Elsinore, Andrew Scott's Charleson biopic, to open London film festival
The London film festival will open with Elsinore, a biopic starring Andrew Scott as Ian Charleson that revisits the actor's historic 1989 Hamlet performance and his impact on AIDS awareness.
Elsinore, a drama starring Andrew Scott as the late actor Ian Charleson, will open this year’s BFI London film festival. The European premiere takes place on 7 October at the Southbank Centre, just yards from the National Theatre where the film’s central events unfolded.
Directed by Simon Stone and written by Stephen Beresford, the film depicts the final months of Charleson’s life. In 1989, the actor, then 40 and terminally ill with AIDS, persuaded director Richard Eyre to let him reprise the title role in Hamlet. He took over the part after Daniel Day-Lewis abruptly left the production.
Charleson’s six-week run is widely regarded as one of the finest stage performances of the twentieth century. He concealed his deteriorating health, telling audiences his swollen face was due to a sinus operation rather than septicaemia. The day after his final performance, Ian McKellen refused his Evening Standard award and handed his statuette to Charleson instead.
Charleson died eight weeks after his final curtain. He was the first major British showbiz figure to request that AIDS be listed as the cause of death, a decision that significantly shifted public awareness of the condition across the country.
The production reunites Beresford and Scott 12 years after they worked together on Pride. The cast also features Olivia Colman as Charleson’s doctor, alongside Billie Piper, Johnny Flynn, Monica Dolan and Dickie Beau. David Dawson plays the filmmaker Derek Jarman, while Juliet Stevenson and Peter Mullan portray Charleson’s parents.
The film carries considerable awards momentum for the European industry. Scott’s portrayal has generated early Oscar buzz, with industry observers suggesting voters may look to reward the actor after his widely praised work in All of Us Strangers failed to secure Bafta or Academy nominations.
Following its predicted world premiere at Telluride and a gala screening in Toronto, Elsinore will open in US cinemas on 20 November and in the UK on 29 January. Kristy Matheson, the London film festival director, said: “Anchored by Andrew Scott’s astounding central performance, few films will leave a lasting imprint on audiences this year quite like Elsinore.”
