Lena Dunham reveals ‘Catherine Called Birdy’ movie inspiration – The Hollywood Reporter

For writer-director Lena Dunham, Karen Cushman’s 1994 Newbery Honor-winning YA novel Catherine, known as Birdy almost a sacred text. Following an exploitative comic about a young girl in 13th-century England, Cushman’s book is an irreverent look at being a teenage girl at a time when such identities make young women powerless and indebted to the men in their lives – first their father, then their father. husbands.

Bella Ramsey (pictured above, with co-star Joe Alwyn) plays the 14-year-old protagonist who fights the patriarchy as best she can when her father (Andrew Scott) announces that she will be marrying a rich man. husband to save the family from financial ruin. As she fends off potential suitors to the chagrin of her parents, she finds her voice as a witty, vivacious young woman with the strength to stand up for herself. me. Dunham admits that seeing Ramsey for the first time brought back memories of when she bought a copy of Cushman’s book as a child at Union Square Barnes & Noble in Manhattan and became obsessed with the character for the first time. Birdy. The design of the book also influenced the look and feel of Prime Video movies, especially the use of color. “All that has made it [the film], from the production design to the cast,” she said. “It was the source for a lot of what the film became visually.”

The film also became a family affair, as Dunham collaborated with her husband, musician Luis Felber, on the soundtrack. She also cast her dog, Ingrid, in a small part — Sofia Coppola’s film debut as Michael Corleone’s newborn grandson in Francis Ford Coppola’s Godfather. “I gave her the role,” Dunham said with a laugh. “People are skeptical, but I believe in her!”

DAYS IN HEAVEN

Dunham first watched Terrence Malick’s 1978 TV series while she was in college, after purchasing a copy of VHS (with this cover). “It was the first time that I really fell in love with an adult, slow-moving, auteurist movie — not only showing enjoyment, but really engrossed in it,” she admits. The font on the cover not only inspires the typefaces used in Birdybut the narration of then 15-year-old star Linda Manz also inspired Birdy’s voice acting throughout the film.

DUNHAM’S DOG, INGRID

“Ingrid was with me throughout the writing, scouting, and filming of this film,” says Dunham, noting that her dog — a hairless Mexican hybrid and a pug — has cameo in the film as the baby Jesus in the Christmas carnival. “When we go to these medieval buildings, we will see ancient paintings of saints and peasants with their dogs. They all look a bit like Ingrid – she has a very medieval look.

CATHERINE, CALLED AS A BIRD

“It’s the Birdy face I’ve always seen,” Dunham said of the title character illustration on the original edition of Cushman’s novel. “When I see Bella’s face, it evokes a lot of the qualities that this character has – very classic beauty coupled with intelligence, [and] eyes wide open innocently with trickery.

LA FRIENDS

This is a purchasable magazine published around the turn of the millennium. “My parents will receive their Hammacher Schlemmer catalog in the mail, and I will receive LA’s girlfriend,” recalls Dunham, who ordered her bat mitzvah dress from the company. “I wouldn’t say my costume designer spent hours reading LA’s girlfriend catalog, but when I look through the outfits, I feel that energy. It’s like Y2K fashion, only from a century before Y2K.”

‘s JULIA JACKLIN SECRET LOVE

The Australian singer-songwriter’s 2019 album was regularly rotated while Dunham was in pre-production — and that’s the album she bonded with her husband, musician Luis Felber, who also worked on the soundtrack. Dunham said: “Julia’s voice became that of a troubadour, recounting my experience of coming and exploring England. The idea of ​​a traveling troubadour also inspired Dunham and Felber to include cover songs by singer Misty Miller, who recorded versions of hits like “My Boyfriend’s Back” and ” Fade Into You.”

This story first appeared in the December independent issue of The Hollywood Reporter. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.