The Lady
![Watch film The Lady — The Lady (2012) - Official Trailer [HD]](https://www.acmodasi.in/amdb/images/posters/4/5/nk0GQ4ASzKqU.webp)
Short description
The Lady tells the story of Aung San Suu Kyi, who returns to Burma to care for her ill mother and is drawn into the country's democracy movement. Her decision to lead the opposition to military rule comes at a personal cost, as she is separated from her husband, the British scholar Michael Aris, and their children, who remain in England. The film follows both her political commitment and the marriage that endured years of distance and her long detention.
Luc Besson directed the film, the thirteenth of the twenty features he has directed in chronological order, arriving between Arthur 3: The War of the Two Worlds and The Family. Rebecca Frayn wrote the screenplay, and Besson produced with Andy Harries and Virginie Besson-Silla. Michelle Yeoh plays Aung San Suu Kyi, David Thewlis plays Michael Aris, and the cast includes Jonathan Raggett, Jonathan Woodhouse, Benedict Wong and Susan Wooldridge, with 46 credited performers in all.
Produced in the United Kingdom and France by companies including EuropaCorp, Canal+ and France 2 Cinéma, the film had a budget of about 23 million dollars and took roughly 8 million dollars worldwide. On IMDb it holds 7 out of 10 from around 12,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.8 out of 10 from about 267 votes, while the critics' rating stands at 5.2 out of 10 from 71 reviews, lower than the audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Rebecca Frain worked on the film's screenplay for three years. Communication with key figures from Aung San Suu Kyi's inner circle allowed her to recreate the true story of Burma's national heroine for the first time.
- At one point, Giuseppe Tornatore was considered as the film's director.
- Michelle Yeoh used her free time to visit Aung San Suu Kyi. She later said it felt like visiting a beloved family member. When they discussed the film, the actress felt as if she was still on set, as Luc Besson had copied the house very accurately. On June 22, 2011, Yeoh wanted to visit Suu Kyi for a second time, but was expelled from Myanmar. However, Luc Besson was allowed to meet the heroine of his film. She said she would be embarrassed watching it, but nevertheless requested a copy.
- Rebecca Frain personally interviewed many people close to Suu Kyi to write a screenplay based on factual accounts. While some agreed to give interviews only on condition of anonymity, Suu Kyi's brother-in-law, Anthony Aires, openly admired her work.
- Michelle Yeoh reviewed approximately 200 hours of audiovisual material about Aung San Suu Kyi and took lessons in the Burmese language in order to portray the role as accurately as possible. Her talent for language learning is evident when she delivers Suu Kyi’s historical speech in Burmese in the film. The actress also improved her piano skills. Despite always being petite and slender, Michelle Yeoh lost a noticeable amount of weight to more accurately embody the image of Aung San Suu Kyi on screen.
- Michelle Yeoh’s character's costumes are traditional Burmese clothing made from silk and cotton.
- Under the direction of Luc Besson, his team strived for maximum accuracy. When constructing a replica of Suu Kyi’s house, they even took into account the cardinal directions so that viewers would see the sunrise as the real homeowner did. Based on satellite images and approximately 200 family photographs, they built an exact, 1:1 scale model of the house. Luc Besson himself traveled to Myanmar, scouted the location, and conducted covert filming.
- To achieve maximum authenticity, the director hired a large number of Burmese actors for both important roles and as extras. Some of them recreated their own memories on screen. Several times filming had to be suspended because Michelle Yeoh’s speeches (in Burmese) caused emotional outbursts among extras who had been present during the real speeches by Suu Kyi.
- Aung San Suu Kyi’s apartment was recreated in a film studio, but there are several scenes in the film that were shot in front of the actual house.
- Scenes depicting Michael Airis dying of cancer were filmed in a real hospital.
- During filming, the movie had a working title of "Dans la Lumiere" ("In the Light").
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
