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"The Master", a new film in 65mm by Paul Thomas Anderson |
Read more at in70mm.com The 70mm Newsletter
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Written by: The Weinstein Publicity department |
Date:
27.09.2012
Updated: 21.12.2023 |
Synopsis
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A
striking portrait of drifters and seekers in post World War II America, Paul
Thomas Anderson’s "The Master" unfolds the journey of a Naval
veteran, Freddie (Joaquin Phoenix), who arrives home from war unsettled and
uncertain of his future until he is tantalized by The Cause and its
charismatic leader, Lancaster Dodd (Philip Seymour Hoffman). Amy Adams plays
Dodd’s wife, Peggy.
• Go to
"The Master" production notes (PDF)
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More in 70mm reading:
"The Master" production notes (PDF)
P T Anderson's "The Master" in System 65
Motion pictures photographed in Super Panavision 70 & Panavision System
65
Now showing in 70mm in a theatre near you!
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About the Editing
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Poster
decoration in New York taken 25. September 2012 Picture: Sebastian Roascker
Though THE MASTER is wholly fictional, Paul Thomas Anderson set out to
present the world of The Cause with a visceral and transporting realism. To
capture both authentic period details and the imagined environs of The Cause
on sea and land, he worked with a devoted crew, many of whom have forged a
kind of family of their own, reuniting again and again on his productions.
One major, if entirely intuitive, decision immediately set the film off on a
very individual course: Anderson’s choice to shoot THE MASTER with the now
exceedingly rare 65mm film stock. From the start, he knew he wanted a
distinctive period look – and after immersing himself in the vibrant tones
and textures of such 50s cinematic classics as VERTIGO and NORTH BY
NORTHWEST, Anderson hoped to mirror that supersaturated lushness, merging it
with his own signature style of stark lyricism. With imagery spanning from
the roaring sea to the shadows and light at play within the characters, 65mm
seemed a perfect match for the broad contours of the story.
There was a time when 65mm stood at the very apex of cinematic processes,
but today it has been relegated mostly to the making of IMAX® and other
large-format films. In the heyday of Hollywood’s wide-screen epics,
companies such as Todd-AO and Panavision hailed 65mm as giving audiences the
crispest, clearest images, from the most panoramic vistas to the most
personal close-ups. Numerous 60s classics including LAWRENCE OF ARABIA, WEST
SIDE STORY, MUTINY ON THE BOUNTY, LORD JIM, MY FAIR LADY and 2001: A SPACE
ODDYSEY revealed the power of the film stock to deliver that ineffable extra
punch of vitality. But by the 1970s the increasingly high cost of the film
stock caused a rapid decline. A brief resurgence in the 1980s saw such films
as BRAINSTORM, TRON and THE BLACK AULDRON reviving the format, but that was
short lived. More recently, the only films shot entirely on 65mm have been
Kenneth Branagh’s 1996 HAMLET and Ron Fricke’s non-narrative films BARAKA
and SAMSARA. (Christopher Nolan’s INCEPTION and THE DARK KNIGHT and Terrence
Malick’s THE NEW WORLD include some 65mm footage and special effects
sequences, but were shot primarily in 35mm.)
Anderson says the choice started as an exploration, but became a commitment
once he saw the fit with the storytelling of THE MASTER. “The idea was
something initially suggested by Dan Sasaki, Panavision's lens technician,
after I'd inquired about Vista Vision Cameras from the
8 50s, just to play around with and figure out how some of these 50s films
created their look,” he explains.
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A
strip of 65mm negative from "The Master". Image by Paul T Anderson, and made
available for in70mm.com by Cigarettes and Red Wines web site
He goes on: “We started shooting with a 65mm Studio Camera and everything we
were seeing started to feel very right. It gives you a wonderful, strong
image, but more than the resolution or anything like that, it simply seemed
to suit this story and these characters. Things could feel antique without
feeling precious or a re-enactment of a particular style. It’s hard for me
to describe it other than to say, it felt right.”
JoAnne Sellar felt similarly. “It was so fitting for a film like this with
so much visual texture,” she says. “But it was also a real learning process
because a lot of the knowledge of working with 65mm has been lost. There
were considerable challenges involved. We were only able to find three
Panavision cameras, so it was challenging when they broke down, and the lab
process is also very complicated.”
Daniel Lupi adds: “Panavision went totally out of their way to service us in
using cameras that have largely gone unused for decades. At times we had a
guy from Panavision staying with us, just so he could handle technical
issues with the cameras.” Throughout filming, Anderson would project the
dailies using a 65mm projector as well. “I think it’s a large of his
creative process, watching the dailies and conforming his vision to that,”
explains Lupi. “He has a very organic process.”
The filmmakers are gratified that some audiences will get a chance to see
the film in 70mm projection. “In an ideal world, audiences can enjoy the
film in 70mm. There are still theaters playing 70mm films, thank goodness.
Long may they wave,” says Anderson.
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About the Editing
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As
principal photography of THE MASTER came to a close, Anderson worked with
editors Leslie Jones and Peter McNulty to weave the imagery with his
distinctive rhythms and pacing. McNulty did a first cut and then Jones, who
previously received an ACE nomination for her work on Anderson’s PUNCH-DRUNK
LOVE, came on board. She was taken right away with the footage.
“Peter did a beautiful first cut of the film and I was impressed with the
complexity in both Freddie and Master's characters as well as the depth in
their relationship. I was surprised at how the love story between these two
men so gracefully became the focus of the film,” she comments.
She spent the next six months working closely with Anderson to chisel the
final narrative. “The primary challenge in editing was to focus the
relationship between Freddie and Master, and to connect Master's teachings
with the struggles that Freddie experiences in his life – his experience of
always running from something,” Jones explains. “We found ultimately that
the more invested we were in Freddie’s experience the more we believe his
attraction and need for a ‘Master.’ And, at a certain point, it became
less about the characters as individuals but more about these two men and
their attachment to one another.”
While the 65mm photography had no impact on the editing, it became a
distinct challenge as the release prints were prepared. Jones explains: “I
rarely made a distinction between the two formats while viewing the footage.
Nor were editing considerations made based on the 65mm format. It wasn't
until picture was locked and we began working with Fotokem on release prints
that we felt the impact. We had to prepare the finished film for both a 70mm
and 35mm release, which was like working on two separate movies. And because
Paul likes to do a film finish we were cutting negative and timing photo
chemically, so it was very time consuming.”
Nevertheless, concludes JoAnne Sellar: “For all the complications of using
65mm, I think
for Paul it was well worth it. It’s an attempt at saving the beauty of real
film.”
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Paul Thomas Anderson about 65mm
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65mm
negative clip from "The Master" - reversed to positive. Image by
Paul T Anderson, and made
available for in70mm.com by Cigarettes and Red Wines web site
Question: Your
choice to film in
65mm, appropriate to
the period,
obviously. Does it
matter if your
audience doesn't see
that, because
presumably only a
minority of the
audience are going
to see it in 70mmn
Paul Thomas
Anderson: Yes, no, I
mean, does it
matter? If you are
in that kind of
thing, you'll
probably love it.
You know, you’ll be
able to feel a
slight difference if
you know, but it's
ultimately No. I
mean, listen, I've
loved movies I've
watched on my phone,
I hate to say, and I
loved moves I've
seen in theatres
I mean, it's a hard
thing now a days,
and hopefully, you
know, the people
that loved to go to
movie theatres,
loved to go movie
theatres, and we
kind of hopefully
presented this
option, that if you
wanna dig it this
way, it's there for
you. I prefer it. I
enjoy it. I think
it's a more well
balanced meal, just
in terms of the way
that it kinda comes
through the
projector and the
light and umm, and
things moving
around, and..... I
prefer it. But
certainly does not
mean you are not
gonna like the movie
if you have to see
it in any other way.
It also doesn’t mean
you gonna like it
any more
Question: Can't
imagine what “The
Master” would be
like on a phone
Paul Thomas
Andersson: [Laughs]
Actually no,
hopefully not too
bad. Shouldn't
matter, I mean, I
remember like
seeing, like these
guys, like hovered
around in a garage
watching "Saving
Private Ryan" on
this like little
teeny black and
white TV, and these
guys were just
loving the film in a
parking garage in
South America, and
they were completely
in to it. They
didn’t need it on a
big screen, they
didn’t need whatever
HiFi sound and all
that. They are just
digging the film
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"The Master" 70mm Cast & Credits
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Written
and Directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. Exec. Producer:
Adam Somner, Ted Schipper. Producer:
Paul Thomas Anderson, JoAnne Sellar, Daniel Lupi, Megan Ellison. Co-producers: Albert Chi, Will Weiske. Production Co.:
Annapurna Pictures. Screenplay:
Paul Thomas Anderson. Cinematographer: Mihai Malaimare, Jr. Editor:
Leslie Jones, Peter McNulty. Sound:
Michael Semanick, Christopher Scarabosio, Matthew Wood, Mark Ulano. Music:
Jonny Greenwood. Prod. Designer:
Jack Fisk, David Crank. U.S. Distributor:
The Weinstein Company. Music supervisor, Linda Cohen; Set designer: John P. Goldsmith;
Set
decorator, Amy Wells; Costume designer: Mark Bridges; Sound (Dolby Digital/Datasat),
Mark Ulano; Supervising sound editors, Christopher Scarabosio, Matthew Wood;
Sound designer, Scarabosio; Re-recording mixers, Michael Semanick,
Scarabosio; special effects coordinator, Michael Lantieri; senior visual
effects supervisor, Dan Glass; visual effects supervisor, Gregory Liegey;
visual effects producer, Andy Foster; visual effects, Method Studios;
stunt
coordinator, Garrett Warren; assistant director, Adam Somner; casting,
Cassandra Kulukundis.
Filmed in:
65mm, 5 perforations, 24 frames per second. Principal photography in:
Panavision System 65. Presented in: Panavision Super 70 in
selected theatres with _._ track Datasat _-track digital stereo. Aspect ratio:
1,85:1.
"The Master" was shot with a
Panaflex System 65 Studio Camera. It was framed for 1.85:1. 80% of
the finished film is in 65mm. The remaining 20% is shot in standard
35mm. The reason for using both film formats was a creative choice.
The 65mm film stock used was Kodak 5201 (50ASA)
Country of origin: USA. Production year: 2012 World Premiere:
01.09.2012, Venice Film Festival, Italy.
US premiere: 14.09.2012, Los Angeles
and New York.
A Weinstein Co. release and presentation of a Joanne Sellar/Ghoulardi Film
Co./Annapurna Pictures production.
Freddie Quell - Joaquin Phoenix
Lancaster Dodd - Philip Seymour Hoffman
Peggy Dodd - Amy Adams
Helen Sullivan - Laura Dern
Variety reviewed the film at Venice Film Festival, Sept. 1,
2012. (Also in Toronto Film Festival -- Special Presentations.) MPAA Rating:
R. Running time: 136 min.
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Soundtrack
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CD Tracklist
01 Overtones
02 Time Hole
03 Back Beyond
04 Get Thee Behind Me Satan – Ella Fitzgerald
05 Alethia
06 Don’t Sit Under the Apple Tree (With Anyone Else but Me) – Madisen Beaty
07 Atomic Healer
08 Able-Bodied Seamen
09 The Split Saber
10 Baton Sparks
11. No Other Love – Jo Stafford
12 His Master’s Voice
13 Application 45 Version 1
14 Changing Partners – Helen Forrest
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"The Master" Premiere
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"The
Master" advert from San Francisco 70mm screening (August 2012) showing a 70mm strap line
“We
thought at the time
that there wouldn’t
be many places to
play this in 70mm,
but we were
pleasantly
surprised. There are
still a lot of
projectors, at least
in US, that are 35mm
and 70mm combined.”
- Paul Thomas
Anderson
U.S.
Special advance 70mm screenings
03.08.2012, Aero, Santa Monica, CA
16.08.2012 Music Box Theatre, Chicago
21.08.2012 Castro Cinema, San Francisco
11.09.2012 The Ziegfeld Theatre,
New York, 9 pm
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US
1-sheet poster Style #1
Limited 70mm Premiere 14.09.2012
9/14 AMC Loews Lincoln Square 12 (70mm)
9/14 City Cinemas Village East Cinemas (70mm)
9/14 ArcLight Hollywood (2x 70mm prints including Cinerama Dome)
9/14 Landmark Los Angeles (70mm)
Wider 70mm Premiere 21.09.2012
9/21 Austin, Alamo Ritz (70mm)
9/21 Boston, Kendall Square Cinema, Coolidge Corner Theatre (70mm)
9/21 AFI Silver Theatre Silver Spring, MD (70mm)
9/21 Seattle Cinerama, Seattle, WA (70mm)
9/21 The Grand Lake
Theatre in Oakland CA, USA (70mm)
9/21 New York, The Ziegfeld (70mm)
9/21 New York, Cinema 1 (70mm)
9/21 Cineplex Odeon Varisty Cinema, Toronto, Canada (70mm)
Germany
05.10.2012 Festival screening
8. Todd-AO 70mm-Festival
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US
1-sheet poster #2
Even wider 35mm Premiere 21.09.2012
9/21 Chicago
9/21 San Francisco, Embarcadero Center Cinema
9/21 Baltimore, The Charles Theatre
9/21 Washington DC, Landmark E Street Cinema, Bethesda Row
9/21 Philadelphia, The Ritz Five
9/21 Cleveland, Cedar Lee Theatre
9/21 Omaha, Film Streams
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70mm Poster adapted for the French Market
International
Italy 1 September 2012 (Venice Film Festival) 70MM
Canada 7 September 2012 (Toronto International Film Festival)
70MM
USA 14 September 2012 (limited) 70MM
Canada 21 September 2012 (Toronto) 70MM
USA 21 September 2012
Canada 28 September 2012
Israel 4 October 2012
Germany 7 October 2012 (Todd-AO 70mm Film Festival, Karlsruhe)
70MM
Australia 25 October 2012 (Melbourne) (premiere)
70MM
Ireland 2 November 2012
Mexico 3 November 2012 (Morelia International Film Festival)
Australia 8 November 2012 70MM
Turkey 9 November 2012
Poland 14 November 2012 (Wroclaw American Film Festival)
Poland 16 November 2012
UK 16 November 2012 70MM
Sweden 17 November 2012 (Stockholm International Film Festival)
Greece 6 December 2012
Italy 3 January 2013
Spain 4 January 2013
France 9 January 2013 70MM
Iceland 11 January 2013
New Zealand 17 January 2013
Netherlands 23 January 2013 (International Film Festival Rotterdam)
70MM
Netherlands 24 January 2013 70MM
Singapore 24 January 2013
Brazil 25 January 2013
Denmark 31 January 2013
70MM
(from 13 February)
- print #5, came from Finland
Sweden 1 February 2013
Portugal 7 February 2013
Argentina 14 February 2013
Russia 14 February 2013
Norway 15 February 2013
Chile 21 February 2013
Germany 21 February 2013
Hong Kong 21 February 2013
Belgium 6 March 2013
Japan 22 March 2013
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