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Mike Leigh: He's back and 'Happy-Go-Lucky'

October 06 12:05:02 PM,

No stars. No script. It's no wonder Hollywood doesn't get how Mike Leigh works. But he won't do it any other way. MIKE LEIGH'S reputation for a unique creative process and for fiercely resisting compromise comes at some cost to the director. In making a film, Leigh begins with an idea, naturally enough, but then he hires the actors and improvises with them for several months before shooting -- a style he has used from his earliest efforts in 1971 to his most recent film, "Happy-Go-Lucky," which opens Friday.

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