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

