Wah-Wah

:"For the onomateopeic word, see Wah-wah".Infobox Film | name = Wah-Wah

---

caption = "Wah-Wah" promotional poster
director = Richard E. Grant
producer = Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar
Jeff Abberley
Pierre Kubel
writer = Richard E. Grant
starring = Nicholas Hoult
Gabriel Byrne
Emily Watson
Miranda Richardson
Julie Walters
music = Patrick Doyle
cinematography = Pierre Aim
editing = Isabelle Dedieu
distributor = Roadside Attractions
released =
runtime = 97 min.
language = English
budget = $7 million
imdb_id = 0419256

"Wah-Wah" is a 2005 drama film, written and directed by British actor Richard E. Grant, and loosely based on his childhood in Swaziland. Filmed and set in Swaziland, the film was premiered at the 2005 Toronto Film Festival, and also opened the Edinburgh Festival to critical acclaim. It received a gala screening at the East End Film Festival in London, and received a limited release in the United States on 5 May 2006.

Plot

With this semi-autobiographical tale of his childhood in Swaziland during the last days of the British Empire in Africa, Grant relates the story of Ralph Compton, whose family’s disintegration mirrors the end of British rule. After witnessing his mother's adultery with his father's best friend, Ralph must survive not only boarding school, but his beloved father's remarriage to Ruby, a fast-talking American airline stewardess, and his father's gradual descent into alcoholism.

History

Development & Pre-production

Grant initially wrote the film loosely based on his own childhood experiences after a screenwriter recommended he write a screenplay after reading his memoires of his "Withnail and I" experiences. The first meeting with a producer took place in 1999, and took almost seven years to complete. [ [http://www.richardegrant.com/viewtopic.php?t=84 Wah-Wah Interview - "I've had seven birthdays..."] ] Grant initially had trouble securing actors; Rachel Weisz, Toni Collette, Meg Ryan, Emmanuelle Béart, Ralph Fiennes and Jeremy Irons all turned down roles, and Julie Walters was eventually the first actor to be signed on. Grant intended for the part of Ralph to be played by two actors, but the casting director Celestia Fox insisted on one actor. During the casting sessions, Grant noticed the similarity between Zac Fox and Nicholas Hoult and persuaded Fox to cast them. The part of the father was meant to be younger, but all the actors were asked in that age range passed so an older actor (Gabriel Byrne) was chosen instead. After his original producer left the project after a career change, he was approached by Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar to produce the project, a decision he later came to regret.

Production & aftermath

The film was the first film to have ever been shot in Swaziland; indeed, at one point the government tried to charge them to film the scenery. The filming took place over about two months, and post-production took place in England and France. Many of the actors remember it as an enjoyable experience.

Wah-Wah received its premiere at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, and received a special Toronto Film Festival screening in September 2005. [ [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0419256/trivia Wah-Wah - IMDb Trivia] ] Grant also kept a diary of his experiences of the film, later published as a book ("The Wah-Wah Diaries"), which was met positively by the critics, many of whom were impressed at the honesty of the tale, especially in regard to his frictional relationship with the "inexperienced" producer MC (Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar). [ [http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wah-wah-Diaries-Making-Film/dp/0330441965 Amazon.co.uk - "The Wah-Wah Diaries"] ] [ [http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2006/may/06/biography.film The Guardian - Books - Wah-Wah Diaries review] ] [ [http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/books/reviews/paperbacks-the-wahwah-diaries-the-making-of-a-filmbr-the-brooklyn-folliesbr-you-dont-have-to-be-famous-to-have-manic-depressionbr-little-facebr-the-year-of-magical-thinking-br-arthur-and-george-416173.html The Independent - Books - Wah-Wah Diaries review] ] He mentioned in subsequent interviews that she was a "control freak out of control", and that he would "never see her again as long as [he] lives". [ [http://www.richardegrant.com/viewtopic.php?t=84 Richard E Grant - Wah-Wah interview] ] [ [http://www.richard-e-grant.com/Articles/TheSunHerald-30April2006.html The Sun Herald Interview - Wah-Wah] ] In a BBC interview, he again mentioned his "disastrous" relationship with MC, relating that he received 5 emails in the last two months of pre-production from her, and that she rarely turned up on the set at all and failed to obtain clearance firstly for song rights, and secondly to actually film in Swaziland (without the knowledge of Grant, who eventually was forced to meet the King of Swaziland to seek clemency). [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/check/filmnetwork/media/magazine/A12037583?size=16x9&bgc=C0C0C0&nbwm=1&bbwm=1&nbram=1&bbram=1 BBC Interview with Richard E. Grant - Stand Alone Player] ]

elected Cast & Crew

Cast

*Gabriel Byrne — Harry
*Miranda Richardson — Lauren
*Emily Watson — Ruby
*Nicholas Hoult — Ralph
*Zac Fox — Young Ralph
*Julie Walters — Gwen
*Celia Imrie — Lady Hardwick
*Julian Wadham — Charles
*Fenella Woolgar — June Broughton
*Sid Mitchell — Vernon

Crew

*Director - Richard E. Grant
*Producers - Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar, Pierre Kubel, Jeff Abberley
*South African Executive Producers - Joel Phiri, Jeremy Nathan, Ronnie Apteker
*Casting Director - Celestia Fox
*Costume Designer - Sheena Napier
*Production Designer - Gary Williamson
*Cinematographer - Pierre Aim
*Music Score - Patrick Doyle
*Editor - Isabelle Dedieu

Critical reception

"Wah-Wah" was generally met positively by critics. BBC Movies said it was "superbly performed and fluently shot", but lamented it's uninteresting subject. [ [http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2006/05/16/wah_wah_2006_review.shtml "BBC" Wah-Wah review] ] David Hughes of Empire magazine said that the film was "an unforced, engaging and surprisingly incisive account of the disintegration of British rule in Africa." [ [http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/wah_wah/?critic=creamcrop Wah-Wah at "Rotten Tomatoes"] ] Time Out noted that "Gabriel Byrne gives a great performance as Ralph’s troubled father, Harry, and Miranda Richardson and Emily Watson are enjoyable as Harry’s wife and American lover", Variety said that "above all, the film has a wonderful sense of ensemble in the portrayal of its inbred community, and the focus stays tight on the people rather than political events" and The Los Angeles Times said that "Grant opens up his life, not with embarrassment or explanation but with humanity and gratitude. Emotional, melodramatic and sentimental, the film unabashedly wears its heart on its sleeve, and is the better for it." [ [http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/wah_wah/?critic=creamcrop Wah-Wah at "Rotten Tomatoes"] ] Roger Ebert was less praising, noting that he "admired the movie and was happy to see it but can think of two other films about whites in Africa that do a better job of seeing their roles." [ [http://uk.rottentomatoes.com/m/wah_wah/?critic=creamcrop Wah-Wah at "Rotten Tomatoes"] ]

Box Office

Due to the films limited release, "Wah-Wah" earned about $234,750 in the US, and totalled around $2,846,148. [ [http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=wah-wah.htm "Box Office Mojo" - Wah-Wah] ] [ [http://www.movieweb.com/movies/film/55/3855/boxoffice/ Wah-Wah - "Movie Web"] ] [ [http://www.showbizdata.com/credits.cfm?mid=242678 "Show Biz Data" - Wah-Wah] ]

References

External links

*
* [http://www.wahwahmovie.co.uk Official Wah Wah Site (UK)]
* [http://www.abc.net.au/tv/enoughrope/transcripts/s1666103.htm Interview with Richard E Grant about the movie, from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's Enough Rope programme]