LOS ANGELES -- MGM may have a surprise early-summer hit with the romantic adventure 'Moll Flanders,' a reworking of the classic English novel set in 18th century London. The project stars Robin Wright in her first film since 'Forrest Gump' along with Morgan Freeman, Stockard Channing, John Lynch and Brenda Fricker. The studio has decided to give the choice release date of June 7, two weeks after Memorial Day, to 'Moll Flanders' in a strategy of counter- programming. It is gambling that 'Moll' will stand out as an attractive choice for adult moviegoers amid the usual plethora of slam- bang action films like Paramount's 'Mission: Impossible' and big- budget fantasy projects like Universal's 'Dragonheart' and Disney 'Hunchback of Notre Dame.' The original story was published in 1722 and is one of the earliest novels ever written. Authored by Daniel Defoe, it purports to be the autobiography of the daughter of a woman who had been moved to Virginia for theft soon after her child's birth. The complex story follows Moll's seduction, marriages, liaisons and a visit to Virginia, where she discovers she has married her own brother without realizing it. She returns to England and is reduced to proverty, becomes a successful thief and then is caught and returned to Virginia, where she winds up inheriting a plantation from her mother. An MGM publicist insisted recently that the movie, written and directed by Pen Densham, barely resembles the novel. MGM's advance publicity for 'Moll Flanders' says the film focuses on the heroine's survival by her wits and determination 'while steadfastly holding on to her dreams of finding love and happiness.'
The film was shot in Ireland and came in at a relatively modest budget of $14.5 million. Densham also produced with John Watson, his writing partner on 'Prince of Tides,' and Richard B. Lewis as part of Trilogy Entertainment. For encouragement, MGM can look to the performance of Columbia's 'Sense and Sensibility,' a much-admired version of the Jane Austen novel up for seven Academy Awards with $35 million in domestic ticket sales, and Columbia's strong returns from 1994's 'Little Women.' But red flags abound. Moviegoers have shunned a trio of high-priced historical dramas focused on heroines recently -- Disney's 'The Scarlet Letter' starring Demi Moore, MGM's 'Cutthroat Island' starring Geena Davis, and TriStar's 'Mary Reilly' starring Julia Roberts. Each cost a reported $50 million simply to get to the screen, due in no small part to the $10 million-plus fee each actress commanded. And each then grossed less than $10 million domestically, representing huge losses for the studios. 'Moll Flanders' was made into a movie once before in 1965, starring Kim Novak in a long-forgotten British production titled 'The Amorous Adventures of Moll Flanders.' It was produced in an attempt to cash in on the popularity of 'Tom Jones,' a bedroom farce based on Henry Fielding's 18th century novel which won the best picture Academy Award in 1963, but failed to make much of an impact despite a cast including Angela Lansbury and George Sanders. Every film that goes into wide release is a major event for a studio, but MGM is under a unique level of pressure to show results. The studio is owned by French bank Credit Lyonnais and must be sold by May 1997, under U.S. banking laws, so potential buyers (Dutch entertainment giant PolyGram NV is thought to be a likely candidate) are closely evaluating how much MGM is actually worth. The studio had been dead in the water for years but began showing signs of life last summer when 'Species' topped $50 million. It released a trio of critical and commercial successes -- 'Get Shorty,' 'GoldenEye' and 'Leaving Las Vegas' -- in the fall and its latest, 'The Birdcage,' could go all the way to $100 million. Other potential MGM hits could come from Los Angeles detective film 'Mulholland Falls' in late April and bowling comedy 'Kingpin' in June. It is not a return to the 1930s when MGM claimed to have 'more stars than there are in the heavans,' but the studio looks like a viable player again. (release at will)
