August 5th: THE AMERICAN (Anton Corbijn, 2010)
NOTE: This film will be screened in the high-definition Blu-ray format.
An assassin near retirement hides out in a small Italian village while waiting for his next job.
Anton Corbijn made his name in rock photography, working with artists such as Joy Division, U2, Depeche Mode, Nick Cave, R.E.M., Tom Waits, David Bowie, Metallica, and Bjork. He expanded his palette into music videos, working with many of the aforementioned as well as Nirvana, Echo and The Bunnymen, Joni Mitchell, Johnny Cash, Danzig, and many others.
His feature film debut brought him full circle with Control, a biopic of Joy Division frontman Ian Curtis, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, winning several awards. It had a very positive reception with accolades from other festivals and critics associations. For his follow-up, Corbijn sought to change things up via more genre-based material, a rustic setting, and a lead actor from Hollywood.
The American was shot on location in the Abruzzo region on the central eastern coast of Italy. Additional scenes were done in Rome and in Östersund, Sweden. Corbijn again worked with cinematographer Martin Ruhe.
The cast is headed by George Clooney, playing against type as a quiet loner and not relying as much on his trademark charm. He is joined by Italian actors as well as those from Finland, Belgium, and Corbijn's home country The Netherlands. The score was written by German musical artist Herbert Grönemeyer, a friend of Corbijn's who had not composed for film in over 25 years.
Corbijn's style of carefully-composed static shots remains, as well as a languorous pace that stresses the atmosphere of its location over plot dynamics. Influences include "Spaghetti" westerns, the crime films of French director Jean-Pierre Melville, and Venice-set thriller Don't Look Now.
The film was released to mixed reviews with some critics taking issue with the pacing of the film, though it had outspoken champions. Advertised as an action film and with Clooney's name, it managed to gross more than its budget in the U.S. before word-of-mouth cooled its performance.
Running time is approx. 100 minutes.
An assassin near retirement hides out in a small Italian village while waiting for his next job.
Anton Corbijn made his name in rock photography, working with artists such as Joy Division, U2, Depeche Mode, Nick Cave, R.E.M., Tom Waits, David Bowie, Metallica, and Bjork. He expanded his palette into music videos, working with many of the aforementioned as well as Nirvana, Echo and The Bunnymen, Joni Mitchell, Johnny Cash, Danzig, and many others.
The American was shot on location in the Abruzzo region on the central eastern coast of Italy. Additional scenes were done in Rome and in Östersund, Sweden. Corbijn again worked with cinematographer Martin Ruhe.
Corbijn's style of carefully-composed static shots remains, as well as a languorous pace that stresses the atmosphere of its location over plot dynamics. Influences include "Spaghetti" westerns, the crime films of French director Jean-Pierre Melville, and Venice-set thriller Don't Look Now.
Running time is approx. 100 minutes.
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