USA: AMERICAN PREMIERE OF GEORGE CLOONEY'S LATEST FILM "PERFECT STORM" ABOUT 1991 STORM WHICH ATTACKED THE NEW ENGLAND COAST

Record ID: 389789

  • Title: USA: AMERICAN PREMIERE OF GEORGE CLOONEY'S LATEST FILM "PERFECT STORM" ABOUT 1991 STORM WHICH ATTACKED THE NEW ENGLAND COAST
  • Date: 17th June 2000
  • Summary: GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS, UNITED STATES (JUNE 17) (REUTERS) SCU (SOUNDBITE) (ENGLISH) WOLFGANG PETERSEN SAYING And we beat the shit out of them, I mean, really, with all kinds of water cannons and dump tanks and wind machines and everything! LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 26, 2000) (REUTERS) VARIOUS, EXTERIOR OF PREMIERE THEATER (2 SHOTS) CLOSE UP , MOVIE
  • Embargoed: 2nd July 2000 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: GLOUCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS AND LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, US AND FILM LOCATIONS
  • Country: USA
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVA9G59OVLC25NO8KUPNO02UG0KZ
  • Story Text: George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg and director Wolfgang Petersen rolled out one of the summer's biggest potential blockbusters on Monday, June 26 in Los Angeles when they attended the World Premiere of "The Perfect Storm."
    "The Perfect Storm" is Warner Brothers' 120 million dollar entry in the summer movie sweepstakes and it's based on the best-selling non-fiction book by author Sebastian Junger.
    It tells the story of a group of real-life New England fishermen who got caught in a freakishly destructive storm at sea in October of 1991.
    Junger's book remained on the New York Times best seller list for more than a year and convinced director Wolfgang Petersen that the story would make a good movie. The German-born director is no stranger to nautical-themed films.
    One of his most famous works is the 1982 World War II submarine thriller "Das Boot."
    Playing the cast of hearty fishermen based in the historic New England seaport of Gloucester, Massachusetts are George Clooney, Mark Wahlberg, John C. Reilly, William Fichtner and Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio.
    All play characters based on real people who lived and died in the 1991 storm, which was notable for its ferocity caused when three powerful weather systems converged directly over the popular fishing grounds off the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland.
    Because the memories of that fateful night are so strong with the people of the small fishing village, the cast and crew had to be extra sensitive to the stories they were telling.
    Going the furthest in his research was New England native Mark Wahlberg, who chose to live in the same apartment that his character, Bobby Shatford lived in prior to leaving on the doomed voyage.
    "The Perfect Storm" was also a reunion of sorts for Clooney and Wahlberg. They previously acted together in last year's Persian Gulf War comedy/drama "Three Kings." It won't be the last time they collaborate, either. Clooney is currently producing a film starring Wahlberg as a heavy metal rock singer.
    Once Petersen and his crew wrapped up production on location in Gloucester, they moved back to a soundstage in Los Angeles, where the storm scenes at sea were shot. These sequences required the actors to be constantly submerged in water, hit with waves and tossed around on the deck of a specially-rebuilt replica of the original boat Andrea Gail desribed in the book.
    The final step was adding state-of-the-art computer special effects to create never-before-seen waves that crested at 100 feet above the boat. In fact, Petersen only agreed to direct the film once he was assured that computer generated imagery was advanced enough to make the storm look realistic.
    Warner Brothers' 120 million dollar summer gamble hits theaters throughout the United States on Friday, June 30, just in time for the crucial Independence Day holiday weekend.
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