NEW YORK

NEW YORK'S JEWISH DIVAS By Maximillien de Lafayette

ISABEL ROSE: ARTISTE EXTRAORDINAIRE WITH UNUSUAL VISIONS AND TALENTS...

Isabel Rose, star extraordinaire , co-writer of the film Anything But Love and author of the upcoming Doubleday novel The J.A.P Chronicles is making a big buz in New York City. Rose is an artist-entrepreneur. In addition to her multidimensional talents as a motion pictures star, writer, director, author, novelist, jazz effervescent entertainer, Ms. Rose is a phenomenal raconteuse, a captivating story teller. Most recently, we had an awakening glance at this New Yorker sparkling star. Rose is probably one of the most daring, intelligent and sweetly captivating divas. Besides, being very smart with crafty soft spoken style, Rose is "Diva Persona" a la Isabel Rose. She is real, highly talented with visions and warmth.

But who in heavens, is Isabel Rose, this sparkling star who is making big buzz in New York and Hollywood? Well, this is what we already know about Rose: She is the co-creator of ANYTHING BUT LOVE, which celebrates the style and sensibility of the 50’s Technicolor musicals. Her film tells a contemporary love story of a young woman choosing between the life she wants and the dreams she can’t live without.

Photo: Poster of the motion picture "Anything But Love". Isabel shined in that film. She delivered a world class performance.

The film leading star is ISABEL ROSE herself playing the role of Billie Golden, a woman infatuated with the glamour of an era long past. Dressed to the nines in the look of Hepburn and Hayworth, Billie envisions herself singing in plush nightclubs amidst velvet curtains and the sparkle of champagne. After a series of setbacks, she runs into high school heartthrob, Greg Ellenbogen (CAMERON BANCROFT), who quickly sweeps her off her feet. But when she meets a jaded pianist, Elliot Shepard (ANDREW MCCARTHY), she finds herself caught between competing dreams, a dilemma only EARTHA KITT can solve.

ISABEL ROSE: A Refreshing New Breeze for the American Cinema.

The press release stated, ANYTHING BUT LOVE pays homage to the type of movie that was a staple of the American moviegoers diet in the 40’s and 50’s. Shot in an approximation of Technicolor, and employing many of the techniques made popular by such legendary filmmakers as Vincent Minnelli and Arthur Freed, ANYTHING recollects those films while presenting an original story set in contemporary Manhattan. If you are familiar with BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S, FUNNY FACE, BAND WAGON or PILLOW TALK, you are in for a real treat. While not a satire, ANYTHING is certainly an experience in nostalgia, not only for the good old days of cinema but also for a time when glamour was everything and the spotlights shined on beautiful men and women and when the world danced." Rose's film festivals and awards include: 2003 Newport International Film Festival, 2003 Philadelphia Film Festival, 2003 River Run Film Festival, Audience Favorite, 2003 George Lindsay Film Festival, Golden Lion Award , 2002 San Diego Film Festival, Best Up and Coming Actress (Isabel Rose), 2002 Austin Film Festival, 2002 Ft. Lauderdale Film Festival, 2002 Palm Springs Film Festival. But, what attracted Rose and director Robert Cary to the subject matter of ANYTHING BUT LOVE?, Cary said: " I’ve always loved the musicals and romances of Hollywood’s golden era, specifically those films produced by the majors between the mid-30’s and mid-50’s. My writing partner, Isabel Rose, wanted to make a film about staying true to one’s dreams when being urged to be practical and realistic. She also wanted to look at the New York cabaret world. On top of that, we both share a deep sense of nostalgia and feel for the Manhattan of a bygone era and the way it has been represented in film. And let’s not forget both of our deep love of music! So we put all that together and out came ANYTHING BUT LOVE. "

It must have been a challenge for Rose and Cary to recreate the 1940’s and 1950’s glamour in modern day New York. A challenge to bring back to the screen the glamour, fantasies, nostalgia and vanished golden era of Hollywood. Especially, when full steam action movies, Kung Fu high kicks and raging violence scenes have become the favorite choice (choix de rigueur) of the American cinema moviegoers new generation! It could be, even a risky financial undertaking. But, the immense talents of both Rose and Cary could and would attenuate the severity of such a high financial risk. Rose is a real artist with visions, esthetic integrity and unsurpassed talent. Cary is meticulous with an alert cinematographic zeal.

ISABEL ROSE: NEW YORK'S QUEEN OF CINEMA-NOSTALGIA!

Joining forces, imbibed with hard work, sacrifices and strong determination, Rose and Cary team has succeeded in producing a splendid piece of cinema, a superb film which brought so much beauty, human warmth and cinematographic excellence to contemporary American cinema. Although, some reviews were not very positive, the overwhelming articles, reviews and critiques of the film were favorable and to a certain degree, quite glowing and warm like the spirit and character of Isabel Rose.

But to bring back the "half-dead nostalgia" of Hollywood 20s, 30s, and 40s, demands enormous resources, cinematographic veracity, research, documentation, authentic dance choreography of the era and the romantic musical aura of a sweet-bitter epoch! Cary came to the rescue. He said: "This is where a great producer, a brilliant creative team and a remarkable crew come in handy. I had Horacio Marquinez, our Director of Photography, and Cecil Gentry, our production designer, sit with me and watch THE RED SHOES, FUNNY FACE, SINGIN’ IN THE RAIN, and THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBURG. And we all knew BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S. We talked about the look of a Douglas Sirk melodrama, Billy Wilder’s work in color, and everything Vincent Minnelli ever did. I wanted to go for this Technicolor look so we shot on slow film with a lot of light in very color-saturated locations. We color-coded characters, keeping one lead in a blue-gray world, another in a warmer, more red-based palette, and yet another in greens and browns—all tactics used by the Freed Unit at MGM between about 1944 and 1958. And then we looked for New York locations, any of which had what I called “1953 tourist-Manhattan” appeal, like the fountain in front of the Plaza Hotel, the windows at Saks Fifth Avenue, Times Square, and the promenade along the Hudson in Riverside Park. Our line producer, Valerie Romer, got us a substantial lighting package for a reasonable price so we lit every exterior like it was a soundstage. The fun was in making these New York locations look like we built them on a set or shot them on a back lot, which is how it would’ve been done in the old days. LOVE is a low-budget indie but you can still throw a lot of lavender light on the fountain in Grand Army Plaza, do a wet-down, pray for good weather and make a little magic happen. New York has a lot of grit, but there’s plenty of glamour there, too." Cary was a performer with the Joffrey II Ballet and started dancing when he was eleven. He felt confident he could choreograph the elaborate dance sequences himself.

Few cinematographers-choreographers (Bob Fosse, Serge Lifar, Gene Kelly) have achieved such a vision. Even remarkable dancers with unsurpassed talent and creativity ever dared to embark on such a daring and ambitious journey. Cyd Charise and Fred Astaire, despite their legendary artistic genius refrained themselves from choreographing their own dance sequences and numbers. But Isabel Rose and Cary went ahead with their genius and creativity and did it with grace, dynamism, nostalgic beauty and class. Rose co-wrote the screenplay. Cary told the media: "Isabel and I IFILM - Anything but Love - Photo went to Yale together. We performed in shows there and I also started directing at that time and ultimately directed her in a number of shows. She was the lead in a number of musicals, as well as dramas and comedies, and after college we both went on to pursue acting professionally. Somewhere along the line she began to write and I focused more on directing and when she came to me a few years ago to create something set in the cabaret world everything just clicked together. Since then we’ve completed three more screenplays in addition to making ANYTHING BUT LOVE and have many more projects on deck. It’s easy to collaborate with her since we have similar sensibility in terms of story and character and also share a strong sense of humor. I think it also helps that we’re both actors; we take turns inhabiting a role as we create it. Plus, she gets me out of bed to write every morning at 9AM when I want to sleep till eleven!"

Photo: The stunning Isabel Rose in a scene from "ANYTHING BUT LOVE".

Isabel Rose graduated from Yale University summa cum laude with a combined major in Theater Studies and American Studies and went directly to The Williamstown Theater Festival where she was a member of their non-equity company for three summers, participating in such productions as A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, Marat Sade, and Threepenny Opera. She also did Personality, a one-woman show, and was featured regularly in their late-night cabaret series. Her theater credits include the national tour of Six Degrees of Separation and Beau Jest, in which she played the lead role both off-Broadway and at the Ford Theater. Isabel also holds an MFA from Bennington College in Fiction and Literature. Rose and Cary have co-written three other screenplays: “Penthouse A,” “CHAT,” and “D-Girls.” She also writes fiction and music. She has recently completed writing a collection of nine fictional stories, entitled The J.A.P. Chronicles, which follows a group of girls from their childhood days at an exclusive Jewish summer camp through the camp's 100th reunion twenty-seven years later. In talking to Isabel Rose, one realizes that this woman is a fountain of multi varied talents, a captivating persona, stimulating artist at so many levels. Her intelligence shines through the multi-colored and vivacious vocabulary. Her beauty is stunning and radiates with warmth and affection. And the femme fatale aura of Isabel Rose will haunt all those who were fortunate enough to know Isabel in person. She will be performing soon in New York City. Do not miss her shows. It could be one of the best moments of your life. Be there. And have a glance at this sparkling and magnificent American superstar.