P
AGE
15
we are proud of, from this incredible
cast that we have put together, to the
cinematographer and Phillip our captain
did such an unbelievable job,” producer
Nicki Silver said. “To have the support
of Lois (Lowry), who would help with
even the silliest of text that Phillip would
send probably at midnight and then
again at six a.m. the next morning. It’s
been a journey but certainly one that’s
been well worth it,” she said.
With the time period being so lengthy
the thoughts on casting the roles
changed. Bridges began by thinking the
role of the giver would be played by
his father Lloyd Bridges, but during the
time Lloyd Bridges passed and a new
generation of actors came of age for the
roles.
“I finally qualified as the grizzled guy
and it was funny. It felt just wonderful.
So much of the success of film creatively,
and the success of the film in the theaters,
people seeing it, depends on the cast. Not
only the casting of the actors but who’s
going to be the director who’s going to
be our cinematographer and all of those
slots were just filled in such a beautiful
way, the movie kind of transcended my
high expectations,” Bridges said.
Bridges had a duty to the book writer
Lois Lowry.
The duty to make a film which best
captures the written word and the world
created by Lowry.
“The book is very internal, a lot of
it is Jonas’ experience,” screenplay
writer Robert Weide said. “It’s a very
internal story. Frankly, the book, there
is a point where Jonas decided to leave
this community. The book kind of stays
with him, you never go back see how
his departure affects the community. We
know it’s going to affect them but we
don’t see it on the book. That was Lois’s
(Lowry) choice for the book. For the
movie, when I did my drafts, way back,
I thought well we have to see what’s
going on back in the community. It was
really a creation of a whole new story
line,” he said.
“I think a lot of it was also timing,
the people you see in front of you, Jeff
(Bridges) who has been so enthusiastic
for so many years and didn’t let it go.
Nikki Silver, who has been through a
struggle similar to Jonas in order to get
this movie made. Mr. Noyce being the
right director and finding the right cast.
A lot of it was timing and finding the
right cast,” screenplay writer Michael
Mitnick said.
“I’m accustomed to sitting alone
in a room and doing what I do, and
controlling everything that I do. I get to
write the screenplay and the dialogue. I