Wah-Wah (film)
| Wah-Wah | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Richard E. Grant |
| Produced by | Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar Jeff Abberley Pierre Kubel |
| Written by | Richard E. Grant |
| Starring |
Nicholas Hoult Gabriel Byrne Emily Watson Miranda Richardson Julie Walters |
| Music by | Patrick Doyle |
| Cinematography | Pierre Aim |
| Edited by | Isabelle Dedieu |
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Production
company |
Scion Films
IMG Productions Lorna Nasha Reeleyes Film |
| Distributed by |
Roadside Attractions (US) Redbus Film Distr. (UK) |
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Release date
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Running time
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97 min. |
| Country | UK France South Africa |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $7 million |
| Box office | $2.8 million |
Wah-Wah is a 2005 British-French-South African drama film, written and directed by British actor Richard E. Grant and loosely based on his childhood in Swaziland. It stars Nicholas Hoult, Gabriel Byrne, Emily Watson, Miranda Richardson and Julie Walters.
Filmed and set in Swaziland, the film was first shown at the Cannes Film Market on 13 May 2005 and premiered at the Edinburgh International Film Festival on 17 August 2005. It then toured to various festivals before receiving a limited release in the United States on 5 May 2006, followed by its release in the United Kingdom on 2 June 2006.
With this semi-autobiographical tale of his childhood in Swaziland during the last days of the British Empire in Africa in the 1960s, Grant relates the story of Ralph Compton, whose family’s disintegration mirrors the end of British rule. After witnessing his mother's adultery with his father's best friend, Ralph must survive not only boarding school but also his beloved father's remarriage to Ruby, a fast-talking American Airlines stewardess, and his father's gradual descent into alcoholism.
Grant initially wrote the film loosely based on his own childhood experiences after a screenwriter recommended he write a screenplay after reading his memoirs of his Withnail and I experiences. The first meeting with a producer took place in 1999 and took almost seven years to complete. Grant initially had trouble securing actors; Rachel Weisz, Toni Collette, Meg Ryan, Emmanuelle Béart, Ralph Fiennes and Jeremy Irons all turned down roles. Julie Walters was eventually the first actor to be signed. Grant intended for the part of Ralph to be played by two actors but the casting director, Celestia Fox, insisted on one actor. During the casting sessions, Grant noticed the similarity between Zac Fox and Nicholas Hoult and persuaded Celestia Fox to cast them. The part of the father was meant to be younger but, as all the actors asked in that age range passed on the role, an older actor (Gabriel Byrne) was chosen. After the original producer left the project due to a career change, Grant was approached by Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar to produce the project, a decision he later came to regret.
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