A Single Man
Short description
A Single Man is set in Los Angeles in 1962, during the Cuban missile crisis. George Falconer is a British university professor in his early fifties who has been unable to move forward since the death of Jim, his partner of many years. Over the course of a single day, a series of encounters pushes him toward deciding whether his life still holds meaning. He finds comfort in Charley, an old and close friend who is herself uncertain about her own future, while a young student named Kenny becomes fixated on him, sensing a kindred spirit.
The film was directed by Tom Ford, who wrote the screenplay with David Scearce. It was his first feature as director, arriving seven years before his second, Nocturnal Animals. Colin Firth plays George, with Julianne Moore as Charley, Nicholas Hoult as Kenny and Matthew Goode as Jim. The production had a modest budget of about 7 million dollars and went on to take roughly 25 million worldwide, a strong return on its cost. On IMDb it holds 7.5/10 from around 122,000 votes, and on TMDB 7.3/10 from a much smaller pool of 1,710 votes. A critics' rating of 7.5/10 from 196 reviews places it in line with the general audience response.
What's left behind the scenes
- The film is based on Christopher Isherwood's novel “A Single Man” (1964).
- The house where the main character lives was built in 1949 by the renowned American architect John Lautner, whose creations had previously served as locations for Hollywood films.
- The directorial debut of the famous designer Tom Ford.
- The film was shot in 21 days.
- This is the first film that director Chris Weitz produces without his brother, Paul Weitz.
- Tom Ford said in an interview that the role of Kenny was initially given to a more famous actor, but he didn't show up for a meeting five days before filming without explanation. Then Ford remembered Nicholas Hoult, who had impressed him at the audition.
- A small role in the film was played by the famous Spanish male model and Tom Ford protégé, Jon Kortajarena, who portrayed a young homosexual prostitute with whom Colin Firth's character becomes acquainted.
- The voice of the man who calls George at the beginning of the film belongs to Jon Hamm.
- The role of George was initially offered to Colin Firth, but he declined due to a scheduling conflict. Due to a number of reasons, the film's shooting was postponed, and Firth was then able to participate in the project.
- Portrait artist Don Bacardi made a cameo appearance, as the lover of the novel's author, Christopher Isherwood, on which the film is based. He played an employee of the English department, and in that scene, Bacardi is wearing red socks that once belonged to Isherwood.
- Victoria Silvstedt auditioned for one of the roles.
- In Christopher Isherwood's novel, only the main character's first name, George, is known. From the original film script, we learn that his full name is George Carlisle Falconer. Carlisle is Tom Ford's middle name, Falconer is the surname of Tom Ford's first lover, illustrator Ian Falconer, and also the name of a sunglasses brand produced by Tom Ford's company.
- In class, George discusses Aldous Huxley's novel "Through Many a Summer Dies the Swan" (1939) with his students.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
