=======With spoilers======== It is recommended to read as a short story after watching the movie ========
In 2012, because Matthew Goode knew about this movie, the script was written by Wentworth Miller , Was elected to the Black List that year. The director is Park Chan-wook, the actor of Uncle Charlie chose Colin Firth, and then Colin Firth withdrew and was replaced by his partner Matthew Goode in A Single Man.
Stoker had prepared to participate in the 2012-2013 European and American film awards season competition, but the director expressed his unwillingness to rush to work for the award and cancelled the plan.
In January 2013, Park Chan-wook and the Stoker crew went to Utah to participate in the Sundance Film Festival. Stoker made its premiere at the festival, and Fox Searchlight began to publish different versions of trailers and advance clips on the Internet. The film critics of various media who were busy rushing to the scene gave a slightly polarized but generally good evaluation after watching the film. The pictures, editing and hints have always been approved, and the more controversial is the story itself.
On February 18th, Stoker held the UK premiere in London. The UK premiere was considered the biggest premiere of the film. The scene was decorated with the theme of the movie, and all the members of the main creative cast were present. The US premiere only went to director Park Chan-wook, Mia and Matthew, and Nicole and Matthew were absent due to work and bringing children (...) at the Korean premiere.
Compared with the fact that the subways in the UK are full of posters, the US screenings were a bit bleak at first. As a restriction, only a few theaters can see the movie. However, because of this, the U.S. single-day attendance rate of the film actually reached the highest rate of the same period, so it was decisively carried out to expand the screening, and the response was good. (LZ almost rushed to HK to watch the first show on 2.28. Tkou T Shanghai Film Festival students wish you happiness!)
Okay, let's tell a little story.
Wentworth Miller created the prequel Uncle Charlie's script while discussing the copyright of Stoker's script, so the two works were bought together. At that time, many directors were interested in the script. Some people suggested, hey, we have to show the script to Park Chan-wook.
After seeing the script, Park Chan-wook asked the producer if he could join such a plot. Charlie would anonymously give India a pair of saddle shoes every year. Until the age of 18, the gift changed from saddle shoes to high heels. The producer was pleasantly surprised that it was him.
The film was shot in Nashville, the country music capital of the United States. This is strongly recommended by Nicole Kidman, Nicole's hometown, and she has done a lot for the promotion of the city of Nashville. Fortunately, the crew found the mansion in the film in Nashville. There is a beautiful winding staircase in the mansion. All the pictures of the Stoker's house were shot in this mansion. Nicole gave full play to the enthusiasm of the host, and hosted the Matthew family and the producer's family to go to Halloween together during filming. Matthew and Mia are like brothers and sisters, and they often go to country music together. It is said that several people also met to watch striptease. Matthew said that when he saw Nicole on TV for the first time when he was 8 years old, he would not have imagined that he would be able to do a kiss scene with her many years later.
The filming cycle is not long. According to Director Park Chan-wook, it is 1/2 of his time to make movies in South Korea, which is the rhythm of Hollywood. Park Chan-wook has a storyboard team. Before the filming started, every scene of the film was beautifully drawn. LZ has seen a few pages of stoker's storyboard, and it can be seen that Park Chan-wook has already built the film's lens language system in his mind.
Oriental directors first have to deal with when making films in Hollywood, and that is language. Park Chan-wook's second producer also served as a translator. With the tacit understanding of the shooting, the language problem was solved. Matthew Goode said that listening to the director say that Korean can make him feel calm, and it is hard to imagine a director who shoots extremely violent films being so gentle and peaceful in private. The second problem is the cultural differences between the East and the West, and how obscure Japanese and Korean movies are. When Park Chan-wook was preparing to make his first English film, he had a lot of scripts for him to choose. The reason for choosing Stoker was that it was vague enough. It was not a book that wanted to make everything clear. It was easy to shoot the director himself. The style also leaves enough room for imagination. Park Chan-wook said in "Old Boy" that imagination is incompetent, and if you don't imagine it, it will be powerful. He believes that the violence left to the audience's imagination is extreme violence. The phone booth murder scene in Stoker was originally set to stop the scene abruptly after Uncle Charlie pulled the belt, which made the audience imagine, but Fox Searchlight suggested that Park Chan-wook film the murder scene for the audience to see. Critics questioned at the Sundance premiere. Was the information that Uncle Charlie the murderer was revealed too early? I think that Stoker is not so much a horror film as a psychology film. The director is a psychology master, who gives the audience "spoilers" until the end, and will hang a heart in the subsequent viewing process. The cut-offs in the Blu-ray version of the footage reveal more, which is probably the result of a trade-off between the director and the producer.
Come back to the role and cast.
At first, Castigine was Carey Mulligan and Jodie Foster, and Uncle Charlie’s candidate list also included James Franco, Michael Fassbender and others. Finally, Mia, Nicole and Colin Firth were determined. Mia's agent was very excited to give her the script, and after reading it, she immediately decided to act. Although there are not many roles for Evie, Nicole Kidman likes to work with independent filmmakers recently and is also happy to take over. At this time Colin Firth withdrew from the crew due to schedule issues. Park Chan-wook and candidate actor Matthew Goode used SKYPE video chat and excitedly told Nicole that he might have found his uncle charlie, although Matthew still went through several auditions before he was determined to win the uncle charlie. Role.
How to shoot India was the first thing Park Chan-wook thought about when he got the script. This can be horror, horror or a bit of love, but after all, it is a story of a girl's growth and transformation. India is lonely and sensitive, with her family inherited "bad blood" flowing in her body, and her secret thoughts are woven into a complex personality. She is eager to recognize and grow. Mia did a great job, cold and terrifying, wild and beautiful, and there are a few scenes where just staring at this face is enough to make people nervous. The 18th birthday is her growth node. The audience can see her own contradictions and struggles but can't guess which side of the soul will prevail. They don't know how she will choose.
There is also a discussion about nature and nature in India. Is evil born or nurtured? Everyone is born with a seed of evil in his heart. Some people give it enough nourishment to distribute buds and flowers, while some people don't. For India, Charlie irrigated the seeds in her heart, and he built a greenhouse for her to provide sunlight and nutrients, so that her evil was completely awakened.
Wentworth Miller loves Uncle Charlie in his works. Charlie is an important multi-layered role. He is the inducement, catalyst and ending of the film. It is no wonder that the crew is so cautious about Charlie's casting. Park Chan-wook believes that qualified actors should fully interpret Uncle Charlie’s three-tier progress. First, he must be elegant, mature and charming, and second, he must have a childish personality, and strip off the first two layers to find out that his heart is evil. of. (Matthew goode is really more suitable for uncle charlie than colin firth)
Matthew Goode was nervous about acting in Park Chan-wook's film. Before the filming started, he had a drink and chat with the director at a restaurant in Nashville. After a few cups, Matthew noticed the wall of the restaurant. A painting, the man in the painting looks like a 1920s, wearing a bow tie, looks weird. So he called Park Chan-wook, and Park Chan-wook couldn't help but said when he saw Huaqiang, ah, it's Uncle Charlie.
Matthew Goode understood Charlie as a pathological Peter Pan. When he was 9 years old, his family abandoned him to a mental hospital. Since then, he has never grown up in his heart. So Charlie doesn't have sexual desire for Evie and India. Evie is used to get close to India. Matthew and Nicole discussed that Charlie and Evie's kiss should be Charlie's first kiss. There are a few points in the film that are delicately handled. After the four-handed play, Charlie's face is close to India. When he almost feels like he is going to kiss him, the camera switches to the India side. Charlie is blocked by India's long hair, and India suddenly turns his head. Charlie has quietly disappeared.
Charlie's feelings for India stem from loneliness and the desire for recognition of the same kind. Isolation refers not only to the Stoker family and the normal society, but also the isolation of members of the Stoker family. Matthew said in the interview that Richard Stoker took India to vent violence through hunting, and she was destined to be the accomplice Charlie was looking for. Charlie and India’s bad blood gave them something in common. Whether it’s unwilling to be touched or swinging their limbs in large characters, they can hear what others can't hear and see what others can't see. Charlie's waiting for India is like India's waiting when hunting, and like the eagle's waiting when hunting, he has been silently waiting for the best time. Charlie can be said to wait until India's adult day. (I don’t know if you have paid attention to the documentary that auntie gin interspersed in the motel and charlie rooms before his death. I think it’s the biggest spoiler in the whole film!)
Evie is more like a canary trapped in a cage (house). Compared to the Stoker family, she is "normal", weak and fragile. Richard's death and Charlie's appearance renewed hope in her heart, and the flame was finally extinguished by India's high heels.
Talking about the soundtrack, the process of coding this thing has been listening to the OST created by Clint Mansell. At first, this OST was made by Philip Glass, but later it was changed to Clint Mansell. The OST that Clint Mansell did for "Requiem of Dreams" that year has accumulated a large number of fans for him, and then there are excellent OSTs such as "Cherish the Source" and "Black Swan". It is not easy to see someone go to the movies because of his OST. It would be too unexpected. Although he was replaced, Duet created by Philip Glass remained in the OST. The four-handed play was the ultimate metaphor. During the performance, Charlie looked safe in his hands, and was stopped by the girl in his arms. Can't help gasping. This performance was not in the original script, and it was not even thought of by Park Chan-wook himself. It originated when Park Chan-wook went to New York to ask Philip Glass to create a piece of music played by his uncle and nephew. Philip asked what scene it was used in. Park Chan-wook said it was a duo ensemble, um, actually, sex. So Philip found out a piece of music that had been written for a husband and wife friend, and the couple's playing method was later adapted by Charlie and India and put on the big screen.
Park Chan-wook explained the metaphor of this paragraph, saying that a woman was alone, and a man came quietly. She ignored his presence and focused on playing, while he was tired of waiting to join him rudely. She was still shy at first, but she responded shortly before reaching a climax. When the woman sighed contentedly, the man quietly left.
Three-quarters of the four-handed play was performed by two actors. Mia and Matthew, who hadn't touched the piano in 20 years, spent a few weeks practicing playing. The advantage of the actor's personal performance is that the photographer can shoot in 360 degrees without blind spots, and the long and short shots can be switched at will. The smooth switching of the shots can better express the "passion" of the scene. Park Chan-wook appreciates the performance of the two actors. They not only have to remember the fingering, but also show the emotions and tension of the characters. It all depends on the tacit understanding and trust of the two.
Speaking of the soundtrack, A whisling tune from a lonely man, I like it very much. The whistle suggested by Matthew to the director was finally retained. The whistle’s melody is light and ethereal, which can be a prelude to killing or a requiem for killing. In any case, it reveals an indifferent childishness, which is Charlie's values. Becomes the color must be listened to after watching the movie, and Summer Wine is also a key recommended song.
LZ really likes the space construction of the film, the up-and-down relationship formed by the slides and stairs, and the various angles of space in the Stoker mansion are extremely suitable for peeking. The most amazing thing was that when Sheriff came to investigate, the audience thought Charlie was hiding with their backs, and when they saw him leaving the wall, they thought he might be going to get the tools of the crime. As a result, his expression changed instantly as he walked, and his smile was bright. It was only then that Park Chan-wook had played a "mirror trick", which was very brilliant.
There are many metaphors left for the audience to play on their own. Spiders are metaphors for India's sexual desire, and flies are metaphors for Charlie's trapped personality, etc. The explanations in other film reviews have been well explained. I won't say more here.
Digression: It's not easy to be a brother these years. Richard's first reaction when he was hit by Charlie was not to stop and dodge, but to touch it! he! Face! In the script of the prequel Uncle Charlie, please make sure to arrange some ulterior secrets for Richard as well! ! !
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time being, I have said so much, and I will add what I think of.
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PS:
1. The bird filled in the study is Xiangxi District Kirk pays tribute, Matthew Goode's performance will also be reminiscent of Anthony Perkins in the Horror Hotel.
2. Park Chan-wook didn't want Stoker's name to make people think of it as a vampire movie. He also thought about replacing the Uncle Charlie with the same name as the character in the Hitchcock movie, such as Uncle Johnney (haha), but eventually retained the original name.
3. The sexy segment of the year-the close-up of the telephone booth pulling the belt was taken later. Park Chan-wook saw Matthew pulling the belt in another scene, so he decided to take a close-up close-up of the belt in the telephone booth.
4. The picture of the Stoker family dining can be said to be a play of a feminine British man against three powerful Australian women. Matthew Goode British, Mia Wasikowska, Nicole Kidman, Jacki Weaver Australian.
5. Matthew Goode has the script of the prequel Uncle Charlie in his hand, but he hasn't read it yet. He said that he heard that the script is very good and he didn't even dare to read it. The director did not quote the content of the prequel in Stoker, nor did he ask the actors to refer to Uncle Charlie.
6. Park Chan-wook had watched Matthew Goode's "Single Man" and "Watchmen" before. It was not until he watched "The End of the Game" that he realized that he played all three films. After Stoker was filmed, Park Chan-wook suggested that he must go to the studio comedy.
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