Your early screening request of George Miller’s epic fantasy film Three Thousand Years of Longing has been honoured. The film premiered at Cannes earlier this year and received positive reviews, and it was scheduled to hit theatres on August 31 as one of the final pictures of the summer season. This means that Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba will now arrive on August 26 instead of the planned September 1. In Three Thousand Years of Longing, we accompany Dr Alithea Binnie (Swinton) as she relates a surreal experience she had in Istanbul.
She travels to the countryside to attend a conference, but as a lone scholar, she can’t help but pick up a memento of her trip. Along the way, she meets a strong Djinn (Elba) who, in exchange for his freedom, grants her three wishes. She is naturally sceptical and takes some time to believe his assertion, but as a student of mythology, she is well aware of the dire consequences that might result from a poorly worded desire. The Djinn, yearning for independence, captivates her with stories from his past, and she, in turn, grants him a request they did not anticipate. The film is an adaptation of A.S. Byatt’s fantasy short tale “The Djinn in the Nightingale’s Eye,” which was written by Miller. Miller has never been reluctant to go out and try new things outside of the Mad Max canon, and it appears that Three Thousand Years of Longing is no exception.
The trailers have hinted at the surreal and amazing imagery that permeates the picture as it jumps back & forth in time between the Djinn’s tales and the current day with Alithea. Praise for the picture has centred on its ambitious scope, the solid central performances of Swinton and Elba, and the stunning graphics. While its six-minute standing ovation at Cannes isn’t as long as Elvis’s eleven-minute ovation, it’s nevertheless a sign of greatness.
Executive producers Dean Hood, Craig McMahon, and Kevin Sun, along with newbie co-writer Augusta Gore, will work on the project with Miller.
Miller wanted the score for Mad Max: Fury Road to be perfect, so he enlisted the help of Mad Max composer Tom Holkenborg, who had previously worked with him on other projects. Also included in the film is Matteo Bocelli, son of the legendary operatic tenor Andrea Bocelli, who sang an original song named “Cautionary Tale.” Miller’s commitment to the Mad Max universe remains strong, with further developments like Furiosa’s appearance in the future to come. However, the critically renowned filmmaker’s return to the big screen has been brought up to the 26th of August with the premiere of Three Thousand Years of Longing.