Julianne Moore stars as Roxane Coss in Bel Canto. Coss is an opera singer who travels to South America at the invitation of Katsumi Hosokawa (Ken Watanabe), a wealthy businessman who is an unabashed fan of hers. She visits his private estate to perform for a collection of dignitaries and other powerful individuals.
Things take a turn when a group of guerillas storm the compound, determined to hold the attendees hostage until the government releases their imprisoned comrades. But the drama drags on for a month, forcing the hostages and hostage-takers to spend more and more time together, during which they find themselves forced to confront the other party’s point of view.
The Posters
Moore and Watanabe are shown in their fine evening wear behind barred windows, an armed militia member of some kind on the side closed the camera. It’s not enormously effective as it doesn’t spell out a very clear brand for the movie, but it’s hard to argue with placing these two stars at the center of things.
The Trailers
The trailer effectively sets up the conflicts that will drive the story, showing that a performance by Coss at the home of a well-connected individual is interrupted by rebels seeking to trade hostages for their comrades being held by the government. Coss is not only the object of affection for Hosokawa but also winds up becoming key to the rebels’ plans as the seek to use her to build empathy among the public.
Online and Social
The only online presence I could find was a page on ScreenMedia’s website where you can watch the trailer, read a synopsis, view a gallery of stills and find both showtimes and a link to buy the movie on iTunes.
Advertising and Cross-Promotions
Nothing I’ve been able to find.
Media and Publicity
There wasn’t a whole lot of press activity here. Among the few articles and stories found were this interview Moore conducted with Renee Fleming, who provides her singing voice in the movie, and an interview with Watanabe where he talked about his personal connection to the real events that inspired the movie.
Overall
The campaign doesn’t really hit on all cylinders, never really allowing the story enough room to really explore the complexities that seem to be hinted at here and there. But the performances by Moore and Watanabe are the main draw and on that level it succeeds.
PICKING UP THE SPARE
TheWrap has a history of the journey the book took to being adapted into a movie.
Julianne Moore talks lip-synching to Renee Fleming to try and come off like a world-class opera singer something she also covered when she appeared on “Late Night.”
Ken Watanabe talks about the multicultural cast and vibe during production and how his career has evolved.
Cinematic Slant 