Golden Globe for Steven Spielberg's futuristic film "A.I."
Prior to playing Lemony Snicket in "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events," Law starred in Paramount's "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow," with Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie; and "Alfie," with Marisa Tomei and Susan Sarandon; as well as "I Huckabees," for director David O. Russell, with Naomi Watts and Mark Wahlberg; and in Mike Nichols' "Closer," opposite Julia Roberts.
In 2002, Law starred in Sam Mendes' "Road to Perdition," starring opposite Tom Hanks and Paul Newman. He also starred in David Cronenberg's "eXistenZ," opposite Jennifer Jason Leigh and Willem Dafoe. For his starring role in "Wilde," opposite Stephen Fry and Vanessa Redgrave, he won several awards, including the London Film Critics Circle Award and the Evening Standard Award.
His American film debut was in the futuristic "Gattaca," opposite Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke. Other films include Clint Eastwood's "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," in which he starred opposite Kevin Spacey and John Cusack; and Jean-Jacques Annaud's WWII epic "Enemy at the Gates."
Law starred opposite Kathleen Turner and Eileen Atkins in the hit Broadway play "Indiscretions," which won him the Theater World Award as well as a Tony nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor. He originated the role of "Michael" in the same play in London, for which he received the Ian Charleson Award for Outstanding Newcomer. As a youth, Law worked with the National Youth Music Theater and he has appeared in several productions in the West End and at the National Theater.
LIAM AIKEN (Klaus Beaudelaire) most recently starred in the comedy feature "Good Boy!" The 13-year-old made an impression on film audiences with his star turn as Tom Hanks' son in Sam Mendes' drama "Road to Perdition."
Born in New York City, Aiken began acting in commercials as a preschooler and made his Broadway debut at age six in a revival of Henrik Ibsen's "A Doll's House," in the role of Bobby Helmer. The following year, he made his film debut as Parker Posey's son in Hal Hartley's "Henry Fool." He subsequently appeared with Kyra Sedgwick and Stanley Tucci in "Montana," which debuted at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival, and was featured in "The Object of My Affection," starring Jennifer Aniston.
Aiken starred as one of Julia Robert's two inherited offspring in the comedy-drama "Stepmom," directed by Chris Columbus. He followed this starring as Kim Basinger's son in the drama "I Dreamed of Africa." He was also seen in the romance "Sweet November," starring Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron.
EMILY BROWNING (Violet Beaudelaire) most recently co-starred in the Australian outlaw adventure "Ned Kelly," as well as the thriller "Darkness Falls" and the acclaimed miniseries "After the Deluge."
Browning made her television feature debut opposite Judy Davis in the 1998 Hallmark Hal of Fame drama "The Echo of Thunder," directed by Simon Wincer. The following year, she won a regular role in the Australian television series "High Flyers." In 2000, she was a regular in another Australian series, "Thunderstone" and found her way into the CBS miniseries "Blonde," based on the best-selling book by Joyce Carol Oates.
Browning made her theatrical feature debut, co-starring with Billy Connolly and Judy Davis in the comedy-drama "The Man Who Sued God." She then starred in the television movie "Halifax f.p: Playing God," for which she won the Australian Film Institute's Young Actor's Award for best performance by a juvenile. She subsequently appeared with Gabriel Byrne and Julianna Margulies in the movie "Ghost Ship."
The Australian-born actress turned 15 during the filming of "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events."
TIMOTHY SPALL (Mr. Poe) has a growing career in entertainment that spans film, television and theater. Having appeared in "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban," Spall will also appear in the upcoming "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." His other credits include "The Last Samurai," "My House in Umbria," "Nicholas Nickleby," "All or Nothing," "Vanilla Sky," "Lucky Break," "Rock Star," "Loves Labour Lost," "Topsy-Turvy" (BAFTA nomination), "Hamlet," "Secrets & Lies," "Life is Sweet" and "The Sheltering Sky," to name a few.
Spall also starred in numerous films for television and earned BAFTA nominations for his performances in "Vacuuming Completely in the Nude in Paradise," "Shooting the Past" and the miniseries "Our Mutual Friend."
On the stage, Spall once again has starred in a number of productions, including "This is a Chair," for director Stephen Daldry, "A Midsummer Night's Dream," "The Government Inspector," "Screamers," "Heavenly Bodies," "The Three Sisters" and "Nicholas Nickleby," to name a few.
CATHERINE O'HARA(Justice Strauss) first began making audiences laugh with the Second City Stage Troop in Toronto. She and fellow cast members co-created and co-stared in "S.C.T.V.," which earned her an Emmy Award for writing.
O'Hara's film credits include "After Hours," Home Alone," "A Simple Twist of Fate," "Heartburn," "Beetlejuice," "The Last of the High Kings," "Waiting for Guffman," "Home Fries," "Orange County," "Best in Show" and "A Mighty Wind." She also provided the voice of Sally and Shock in "The Nightmare Before Christmas."
For television, O'Hara directed episodes of "Dream On" and "The Outer Limits"; wrote and co-starred in "P.M.S.," a short film for "Late Night with David Letterman"; and acted in three episodes of "Six Feet Under."
She was most recently seen co-starring opposite Ben Affleck and James Gandolfini in "Surviving Christmas."
BILLY CONNOLLY (Uncle Monty) most recently starred as Zebulan Gant in "The Last Samurai" and Paramount Pictures' adventure "Timeline."
Born in Glasgow, Scotland, the multi-talented performer began his show business career playing banjo, first as a member of the band Humblebums, then as a solo entertainer. Between songs, Connolly told funny stories and soon, he put aside his banjo to tour comedy nightclubs in the U.K. and Commonwealth, becoming a hugely popular international comedian. He gained additional fame and cemented his reputation as Britain's most popular comedian with numerous appearances on the "Michael Parkinson Show."
On film, Connolly has ranged from farce to serious drama. He received BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild and Golden Satellite award nominations for his dramatic turn in the 1998 feature "Mrs. Brown," starring opposite Judi Dench. The following year, he received a BAFTA nomination for Best Light Entertainment Performance for the mini-documentary "30 Years of Billy Connolly."
Connolly has also recently co-starred in the features, "White Oleander," "The Man Who Sued God," "Gabriel & Me," "The Boondock Saints" and its upcoming sequel "Boondock II: All Saints Day." His other feature credits include "Muppet Treasure Island," "Indecent Proposal," "The Return of the Musketeers" and "Bullshot Crummond."
His television work includes writing and starring in more than a dozen specials and being the subject of "Billy Connolly: A BAFTA Tribute," which aired in 2002.
CEDRIC THE ENTERTAINER (Constable) is best know for his crowd-pleasing roles in the hit films "Barbershop," with Ice Cube; "Intolerable Cruelty," with George Clooney; and "The Original Kings of Comedy," MTV's documentary feature directed by Spike Lee. He has also been seen in "Barbershop 2: Back in Business"; "Big Momma's House," with Martin Lawrence; "Kingdom Come," with Whoopi Goldberg; and "Serving Sara," with Matthew Perry. He displayed tremendous voiceover talent in "Dr. Dolittle 2" and "Ice Age." In addition, in April 2004, he starred in and produced the box office hit "Johnson Family Vacation," which ranked the #1 comedy in America for two consecutive weeks.
Upcoming for Cedric is "The Honeymooners," starring in the role that Jackie Gleason made famous, Ralph Kramden; "Be Cool," the sequel to "Get Shorty," with John Travolta; and "Back to School," the remake of Rodney Dangerfield's classic comedy.
Over his career in film and television, Cedric has received many honors, including the AFTRA Award of Excellence in Television Programming for his television series
"Cedric the Entertainer Presents," four consecutive NAACP Image Awards for his portrayal of Coach Robinson on the WB's #1-rated "The Steve Harvey Show" and the Richard Pryor Comic of the Year Award from Black Entertainment Television for his groundbreaking work as host of "Def Comedy Jam" and BET's "Comic View."
Author of the comedy book Grown-Ass Man, released in January 2002, Cedric was dubbed "Madison Avenue's Most Valuable Player" by USA Today when a viewing audience of over 144 million saw him star in the Bud Light commercial that landed in the #1 spot during the 2001 Super Bowl.
LUIS GUZMAN (Bald Man) has an impressive and growing filmography. Among his numerous film credits are such movies as "Runaway Jury," "Confidence," "Anger Management," "Dumb and Dumber," "Welcome to Collinwood," "The Burning Season," "Traffic," "Magnolia," "The Bone Collector," "Cadillac Man," "Black Rain," "Boogie Nights" and "Crocodile Dundee II," to name a few.
On the small screen, Guzman has appeared in several made-for-TV movies as well as many popular series, some of which include "Frasier," "OZ," "NYPD Blue," "Homicide: Life on the Street," "The Equalizer," "Miami Vice" and "Law & Order."
JENNIFER COOLIDGE (White-Faced Woman) is noted for the distinct and unique characters she creates, and she has established a reputation as one of Hollywood's most versatile and celebrated talents.
Coolidge can currently be seen on NBC's hit comedy series "Joey," opposite Matt LeBlanc and Drea de Matteo. She plays Bobbie, Joey's tough-as-nails and blunt-to-a-fault talent agent on the show. After her appearance in "Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events," Coolidge will lend her vocal talents alongside Robin Williams, Ewan MacGregor and Halle Berry in the animated film "Robots," scheduled for release in Spring 2005.
In 2003, Coolidge was seen in two of the largest grossing comedies of the summer. In "Legally Blonde 2: Red, White & Blonde," she reprised her role opposite Reese Witherspoon as Paulette, the manicurist who becomes an important ally to Witherspoon's character. She also reprised her popular role as Stifler's Mom in the third installment of the highly successful "American Pie" trilogy, "American Wedding."
Coolidge is probably best known for her breakout performance in Christopher Guest's critically acclaimed "Best In Show," in an unforgettable role as a woman whose love for her 95-year-old husband encompasses such similarities as a taste for peas and soup. She followed this up with 2003's "A Mighty Wind," once again for director Christopher Guest. Playing a publicist with absolutely no clue, Coolidge once again shone with her impeccable comedic style.
In 2002, Coolidge starred in the Broadway production of Claire Boothe Luce's comedy "The Women" and was nominated for a Drama Desk Award for Best Featured Actress in a Play. The all-star cast also featured Kristen Johnson, Rue McClanahan, Cynthia Nixon and Mary Louise Wilson.
On the small screen, Coolidge has appeared on "Sex and the City," "Friends," "Frasier" and "Seinfeld." Her voice was also featured in recurring roles in Fox's animated hit series "King of the Hill."
Coolidge earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Emerson College and soon thereafter started her career at the renowned Groundlings Theatre in Los Angeles. She currently resides in Los Angeles.
MERYL STREEP (Aunt Josephine), regarded as one of the world's finest actors, has portrayed an astonishing array of characters in a career that has cut a unique path through theatre, television and film. A two-time Academy Award�� winner and a recipient of a record-breaking 13 Academy Award nominations, Streep was recently awarded an Emmy for her work in the HBO epic "Angels in America," directed by Mike Nichols from Tony Kushner's adaptation of his Pulitzer Prize-winning plays.
Streep began her feature film career as Jane Fonda's society friend in "Julia," directed by Fred Zinnemann. In her second screen role, she starred opposite Robert DeNiro and Christopher Walken in "The Deer Hunter," receiving her first Academy Award nomination for her portrayal of a working-class Pennsylvania girl whose lonely, small-town life is irrevocably altered by the Vietnam War. Her next film was the political drama "The Seduction of Joe Tynan," with Alan Alda.
She returned to the stage to play Katherine opposite Raul Julia in "Taming of the Shrew," for Joseph Papp's Shakespeare in the Park production. She performed Shakespeare at night and, during the day, alternated filming Woody Allen's "Manhattan" and Robert Benton's "Kramer vs. Kramer," opposite Dustin Hoffman. Playing Hoffman's troubled ex-wife in "Kramer vs. Kramer" earned Streep her first Academy Award�� for Best Supporting Actress. Streep won her third Oscar nomination and the British Academy Award for her next film, "The French Lieutenant's Woman," directed by Karel Reisz.
The following year, Streep won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her extraordinary performance in the title role of "Sophie's Choice," directed by Alan Pakula from his adaptation of William Styron's novel. She was nominated again the next year for her portrayal of Karen Silkwood, the activist/heroine of Mike Nichols' "Silkwood." She then reunited with DeNiro in "Falling in Love," for which she was named Best Actress by the Italian film community who presented her with a David Award, the Italian equivalent of the Oscar .
Streep completed two films in 1985: Fred Schepisi's screen adaptation of David Hare's "Plenty" and Sydney Pollack's "Out of Africa," for which she received another Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and another David Award. She followed those successes with Mike Nichols' "Heartburn" and Hector Babenco's "Ironweed," for which she earned her seventh Oscar nomination. She traveled to Australia for her next film, Fred Schepisi's "A Cry in the Dark." Her performance as Lindy Chamberlain won her Best Actress Awards at the Cannes Film Festival and The New York Film Critics Circle, an AFI Award and another Oscar nomination.
Her talents were turned toward comedy as Streep took on four new roles in Susan Seidelman's "She-Devil," Mike Nichols' "Postcards from the Edge," Albert Brooks' "Defending Your Life" and Robert Zemeckis' "Death Becomes Her," the first two earning her Golden Globe nods. She next starred in Bille August's "The House of the Spirits" and didn't back down from her physically demanding role opposite Kevin Bacon in "The River Wild."
Turning to television, Streep co-produced with Jim Abrahams and starred in the real-life drama "First Do No Harm," which earned her an Emmy nomination for her performance as the mother of an epileptic child.
Her next film, Clint Eastwood's "The Bridges of Madison County," won her overwhelming acclaim along with Screen Actors Guild, Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for her complex portrayal of a lonely Iowa farm wife who opens her heart to a stranger. The next year she was seen opposite Liam Neeson in Barbet Schroeder's "Before and After," then with Diane Keaton and Leonardo DiCaprio in "Marvin's Room," for which she received another Golden Globe nomination. In 1999, she starred in "One True Thing," based on Anna Quindlen's prize-winning novel, which brought her an eleventh Oscar nomination in addition to Golden Globe and SAG nominations. That same year she was seen in "Dancing at Lughnasa," directed by Pat O'Connor and based on Brian Friel's play; and "Music of the Heart," for which she learned to play a Bach violin concerto, earning her a twelfth Academy Award nomination.
More recently, Streep won the Silver Bear for Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival along with other awards for her work in "The Hours," and earned a Golden Globe nomination along with her thirteenth Oscar nomination for her eccentric portrayal of Susan Orlean in Spike Jonze's "Adaptation."
In 2003, Streep was given an Honorary Cesar Award for Career Achievement in Paris, where she was also accorded a Commandeur de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, the highest civilian honor given by the French government. In 2004 she was honored by the American Film Institute with the AFI Lifetime Achievement Award.
Streep was most recently seen on the big screen as a clever and manipulative political figure in Jonathan Demme's remake of the political thriller "The Manchurian Candidate," with Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber and Jeffrey Wright.
Streep is a co-founder of Mothers and Others, a consumer advocacy group that successfully worked for twelve years to support organic and sustainable agriculture to protect the health of children and the environment. She continues to be involved with other charities and environmental protection groups.
KARA and SHELBY HOFFMAN (Sunny Baudelaire) were born in August 2002 in San Diego. They began their acting career shortly before their first birthdays in a recurring role on the daytime drama "General Hospital."
This is their feature film debut.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
BRAD SILBERLING (Director) most recently wrote and directed the critically praised "Moonlight Mile," starring Dustin Hoffman, Susan Sarandon, Jake Gyllenhaal and Holly Hunter. He previously directed the much-lauded box office hit "City of Angels," starring Meg Ryan and Nicolas Cage. The "City of Angels" soundtrack went five-times Platinum, making it one of the biggest-selling soundtracks in motion picture history.
Silberling graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara in 1984 with a Baccalaureate in English, then went on to earn a Masters in Fine Arts from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1987. At UCLA, he directed his thesis short "Repairs," which landed him a contract from Universal Studios to direct and write movies and television.
Silberling's extensive television directing credits include multiple episodes of Steven Bochco's "NYPD Blue," "L.A. Law" and "Civil Wars," as well as "Brooklyn Bridge" and the pilot for "Judging Amy," among others.
An award-winning episode of "Brooklyn Bridge" caught the eye of Steven Spielberg, which resulted in his backing Silberling's first feature, "Casper," which went on to gross more than $300 million worldwide.
Silberling's production company, Reveal Entertainment, is actively developing a slate of projects for him to produce and direct. He is an active member of the Director's Guild of America where he sits on the Western Directors Council, New Technologies Committee, Creative Rights Committee and the Task Force on Violence and Social Responsibility. He also sits on the advisory boards for dot-coms Storybay and Umogul.
A native Californian, Silberling resides in Los Angeles with his wife, actress Amy Brenneman and their year-old daughter, Charlotte.
LEMONY SNICKET (Author) has been called a fraud, a spy, a fugitive, a fictional character, a bad influence and a best-selling author. His published accounts of the Baudelaire orphans in A Series of Unfortunate Events have now sold over 27 million copies in 39 languages, and possibly vice versa. His most recent volume, Book the Eleventh, The Grim Grotto, was published in September 2004, and was for an alarming period of time the best-selling book in America.
Mr. Snicket's family has roots in a part of the country which is now underwater, and his childhood was spent in the relative splendor of the Snicket Villa, which has since become a factory, a fortress and a pharmacy and is now, alas, someone else's villa. To the untrained eye, Mr. Snicket's hometown would not appear to be filled with secrets. Untrained eyes have been wrong before.
The aftermath of the scandal was swift, brutal and inaccurately reported in the periodicals of the day. It is true, however, that Mr. Snicket was stripped of several awards by the reigning authorities, including Honorable Mention, the Grey Ribbon and First Runner Up. The High Council reached a convenient if questionable verdict, and Mr. Snicket found himself in exile.
Mr. Snicket now lives in the city and hides in the country, although sometimes the opposite is true.
Due to the worldwide web of conspiracy that surrounds him, Mr. Snicket often communicates with the general public through his representative, Daniel Handler. Mr. Handler leads a relatively uneventful life with his wife and son in San Francisco. He is the author of two books for adults, The Basic Eight and Watch Your Mouth, and allegedly writes under a pseudonym as well. If you are wondering whether Mr. Handler and Mr. Snicket are the same person, please read this paragraph again.
ROBERT GORDON (Screenplay) has a growing filmography, which includes screenwriting credits for the Hugo and Nebula award winning "Galaxy Quest," the romantic comedy "Addicted to Love" and "Men in Black II." Gordon is also the associate producer of Paramount's "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow."
Currently living in Los Angeles, Gordon holds a MFA in film from the California Institute of the Arts.
LAURIE MACDONALD (Producer) is co-head of DreamWorks Pictures and producing partner with her spouse Walter F. Parkes. Among her producing credits are "The Mask of Zorro," "Twister," "Men in Black" and "Gladiator."
MacDonald came to Los Angeles by way of San Francisco where she served as a producer at NBC affiliate KRON. Following a stint as vice president of production at Columbia Pictures, she formed a producing partnership with Parkes. During production of "Men in Black," Steven Spielberg approached the pair about running his Amblin Entertainment. Six months into running this company, Spielberg enlisted them to head his newly formed DreamWorks Pictures.
MacDonald and Parkes maintain their autonomy as independent producers even while heading the successful, progressive movie studio, a dual creative/administrative role that was unprecedented at the time they undertook it. MacDonald continues to develop high-quality films both for the studio and for her own producing partnership. Among the studio's top critical and box office hits during her reign are "Gladiator," "Catch Me if You Can" and "The Ring."
In addition to "Lemony Snicket," MacDonald's 2004 round of productions includes "The Terminal," starring Tom Hanks, and Michael Mann's "Collateral," starring Tom Cruise.
WALTER F. PARKES (Producer) has been an Academy Award -nominated documentary filmmaker and screenwriter, an award-winning feature film producer and co-head of DreamWorks Pictures.
Parkes began his career when a newspaper photo of nine uniformed American Nazis at a PTA meeting inspired him to direct "California Reich," which earned a 1978 Oscar nomination for Best Documentary. Soon after, his first fictional screenplay, about a boy-genius born into an average American family, was turned into the movie "WarGames" and brought him another Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay. He subsequently produced the Oscar nominated "Awakenings," which he had adapted from a book by Oliver Sachs.
Parkes shares his enthusiasm for moviemaking with his spouse/producing partner/ DreamWorks co-head, Laurie MacDonald. While producing "Men in Black," the two were asked by longtime friend and colleague Steven Spielberg to run Amblin Entertainment. Their solid track record with that company led Spielberg to enlist them as heads of DreamWorks Pictures at the announcement of its formation.
MacDonald and Parkes maintain their autonomy as independent producers even while heading a successful, progressive movie studio, a dual creative/administrative role that was unprecedented at the time they undertook it. Parkes continues to exhibit care and dedication in developing films both for the studio and for his own producing partnership. Under his leadership, DreamWorks has yielded such critical and financial successes as "Gladiator," "American Beauty," "Almost Famous," "Saving Private Ryan," "Road to Perdition," "Minority Report," "Catch Me if You Can" and "The Ring."
In addition to "Lemony Snicket," Parkes' 2004 round of productions includes "The Terminal" starring Tom Hanks and Michael Mann's "Collateral" starring Tom Cruise.
Parkes' other credits include "The Time Machine," "The Mask of Zorro," "The Peacemaker," "Twister," "Sneakers" and "True Believer."
JIM VAN WYCK (Producer) graduated from the University of Oregon with a mathematics degree, and played eight years of professional baseball for the Minnesota Twins organization. He then entered the film industry through the Directors Guild Training Program. His first job was as a production assistant on the telefilm "Elvis," starring Kurt Russell, his former teammate in baseball.
Van Wyck has now produced or executive-produced many films, including "Timeline," "Swordfish," "Lethal Weapon 4," "Armageddon," "Maverick" and "Conspiracy Theory." He currently lives in Newbury Park, California, with his wife, Cindy, and has a daughter, Julee Merrill, married to Jayson Merrill. Van Wyck has two wonderful grandchildren, Jaylee and Jensen.
SCOTT RUDIN (Executive Producer) Film: "Team America: World Police," "I Huckabees," "The Village," "The Manchurian Candidate," "The Stepford Wives," "School of Rock," "The Hours," "Changing Lanes," "Orange County," "Iris," "The Royal Tenenbaums," "Zoolander," "Shaft," "Sleepy Hollow," "Angela's Ashes," "Rules of Engagement," "Wonder Boys," "Bringing Out the Dead," "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut," "The Truman Show," "A Civil Action," "In and Out," "Ransom," "Mother," "Marvin's Room," "The First Wives Club," "Twilight," "Clueless," "Sabrina," "Nobody's Fool," "The Firm," "Searching for Bobby Fischer," "Sister Act," "Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit," "The Addams Family," "Addams Family Values," "Little Man Tate," "Regarding Henry," "Pacific Heights," "Flatliners," "Jennifer Eight," "Mrs. Soffel" and "He Makes Me Feel Like Dancing" (Academy Award - Best Documentary).
Theater: "Passion" (Tony Award - Best Musical), "Indiscretions," "Hamlet," "Seven Guitars," "Skylight," "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum," "On the Town," "The Chairs," "The Judas Kiss," "Stupid Kids," "The Blue Room," "The Most Fabulous Story Ever Told," "Closer" (London and New York), "Amy's View," "The Wild Party," "The Ride Down Mt. Morgan," "Copenhagen" (Tony Award - Best Play), "The Designated Mourner," "The Caretaker" (London), "The Goat" (Tony Award - Best Play), "Medea," "Beckett/Albee," "Caroline, or Change" and "The Normal Heart."
Upcoming Films: Wes Anderson's "The Life Aquatic," Mike Nichols' "Closer" and Kenneth Lonergan's "Margaret."
BARRY SONNENFELD (Executive Producer) has built a long and industrious career in the film and television industry as a director, producer, cinematographer and writer. As a director, Sonnenfeld helmed both "Men in Black" and its sequel, as well as the award-winning "Get Shorty," which he also executive-produced. His additional directing credits include "Big Trouble" and "Wild Wild West," which he also produced, "For Love or Money," "The Addams Family" and "Addams Family Values."
As a producer, Sonnenfeld most recently added "The Ladykillers" to his credits, and before that he produced several TV series including the highly successful "Fantasy Island." He also wrote and executive-produced his own TV series "Secret Agent Man." Sonnenfeld's earlier career included a number of cinematography credits, some of which include "Misery," "Miller's Crossing," "When Harry Met Sally . . .," "Big," "Throw Mama From the Train," "Raising Arizona" and "Blood Simple."
Up next Sonnenfeld scheduled to direct "The Heartbreak Kid," and he is scheduled to produce and direct "White Noise."
JULIA PISTOR (Executive Producer) is Senior Vice President of Nickelodeon Movies, a position she has held since 1994. In this capacity, she oversees development and production for Nickelodeon's feature films based at Paramount Pictures. Most recently, she served as producer on "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" and as executive producer of two Academy Award -nominated films, "The Wild Thornberrys Movie" in 2002 and "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius" in 2001, as well as for "Rugrats Go Wild" in 2003.
Pistor served as executive producer for Nickelodeon's "Rugrats in Paris: The Movie," which grossed more than $100 million worldwide, and was a producer for Nick's sci-fi adventure "Clockstoppers" and the live-action hit "Snow Day." Additionally, she co-produced the company's first animated feature in 1998, "The Rugrats Movie," which grossed more than $150 million worldwide.
Pistor was integral to the early success of Nick Movies, having served as executive producer of the 1997 Nickelodeon movie "Good Burger," starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, and as associate producer of the company's first feature in 1996, "Harriet the Spy," starring Rosie O'Donnell and Michelle Trachtenberg.
ALBIE HECHT (Executive Producer) is President, Spike TV, a division of MTV Networks. Prior to assuming that role in January, 2003 he served as President Film and TV Entertainment, Nickelodeon. There, he led Nickelodeon's production and development activities in television and movies, leveraging the strength of Nickelodeon's resources, key relationships and opportunities in both areas. Hecht also oversaw Nickelodeon's talent relations activities on both coasts, building and strengthening the company's relationship with producers, directors, writers and stars of film and TV.
Under Hecht's leadership, Nickelodeon Movies released an impressive slate of live-action and animation projects, achieving the division's goals of creating star-driven family movies and animated features that bring extraordinary characters and situations to everyday contemporary life. Most recently, Hecht served as executive producer on "The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie," based on the award-winning TV series.
Hecht also executive-produced the Academy-AwardR-nominated "The Wild Thornberrys Movie" in 2002 and "Rugrats Go Wild" in 2003. He served as producer of the Academy Award -nominated "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius" in 2001 and as executive producer on the live-action sci-fi adventure, "Clockstoppers," the animated adventure, "Rugrats in Paris" and the mega-hit, "The Rugrats Movie." Hecht also served as producer on the successful family comedy, "Snow Day."
A 22-year production and development veteran, Hecht's creative leadership and expertise have produced many of the biggest successes the network has enjoyed, including "SpongeBob SquarePants" and "Dora, The Explorer." Now at Spike TV, he oversees the first cable network for men, which is now available in over 86 million homes.
SCOTT AVERSANO (Co-Producer) previously worked as director of development at Paramount Pictures, serving as a production executive for such films as "Wonder Boys," "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut," "Runaway Bride" and "Double Jeopardy," among others. He is currently President of Scott Rudin Productions. Since working in this capacity, his credits now include such films as "Orange County," "Changing Lanes," "School Of Rock," "The Manchurian Candidate" and "Team America: World Police."
Prior to entering the film business, Aversano taught English literature at the University of Michigan while working on his doctorate.
EMMANUEL LUBEZKI, ASC, AMC (Director of Photography) most recently lensed "The Cat in the Hat" and the Oscar -nominated "Ali." A native of Mexico City, Lubezki continues to work regularly in the Mexican film industry, having recently shot "De Mesmer, con amor o Te para dos," written and directed by his brother Alejandro, and the international hit, "Y tu mama tambien."
The son of actor Muni Lubezki directed the short film, "Marlena en la pared," in 1986, before focusing his talents on cinematography. He gained attention with international audiences and filmmakers with his artful photography of the Academy Award nominee "Like Water for Chocolate" which earned him Mexico's Silver Ariel Award in 1992. Four years later, he earned his first Academy Award nomination for "A Little Princess." In 2000, Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow" brought him his second Oscar nomination.
Among Lubezki's other credits are "Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her," "Meet Joe Black," "Great Expectations," "The Birdcage," "A Walk in the Clouds" and "Reality Bites."
RICK HEINRICHS (Production Designer) won the Academy Award for his work on Tim Burton's "Sleepy Hollow," for which he also won the BAFTA and Art Directors Guilds award, among others. Heinrichs also designed Burton's hit remake of "Planet of the Apes."
The creative collaboration between Burton and Heinrichs dates back to 1980, to their days at Disney when the two produced the animated short, "Vincent." They later teamed on Burton's first theatrical feature, "Pee Wee's Big Adventure." Heinrichs had already begun his climb up the film career ladder as set designer on "Ghostbusters II" in 1989, before teaming with his college friend in the same capacity on "Edward Scissorhands" the next year.
In 1992, Heinrichs moved up to art director on Burton's "Batman Returns," having previously done that job on the tele-feature "Soapdish." He followed "Batman" with the art director's job on the visually challenging "The Last Action Hero" in 1993, also serving that year as visual consultant on Burton's "The Nightmare Before Christmas," a title he'd previously been accorded for his assistance on Burton's breakthrough film, "Beetlejuice."
Heinrichs' other credits as production designer include "The Hulk," "Bedazzled," "The Big Lebowski" and "Fargo." He also worked as art director on "Tall Tale" and Tim Burton's "Frankenweenie" and as set designer on "The Fisher King" and "Joe Versus the Volcano."
MICHAEL KAHN, A.C.E. (Editor), who still prefers to edit on an upright Movieola, has won Best Editing Oscars for "Saving Private Ryan," "Schindler's List" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark." He also received Academy Award nominations for "Fatal Attraction," "Empire of the Sun," "Wisdom" and "Close Encounters of the Third Kind."
With a stellar list of credits, Kahn includes most of Steven Spielberg's projects in his filmography, including "The Terminal," "Catch Me If You Can," "Minority Report," "A.I." "Saving Private Ryan," "Amistad," "Jurassic Park: The Lost World," "Schindler's List," "Hook," "Always," "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," "Empire of the Sun," "The Color Purple," "Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom," "Twilight Zone: The Movie," "Poltergeist," "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "1941."
A member of American Cinema Editors, Kahn's TV work goes back to "Hogan's Heroes" in the mid-'60s and includes "The Doris Day Show," "Night Slaves" and "Eleanor and Franklin." After 1976, Kahn turned strictly to editing films, among them: "The Eyes of Laura Mars," The Goonies," "Toy Soldiers," "Hook," "Twister" and "Tomb Raider II."
In addition to his numerous upcoming projects, Kahn is in pre-production on yet another Spielberg film, "War of the Worlds," starring Tom Cruise and scheduled for release in 2005.
COLLEEN ATWOOD (Costume Designer) won her first Academy Award for her work on "Chicago," after previously being nominated for Oscars for "Sleepy Hollow," "Beloved" and "Little Women."
Also a frequent collaborator with director Tim Burton, Atwood began their association on "Edward Scissorhands" and has worked with the director on "Ed Wood," "Mars Attacks," "Planet of the Apes" and the recent "Big Fish." She has also worked regularly with director Jonathan Demme, beginning with "Married to the Mob" and including his Oscar -winning "Silence of the Lambs" and multiple award-winning "Philadelphia."
Atwood began her career as a wardrobe assistant in 1982 on the romantic comedy "A Little Sex" and became a designer only two years later on the Michael Apted drama "First Born." She gained notice in 1986 as designer on Michael Mann's highly praised "Manhunter" and followed that with features such as Ridley Scott's "Someone to Watch Over Me" and Apted's "Critical Condition."
Among Atwood's other credits are "The Mexican," "Gattaca," "Buddy," "That Thing You Do," "The Juror," "Wyatt Earp," "Philadelphia," "Lorenzo's Oil," "Born Yesterday," "Joe Versus the Volcano," "The Handmaid's Tale" and "Torch Song Trilogy."
THOMAS NEWMAN (Composer) received six Oscar nominations for his musical scores for the films "Finding Nemo," "The Road to Perdition," "American Beauty (which also won a Grammy and a BAFTA)," "Unstrung Heroes," "The Shawshank Redemption" and "Little Women." Building on an amazing career with a varied body of work that has earned the praise of filmmakers ranging from Sam Mendes and Robert Altman to Mike Nichols and Gillian Armstrong, Newman has composed music for such films as "Fried Green Tomatoes," "The Player," "In the Bedroom," "The Green Mile," and the critically acclaimed HBO production of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play "Angels in America."
Recently, Newman was honored with an Emmy for his quirky theme for HBO's award-winning drama "Six Feet Under," which has been recorded as an album on Universal Records. His upcoming films include Ron Howard's "The Cinderella Man" and Sam Mendes' "Jarhead."
Newman is the youngest son of the legendary Alfred Newman, a nine-time Oscar winner and 45-time nominee, and the cousin of Randy Newman, who has achieved fame in both pop music and film scoring. His additional film scores include the romantic drama "Meet Joe Black," "The Horse Whisperer," "Up Close and Personal," "Phenomenon," "American Buffalo," Milos Forman's Oscar -nominated drama "The People Vs. Larry Flynt," "Oscar & Lucinda," "White Oleander" and "The Salton Sea."
STEFEN FANGMEIER (Visual Effect Supervisor) joined the computer graphics department at Industrial Light & Magic in 1990. His first major project was "Terminator 2: Judgment Day." Since then he has worked on various projects including "Jurassic Park" and "Hook" as a computer graphics supervisor, on "Casper" as the digital character co-supervisor, and on "Saving Private Ryan,' "Speed 2" and "Small Soldiers" as visual effects supervisor.
In 1997, Fangmeier won a BAFTA for his visual effects supervision on "Twister" and again in 1998 for "Saving Private Ryan." In addition, Fangmeier was the second unit director on "Galaxy Quest" in 1998. Fangmeier won a third BAFTA for "The Perfect Storm" in 2000. He has also received Oscar nominations for his work on "Twister," "The Perfect Storm" and "Master and Commander."
Prior to joining ILM, Fangmeier served as director of production at Mental Images GmbII and Co. in Berlin. Before that he worked as a scientific visualization program manager at the National Center for Supercomputing Application at the University of Illinois, as a technical director for Digital Productions in Los Angeles, as a computer operator, and as a systems programmer and an image processing analyst at the Aerospace Corporation in California.
Fangmeier received his degree in computer science from California State University of Dominguez Hills in 1983.
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