Kidman plays Martha Gellhorn in telemovie

"We were good in war, and when there was no war, we made our own" - Martha Gellhorn.

One of the most gifted, famous and influential writers of the 20th century, Ernest Hemingway also had the kind of larger-than-life personality that could often relegate other people to his shadow.

But many of the people in Hemingway's personal and professional circle were just as talented, just as ambitious and just as bold as the great author. And foremost among them was trailblazing war correspondent Martha Gellhorn.

For years, Gellhorn was unfairly viewed as little more than the third Mrs Hemingway. But as the London Daily Telegraph wrote, she was in fact "one of the great war correspondents of the century: brave, fierce and wholly committed to the truth of the situation".

The new telemovie Hemingway & Gellhorn, premiering Wednesday, September 12, on pay-TV channel Showcase, goes a long way towards redressing the balance, chronicling the adventures the two writers shared in war zones, high society and their tumultuous life together.

Bringing the iconic figures to life are two great actors, Clive Owen as Hemingway and Oscar winner Nicole Kidman as Gellhorn.

"Women like Martha Gellhorn were trailblazers who did things that weren't the norm; who changed what professions women could aspire to; who changed the world," Kidman said.

"I think I'll always seek out those women to play them, if given the chance. I came from a strong, feminist mother who wanted her girls to go out into the world and take a bite out of it. I'm drawn to those women who do that, and Martha was definitely one of them."

Hemingway & Gellhorn begins with the two first meeting in Florida - the hard-living Hemingway is boastful and drunk; the poised, self-possessed Gellhorn is initially unimpressed.

But when their paths cross again in Spain during that nation's bloody civil war, Hemingway's guidance and confidence in Gellhorn's abilities as a writer and reporter set her on the path to b! ecoming a celebrated war correspondent.

As the years pass and the pair become closer, they share adventures all over the world. But the different ideas they share about the nature of the relationship always cause friction, even though they share so many other common traits and ideals.

The interactions are directed by Philip Kaufman, renowned for such films as The Right Stuff and The Unbearable Lightness of Being.

"With Hemingway and Gellhorn, we have two strong, bright, sexy people who are filled with vigour and energy and competitiveness," Kaufman said.

"We have moments of heightened passion, of idealism, of beauty, of heroism and tragedy."

Nominated for 15 Emmy awards, Hemingway & Gellhorn is something of a passion project for Kaufman, who had been connected to the project for close to a decade before it was finally made.

"I'm not really interested in making any film just for the sake of getting something made," he said.

"For me, it's always been about having an adventure, falling in love, committing totally to something, for however many years."

More than anything, he was pleased to be able to help give Gellhorn the long-overdue recognition she deserves.

"Martha Gellhorn is really the discovery of our film," Kaufman said. "Hemingway is legendary, but few people know of Gellhorn and the successful career she had after their marriage - being considered, by many, the greatest war correspondent of the 20th century."

Casting Kidman and Owen, as well as a sterling supporting cast including David Strathairn, Parker Posey, Joan Chen and Tony Shalhoub, went a long way towards bringing Gellhorn, Hemingway and their circle of friends, colleagues and acquaintances to life.

"We loved the challenge of making a movie that has big scope, big size, big emotions," Kaufman said.

"They were super-bright actors and they all enjoyed the dance of doing it, and I would be able to sit back and sometimes I'd almost forget to say cut."

Both Kidma! n and Owe! n researched their roles extensively, studying archival footage of the real-life Gellhorn and Hemingway to capture their details. But it went beyond that, Kidman said.

"When you do a film that is based on a real person, it's not a case of mimicking them or emulating them, it's actually just trying to find their essence, their core and trying to bring some form of them through me to the screen," she said.

Owen agrees, adding he prepared heavily by literally walking in Hemingway's footsteps.

"You can't play somebody like Hemingway and treat it like you do every other film," he said.

"I just immersed myself for eight months with everything Hemingway - everything he wrote, everything that was written about him. I visited Madrid, Paris and Cuba. I saw all the places he went and lived."

While Hemingway & Gellhorn is a sprawling, globe-trotting affair with a large, international cast of characters, the heart of it is the passionate, full-blooded relationship between two spirited, fearless people. And the two stars relished playing that.

"So much of the relationship between Martha and Hemingway is that they have to be sparring partners," Kidman said.

"Clive was the perfect choice because he's just such a brave actor."

Owen agreed: "A lot of the movie is just the two of us together and it was a huge thrill Nicole was Gellhorn because she's such a phenomenal actress."

* Hemingway & Gellhorn airs on Showcase (pay-TV), Wednesday, September 12, 8.40pm


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