Silent Hill (film)
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| Silent Hill | |
|---|---|
| Image:Silent hill.jpg Official promotional poster for Silent Hill | |
| Directed by | Christophe Gans |
| Produced by | Samuel Hadida Don Carmody Konami Team Silent |
| Written by | Roger Avary Christophe Gans Nicolas Boukhrief |
| Starring | Radha Mitchell Sean Bean Laurie Holden Jodelle Ferland Deborah Kara Unger Alice Krige Tanya Allen Kim Coates |
| Music by | Jeff Danna Akira Yamaoka |
| Cinematography | Dan Laustsen |
| Editing by | Sébastien Prangère |
| Distributed by | TriStar Pictures (USA, Argentina) Focus Features (Australia) Pathé (UK theatrical) 20th Century Fox (UK DVD) Paramount Pictures (Spain) Alliance Atlantis (Canada) |
| Release date(s) | April 21, 2006 |
| Running time | 127 mins |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $50 million<ref name="boxofficemojo">http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=silenthill.htm</ref> |
| All Movie Guide profile | |
| IMDb profile | |
Silent Hill is the 2006 film adaptation of Konami's famous survival horror video game franchise. The story, primarily based on the first Silent Hill game, also includes elements from Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3.<ref name="about">Wilson, Stacy (2005-07-17). "Silent Hill" Interview with director Christophe Gans. About.</ref> The film is directed by Christophe Gans, with the screenplay by Roger Avary based on the story adaptation by Gans and Nicolas Boukhrief.<ref name="about">Wilson, Stacy (2005-07-17). "Silent Hill" Interview with director Christophe Gans. About.</ref> It was released theatrically on April 21, 2006 in North America and was distributed by TriStar Pictures.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
The film begins with Rose and Christopher Da Silva (Radha Mitchell, Sean Bean) searching for their adopted daughter Sharon (Jodelle Ferland), who sleepwalks. As Rose rescues her near a cliff, she cries out for "Silent Hill!" The episode prompts Rose to take Sharon to the town in her drawings and her dreams to confront her problem. Christopher opposes the idea because the town has been devastated by underground coal fires. They depart despite his concerns. On the way to Silent Hill, Rose and Sharon stop for gas in the town of Brahams, where they find that Sharon's innocent drawings have been disturbingly altered. The child's outbursts at the discovery raise the suspicions of a nearby police officer. As they leave, the officer attempts to pull over Rose. As Rose evades the officer, she swerves to avoid a young girl walking in the road. Rose is knocked unconscious as her car swerves off road. Rose wakes up to a dimension of fog and falling ash, a limbo world.<ref name="1up">Bettenhausen, Shane (2006-02-23). Silent Hill Movie Interview: The Director's Cut. 1UP.</ref> With Sharon nowhere to be found, Rose walks into nearby Silent Hill to search for her. Rose spots the girl that she swerved to avoid, who remarkably resembles Sharon. As Rose chases her around town an air raid siren sounds and the town shifts into a dimension of darkness and rust, a representation of hell.<ref name="1up">Bettenhausen, Shane (2006-02-23). Silent Hill Movie Interview: The Director's Cut. 1UP.</ref> While searching for Sharon, she is assaulted by small, disfigured, burning children (the Gray Children). Rose passes out as everything burns away into dust. Upon awakening, she is back in the dimension of fog. On her way back to her car, she finds the edge of town has been cut off by a large chasm. Here, she encounters Dahlia, who tells of her daughter Alessa's horrible fate. Rose then runs off to her car where she finds a clue about a "School" in a drawing on the road. She calls Christopher, who only receives fragments of her message. Back in the real world, Christopher hears enough of the call to know where to search for her. When he arrives near Silent Hill, he is stopped by Officer Thomas Gucci (Kim Coates), who agrees to help Christopher search the town. Gucci converses with Christopher about the coal mine fires that have been burning for thirty years underneath the town.Back in the foggy dimension, Rose is found and arrested by Cybil Bennett (Laurie Holden), the officer she evaded. While attempting to leave the town, Cybil is attacked by the straitjacket creature (the Lying Figure) while Rose flees for Midwich Elementary School. In a classroom, She finds the desk of the girl named Alessa Gillespie (Jodelle Ferland). Rose spots Alessa and chases her into a restroom. Here, a corpse bound in barbed wire with the name tag "Colin" is found. Rose pulls a stone from his mouth that reads the "Grand Hotel". An air raid siren sounds and the world shifts into darkness. Colin reanimates and approaches Rose. She falls out of a window onto the alley below trying to escape the horde of cockroaches spawned from Colin's touch. As she regains her senses, The Red Pyramid (Pyramid Head) approaches her. A terrified Rose runs away, passing by Christopher who searches for her in the real world. He senses her perfume, giving him hope that she is nearby. Back at the school, Cybil pulls Rose into a secure room as The Red Pyramid attempts to enter. After failing, he leaves and the darkness recedes. Back in the foggy dimension, they agree to head to the hotel to search for Sharon. Meanwhile, Christopher is told to go home after a failed search. Figuring that Gucci is hiding something, he breaks into Brahams' Hall of Records, where he finds information on Alessa, who looks remarkably like Sharon. Police reports detail how she was burned with the town thirty years ago. He later questions a nun at the orphanage where Sharon was adopted. As she refuses to talk, Gucci follows him and arrests him for breaking and entering. Gucci confronts him and reveals the secrets of the town and forces him to leave.
Cybil and Rose arrive at the Grand Hotel. They meet Anna (Tanya Allen), a cult member who throws stones at Dahlia (Deborah Kara Unger). Dahlia runs off and Anna tells how Dahlia is a blasphemer. Cybil finds a picture in the mailbox for Room 111. The three women head up there. A large painting depicting a witch burning is found where Room 111 should be. Anna mentions that the room is related to the first burning before Silent Hill had a name. Rose slashes through the painting with a knife, which reveals Room 111. Inside, they leap to a room inside the neighboring building via a hole in the wall. It is here that Rose encounters Alessa again and chases her. As Cybil and Anna catch up with her, the air raid siren blares as Anna cries out that they need to find sanctuary at the church. Arriving at the church, they encounter other cultists running inside as well, summoned there by the air raid siren atop the church's bell tower. Dahlia appears and warns them not to enter as the townspeople are deceivers and are damned. As the darkness extends toward the church, The Red Pyramid materializes behind Anna. Rose and Cybil watch in horror as Red Pyramid effortlessly skins Anna. Rose and Cybil escape inside church. Inside the church, they meet Christabella (Alice Krige), head of the cult. They discuss how Rose is looking for her child and, in response, Christbella states that the demon, who resides in the town's hospital, holds the answers. They head for the hospital with some cult members in miner suits. At the hospital, Christabella says the demon resides in the basement. A flashlight is given to Rose and she is told that the creatures will be drawn to it. As Christabella returns Rose’s locket that was torn off in an earlier scuffle, she notices the picture inside of Sharon. Declaring that the child is a likeness of Alessa, they convict her as a witch. Cybil fends off the cultists as Rose heads down in the elevator to the basement. As Rose explores the hospital, she finds her path is blocked by a number of disfigured nurses. After being exposed to the beam of her flashlight, the dormant creatures begin to move. Rose turns off the light and slips past them. Rose places the lit flashlight on the floor to distract them, and finally makes it to the demon's room.
The young girl’s voice praises her for following her clues. As a reward, Rose will learn the truth. The girl explains that Alessa was a child born out of wedlock, the fatherless daughter of Dahlia. One day while being tormented by her classmates, Alessa escapes to the bathroom. She encounters the school janitor Colin, where she was sexually molested by him. Because of the "sin" she held in the eyes of the pious community, the religious cult agrees the child needed to be cleansed. Dahlia obliged, but could not bear to witness. It is now revealed that the religious community of the town are puritanical witch hunters. Inside the Grand Hotel, where the church held their cleansing ritual, Alessa was chained and burned. Before she could die, one of the chains broke and knocked the fire pot over, causing the fire to burn out of control. Dahlia returns with police and fire rescue to find the hotel empty. Officer Gucci frees Alessa, burning his hands on the hot constraints. Alessa was taken to the hospital and placed in an Intensive Care Unit and cared for by a young nurse. The voice is then revealed as the girl Rose has been chasing. She is "Dark Alessa", a Doppelgänger created out of Alessa Gillespie's power to help reconcile her growing hate and vengeance.<ref name="1up">Bettenhausen, Shane (2006-02-23). Silent Hill Movie Interview: The Director's Cut. 1UP.</ref> She explains that Sharon is a split of her innocence and good, who was hid at the orphanage and subsequently adopted by Rose and Christopher. Dark Alessa declares that this world is a personification of Alessa’s nightmares, and that the nightmare would not end until they get revenge. Rose desperately gives herself as a Trojan Horse for the demon to enter the church, because the faith of the cult prevents Alessa’s Doppelgängers from entering. It is here that Dark Alessa melds with Rose. Meanwhile, the cultists find Sharon hiding with Dahlia in a building and both are brought to the church, where Cybil is tied up and burned alive. Rose enters the church and attempts to reason with them. As she advances toward Christabella, she stabs Rose in the chest with an eagle talon dagger. She quickly spins the episode, insisting that Rose was a blasphemer.
Dark Alessa frees herself from Rose's body through her blood that spills from the wound, healing Rose in the process. Rose's blood spreads, bringing the darkness and rotting away the floor from which Alessa, in her hospital bed, rises. She uses her barbed wire supports to exact her revenge upon the cultists of Silent Hill. As this happens, Rose makes her way to Sharon and holds her. Sharon opens her eyes to see Dark Alessa peering down at her. Sharon passes out. When she awakens, it is made obvious that Sharon and Alessa have reunified. Rose, Sharon, and Dahlia are the only ones to survive the carnage as they are back in the foggy world. Rose and Sharon enter their car, which now starts. As they drive across the chasm at the edge of town, the road reappears. Their dimension is still shrouded in fog, including Brahams and their hometown. Christopher naps at home on the sofa in the real world. Rose and Sharon — still within the fog — enter the house and it is made obvious that they are forever trapped in their separate parallel realities.
[edit] Production
Director Christophe Gans attempted for five years to obtain the film rights to Silent Hill from Konami. He sent a video interview to them explaining his plans for adapting Silent Hill and how important the games are to him.<ref name="comingsoon">Douglas, Edward (2006-04-20). Exclusive: Director Christophe Gans. ComingSoon.</ref> They were so impressed, he was rewarded with the film rights. Konami Japan and Team Silent, the development team responsible for the Silent Hill game series, became directly involved with the production of the film from the pre-production stage all the way to the post-production stage.
In 2004, Gans and Avary began writing the script, which would be the first film in a series of Silent Hill films.<ref name="gansblog">Gans, Christophe (2006-03-10). Silent Hill - Notes from the director Christophe Gans - "On Preserving and Contributing to the Mythology of the Games, On Interpreting Silent Hill's Monsters". Sony Pictures.</ref> Avary has said that as a boy, his father, who is a mining engineer, used to tell him stories about the town of Centralia, Pennsylvania, United States where coal deposits from the local mine caught fire and released toxic gasses into the town. This forced the majority of inhabitants to evacuate forever. Avary was fascinated since childhood by the idea that fires underneath the town would be burning for such a long time and the story of Centralia was used as the basis for the township of Silent Hill.<ref name="ecranlarge">Ferry, IIan (2006-04-02). Master Class Silent Hill. Ecranlarge.</ref> When the script was finished, a studio memo was sent to Gans and Avary that stated “there are no men!”, since the original story contained a nearly all female cast. When Christopher's character (named after Gans) and subplot were added, the script was approved. The film was greenlit on September 19 2003, and was filmed in both Brantford, Ontario and Hamilton, Ontario as well as on sound stages in Toronto, Ontario in 2005. The film is considered a France-Canada-Japan co-production. American studio Sony bought the distribution rights for $14 million for the United States and Latin America to be released under its TriStar genre film subsidiary.
The movie was filmed in Super 35 video format, except the scenes with the darkness, which were filmed in High-definition,<ref name="about">Wilson, Stacy (2005-07-17). "Silent Hill" Interview with director Christophe Gans. About.</ref> because of its ability to cleanly capture light and digitally manipulate it in post production. The film contains around 107 different sets<ref>Thorpe, Valarie (2005-07-17). Really Scary Visits the Set of Silent Hill. Really Scary.</ref> specifically used to represent the different versions of the town. The bipedal creatures in the film were played by professional actors or dancers covered in latex and makeup. After filming, over 619 visual effects shots were used in the film,<ref>Bielik, Alain (2006-04-21). Silent Hill: Nothing Quiet About These Horrifying VFX. VFXWorld.</ref> with the most prominent uses being the fog that drenches the town, the transitions to darkness, and the insects that surround the Red Pyramid. Some of the creatures were also touched up in post-production, with CGI effects such as the burning on the Grey Children, the changes in the dimensions of the Armless creature's legs, the disease that the Janitor spreads, and the barbed wire during Alessa's revenge. However, most of what is seen on film existed physically during production.
The film was released to theaters on April 21, 2006 in the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, and Ireland. France, Belgium, Hungary, and Greece also saw April releases. The film was later released in 19 other counties in 2006 which include Russia, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Mexico. The film was rated R by the MPAA for strong horror violence and gore, disturbing images, and some language, 15 by the BBFC for containing strong language and bloody horror, and MA 15+ by the OFLC for containing strong horror violence.
[edit] Cast and Characters
The film stars Radha Mitchell and Sean Bean as Rose and Christopher Da Silva, the parents of adopted Sharon, played by Jodelle Ferland. Ferland also plays the role of Dark Alessa, the evil side of Alessa Gillespie. The role of Alessa's mother is played by Canadian actress Deborah Kara Unger. Laurie Holden portrays stern Brahams police officer Cybil Bennett and Kim Coates plays Officer Thomas Gucci. Alice Krige plays Christabella, the head of the town's puritanical cult.
[edit] Reception
The film received generally unfavorable reviews from critics. Rotten Tomatoes shows a freshness rating of 27% (with a 0% rating from the 'Cream of the Crop' critics),<ref name="rt">http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/silent_hill/</ref> and Metacritic's average review score is 30 out of 100.<ref name="metacritic">http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/silenthill</ref> The film shows a user freshness rating of 64% at Rotten Tomatoes,<ref>http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/silent_hill/reviews_users.php</ref> an average user score of 8.2 out of 10 at Metacritic,<ref name="metacritic">http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/silenthill</ref> and a weighted IMDb average of 6.5.<ref>http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0384537/</ref>
[edit] Box office
The film opened in 2,932 theaters and earned $20,152,598 domestically on its opening weekend and opened at number one at the US box office. As of November 30, 2006 the film has grossed $46,982,632 domestically and $97,490,430 total worldwide.<ref name="boxofficemojo">http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=silenthill.htm</ref> Silent Hill is in the top 10 video game film adaptations listing on Box Office Mojo (from 1980 to present). Silent Hill is at #6, between #5, Resident Evil: Apocalypse which grossed domestically $51,201,453 and #7, Pokémon: The Movie 2000 which grossed domestically $93,758,684.
[edit] Relationship to the Video Games
Although the film is an adaptation of the first game, it does contain numerous connections to the rest of the series. Many of these are purely thematic or aesthetic similarities to the games' distinctive style, but there are also various features which appear to be direct translations of their in-game counterparts. Overall, Christophe Gans has stated that the film is an adaptation of the first game, with the emotional melancholy of the second, mixed with the dialogue delivery of the third, with some camera movement inspired by the fourth.<ref name="comingsoon">http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=14165</ref>
[edit] Characters
The police officer Cybil Bennett, from the original Silent Hill, appears in the film. She retains much of her same attitude from the game, but her ultimate fate is different. Her appearance is very similar as well. The protagonist Rose Da Silva has been explained by director Christophe Gans as a female version of the Silent Hill video game protagonist, Harry Mason. Officer Thomas Gucci's name was taken from a memo that is found in the police station in the first Silent Hill game. The young Alessa Gillespie and her mother Dahlia also appear in the film, though the relationship between them is quite different from the game. Originally in the game, Dahlia was the leader of the cult, not Christabella, and it is she who burns Alessa in hopes of invoking the child's dark powers and using them for her own means. The cult in the game and film have different, but equally important, roles. In the games, they are polytheistic diabolists known as The Order, while in the film they are witch-burning Puritans. The Red Nurse is a clear take off of the character Lisa Garland from the first Silent Hill game.<ref name="1up">Bettenhausen, Shane (2006-02-23). Silent Hill Movie Interview: The Director's Cut. 1UP.</ref> Their particular situations are also similar, as they are both caretakers of the bed ridden Alessa.
[edit] Creatures
Christophe Gans has stated that, along with the games, the imagery of the film creatures were influenced by artists Alberto Giacometti, Francis Bacon, and Hans Bellmer.<ref name="ecranlarge">http://www.ecranlarge.com/interview-282.php</ref>
The Grey Children encountered in the alleyway are very similar to the Mumblers from the first Silent Hill game. The Armless creatures found on the street by Rose and Cybil are known as the Lying Figure or Patient Demon in the game Silent Hill 2. The film version is very similar to its video game counterpart. The Janitor, found in the Midwich bathroom, is an original creation by director Christophe Gans and makeup effects artist Paul Jones. He is based off of a decorative corpse that is hanging similarly in the bathroom in the first Silent Hill game. The ominous Red Pyramid, known as The Red Pyramid Thing or Pyramid Head in game, appears in Silent Hill 2. In the game, Pyramid Head is a manifestation of the male protagonist's guilt, while in the film he is a punisher commanded by Alessa, whose psyche determined his shape, dress, and physicality.<ref>Gans, Christophe (2006-04-06). Silent Hill - Notes from director Christophe Gans - "On The Red Pyramid". Sony Pictures.</ref> Appearance wise, they are similar in film and in game and they share the character's trademark brutality. Finally, The Nurses on film and in game are nearly identical in appearance and action, although their general appearance recalls the nurses from the first and second games.
[edit] Scenes and Themes
Three scenes from the beginning of the first Silent Hill have been recreated nearly shot-for-shot. The first features Rose and Sharon driving towards Silent Hill, only to crash after swerving to avoid a ghostly figure in the road. The second shows Rose walking down an L-shaped alley, minutes before the third scene. The third is where Rose is ambushed by the Gray Children after discovering a mutilated body crucified on a chain-link fence. A number of scenes were also taken directly from the game Silent Hill 2. When Rose enters Room 111, she finds a hole in the wall leading to another building, where she must jump across to access. This is a nod to the apartment areas of the game. Also, the way bed ridden Alessa looks mirrors the final boss from Silent Hill 2. When Christopher receives calls from Rose but only gets white noise, this is a reference to a scene in Silent Hill 2 in which James first discovers the radio and hears a voice that sounds like his wife's. Some dialogue from the film mirrors the games as well. When Rose meets Dark Alessa face to face for the first time, she says, "You could be her twin". James says something similar when he first meets Maria (who bears striking similarities to his wife) in Silent Hill 2. In the hotel, Rose grabs a knife from Anna. A similar knife is given to the protagonist by a supporting character in Silent Hill 2.
The town itself has been recreated with a striking attention to detail, right down to the names of many of the town's shops. As a result, the street scenes are almost indistinguishable from those of Silent Hill 2 and Silent Hill 3. Midwich Elementary School from Silent Hill also appears, along with Brookhaven Hospital (from Silent Hill 2 and 3). When Rose wakes up after the Grey Children attack, she wakes up in a bowling alley that is very similar to Pete's Bowl-a-Rama from Silent Hill 2. Also, the map that Rose investigates while looking for Sharon mimics the maps in games 1, 2, and 3. It is also worth noting that the random quotes seen in the background of some scenes draw parallels with the ever present letters, facts and notes found throughout all the games journeys. The animated end titles are also similar to the titles used in the video game series as well.
The film also shares some visual symbolism from the games. The persistent mentions and visions of fire suggest Alessa's burning and suffering. The images of wheelchairs (in the alley and in the hospital) are suggestive of Alessa's hospitalization and death in the town. The symbolism of fans, a loop representing Alessa's constant death and rebirth,<ref>Entertainment, Konami (2003). Book of Lost Memories (Translated). Konami Japan.</ref> can be seen throughout the film much like the games. Fans are seen in the alleyway at the beginning of the film, outside of the school when the Red Pyramid makes his first appearance, and in the room where the Red Pyramid makes his first attack.
[edit] Home Video
On August 22 2006, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment and TriStar Pictures released the DVD, Blu-Ray, and UMD versions of the film in North America. The DVD and Blu-Ray were released in both Anamorphic Widescreen 2.35:1 and full screen versions and both included a Dolby Digital 5.1 audio track.<ref>Woodward, Tom (2006-06-19). Silent Hill (US R1 DVD). DVDActive.</ref> The releases also included a number of special features, such as: Film Previews and a six part making-of Silent Hill documentary. The film was also released on UMD for Sony's PlayStation Portable on August 22 2006. There are no special features but the disc includes a 1.78 widescreen format, Dolby Digital 2.0, and subtitles. The DVD has sold 11 million units worldwide to date.
[edit] Musical score
In a first for a theatrical film (game adaptation or otherwise), the score to the film consists almost entirely of music from Akira Yamaoka's soundtracks to the four main games in the series. They were arranged by the film composer Jeff Danna (Resident Evil, The Boondock Saints), with some tracks appearing in almost identical form to their in-game counterparts, while others were recreated entirely.
[edit] Trivia
- Approximately 100 different copies of Rose's outfit were made for the film, with deep colors fading into greys and then blood-reds as the film progressed.
- According to The New York Daily News, the film's poster of a mouthless Sharon was the subject of some vandalism in New York City, Los Angeles and elsewhere, with many artists drawing cartoon mouths (smiling, screaming, sporting vampire fangs, etc.) or placing stickers where her mouth would be.<ref>Dziemianowicz, Joe (2006-04-12). Read my lips, a film poster inspires self-expression. New York Daily News.</ref>
[edit] Notes
Writer Roger Avary states about Silent Hill that"the base idea was that this is not a haunted house, it's a haunted town, y'know, separate from our reality, but it also exists within our reality. So you effectively become a ghost during your time there. And it's a very terrifying emotion, that you are a ghost of yourself. Frankly I think it's a theme that's followed me."<ref>Withers, Matt (2005-04-20). INT: Roger Avary. JoBlo.</ref>
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] External links
- Silent Hill at the Internet Movie Database
- Sony Pictures' film website
- Sony Picture's Home Video website
- Quicktime Trailer, Multiple Resolutions
- Silent Hill Movie Clips and Trailers (AOL Moviefone)
- Silent Hill movie review and DVD review at Dread Central
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