Father/Daughter Relationships (Broken Feature)
This Friday will see the release of Rufus Norris Award winning British Independent drama Broken will hit the UK Cinemas.the UK indie which boasts a strong cast of Tim Roth, Cillian Murphy as well a fantastic debut performance from Eloise Laurence in a film thatslooks like it’ll deliver on the dramatics with hints of something very dark lurking under the serene face British suburbia. To Celebrate Broken’s upcoming cinema release we have a look at some of film’s father/daughter releationships which is central to the upcoming film.
Broken (2013)
The father-daughter relationship between Eloise Laurence’s Skunk and Tim Roth’s Archie in Broken is central to the film’s ensemble, and is one of the main things to be taken away from the film-going experience. Amongst the drama that occurs on a cul-de-sac in North London, Rufus Norris takes time to showcase some standout scenes where Laurence and Roth’s on-screen chemistry warms the heart – perhaps why 11-year-old Laurence gained nominations for Best Newcomer both at the London Film Festival and British Independent Film Awards. BROKEN is in UK cinemas 8 March. Official Facebook page: www.facebook.com/Broken.official.uk
It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)
A much-loved classic often present in people’s favourite film lists, Frank Capra’s Christmas drama It’s a Wonderful Life stars James Stewart as down-on-his-luck George Bailey, a man who is drawn to contemplating suicide on Christmas Eve forcing his guardian angel Clarence to intervene and show him the way. Perhaps not remembered for Bailey’s relationship with daughter Zuzu (Karolyn Grimes, aged 6,) the film ends in a perfect cadence with Bailey holding his daughter in his arms. As a bell rings, it is Zuzu who reminds us “Everytime a bell rings, an angel gets his wings”; a wonderful father-daughter scene.
Father of the Bride (1950/1991)
Spencer Tracy plays the titular father of Elizabeth Taylor’s bride in the 1950 original, a comedy about a man attempting to deal with the preparations of his daughter’s upcoming wedding. The witty set-pieces, played so well by Tracy and Taylor, successfully encapsulate what a father’s love for his daughter means. The film received the remake treatment in 1991 with success – Steve Martin taking on the role as father, and Kimberly Williams starring as his daughter.
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Mary Badham is Scout; Gregory Peck is Atticus Finch. And so it is, perhaps literature’s most well-conceived father-daughter relationship comes to life in director Robert Mulligan’s adaptation of Harper Lee’s classic. Their relationship on-screen was so effective that it became synonymous with the actor’s lives; Badham became close friends with Peck, calling him ‘Atticus’ right up until the actor’s death in 2003.
Paper Moon (1973)
Paper Moon pairs the real-life father and daughter duo of Ryan and Tatum O’Neal as Moze and Addie, a con-man and a 9-year old orphan who may or may not be father and daughter. Director Peter Bogdanoivch was the guy behind this decision, one that proves to be the film-clincher.
True Lies (1994)
James Cameron’s action spy film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger as Harry Tasker, a covert spy living a double life unbeknownst to loving wife Jamie Lee Curtis and daughter Eliza Dushku. Through his interactions with his family, the audience gain the insight that Harry simply strives to protect his family – especially daughter Dana. When she is abducted by a dangerous militant, his double life becomes clear when he does everything in his power to protect her. It is in these scenes we glimpse Dana’s action abilities – like father, like daughter, without either realising it.
Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
A story of a family who must venture cross-country to get their daughter to the finals of a beauty pageant has several memorable characters and equally as entertaining set-pieces. Abigail Breslin is the 10-year-old Oscar nominee, with Greg Kinnear delivering an impressive performance as her father who stops at nothing to ensure his daughter realises her dreams. It is for this fact alone that Little Miss Sunshine deserves a placement on this list.
Taken (2008)
Liam Neeson’s Bryan Mills launches into action when his daughter kim (Maggie Grace) is abducted in France, redefining the actor as an action star. Bryan is working as a bodyguard, divorced from Kim’s mother, and we are shown how much his daughter means to him in the veents leading up to the abduction. It is down to these sown seeds that we believe Neeson would punch, shoot and electrocute his way to finding his daughter… Now that’s fatherly love. Taken 2 followed in 2012.
Kick-Ass (2010)
Not so much a heart-warming father and daughter relationship, but a strange one: Nicolas Cage and Chloë Moretz are the Macready’s AKA Big Daddy and Hit-Girl, superhero crime-fighters by night. Daddy Macready has raised his little girl as what is essentially an assassin, who is a dab at hand at flicking pocket knives and knows her John Woo trivia. These two may be ultra-violent and spew swear words regularly, but you never doubt the love – and moreover, the respect – they have for each other.
Beasts of the Southern Wild (2012)
At the centre of Benh Zeitlin’s charming debut gem is an unconventional, but mesmerizingly-played father and daughter relationship. Quvenzhané Wallis is the 6-year old Hushpuppy, who relies on her father Wink, played with lovingly-delivered abrasiveness by Dwight Henry. Separated from civilization, they live in a bayou community where Hushpuppy’s path towards the enlightenment of love is sparked by her touching relationship with Wink, despite his attempts to help solidify Hushpuppy’s independence amidst his ailing health.
Broken will be released in UK cinemas from Friday 8th March.(watch trailer here)
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