E.1027 - Eileen Gray and the House by the Sea review – extraordinary architect's story told (again)
There is some exasperatingly passionless and obtuse direction in this detached, sometimes almost somnolent drama-documentary about the extraordinary Irish architect and designer Eileen Gray, played here with a distracted air by Natalie Radmall-Quirke. (This film comes after another odd docudrama about Gray, Mary McGuckian's The Price of Desire, from 2015.)
In the late 1920s, Gray designed and built a modernist villa on the Côte d'Azur for herself and her lover, the Romanian architectural journalist Jean Badovici (played here by Axel Moustache): she called it E.1027 (the 'E' standing for Eileen, 10 meaning the 10th letter, J, for Jean, the second, B, for Badovici and the seventh, G, for Gray.) But she quarrelled with him and impulsively moved out, leaving him in sole possession of this marvellous property – and then Badovici's friend Le Corbusier, nettled by this brilliant work which was inspired by but possibly surpassed his own, painted frescoes all over the white walls. He then allowed the architectural world to assume E.1027 was his own work and the feebly submissive Badovici simply allowed him to do it.
So this is a story of explosive emotion, creativity and betrayal, but you wouldn't think so from this film's somnambulist tread; it declines fully to inhabit any of its scenes, almost as if it is showing the actors in rehearsal, sauntering self-consciously through the action. Eileen and Jean get into a car, for example, by sitting down on two chairs side-by-side on a soundstage. The drama side of things is seemingly muted by the documentary side.
The film, moreover, doesn't show the blood, sweat and tears that must have surely been involved in the colossal task of building E.1027 in such a remote spot. The house is just there and the characters waft through it. Gray admirers might prefer Gray Matters, Marco Antonio Orsini's documentary on the subject.
E.1027 - Eileen Gray and the House by the Sea is in UK and Irish cinemas from 16 May
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
30 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Rihanna fans go wild as A$AP Rocky accidentally reveals gender of their third baby
Rihanna 's babydaddy A$AP Rocky appeared to accidentally reveal the gender of their third child while attending the world premiere of her film Smurfs held at Mont des Arts in Brussels, Belgium on Sunday. When ET 's Kevin Frazier asked the 36-year-old rapper 'Is that the girl you've been waiting for' he immediately replied: 'It is, man, it is.' Feeling cornered, A$AP (born Rakim Athelaston Mayers) then held up a plush Smurfette doll and redirected: 'Right here, you know what I'm saying? Right here.' Over on ET's official Instagram account, fans went wild with user @aysenuurkc exclaiming: 'It's [a] girl!' 'He definitely gave it away,' Instagram user @khadija_sufi laughed. 'How cutely he promoted the movie and showed his love for her!' Instagram user @fashionistaera21 gushed. 'That's a real man supporting his girl.' Rihanna's babydaddy A$AP Rocky appeared to accidentally reveal the gender of their third child while attending the world premiere of her film Smurfs held at Mont des Arts in Brussels, Belgium on Sunday Instagram user @hot_cheetos_0001 commented: 'Put a ring on it. Do it the right way.' 'He needs to marry her,' Instagram user @chibiapril0412 agreed. When Frazier asked the expecting 36-year-old the same exact question, she smiled coyly and replied: 'Let's see if it's a could be a Papa Smurf. Who knows?' Riri (born Robyn Fenty) did confirm that the couple would give their next child a name that begins with R: 'That's the one thing me and Rocky don't fight over.' When asked how many more children they planned on having, the two-time Grammy nominee joked: 'We [are] going to be like the Wayans' family, you know? Yeah, I mean, love is beautiful and it's just [about] spreading it.' The nine-time Grammy winner and A$AP Rocky already welcomed two sons - RZA Athelston Mayers, 3; and Riot Rose Mayers, 22 months - during their five-year relationship and she hasn't been shy in the past over her dream of having a daughter. But the power couple - who share matching 1988 tattoos to mark their birth year - originally met in 2011 when she first enlisted him to rap on her song Cockiness (Love It). A$AP Rocky was facing up to eight years in prison until February 18 when a jury found him not guilty of two counts of assault with a semi-automatic firearm stemming from a 2021 shooting of his longtime friend A$AP Relli (born Terell Ephron). The AWGE founder's late Bajan father reportedly went to prison when he was only 12, and he spent his teen years moving around homeless shelters with his mother and sister. Over on ET's official Instagram account, fans went wild with user @aysenuurkc exclaiming: 'It's [a] girl!' 'He definitely gave it away,' Instagram user @khadija_sufi laughed 'How cutely he promoted the movie and showed his love for her!' Instagram user @fashionistaera21 gushed. 'That's a real man supporting his girl' Instagram user @hot_cheetos_0001 commented: 'Put a ring on it. Do it the right way' When Frazier asked the expecting 36-year-old the same exact question, she smiled coyly and replied: 'Let's see if it's a could be a Papa Smurf. Who knows?' When asked how many more children they planned on having, the two-time Grammy nominee joked: 'We [are] going to be like the Wayans' family, you know? Yeah, I mean, love is beautiful and it's just [about] spreading it' The nine-time Grammy winner and A$AP Rocky already welcomed two sons - RZA Athelston Mayers, 3; and Riot Rose Mayers, 22 months - during their five-year relationship and she hasn't been shy in the past over her dream of having a daughter (pictured Saturday) Rihanna produced and voiced Smurfette in Paramount Animation's Smurfs - hitting UK/US theaters July 18 - along with writing and recording original songs like Friend Of Mine. Smurfette was previously voiced by the Bajan billionaire's rival pop stars Katy Perry and Demi Lovato. Chris Miller's animated film will also feature Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne, JP Karliak, Dan Levy, Amy Sedaris, Nick Kroll, James Corden, Octavia Spencer, Hannah Waddingham, Sandra Oh, Alex Winter, Billie Lourd, Xolo Maridueña, Kurt Russell, and John Goodman. A$AP Rocky also took on an acting role as Yung Felony in Spike Lee's critically-acclaimed neo-noir crime thriller Highest 2 Lowest, which hits US theaters August 22 before streaming on Apple TV+ starting September 5. But there is still no release date for the New York native's long-delayed fourth studio album, Don't Be Dumb. Rihanna also keeps busy with her $3B lingerie line Savage X Fenty, which she parlayed into a $600M cosmetics company Fenty Beauty as well as Fenty Skin, Fenty Fragrance, and Fenty Hair.
The Sun
36 minutes ago
- The Sun
I'm an OnlyFans model about to take on Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon, here's what I'm allowed to post – and what's banned
NOVAK DJOKOVIC will face a French tennis star on Tuesday who has a side hustle as an OnlyFans model. Alexandre Muller – the world No.41 – will face the legendary 24-time Grand Slam champion on Centre Court on Tuesday. 6 6 The 28-year-old has never been beyond the second round of a major in 12 attempts. But he has gained an army of fans outside the sport because of his account on the infamous adult site. In his biography, he describes himself as 'sexiest professional tennis player from France'. OnlyFans is a platform where people can post risque photos and images of themselves, some of which are semi-pornographic, and earn lots of cash from the public. Muller, who has earned more than $3million (£2.2m) in career tennis prize money, insists he does not do anything bar the odd topless gym photo. France's No.4 best player says the site organisers are trying to change their tardy image and he likes to show off instead behind-the-scenes footage from tournaments around the world. However, he is NOT allowed to post content from the Wimbledon locker rooms and can only show off facilities which are in public areas. Speaking to SunSport, Muller said: 'My agent told me that OnlyFans wanted to support me. BEST ONLINE CASINOS - TOP SITES IN THE UK 6 6 'Of course, I was thinking, is it a bit tricky to sign with OnlyFans? But to see the project, they want to change their image. 'They are supporting lots of players, golfers, boxers, UFC fighters, a lot of sportsmen. 'How is that even a sponsor-' – Tennis star thrilled to make biggest-ever final… but fans can't stop staring at his hat 'At the beginning my friends were laughing at me. Then I showed them my platform and they said: 'Okay, it's very cool.' Everybody wants to sign up now. 'I started two years ago. After two-three months the ATP (the sport's governing body) told me to get the OnlyFans logo off my sleeve. 'They said it was not the image of the ATP and wanted me to stop.' Other tennis stars on the site include Australian maverick Nick Kyrgios, French ace Chloe Paquet and Spaniard Pedro Martinez, who faces Britain's George Loffhagen in the first round on Tuesday. Muller says that the interactions with punters is much nicer on OnlyFans compared to the nasty betting messages he gets off angry individuals via Instagram. 6 Wimbledon 2025 LIVE - follow all the latest scores and updates from a thrilling fortnight at SW19 The Poissy-born star, who won the Hong Kong Open in January, said: 'On Instagram, I receive only messages from the guys who bet on me and lose money, who say a lot of bad words. 'When I go on OnlyFans there are only real fans who support me and send some nice messages even after some matches I've lost. 'I enjoy talking to these kinds of people and not the guys on Instagram. 'About 99 per cent of people who talk to me are very nice. There's no problem. 'DO I POST RISQUE PHOTOS?' 'People ask me about what happens behind the scenes, what does it look like, the gym, the courts. I just post things about tennis. 'Do I post risque photos? No, no. I don't do it. Because I don't want to. 'My job is a tennis player. Not making movies for adults. I received a lot of messages, saying: 'Alex, can you show me this?' But not my body. 'I like to show people where I go in the world, some nice places, my routine. 'It's not easy every day being a tennis player. We train every week. Not a lot of days off or holidays. I enjoy this life. 'This year I won my first title. For the moment I don't have any pain anywhere, the physique is good, everything is great.' ++ OnlyFans has a huge range of sport creators offering exclusive behind the scenes content and insights into their training. Fans can check out Alexandre Müller's OnlyFans page at: 6
Daily Mail
37 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Regé-Jean Page makes a rare public appearance with girlfriend Emily Brown as the couple enjoy a romantic date at Rome's famous Pierluigi restaurant
Regé-Jean Page made a rare public appearance with his girlfriend Emily Brown as they stepped out for a romantic dinner date in Rome. The actor, 37, rose to fame on the first season of Netflix 's Bridgerton and most recently appeared in Black Bag alongside Cate Blanchett and Michael Fassbender. Taking some time away from work last week, Page - whose name has been thrown in the ring on multiple occasions as a possibility for the next James Bond - jetted off to Italy with his girlfriend. The pair were seen laughing with the waiter as they enjoyed a meal at the famous Pierluigi restaurant in Rome on Saturday. Appearing engaged in a serious chat over dinner, the couple soon sported beaming grins as they ordered their meal. It is the first time the couple have been spotted out in public since they attended the dunhill Pre-BAFTA Filmmakers Dinner held at dunhill Bourdon House in Mayfair, London, in February 2024. Page and Brown were first seen together in public back in February 2021 outside the London home they share together and have gone from strength to strength since. It had been reported that the pair bought the home back in February 2020, a few months after filming for Bridgerton series one had finished. Although they have been seen on numerous red carpet events since they were first romantically linked, including the GQ awards, the pair keep their relationship under wraps for the most part. Emily works as a freelance copywriter with commissions from firms including Nike, Converse and Uber. Before her relationship with Page, Emily dated Jack Badu, a football coach who would accompany her to Dulwich Hamlet games. Colleagues on the networking site LinkedIn describe her as 'witty' and 'great fun to be around'. Another rather enviously wrote of her: 'Even after a massive party, she seems to skip about the world like a bunny who's never even heard the word hangover.' Famous for playing Simon Bassett in the first season of Bridgerton, Page left the show after just one series. Born in London to a Zimbabwean nurse and an English preacher, Page, the youngest of four siblings, spent much of his young life growing up more than 5,000 miles away in southern Africa. Page later made a return to London for secondary school and it was in North London where he would find his passion for acting - attending the Jigsaw Saturday School in Enfield for around 10 years. Acting, however, wasn't his first choice of careers. And the heartthrob star may never have graced our screens with his good-looks had he followed his initial career choice, as a sound engineer. 'It was already a compromise. It was halfway between science for my mum and an art for me,' he told Interview Magazine in 2016. Music was obviously an early passion for the future star, who sang and played drums in a punk band which he formed with one of his three siblings, brother Tose Page - with whom he still performs as part of the musical duo TUNYA. Though his dress sense was somewhat different to the regency era clothing in which he would burst into super-stardom. According to Interview Magazine, Page dyed his hair blue, green and purple during his punk days. Acting, at the time, was merely hobby for Page. Like so many others, he starred in his school's nativity, playing the Little Drummer Boy. But it was at his Enfield Saturday school where he began fine-tuning his skills. It was during this time Page gained extra roles - once playing an ambulance thief in the long-running medical series Casualty. Page's first professional job was in the History Boys in Sheffield's Crucible Theatre and he later landed roles in the likes of Fresh Meat and Waterloo Road. His breakthrough came across the pond in the US, where he now spends much of his time. He played Chicken George in the History Channel big budget 2016 miniseries Roots - based on a book following the story of an 18th-century African who becomes enslaved and transported to North America. Page's performance in the show, a remake on a 1977 series of the same name, earned him critical acclaim. It also helped him land a spot in US Crime series For the People, based on the writing of hit screenwriter and author Shonda Rhimes - the mind behind Bridgerton.
