Diana in movie "Public Enemies" with Johnny Depp

[imnoangel1975]

I saw it last nite. The movie was just ok - not as good as Michael Mann's other films. There was a lot of hand-held camera work which, for me, was nauseating and the shoot-out scenes were just too long - I found myself drifting off. The story is interesting and Johnny Depp and Marion Coutillard were both good. Overall, I'd give it 2.5 stars out of 5. No one would miss anything if they just rented it and watched it at home.

Re Diana's appearance in the film: blink and you might miss her. She appears in a nite club scene about 20 minutes into the movie and she's only on screen for about a second and a half. She looked beautiful though - very 1930's glamour. Her song, however, "Bye Bye Blackbird" was a running theme throughout the film and you can definitely get a good listen. And it's excellent, by the way. I definitely recommend downloading it from iTunes.

[Bud]

I saw it this afternoon after work, and I will second Ang's assessment. I might even be a little less generous, and give it 2 stars. Given the subject matter and action, it was a surprisingly flat movie. I saw a few people get up and leave early.

Diana did fine for her part. Bye Bye Blackbird suits her well. Diana fans are advised to stay until the last scene of the movie, for reasons I won't disclose.

Looks like you need to download the whole soundtrack to get Bye Bye Blackbird. Both iTunes and Amazon make it available only if you buy the album.

[jazzygal karla]

Hmmm... 20 mins. in for a brief appearance?

Ya know, some movie theatres have a refund policy that you can take advantage of if within the first 30 mins. of viewing.

(You didn't get that from me).

[Bud]

http://www.examiner.com/x-12458-Oakland ... ic-Enemies

Diana Krall has a Hollywood minute in "Public Enemies"

It’s always wonderful to hear Diana Krall’s voice and even more of a pleasure when you get to see her sing. Audiences get a healthy dose of the former and a fleeting glimpse of the latter in director Michael Mann’s latest, “Public Enemies.”
Set predominantly in the mid-‘30s Midwest, the movie stars Johnny Depp as John Dillinger, the Indiana outlaw who famously met his end outside Chicago’s Biograph Theater. Christian Bale hunts Dillinger down in his role as FBI G-man Melvin Purvis.
Given its setting, it follows that jazz dominates the “Public Enemies” soundtrack, with both vintage tunes from the likes of Billie Holiday and new material from bluesman Otis Taylor. A (quite literally) recurring theme is Krall’s performance of “Bye Bye Blackbird”; indeed, the song figures in the film’s final moments.
Krall is first heard when Dillinger and main squeeze Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard) are out on the town at a Chicago nightclub. As the camera works its way across the dance floor, flashes of the band and the vocalist are visible. Just when I thought to myself, “I wonder if they actually filmed Krall,” there she was, blonde and beautiful in a slinky period gown. An instant later, she was gone; it's truly a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it cameo.
Given that brevity, no one should make too much of Krall’s appearance in the film. That said, two thoughts did occur to me.
One was that it makes perfect sense for Krall to be featured in a mainstream Hollywood production like “Public Enemies.” After all, for millions of Americans, she is the most (and, for many, only) recognizable face in jazz. Maybe they’ve seen her on PBS or heard “Peel Me a Grape” on the radio. And let’s not discount her celebrity status as Mrs. Elvis Costello.
That’s a sizable and significant role, being an ambassador for jazz, and Krall handles it with aplomb. Having seen her live several times – Krall performs Aug. 12 in San Francisco, Aug. 13 in Livermore, Aug. 18-19 in Saratoga and Aug. 25 in Santa Rosa – I can attest that she has the music in her soul and her gifts extend far beyond the good looks and sultry vocal style exhibited in “Public Enemies.” She is a true gateway artist, providing an essential link between smooth jazz and, say, Oscar Peterson. More power (and popularity) to her.

[Bud]

Diana Krall Has a Cameo and Music in Public Enemies

http://www.bilalaliproductions.com/jazz ... c-enemies/

Tall, blond, beautiful and immensely talented. Those have all been accurate descriptions of Diana Krall over the years. Now you can add “movie star” to her resume.

OK, so “star” may be a bit of an exagerration. But the sultry singer and pianist is a significant presence in the new film “Public Enemies”, even if her screen time doesn’t quite match that of the movie’s real star, Johnny Depp.

Depp plays John Dillinger in the film, set in the 1930’s, an era in which Jazz was the popular music of the day. So it follows that jazz dominates the “Public Enemies” soundtrack, including vintage tunes from the likes of Billie Holiday and new material from bluesman Otis Taylor. And a recurring musical theme is Krall’s performance of “Bye Bye Blackbird”. That song even figures in the film’s final scene.

Krall herself appears briefly in an earlier scene at a Chicago nightclub when Dillinger and girlfriend Billie Frechette (played by Marion Cotillard) are out on the town. Watch for a quick glimpse of her singing, in an era-appropriate slinky gown, sounding great and looking … tall, blond and beautiful.

“Public Enemies” was #3 at the box office over the holiday weekend. Great exposure for Jazz in general and Diana Krall in particular.

[scielle]

http://www.jazzfm.com/features/diana-krall-in-public-enemies/

The sequence in Public Enemies also features Chicago saxophonist Eric Koppa, who plays as part of Krall’s backing band in the film.

Interestingly, he reveals on his official website that the scene was shot on location at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago and that the costumes were imported from London.

To shoot the scenes at the Aragon Ballroom, we were dressed in period tuxes, all wool, from London, England, and were donned with time pieces, rings, carnation lapel flowers (which were freshened or replaced throughout the two days), and period instruments, beautifully restored to mint condition.

He also writes about why he didn’t actually play a note during the filming due to royalty reasons:

Now the strange part for many of us was the rehearsal prior to the shoot with the music to be played during the shoot.

Well, the long-and-short of it is…we never played a single note of music on film.

Evidently, the Music Union contract specified if indeed our music was captured on film for any duration, our royalty payments would have continued to compound with every film preview, DVD sale, Soundtrack sale, etc.

So, we ‘Pantomimed’ our performance in convincing fashion for all to see, but for none to hear.

Nevertheless, it was an opportunity of a lifetime, and I enjoyed meeting Johnny Depp, spending time with all the great musicians in the band, and being mesmerized by Diana Krall, a tremendous talent, and elegant lady.

Eric made the final cut and can be seen briefly in the sequence alongside Krall.