More on Rickman’s “A Little Chaos”

As reported previously, Alan Rickman was relieved to begin a new post-Potter project called A Little Chaos. The New Zealand Herald has reported more from Rickman on his new project:

“I wasn’t free until now because I started doing Harry Potter and when I started there were only three books written so I didn’t know I was going to be unable [to direct],” he said. “Because if you’re going to direct a film it’s over a year of your life and I didn’t have that. So once I had finished with that series of films I was free and then along came this wonderful script.

“There is a Versailles, there was a Louis XIV but there was certainly never a woman landscape gardener and in a way that’s the point of the film – what does it look like to have a woman with a job in a world that was completely dominated by men? It’s a fantasy really.”

While the Rickman/Winslet combo seems a likely one to attract audiences, Rickman says it wasn’t actually easy to get this film off the ground – perhaps because none of the characters have a super power nor do they wear a catsuit.

Instead, the men in this film wear ostentatious 17th century wigs and the women wear overflowing, bosom-baring gowns.

“It’s difficult these days to make a film like that, to finance it. It’s all right if it’s a long series on television, but the movies as we know are full of comic books and superheroes. You’ve got to fight hard,” Rickman says.

“But people always needs to be told a story. It’s patronising to people to think that they just want bubblegum with the bubblegum.”

A Little Chaos centres on Winslet’s character, Sabine De Barra, a landscape designer who has been hired by Louis XIV’s landscape artist Andre Le Notre.

It’s a character driven piece that focuses on a love story developing between De Barra and Le Notre, played by Matthias Schoenaerts (Rust and Bone, The Drop).

Rickman is confident people who go to see the film will become immersed in the story thanks to Winslet.

“It’s an extraordinary experience to have worked with somebody when they’re 19 and then to revisit a working relationship when she’s 37, and with kids and life history,” Rickman said of Winslet, who was drawn to the feminist film.

“It’s definitely feminist. It’s written by a woman [Alison Deegan] and it’s a set in a world where men dominated and women are decorative objects so that’s another reason for Kate wanting to be involved,” he said.

In other words, it’s set in a time where Kate Winslet’s character couldn’t possibly exist – she’s a single, independent, self-made gardener.

At one point in the film, De Barra stands up for a group of other women and Rickman says he’s surprised by how many men are moved by the scene.

“It’s not like it’s tubthumping (the feminist message), but it’s in there,” he said.

Rickman is also in there, playing a convincing Louis XIV and he says he has now returned to the “day job” of acting.

Although he hasn’t quite finished with his directorial duties on A Little Chaos just yet.
“It takes a long time to shrug a film off that you’ve directed,” he said.

However, this is one film he doesn’t mind living with a little while longer.

“It’s OK because I’m proud of it and I’m proud of the work that everybody did in it, so it’s like you’re holding up the flag for a different kind of story telling.”

Rickman may be best known to older fans as sadistic terrorist Hans Gruber in Die Hard, or the villainous Sheriff of Nottingham in Robin Hood: Prince Of Thieves.

Despite his recent turn as the morally ambiguous Snape in the Potter films, Rickman dismisses a suggestion he is best known for playing bad guys.

“I’m not particularly known for it, except maybe 25 years ago.”

Louis XIV was known as the Sun King and his reign is associated with opulent architecture, aggressive French expansionism and a ruthless bid to extend his family rule to Spain.

However, Rickman insists his Louis is not a bad guy, simply “somebody trapped by his birth”.

“I think if you’re called Louis XIV you didn’t have much choice in the matter.”