ARTSETC.
College group brings Hollywood screening to campus
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by Jon Wirt
Thursday, September 22, 2005
It is not often that Madison screens an A-list Hollywood movie a full month before its theatrical release, but senior Jonathan Kichaven proved that even students can influence top movie studio executives. Head of the Jewish Cultural Collective film committee, Kichaven acquired the film, "Everything is Illuminated," for an advanced screening because he believed by showing a major Hollywood movie, he would be able to broaden the film committee's audience, and for that matter, the influence of the Jewish Cultural Collective and Hillel.
"I wanted to present something that had Jewish content, but was also mainstream," said Kichaven. "Trying to find something that is interesting to a mass audience is difficult. I was really trying to think outside the box for movies that we could show, and this one seemed perfect."
Kichaven read "Everything is Illuminated" in a Jewish literature class here at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Upon learning that the book was being developed into a movie, Kichaven contacted Village Roadshow Pictures, a production company whom he interned for two summers ago. Village Roadshow Pictures co-finances films with Warner Brothers, the studio producing "Everything is Illuminated."
"I explained to Warner Independent that I belonged to a non-profit organization and I would screen the movie for college students," said Kichaven. "I told them that this movie was perfect because it was mainstream with a big-named star and showcases particularly poignant Jewish motifs. They seemed hesitant at first, but eventually they agreed to the screening."
Kichaven hopes that by showing this movie he will be able to attract not only the active Hillel members, but Madison's more secular crowd as well.
"Everything is Illuminated" follows Jonathan Safran Foer, a fictional character with the same name as the author of the original book. Safran Foer is an obvious oddball who dubs himself as a "collector." By collecting tangible family heirlooms, Safran Foer believes he can physically preserve the past instead of letting it fade away. Deciding it is his duty, he travels to the Ukraine in order to track down a woman who he believes saved his grandfather from the Nazis in World War II. Safran Foer bases this knowledge on a picture found in his large "collection." Paired with Alex (first-timer, Eugene Hutz), a zany Ukrainian translator, a fake blind driver and a ferocious dog, Safran Foer delves into an alien world full of cultural stereotypes only to discover the truth about his family's past.
First-time director Liev Schreiber said he cast Elijah Wood for "Everything is Illuminated," because Wood had the most descriptive eyes in Hollywood. It is stereotypically thought that the eyes are the window to one's soul; in Wood's case, the eyes serve as a conduit for his emphatic emotions and inner-struggles. Wood's character, Jonathan Safran Foer, sports drab clothing and coke-bottle glasses, thus magnifying the appearance and the importance of his eyes. Every squint and glance, every scowl and glare is enhanced, making the character of Safran Foer dynamic and real.
Schreiber said he chose this movie to be his directorial debut because he relates so well with the character. Before Safran Foer even published the book, Schreiber read an excerpt of it in The New Yorker, and felt an immediate bond with the character. Schreiber made the decision to not follow the book exactly, and instead use it as a launching pad for his own creative expression. Schreiber did not want to make a direct transfer from one medium to the next, but rather, an adaptation.
This screening will not be the last for the Jewish Cultural Collective, promises Kichaven.
"Everyone should look forward to another screening this spring, 'Everything is Illuminated,'" is just the beginning," Kichaven said.
"Everything is Illuminated" is screening at 4070 Vilas Hall tonight at 8:30 p.m. For ticket information, contact Hillel.
