Emile (2003)

Director:

Carl Bessai

Writer:

Carl Bessai (written by)

Release Date:

9 January 2004 (Canada)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In a story weaving the past and present together, Emile seeks redemption from the family he abandoned.

Plot Keywords:

Acceptance Speech | Atonement | British Columbia | Brother Brother Relationship | Canada

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Ian McKellen	...	Emile
Deborah Kara Unger	...	Nadia
Tygh Runyan	...	Freddy
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Frank Borg	...	Taxi Driver
Theo Crane	...	Maria / Nadia (age 10)
Chris William Martin	...	Carl
Nancy Sivak	...	Superintendent
Ian Tracey	...	Tom
Janet Wright	...	Alice

Directed by
Carl Bessai

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Carl Bessai		written by

Produced by
Carl Bessai	....	executive producer
Carl Bessai	....	producer
Jonathan English	....	executive producer
Jacquelyn Renner	....	producer
Bjorg Veland	....	executive producer (as Bjørg Veland)

Original Music by
Vincent Mai		(as Vince Mai)

Cinematography by
Carl Bessai		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Julian Clarke

Casting by
David Hall

Production Design by
Dina Holmes		(as Dina Zecchel)

Set Decoration by
Nancy Mossop

Costume Design by
Lara Lupish

Makeup Department
Sarah Gurney	....	assistant hair stylist
Sarah Gurney	....	assistant makeup artist
Debi Lelievre	....	hair stylist (as Debbie Lelievre)
Debi Lelievre	....	makeup designer (as Debbie Lelievre)
Noella Mingo	....	makeup artist: London

Production Management
Kimberly Barnes	....	production manager: London
Natasha Nystrom	....	post-production supervisor
Michael Williams	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Allie Amy Goodfellow	....	second assistant director (as Allie Goodfellow)
Nancy Sorge	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Ken Baker	....	construction coordinator
Trevor Belcourt	....	assistant set decorator
Pat Hills	....	painter
Cody Larson	....	set dresser
Josh Plaw	....	on-set props
Kirsten Sands	....	property master

Sound Department
Jeff Carter	....	sound mixer
Andrew Ellis	....	adr recordist
Darren Gilmore	....	sound engineer (as Darren 'Dutchie' Gilmore)
Patrick Haskill	....	sound effects editor
Bryan Heidinger	....	assistant sound editor
Brad Hillman	....	sound editor
Brad Hillman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Eric Holmgren	....	third sound assistant
Philip Hunter	....	dialogue editor
Matt Kunau	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Roderick Matte	....	boom operator
Jonathan McCleery	....	sound technician (as Jon McCleery)
Gina Mueller	....	adr editor
Miguel Nunes	....	sound designer
Miguel Nunes	....	sound re-recording mixer
Eric Paul	....	assistant sound editor
Brody Ratsoy	....	adr recordist
Brody Ratsoy	....	foley editor
Brody Ratsoy	....	foley recordist
Nicole Thompson	....	sound supervisor
Cam Wagner	....	foley artist

Visual Effects by
Christopher Elke	....	visual effects coordinator
John Fukushima	....	digital artist
Erik Nordby	....	digital compositor: Toybox
Lorraine Rozon	....	visual effects producer
Joel Tong	....	digital compositor: Toybox
Brian Wawzonek	....	digital artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Blaine Ackerly	....	electrician
Rick Ackerly	....	grip
Damian Daniel	....	assistant camera: London
Geoffrey James Dixon	....	best boy electric
Ryan Gillard	....	first assistant camera
Colin House	....	best boy grip
Steve Latta	....	camera trainee
Rob Lee	....	generator operator
Stephen J. McKnight	....	second assistant camera
C. Kim Miles	....	camera operator: "b" camera
C. Kim Miles	....	gaffer
Sarah Murray	....	still photographer
Will Parrott	....	key grip
Rob Sperling	....	grip
Pieter Stathis	....	camera operator
Pieter Stathis	....	steadicam operator
Jesse Turner	....	electrician
Dan Zaviceanu	....	additional assistant camera

Casting Department
Susan Taylor Brouse	....	casting director: Canada
Louise Green	....	casting assistant: Canada
Lesleyanne Hilts	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Andrea Desroches	....	assistant costume designer
Noella Mingo	....	wardrobe: London
Barb Trippell	....	seamstress
Corrie Trippell	....	set costumer

Editorial Department
Jill Allanson	....	telecine assistant
David Armstrong	....	film timer (as Dave Armstrong)
Gary Shaw	....	video colorist
Tony Dean Smith	....	assistant editor
Bruce Whidden	....	dailies colorist

Transportation Department
Randy Caine	....	transportation captain
Rob Schuster	....	transportation co-captain
Stephen Siegel	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Emily Alden	....	assistant to producer
Suzanne Bean	....	stand-in
April Burch	....	craft service
Dave Burch	....	craft service
Denis Cornell	....	location production assistant
Roy Cumming	....	security officer
Jane Davidson	....	key production accountant
Jennifer Donoghue	....	script supervisor
Christer Fasmer	....	epk: Norway
Kathleen Gilbert	....	location manager
David Hadley	....	production coordinator
Sarah Hughes	....	assistant location manager
Garfield Lindsay Miller	....	office production assistant (as Garfield Miller)
Patrick Mokrane	....	production accountant: Vancouver
Anna Myking	....	epk: Norway
Stuart Nemtin	....	stand-in
Andrea Oberdieck	....	assistant to producer
James Pass	....	unit production coordinator: UK
Adrian Salpeter	....	unit publicist
Christy Sandback	....	stand-in
Rob Schuster	....	security coordinator
Esta Spalding	....	script editor
Astrid Stark	....	location production assistant
David Winsby	....	assistant: Sir Ian McKellen

Thanks
Michael Bendner	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• BV International Pictures (in association with)
• Emile Productions Inc.
• Helkon SK (in association with)
• Meltemi Entertainment (in assocation with)
• Raven West Films Ltd. (presents)
• Seville Pictures (in assocation with)

Distributors

• BV International Pictures (Norway)
• BVIP Norway
• Castle Hill Productions Inc. (2005) (USA) (theatrical)
• Helkon SK (2003) (UK) (theatrical)
• JAM Entertainment (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Madman Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)
• Redbus Film Distribution (2003-) (UK) (all media)
• Tiglon (2006) (Turkey) (all media)

Other Companies

• Cinematte  opticals
• DeLuxe Toronto  optical sound
• Movitech Camera Rentals  camera and lenses
• Original Conforming Services  negative cutting
• Western Post Productions  post-production sound services
• William F. White International  grip equipment

Also Known As:

Émile (Canada: French title)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

Canada:95 min (Toronto International Film Festival) | USA:92 min

Country:

UK | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

UK:15 | Brazil:10 | Iceland:12 | Canada:14A | USA:R | Finland:K-11

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

BV International Pictures

Trivia:

When they filmed the part where Emile goes on the train, they didn't block off a section of the platform. As a result, you can actually see someone whip their head around after Ian McKellen passes by them.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: The film was shot in British Columbia but some parts of the action are set in Saskatchewan. In one Saskatchewan scene, there are mountains on the horizon. There are no mountains in (or visible from) Saskatchewan.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Weird Sex and Snowshoes: A Trek Through the Canadian Cinematic Psyche (2004) (TV)

Easy to identify with

I liked the movie a lot more than I expected. Not that I thought it was going to be a bad movie, but I had no real concept of what I'd think of it so really enjoying it was a nice surprise. We had heard it was slow, but I actually found it to be quite gripping and as such it didn't appear slow at all. At first it was a little distracting watching the movie with Ian McKellen two rows behind us and a couple of seats along, but my focus settled down as we got further in. Not particularly helped by the antarctic blasts of cold coming from the air conditioning right in front of me. I'm lucky I didn't die of hypothermia before the end of the evening. The movie was much more easily identified with than you might expect, being a movie about a 65 year old man and me being anything but. The theme was something I think can get to anyone and what really got me was the story of Emile leaving his two brothers behind and what happened to them subsequently. I think anyone who moves away from their family can understand the need to separate and how easy it can be to let that separation become too vast. As someone who has never lost a close member of my family, and lives in vague terror of the day it finally happens (as it must do unless I'm hit by a bus in the near future), I found the movie very touching and even teared up a couple of times. On a less precise scale, Emile's flaw was that he ran away from responsibility and difficulty and as a result never really lived his life, as far as we can tell. It's always easy to tell ourselves that what we're doing is for the best, but often that can be an excuse for not doing something that seems too hard.

The only flaw I would pick with the movie is that occasionally the music was a little too much. Aside from that the acting was excellent, the script was excellent and the shooting was beautifully done. I think a lot more people will find something to associate with in this movie than might think they would. Have you ever moved away from home? Have you ever not kept in touch when you knew you should? Have you ever been hurt by or betrayed a family member?