 In
November 1924, multimillionaire William  Randolph
Hearst (Edward Herrmann) hosts a weekend of festivities aboard his 220-foot
steamer in honor of filmmaker Thomas Ince's (Cary Elwes) birthday. It seems
that everyone on board wants  something
from Hearst. Ince and his partner, George Thomas (Victor Slezak), need his
financial assistance for their faltering business; gossip columnist Louella
Parsons (Jennifer Tilly), an East Coast Hearst employee, wants to transfer
to Tinseltown; and comedian womanizer Charlie Chaplin (Eddie Izzard) wants
Hearst's lover Marion Davies (Kirsten Dunst) for his own. Joined by other
party goers, including English Victorian novelist Elinor Glyn (Joanna  Lumley)
and Ince's mistress, the actress Margaret Livingston (Claudia Harrison),
the group ships off for a weekend of fun and debauchery. The festivities
soon turn more serious as Chaplin pursues Davies, fueling Hearst's jealousy
over their alleged relationship. Ince, meanwhile, attempts to ingratiate
himself with Hearst by keeping an eye on Chaplin and Davies. Ultimately,
jealousy leads to tragedy, with all of the party goers sworn to secrecy
over what transpired. Director Peter Bogdanovich (MASK) successfully recreates
the opulence of Hearst's lifestyle and the spirit of the Roaring Twenties
right down to the bootleg moonshine and the Charleston. |
THE CAT'S MEOW (12A) 1 hour 54 mins
Contains moderate violence, sex and drugs use