Back in March, I said that the
'only niggle I have with David Cronenberg's adaptation of Christopher Hampton's (Atonement) psychoanalytical play which deconstructs the relationship between Sigmund Freud and his pupil Karl Jung is the title itself; The Talking Cure. Since then, thankfully, the title has changed to the much more intriguing
A Dangerous Method. At this point, I'm betting on the movie being one of the best of 2011 and it's sure to be an awards season contender, though I am eagerly awaiting to see if it's been made as a commercial film (which it could easily be with this cast) or if it'll be the Cronenberg of
Dead Ringers fame, the one I prefer.
The Playlist yesterday posted a first look at
Viggo Mortensen (as Sigmund Freud) and
Michael Fassbender (as Karl Jung). We await our first look at
Keira Knightley, who is likely to be recieve top billing, as the beautiful, smart and seductive Russian-Jewish patient, Sabina Spielrein, who inspired both but eventually tore the close friends apart.
As you would expect from Cronenberg, much of the budget has probably gone on making the period feel as authentic as possible and Mortensen/Fassbender have scarily been morphed into their cerebral counterparts. We are particularly impressed by Mortensen's receding hairline and his eerily similar nose! Shooting has been underway for 2 months in Vienna, Zurich and Munich - and will continue to film up until the end of this month. Fassbender moves straight from Freud onto
his Magneto role for X-Men: First Class and possibly (unless schedules block it)
will film a role in Tinker, Tailor, Solider, Spy - which pretty much validates him as one of the more interesting up-and-comers working today. Cronenberg looks likely to make
Cosmopolis later this year, a limo set Brett Easton Ellis esque drama adaptation of Don DeLilllo's novel which will star
Colin Farrell and
Marion Cotillard - delaying a proposed
Eastern Promises sequel with Viggo Mortensen, which Steve Knight has written but in truth
could just as easy film this winter.