Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events (also known as A Series of Unfortunate Events) is a 2004 American adventure dark comedy film directed by Brad Silberling and written by Robert Gordon, based on the first three novels of the book series A Series of Unfortunate Events. It stars Jim Carrey, Liam Aiken, Emily Browning, Timothy Spall, Catherine O'Hara, Billy Connolly, Cedric the Entertainer, Luis Guzmán, Jennifer Coolidge, and Meryl Streep, with Jude Law as the voice of Lemony Snicket.

Nickelodeon Movies purchased the film rights to Daniel Handler's book series in 2000 and began development of a film with Barry Sonnenfeld attached to direct. Handler wrote the screenplay and courted Carrey for Count Olaf. Sonnenfeld left over budget concerns in January 2003 and Brad Silberling took over. Robert Gordon rewrote Handler's script, and principal photography started in November 2003. The film was entirely shot using sound stages and backlots at Paramount Pictures and Downey Studios.

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events was released theatrically in the United States on December 17, 2004, by Paramount Pictures, with DreamWorks Pictures releasing in other territories. It received positive reviews from critics, with many praising its production values and Carrey's performance. The film grossed $211.5 million on a budget of around $141 million. At the 77th Academy Awards, it won Best Makeup and received nominations for Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design, and Best Original Score.

Plot

Investigator Lemony Snicket documents the whereabouts of the Baudelaire children: 14-year-old inventor Violet, her 12-year-old bibliophile brother Klaus, and their mordacious infant sister Sunny, after they are orphaned when their parents die in a mysterious fire that has destroyed their entire home. Mr. Poe, the family banker, manages their affairs and leaves them in the care of Count Olaf, a nefarious stage actor intent upon obtaining their family fortune, which will remain in the custody of the bank until Violet turns eighteen.

The Baudelaires are severely mistreated by Olaf, who belittles them and forces them to do all his housework. After he legally obtains custody of the children, he attempts to kill them by locking them in his car, which he parks on railway tracks. The Baudelaires divert an oncoming train by building a device to remotely activate the railroad switch, after which Mr. Poe sees the children alone in the car and removes them from Olaf's custody, thinking Olaf was allowing them to drive while underage.

The orphans are taken to live with eccentric and kind herpetologist Dr. Montgomery "Uncle Monty" Montgomery, who plans on bringing the children with him on an expedition to Peru. When Uncle Monty's new assistant "Stephano" arrives, the Baudelaires immediately see that he is Olaf in disguise. They attempt to warn Monty, but he instead suspects Stephano is after his latest discovery, The Incredibly Deadly Viper. The morning they are set to leave for Peru, Monty is found dead, seemingly attacked by the viper, though the children are certain that Olaf murdered him. They are almost placed in Stephano's care by Mr. Poe, but Sunny proves his guilt by showing that the snake is harmless, and Stephano escapes.

Mr. Poe takes the children to Lake Lachrymose to live with their Aunt Josephine, a grammar-obsessed widow with panphobia. Shortly after arriving, they encounter Olaf disguised as a sailor called "Captain Sham", with whom Aunt Josephine becomes immediately besotted. The Baudelaires later find Aunt Josephine missing from her house and an apparent suicide note entrusting them to Captain Sham. Seeing grammatical errors in the note, Klaus deduces that Olaf forced Josephine to write it and the mistakes are clues to her real location. The children sail to the cave where Aunt Josephine has hidden herself and convince her to leave with them. However, they are attacked by deadly leeches; Olaf sails out to rescue the children, but leaves Josephine to be eaten.

When Mr. Poe witnesses Olaf seemingly rescue the Baudelaires, they are placed back in his care, despite the children's protests. Learning that, as their guardian, Olaf would not be entitled to any of their money, he stages a play titled "The Marvelous Marriage," in which he will have Violet play the bride and sign a real marriage certificate in front of a real judge - their neighbor Justice Strauss - which would give Olaf access to the fortune as a legally wedded spouse. Violet refuses to comply, but agrees when Olaf captures Sunny and threatens to kill her if the play is interrupted or she does not agree to marry him.

As the play is performed, Klaus goes to rescue Sunny from the hidden tower in Olaf's house. There, he discovers a large window with a set of lenses that can focus and alter the rays of the sun, and realizes Olaf used it to set fire to the Baudelaire mansion. Violet attempts to escape the marriage through a legal loophole by signing the certificate with her non-dominant left hand; Olaf catches on, forces her sign it with her right hand, and tauntingly reveals his true intentions to everyone. Klaus uses the window and lenses to burn the marriage certificate, allowing the crowd to arrest Olaf. Olaf is sentenced to suffer every hardship that he forced upon the Baudelaires, but mysteriously disappears before he can do so.

Before leaving for their next home, Violet, Klaus, and Sunny visit the charred remains of their old family home one final time. A lost letter from their parents is finally delivered; inside is a spyglass announcing their family's secret society, V.F.D., of which Uncle Monty and Aunt Josephine were both members. Snicket concludes his documentation and leaves it in a clock tower for his publisher to find.

Cast

Jim Carrey as Count Olaf, a villainous stage actor and master of disguise who lusts after the Baudelaire family fortune. Stephano, Count Olaf's first disguise who pretends to be Dr. Montgomery's new assistant, he later kills Montgomery and tries to frame The Incredibly Deadly Viper but fails. Captain Sham, a peg leg sea captain and Count Olaf's second disguise. He makes Josephine give the Baudelaires to him and later kills Josephine by making her fall into the lake with leeches. Emily Browning as Violet Baudelaire, a brilliant inventor. She is the eldest of the Baudelaire siblings and makes inventions out of everyday items. Liam Aiken as Klaus Baudelaire, an intelligent and kind-hearted bibliophile. He is the middle child of the Baudelaire siblings and uses his encyclopedic knowledge to get them out of trouble. Kara and Shelby Hoffman as Sunny Baudelaire, the youngest Baudelaire sibling. She is an infant with four very sharp teeth. Her dialogue is mostly subtitled as she communicates via unintelligible babbling. Timothy Spall as Arthur Poe, the Baudelaire family banker who informs the Baudelaire children of the fire and manages their affairs in its aftermath. Billy Connolly as Dr. Montgomery Montgomery, an eccentric but kindly herpetologist and the Baudelaires' uncle and temporary guardian. Meryl Streep as Josephine Anwhistle, a paranoid, OCD-stricken grammar stickler and the Baudelaires' aunt and temporary guardian. Catherine O'Hara as Justice Strauss, Count Olaf's kind neighbor and a judge. Jamie Harris as the Hook-Handed Man, Count Olaf's main minion. Luis Guzmán as the Bald-Headed Man, one of Count Olaf's minions. Craig Ferguson as the Person of Indeterminate Gender, one of Count Olaf's minions. Jennifer Coolidge and Jane Adams as the White-Faced Women, two of Count Olaf's minions. Cedric the Entertainer as the Constable, a local detective who is skeptical of Count Olaf. Bob Clendenin as a grocery clerk. Lenny Clarke as a gruff grocer. Deborah Theaker as Mrs. Poe, Mr. Poe's wife. Rick Heinrichs and Helena Bonham Carter (both uncredited) as Bertrand and Beatrice Baudelaire, Klaus, Violet, and Sunny's deceased parents. Dustin Hoffman (uncredited) as a Critic who attends Count Olaf's The Marvelous Marriage. Jane Lynch (uncredited) as a realtor. Gilbert Gottfried (uncredited) as the voice of the Aflac Duck, who appeared in a cameo. Jude Law as the voice of Lemony Snicket, an introverted writer and the narrator of the story. Background actor James Henderson plays Snicket physically.

Daniel Handler, the writer of the Lemony Snicket stories, appears as a photographer.

Notes Handler initially viewed Count Olaf as a James Mason type. Carrey was not familiar with the book series when he was cast, but he became a fan of the series. "Handler's books are just a bold and original way to tell a children's story," he said. Carrey was also attracted to the role despite self-parody concerns. Silberling was open to Carrey's idea of improvisation for various scenes, especially the Stephano and Captain Sham alter egos. To make his prosthetic makeup more comfortable and easier to apply, Carrey shaved his head bald for the part. His inspiration for Olaf's voice was combining the voices of Orson Welles and Bela Lugosi.

Emily Browning was cast as Violet Baudelaire when she auditioned at a casting call in Australia. She was sent Handler's original script when Barry Sonnenfeld was planning to direct, and screen tested for the part using an English accent. Browning became a fan of the books after reading Handler's original script. The actress was not cast until Silberling took over, then her character's accent was changed to American.

Production Development Nickelodeon Movies purchased the film rights to the A Series of Unfortunate Events novel series in May 2000. Paramount Pictures, owner of Nickelodeon Movies, agreed to co-finance, along with Scott Rudin. Various directors, including Terry Gilliam and Roman Polanski, were interested in making the film. One of Daniel Handler's favorite candidates was Guy Maddin. In June 2002, it was announced that Barry Sonnenfeld was hired to direct. He was chosen because he previously collaborated with Rudin and because of his directing style from The Addams Family, Addams Family Values and Get Shorty. Sonnenfeld referred to the Lemony Snicket novels as his favorite children's stories. Sonnenfeld hired Handler to write the script with the intention of making Lemony Snicket a musical, and cast Jim Carrey as Count Olaf in September 2002.

The film suffered setbacks in development in December 2002. Rudin left Unfortunate Events over budget concerns. While Sonnenfeld and Carrey remained, Sonnenfeld admitted he was skeptical of Paramount's $100 million budget. Paramount decided that changing the shoot from Hollywood to Wilmington, North Carolina, would be less expensive. The April 2003 start date was also pushed back. Paramount eventually settled the situation in January 2003 by enlisting help from DreamWorks Pictures to co-finance the film, but Sonnenfeld vacated the director's position. Rudin and Sonnenfeld had no involvement with the film afterward, but were credited as executive producers. Carrey remained with approval over the hiring of the next director.

Brad Silberling signed on to direct in February 2003. He was not familiar with the series when he was first approached. He quickly read the first three novels and was excited that "Hollywood was taking a chance to put over $100 million to adapt these inventive children's books onto screen". Handler, who wrote eight drafts of the script for Sonnenfeld, was replaced by Robert Gordon in May 2003. Handler approved of the changes that were made to his screenplay. "I was offered credit on the film for screenwriting by the Writers Guild of America", Handler continued, "but I didn't take it because I didn't write it. I felt like it would be an insult to the guy who did."

Filming