Richard Kwietniowski developed quite a following with his first feature film, LOVE AND DEATH ON LONG ISLAND. That most improbable of love stories demonstrated his knack for telling stories of the unexpected with a delicate wit and a sharp insight. The same is true for OWNING MAHOWNY, an improbably absorbing tale of a dull man, played by Philip Seymour Hoffman, who lives an unexpected secret life. When I spoke to Kweitniowski April 28, 2003, we talked about the challenge of having such a character as the protagonist of a film, how to make a casino scene different from the usual glitz, and the importance of Quentin Crisp in a fledgling film career. My first question, though, was why it had been so long between films.
The film co-stars Minnie Driver, John Hurt, and Maury Chaykin. Kwietniowski directed from a script by Maurice Chauvet based on the book by Gary Stephen Ross.
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