Director Sophia Coppola has stated that her film The Beguiled is not a remake of the 1971 film of the same name, but rather an adaptation of the Thomas Cullinan novel that film is based on. Here are some fun facts* about Coppola’s film:
• The film was shot in 26 days.
• The production ran into a minor crisis when several costumes were completely ruined in the washing machine. According to costume designer Stacey Battat, her creations were doomed as someone put bleach in the washing machine and forgot, and then put clothes in the same machine. The costumes had to be recreated immediately for the production not to run off schedule.
• Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell began work on this film weeks after completing work on the film The Killing of a Sacred Deer. Both films debuted at Cannes in 2017
• The cast went through several lessons during filming. They had a sewing teacher, a dancing teacher, took etiquette classes, corset training lessons and had to cook and eat meals together. A Civil War reenactor demonstrated how to dress wounds, and a priest explained prayers from the Book of Matthew and Coppola distributed an antebellum etiquette book, titled How to Be a Good Southern Lady.
• The sponge bath scene with Kidman and Farrell required several takes, as the afternoon light was effecting the cinematography. By the time the scene wrapped, Kidman had sponged Farrell for almost two hours.
• Kirsten Dunst refused to lose weight for her part, as suggested by Coppola, her director and frequent collaborator. Dunst cited her disdain for workouts and had already been through an intense diet for her previous film, Woodshock.
• Colin Farrell has said it was his favorite shoot of his career, and praised his co-stars and his director, “To be surrounded by talented, decent, smart, insightful creative and serious women — I was spoiled by Sofia Coppola who set a particular mood of comfort, ease and trust. It allows you as an actor to play and explore.”
The Beguiled is available On Demand beginning Oct. 10. Check with your On Demand provider for availability.
* Information from IMDB.com