A BIGGER SPLASH
A FILM BY LUCA GUADAGNINO
AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL HD JUNE 20th
OUT TO OWN ON DVD & BLU-RAY
June 27th 2016
Starring Tilda Swinton, Ralph Fiennes Matthias Schoenaerts & Dakota Johnson
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STUDIOCANAL are delighted to announce the Home Entertainment release of A BIGGER SPASH, Luca Guadagnino’s lush, sun drenched feature follow-up to his Academy Award nominated I AM LOVE. Reuniting Luca with Tilda Swinton, the stylish erotic–thriller also stars Ralph Fiennes, Dakota Johnson and Matthias Schoenaerts in an immaculately cast quartet.
SYNOPSIS
Rock legend Marianne Lane (Tilda Swinton) is recuperating on the volcanic island of Pantelleria with her partner Paul (Matthias Schoenaerts) when iconoclast record producer and old flame Harry (Ralph Fiennes) unexpectedly arrives with his daughter Penelope (Dakota Johnson) and interrupts their holiday bringing with him an A-bomb blast of nostalgia from which there can be no rescue.
A BIGGER SPLASH is a sensuous portrait of desire, jealousy and rock and roll, under the Mediterranean sun.
A BIGGER SPLASH is a dazzling, sexually-charged psychological thriller from the director of I AM LOVE, again exploring the politics and dangers of desire and its consequences. Luca Guadagnino has crafted a film around themes of intense love, beauty and sexuality and a returning lover whose presence unearths the past of the lead characters and brings their most destructive tendencies to the surface. Inspired by Jacques Deray’s 1969 La Piscine (The Swimming Pool) and its story of suspense, sexual longing and jealousy, Guadagnino also takes inspiration from the thrillers of Patricia Highsmith and the raw energy of Martin Scorsese’s filmmaking. A BIGGER SPLASH is his vibrant portrait of the clash between the Rock and Roll world and the conservative, modern world taking its place.
Tilda Swinton, reuniting with Guadagnino for the third time in their twenty year partnership, brings an electrifying performance to the role of Marianne, a Bowie-like Rock star whose idyllic summer and new relationship is upended by the arrival of her former flame. Ralph Fiennes plays superbly against type as her ex – wild, coked-up record producer Harry, a force of nature unlike any role Fiennes has undertaken before. Completing the quartet are Matthias Schoenaerts as Paul, Marianne’s new lover whose brooding patience is repeatedly broken by Harry’s jibes until he cannot take any more, and Dakota Johnson as Penelope, Harry’s newly discovered daughter. Inheriting her father’s knack for manipulation Penelope makes her move on Paul while Harry closes in on Marianne, making a violent climax inevitable for at least one of the party.
Central to the film is the setting for the characters hot summer encounter – the volcanic island of Pantellaria, the natural drama of the landscape becoming essential to the atmosphere of the story. A spectacular and stunning island between Sicily and Tunisia, its visual force perfectly frames the dramatic conflict between the characters isolated there. The twin pillar to Pantellaria is to Guadagnino the music of The Rolling Stones, encapsulating the rock n roll world the characters are borne from. The character of Harry was crafted to the history of their music and the soundtrack features standout tracks from The Rolling Stones, Captain Beefheart, Harry Nilsson and St. Vincent, with a beautifully understated rendition of ‘Emotional Rescue’
Completing the exquisite collaborations that produced the film, the costumes for Tilda Swinton’s recuperating rock star were crafted by Raf Simons during his tenure at Dior, drawing inspiration from 50’s styles and Guadagnino’s love of Ingrid Bergman and the films of Rossellini.
A BIGGER SPLASH is the perfect feast for summer – an electrifying cast, a beautifully evocative setting, stunning visuals and a standout soundtrack along with waves of sexual tension. It arrives on Home Entertainment formats with carefully selected bonus material including deleted scenes, and production featurettes along with detailed directors commentary.
A BIGGER SPLASH – available to buy on DVD and Blu-ray from 27th June