Picture Claire
Encyclopedia
Picture Claire is a 2001
thriller film directed by
Bruce McDonald of a screenplay by Semi Chellas
. The film stars Juliette Lewis
, Gina Gershon
, Callum Keith Rennie
, Kelly Harms
, Camilla Rutherford
, Peter Stebbings
, and Mickey Rourke
. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival
, and also appeared at Cinéfest
in Sudbury, where the film received Best Ontario Feature Award.
Lewis stars as Claire Beaucage, who gets in way over her head when she's in the wrong place at the wrong time.
) is a woman from Quebec
who gets in trouble with the vengeful heroin dealers she helped finger. They retaliate by burning her out of her apartment. Frightened and in need of refuge, she heads to Toronto
for to stay with ex-lover photographer Billy Stuart (Kelly Harms
). She speaks only French
, she understands little English
and speaks even less, she finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time all too often. Claire
has difficulties finding Billy but continues her search for him as the cops continue to search for her. She finally finds his gallery along with some photographs that he had taken of her in her sleep, he knew she hated having her picture taken. The exhibition of his work is opening and it seems to consist mostly of pictures of her.
Mickey Rourke
played sleazy gangster Eddie and Gina Gershon
portrays his tough-as-nails moll Lily Warden.
or premiered on television
like in Netherlands
. Reviews for Picture Claire were mixed, but mostly negative. Jason Gorber from Filmfest.ca stated that Bruce McDonald directs a mostly American cast in a staunch Toronto film. and gave it "fresh" rating. Film Rated R for violence, language and nudity by MPAA. Film's working title was Claire's Hat
Overall, people who watched the film found this movie "Great acting amazing film with Potential of Cult-Movie"
. During location filming on a Toronto street, a woman was arrested for causing a disturbance after the filmmakers called for silence and she refused to stop blowing a whistle.. Segments of the film were shot in Kensington Market, including inside Shampoo Hair Studio on St. Andrew St., which was rented and converted to look like a donut shop.
2001 in film
The year 2001 in film involved some significant events, including the first of the Harry Potter series and also the first of The Lord of the Rings trilogy...
thriller film directed by
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Bruce McDonald of a screenplay by Semi Chellas
Semi Chellas
Semi Chellas is a writer and screenwriter who has written for film, television and magazines. She was born in Palo Alto, California in 1969 and grew up in Calgary, Alberta....
. The film stars Juliette Lewis
Juliette Lewis
Juliette Lewis is an American actress and musician. She gained international fame for her role in the 1991 thriller Cape Fear for which she was nominated for both an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress...
, Gina Gershon
Gina Gershon
Gina L. Gershon is an American film, television and stage actress, singer and author, known for her roles in the films Cocktail , Showgirls , Bound , Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back , Face/Off , The Insider , Demonlover , Category 7: The End of the World , P.S...
, Callum Keith Rennie
Callum Keith Rennie
Callum Keith Rennie is a British-born Canadian television and film actor. He started his career in Canadian film and television projects, where his portrayal of Stanley Raymond Kowalski in the TV series Due South was his first international success...
, Kelly Harms
Kelly Harms
Kelly Harms is a Canadian director, producer, and actor who was born on April 27, 1974 in Barrhead, Alberta and currently resides in Toronto, Canada. His most recent film is Cursing Hanley, which premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. He is close friends with Bruce...
, Camilla Rutherford
Camilla Rutherford
Camilla Rutherford is an English actress and fashion model.-Background:Rutherford was born to a journalist father and magistrate mother in Holland Park...
, Peter Stebbings
Peter Stebbings
Peter Stebbings is a Canadian veteran actor who started practicing his trade at the Vancouver Youth Theater when he was just 12 years old. He worked at various odd jobs growing up, including bus boy and bike courier, before making the serious move to acting...
, and Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
, and also appeared at Cinéfest
Cinéfest
Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, also known as Cinéfest is an annual film festival in Sudbury, Ontario. It is the fourth largest film festival in Canada....
in Sudbury, where the film received Best Ontario Feature Award.
Lewis stars as Claire Beaucage, who gets in way over her head when she's in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Plot
Claire (Juliette LewisJuliette Lewis
Juliette Lewis is an American actress and musician. She gained international fame for her role in the 1991 thriller Cape Fear for which she was nominated for both an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress...
) is a woman from Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
who gets in trouble with the vengeful heroin dealers she helped finger. They retaliate by burning her out of her apartment. Frightened and in need of refuge, she heads to Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
for to stay with ex-lover photographer Billy Stuart (Kelly Harms
Kelly Harms
Kelly Harms is a Canadian director, producer, and actor who was born on April 27, 1974 in Barrhead, Alberta and currently resides in Toronto, Canada. His most recent film is Cursing Hanley, which premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. He is close friends with Bruce...
). She speaks only French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, she understands little English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
and speaks even less, she finds herself in the wrong place at the wrong time all too often. Claire
has difficulties finding Billy but continues her search for him as the cops continue to search for her. She finally finds his gallery along with some photographs that he had taken of her in her sleep, he knew she hated having her picture taken. The exhibition of his work is opening and it seems to consist mostly of pictures of her.
Mickey Rourke
Mickey Rourke
Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films....
played sleazy gangster Eddie and Gina Gershon
Gina Gershon
Gina L. Gershon is an American film, television and stage actress, singer and author, known for her roles in the films Cocktail , Showgirls , Bound , Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back , Face/Off , The Insider , Demonlover , Category 7: The End of the World , P.S...
portrays his tough-as-nails moll Lily Warden.
Cast
| Actor/Actress | Role |
|---|---|
| Juliette Lewis Juliette Lewis Juliette Lewis is an American actress and musician. She gained international fame for her role in the 1991 thriller Cape Fear for which she was nominated for both an Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Supporting Actress... |
Claire Beaucage |
| Gina Gershon Gina Gershon Gina L. Gershon is an American film, television and stage actress, singer and author, known for her roles in the films Cocktail , Showgirls , Bound , Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back , Face/Off , The Insider , Demonlover , Category 7: The End of the World , P.S... |
Lily Warden |
| Mickey Rourke Mickey Rourke Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke, Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter and retired boxer, who has appeared primarily as a leading man in action, drama, and thriller films.... |
Eddie |
| Callum Keith Rennie Callum Keith Rennie Callum Keith Rennie is a British-born Canadian television and film actor. He started his career in Canadian film and television projects, where his portrayal of Stanley Raymond Kowalski in the TV series Due South was his first international success... |
Laramie |
| Kelly Harms Kelly Harms Kelly Harms is a Canadian director, producer, and actor who was born on April 27, 1974 in Barrhead, Alberta and currently resides in Toronto, Canada. His most recent film is Cursing Hanley, which premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. He is close friends with Bruce... |
Billy |
| Tracy Wright | Det. Sweeney |
| Camilla Rutherford Camilla Rutherford Camilla Rutherford is an English actress and fashion model.-Background:Rutherford was born to a journalist father and magistrate mother in Holland Park... |
Cynthia Lacey |
| Raoul Bhaneja Raoul Bhaneja Raoul Bhaneja is a Canadian actor. He was one of the stars on the short lived TV series Train 48 on Global... |
Det. Lee |
| Barbara Eve Harris Barbara Eve Harris Barbara Eve Harris is a Canadian actress. She was born on March 8, 1959 in Tobago She played Agent Lang on the show Prison Break. She has also guest-starred on such shows as Private Practice, JAG, Commander in Chief, ER, CSI: Miami, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Cold Case, Eureka and The West Wing,... |
Patricia |
Reception
Intended to be released to theaters, the film never found a distributor, so Picture Claire was ultimately released direct-to-videoDirect-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
or premiered on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
like in Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
. Reviews for Picture Claire were mixed, but mostly negative. Jason Gorber from Filmfest.ca stated that Bruce McDonald directs a mostly American cast in a staunch Toronto film. and gave it "fresh" rating. Film Rated R for violence, language and nudity by MPAA. Film's working title was Claire's Hat
Overall, people who watched the film found this movie "Great acting amazing film with Potential of Cult-Movie"
Location
Mostly filmed in Toronto, Ontario, CanadaCanada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. During location filming on a Toronto street, a woman was arrested for causing a disturbance after the filmmakers called for silence and she refused to stop blowing a whistle.. Segments of the film were shot in Kensington Market, including inside Shampoo Hair Studio on St. Andrew St., which was rented and converted to look like a donut shop.