Centuries before the Rat Pack or the Algonquin Roundtable came into being, a similar group of legendary personalities dubbed the Merry Gang gained notoriety for their unique combination of wit and bawdiness. Members included several famous wordsmiths, intellectuals and royalty of the day. One such man, the second Earl of Rochester, qualified under all three titles.

John Wilmot's birth in 1647 was followed by his death a mere 33 years later. In the interim of this flammable existence, he somehow managed to alienate, violate and/or instigate anyone with whom he came into contact. His rakish behavior was the subject of controversy by one and all. Perhaps Samuel Johnson (you know, the Dictionary guy) summed it up best when he described The Libertine in this manner: "He lived worthless and useless, and blazed out his youth and health in lavish voluptuousness."

This leads to the query of why anyone would be making a movie about him 350 years later if his existence were worthless and useless as Samuel Johnson indicated. The reality is that Wilmot's life was far more than that description, though in the end, how much more impacting it might have been is questionable.

A graduate of Wadham College in Oxford at the age of 14, Wilmot sought his fortunes on the sea. He returned a hero after a famous victory in nautical combat against the Dutch. Back in England, he married at the age of 20. This was noteworthy due to the fact that his blushing bride was the very woman he had unsuccessfully attempted to kidnap two years prior to that. I can't decide if that sounds like the makings of a Harlequin Romance or Dear Penthouse Letters.

As a way to woo her, Wilmot began to write poetry. Quickly, though, the nature of his words changed from romantic in tone to overtly sexual. Many of his works were declared obscene and destroyed. The most famous of these, “Sodom, or the Quintessence of Debauchery” - well, it has a title that speaks for itself. The respect he garnered from other noted scribes of the time guaranteed the immortality of his work despite the Fahrenheit 451 crew's attempts to quell his quill. Even authors such as Tennyson, Goethe and Voltaire were squarely in the camp of Wilmot as a hallmark literary talent.

Nonetheless, the love of his life was not the woman he kidnapped/married. Instead, that title was carved out for his mistress, Elizabeth Barry. You might know her as the most famous actress of the Restoration stage (if you were some sort of Restoration era scholar anyway). Wilmot's tutoring is what carried her through struggles early in her career but after a time, he grew bored and lusted for new adventures. In the end, it was this constant need for new experiences that left him riddled with syphilis. On his deathbed, Wilmot attempted the only aspect of life he had failed to explore previously. He was proclaimed to have found religion and repented all his sins. So legendary were his prior transgressions that for two full centuries after his death, the Earl's redemption was still being mentioned as a hallmark moment in religion.

Perhaps no aspect of his life better defines the Earl of Rochester than this one. While banished from Charles II's court after a lampoon failed to amuse His Majesty, Wilmot went into business as a doctor. His area of expertise was the treatment of married women struggling with infertility. During this period of crossing the country and impregnating women right under the noses of their cuckolded husbands, Wilmot went by the all-too-appropriate moniker of Doctor Bendo. What a character.

In addition to Depp, John Malkovich, a man who just can't seem to resist the chance to wear a good period costume, and Samantha Morton also have major roles. Morton will take on the character of the actress Elizabeth Barry while Malkovich Malkovich Malkovich portrays King Charles II. Since Wilmot's life was an endless cycle of times when he fell in and out of the favor of the court, this part of Wilmot's life might be highlighted in a similar fashion to the French classic, Ridicule.

Describing Wilmot's life in words sounds surprisingly like a plan once espoused by Bart Simpson. He lived life recklessly and lecherously. His sinful carousing and eschewing of pious living was legendary in his time. Once the vessel of his body had been destroyed, the Earl of Rochester recanted all of his misdeeds from his deathbed in order to cleanse his immortal soul. I don't know about you but I can't wait to see how Johnny Depp pulls it off.

If you think the whole thing sounds like a younger man's Quills, I am right there with you. (David Mumpower/BOP)

Thanks to Neophyte for pointing this article out
From IC Wales
The drunk, the beggar, and, oh yes, Johnny Depp Mar 8 2004
 Claire Hill, The Western Mail

HOLLYWOOD actor Johnny Depp has spent the weekend deep in the Welsh countryside working on his new film.

While the Oscar-nominated star might turn heads in LA, extras from Llangynidr, Crickhowell, struggled to recognise him. Filming in Tretower Court for The Libertine, the 40- year-old, who plays the Earl of Rochester, has been working alongside villagers to recreate 17th Century England.

Retired farmer Ken Francis starred as an extra in the film but was far from star-struck. The 72-year-old played a drunk, while his wife Maureen, 70, played a beggar.

"There was a lot of waiting around. I got a bit bored, it was a bit of a dry pub. I was there from seven in the morning until six at night, and had to go into make-up and wear a wig," he said. "I did not know who he was. He came in and did his little bit and then we did not see him again - he must have gone out the other entrance."

Ken's four children and seven grandchildren were jealous. "I think the daughters and one granddaughter knew him and I suppose they would have liked to go down and get his autograph."

Filming for The Libertine, which also stars John Malkovich and Samantha Morton, continues until Wednesday. Depp plays John Wilmot, known for his poetry and his love of women.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star, who arrived at Cardiff International on a private jet, is said to be staying at Newport's Celtic Manor with other cast members.

Some of the crew are at The Bear, Crickhowell. Judy Hindmarsh, who runs it, said, "They have been no trouble. They leave early and come in late."

Thanks to Emma for finding this:
Wells Journal
EXTRAS WOOED BY DEPP   18:00 - 02 March 2004

Large queues formed and an estimated 200 people turned up at the Swan Hotel, Wells, in the hope of getting a chance to work as an extra in a film about a 17th-century hellraiser. The response was due to an advertisement in this newspaper requesting 'gentlemen' to go along to the audition and people of all ages seized their chance, with the company handing out flyers advertising their quest for extras.

A spokesman for Libertine Films, handling the publicity for the film company, said: "They are aiming to film in the area.

"The film will star Johnny Depp and is about the life of John Wilmot, Earl of Rochester, whose poems were so lewd they are kept under lock and key and can only be viewed by permission and accompanied."

The Earl of Rochester abducted a famous West Country heiress, Elizabeth Mallet of Enmore, near Bridgwater, and later married her, although his debauched way of life led him to an early death at the age of 33, of syphilis.

One of the rumoured locations is Montacute but the National Trust, who look after the Elizabethan mansion and grounds in south Somerset, would not confirm that the grand golden-stone house will be used for some of the scenes. Information handed to audition hopefuls said shooting would take place for two days in mid-March.

Successful extras will have to attend fittings for period costumes in the days before filming. Adults will be paid £80 per day and children £40 for a day which starts at 6.30am and may go on until 8pm. People taking part will be paid at the end of the day and, to make sure no-one goes hungry, breakfast, hot lunch, afternoon sandwiches and drinks will also be provided.

One man who attended the audition but didn't want to be named said: "We had to fill in a form - they wanted to know our clothes and hat size, what our interests were and whether we liked pets, then we had to stand in front of a little video camera which photographed us. There were a lot of teenagers but no children."
Replies:

Daily Telegraph
1 March 2004

Hollywood star's latest movie is saved at the last minute by switch to studio on the Isle of Man. Nigel Bunyan reports
 

John Malkovich: fears for the British film industry
The Hollywood actor and director John Malkovich spoke of his fears for the British film industry yesterday, following the Government's decision to abruptly close a £1 billion tax loophole which almost killed off his latest work.

The Libertine, a £10 million account of Lord Rochester's debauched life as a courtier to King Charles II, came within hours of being abandoned as its financial backers were forced to withdraw.

It was saved only by the intervention of the Isle of Man Film Commission, whose officials, over handshakes at a dinner party, agreed to take a 25 per cent stake in the film.

Shooting of the film, which stars Johnny Depp and Samantha Morton, has swiftly been rescheduled to start on Wednesday - not in England, but in the island's new studio just outside Ramsey.

The decision is a big blow to the British film industry, not least because it is likely to be repeated by dozens of other filmmakers from around the world.

Some in the industry have been enraged to see their work stillborn and scores of actors and crew thrown suddenly out of work.

Malkovich, the star of such films as Dangerous Liaisons, Of Mice and Men and The Killing Fields, merely betrays an air of resignation while leaning against the promenade railings at Douglas, Isle of Man,

"In this business you're used to the sky falling on your head," he told The Telegraph. "It was awfully sudden, I know, but maybe they needed a billion pounds for the NHS. And anyway, who has sympathy for a bunch of prancing Hollywood luvvies who can't do their movies?"

As a co-producer of The Libertine Malkovich nevertheless felt sufficient anger about the unannounced withdrawal of long-established tax incentives to lobby Lord Puttnam and Peter Mandelson.

In particular, he wanted to know why films in pre-production, with money already spent on sets, costumes and licensing deals, could not have been excluded.

Since the Film Council was offering no help he also held frantic talks with officials at the Inland Revenue, imploring them to see reason.

With multi-million pound finance deals effectively declared illegal overnight, film companies found themselves with no money to pay their staff.

"We were in trouble for those 10 or 12 days," Malkovich recalled. "We were trying everything. At one stage someone at the Inland Revenue said they were still discussing things.

"It was a big blow because we've been working on this film for seven years. To get someone like Johnny to do it takes a long time, for example, and it's not an easy film to get financed because, to be blunt about it, it's not retarded. As the French say, this fell like a hair in our soup."

Malkovich, who rarely gives interviews, said he learned of the problem while browsing through a German showbiz magazine. "Suddenly what was legal one day in February was illegal the next."

He acknowledges the likelihood that rogue companies were abusing the system, but believes "that some tortoises got caught in the net with the tuna". One of these "tortoises" was Tulip Fever, which has reportedly perished; another The Libertine.

"Hopefully some of these films will get put back together in some way, whether they are made in Britain or not. The worry I would have is what long-term effect it will have on those of us who come from abroad and like shooting here.

"I do have fears for the British industry if nothing replaces Section 48 money," he says. "It's already expensive to shoot films in England because of the strength of sterling. But without these tax incentives . . .?

"Let me put it in the form of a question: Why wouldn't you in future go to Romania or Bulgaria or Hungary, which are probably a third of the price, and take a few of your key English crew with you?

"I would urge the Government not to do something that damages the British film industry, but at the end of the day they're the ones in charge. Governments close down mines, they go to war, they do things much tougher than this. I can't be precious just because I want to make movies."

Like others in the industry, Malkovich believes the Government will be on "shaky ground" if a major corporation decides to sue. In the meantime, he regards the UK film industry's loss to be the Isle of Man's gain.

The island authorities set up a film commission in 1995, hoping to become the Beverly Hills of the British Isles.

It now offers an investment package that gives film makers 25 per cent of their budget provided that half the movie is filmed on the island.

In 2001 six films reached its shores, the following year eight and in 2003 ten. Officials are coy about the scale of their investment, but say they are more than breaking even.

Malkovich, who last year made his debut as a director with The Dancer Upstairs, flew in at the beginning of February to star in Colour Me Kubrick, which is based on a true story about a travel agent from Harrow who impersonated the legendary director.

Much of the shoot for that has taken place in Douglas's old Nobles Hospital.

The actor would have lost £300,000 had the film folded, the private investor who guaranteed Depp's wages £1.4 million. He smiled as he recalled how swiftly his film was saved.

"The thing about the Isle of Man is that it's a very small group and they can move really quickly.

"When I made the deal for Colour Me Kubrick the papers were about a foot high. With the Isle of Man it was a handshake.

"I just explained the situation during dinner, and 15 minutes later it was agreed.

"I think it helped that they had a pretty good experience with the Kubrick film and they knew the story and the cast."

He confessed to being relieved, but not elated, by their intervention. "No, I just about never get a sense of elation because there's always something over the horizon."

Malkovich, who plays Charles II in the film, added: "Now we have to make the film, and if the film isn't good people will lose their money anyway.

"I think it's an awfully good script, and we have a lot of very talented people involved.

"But will it be successful? That you never know. You just hope for the best."

Montacute House rumours
From: Emma on the Zone
Date: February 29, 2004 (9:33)

TRUST KEEPS MUM ON DEPP RUMOURS

15:00 - 18 February 2004

Rumours are spreading around a community this week that a host of Hollywood stars could be descending on a country house to film a 17th-Century period drama. This week the owners of Montacute House refused to be drawn on claims that actors Johnny Depp and John Malkovich are to come to the stately home to shoot scenes for a new film called The Libertine.

But villagers and sources within the National Trust believe that the home and village will be invaded once again by hordes of film makers.

The Libertine stars Depp as 17th-Century womanising poet John Wilmot, the Earl of Rochester, who was the leading figure in the court of Charles II before dying of alcohol and syphilis at the age of 33.

National Trust spokesman Alex Brannen would neither confirm nor deny that part of the production would be filmed at Montacute House.

He said: "National Trust properties are very popular with film companies. At any given time, the National Trust will be in negotiation with a wide range of film companies with regard to using Trust properties as a film location. The National Trust does not comment on any of these negotiations."

But a trust worker said: "They are filming a Charles II period drama in two weeks time at Montacute with Johnny Depp. They're coming for two weeks with caravans then going away and coming back again."

Montacute postmistress Myrtle Hann said that she had heard the reports were true as well.

She said: "There has been a lot of talk about it in the village but it has died down recently.

"It would be good for the area if they come, but the last time they filmed a Hollywood film here they shut the whole village down and we could not go about our daily lives."

Recently the house, which was built in 1588, hosted celebrities Hugh Grant, Emma Thompson and Kate Winslet when the Jane Austin adaptation Sense and Sensibility was filmed there.

Last year the owners of the home denied rumours that David and Victoria Beckham had chosen the property as the venue for the christening of their son Romeo.

The story of The Libertine focuses on 17th-century womanizing poet John Wilmot (Johnny Depp), the Earl of Rochester, who befriended King Charles II (John Malkovich) and died at the young age of 33, after falling in love with aspiring actress Elizabeth Barry (Samantha Morton).

Starring Johnny Depp, John Malkovich, Samantha Morton
Director(s) Laurence Dunmore
Screenwriter(s) Stephen Jeffreys
Studio TBA
Production Company Odyssey Entertainment

Release Date
TBA 2004

Genre
Historical, Drama, Erotic

Media Type
Color
 

From the BBC:
Johnny Depp comes to town
Last updated 09 January 2004
 

Johnny Depp will be arriving in England on 23rd February for the filming of his new movie 'The Libertine'.

Johnny will play the Earl of Rochester in 17th Century England. The poet Earl is even more of a womaniser than Johnny's previous role of Captain Jack Sparrow in 'Pirates of the Caribbean'.

The Earl's love interest is Elizabeth Barrie, played by British actress Samantha Morton who starred as a 'precog' in 'Minority Report'.

The film is produced by John Malkovich who also stars in it as King Charles II.

Filming is taking place somewhere outside London