|
"La La Land," a musical contemporary tale of star-crossed
lovers chasing their dreams in Hollywood and starring Emma Stone
and Ryan Gosling, received a standing ovation at its premiere
Tuesday night.
"It's a great story and they're great engaging characters and
the music kind of aids in that," Gosling, who plays a tortured
jazz pianist, told Reuters on the red carpet. He added that he
didn't think viewers had to like musicals to enjoy the film.
Stone, who plays an aspiring actress, said "I learned to tap and
ballroom dance and sing live on camera, which was pretty
insane."
"La La Land" is the second feature film from writer-director
Damien Chazelle, 31. His first film "Whiplash," an intense study
of a jazz drummer's quest to perfection, won three Oscars.
"I love the old Hollywood musicals, as you can see, but I really
have a fondness for the French answers to those musicals,"
Chazelle told the audience and a short question-and-answer
session after the screening.
"I wanted to do a musical, but really ground it in real life and
invest it with stuff that felt messier and real," Chazelle said.
"La La Land" has already been drumming up awards buzz. Critics
have praised the performances and the intricate, colorful, love
letter to a bygone era of movies.
The film follows the two leads as their lives converge in poetic
chaos while they try to make their respective dreams come true,
even as they fall in love.
"Every character has to negotiate the balance between dreams and
reality," Chazelle said. "These two will always be the perfect
lovers to me."
(Editing by Alan Crosby)
[© 2016 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2016 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
 |
|
