The Kite Runner (2007)

Director:

Marc Forster

Writers (WGA):

David Benioff (screenplay)
Khaled Hosseini (novel)

Release Date:

26 December 2007 (UK)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

There is a way to be good again.

Plot:

After spending years in California, Amir returns to his homeland in Afghanistan to help his old friend Hassan, whose son is in trouble. |

Plot Keywords:

Controversial | Honor | Child Rape | Flea Market | Wedding

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 3 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Khalid Abdalla	...	Amir
Atossa Leoni	...	Soraya
Shaun Toub	...	Rahim Khan
Sayed Jafar Masihullah Gharibzada	...	Omar
Zekeria Ebrahimi	...	Young Amir
Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada	...	Young Hassan
Mir Mahmood Shah Hashimi	...	Business Man in Baba's Study
Homayoun Ershadi	...	Baba
Nabi Tanha	...	Ali
Elham Ehsas	...	Young Assef
Bahram Ehsas	...	Wali
Tamim Nawabi	...	Kamal
Mohamad Nabi Attai	...	Uncle Saifo the Kite Seller
Mohamad Nadir Sarwari	...	Spice Merchant
Mustafa Haidari	...	Party Worker

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for strong thematic material including the rape of a child, violence and brief strong language.

Runtime:

128 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Dari | Pashtu | Urdu | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:12 | Ireland:15A | Taiwan:PG-12 | UK:12A | Finland:K-13 | Singapore:PG | Canada:18A (British Columbia) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Canada:14A | Australia:M | Netherlands:12 | Argentina:13 | Malaysia:U | South Korea:12 | Philippines:PG-13 (MTRCB) | Hong Kong:IIA | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | New Zealand:M | Sweden:11 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Brazil:12 | USA:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Beijing, China

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

Due to Afghan mores concerning male rape, Paramount Vantage agreed to relocate the young actors out of the country to the United Arab Emirates and arrange visas, housing and schooling for the young actors and jobs for their guardians. Paramount Vantage accepts responsibility for the living expenses of Zekeria Ebrahimi, Ahmad Khan Mahmoodzada, Ali Danish Bakhtyari and Sayed Jafar Masihullah Gharibzada until they reach adulthood, a cost some estimated at up to $500,000.

Goofs:

Continuity: Rahim sees the picture of Soraya and puts it down on the table. In the next scene, the picture is not seen anymore.

Quotes:

Amir: [explaining Sohrab's presence] You see, General Sahib, my father slept with his servant's wife, and she bore him a son named Hassan. Hassan is dead now. That boy sleeping in the other room is Hassan's son. He's my nephew. That's what you tell people when they ask. And one more thing, General Sahib: you will never again refer to him as "a Hazara boy" in my presence. He has a name, and it's Sohrab.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2007-12-15)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Az Man Begurezed

Not a totally faithful adaptation, but stands on its own.

"The Kite Runner" is one of the most controversial films of the year, and it's not just one of those controversies invented by PR people to sell tickets. No, this is a film that was actually pulled from release because the producers began to fear for their safety of their actors. That may give you an idea of just how sensitive and topical some of the material is. "The Kite Runner" is an important film for our modern world, because now more than ever, we need stories that show the reality of war, not just action movies that glamorize the violence. It was adapted from the best-selling book, and some critics have charged that something was lost in translation, but if you don't bring the baggage of the novel into the screening, you will be very moved.