Sentence Review
Damon's performance brings authenticity and a sense of life to the film. The film also has the power to move people's hearts.
- "The Hollywood Reporter"
Crow found the balance between real life and sensationalism, and he did a good job.
- ComingSoon
is a great film, showing us Crow's trademark sincerity and mastery of eccentric characters.
——"Chicago Reader"
is still far from Cameron Crowe's masterpiece, but it is more compact and superior than the baggy "Elizabethtown" in 2005.
——"San Francisco Chronicle" behind the
scenes production
Zoo complex
In Benjamin Mill's memoir of the same name, he described how he and his family scraped together the money to buy Dartmoor Animal Park in England. When Mill bought the zoo, it was on the verge of bankruptcy, and the more than 200 animals in the zoo were not well cared for. The zoo was purchased by the Ellis Doyle family in 1948 and opened to the public in 1968. However, due to poor management and the debt crisis, the Doyle family had to close the zoo on April 23, 2006. In August 2006, the Mill family bought the zoo and its animals for £1.1 million. After raising funds and renovations to the zoo, it reopened to the public in July 2007. Later, Benjamin Mill started a column about DIY in the well-known British media "Guardian", dedicated to his life in the zoo, repairing the zoo and how to get along with animals. The collection of these columns, plus a few others, is the source of the film's change, Benjamin Mill's memoir: My Family Bought a Zoo: The True Story of a Young Family, a Dilapidated Zoo, and 200 Animals That Changed Permanently (We Bought a Zoo: The Amazing True Story of a Young Family, a Broken Down Zoo, and the 200 Wild Animals That Changed Their Lives Forever).
Cameron Crowe, who grew up in San Diego, is no stranger to zoos, because the San Diego zoo can be regarded as a local pillar industry. Crowe said: "It may be a subconscious idea to make a movie about a zoo, because living in San Diego, there is no way to not pay attention to the things in the zoo. In fact, it was Elaine who attracted me to direct the film. The script written by Blosh McKenna. At the time, I had several projects on my hands. So I screened script by script, and when I saw McKenna's script, I was hooked. Later, I read Mill's memoir and liked that book quite a bit. It happened that the other films were not mature enough, so I decided to direct this play. After that, I rewrote the script. Although I I'm not an avid zoo fan, but I'm quite used to living in a large zoo around me. Maybe it's because God chose me to direct this movie."
Animals are also characters
in Halfway through rewriting the script, Cameron Crowe bumped into Matt Damon. At the time, Damon was filming the Coen Brothers film "Thunderbolt." After discussing the film's plot, details and themes with Damon, Damon decided to join Crowe's crew. Crowe said: "I met Damon halfway through writing, and then I had the idea of wanting him to star in this movie. As far as I know, Damon has two sides to him. On the one hand, he is very family-oriented. Man; on the other hand, Damon still has this kind of rock vibe that can't be washed away. So, I think it is appropriate that he can play this role. After finalizing Damon, I continue to revise mine The script, and at the same time put the image of Damon in my mind, try to write the character and action of the protagonist like Damon himself. Damon's performance adds a lot of authenticity to the film. His performance is both It's candid and real, as if his family really bought a zoo."
There are a lot of animals in the film. Outside of the family that bought the zoo, these animals can be said to be the most important "actors" in the film. Their "performance" will directly affect the quality of the film. Crowe said: "Actually, animals are the most important part of the film, and they are actors who have no lines. Their emotions and reactions are part of the film. Originally, the protagonist of the film had a bit of Don Quixote in it. Well, if these animals go crazy again, then the movie loses all its moving elements. Damon's performance, which romanticizes Don Quixote, becomes a kind of family The persistence of life and dreams. It's very important because it's the center of the whole movie." As for acting with animals, Damon said: "It's fun, working with a group of animal actors every day. There are a lot of animals on set who are responsible for life The staff, let me understand that it is very difficult for a family to run a zoo." Cameron Crowe
, a music from Iceland,
used to be the editor of the old music magazine "Rolling Stone" and also directed the narration band tour. The film "Almost Famous". So, his taste in music is very unique. In this film, Crowe's music producer for the film is the Icelandic rock band Sigur Rós. So why did Crowe want to go beyond the distance, abandoning so many musicians who developed in the United States, and find a rock band from Iceland? According to Crowe, the uniqueness of the music the band makes is key. "I was listening to Sigur Rós' music when we were filming," said Crowe. "Their music was very unique, it had its own texture and musicality. It was very different from what a lot of Americans do. Later, I thought, why not get Jónsi (creator and vocalist of Sigur Rós) to write some music for the film? He asked me for the script, and after a while, he decided to do the music. After coming to America, he quickly I wrote the theme song of the film. The whole crew sat down to listen to it and immediately decided to use this music. It can be said that the music that the audience heard from this film is definitely the most special, the most unique, absolutely It will not be the same. Sigur Rós is like a treasure trove, they have a variety of music on their hands to meet our various requirements. It is really a pleasure to work with such original musicians A very fortunate thing.”
Damon, who also has a unique taste for music, said: "The music in the film is great and has a unique feel. If Crow's film is about family life and personal encounters, then this kind of film is accompanied by Sigur. Rós' music has become a work of art. The two are very organically combined, which can bring a very different feeling to moviegoers. It is a very comfortable thing to work with Crow, And such a movie needs to be calm and performed. Because, it is not "Bourne Bourne". I need to patiently figure out the characters and understand the emotions of the characters in order to shape the character well. I think that it appears in life. In times of crisis, maybe it's best to have a madness like Benjamin Mill's." The film is
Cameron
Crowe's first director since 2005's "Elizabethtown".
·The film is based on Benjamin Mill's memoir of the same name, and the script was written by Elaine Blosh McKenna ("The Devil Wears Prada").
· The film's original starring candidate is Ben Stiller.
· Amy Adams, Rachel McAdams and Mary Elizabeth Winstead have all been the film's leading actress candidates.
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