“Community

Ardmore home used as set by Montreal screenwriter

by Mare Davis
The Review

Residents along North Saa-
nich’s sleepy Ardmore Drive may
think their neighborhood has
become a far-flung suburb of Hol-
lywood. :

For a three-week period, which

pended July 27, Montreal writer-
director Claude Gagnon filmed a
feature-length movie at a sprawl-
ing rancher home off Ardmore

Drive.
The Pianist is a film about a love

.

triangle between two sisters and a
famous concert pianist, Gagnon
said.

Based on a novel by Ann Ireland
called A Certain Mr. Takahashi,
the $4.5 million production had a
six-week shooting schedule in
North Saanich and in Montreal, he
said.

A long scouting mission even-
tually led to the choice of a private
residence at Yarrow Point on Ard-
more Drive, he said.

“Part of the story is set in the
Victoria area: So we chose the

house we are filming in because it
is in such a beautiful setting that
really suits our needs,’ Gagnon
said.

The idyllic weather played a
major role in contributing to the
mood of the story, he added. _

“Tt was amazing. We didn’t get a
single day of rain. It was almost
like a miracle,” he said.

Gagnon, who is based in Mon-
treal, said working on the Penin-
sula was a very enjoyable experi-
ence.

“People were extremely recep-

TheReview

tive. People would even open up
their stores for us after business
hours if we needed something. It
was just wonderful the way people
handled our needs,” he said.

A crew of about 50 technicians
worked on the set in daily shifts of
ten to 12 hours, Gagnon said.

“We worked long hours but we
didn’t run into any major prob-
lems. We all thought it was one of
the smoothest shoots of our lives,”
he said.

The movie is a Japanese-
Canadian co-production, which

Wednesday, August 8, 1990

Bl

stars Gail Travers and Macha
Grenon (The Decline of the Amer-
ican Empire), as well as Japanese
superstar Eiji Okuda, Gagnon said.

The film is scheduled for gen-
eral release in Canada in the fall of
next year. Gagnon also hopes to
enter the film in the next Cannes
Film Festival.

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Available. Call
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656-1151

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