The Apprentice (An Update...)
With the release of The Apprentice in cinemas today, here is an update on what has been going on with the film since it premiered in Cannes earlier in the year.
An Update on the Film
A lot has happened since my last update on The Apprentice. The film premiered at Cannes in May, where it competed after a remarkably swift post-production period. Success and rave reviews, a star studded premiere and an 8 minute standing ovation for director Ali Abbassi should have been enough to propel the film into the heights of success, but a (now well documented) protracted legal proceedings broke out between the filmmakers and one of the films investors, film company Kinematics, leaving uncertainty about whether the film would be released at all.
In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Abbasi reflected: “After those first stories broke in the trades around Cannes, everyone started framing it as ‘The Apprentice was financed by a Trump supporter,’ but I’m not really sure it was ever that direct. I think it mainly comes down to the messed-up financing situation for indie movies in America.” There is also a very good interview on BBC’s Hard Talk with the director about the controversy surrounding the film and his work in general.
Writer Gabe Sherman, speaking on The New Yorker Podcast, emphasised that the film is not anti-Trump—or not exactly. “The movie got cast into this political left-right schema, and it’s not that. It’s a humanist work of drama,” he explained, noting that the protégé ultimately betrays his mentor.
And an article by Tony Schwartz, co-writer of Trump’s The Art of the Deal, praised the film. “Watching The Apprentice crystallised two major lessons I learned from Mr. Trump 30 years ago and have seen play out in his life with increasingly extreme consequences. The first lesson is that a lack of conscience can be a huge advantage when it comes to accruing power, attention, and wealth in a society where most people abide by a social contract. The second lesson is that nothing we gain from the outside world can ever substitute for what we’re missing on the inside.”
The film was released in the United States last week, accompanied by the expected amount of controversy, including a tweet from Trump himself, calling it a “hatchet job” made by “human scum” (Does that include me?). It is being released today in the United Kingdom and Ireland, so please go see it for yourself.
London Film Festival Premiere
This Tuesday also marked the London Film Festival premiere at the Royal Festival Hall. It was a pleasure to be invited, walk the red carpet, and reconnect with many of the people I worked with on the film. The event was attended by the film’s stars, including Sebastian Stan, Jeremy Strong, and Maria Bakalova. It was especially gratifying to see the film’s producers, Ruth Treacy and Julianne Forde, receive the credit they so rightfully deserve.
Previous Posts
Here are a few posts where I discuss tools I developed while working on The Apprentice: