May 25, 2012

Susan Minot

by MovieMaker Staff | Published June 17, 2007

She may have only written two screenplays, but Susan Minot is an experienced writer, with six popular books to her name. The first, Monkeys, received the Prix Femina Etranger in France in 1987 and established her writing abilities early on. From there came fans that included Bernardo Bertolucci, who personally invited her to develop a script based on his own story. The result: 1994â€(tm)s Stealing Beauty. Now in cooperation with fellow novelist/screenwriter Michael Cunningham (The Hours), Minot presents her audience with another aspect of family dynamics in Evening, out from Focus Features on June 29.

Making use of some of cinemaâ€(tm)s living lady legends, Evening depicts Ann Grant (played in two time periods by Claire Danes and Vanessa Redgrave), a dying older woman, reliving the memorable moments of her lifeâ€"particularly one Maine vacation when attending her friendâ€(tm)s wedding. “In the 1950s, Ann Grant has her moment,” explains director Lajos Koltai. “Itâ€(tm)s something that she keeps with her always, though her perspective on it has changed over the course of her life and changes for good during the course of the story, as it applies to her daughters.”

Like many of Minot’s stories, Evening takes note of the special relationships between women and the strong roles they play in each otherâ€(tm)s life. Thankfully for many, this translated on screen as well. “The casting process on Evening was the most exciting experience of my career,” gushes producer Jeff Sharp. “There were a number of wonderful roles, especially for actresses, but all the parts had been scripted with great detail and love.”

Drawing in talent like Meryl Streep, Glenn Close, Toni Collette and Natasha Richardson, Evening is one more momentous notch on this New Englanderâ€(tm)s belt.

Read more about Minot and her Evening cast and crew at www.focusfeatures.com/evening.

SOUND OFF: Eveningâ€(tm)s list of accomplished actresses and actors is long. What is the best ensemble of actresses and/or actors seen on screen thus far in cinema history?