Page 28 - Fujifilm Exposure_29 Trial & Retribution_ok

MOTION PICTURE & PRO-VIDEO tv production
two-parter, Blue Eiderdown
SEX, LIES AND MURDER
Volatile mix for Lynda La Plante’s new Trial & Retribution
T
he eighth and latest in writer-producer Lynda La Plante’s successful Trial And Retribution series for ITV1 delves into the shad- owy, seductive world of the wealthy elite, for whom
money is no object and bizarre sex is an affordable luxury.
This twisted tale of murder and vice, subtitled Blue Eiderdown, co-stars series’ regular David Hayman and Victoria Smurfit as mismatched senior London cops, Walker and Connor.
What turns into a double murder enquiry, involving a daughter and her late but equally seductive actress mother, moves into the world of fetishism and dominatrix desires, bondage and brutal compliance sex.
Written by La Plante, it’s also pro- duced by her and Chris Clough with a supporting cast including Colin Salmon, Frances Barber, Nicholas Farrell and Dorian Lough.
Blue Eiderdown was producer Clough’s first involvement with La Plante Productions. He said: “The script is fantastic - a good, intriguing story with a clear, logical plot and a
rip-roaring narrative. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
“It was clear to me that the fetish world is very colourful and exhibition- ist, but not tacky so it was going to make a very visual, exciting story. Because the costumes are stylish and quirky it definitely added to the fun of the film-making.”
Clough described his team’s research trips into the fetish world as: “Very weird but very interesting! When we went to the club it was all very matter-of-fact - just like a bunch of people out for a Saturday night - with a difference.
“There were some people chained up and others being whipped - but it was all non- aggressive and what sur- prised me most was that the atmos- phere was totally non-predatory.
“The type of high class club we have in the film really does exist. There are exclusive places where liter- ally any fantasy can be catered for.
“The dominatrix who advised us was very open and straightforward about her profession. She regards herself as a therapist performing an important social function. As in the story, many of her
clients have happy, ‘normal’ relation- ships with wives and families.
“It was really important to all of us that the part of the sex industry we depict should not come across as smut- ty or laughable. It has to have an edge of danger to make the story believable.
“Although the actual sex and fetishism that goes on in the drama
is more implied than overt, it is actu- ally all the more disturbing and shocking for that.”
Oscar and BAFTA nominated writer and director, Paul Unwin, is also full of praise for La Plante’s script. He said: “This is vintage La Plante: a clas- sic insight into a dark and different world. It is an absolutely authentic recreation of this world, a twilight zone about which most of us know very little. But it’s also a very clever whodunit with a compound shock as you begin to see the plot unfold.
He is also delighted with the way the drama looks on screen. “It is visual- ly unique and very striking, a credit to the fantastic cameraman, Daf Hobson.
“The rich colours and great cos- tumes give the story a real sense of
Photo main: Frances Barber and Dorian Lough; Above l-r: Dorian Lough, Victoria Smurfit, David Hayman and Sarah Ozeke; Victoria Smurfit and Colin Salmon; Director Paul Unwin supervises the action on set of Blue Eiderdown
26 • Exposure • Fuji Motion Picture And Professional Video