Stephen Graham, one of the stars of Steve McQueen's Blitz, is speaking to Total Film when he suddenly pauses mid-sentence. He seems in a slight state of disbelief as he describes working with the film's acclaimed writer/director. 'I don't use this word often... but he's a genius. I feel I'm in the presence of genius.'
TF knows precisely what Graham means. During our conversation to discuss all things Blitz, the 12 Years a Slave director joyously speaks a mile a minute, recalling details of each shot's composition, cross-referencing moments from his astonishing oeuvre, and talking passionately about his inspirations. In the last two years alone, the quietly prolific McQueen has put out a four-and-a-half-hour documentary about Amsterdam's history of Nazi occupation in Occupied City, artworks about his father's deathbed and the Grenfell Tower tragedy, and now Blitz, hotly tipped for award-season glory. But when awards are mentioned, he's quick to wave it off. 'That's the accolades, that's the bullshit. That's a by-product. It's about the work, the work, THE WORK in all capitals.'
McQueen's latest film is new territory for the director. Not only is it backed by the streaming service Apple TV+ (though he insists, 'I made Blitz for the cinema'), he also has a host of new collaborators on the project, including Saoirse Ronan, Harris Dickinson, Paul Weller and many below-the-line creatives. Ronan plays Rita, a worker in a munitions factory who sends her mixed-raced son George (Elliott Heffernan, in a charming and sensitive debut) to be evacuated to the countryside while German planes are besieging London in September of 1940. George escapes the train and makes his way back, but along the way, he is terrorised by falling bombs, trapped in collapsing shelters and encounters a criminal gang led by Albert (Graham).
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 2024-Ausgabe von Total Film.
Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.
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