From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rescue Dawn is a 2007 film starring Christian Bale and Steve Zahn. It was written and directed by
Werner Herzog,
based on the director's acclaimed 1997 documentary, Little Dieter Needs to
Fly. Harry Knapp and NBA all-star Elton Brand are the film's producer through
Brands production company Gibraltar Entertainment, which he co-owns
with partner Steve Marlton. The film was produced in association
with Thema Production. The project, which had been coming together
in fits and starts during 2004, began shooting in Thailand in mid-August
2005.
The film was originally scheduled to be released by MGM in
December 2006, but was held back for limited release in the United States at
some point in 2007. The film had a nationwide release on July 27,
2007, after a limited release in New York City, Toronto, and Los
Angeles on July 4. Rescue Dawn was released in the United Kingdom by
Pathe International. The movie was released on DVD by MGM Home
Entertainment in November 2007. The film is rated PG-13 for some
sequences of intense war violence and torture. The soundtrack was
released on June 26, 2007 and was released on DVD and Blu-ray Disc
on November 20.
Plot
Dieter
Dengler, a U.S. Navy pilot, is shot down in his
A-1 Skyraider
over Laos in 1965, while on a
combat mission. He survives the crash only to be pursued, and
ultimately captured, by a local militia of the Pathet Lao. Dieter is
given the chance for leniency if he signs a document condemning
America, but he refuses. He is tortured and taken to a prison camp.
There he meets fellow American military members and Air
America pilots, some of whom have been captive for years.
Dieter begins planning an escape, much to the disbelief of his
fellow captives, who have been downtrodden through physical and
psychological torture from the camp guards.
Eventually, all the prisoners agree to escape, but they take
separate routes through the jungle. Dieter and fellow captive Duane
try to reach the Mekong River to cross over into Thailand. Eventually, Dieter
is rescued by an American helicopter but sequestered in a hospital
due to the top secret nature of his mission. He
is covertly taken back to his ship by his shipmates, where he is
received as a hero by the entire crew.
Production
The film was shot in 44 days in Thailand. In preparation for the roles, the
actors playing the prisoners spent several months losing weight.
Since weight gain is accomplished more quickly than weight loss,
the film was shot in reverse, with Bale fully regaining his weight
during the course of the shoot.[1]
The film includes the first major occurrence of digital visual effects in
Herzog's career. Because very few authentic A-1 Skyraiders
remained flightworthy at the time of the production, the shots of
Dieter's flight while airborne were created digitally. The crash
itself, however, was produced practically.
In 2009 producers Gerald and Patricia Green were charged with
making corrupt payments to Thai officials to secure lucrative film
contracts between 2002 and 2006, including their contracts for
Rescue Dawn. Their case went to trial on August 4, 2009,
and was one of the first cases in the entertainment industry tried
under the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices
Act.[3]
Reception
Rescue Dawn has been positively received by critics. On
metacritic.com the film has a score of 78 (generally favorable
reviews) out of 100. It has received a strong 90% approval rating
on Rotten
Tomatoes. V.A. Musetto of the New York Post named it one of the
best films of 2007.[4] The
film initially opened in six theaters and grossed $110,326, making
it #28 for the weekend. It went into wide release the weekend of
July 27, 2007, and grossed $1,650,282 in 500 theaters, to reach the
11th spot in the US box office. As of May 6, 2008, it had grossed
$5,490,423 in the US and $1,547,463 internationally, for total
theatrical receipts of $7,037,886.[5] As the
film cost $10,000,000 to make, there was nearly a $3,000,000 loss
at the box office for the film.
On November 20, 2007 the DVD was
released in the US. It was also released on high definition Blu-ray
disc the same day. As of May 6, 2008, The Numbers estimates its DVD
sales revenue in the US to be $24,664,729 -- approximately four
times what it earned theatrically.[6]
Historical
accuracy
The film depicts six prisoners in the camp, while in real life
there were seven. Herzog says that he found the scripting to be
difficult with seven characters, and that six was a more manageable
number.
All the guards in the camp were based directly on men from Dieter
Dengler's story except for 'Walkie Talkie,' who is a fictional
creation of the director. Jerry DeBruin, brother of Gene DeBruin
(portrayed by Jeremy
Davies), has created a website critical of Herzog and the film,
claiming that several characters and events have been falsely
portrayed.[7]
On the same website, Pisidhi Indradat, the other survivor
of the group, has also stated that the film contains inaccuracies.
The website claims that during his imprisonment, DeBruin taught his
cellmates English, shared his food, and even returned after
escaping to help an injured cell mate. In the movie, Dengler
formulates the entire escape plan along with uncuffing the
handcuffs with the nail. According to Jerry DeBruin, the prisoners
waited for two weeks before telling him of the plan, which had been
devised before his arrival.[7]
Herzog acknowledged that DeBruin acted heroically during his
imprisonment, refusing to leave while some sick prisoners remained,
but Herzog was unaware of this fact until after the film had been
completed. Herzog states that this narrative aspect probably would
have been included had he learned it earlier.[1]
In real life, Dieter Dengler spoke English with a strong German accent.
For this movie, Bale (who himself normally speaks with a Welsh English
accent) spoke with an American accent.[8] Dieter
Dengler was captured not once but twice in real life. The scene
where he was captured while drinking from a river is based on his
second capture.
Cast
References
External
links
Wikis
Quiz
Map
Search