‘The New Look’: Apple TV+ explores Dior-Chanel rivalry with flair
Updated 22 February 2024
Gautaman Bhaskaran
CHENNAI: Apple TV+ offering “The New Look” features a lot style and sheen in the 10-part series as it explores the rivalry between Coco Chanel (Juliet Binoche) and Christian Dior (Ben Mendelsohn) in wartime France and later.
In one scene that encapsulates the friction between the pair, Chanel, who is trying to come back at the age of 70 after an eight-year exile, rages about Dior: “You think Dior is fashion? His designs are extravagant – I have no time for extravagance … the dress shouldn’t wear the woman, the woman should wear the dress.”
“Dior ruined French couture and I’m coming back to save it,” she says with great flourish.
“The New Look” is superbly fictionalized and created by Todd A. Kessler. It has less of a focus on fashion than one might expect and more screentime is dedicated to the tension that engulfs the two pioneers in the world of haute couture. We learn how Chanel and Dior survived the dark and depressing days of the war: There is even a full episode on how the Third Reich asked Chanel to carry a message to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, possibly to broker a peace accord. On the other hand, Dior played it cool and saved himself from brutal criticism by stating that he was merely carrying out the orders of his boss, Lucien Lelong (John Malkovich with an amusing wig).
The work is well-paced, exciting and lovely to look at. The gowns are simply divine and the colors magnificently lush while the performances are first class. Binoche conveys the acidity and wit of Chanel, and Mendelsohn carefully treads the line trying to make Dior a gentleman, soft spoken, cultured and exceedingly well mannered. The script though is not couture, not quite, but it is still a pleasure to watch.
Dutch Moroccan DJ and producer R3hab promises Saudi gig
Updated 01 October 2024
Shyama Krishna Kumar
DUBAI: Dutch Moroccan DJ and record producer R3hab plans to return to Saudi Arabia before the end of the year, he told Arab News, hot on the heels of a busy six-month period during which he has hit the decks in Finland, China, Spain and beyond.
The DJ, who took to the stage at the E-Sports World Cup in Riyadh alongside Wiz Khalifa this summer, said in an interview with Arab News. “I’ve been to Riyadh many times, the energy of the city is unique. I really love performing in Saudi Arabia, the crowd energy is something else,” he said.
Asked if his Saudi fans will get to see him again soon, R3hab said: “All I can say is I’ll be back in Saudi before the end of the year and I can’t wait to play all the unreleased music I’ve been working on in the last months.”
R3hab’s love story with the Kingdom does not end there. He shot a music video for his track “Run Till Dark” at the historic city of AlUla.
“The ‘Run Till Dark’ shoot was exceptional. AlUla has so much history and we shot in some amazing locations. One that I won’t forget is Gharameel — this is a stunning desert reserve with beautiful natural stone pillars unlike anywhere else in the world. We were lucky to be the first film featuring this incredible site,” he said.
Last month, R3hab released two singles, each a collaborative effort.
On his track “Gozalo” with Deorro, he said: “It’s been 10 years since Deorro and I produced our hit ‘Flashlight.’ We thought it’s time to get in the studio together again and combine his Latin influence with my energetic vision.”
And on his more recent release, “All Night,” a collaboration with Sophie and the Giants, he praised the artist’s vocal talent and shed light on the track’s pop influences.
“Sophie’s voice stands out and I wanted to work with her on a record since I heard ‘Hypnotized.’ ‘All Night’ is a party anthem to keep us all dancing towards the end of the summer, it has a retro influence with a dance-pop touch.”
The second half of the year has been as busy as the first for the jet-setting producer with appearances at Dreambeach Festival (Spain), WKND Festival (Finland), Unseen Festival (Thailand), Smukfest (Denmark), Ministry of Sound (UK), Mysteryland (The Netherlands), EDC China and the Mega DJ Festival (South Korea).
“Touring can get very intense, so I take special care to recover, exercise and eat well on tour. The motivation is simple — the people. Connecting with the crowd every time I go on stage is a very rewarding feeling and my main drive,” he said.
London plays host to rousing ‘Marvels of Saudi Orchestra’ performance
With unique Saudi flair, the performers showcased a rich repertoire that intertwined Saudi and British musical traditions
Updated 29 September 2024
ANAN TELLO
LONDON: The Saudi National Orchestra and Choir, in partnership with the UK’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, delivered a rousing performance at London’s Central Hall Westminster on Saturday night as part of the “Marvels of Saudi Orchestra” concert tour.
With unique Saudi flair, the performers showcased a rich repertoire that intertwined Saudi and British musical traditions.
In his opening remark, the CEO of the Saudi Music Commission, Paul Pacifico, said: “The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is in the midst of an unprecedented program of social, cultural and economic transformation under Vision 2030.
“Music has a very special role to play in that transformation,” he continued. “Music’s ability to develop skills and to provide platforms for cultural and artistic expressions, as well as routes to sustainable economic development and social mobility, is at the heart of our work in the Saudi Music Commission.”
He added: “Through this concert, we strive to present some of the most iconic Saudi songs to a global audience, while inspiring the audience back home, who can take pride in seeing this music performed on one of the great stages of the world for the first time.”
English mezzo-soprano Sarah Connolly also performed a song in Arabic — from the first-ever Saudi opera, “Zarqa Al-Yamama” — which had its world premiere in Riyadh this year.
Pacifico expressed hope that the event would promote cultural exchange and strengthen human connections, highlighting that “for that reason, coming to this venue is especially resonant.
“It was in this very room on the 10th of January, 1946, that the first meeting took place at the United Nations General Assembly,” He explained. “Then and now, our aim is to bring people from different cultures together to foster greater mutual understanding.”
The first segment of the two-hour concert boasted arrangements by the Saudi National Orchestra led by maestro Reaab Ahmed and accompanied by dance performances. The repertoire included iconic Saudi singer Mohammed Abdu’s “Ana Min Hal-Ard,” “Hna Talabna Allah,” “Ismahili Ya Al-Gharam,” and Adele’s hit “Rolling in the Deep” to name a few.
British maestro Benjamin Pope and Connolly of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performed the second part of the program. It featured “Crown Imperial,” “Pomp and Circumstance March No. 4,” “Zadok the Priest,” and a scene from the opera “Zarqa Al-Yamama.”
The evening concluded with a medley of Saudi tunes and Rashed Almajed’s hit “Ashiginak,” conducted by Hany Farahat.
REVIEW: ‘His Three Daughters’ is a gloriously bumpy ride
Though it starts off on the pretentious side, this New York City-set drama comes good in the end
Updated 28 September 2024
Matt Ross
LONDON: Viewers beware: the first two thirds of Netflix’s “His Three Daughters” is a Very Serious Film full of Very Serious Acting from a trio of Very Gifted Actors.
This tense, claustrophobic family drama tells the story of Katie, Christina and Rachel — played by Carrie Coon, Elizabeth Olsen and Natasha Lyonne, respectively — who return to the family home to look after their ailing father during his last days, butting heads on everything from groceries to life choices.
And writer-director Azazel Jacobs wants us all to know just how Very Serious it all is — so he has his cast speak and move like very accomplished thespians straight out of a critically lauded stage play.
So we learn all about the three women and their relationships with each other, and their father, from wildly gesticulated one-sided phone conversations, impassioned exposition dumps, and spectacularly articulate jibes they launch at one another.
“His Three Daughters” is on Netflix. (Supplied)
But it is the last third of the movie, when the three women must deal with the inevitable, that this goes from being a Very Serious Film to an actually great one.
Coon, Olsen and Lyonne all lean into the slightly caricatured roles they have established thus far, and all of a sudden, “His Three Daughters” becomes a sweet, heartbreaking, bitterly acerbic and wonderfully nuanced examination of an ever-shifting family dynamic that is more layered and relatable than the first hour of runtime ever hinted at.
Coon and Olsen make for good extremist foils — they sit at differing ends of the sister spectrum, one serious and efficient, the other laidback and irritatingly holistic.
But it is Lyonne’s Rachel who really makes the final act sing, bursting with approachable spikiness and disarming wit, all while visibly trying to keep it together while her world falls apart.
Jacobs has opted to shoot the movie on film, in a real location, both of which give “His Three Daughters” a visceral, lived-in feel that only adds to that sense of claustrophobic, sinking dread that their father’s life is coming to an end.
Forgive this movie its overwrought first hour and settle in for a final act that is as good as anything else that has been released this year.
Palestinian-Chilean artist Elyanna will open for the band.
The 22-year-old has been a frequent collaborator of the group this year, joining the band on stage at their Glastonbury set. Last week, she released the Arabic edition of the band's new song “We Pray.” On Saturday, she performed with Coldplay in Las Vegas.
Promoters Live Nation Middle East confirmed Abu Dhabi will be the only stop in the region for the band.
Arthouse cinema opening soon in the heart of Saudi Arabia
Faisal Baltyuor discusses the launch of his passion project, Cinehouse
Updated 26 September 2024
Jasmine Bager
RIYADH: “I created Cinehouse because I wanted it for myself,” Saudi film producer Faisal Baltyuor tells Arab News from his headquarters in Riyadh. In October, Baltyuor is opening what he’s billing as the first arthouse cinema in the Kingdom.
Baltyuor — a film buff hailing from the Eastern Province — has been involved in some of Saudi Arabia’s most successful titles, including critically-acclaimed Netflix hits. But Cinehouse is more than just a business venture; it’s a passion project, designed to foster the kind of creative and immersive environment he himself would want to experience.
“Having it in Riyadh, the capital and the heart of the country, was important,” Baltyuor states. His focus, he says, is on building a thriving hub for filmmakers, and making it a go-to destination for those “coming from anywhere in Riyadh — even from the airport.”
Cinehouse’s first screening will be a never-before-publicly-shown 1975 documentary, “Development of Riyadh City,” by Saudi director Abdullah Al-Muheisen. To screen a documentary about Riyadh in Riyadh was a deliberate choice on Baltyuor’s part.
Hiring and nurturing Saudi talent is also a key pillar of the Cinehouse vision. The venue has committed to supporting local professionals across various roles from cinema staff to truly understanding the distinct Saudi audience, in order to ensure that Cinehouse remains a space where local talent is both celebrated and developed.
“We wanted to create a place that feels like home, while showcasing the best of Saudi talent in both cinema and dining,” Baltyuor says. It’s all in the name. But, he adds, “It’s not just putting a chair and watching a movie.” It is, quite literally, about the bigger picture.
Cinehouse is equipped with three screening rooms, all designed to provide an intimate setting. The Dolby Atmos sound system in each is state-of-the-art. In addition to the high-end cinematic environment, Cinehouse features a menu created by a Saudi chef.
“We’re creating a space where people feel like they belong,” Baltyuor says.
Baltyuor has a team of five trusted members who will select the films to be screened each month. Cinehouse will always include a local Saudi and Middle Eastern entry as well as top films from around the world. October’s films include Jonathan Glazer’s “The Zone of Interest,” Ryoo Seung-wan’s “The Executioner,” Aki Karuismaki’s “Fallen Leaves,” and Yemeni director Amr Gamal’s “The Burdened.”
FAISAL BALTYUOR’S FIVE MUST-SEE MOVIES
‘The Godfather’
I don't think there’s a single person who doesn't know how the great director Frances Ford Coppola, with this film, influenced lovers of artistic cinema — to the point that it turned into a cinematic icon that was, and still is, high up the lists of the best films in history.
‘The Shawshank Redemption’
What I love most about this cinematic masterpiece is that it’s an ordinary story about hope, which the little-known director Frank Darabont transformed into a great film. Could Stephen King have imagined, when he wrote “Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption,” what it would become? I don't know. But, as Andy Dufresne says: “Remember, Red, hope is a good thing. Maybe the best of things, and no good thing ever dies.”
‘Inception’
Christopher Nolan’s visual world — which revolves around memory, mind and the nature of the human psyche — always aims to explore topics within the framework of a social-philosophical plot in an attempt to reach the truth of man, time and identity in an artistic way. In this film, he took inspiration from the architectural compositions of the works of the Dutch artist M. C. Escher.
‘Past Lives’
In South Korean culture, the concept of In-Yun is one similar to fate, which suggests that nothing is coincidental and every single meeting is mainly the result of meetings that happened in previous lives. That’s what’s at the heart of Celine Song’s romantic drama.
‘Ratatouille’
This is a must-see because Pixar, and even Walt Disney Pictures, have not yet produced a better film than this animation in all its aspects — the story, the imagery, the technology, and the acoustics.
