American Beauty (1999 film) "American Beauty" to the fledgling DreamWorks studio, which bought the script for $250,000, outbidding several other production bodies. DreamWorks financed the $15 million production and served as its North American distributor. "American Beauty" marked theater director Mendes' film debut; courted after his successful productions of the musicals "Oliver!" and "Cabaret", Mendes was only given the job after 20 others were considered and several A-list directors turned down the opportunity. Spacey was Mendes' first choice for the role of Lester, though DreamWorks urged him to consider better-known actors; similarly, the studio suggested several actors for the role of Carolyn until Mendes
Love Letters (1999 film) Love Letters (1999 film) Love Letters is a 1999 American made-for-television drama film directed by Stanley Donen and based on the 1988 play by A. R. Gurney. Gurney adapted his own work for the telescript, dramatizing scenes and portraying characters that were merely described in the play. Donen had envisioned it to be a feature film, but a limited budget restricted him to make a TV movie and he shot the film in only 17 days. It is his last film as of 2018. "Love Letters" originally premiered on ABC on April 12, 1999. An ambitious U.S. Senator reflects back