VENICE, Italy (AP) — Five years after “ joker won the main prize at the Venice Film FestivalDirector Todd Phillips is a little nervous about returning with the sequel.
“Joker: Folie à Deux,” one of the most eagerly awaited films of the 81st edition of the festival, premiered on Wednesday and moviegoers in the Sala Grande Theater gave the film and stars Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga an 11-minute standing ovation.
“It feels right to be back in Venice. It was the logical starting point for us,” Phillips said before the premiere. “I’m a little more nervous about this one. It’s much easier to enter something as an insurgent than as an incumbent.”
A sequel was more of a joke than an inevitability for Phillips and Phoenix during filming of the first movie. For one thing, Phoenix is not the type of actor to jump into a “franchise.” But then the idea of exploring the music that Phoenix’s character Arthur Fleck hears in his head came up. They thought it had to be as bold, unexpected and daring as the first film.
That first film was an unexpected success, grossing over a billion dollars at the box office and winning Phoenix the Oscar for Best Actor. One of his fans was Gaga, who said the film “really moved her deeply” and showed her something she had never seen before.
The streets outside the Sala Grande theater were packed with Gaga fans hoping to catch a glimpse of her on the red carpet. Gaga arrived in a Christian Dior haute couture gown and an elaborate Philip Treacy headpiece reminiscent of a mourning veil.
In Joker: Folie à Deux, Phoenix’s Arthur Fleck is placed in an asylum awaiting trial for his crimes. The last film ended after he shot late-night host Murray Franklin (Robert De Niro) live on television, making him a god to a certain group, including Gaga’s Harley Quinn, whom he meets in another asylum. The two immediately fall in love and begin expressing themselves in song.
Both Phoenix and Gaga sang live for the film, with a pianist just off-camera, who they said in some ways felt like another actor in the scene.
“For me, it was about unlearning the technique and forgetting to breathe and letting the song come completely out of the character,” Gaga said. “It gives the characters a way to express what they need to say.”
Phoenix, who initially balked at the idea of singing live, added: “Part of the fun, at least for me, was taking these standard songs and trying to tailor them to the characters.”
They also learned different choreographies for different numbers over the months, including a waltz in the rain. But despite the training and practice, they said, things tended to change in the moment.
“We all really enjoyed the moment and all the chaos,” Gaga said. “We had to rediscover it every day. What was the truth of the scene, what was the honest moment.”
She added: “You can learn a song, learn a dance routine… but that’s not always the most honest thing to do on camera.”
Phoenix recently made headlines for leaving a Todd Haynes film several days before filming began. He declined to elaborate on the situation, saying it would be unfair to the other creative minds involved, who were unavailable for comment. He also said he didn’t want to focus on the weight he lost for the role of Arthur Fleck. During the press tour for the last film, he expressed regret for talking about it so much.
Gaga made a grand entrance at the Lido on Wednesday, several hours before the red carpet premiere. Fans and photographers crowded the docks outside the Excelsior Hotel, hoping to catch a glimpse of her arrival. She poked her head out of the private water taxi alongside Phillips and Phoenix as fans nearby chanted “Gaga! Gaga! Gaga!” in unison.
On the dock, she blew kisses to excited fans, signed several autographs and accepted flowers from an eager onlooker. She wore an elegant black Dior Haute Couture dress, a beret and sunglasses that perfectly accentuated her blonde hair.
In a festival program full of big Hollywood stars, including Angelina Jolie, George Clooney and Brad PittWith her talent for creating an unforgettable moment on the red carpet, Gaga is in a class of her own.
Six years ago, she made waves in the role of the movie star – and gave the festival some of the most famous images in recent history. Do you remember her perched atop the private water taxi in her black Jonathan Simkhai bustier dress, blowing kisses to fans and photographers? Or her stunning pale pink Valentino Couture dress with feathers, which looked even better against the rainy backdrop?
The reviews of the new film will be out in a few hours. They could determine the film’s development over the next few months and decide whether it will be another Oscar candidate or another billion-dollar box office hit.
The sequel to “Joker” is once again competing for the festival’s main prizes, including Pedro Almodóvar’s “The Room Next Door”,Luca Guadagnino’s “Queer”.“Maria” by Pablo Larraín And Halina Reijn’s “Babygirl”. The awards will be presented on the last day of the festival, September 7th.
“The hard part is that you feel like everyone is watching you,” Phillips said. “You’re just under a different kind of pressure.”
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Further coverage of the 2024 Venice Film Festival: https://apnews.com/hub/venice-film-festival
