Today, thanks to JustJared, we got the first glimpse of Nicole Kidman in costume (at least hair and makeup) as Martha Gellhorn in the film Hemingway and Gellhorn, which also stars Clive Owen as Ernest Hemingway.
The movie documents the often tumultuous years Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn spent together.
Though Martha Gellhorn is best known for being married to Hemingway, she was also the first woman “embedded” with troops overseas, is considered one of the greatest travel writers of the 20th Century, and is admired for living her life exactly the way she wanted too in a time when that wasn’t always the easiest thing for a woman to do. Hemingway himself called Gellhorn “the most ambitious woman who ever lived.”
Even the way she met Ernest is the stuff of legend. She had long admired his work and had heard he was a regular at Sloppy Joe’s in Key West so she traveled there and waited for him. They carried on an affair for several years after meeting and were finally married in 1940. Though they divorced just five years later (Gellhorn was never one to believe in romantic love and Hemingway had his own set of issues) they did take a trip to China in 1941 that later Gellhorn wrote about in Travels With Myself and Another.
On a personal note, Martha Gellhorn is the one literary figure that I’ve admired above all others. She was brave, where I am anything but, and I often think of her when I am hesitant to take a risk or fight for what I want. I literally have a sticky note with WWMGD? scribbled across it on my laptop as I type this. So, in other words, I really, really hope Nicole Kidman doesn’t screw this up! 🙂
If you spot Hemingway and Gellhorn filming around San Francisco or have any set photos to share, please let me know at olv@onlocationvacations.com!
The film is going to focus on a few years of Gellhorn’s life, you do realise that it is not a biopic and more importantly, you seem more into Gellhorn’s relationship with Hemingway than Gellhorn actually was. I mean, it isn’t as if she married him for long, is it? She was a lot more interested in her own work than in him.
And if Kidman screws it up, she is hardly going to be told to pay the fees back.
I’m sorry if I was misunderstood, I am by no means “into their relationship” — but since the movie focuses on the years they were together (hence the title), I did add the bit about how they met. I also do point out that she is best known as Hemingway’s wife BUT did so much more — that was the point I was trying to make– she was a war correspondent, she was independent, she was a brilliant travel writer, etc.
Also, because the movie is not a biopic about her- but about her relationship with Hemingway- that is exactly why I bring up everything else she did.. I was trying to give some context about who she was as a person, rather than just the fact that she was his wife, but that obviously didn’t come across.
It came across perfectly. Thanks for this, I will look for the movie.
Just have to add, I thought it came across perfectly as well.
thank you!
If you liberals weren’t so concerned about making a statement rather than just telling the story, you, yourselves might be able to make a name for yourselves. Gellhorn would undoubtedly give you the same advice. Quit being an activist or otherwise PC and just write the real and true story.
Read and be in the know. Great film and great actors!
Me to: I am totally a fan of Gellhorn, she was the greatest! I cant wait to see the movie, and hopefully they based the movie on the real thing. She was not into romance at all. Did you read the Moorehead biography? It is really good!
I did, it is good! Thanks! Glad to meet another Gellhorn fan! Will be interesting to see how they make her out in the movie – looking forward to seeing it.