May 18, 2000
Fine Line Features Granted Rights to Eco's Pendulum
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Fine Line Features President Mark Ordesky announced today that the company has optioned renowned Italian author Umberto Eco's metaphysical thriller, Foucault's Pendulum published by Bompiani. Despite numerous offers from other studios, the Fine Line deal marks the first time in over a decade that the best-selling author has granted the rights to his work. Having already distinguished himself as a leading academic in the study of Semiotics, Eco first gained notoriety in the publishing world with his first novel, The Name of the Rose. Foucault's Pendulum is his second novel and firmly established the author as one of the finest literary minds of the twentieth century. A best seller, Foucault's Pendulum was published in 1988 and has been translated into 39 languages and sold over 14 million copies. It still remains in print all over the world. Ileen Maisel, Senior Vice President of European Productions for Fine Line, will oversee the project for the company. Fine Line is currently working on adapting the novel to script form.
A breathtaking rollercoaster ride through a world of ideas and aberrations, Foucault's Pendulum is an adventure into the modern mind. An enthralling mystery in which three Milan-based editors, inspired by many stories about Templars and Rosicrucians, decide to invent a world-wide plot, drawing from the tradition of hermetic thought, popular occultism and Grail trash. The game turns deadly when the participants in this unusual scheme begin to disappear one by one.
In commenting on the project, Ordesky said, "This is a historic deal that has been months in the making. We are honored that Umberto Eco has entrusted us with such a personal work. We look forward to a productive collaboration."
Jamie Kershaw, Vice President Business Affairs for Fine Line and Guendalina Ponti of Loeb and Loeb in Rome negotiated the deal on behalf of the company. Mario Andreose of Bompiani Publishing negotiated on behalf of Eco.
Italian born, Umberto Eco received his degree in philosophy at the University of Turin in 1954 and has since gone on to receive 25 honorary doctorates from an array of prestigious universities. In addition to his academic laurels, Eco has also received numerous cultural accomodations including the Strega Award, Medicis Award, Marshall McLuhan Award, Commandeur del'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France, Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur, Cavaliere di Gran Croce of the Italian Republic, and the Principe de las Asturia 2000. He has published some thirty essay books, translated into many languages and three novels including The Name of the Rose (1980), Foucault's Pendulum (1988), and The Island of the Day Before (1994).
Fine Line Features recently closed a deal for three upcoming projects from Zentropa, the Danish production company behind Fine Line's Cannes entry Dancer in the Dark. Directed by critically acclaimed Danish director Lars von Trier and starring Bj¡ˆrk and Catherine Deneuve, Dancer in the Dark premiered at the festival on Wednesday, May 17. Additional titles for Fine Line in 2000 include; Jeremy Podeswa's The Five Senses; An Affair of Love starring Nathalie Baye; The Invisible Circus starring Cameron Diaz and Jordana Brewster; and David Mamet's State and Main.