Tuesday, March 31, 2009

A Singular Vision - Working with Jarman and Kapadia Pt 2

Sean Bean Working with Asif Kapadia

By Myriam


Part of Asif Kapadia’s style is the importance of the physical setting, the importance of nature, and of the elements. For Sean Bean and the other actors to work in the Arctic, to live on an old Russian ship away from all that is familiar, was both a challenge and an opportunity.

In the video interview below Sean Bean talks about dealing with those challenges:




Isolated from the world, two women, two generations, live in hiding in a beautiful but barren, frozen land. Until the older woman Saiva, rescues a man on the ice, and Sean’s character, Loki becomes an object of both womens' desire. Tender to both women, and sometimes cruel when it suits him, he is both sides of the human coin. Is he aware of Saiva’s desire for him when he makes clear his seduction of Anja? Is he aware of the dangers of female jealousy? With little dialogue, one of director Kapadia’s trademarks, Sean makes use of his rugged face, his eyes and his body language to create this mysterious man.

Asif Kapadia discussed in an interview last year why he chose Sean for this role:

The Guardian, Interview with Jason Wood, Dec 2008

W: Was there any surprise at Sean Bean being cast as Loki? What qualities do you feel he brings to the part?
AK: Maybe Sean has a bit of baggage in the UK as he is known for his work on TV, but he has been in Bond movies, the Lord of the Rings trilogy and a lot of other huge pictures. For me it was simple – I saw a lot of actors for the role, then my casting director Avy Kaufman suggested I watch Patriot Games and Ronin again, and I thought he was great in them. I liked the way he looked – he has a great face, which is key when there isn't a lot of dialogue. I liked his presence; he is a man's man, which is what I needed for the role. Sean understood how tough the film was going to be and was ready to give everything to the role. It snowed the night before Sean's first day on set, so we had to change our schedule. Sean's first scene was the one where he runs naked across the landscape. He did it for real twice without a grumble.

What did Sean think about his run in the snow?
Here is a clip of him talking about the experience:





Questions
Where was Sean Bean when Asif Kapadia called to talk about Far North? Where was Asif Kapadia? What movie was Sean filming at the time?
Why did cast and crew have to be protected by men with guns while filming?
One of the mysteries of the movie is the time and place the movie takes place. The movie was really filmed in what country?
Who wrote the short story the film is based on?
If familiar with the short story name a few differences between the movie and the story?

1 comment:

  1. Sean was in New Mexico filming The Hitcher.
    They had to be protected from icebears.
    They filmed in Norway and Svalbard.
    Sara Maitland wrote the short story.
    There are only Loki Anja and Saiva in the book

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