Four feature films in and photographer-turned-director Anton Corbijn is carving out a very interesting career for himself, mixing the sensibilities of art-house pictures and smart, character-driven dramas that often come with a personal touch. So far, he’s made a movie about ‘70s post-punk band Joy Division and singer Ian Curtis (“Control”), a moody and atmospheric assassin drama (“The American”), a war-on-terror drama (“A Most Wanted Man”) and for his next picture, a biopic about James Dean and the LIFE magazine photographer that took some of the first, now-iconic, pictures that helped launch his superstardom (our review from the Berlin International Film Festival here).
Titled simply “Life,” Corbijn brings his well-observed understanding between the photographer and subject in a drama that stars Dane Dehaan as the reluctant star James Dean, and Robert Pattinson as the sensitive photographer Dennis Stock who manages to capture some intimate moments with the iconic actor. Here’s the official synopsis.
Corbijn’s follow-up to A Most Wanted Man, LIFE captures the nuances and complexities of the relationship between photographer and subject in a way rarely seen or understood by someone outside the business. In a nod to Corbijn’s own past experience, the film is told from the perspective of the Life photographer Dennis Stock (played by Pattinson) who meets and profiles Dean (DeHaan) for the magazine, turning out some of Dean’s most iconic photographs.
Co-starring Ben Kingsley, the script was written by Luke Davies (“Candy,” “Lion”) and is due out this fall by Cinedigm in the U.S. and opens in France on September 9th. The couple of international trailers have arrived and you can watch it below.
