Harvey Weinstein Olivier Dahan Split - H 2013
Getty ImagesGrace of Monaco director Olivier Dahan has lashed out at Harvey Weinstein, claiming the delay to the potential awards contender has to do with cuts he’s reluctant to make.
Monaco, starring Nicole Kidman as the actress turned princess, was set for a November release, but The Weinstein Co. recently decided to push back the film until next spring. Weinstein has since said that the delay was due to the film not being ready.
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Dahan insists the film is finished and doesn’t want Weinstein to alter his movie.
“The film that I am in the process of finishing is complicated to finalize, although actually, for me, it is finished,” Dahan said in an interview with French newspaper Liberation. “What’s complicated at the moment is ensuring that you, the critics, can review my version of the film and not that of somebody else. It’s not over yet. I haven’t given up.”
Dahan spoke to the newspaper about the pressure he’s felt to sign off on a version that The Weinstein Co. would like to release.
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“It’s right to struggle, but when you confront an American distributor like Weinstein, not to name names, there is not much you can do,” the director said. “Either you say ‘Go figure it out with your pile of shit’ or you brace yourself so the blackmail isn’t as violent … If I don’t sign, that’s where the out-and-out blackmail starts, but I could go that far. There are two versions of the film for now: mine and his … which I find catastrophic.”
When asked about Weinstein’s comment that the film isn’t ready, Dahan said, “It’s got hardly anything to do with the film. It’s only about the money, the release strategy, millions of dollars and stuff like that. It’s got nothing to do with cinema. I mean, of course it’s about cinema, but the business side. They want a commercial film smelling of daisies, taking out anything that exceeds that which is too abrupt, everything that makes it cinematic and breathe with life. A lot of things are missing.”
The Weinstein Co. has declined to comment.
