The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
Short description
A group of British retirees decide to spend their later years in India, drawn by advertisements for a restored hotel called the Marigold and by the lower cost of living there. On arrival they find the building far short of the comfort and luxury promised, and the surrounding city presents its own difficulties. As they settle into their new circumstances, the shared experience gradually reshapes their lives and gives several of them a sense of purpose they had lost.
John Madden directed the film, the tenth of fourteen features he has made, following The Debt and preceding The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel. Ol Parker wrote the screenplay, and Graham Broadbent and Peter Czernin produced. The cast includes Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Dev Patel and Penelope Wilton, among thirty-two credited performers. It was made for about 10 million US dollars and took roughly 137 million worldwide, a strong return on its budget.
It is a comedy drama from the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates and the United States. On IMDb it holds 7.2 out of 10 from around 104,000 votes; on TMDB it has 7 out of 10 from about 1,500 votes, while a critics' rating stands at 6.6 out of 10 from 163 reviews, so audiences have rated it slightly higher than critics.
What's left behind the scenes
- For filming, the filmmakers chose the Rawla Khempur hotel. It is located in the small village of Khempur, 50 kilometers from the large city of Udaipur, in the state of Rajasthan. Formerly a royal palace, it was later converted into a hotel for tourists. The hotel owner, Rawla Khempur, was so pleased with the work of the decorators that he decided to leave all the rooms and premises in that condition for future guests.
- Peter O'Toole and Julie Christie were originally intended to play the roles of Norman and Madge.
- The film is an adaptation of the 2004 novel 'These Foolish Things' by British author Deborah Moggach. To coincide with the film's release in February 2012, the book was republished under the title 'The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.'
- In one of the film's scenes, the character played by Penelope Wilton reads the novel "Tulip Fever," which was also written by Deborah Moggach.
- Tom Wilkinson's character is named Graham Dashwood. Previously, Tom Wilkinson played Mr. Dashwood in the classic British adaptation of "Sense and Sensibility" (1995).
- Almost all of the lead actors, whose average age was 68, had never been to India before. The only exception was Celia Imrie, who had visited the country twenty years before the filming of the movie.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
