TV Guide
Bernard and Doris Debuts on HBO
posted on Friday October 9, 2009
In 1987, Irish butler Bernard Lafferty arrived at the doorstep of tobacco heiress Doris Duke. Fresh out of rehabilitation and without a penny to his name, he faced an uphill battle in convincing his notoriously demanding boss to keep him on staff. A mere six years later, he had not only managed to remain employed, but had been granted control over Duke’s billion-dollar fortune. What might have happened during those in-between years is the subject of "Bernard and Doris", debuting Tuesday, October 20, 2009 at 9pm on HBO.
Featuring riveting performances from two of Hollywood’s finest thespians, Academy Award® winner Susan Sarandon (Speed Racer) stars as Doris Duke, and two-time Academy Award® nominee Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) as Bernard Lafferty.
Doris was the world’s richest woman, a society icon with a reputation for being difficult and demanding. Bernard was her devoted butler, a closeted homosexual who, despite his subordinate status and a troubled history of alcohol abuse, ended up the sole executor and primary beneficiary of her massive estate.
Her decision to name Bernard her estate executor was the subject of multiple lawsuits and headlines, but this multiple Emmy® nominated HBO Original Movie goes beyond the sensationalism, utilizing public facts that are known about the two to explore issues of money, class and sexuality, and at its core, weave the imagined story of an extraordinary relationship between two real-life individuals who did not fit into each other’s worlds.
To director Bob Balaban, “BERNARD AND DORIS is a love story between a reclusive grand dame destined to fall in love with all the wrong men and a penniless servant who shared the same fate.” Theirs was “a platonic love story – the deep friendship between two very unusual people,” aptly described by Fiennes.
BERNARD AND DORIS is written by Hugh Costello. The film is executive produced by Bob Balaban, Jonathan Cavendish, Adam Kassen and Mark Kassen; along with Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti; and co-executive produced by Mark Olsen.
A witty and endearing tale of the unconventional bond between the society “princess” and her flawed “pauper” of a butler, BERNARD AND DORIS premieres on Tuesday, 20 October at 9pm on HBO. Encores air Wednesday 21 October at 1pm and 11.20pm, and Saturday 24 October at 3pm.
Log on to www.hboasia.com for more show times.
Featuring riveting performances from two of Hollywood’s finest thespians, Academy Award® winner Susan Sarandon (Speed Racer) stars as Doris Duke, and two-time Academy Award® nominee Ralph Fiennes (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix) as Bernard Lafferty.
Doris was the world’s richest woman, a society icon with a reputation for being difficult and demanding. Bernard was her devoted butler, a closeted homosexual who, despite his subordinate status and a troubled history of alcohol abuse, ended up the sole executor and primary beneficiary of her massive estate.
Her decision to name Bernard her estate executor was the subject of multiple lawsuits and headlines, but this multiple Emmy® nominated HBO Original Movie goes beyond the sensationalism, utilizing public facts that are known about the two to explore issues of money, class and sexuality, and at its core, weave the imagined story of an extraordinary relationship between two real-life individuals who did not fit into each other’s worlds.
To director Bob Balaban, “BERNARD AND DORIS is a love story between a reclusive grand dame destined to fall in love with all the wrong men and a penniless servant who shared the same fate.” Theirs was “a platonic love story – the deep friendship between two very unusual people,” aptly described by Fiennes.
BERNARD AND DORIS is written by Hugh Costello. The film is executive produced by Bob Balaban, Jonathan Cavendish, Adam Kassen and Mark Kassen; along with Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti; and co-executive produced by Mark Olsen.
A witty and endearing tale of the unconventional bond between the society “princess” and her flawed “pauper” of a butler, BERNARD AND DORIS premieres on Tuesday, 20 October at 9pm on HBO. Encores air Wednesday 21 October at 1pm and 11.20pm, and Saturday 24 October at 3pm.
Log on to www.hboasia.com for more show times.
ClickTheCity welcomes and encourages reader comments. ClickTheCity also reserves the right to edit and/or delete comments containing advertising, personal attacks, and any other objectionable content.
PLDT Watchpad
