BECOMING CARY GRANT
“A REVEALING AND FASCINATING INSIGHT INTO THIS TROUBLED LEGEND OF CINEMA”
-Radio Times
Cary Grant, one of Hollywood's greatest stars, was troubled most of his life with self-doubt and insecurity, due to childhood trauma. In his fifties he began a long course of treatment, taking LSD to exorcise his demons. Using words from his unpublished autobiography, and newly-discovered personal footage he shot with a film-maker’s eye, Cary Grant explores his long journey from childhood poverty to global fame, and from darkness out into the light. In this film, we discover for the first time a different Cary Grant, the man behind the mask of subtle charm and suave sophistication that he wore to hide his insecurities. This is a story of a man in search of himself, on a quest to find the love that eluded him most of his life.
The words of Cary Grant are spoken by Jonathan Pryce, the music is by Bob Locke & Tim Norfolk (The Insects) and Adrian Utley (Portishead)
CREDITS
Directed by Mark Kidel
Written by Mark Kidel with Nick Ware
Produced by Christian Popp and Nick Ware
Edited by Cyril Leuthy
A Yuzu Films Production
Coproduced with ARTE France in association with ro*co films productions
2017
Running time: 85 mins
“The man gets his due in Becoming Cary Grant, a moody jewel of a film that draws on Grant's unpublished autobiography for much of its narration” - The Wall Street Journal
”Beautifully rendered depiction of the troubled life of a consummate actor” - The Arts Desk
“If the film never quite manages to pin the actor like a butterfly, that’s probably for the best. Grant spent his life as a creature in flight: a fascinating documentary” - The Guardian
“It is difficult to look upon Grant, who seemed to represent a certain kind of mortal perfection, and not wonder how he happened, or to want to find the life-sized human crouched down within the legend. “Becoming Cary Grant” takes a most interesting stab at it” - Los Angeles Times
“Kidel effectively conveys that as Grant’s career progressed and he secured more substantial roles from directors like Alfred Hitchcock, his screen work tapped into his mental turmoil” - New York Times
“This documentary about the film star was unusual for framing its subject’s life from an entirely psychological perspective: a “window into his inner world" that was quietly superb throughout” - Sunday Times