- Title: USA: FILM PREMIERE OF TOM HANKS' LATEST FILM "CASTAWAY"
- Date: 7th December 2000
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (DECEMBER 07, 2000) (REUTERS) SCU (SOUNDBITE) (English) HANKS SAYING: "Well, it is horribly daunting and the great question was is anybody going to give a rat's hair for it? I could have said other things. But, the faith that you have to have is that Bob (Zemeckis) as a filmmaker and Bill (Broyles, Jr.) as a writer are going to be constantly testing the material so that what I'm doing up there alone on a screen, however long it is, is actually reflective of the audience's struggle in their own daily life, even though it would seem to have nothing to do with it. If you can do that that's the great power of the cinema. If you do it right, it doesn't matter if you're playing a cop in Brooklyn or a housewife in Davenport, Iowa or Chuck Noland stuck on an island somewhere."
- Embargoed: 22nd December 2000 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LOS ANGELES, US, AND VARIOUS FILM LOCATIONS
- City:
- Country: USA
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA2QJ0D2VAROODPSNYK9N86TJ53
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- Story Text: Two-time Academy Award winner Tom Hanks took to the red carpet in LA for the premiere of his latest film offering "Castaway." The film, being called an acting tour de force by Hanks and creating the expected Oscar buzz that comes with his films, takes the darling of Hollywood, dumps him on a deserted island for the better part of four years and asks him to survive.
Director Robert Zemeckis and star Tom Hanks take tremendous risks -- both dramatic and commercial -- in "Cast Away."
In this bold and unique story about a single character stranded on an island, a topnotch Hanks holds the picture on his shoulders with what some are calling the performance of a lifetime. Meticulous, sumptuous production design, and striking visuals compensate for the lack of dramatic momentum in a film that arguably stretches narrative form to its limits.
Strong critical support should help position this adventure saga as an "event movie" both in the U.S. (where Fox is distributing) and overseas (where DreamWorks will release it). The PG-13 rating is a major plus; young viewers will relate to the story as a contemporary Robinson Crusoe, while the philosophical elements are likely to appeal to more mature audiences.
"Cast Away" bears thematic resemblance to "Forrest Gump,"
the earlier Zemeckis-Hanks teaming, in its focus on the personal journey of an Everyman. But the 1994 Oscar winner spanned decades and numerous locales, with its hero the only constant; however, the bulk of the new picture is confined to one setting and a much tighter time frame, depicting in detail the moral odyssey of one man.
Hanks, who serves as a producer, plays an ambitious FedEx system engineer whose life, run with the precision of a Swiss watch, is shattered when his plane crashes, leaving him alone on a remote island.
The narrative is divided into four asymmetrical parts. Set in 1995, the first segment establishes Chuck's manic personal and professional lives. His fast-paced career takes him, often on a moment's notice, to far-flung cities such as Moscow, away from his loving girlfriend, Kelly (Helen Hunt). Returning home on a FedEx plane, Chuck can't wait to spend Christmas Eve with Kelly. But a mechanical problem on the plane causes a terrifying crash.
In the second segment, Chuck is forced to deal with the most basic biological needs, sheer survival.
Cut to four years later. The tale now finds Chuck trim and muscular, sporting long blond hair and a bushy beard and stripped to a Tarzan-like outfit. Having mastered the four basic needs -- food, water, shelter and fire -- he begins to deal with his need for companionship.
While his memories of Kelly are essential to Chuck's survival, he also establishes an unusual relationship with "Wilson," a volleyball washed ashore inside a FedEx package from the doomed flight. Playing a crucial role, Wilson rescues Chuck from solitude as well as depression. This fellowship also allows Chuck to speak -- after an hour's worth of mostly silence.
Fate gives Chuck a chance to fight his way back to civilization in a daring escape, only to face an unexpected emotional challenge that, in many ways, is more demanding than the physical ones he survived. Though there's closure, the last segment deviates from a conventional Hollywood ending.
Building a script, based on journals of shipwreck victims, William Broyles Jr. creates a work which is meant to bring events and emotions to life with sparse dialogue and little music; the first melodic sound is heard 90 minutes into the story.
The picture is replete with ironies and subtle humor. As a FedEx exec, Chuck is dedicated to connecting people all over the world, but the yarn throws him into a situation in which he is disconnected from everything. Moreover, the island's pristine beauty and serenity stand in contrast to Chuck's civilized life. The irony is that for most people the Fiji islands represent tropical paradise, whereas for Chuck they become a prison.
The film revolves around a key question: Once you have learned to survive physically, how do you survive emotionally and spiritually? While Chuck opens the FedEx packages that have washed ashore, he decides not to open one that's adorned with angel wings, which becomes a symbol of hope -- one he holds onto even after his return.
More problematic is the suggestion that if Chuck hadn't lost everything, he would never have come to understand what's truly important. Ultimately, "Cast Away" is about realizing the true meaning of belonging, of finding home, casting away the clutter that complicates life in an effort to rediscover what matters.
It's hard to imagine this film ever being made without the performance of Hanks. Filmed in sequential order, "Cast Away"
may be the only picture shot in two parts over 16 months, with a one-year hiatus to allow for Hanks' physical transformation.
"Castaway" opens across North America December 22nd. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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