The City of Your Final Destination

The City of Your Final Destination
The City of Your Final Destination
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	James Ivory
Screenplay by	Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Based on	The City of Your Final Destination; by Peter Cameron
Produced by	Paul Bradley; Pierre Proner;
Starring	Anthony Hopkins; Laura Linney; Charlotte Gainsbourg; Norma Aleandro; Alexandra Maria Lara; Omar Metwally; Hiroyuki Sanada;
Cinematography	Javier Aguirresarobe
Edited by	John David Allen
Music by	Jorge Drexler
Production; companies	Hyde Park International; Merchant Ivory Productions;
Distributed by	Screen Media Films
Release dates	March 21, 2009 (Golden State Film Festival); April 16, 2010 (United States);
Running time	118 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$8.3 million
Box office	$1.4 million

The City of Your Final Destination is a 2009 American romantic drama film directed by James Ivory and starring Anthony Hopkins, Laura Linney, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Omar Metwally, Hiroyuki Sanada and Norma Aleandro. It was written by Ruth Prawer Jhabvala and based on the eponymous novel by Peter Cameron.

The film is the first Merchant Ivory film production without the participation of producer Ismail Merchant and composer Richard Robbins. As of 2024, it is also the last narrative feature film directed by Ivory to date.

Synopsis

Graduate student Omar Razaghi (Omar Metwally) wishes to write a biography on obscure writer Jules Gund, who died years before. Omar must travel to Uruguay to persuade the Gund family to authorize the biography.

Cast

Omar Metwally as Omar Razaghi
Anthony Hopkins as Adam Gund
- Nicholas Blandullo as Young Adam
Alexandra Maria Lara as Deirdre Rothemund (Deirdre MacArthur in the novel)
Charlotte Gainsbourg as Arden Langdon
Laura Linney as Caroline Gund
Norma Aleandro as Mrs. Van Euwen
Ambar Mallman as Portia Gund
Norma Argentina as Alma
Hector Fonseca as Old Gaucho
Hiroyuki Sanada as Pete
Julieta Vallina as Schoolbus Lady
Sofia Viruboff as Adam's Mother
James Martin as Postman
Oscar Rolleri as Young Gaucho
Arturo Goetz as Mrs. Van Euwen's Guest
Marcos Montes as Mrs. Van Euwen's Guest
Sophie Tirouflet as Mrs. Van Euwen's Guest
Luciano Suardi as Doctor Pereira
Carlos Torres as Barber
Pietro Gian as Taxi Driver
Julia Perez as Nurse
Yuri Vergeichikov as Luis, the Driver
Agustín Pereyra Lucena as Guitarist
Pablo Druker as Conductor
Eliot Mathews as Deirdre's Escort
Andrew Sanders as Caroline's Escort
Jonatan Nahuel Ingla as Gaucho
Nicolás Zalazar as young student
Susana Salerno as Helpful Person at the Bus Depot
César Bordón as Helpful Person at the Bus Depot
Diego Velazquez as Helpful Person at the Bus Depot
Rossana Gabbiano as Helpful Person at the Bus Depot

The cast had the participation of local actors and citizens who officiated as extras.

Production

Setting

Most of the story in the novel takes place in a small town in Uruguay. The novel's beginning chapter takes place in Lawrence, Kansas, where the protagonist is a graduate student at the University of Kansas. The story ends at the New York City Opera Hall.

Locations

Most of the filming took place in two ranches located in the coastal area of the Punta Indio district, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Some scenes were filmed in the district's head city Veronica. Other scenes were filmed on the University of Colorado Campus in Boulder.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack contains the following music:

"J'ai perdu mon Eurydice" (from "Orphée et Eurydice"), performed by Anthony Roth Costanzo, composer Christoph Willibald Gluck.
"Venetian Medley", composed and performed by Anthony Hopkins.
"Dos Palomitas", performed by Charlotte Gainsbourg & Ambar Mallman, traditional popular song from Argentina.
"The Merry Widow, Second Act: No.7 Introduction. Tanz und Vilja-Lied", performed by Cheryl Studer and Chorus, composer Franz Lehár, Deutsche Grammophon.
"Sonata for violin and piano (1943), Intermezzo. Tres lent et calme", performed by The Nash Ensemble, composer Francis Poulenc, Hyperion Records.
"Sambaden", composed and performed by Agustín Pereyra Lucena.
"Sonatine", performed by Charlotte Gainbourg & Ambar Mallmann, composer G. Turk, Arranged by Cecilia V. Gonzalez.
"Bastien and Bastienne", Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Raymond Leppard, director, composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Sony Classical.
"'El museo de las distancias rotas'" (end title 1), composed for the film and performed by Jorge Drexler, Ediciones SEA/Warner Chappell.
"'La bruma del ayer'" (end title 2), composed for the film and performed by Jorge Drexler, Ediciones SEA/Warner Chappell.

Release

The film had an early preview in New York City on November 27, 2007 (at the ceremony of the Trophée des Arts for James Ivory from the French Institute New York). In October 2009, James Ivory brought the film to Rome, where it received its official world premiere at the International Rome Film Festival, out of competition, then showing at Tokyo International Film Festival for Hiroyuki Sanada's special screening. Screen Media distributed it in the United States on April 16, 2010.

Reception

Critical reception

The film holds an approval rating of 39% on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 56 reviews, and an average rating of 5.3/10. The website's critical consensus reads: "A stellar cast can't elevate this leaden adaptation that, while just as beautiful as anything director James Ivory's made before, comes off as dusty and dry".^[2] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 52 out of 100, based on 19 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[3]

Controversy

In early 2007, Anthony Hopkins claimed that he had yet to be paid for his work on the film and that Merchant Ivory had short-changed the cast and crew.^[4] Merchant Ivory counter-argued that Hopkins' payment terms had, in fact, recently been renegotiated higher. Later in the year, the actor filed court papers to take the company to an arbitrator. In October 2007, Hopkins filed a lawsuit against Merchant Ivory for payment of his salary of $750,000.^[5]

In 2008, actress and singer Susan (Suzy) Malick^[6] also filed suit against Merchant Ivory and James Ivory for producer credit and $500,000 in an unpaid loan, used when the film was threatened to be shut down due to lack of funding.^[7] In 2012, Malick moved for trial by jury, and the suit was settled out of court.

References

^ "The City of Your Final Destination (2010)". Box Office Mojo. August 15, 2010. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
^ "The City of Your Final Destination (2010)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
^ "The City of Your Final Destination Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
^ "Merchant Ivory Denies Hopkins Non-Payment Claims". PR Inside. April 5, 2007.
^ "People: Ellen DeGeneres, Anthony Hopkins, Meryl Streep" – Associated Press – (c/o International Herald Tribune) – October 18, 2007
^ es:Sussie 4
^ Barnes, Brooks (2016). "Movies - The New York Times". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 21, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.

External links

[1] "The City of Your Final Destination (2010)". Box Office Mojo. August 15, 2010. Retrieved April 22, 2013.

[2] "The City of Your Final Destination (2010)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved March 16, 2018.

[3] "The City of Your Final Destination Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved March 16, 2018.

[4] "Merchant Ivory Denies Hopkins Non-Payment Claims". PR Inside. April 5, 2007.

[5] "People: Ellen DeGeneres, Anthony Hopkins, Meryl Streep" – Associated Press – (c/o International Herald Tribune) – October 18, 2007

[6] s:Sussie 4

[7] Barnes, Brooks (2016). "Movies - The New York Times". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 21, 2016. Retrieved September 10, 2016.

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