A Previous Engagement

The first Maltese-Canadian co-production 'A Previous Engagement' premiered last Friday in North America and has received reviews which refer not only to the actors, story or film-makers but with also specific references to the cinematic beauty of Malta.

John Anderson of "Variety" claims "Production values are terrific" and "The Maltese landscapes are almost too pretty, at least for a movie with such a heart of darkness". Andre Sarris of "The New York Observer" refers to the "picturesque Mediterranean island of Malta".

Debbie Lynn Elias of the Los Angeles trade "Culver City Observer" talks about the cinematography by Bruce Worrall saying "Through his lighting and lensing, Malta is even more beautiful on film than in coffee table picture books and picture postcards. It is this striking elegance and beauty that gives the film an Edensque feel leading one to wonder how one could not fall in love and then want to wait 25 years to see if the emotion is real or just the magic of the country. I could watch the "travelogue" footage and seascapes over and over again on a continuous loop and never tire of it."

The film stars Juliet Stevenson, Daniel Stern, Tcheky Karyo and Valerie Mahaffy. "A Previous Engagement", directed by Joan Carr-Wiggin and produced by David Gordian, is a story about a middle-aged woman on a vacation in Malta with her husband. She is also in Malta keeping her vow with her former lover for a rendez-vous planned 25 years earlier.

Surprisingly after so many years the lover shows up and her marriage is about to end when her husband reacts unexpectedly by hitting the Maltese club scene.

The "Variety" review says the film "nicely balances unutterable truths about marriage and love with the comedy that is human interaction and the unending drama that is man and women, repulsion and attraction. Stevenson is simply a magnet, of course, as usual."

Such rare films that portray Malta as itself have a tremendous impact on the island's publicity abroad, especially when film critics start to feature the island in their writings.

The release of the film in Malta will be announced by the Producers' Creative Partnership (PCP) in due course.

More information is available at the movie's official website: www.apreviousengagement.com.

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