The Art of Woo
| The Art of Woo | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Helen Lee |
| Written by | Helen Lee |
| Produced by | |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Steve Cosens |
| Edited by | Vesta Slivanovic |
| Music by | |
Production company | ArtStar Pix |
Release date |
|
Running time | 97 minutes |
| Country | Canada |
| Language | English |
The Art of Woo is a 2001 Canadian romantic comedy film written and directed by Helen Lee and starring Sook-Yin Lee and Adam Beach.
Plot
Alessa Woo (
Soon, Woo is approached by the idly rich art collector Patrick Aucoin (Joel Keller), who proposes to her; Woo becomes tempted. However, she has developed feelings for the seemingly unwealthy Crowchild. Crowchild, who has similar emotions, reveals to her that he was adopted by Aucoin's father and that he himself is rich, but posing as a poor artist to be better received by the community. Woo and Crowchild become a couple.
Production
The Art of Woo was the feature film directorial debut of Helen Lee.[1] After the failure of Lee's previous short film, Priceless, she was approached by co-producer Anita Lee and offered the chance to direct a feature-length romantic comedy; finding herself depressed by the "heaviness" of Priceless, Helen Lee accepted. She wrote the first draft in two weeks after watching several "classic" romantic comedies; the speed in writing was caused by her desire to receive a grant for up to C$ 500,000 from the Canadian Film Centre's Featured Film Project (FFP), granted for low-budget films. After approval, they received assistance from FFP member Peter O'Brian to ensure they would finish the film within a year.[2]
Helen Lee intended to insert themes of gender and race through showing social anxieties, class distinctions, and cultural displacements.[3] Two reviewers noted a resemblance between The Art of Woo and the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffany's.[4][1]
As there was a scheduling conflict with
Helen Lee was lent paintings from local artists Michael Snow and Suzy Lake to use for filming, while Ron Sexsmith and Kurt Swinghammer did the soundtrack.[3] The Art of Woo was filmed digitally in Toronto over 20 days between March and April 2001.[3][5] Locations included the University of Toronto, The Power Plant, and Archive Gallery Inc.[3]
Release and reception
The Art of Woo was released at the Toronto International Film Festival.[2]
Upon its release, The Art of Woo was "slashed" by Canadian critics.
References
- ^ a b c Braun 2001, Art of Woo.
- ^ a b c d Hoolboom 2008, p. 32.
- ^ a b c d e Hoolboom 2008, p. 33.
- ^ a b Oke 2001, The Art of Woo.
- ^ TFTO 2001, Feature Films.
- ^ a b Crow n.d.
Sources
- Braun, Lisa (7 December 2001). "Art Of Woo an incomplete study". Jam!. Archived from the original on January 15, 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - Crow, Jonathan (n.d.). "The Art of Woo". AllMovie.
- "Feature Films" (PDF). Toronto Film and Television Office. 20 December 2001. p. 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
- ISBN 978-1-55245-200-4.
- Oke, Erin (November 2001). "The Art of Woo Directed by Helen Lee". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on 15 January 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2012.
External links
- The Art of Woo at IMDb
- The Art of Woo at AllMovie
- The Art of Woo at the Canadian Film Centre website.
- Script at Helen Lee's official website
