Advertisement

‘Salmon Fishing in the Yemen’: Watch an exclusive clip

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

‘Salmon Fishing in the Yemen’ is one of those films that looks to walk the delicate line between charming comedy romance and pointed satire.

Directed by Lasse Hallstrom (‘Dear John’) and starring Ewan McGregor and Emily Blunt, the film centers on a staid British scientist (McGregor) urged to set up a fish hatchery in the Middle East desert at the behest of a ruthless press secretary, played by Kristin Scott Thomas.

Advertisement

Thomas’ biting, over-the-top Patricia Maxwell desperately needs a positive story out of the Middle East as her British government is being pummeled in the court of public opinion for its involvement in the war in Afghanistan.

The film premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival in September and was quickly scooped up by CBS Films for close to $5 million. While at the festival, Times film critic Betsy Sharkey wrote, ‘By the time the film is done with us, it’s hard not to feel there is hope for romance, the possibility of peace and even a little patience for politics.’

Above is an exclusive clip from the movie, which CBS Films will release on March 9, that illustrates Maxwell’s motives for sending McGregor’s Fred Jones to Yemen on the wild task of running salmon in the arid desert.

ALSO:

Betsy Sharkey on ‘Salmon Fishing in the Yemen’

With ‘Day of the Dead,’ Guillermo del Toro ramps up GDT Inc.

Advertisement

The best picture slump: Is Hollywood stuck in an Oscar bubble?

— Nicole Sperling

Advertisement