Page 31 - Aruba Today

PEOPLE & ARTS A31
A monetary ‘magician’ of dirty tricks in ABC drama ‘Madoff’
FRAZIER MOORE
AP Television Writer
NEW YORK (AP) — Don’t
look to Richard Dreyfuss to
defend Bernie Madoff.
Dreyfuss, who plays this ra-
pacious investment guru in
ABC’s miniseries “Madoff”
(airing Wednesday and
Thursday at 8 p.m. EST),
isn’t about to plead Ber-
nie’s case.
“But actors don’t only play
people they approve of,”
says the Oscar-winning ac-
tor who for years tried to
launch a film project that
would star him as Adolph
Hitler.
Then he cites another ob-
ject of his scorn he did por-
tray — former vice presi-
dent Dick Cheney in the
2008 feature”W.”
“I think he deserves to go
to jail for a million years,”
says Dreyfuss, “but I could
still play him.
People forget that inside
everyone is a bit of Dick
Cheney, and as an actor
you find those little mo-
ments when you’ve been
a little bit Cheney. Or a lit-
tle bit Bernie. Then you ex-
trapolate that out to build
the character on.”
Whatever his MO for chan-
neling his inner darkness, it
works for him here. Charm-
ingly, chillingly does Drey-
fuss inhabit this self-pro-
claimed Wall Street “magi-
cian” whose colossal Ponzi
scheme lost as much as
Review: ‘The Language of Secrets’ is action-packed novel
OLINE H. COGDILL
Associated Press
The hot-button issues of re-
ligion and culture — some-
times wrapped in con-
troversy and suspicion —
make a compelling foun-
dation in Ausma Zehanat
Khan’s second novel about
Esa Khattak, head of To-
ronto’s Community Policing
Section that handles minor-
ity issues.
In her second, thought-pro-
voking novel, Khan contin-
ues to show how Esa is di-
vided by his devotion to his
Muslim faith and commu-
nity and his role as a police
detective. He is constantly
being scrutinized, suspect-
ed of being a traitor by
In this image released by ABC, Blythe Danner, left, and Richard Dreyfuss appear in the primetime
miniseries “Madoff,” airing Feb. 3-4 at 8 p.m. ET on the ABC Television Network.
$40 billion for tens of thou- cerned.”
sands of clients in more
than 100 countries ranging
from movie stars to elderly
retirees.
Beside him for this monu-
mental rise and fall was his
devoted wife Ruth, who in
“Madoff” receives a raw
but compassionate por-
trayal by Blythe Danner.
“She didn’t know,” de-
clares Danner. “She was
guiltless, as far as I’m con- up and going on as best
both his Muslim community
and by the police force.
In “The Language of Se-
crets,” Esa’s loyalties are
tested again when he is
assigned to investigate the
murder of Mohsin Dar, an
estranged friend who had
infiltrated a Muslim terror-
ist cell. As Esa looks into
Mohsin’s life, his partner,
Sgt. Rachel Getty, goes
undercover in the mosque,
claiming she is considering
converting. But Esa’s inves-
tigation is hampered per-
sonally and professionally.
His independent sister,
Ruksh, has been secretly
engaged to the mosque’s
leader, Hassan Ashkouri. In-
spector Ciprian Coale, who
The Emmy- and Tony-win-
ning actress met with Ruth
Madoff — who now lives in
seclusion stripped of family,
riches and good name —
to prepare for the film.
“I didn’t ask her a lot of
probing questions, but it
was good to get a feeling
of who she was: a com-
posed, lovely lady,” Dan-
ner says. “She was picking
is investigating the terrorist This book cover image re-
plot, purposely keeps vital
aspects of the investigation
from Esa — partly because
he doesn’t trust Esa’s loyal-
ties and also because the
two men are enemies.
With its thought-provoking,
intelligent plot, “The Lan-
guage of Secrets” even sur-
passes Khan’s superb de-
but, “The Unquiet Dead.”
“The Language of Secrets”
delivers a powerful insight
into the Muslim commu-
nity, exploring those who
are peace-loving and
proud of their heritage as
well as those whose pride
transforms into violence.
Yet Khan never stoops to a
treatise about the Muslim
Tuesday 2 February 2016
year, according to the
film’s director, Raymond
De Felitta.
Associated Press During the shoot, New York-
area country clubs proved
she could. But you sensed cost-efficient “for mop-
a lot of pain.” ping up several locations
Dreyfuss says he had a simi- — a dining room, an apart-
lar opportunity: to speak by ment, a golf course — at
phone with Bernie Madoff. one site,” he notes. But he
“I turned it down. I thought, was caught off-guard by
‘What’s he gonna do, tell the welcome with which
me the truth?’ It would be the film crew (and its fees)
an exercise in futility.” were greeted.
His crime was notable only “I told the guy at one
for its epic scale. Indeed, Long Island country club,
the ripple effects of his ‘I remember when coun-
racket even reached the try clubs didn’t allow film
“Madoff” production last crews to shoot there,’” De
Felitta says. “He explained,
‘Madoff wiped out a lot
of our membership. We
need the money.’ From
prison, Bernie was helping
us make the film!”
De Felitta (who also direct-
ed the 2009 indie feature
“City Island”) calls Madoff
“villainous. But you have to
show him as human.”
Helping humanize the por-
trait is Madoff’s relationship
— domineering yet caring
— with his wife.
Dreyfuss calls attention to
a tender moment after
Madoff’s bare-knuckles
disclosure to his family that
he’s a fraud who’s headed
to jail, and they’re broke.
His two sons storm out of
the room. “But he can tell
that Ruth still doesn’t un-
derstand. She says to him,
‘What do you mean?’”q
world while smoothly incor-
leased by Minotaur shows porating a look at the cul-
“The Language of Secrets,” ture, politics and poetry.
by Ausma Zehanat Khan. Khan’s affinity for charac-
ter studies reaches its zenith
Associated Press in the complicated Esa, an
honorable man constantly
torn by his choices, yet sure
of himself.
“It’s the price you pay for
doing what is necessary,”
he says. “For what you think
is right. ... And for knowing
where you belong.”
Using a 2006 failed terrorist
plot that was uncovered
by Canadian law enforce-
ment, Khan delivers an
action-packed police pro-
cedural complemented
by strong characters with
believable motives.q