Ask the Dust (film)

Infobox_Film
name= Ask the Dust


caption = The movie poster for "Ask the Dust".
imdb_id=0384814
writer=John Fante
(novel)
Robert Towne
(screenplay)
starring=Colin Farrell
Salma Hayek
Donald Sutherland
director=Robert Towne
music=Ramin Djawadi
Heitor Pereira | distributor=Paramount Classics
released=March 17 2006
runtime=117 min.
language=English
movie_series=
awards=
producer=Tom Cruise
Jonas McCord
Paula Wagner
budget=|

"Ask the Dust" is a 2006 film based on the book "Ask the Dust" by John Fante. The movie was written and directed by Robert Towne. Tom Cruise (with Paula Wagner and Cruise/Wagner Productions) served as one of the film's producers. The film was released on a limited basis on March 17, 2006.

Plot

The story is set during the Great Depression (specifically, circa the 1933 Long Beach earthquake). Hayek plays a fiery Mexican beauty, Camilla. She is a woman who one day aspires to be above her current standing in society. She wishes to do this by marrying a wealthy man from the United States. Her plan is thrown into disarray when she meets Italian Arturo Bandini (Farrell). Farrell's character is portrayed as a struggling writer, who comes to Los Angeles' Bunker Hill area, to start his writing career.

She dies at the end.

Cast

* Colin Farrell as Arturo Bandini
* Salma Hayek as Camilla Lopez
* Donald Sutherland as Hellfrick
* Eileen Atkins as Mrs. Hargraves
* Idina Menzel as Vera Rivkin
* Justin Kirk as Sammy
* Dion Basco as Patricio/houseboy
* Jeremy Crutchley as Solomon, the bartender
* William Mapother as Bill
* Tamara Craig Thomas as Sally

Film delays

The rights to the novel once belonged to Mel Brooks, though he let them lapse. Towne met Fante in the 1970s. This meeting led to his interest in the project. Despite finishing the script in the early 1990s, he couldn't find financial backing from a studio. During this time Farrell's role was originally set to be played by Johnny Depp but he dropped out. Later Val Kilmer accepted the role and also dropped out. Another delay was Hayek initially rejecting the role to avoid being typecast as a Mexican immigrant. She accepted the role eight years later.

Critical reception

The film received negative to mixed reviews from critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 37% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 100 reviews. [cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/ask_the_dust/ |title=Ask the Dust Movie Reviews, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes |accessdate=2008-03-29 |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes] Metacritic reported the film had an average score of 58 out of 100, based on 33 reviews. [cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/askthedust |title=Ask the Dust (2006): Reviews |accessdate=2008-03-29 |publisher=Metacritic]

References

External links

*imdb title|id=0384814|title=Ask the Dust
*rotten-tomatoes|id=ask_the_dust|title=Ask the Dust
*metacritic film|id=askthedust|title=Ask the Dust
*mojo title|id=askthedust|title=Ask the Dust
*amg movie|id=1:306119|title=Ask the Dust