Behind-the-scenes production of dangerous lovers

The central theme of Dangerous Lovers can be said to be counterproductive. Jerry, the hero of the story, owes a favor to the mafia boss and must make the last vote for him to get out. But if he insists on doing so, his girlfriend Samantha will break up with him soon. As a result, "Tell the Judge" had a thrilling journey in the film, and everything was unexpected.

JH Weiman's plays are full of unexpected dramatic tension, which aroused the interest of producer john baldwin. He said, "It's actually quite surprising. On the surface, it looks like a farce, but the content is actually very rich. The story has two endings. This is to tell the judges at the beginning and the end of the film, but the journey between them has influenced them and made their respective experiences interesting. It seems that two people are together. 」

Lawrence Bander, the producer, also said, "I think this is a very interesting film, a rare masterpiece, with complicated plots and lively and interesting characters, all facing the crisis of personal relationship. This is a modern comedy with depth. 」

They found Golve Binsky, who was praised for Catching Mice, to direct the film. Weibinsky is also very interested in the parallel stories in the script. He said, "I like the story development of Jerry and Samantha and the interesting people they met. Mexico and Las Vegas are both very distinctive. I know I can shoot a colorful and exaggerated visual style. In particular, I want to explain the origin of antique guns in the film, which makes me more. 」

Originally, the production team didn't want to find a big star to play. Unexpectedly, this excellent script aroused the interest of two great kings in the film industry, so the role of Jerry was played by Brad Pitt, while Samantha was played by Julia Roberts, who had just been nominated for an Oscar.

The two pop stars have long expressed their desire to cooperate. Brad Pitt said, "We met several times and always wanted to make a movie together, but all failed. This time, I finally found the opportunity to cooperate, and I have a tacit understanding. 」

Julia Roberts also said, "Brad and I have known each other for a long time, and we almost cooperated several times, so this time we finally have a chance to really cooperate. We are all very excited, and we get along well, so from the first day of shooting, as long as there is an opponent, we can seize the opportunity to perform well. For their roles, these two handsome guys and beautiful women find it very interesting. Brad Pitt said, "Jerry is not a cool guy. He is just an ordinary man. He has a lot of troubles in his private life and career. He demanded fairness in everything, but this unfair society made him stumble all the way. Although he worked hard, he also made many jokes. "

Producer Bao Deqi said: "Playing the role of Jerry requires very precise comedy skills. We always knew Brad was funny. Although this role is a bit dull, it is full of charm, and the audience will definitely fall in love with him. No matter what he does, we will follow him regardless. "

Only one person refused to dance to his music, and that was his girlfriend Samantha. Julia Roberts explained, "Jerry has worked for the mafia boss for five years. At the beginning of the film, Samantha was the happiest day of her life, because she thought Jerry was finally going to quit the mafia and start over. When she found out that he was going to do the last job, she finally couldn't bear it, so she made a splash as soon as she appeared. "

The director described her like this: "Samantha knows exactly what she wants, but she is wrong." She is the kind of person who is good at criticizing each other, but she doesn't know that she is also wrong. " Samantha experienced great emotional changes in the film, and Julia's superb acting skills really strung these emotional changes into a line. "

Julia Roberts also likes this role very much. She said, "I think she is cute and interesting. She likes adventure very much. Although she has a little turtle hair and always quotes some psychological terms, she really loves Jerry. It's a big decision for her to go to Las Vegas alone. "

It never occurred to her that she was not alone in Las Vegas. She was kidnapped by a gangster killer on the way. A killer named Lilio took Samantha hostage in exchange for Jerry's priceless antique gun. The killer was played by james gandolfini, who became famous in sopranos.

Gandolfini was also attracted by the complicated and unexpected plot development of the story. He said: "Many movies can guess what will happen later as long as they are seen in the middle, but this time I can't guess at all. The plot is not old-fashioned, which is what I like. "

There is also a wonderful showdown between Gandolfini and Julia Roberts. The director said, "They are a good match. Although the script is well written, their performance makes these two characters more vivid. He is ruthless, she is enthusiastic, he is silent, and she talks endlessly. This contrast in personality alone has caused a great comedy effect. "

In addition to this iron triangle, other characters in the film are also very interesting, including Barney Naiman, a master in the underworld. He looks gentle on the surface, but he is a dangerous man at heart. The other character is Jerry's good friend Ted. JK Simone, who plays this role, said: "My role can be said to be Jerry's teacher and friend. We are not really bad people. Jerry accidentally stepped into the underworld, so I had to try my best to protect him, hoping that he would get away with it one day. "

Jerry traveled all over the remote corners of Mexico looking for antique guns called Mexicans. In order to film Jerry's journey, the crew pulled a team to the ancient city of Ruiducatu in the highlands of north-central Mexico. The ancient city is built in the mountains with a height of 8000 feet. There is only one stone road with a length of 15.5 miles, plus an Oglio tunnel with a length of10.5 miles.

Brad Pitt described: "If you want to reach this ancient city, you have to go through this tunnel that was completely dug by hand a hundred years ago. When you drive up the Panshan Highway and enter this ancient tunnel, your eyes are completely dark. There is a church cut into a gable in the winding tunnel. When you finally get out of the tunnel, you will see a basin surrounded by mountains. It was a magical place, as if it had been completely forgotten by time. "

Ruidukatu was a silver mining town in the19th century. After the silver mine is mined, the grand occasion is gone. At present, the population is only 1200. However, in recent years, tourists from the United States and Europe have opened several hotels and restaurants here to take care of long-distance climbers. Most of them come to appreciate the classical Mexican architecture, ruins and old mines in this mountain city.

Because of the poor resources and equipment in this town, a group of technicians and staff came to set the scene two months before the shooting, and even set up new water pipes, electricity and communication systems. These constructions can be said to help the tourism industry in this town and benefit future tourists. Most importantly, they renovated the old Oglio tunnel to make it safer to enter and leave this small mountain city.

Producer Bao Deqi said: "We want to find a place in the film that has never been seen before. This is a very difficult place to get in and out. A lot of preparatory work must be done before shooting, but it is definitely worth it, because the scenery here is so beautiful that only a small part is captured in the film. "

The people there are very kind and friendly, and many townspeople took part in the filming. Some people work behind the scenes, some are extras, and some even have lines. In order to introduce the origin of antique guns in the film, the staff built a small village in the style of 19 th century. Cynthia Montier, a production designer from Peru, is very familiar with the architecture of that era, because she is also the production designer of Solo in the Masked Man.

This small village was built on a football field outside the town, and it took 65,438+020 people six weeks to complete it. As for this flashback, the director and photography director used two modified hand-held cameras to shoot, and manually adjusted the shooting speed, resulting in the effect of silent film. In addition, bleaching technology is used in the development process, which makes the whole clip present the quality of old black and white film.

Of course, in order to show the simple Mexican town and colorful Las Vegas, the production designers deliberately presented the scenes in Mexico with low-key colors, while Las Vegas presented rich colors, and the dazzling neon lights made people dizzying.

Colleen Atwood, a fashion designer, designed different clothes for two handsome guys and beautiful women according to the personality of the hero and heroine. Brad Pitt's dress style is relatively simple, because Jerry is very disdainful of wearing, while Samantha is full of energy, so her dress also reflects her positive personality.

Of course, the most important prop in the film is an antique gun named Mexican. The director said, "The design of this pistol is very important because it is almost another character in the film. Hope is unique, heart-shaped gun chamber, a bit like a music box. It seems to play beautiful music when it is wound, but it is also a weapon. "

This pistol is based on the collection of the Museum of Mexican History, adding the concept of director. There is a snake swallowing an apple and a man holding a woman on the pistol, so it is obviously a pistol symbolizing love. The director said, "The idea I want to convey is that love is worth fighting for."