Ravenous
Ravenous (1999) is a horror movie written by Ted Griffin and directed by Antonia Bird. It is very funny, and more than a little slashy as well.
The film is set in 1847 in a remote military fort in the Sierra Nevadas. All of its characters were originally male. Two of them, George and his brother, were Native American. During preproduction, the character of George's brother was rewritten as his sister, Martha. Martha was played by Sheila Tousey. (The only other actress in the film appears, uncredited, as a character in a brief flashback sequence.)
Antonia Bird replaced the director who had previously been hired -- Milcho Manchevski -- two weeks into the film's production, and as such had very little time to prepare. (The character of Martha had already been rewritten.)
Towards the end of the shoot, Bird and actors Guy Pearce and Robert Carlyle completely reworked the final fight scene without the help of the stuntman who had originally planned it.
In an interview, Bird said:
- My proudest scene is the last 18 minutes of the film. It's about collaboration. I think that that is what making films is about, it's about creative collaboration. That film is about [Robert Carlyle], me, Guy and Damon Albarn. Those 18 minutes is us creating something and it just makes me so proud.
About a meaningful, unscripted shot of Martha's character, Bird said:
- That was my proudest moment after the fight. I put that in. I had two producers screaming at me when I was trying to shoot that scene, "We've gotta break for lunch We've gotta break for lunch" I said "No, I'm shooting this shot." I love that shot it gives me a kick.
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External Links
- IMDb info for Ravenous
- Robert Carlyle and Antonia Bird interview at the Guardian. (N.B.: Five part interview: link is to first part; subsequent pages are linked at the bottom of each part.)
- The best cannibal period piece ever! -- movie review at The 11th Hour