Accepted into the New Hope Film Festival 2012 this July in New Hope PA
A Rogue in Londinium trailer from Whitney Hamilton on Vimeo.
SYNOPSIS
London 1888. It is the winter before the infamous Jack the Ripper murders. Richard Rhys is a painter and a womanizer. One evening while rendezvousing with a prostitute in a back alley Richard is shadowed by a man, Jules Whitby, who has invented a prototype of the first motion picture camera. Richard has a row with the whore and she hits him with a wine bottle. He wakes up to find the whore dead with her throat cut. Stunned and wounded with cuts to his head Richard flees the scene and wanders past two reformers, women trying to help the disenfranchised and poor of London’s desperate East End. One of the reformers is Victoria Thornton a wealthy philanthropist in an arranged marriage with one of the richest men in London. She tends to Richard’s wounds in the street. Moved by her compassion Richard cannot forget her. Piqued by his charisma she cannot forget him.
Catherine Burroughs is a Grande Dame of the English Stage. She is also Victoria’s cousin and Richard’s lover. When Charles Thornton asks Catherine to recommend a painter to render Victoria’s likeness she refers Richard Rhys. Catherine and Richard challenge each other with sexual exploits and manipulation. They play games. However, when Richard is invited to tea to meet Mrs. Thornton, Victoria is startled and pleased to find the man she helped in the street and so begins their afternoons of sittings and art. With each appointment Victoria and Richard find themselves falling for each other. Fate has brought them together again.
Victoria confides to Catherine that she is smitten with Richard, thus begins Catherine’s diabolical plan to destroy him. But her plan backfires and Victoria rescues Richard once again. They consummate their relationship and Richard swears off Catherine and her mean-spiritedness. Prostitutes are being killed in the Whitechapel area and Jules wanders the dark streets with his camera hoping to capture the murders on celluloid. Collecting money from a wealthy doctor Jules turns his camera on Charles and Victoria Thornton. With evidence of scandalous love affairs Jules threatens to expose the Thorntons and collect a handsome sum for his efforts. When Richard becomes privy to the plot he pinches the evidence, destroys it and threatens to cut Jules’ throat if he spies on Victoria again. Meanwhile the wealthy doctor underwriting the morbid venture takes a keen interest in the post-mortem film images of the murdered. Who is killing the prostitutes? Victoria realizes she is pregnant and to avoid a scandal and the British public eye she sails for New York to continue her reform work. Broken hearted Richard unable to let the love of his life slip away scrapes up the money to book passage and reunite with Victoria. It is a passionate love story about redemption, the strength of spirit and the conviction of the soul.
FILMAKERS
Whitney (Whit) Hamilton
Writer/Director/Producer
As a writer/director and producer: Spontaneous Human Combustion(1999), Seeing Red, The Discontent, The Delivery, which went on to the Seattle Underground Film Festival (2000). The Bellwatcher which premiered at the Film Fleadh in New York in March (2001) and Cinema 16 The New Orleans Film Festival. Circle premiered at the Summer shorts festival 2002 and was submitted to the Project Greenlight Director’s contest placing in the top fifty out of two thousand entries 2002. Circle won second place as best sci-fi short at the Dragon Con Sci-Fi Film Festival in Atlanta 2003. It was nominated as best sci-fi short at the Shockerfest film festival in California. My Brother’s War, our first feature premiered at the Methodfest Film Festival 2005 – and was nominated for best low-budget indie and for best actress for Ms. Hamilton. It went on to the Bluegrass Independent Film Festival, Temeculah Valley Independent Film Festival and New Filmmakers series NYC at the Anthology Film Archives. It is available on DVD at Blockbuster and VOD and DVD through Netflix. Elizabeth has also produced short industrials and spec spots.
Patrick Sullivan
Director of Photography/Executive Producer
Patrick brings 20 years of experience in advertising and communications. Running studios in some of the most prominent advertising agencies in New York City and implementing cutting edge equipment and programs to most effectively promote various goods and services. Patrick has executive produced many short films: The Delivery, Spontaneous Human Combustion, The Bellwatcher, Circle and …go I in which he was also the cinematographer. He was Director of Photography and executive producer for the feature film, My Brother’s War and co-produced Mr. Smith with Forrest Murray. He has also executive produced One Lies, the Other Swears.
Thom Milano
Producer
Thom brings over 20 years of experience on stage and television and in motion picture expertise. He spent 15 years acting and directing in regional and repertory theatre across the country. He taught acting for 4 years at Arena Rep. He spent 2 seasons working on 100 Centre Street with Sidney Lumet and several guest appearances on Law & Order and NY Undercover. He co-produced Circle with Bjornquist Films. Thom is a producer of the Civil War feature My Brother’s War in which he assistant directed and acted in. …go I marks Mr. Milano as first time writer/director. He followed that up with his second short, One Lies, the Other Swears just before commencing principle photography on A Rogue in Londinium..
Judy Krause
Co-Producer (uncredited)
Judy brings twenty years of stage and film experience to A Rogue in Londinium. Working with such incomparable talents such as Anne Bogart and John Strasberg she has an in depth knowledge of the craft of acting as well as the logistics of both film and stage work. She has appeared on episodes of “Sex in the City”, “Spin City” and “Everybody Hates Chris” as well as notable New York Theatre including HERE, LaMama, One Dream, Pulse, Mint, Lark, Ensemble Studio Theatre and the Arc Light in LA.
CAST
Whit Hamilton/Richard Rhys
Whit Hamilton makes his film debut in A Rogue in Londinium. Hailing from Franklin, Tennessee and bitten by the acting bug thanks to his cousin Elizabeth, he plans on making a career for himself in the industry. He is active in theatre playing such roles as Hamlet, Biff Loman, Edmund Tyrone and Sebastian (Twelfth Night).
Rebecca Damon/Victoria Thornton
Rebecca Damon can be seen in the films My Brother’s War, The Bellwatcher, Marshall’s Art, Betrayal, Keeper, and in the upcoming Middletown with Loren Dean and Amanda Brooks. On television Ms. Damon appears on One Life To Live, The Guiding Light, As The World Turns, commercials, and voiceovers. Her theatre credits include Viola in Twelfth Night, Gwendolen in The Importance of Being Earnest, Debbie in the world premiere of Mark Medoff’s Crunch Time, Eva Jackson in The Rimers of Eldritch, June in Marathon ’33, and Jesse Tull in UNION.
Judy Krause/Catherine Burroughs
Judy Krause has been working professionally as an actor since 1991. She directed at Ensemble Studio Theatre and produced Wide Screen Version of the World by Han Ong and Anne Bogart at Circle Rep. She produces, writes and acts in corporate industrial films. She performs stand-up at Caroline’s, appears in national commercials and can be heard in radio plays. Television: Everybody Hates Chris, Sex and The City, Spin City. Film : When, Accidentally on Purpose, Poisoned Kiss, A Rogue in Londinium. Favorite theater credits include Circle (for which she received an OOBR award), Alice Through the Looking Glass, Othello, We Call Her Benny, The Sisters Rosensweig (NJ Professional Premiere). Judy recently appeared as Nora in “Playing House” adapted by John Strasberg at Accidental Repertory Theater, “Brecht on Brecht” and in the critically acclaimed “Sex Ed” at the NYC Short Subjects Festival. AEA,SAG,AFTRA.
Stewart Walker/Jules Whitby
Regional Theatre: Eddie, “Fool for Love”; Spooky Action Theatre, Washington DC. Oswald & Duke of Burgundy, “King Lear”; Indiana Rep. & Syracuse Stage. New York Theatre: Ferdinand, “Duchess of Malfi”; Folding Chair Classical Theatre. Aguecheek, “Twelfth Night”; Tuzenbach, “Three Sisters”; Oberon Theatre Ensemble. Iago, “Othello”; Present Company. Aumerle, “Richard II” (with Austin Pendleton); Frog & Peach Theatre. Citizen/Chorus, “Oedipus Rex” (with Al Pacino & Directed by Estelle Parsons); The Actors’ Studio. Film work includes the lead in the indie short “Ride of Passage” and supporting roles in the Features “Heads or Tails”, “Tracks” and “My Brother’s War”. MFA: Academy for Classical Acting, The Shakespeare Theatre, Washinton DC.
Keith Herron/Charles Thornton
Keith Herron grew up following his parents all around the world. He has appeared in more than three dozen films, television shows, and commercials, and has performed on stage with the NY International Fringe Festival, Equity Library Theatre, Minnesota Opera, Dudley Riggs, Children’s Theatre Company, Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, and the Minnesota Shakespeare Company. He is a member of John Strasberg’s Accidental Repertory Theater (ART) in New York City. He was Tom/Tennessee in ART’s Tennessee Williams, the Writer and His World, Krogstad in A Doll’s House, and premiered his solo show It’s My Divorce – Y’all Come! during their inaugural season. He is currently awaiting the release of three feature films and can be seen in a recent spot for The Onion. keithherron.com
*Full cast on http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1570961/
PRODUCTION NOTES
A Rogue in Londinium was shot on a microbudget in Brooklyn, New York August and September 2009. A thirty day shoot with 85% of the scenes shot on the parlor floor of a brownstone. With three rooms art directed into revolving sets for at least fifteen different locations the Production team was able to pull off an incredible feat with almost no money. Utilizing the internet and ebay in particular the crew was able to completely costume design and set design the entire project. Blueprints and ideas for wallpaper, fabrics, textiles, art, paintings, practical lighting: oil lamps, candle holders and lanterns; furniture, personal character effects, such as picture frames, grooming paraphernalia and writing utensils were secured at least a year in advance and housed in a storage center until the particular set/location had been shot out of. Producing a period film requires extensive research, intense interaction with the actors playing the characters, historical accuracy and absolute vision. With no access to digital effects everything had to be exactly right when we began shooting.
Working with the Art Department the director utilized certain color schemes for certain interiors to reflect that particular character’s disposition. For example, Victoria Thornton’s Parlor was primarily green with accents of red. Her bedroom was primarily green with touches of pink reflecting her center as her heart. Whereas Richard Rhys’ Art Studio was designed to have copious amounts of bright red and crimson accented with rust and orange reflecting passion and sexuality.
Ms. Hamilton’s fascination with history and redemption continues. After her first feature, My Brother’s War set during the American Civil War she chose to focus on Victorian London. Set against the Ripper Murders in 1888 the story begs the question as to whether a malcontent can be redeemed. The film does not set out to answer who Jack the Ripper was since no one knows definitively. It does plumb the depths of psychology offering a possible clue as to the rehabilitation of a dark soul. It is a passionate love story at its core with murder and intrigue offering obstacles for the lovers to overcome. Working in a traditional fashion the director storyboarded every scene before shooting. The drawings echoed the editorial procedure for post-production and were extremely helpful in communicating every aspect of the scene(s) to the actors, crew and post production specialists.
Art plays a considerable part in this project. The protagonist is a painter and his paintings reflect his skill and, perhaps his underlying devotion to a higher, more evolved soul within himself. It is his way of communicating with the world. It is the one way he can reach beyond society’s restrictions and freely express ideas and emotions with a woman beyond his station and class. The series of paintings were begun eighteen months in advance of the production schedule. Original oils based on the actors playing the various characters were rendered with exceptional talent by the director. It was an extensive investment of time, materials and energy. A few of the paintings become characters in themselves within the context of the story.
Lighting and cinematography were very specific in telling this story. The director and her DP were very clear that each frame of the film needed to look like a painting from the classical period up through the Impressionist movement. Lights were set to create pools of illumination for the actors to move in and through. Echoing John Singer Sargent, Edgar Degas, James McNeil Whistler and Gustave Courbet the vision of the director came to life using the fundamental guidelines of art history to create something beautiful as well as compelling. As the story begins in London the idea was to evoke a sense of tight space and darkness. There is a claustrophobic element that pervades the opening like being in a closet with a murderer that you cannot see. As the story progresses the camera moves out and utilizes a bit more space conveying a sense of new beliefs and perceptions. Then when the lovers finally find themselves in New York City and free from their self-imposed and societal restrictions the frame is filled with radiance, mostly exterior scenes with of sunlight echoing liberation on all levels.
