Robert Lantos

Robert Lantos, CM BA MA D.Litt (born 3 April 1949) is a Canadian film producer.

Life and career

Lantos was born on 3 April 1949 in Budapest, the son of Agnes (Bodor) and László Lantos, a mechanic and truck company owner. Lantos spent much of his childhood in Montevideo, Uruguay, where his family fled after the Hungarian Revolution of 1956. He immigrated to Canada in 1963.

Lantos studied literature at McGill University in Montreal and graduated with a BA (1970) and an MA (1972).

Following graduation from McGill, he founded Vivafilm which imported and distributed foreign films across Canada. He later started a production company RSL Entertainment which produced fifteen films most notably George Kaczender's In Praise of Older Women and Ted Kotcheff's Joshua Then and Now.

Lantos co-founded the Canadian film and television company Alliance Communications Corporation with partners Victory Loewy, John Kemeny, Stephen J. Roth, and Denis Héroux. He was chairman and CEO until 1998 when he sold his controlling interest in Alliance. He now produces films through his production company Serendipity Point Films.

Barney's Version

Barney's Version may refer to:

Barney's Version (novel)

Barney's Version is a novel written by Canadian author Mordecai Richler, published by Knopf Canada in 1997.

Plot summary

The story is written as if it is an autobiography by Barney Panofsky recounting his life in varying detail. Barney's version of events may be viewed as that of two unreliable narrators, in that his recollections are told from varying mental states and then posthumously edited by his son. Underlying the story of Barney's three marriages is the mysterious disappearance of his friend Boogie. Though there is no body, police suspect murder, and Barney himself is tried but acquitted of murder. An explanation for the mystery is given at the novel's end.

Characters

Barney's Version (film)

Barney's Version is a 2010 Canadian comedy-drama film directed by Richard J. Lewis, based on the novel of the same name by Mordecai Richler. The film was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 67th Venice International Film Festival.

Plot

Barney Panofsky is living with his best friend Boogie (Speedman) in Rome. He marries the mentally disturbed and unfaithful Clara Charnofsky (Lefevre) after she tells him she is pregnant with his child. Barney later finds out the child is not his, and he demands they separate. Clara commits suicide, and a devastated Barney decides to return home to Montreal.

Barney soon gets a job back home and meets the woman who becomes his nameless second wife (Driver), the daughter of a wealthy Jewish family. At their lavish wedding, Barney meets Miriam Grant (Pike), and immediately falls in love. He tells Miriam his feelings for her that night but she rejects him. Despite his marriage, Barney sends Miriam flowers and gifts. Barney later picks up Boogie, who is in the middle of detox therapy, for a few days at Barney's lake house. He eventually finds Boogie in bed with his wife. Barney is at first overjoyed that he has an excuse to divorce her and pursue Miriam, but questions Boogie's integrity. The two argue, firing rounds from Barney's gun into the air before Barney collapses onto his dock and passes out, and a drunk Boogie falls backwards into the lake. When Barney awakens, it appears that he has shot Boogie. An abusive detective (Mark Addy) tries to beat a confession out of Barney until Barney's father, Izzy (Hoffman), intervenes. Barney continues to believe that Boogie ran away, and throughout the movie waits for him to reappear.