December 27th: THE LOST CITY OF Z (James Gray, 2016)
NOTE: This film will be projected in the high-definition Blu-ray format.
A British soldier goes on an expedition to South America and begins a 20-year obsession with finding a rumored ancient city buried somewhere in the jungle.
The disappearance of Percy Fawcett is a notable historical mystery, with various rescue operations, books, and documentaries failing to offer a conclusive solution. After an archaeological dig in the early 2000s in the Amazon Xingu region, journalist David Grann reported on his findings in an article for The New Yorker magazine, and its attention led to expanding it for a full book. Grann went to the Amazon himself attempting to retrace Fawcett's steps and investigating various clues that helped form a new hypothesis. The book was a bestseller and award-winner with much critical praise.
Actor Brad Pitt's production company Plan B bought the rights to the book before it was even released, and sent a copy to filmmaker James Gray, who up to then was known primarily for his gritty, contemporary character-driven stories set in New York City (Little Odessa, The Yards, We Own The Night). Gray's films were not moneymakers but had strong critical support, with his debut winning the Silver Lion at the Berlin Film Festival, and his third feature premiering at Cannes. He also was able to attract prominent names for his casts, including Tim Roth, Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Ellen Burstyn, Gwyneth Paltrow, Faye Dunaway, and Robert Duvall.
Despite the material seeming ill-fitting to his sensibilities, Gray was taken with Fawcett's troubled upbringing and issues of class in British society, as well as Fawcett's wife Nina, who was highly-educated and a suffragette. In addition to dramatizing historical and personal events, Gray had to condense the scope of the story, reducing seven expeditions to three, and fit Fawcett's experience into a neater three-act structure.
While Pitt was originally set to star in the film as Fawcett, he and Gray came to the agreement that the role would be better-served by a British actor, and Benedict Cumberbatch was attached to star. Also cast were Robert Pattinson (Good Time, Cosmopolis), Sienna Miller (Foxcatcher, American Sniper), and Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Homecoming). When Cumberbatch had to drop out of the project due to scheduling issues, he was replaced by Charlie Hunnam (TV's Sons of Anarchy, Children of Men). Behind the camera Gray reunited with cinematographer Darius Khondji (Seven, Midnight in Paris).
The shooting commenced in various parts of Northern Ireland including Belfast before moving to Colombia South America. The crew endured various hardships from the climate and environment, including floods, invasive insects, poisonous reptiles, and crocodile-infested waters. Many shooting days involved the cast and crew hiking for long periods to reach remote locations. Gray's insistence on shooting on 35mm film proved logistically difficult but ultimately fortuitous, as the humidity was preventing computers and other electronic devices from working properly.
The Lost City of Z premiered at the 2016 New York Film Festival, but its theatrical release was handled by Amazon and delayed until after awards season the following spring, despite enthusiastic reviews from critics. hailed as a classically-mounted adventure tale with Gray's usual attention to character.
Running time is approx. 2 hrs, 15 min.
A British soldier goes on an expedition to South America and begins a 20-year obsession with finding a rumored ancient city buried somewhere in the jungle.
The disappearance of Percy Fawcett is a notable historical mystery, with various rescue operations, books, and documentaries failing to offer a conclusive solution. After an archaeological dig in the early 2000s in the Amazon Xingu region, journalist David Grann reported on his findings in an article for The New Yorker magazine, and its attention led to expanding it for a full book. Grann went to the Amazon himself attempting to retrace Fawcett's steps and investigating various clues that helped form a new hypothesis. The book was a bestseller and award-winner with much critical praise.
Actor Brad Pitt's production company Plan B bought the rights to the book before it was even released, and sent a copy to filmmaker James Gray, who up to then was known primarily for his gritty, contemporary character-driven stories set in New York City (Little Odessa, The Yards, We Own The Night). Gray's films were not moneymakers but had strong critical support, with his debut winning the Silver Lion at the Berlin Film Festival, and his third feature premiering at Cannes. He also was able to attract prominent names for his casts, including Tim Roth, Joaquin Phoenix, Mark Wahlberg, Ellen Burstyn, Gwyneth Paltrow, Faye Dunaway, and Robert Duvall.
Despite the material seeming ill-fitting to his sensibilities, Gray was taken with Fawcett's troubled upbringing and issues of class in British society, as well as Fawcett's wife Nina, who was highly-educated and a suffragette. In addition to dramatizing historical and personal events, Gray had to condense the scope of the story, reducing seven expeditions to three, and fit Fawcett's experience into a neater three-act structure.
While Pitt was originally set to star in the film as Fawcett, he and Gray came to the agreement that the role would be better-served by a British actor, and Benedict Cumberbatch was attached to star. Also cast were Robert Pattinson (Good Time, Cosmopolis), Sienna Miller (Foxcatcher, American Sniper), and Tom Holland (Spider-Man: Homecoming). When Cumberbatch had to drop out of the project due to scheduling issues, he was replaced by Charlie Hunnam (TV's Sons of Anarchy, Children of Men). Behind the camera Gray reunited with cinematographer Darius Khondji (Seven, Midnight in Paris).
The shooting commenced in various parts of Northern Ireland including Belfast before moving to Colombia South America. The crew endured various hardships from the climate and environment, including floods, invasive insects, poisonous reptiles, and crocodile-infested waters. Many shooting days involved the cast and crew hiking for long periods to reach remote locations. Gray's insistence on shooting on 35mm film proved logistically difficult but ultimately fortuitous, as the humidity was preventing computers and other electronic devices from working properly.
The Lost City of Z premiered at the 2016 New York Film Festival, but its theatrical release was handled by Amazon and delayed until after awards season the following spring, despite enthusiastic reviews from critics. hailed as a classically-mounted adventure tale with Gray's usual attention to character.
Running time is approx. 2 hrs, 15 min.
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