Diane Lane’s debut film “A Little Romance” (1979), hit Savannah’s big screen on Nov. 1 at the Trustee’s Theatre. The film is a timeless teen-girl heart throb story with wit. It follows the love brewing between a 13-year-old American girl (Lane) and a cinema-crazed French boy (Thelonious Bernard). The young couple embarks on a journey to kiss under the Bridge of Sighs in Venice, aided by a sweet, quirky man who believes in the power of legendary love (Laurence Olivier).
After the credits, Diane Lane sat down for a Q&A session with the audience.
She had a number of amusing stories about her time filming the movie.
“I had a theater beginning … [“A Little Romance”] was my film beginning.”
“I had already been to Paris and Venice plenty of times when with the theater company. The costume department would dress me and ask, ‘Aren’t you so excited to be in Paris?’ I would say, ‘I’ve already been here 7 times.’ I didn’t realize it came off as rude and precocious!”
When asked about her chemistry with her male counterpart (Bernard) in “A Little Romance,” Lane had the audience chuckling. “He decided that he hated girls and loved soccer; that was how he was going to cope with having to court me everyday in this movie.“
“He didn’t like me until the kiss. And that’s the truth … Suddenly I was his friend.”
Nevertheless, she described Lawrence Olivier as “lovely to work with … and a constant professional.” By the time “A Little Romance” debuted, Olivier had acted in many Shakespearian films and was very well-known. Lane said she felt “incredibly blessed” to work with Olivier.
“I just don’t know how to pinch myself and wake up from this dream, it feels like I’m still dreaming,” Lane responded.
Lane also shared that this wasn’t her first time in Savannah. In fact, Lane lived here and studied at Savannah Christian Prep for a year. “We had the uniforms that were red and white. I thought … I recognize this fabric. It was on the table cloths from Italy!”
Later, Lane described her interest in less “sympathetic” characters — she’s most interested in those with “a little more conflict, a little more grit and little less nice guy.” She used her role in a Tennessee Williams play as an example, explaining that more powerful roles gave Lane “wind in [her] sails.”
At the end of the session, audience members asked questions relevant to the work Lane’s been doing now and what she looks for in new scripts.
Lane replied, “A screenplay with depth. I’m looking for somebody in denial. That’s the ace in the deck. How many high cards you have is how much denial a character possesses.”
[Contact fname=”Rebecca” lname=”Arrowsmith” email=”rarrow20@student.scad.edu”]
