A Single Man
USA | 2009 | 99 mins
from the Christopher Isherwood novel, adapted by David Searce and directed by Tom Ford
starring Colin Firth, Julianne Moore & Matthew Goode
Christopher Isherwood developed his reputation and craft in the US, so it seems natural for the fashion world’s Tom Ford to adopt the material as Isherwood adopted Los Angeles. The novel was set there and inspired by the facts and experiences of Isherwood’s life with his partner Don Bachardy, 30 years his junior.
Tom Ford’s A Single Man takes Isherwood’s novel straight into cinematic territory, with stunning visuals and period detail. Stuffed with style like a film presented on the catwalk, the film demonstrates the power of visualisation compared to words on a page.
Generously sponsored by Stay In Style
Adults £7 | Under 25s £5
FEATURING A POST-FILM Q&A WITH ISHERWOOD EXPERT KATHERINE BUCKNELL
Katherine is an American writer and literary scholar settled in London. She is the editor of Christopher Isherwood’s Diaries, and Volume 2, The Sixties, appears this October. She has published three novels, Canarino, Leninsky Prospekt, and What You Will. www.katherinebucknell.com
The real single man behind the movie is Christopher Isherwood, who published the semi-autobiographical novel in 1964….The sensation of emotional loss reflects Isherwood’s fear that Bachardy would go and that he himself would die alone. Kathrine Bucknell
See also:
An Education
The Boys are Back
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