VENICE: Film director Pablo Larrain said his portrayal of Jacqueline Kennedy in the aftermath of her husband’s assassination is not a biopic but rather a chance to look at an intriguing and painful story from the point of view of the former first lady.
Larrain was speaking at the Venice film festival where “Jackie,” starring Natalie Portman, will premier later on Wednesday and is competing against 19 other movies for the coveted Golden Lion that will be awarded on Saturday.
“I believe that Jackie was someone incredibly mysterious, probably one of the most unknown from the known people,” the Chilean director told a press conference.
The movie is Larrain’s first English-language feature and also his first movie centered around a female character.
“I’m not American and not necessarily attached to their history ... but I felt this was a very beautiful and intriguing story,” he said.
The movie shows Jackie in the first week after the assassination as she struggles to come to terms with the tragedy and her own grief. At the same time she seeks to comfort her two young children and prepare her husband’s funeral in a way that will make his death meaningful but also allow her to be remembered as more than a fashion icon. Portman, who won an Oscar for her role in ballet thriller “Black Swan,” said portraying someone whose looks, speech and gestures were known to everyone made this the “most dangerous” role she had ever played.
The movie recreated parts of a White House tour the first lady gave after renovating the presidential residence, making it easy to draw comparisons between Portman and Kennedy.
“And that’s terrifying because I’ve never thought of myself as a great imitator or anything,” the 35-year-old actress said.
“I was just trying to get to something that people could get past and believe that I was Jackie, and then you always have yourself in there too, inevitably.”
A big part of Portman’s job was portraying a character always in control of her identity, putting different masks on when in public, with those close to her or when truly alone.
The camera moves from Jackie recording the White House tours with a nervous smile to a first lady alone in her bedroom, sipping on Vodka, popping pills and swapping between outfits, all the while listening to a Broadway recording of “Camelot.”
‘Jackie’ film portrays mystery of first lady after Kennedy’s death
‘Jackie’ film portrays mystery of first lady after Kennedy’s death
6 planets will parade across the night sky at the end of February
NEW YORK: Six planets are linking up in the sky at the end of February, and most will be visible to the naked eye.
It’s what’s known as a planetary parade, which happens when multiple planets appear to line up in the sky at once. The planets aren’t in a straight line, but are close together on one side of the sun.
Skygazers can usually spot two or three planets after sunset, according to NASA. Hangouts of four or five that can be glimpsed with the naked eye are less common and occur every few years. Last year featured lineups of six and all seven planets.
When will they be visible?
On Saturday, Mercury, Venus, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible to the naked eye if clear skies allow. Uranus and Neptune can only be spotted with binoculars and telescopes.
What time is optimal for viewing?
Go outside about an hour after sunset and venture away from tall buildings and trees that will block the view. Look to the western sky and spot Mercury, Venus and Saturn close to the horizon. Jupiter will be higher up, along with Uranus and Neptune.
How to know if you’ve spied a member of the parade?
“If it’s twinkling, it’s a star. If it is not twinkling, it’s a planet,” said planetary scientist Sara Mazrouei with Humber Polytechnic in Canada.
The parade should be visible over the weekend and in the days after. Eventually, Mercury will bow out and dip below the horizon.
At least one bright planet is visible on most nights, according to NASA.
Glimpsing many in the sky at once is a fun way to connect with astronomers of centuries’ past, said planetary scientist Emily Elizondo with Michigan State University.
Ancient astronomers used to make sense of the universe “just by looking up at the stars and the planets,” Elizondo said, “which is something that we can do today.”
