Disgrace (2008 film): Difference between revisions

Disgrace
Disgrace
	Theatrical film poster
Directed by	Steve Jacobs
Screenplay by	Anna Maria Monticelli
Based on	Disgrace; by J. M. Coetzee
Produced by	Steve Jacobs; Anna Maria Monticelli; Emile Sherman
Starring	John Malkovich; Jessica Haines; Eriq Ebouaney
Cinematography	Steve Arnold
Edited by	Alexandre de Franceschi
Music by	Antony Partos
Release dates	6 September 2008 (TIFF); 8 June 2009 (Australia);
Running time	120 minutes
Country	Australia
Languages	English; Afrikaans; Zulu; Xhosa
Box office	$2.1 million

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Disgrace is a 2008 Australian film,^[1] based on J. M. Coetzee's 1999 novel of the same name. It was adapted for the screen by Anna Maria Monticelli and directed by her husband Steve Jacobs.^[2] Starring American actor John Malkovich and South African newcomer Jessica Haines,^[3] it tells the story of a South African university professor in the post-apartheid era who moves to his daughter's Eastern Cape farm when his affair with a student costs him his position. The film received generally positive reviews.

Plot summary

David Lurie (John Malkovich) is an ageing white professor teaching Romantic literature at an unnamed university in Cape Town shortly after the end of apartheid. David has an affair with one of his students, Melanie Isaacs (Antoinette Engel). University officials learn of the incident and bring David before a disciplinary board. David's colleagues offer him a quiet exit to save face, but he brashly affirms his guilt and refuses to admit wrongdoing, forcing the board to punish him more harshly.

David takes refuge with his daughter, Lucy (Jessica Haines), who owns a farm in the Eastern Cape. At first, the two experience harmony and Lurie finds peace with himself, though he grows suspicious of Lucy's farm manager, Petrus (Eriq Ebouaney). One day, David and Lucy are attacked by three men, who rape Lucy. David goes through a crisis, not knowing how to cope with his personal and family tragedies. He is also confused by the newfound guilt he suddenly feels about these rapes. In a movement toward penance, David goes back to his former student's home to beg for forgiveness from her and her family.

After a brief sojourn in Cape Town, he returns to the farm to find that Lucy is pregnant and that Petrus is steadily increasing his control over the property. One of the rapists has taken up residence with Petrus, and turns out to be his brother-in-law. Despite David's outrage, Lucy insists on not taking the matter to the authorities, and states that she will bear the child. Petrus offers to "marry" her and she agrees in order to come under his protection. David must come to terms with the new South Africa.

Cast

John Malkovich as David Lurie, a university professor
Jessica Haines as Lucy Lurie, David's daughter, a farmer in the Eastern Cape
Eriq Ebouaney as Petrus, a worker on Lucy's farm
Fiona Press as Bev Shaw, head of an animal refuge
Antoinette Engel as Melanie Isaacs, a university student
David Dennis as Mr. Isaacs, Melanie's father
Paula Arundell as Dr Farodia Rassool

Reception

The film premiered at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival,^[4] where it was awarded the Prize of the International Critics.^[5]

It received generally positive reviews in the media. For example, The Washington Post concluded that "Like the novel, the film goes where it must, not where the dictates of off-the-rack narrative compel it. Jacobs has made some smart choices, including tucking the novel's last scene into the body of the film, lessening its inevitable bathos if taken straight from page to screen. The anguishing confrontations between David and Lucy, David and the family of the woman he has wronged, David and Lucy's neighbors, and ultimately, between David and the reality of a modern South Africa, are as powerful here as in the book."^[6]

The film has an 83% favorable rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 60 votes. The critical consensus states that "Featuring outstanding performances from John Malkovich and newcomer Jessica Haines, Disgrace is a disturbing, powerful drama." The film holds an average score of 71/100 at Metacritic.^[7]^[8] It grossed $1,166,294 at the box office in Australia,^[9] and $2,122,574 worldwide.^[10]

References

^ Siemienowicz, Rochelle (June 2009). "Adapting Disgrace: An interview with screenwriter and producer Anna-Maria Monticelli". Australian Film Institute. Archived from the original on 28 February 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
^ Schwartzkoff, Louise (16 August 2008). "Actress lauded for film of Coetzee's Disgrace". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 10. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
^ Cole, Barbara (31 July 2009). "Movie stardom beckons Haines". Daily News. p. 5.
^ "Disgrace, Miracle at St. Anna to premiere at Toronto film fest". CBC News. 2 July 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
^ Vancheri, Barbara (15 November 2008). "Awards put the wrap on Toronto Film Festival". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 1 August 2009.
^ Kennicott, Philip (2 October 2009). "Movie Review: Film Version of J.M. Coetzee's 'Disgrace' Lives Up to Its Source". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 November 2015.
^ "Disgrace". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
^ "Disgrace Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 February 2011.
^ "Film Victoria – Australian Films at the Australian Box Office" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
^ "Disgrace (2009)—Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 13 February 2011.

External links

[1] Siemienowicz, Rochelle (June 2009). "Adapting Disgrace: An interview with screenwriter and producer Anna-Maria Monticelli". Australian Film Institute. Archived from the original on 28 February 2011. Retrieved 16 January 2011.

[Schwartzkoff-2] Schwartzkoff, Louise (16 August 2008). "Actress lauded for film of Coetzee's Disgrace". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 10. Retrieved 1 August 2009.

[Haines-3] Cole, Barbara (31 July 2009). "Movie stardom beckons Haines". Daily News. p. 5.

[CBC-4] "Disgrace, Miracle at St. Anna to premiere at Toronto film fest". CBC News. 2 July 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2009.

[Vancheri-5] Vancheri, Barbara (15 November 2008). "Awards put the wrap on Toronto Film Festival". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 1 August 2009.

[6] Kennicott, Philip (2 October 2009). "Movie Review: Film Version of J.M. Coetzee's 'Disgrace' Lives Up to Its Source". The Washington Post. Retrieved 6 November 2015.

[7] "Disgrace". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 13 February 2011.

[8] "Disgrace Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic". Metacritic. Retrieved 13 February 2011.

[9] "Film Victoria – Australian Films at the Australian Box Office" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 8 November 2010.

[BOM-10] "Disgrace (2009)—Box Office Mojo". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 13 February 2011.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Use Australian English|date=October 2012}}
-{{Infobox Film |
+{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2020}}
-  name           = Disgrace|
+{{Infobox film
-  image          = |
-  caption        = |
+| name           = Disgrace
+| image          = Disgrace title.jpg
-  writer         = [[J. M. Coetzee]] (novel)<br>Anna Maria Monticelli (screenplay)|
+| caption        = Theatrical film poster
-  starring       = [[Eriq Ebouaney]]<br>Jessica Haines<br>[[John Malkovich]]|
+| based_on       = {{Based on|''[[Disgrace (novel)|Disgrace]]''|[[J. M. Coetzee]]}}
-  director       = [[Steve Jacobs]]|
-  producer       = Steve Jacobs<br>Anna Maria Monticelli<br>Emile Sherman|
+| screenplay     = [[Anna Maria Monticelli]]
+| starring       = [[John Malkovich]]<br />[[Jessica Haines]]<br/>[[Eriq Ebouaney]]
-  cinematography = Steve Arnold|
-  editing        = Alexandre de Franceschi|
+| director       = [[Steve Jacobs]]
+| producer       = Steve Jacobs<br />Anna Maria Monticelli<br />Emile Sherman
-  released       = 2008|
+| cinematography = Steve Arnold
-  runtime        = 120 min.|
+| country        = Australia
-  language       = [[English language|English]]<br>[[Xhosa language|Xhosa]]<br>[[Afrikaans language|Afrikaans]]<br>[[Zulu language|Zulu]]|
-  music          = Antony Partos|
+| editing        = Alexandre de Franceschi
+| released       = {{Film date|df=y|2008|9|6|[[2008 Toronto International Film Festival|TIFF]]|2009|6|8|Australia}}
-  awards         = |
-  budget         = |
+| runtime        = 120 minutes
+| language       = English<br>Afrikaans<br>Zulu<br>Xhosa
-  imdb_id        = 0445953|
+| music          = [[Antony Partos]]
+| gross          = $2.1 million
 }}
+'''''Disgrace''''' is a 2008 Australian film,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.afi.org.au/AM/ContentManagerNet/HTMLDisplay.aspx?ContentID=7699&Section=Adapting_Disgrace |title=Adapting ''Disgrace'': An interview with screenwriter and producer Anna-Maria Monticelli |first=Rochelle |last=Siemienowicz |publisher=Australian Film Institute |date=June 2009 |accessdate=16 January 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110228114219/http://www.afi.org.au/AM/ContentManagerNet/HTMLDisplay.aspx?ContentID=7699&Section=Adapting_Disgrace |archivedate=28 February 2011 }}</ref> based on [[J. M. Coetzee]]'s 1999 novel [[Disgrace|of the same name]]. It was adapted for the screen by [[Anna Maria Monticelli]] and directed by her husband [[Steve Jacobs]].<ref name="Schwartzkoff">{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/film/actress-lauded-for-film-of-coetzees-disgrace/2008/08/15/1218307221526.html|title=Actress lauded for film of Coetzee's Disgrace|last=Schwartzkoff|first=Louise|date=16 August 2008|work=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|page=10|accessdate=1 August 2009}}</ref> Starring American actor [[John Malkovich]] and South African newcomer [[Jessica Haines]],<ref name="Haines">{{cite news|title=Movie stardom beckons Haines|last=Cole|first=Barbara|date=31 July 2009|work=[[The Daily News (Durban)|Daily News]]|page=5}}</ref> it tells the story of a South African university professor in the post-[[apartheid]] era who moves to his daughter's [[Eastern Cape]] farm when his affair with a student costs him his position. The film received generally positive reviews.
+==Plot summary==
+David Lurie ([[John Malkovich]]) is an ageing white professor teaching [[Romantic literature]] at an unnamed university in [[Cape Town]] shortly after the end of [[apartheid]]. David has an affair with one of his students, Melanie Isaacs (Antoinette Engel). University officials learn of the incident and bring David before a disciplinary board. David's colleagues offer him a quiet exit to save face, but he brashly affirms his guilt and refuses to admit wrongdoing, forcing the board to punish him more harshly.
+David takes refuge with his daughter, Lucy ([[Jessica Haines]]), who owns a farm in the [[Eastern Cape]]. At first, the two experience harmony and Lurie finds peace with himself, though he grows suspicious of Lucy's farm manager, Petrus ([[Eriq Ebouaney]]). One day, David and Lucy are attacked by three men, who rape Lucy. David goes through a crisis, not knowing how to cope with his personal and family tragedies. He is also confused by the newfound guilt he suddenly feels about these rapes. In a movement toward penance, David goes back to his former student's home to beg for forgiveness from her and her family.
-'''''Disgrace''''' is a film adapted for the screen by Anna Maria Monticelli from the [[J. M. Coetzee]] novel, ''[[Disgrace]]''. The film premiered at the 2008 [[Toronto International Film Festival]],<ref name="CBC">{{cite news|url=http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/story/2008/07/02/tiff-special.html|title=Disgrace, Miracle at St. Anna to premiere at Toronto film fest|date=2008-07-02|publisher=[[CBC News]]|accessdate=2009-08-01}}</ref> where it was awarded the Prize of the International Critics.<ref name="Vancheri">{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08259/912217-42.stm|title=Awards put the wrap on Toronto Film Festival|last=Vancheri|first=Barbara|date=2008-11-15|work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|accessdate=2009-08-01}}</ref>
+After a brief sojourn in Cape Town, he returns to the farm to find that Lucy is pregnant and that Petrus is steadily increasing his control over the property. One of the rapists has taken up residence with Petrus, and turns out to be his brother-in-law. Despite David's outrage, Lucy insists on not taking the matter to the authorities, and states that she will bear the child. Petrus offers to "marry" her and she agrees in order to come under his protection. David must come to terms with the new South Africa.
-The film was directed by Monticelli's husband, [[Steve Jacobs]],<ref name="Schwartzkoff">{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/film/actress-lauded-for-film-of-coetzees-disgrace/2008/08/15/1218307221526.html|title=Actress lauded for film of Coetzee's Disgrace|last=Schwartzkoff|first=Louise|date=2008-08-16|work=[[Sydney Morning Herald]]|page=10|accessdate=2009-08-01}}</ref> and stars [[John Malkovich]] alongside [[South Africa]]n actress Jessica Haines.<ref name="Haines">{{cite news|title=Movie stardom beckons Haines|last=Cole|first=Barbara|date=2009-07-31|work=[[The Daily News (Durban)|Daily News]]|page=5|accessdate=2009-08-01}}</ref>
+==Cast==
+*[[John Malkovich]] as David Lurie, a university professor
+*[[Jessica Haines]] as Lucy Lurie, David's daughter, a farmer in the Eastern Cape
+*[[Eriq Ebouaney]] as Petrus, a worker on Lucy's farm
+*[[Fiona Press]] as Bev Shaw, head of an animal refuge
+*[[Antoinette Engel]] as Melanie Isaacs, a university student
+*[[David Dennis (actor)|David Dennis]] as Mr. Isaacs, Melanie's father
+* [[Paula Arundell]] as Dr Farodia Rassool
+==Reception==
+The film premiered at the 2008 [[Toronto International Film Festival]],<ref name="CBC">{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/disgrace-miracle-at-st-anna-to-premiere-at-toronto-film-fest-1.726286|title=Disgrace, Miracle at St. Anna to premiere at Toronto film fest|date=2 July 2008|publisher=[[CBC News]]|access-date=1 August 2009}}</ref> where it was awarded the Prize of the International Critics.<ref name="Vancheri">{{cite news|url=http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08259/912217-42.stm|title=Awards put the wrap on Toronto Film Festival|last=Vancheri|first=Barbara|date=15 November 2008|work=[[Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]]|accessdate=1 August 2009}}</ref>
+It received generally positive reviews in the media. For example, ''[[The Washington Post]]'' concluded that "Like the novel, the film goes where it must, not where the dictates of off-the-rack narrative compel it. Jacobs has made some smart choices, including tucking the novel's last scene into the body of the film, lessening its inevitable bathos if taken straight from page to screen. The anguishing confrontations between David and Lucy, David and the family of the woman he has wronged, David and Lucy's neighbors, and ultimately, between David and the reality of a modern South Africa, are as powerful here as in the book."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/01/AR2009100104668.html |title=Movie Review: Film Version of J.M. Coetzee's 'Disgrace' Lives Up to Its Source |author=Kennicott, Philip |author-link=Philip Kennicott |date=2 October 2009 |work=The Washington Post |accessdate=6 November 2015}}</ref>
+The film has an 83% favorable rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]], based on 60 votes. The critical consensus states that "Featuring outstanding performances from John Malkovich and newcomer Jessica Haines, ''Disgrace'' is a disturbing, powerful drama." The film holds an average score of 71/100 at [[Metacritic]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/disgrace/|title=Disgrace|work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|accessdate=13 February 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/disgrace|title=Disgrace Reviews, Ratings, Credits, and More at Metacritic|work=[[Metacritic]]|accessdate=13 February 2011}}</ref> It grossed $1,166,294 at the box office in Australia,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://film.vic.gov.au/resources/documents/AA4_Aust_Box_office_report.pdf |title=''Film Victoria – Australian Films at the Australian Box Office'' |access-date=8 November 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110218045303/http://film.vic.gov.au/resources/documents/AA4_Aust_Box_office_report.pdf |archive-date=18 February 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and $2,122,574 worldwide.<ref name="BOM">{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=disgrace.htm|title=Disgrace (2009)—Box Office Mojo|work=[[Box Office Mojo]]|accessdate=13 February 2011}}</ref>
 ==References==
-{{reflist}}
+{{Reflist}}
 ==External links==
-*{{imdb title|id=0445953|title=Disgrace}}
+* {{IMDb title|0445953|Disgrace}}
-*{{tcmdb title|id=647023|title=Disgrace}}
+* {{tcmdb title|647023|Disgrace}}
-*{{rotten-tomatoes|id=disgrace|title=Disgrace}}
+* {{rotten-tomatoes|disgrace|Disgrace}}
-*{{metacritic film|id=disgrace|title=Disgrace}}
+* {{Metacritic film|title=Disgrace}}
-*{{mojo title|id=disgrace|title=Disgrace}}
+* {{mojo title|disgrace|Disgrace}}
-*{{Amg movie|462908|Disgrace}}
-{{John Maxwell Coetzee}}
+{{J. M. Coetzee}}
+{{DEFAULTSORT:Disgrace}}
-[[Category:2000s drama films]]
 [[Category:2008 films]]
-[[Category:Afrikaans-language films]]
+[[Category:2008 drama films]]
-[[Category:Australian films]]
+[[Category:Films about rape]]
-[[Category:English-language films]]
+[[Category:Films based on South African novels]]
-[[Category:Films based on novels]]
+[[Category:Films set in South Africa]]
-[[Category:J. M. Coetzee]]
+[[Category:Adaptations of works by J. M. Coetzee]]
-[[Category:South African films]]
+[[Category:Australian drama films]]
-[[Category:Xhosa-language films]]
+[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
-[[Category:Zulu-language films]]
+[[Category:Films scored by Antony Partos]]
-{{Australia-film-stub}}
-[[de:Schande (2008)]]
-[[ru:Бесчестье (фильм)]]

v t e Works by J. M. Coetzee
Novels	Dusklands (1974) In the Heart of the Country (1977) Waiting for the Barbarians (1980) Life & Times of Michael K (1983) Foe (1986) Age of Iron (1990) The Master of Petersburg (1994) The Lives of Animals (1999) Disgrace (1999) Elizabeth Costello (2003) Slow Man (2005) Diary of a Bad Year (2007) The Childhood of Jesus (2013) The Schooldays of Jesus (2016) The Death of Jesus (2019) The Pole and Other Stories (2023)
"Autrebiography"	Boyhood: Scenes from Provincial Life (1997) Youth: Scenes from Provincial Life II (2002) Summertime (2009)
Criticism and letters	White Writing (1988) Inner Workings (2007) Here and Now (2013)
Adaptations	Dust (film, 1985) The Lives of Animals (TV film, 2002) Waiting for the Barbarians (opera, 2006) Disgrace (film, 2008) Slow Man (opera, 2014) Waiting for the Barbarians (film, 2019)