Brüno is a mockumentary comedy film slated for release on July 10, 2009. It is produced by, co-written, and stars Sacha Baron Cohen. The character Bruno originates from Cohen’s previous Channel 4 and HBO series, Da Ali G Show. This film is the third based on characters from the show, following Ali G Indahouse and Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, but the latter and this film occurs in real-life situations unlike the Ali G Indahouse.
Production
In the course of filming the movie, Cohen performed an interview with former Mossad agent Yossi Alpher and a Palestinian about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The subjects were unaware of the farcical nature of the interview which included questions that deliberately conflated Hamas and hummus and indicated that the conflict is between Jews and Hindus. On June 6, 2008, a riot ensued at a stunt orchestrated by Cohen and the producers of the film as they staged a “Blue Collar Brawlin’” in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Patrons were lured to an event billed as cage fighting, held at a Convention Center, by print and Craigslist advertisements, promoting “hot girls”, $1 beer and $5 admission. 1500 people attended the event, and were greeted by signs that informed them that they were being filmed. No cell phones, video, or cameras were allowed inside. Instead of hot girls and cage fighting, the acts taking place became homosexual in nature, and people threw chairs and beer at the performers. The performers were Bruno (Cohen) under the ironic gimmick, “Straight Dave” and an unknown actor portraying his opponent.
In September 2008, video and photos were released showing Cohen (in character as Bruno) storming the catwalk during an Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada fashion show in Milan. Cohen managed to walk down the runway for a few moments before lights were dimmed and security guards escorted him away. This occurred after Cohen and his crew were allegedly stopped by security while attempting to enter backstage at two other shows during Milan’s fashion week.
On November 2, 2008, Cohen, dressed as Bruno, and his film crew were spotted at a Los Angeles rally in support of California’s Proposition 8. Though he appeared to fool most, he was recognized by some at the rally and whisked away before he could be interviewed by reporters. On November 7, while appearing as an extra in a scene for Medium, Cohen interrupted a scene in character and was removed from the set. Production on the episode was shut down temporarily.
Though the film was originally slated for a May 15, 2009 release,[9] the release was later moved to July 10, 2009.
Other Information
- Also Known As : Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Male, Untitled Brüno Project
- Genre : Comedy
- Release date : July 10, 2009
- Country : United States
- Filming Locations : Carrollton, Texas, USA
- Company : Media Rights Capital
- Language : English
- Movie Connections : Spin off from “Da Ali G Show” (2003)
Cast and Credits
- Directed by : Dan Mazer
- Produced by : Jay Roach, Sacha Baron Cohen
- Written by : Sacha Baron Cohen
- Starring : Sacha Baron Cohen, Alice Evans
- Distributed by : Universal Pictures
Trivia
- In October 2006, entertainment blog website Defamer.com jokingly reported the title would be “Bruno: Delicious Journeys Through America for the Purpose of Making Heterosexual Males Visibly Uncomfortable in the Presence of a Gay Foreigner in a Mesh T-Shirt”. Numerous websites around the world – including IMDb – reported this to be the actual working title.
L’immortel – 2010
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