44 | OCTOBER 14 • 2021

A WOMAN WAS NEEDED,
NOBEL PRIZE NOTE
The Last Duel opens in the-
aters on Oct. 15. Directed
by Ridley Scott, the film
depicts the last (1386) legal-
ly sanctioned “trial by com-
bat” in French history. The
trial really happened and
remains famous in France
to this day.
Amazingly complete
records of the trial still
exist, and there are other
written sources that relay
what many prominent men
thought about the trial as
it was happening. These
sources formed the basis of
a bestselling (2004) histor-
ical study called The Last
Duel, and the book was the
starting point for the film’s
screenplay.
The basic story: Jean
Carrouges (Matt Damon), a
knight, and Jacques LeGris
(Adam Driver), a squire,
are ordered to fight to the
death after Carrouges’ wife,
Marguerite (Jodie Comer),
accuses LeGris of raping
her. If Carrouges loses,
Marguerite will be burned at
the stake for perjury.
The screenplay was
co-written by Damon,
Ben Affleck and Nicole
Holofcener, 61. This is the
first film Damon and Affleck
have written together
since they won an Oscar
for co-writing Good Will
Hunting.
Some months ago, when
I saw Holofcener’s name
on the credits, I wondered
how she came to co-write
a medieval action movie.
She is known as the direc-
tor and writer of films set
in the present that focus

on romantic relationships
and/or female friend-
ships (Enough, Lovely
and Amazing, Friends
with Money). A Sept. 13,
2021, N.Y. Times inter-
view with Damon, Affleck
and Holofcener gave the
answer.
The film, the Times says,
is divided into three chap-
ters: the “truth” according
to Carrouges, the “truth”
according to LeGris and,
finally, “the truth” according
to Marguerite.
Damon and Affleck wrote
the male perspectives, but
felt they needed a woman
to write Marguerite’s story.
They told the Times that
there were very good
records as to what the
men thought, but virtually
no records about what
Marguerite — or any woman
of that era — was think-
ing or saying. They really
wanted Holofcener to work
with them, and she quickly
agreed to be a co-writer.
She pored over what
sources she could find
as she strived to write an
historically and emotion-
ally plausible exposition
of Marguerite’s story from
Marguerite’s perspective.
I imagine the release of
the prequel film The Many
Saints of Newark has had
many old Sopranos fans
thinking about rewatching
Sopranos episodes. Those
who have only seen Many
Saints, and liked it, will like-
ly watch the HBO series.
Here are some Sopranos-
related items I think will
interest both groups.
If you want more of the
late James Gandolfini, the
great actor who played
the lead role (Tony) in the

Sopranos, do check out
two films: Enough, a really
smart and moving romantic
film co-starring Gandolfini
and Julia-Louis Dreyfus. It
was written and directed by
Nicole Holofcener.
Also, Not Fade Away,
a 2012 film written and
directed by David Chase,
the Sopranos creator. The
setting is the mid-’60s and
the film focuses on Doug,
an Italian-American teen
who wants to be a rock
star. John Magaro, now 34,
plays Doug. Gandolfini mas-
terfully depicts the “mellow-
ing” of Doug’s “anti-hippie”
father. Overall, the film is so/
so (now streaming on Hulu).
I was moved when I
realized that a Jewish
American scientist, David
Julius, 65, and an Armenian
American scientist, Ardem
Patapoutian, 41, were the
co-winners of the 2021
Nobel Prize in medicine.
In some sense, they “say”
that our respective peoples
were the victims of the two
worst genocides of the 20th
century, but “we” are still
here, and we are still doing
great things for humanity.

CELEBRITY NEWS

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

DISNEY INTERACTIVE MEDIA GROUP

ARTS&LIFE

Brilliant Detroit and AARP
Foundation Experience Corps
are partnering to bring an evi-
dence-based program that connects
growing young readers with caring
adult volunteers who tutor them in
literacy.
As host of the Experience Corps
program, Brilliant Detroit seeks
volunteers to become literacy tutors
and mentors to students in the first
through third grades who are a part
of the Brilliant Detroit community
and attend its after-school pro-
grams.
The goal is to work alongside
these students as they grow and help
build reading confidence through
their literacy journeys.
The program will kick off in
January 2022 at three Brilliant
Detroit locations: Littlefield (12789
Indiana Ave.), Brightmoor (15509
Heyden St.) and Chandler Park
(5312 Newport St.). Due to the pan-
demic, the program will offer virtual
tutoring to students through Zoom
and, in the future, in-person tutor-
ing as well.
To qualify, volunteers for the
program need to be 50 years of age,
have earned a high school diploma
or GED and must pass a criminal
background check.
From January to May 2022, vol-
unteers will receive comprehensive
training, dedicate time twice weekly
for one-on-one sessions with their
assigned reading partner and con-
tribute to an environment of love,
safety and growth.
The training includes a structured
curriculum for early childhood
reading growth, support around
virtual tutoring and technical assis-
tance for using Zoom. Volunteers
will need access to a computer,
laptop or tablet along with reliable
internet.
Interested individuals can attend
a virtual informational session
from 5-7 p.m. Oct. 14 or contact
Experience Corp Project Lead,
Victoria Holsey, at vholsey@bril-
liantdetroit.org or (313) 570-3523.

Brilliant Detroit
Seeks Volunteers