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The Beaver; Official thread
Topic Started: Mar 16 2011, 10:55 AM (3,944 Views)
Artful_Dodger

This guy needs to work for Roger Ebert. Wow! :bow
Edited by Artful_Dodger, May 17 2011, 03:09 AM.
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Artful_Dodger

And Andreas, love the pic. Thanks. :wub:
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TitaniumX

Thank you guys.
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frenchy_33

From the French magazine Studio Ciné Live (reprinted by L'Express)

Jodie Foster answers to Studio Cine Live's readers.

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Nathan: The U.S. title of your movie is The Beaver. What do you think about the French title, "Le Complexe du Castor"?

Jodie Foster: It is very good. It gives the movie a more psychological aspect. In the US, The Beaver has different connotations. The first is not pretty at all, it commonly refers to the female's sex. It makes everyone laugh when Americans hear that title because they think it is a pornographic film. There was also a TV series in the 50s, called Leave it to Beaver, whose main character was The Beaver or Beaver. So it's also a little bit of a pun.

Xavier: Has the puppet always been a beaver?

Always. I think it's because the Beavers do everything with wood. And Kyle Killen, the screenwriter, wanted this idea of the beaver building something. He wanted this kind of creativity, this vitality of the animal.

Nathan: How did you design the appearance of the beaver? Its design is quite unique: he looks serious, a little weird, smiling in the corner, which gives it a somewhat crazy look.

The beaver could be anything. Something digital, with eyes that move and a real speaking mouth. Or we could have done something completely abstract, like putting a sock on the hand of the actor and draw a small mouth. There was also much discussion about where we wanted the viewer's eye to look at. We wanted it to look at Mel: his character, Walter, is the one that is important. It uses the beaver as a mental puppet, so we wanted the light on him. This is also why we chose the anamorphic lens, so they are both in the same picture all the time. We don't separate them from each other and at the same time, we can take focus on Walter and make the beaver blurry or vice versa.

Nathan: But at times you only shoot the puppet, as if he'd become a full character in his own right. How do you decide who to keep in the picture or on which to focus?

It was about the temperament of the character, about showing his going up and down in his struggle. Initially, the first time they meet, it's really the puppet in Walter's face, saying: "Wake up! Wake up!" It was important that it be like that, a kind of absurd insanity. But in the rest of the film, Walter welcomes the puppet in his life, and I wanted it to become normal. I wanted the audience to accept it, but to always focus on Mel.They know very well that it's the puppet that is talking, they are not crazy. Walter isn't, either. He knows what he's doing because he can change his voice. When his wife Meredith said: "Enough with the puppet! Tell me what's going on!" Walter puts the puppet down and begins to stammer. He could explain what's going on, but it would kill him. He would become like he was before. Comes a point where he can't find himself anymore, he starts to disappear and the puppet takes over. And it isn't the puppet but his ego that's asking him to choose between the beaver and his family. And then the madness becomes even more surreal and it has many more scenes focused on the puppet alone.

Xavier: Were the scenes of schizophrenia more complicated to make?

Yes. What is difficult with a concept like this is to try to make an emotional film. It's very easy to make a movie where people laugh, but it's hard to do one where they really feel the same things that the character is feeling, and bring them to this dramatic progression. We can not do that right in the middle, we have to start from the beginning. We didn't want the comedy aspect to be too important, we wanted it to be believable and light at the same time.

Christelle: There's also a satirical side, slightly offbeat, and a romantic comedy style in some scenes. How did you manage this mix?

This film has a very weird tone (laughs)! It is true that this isn't something normal, but very original. And sure, it's not going to please everyone. We had to accept it. For me, what is important is to make the other characters, his wife Meredith and her son Porter, very real.

Adeline: The film has something very original, but yet it remains fairly standard, why?

Very classic and very formal in the way it is filmed. It was an important choice, not a very popular one (laughs) because I think people wanted the film to be funnier. But I wanted to produce a film that truly touches people's heart. And for that, I could not make an American comedy.

Adeline: Why did you choose Mel Gibson for the role of Walter?

This is someone I know very well. We've been friends for, I don't know, seventeen or eighteen years. We did a film together, Maverick, long ago, and ever since that time we talk on the phone for hours and hours. Like, I'm not going to see him for several years in a row and then one day, I'll receive a phone call, he's in London, it's the middle of the night, he can't sleep because he's jetlagged and we will talk about life for hours. I knew he would be affected by these emotional issues, loneliness, a man in the depths of despair. I knew he wouldn't play the comedy aspect too hard. That was my fear. I needed an actor with humor, lightness and, simultaneously, somebody who'd agree that the film is a drama.

Xavier: Mel Gibson said he had a tendency to let go and say anything crossing his mind when he had the puppet on his hand. Has there been a lot of improvisation?

In fact, not at all. We filmed several scenes that have no sound, it's just him talking, saying whatever. If we were to take out the audio from these scenes, we would all die laughing. But apart from that, Mel remained faithful to the lines because they were very well written.

Adeline: Why did you want to play in the movie?

At first I didn't. I did it in my first movie and I said: "Never again!" It's really hard to act and direct at the same time, I was not sure I could provide the best performance. But when I hired Mel, I wondered who I could choose for the role of the wife. I wanted her to be someone my age, of course, someone who has that kind of force and who wasn't to play around. I told myself, 'Why not me? " Because I know Mel so well, and I knew we'd accept the fact that we were married for a long time.

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Christelle: Do you feel close to your character, Meredith?

Yes and no. Yes, because I think I am a strong person. Moreover, in the film, women are the one really down to earth. And the men are the ones who need help, who are too sensitive for this world and struggling against despair. I don't know ... I am a little bit of both. I find myself in all the characters in this film, like in all of my films.

Adeline: Could you play the role of Walter?


Yes. Not as well as Mel, but yes. The scenario would have to be completely rewritten because, even if the idea of masculine and feminine is a social construct, men and women are different. When I did Flight Plan (not the best film in the world), it was a film written for an actor. It was the story of a man and his daughter in a plane. When he loses her, people make him believe that she was never on the plane, that she is long dead and he can not handle it. But I found that it didn't work at all with a man. It's hard to imagine a man overwhelmed with sadness as to believe that he invented his daughter. It doesn't exist. The phenomenon of the hysterical woman is known throughout history and literature, but we would never say: "This man is hysterical!" So it was a good choice to change the character into a woman. In the case of Walter, it's more of a spiritual crisis he endures at this time of his life. I think I've experienced it. I know women who experienced it too, but it's true that it's more of a male phenomenon, reaching 50 and saying: "I have a great house, a great car, I have a wife, I have two children who are brilliant and yet I feel empty, I completely lost my vitality. "

Xavier: Do you want to focus more on directing?

Yes, I would like to act less, devote myself to direction and return when I'm 60 or 70 for roles of fat, junkie grandmothers. Like certain roles of Simone Signoret. I look forward to achieving this. As an actress, what interests me most is to surround myself with great directors and see how they work, and learn. I didn't go to a film school. For me, my films school is watching them work.

Nathan: What directors are you thinking about?

David Fincher. It was a great lesson in staging, I think he's the one I learned the most from. He's an excellent technician. Yet I have a very different style.

Xavier: And Mel Gibson? Did his directorial experience help you?

Ah yes! He's an exceptional director when he makes epic, historical films. Because visually, he's a master. What interests him most is telling stories without words. Me on the other hand am talkative. I had to learn to tell a story more with images, than with people taking.

Xavier: Finally, if you had to choose a puppet that fits your personality, what would you take?

(Laughs) That would be something that isn't like me at all. A tall puppet (laughs), who doesn't speak, and cries. Because I do not cry and I talk a lot.

http://www.lexpress.fr/culture/cinema/jodie-foster-je-ne-pouvais-pas-tourner-une-comedie-a-l-americaine_993134.html
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ohman
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Xavier: Finally, if you had to choose a puppet that fits your personality, what would you take?

(Laughs) That would be something that isn't like me at all. A tall puppet (laughs), who doesn't speak, and cries. Because I do not cry and I talk a lot.

Well, that's a proper statement :clapping2
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Artful_Dodger

:) Thank you so much frenchy_33.
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clarice
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Thank you Frenchy :bow
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clarice
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Quote:
 
Because I do not cry and I talk a lot.


I'm not surprised!
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ohman
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clarice
May 17 2011, 06:17 PM
Quote:
 
Because I do not cry and I talk a lot.


I'm not surprised!
we all are not :lol
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jodiefan

ty for the articles and cool pics B-)
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Virgo

clarice
May 17 2011, 06:17 PM
Quote:
 
Because I do not cry and I talk a lot.


I'm not surprised!
She cried on Inside Actors Studio
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michelle

Why did she cry there?
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Gogo
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michelle
May 17 2011, 11:28 PM
Why did she cry there?
Talking about Nell and abandonment.
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TitaniumX

She barely teared up.
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Virgo

TitaniumX
May 18 2011, 07:54 AM
She barely teared up.
She also got emotional at the Oscars when talking about Randy Stone
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TitaniumX

Well I think she's obviously able to cry when she loses a friend... I think what she meant is that she's not the emotional type in her daily life - like she won't start crying at the drop of a hat. At least that's how I took it.
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Gogo
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TitaniumX
May 18 2011, 07:54 AM
She barely teared up.
She had to wipe her eyes, if i recall right. I think it was more then just barely tearing up.
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jodiefan

http://www.highdefdiscnews.com/?p=62178

Jodie Foster’s “The Beaver” starring Mel Gibson on Blu-ray in August

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Summit Entertainment has officially announced (via a trade ad, pictured above) plans to bring the 2011 Jodie Foster directed film “The Beaver” starring Mel Gibson, Jodie Foster and Anton Yelchin to Blu-ray Disc on August 23rd. Tech specs have not yet been officially announced for the title. It’s also not yet available for pre-order over at Amazon but stay tuned and we will try to keep you updated. The bonus materials set to be included on the release are listed below.

* Audio Commentary with Jodie Foster :clapping
* Deleted Scenes
* Everything is Going to Be O.K. ~ featurette on the making of “The Beaver”
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silverline
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yes :clapping
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Artful_Dodger

:clapping :happydance happydance2 happybanana :happyhurray :happywoot :love-luv2 YES!
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Gogo
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she does the best commentary around. :cheers
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clarice
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Awesome! :happyexcited I look forward to watching the "making of" too! But I don't have a blueray player, I hope the simple DVD version will have the same bonus :oh
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Artful_Dodger

Yeah, me too, otherwise I got to get a blueray.
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leslieUK
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Brilliant news.

ps: DVDs always offer the same extra material as bluray ;)
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Artful_Dodger

Thanks. :)
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clarice
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:clapping
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Andreas
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Wow it's released so soon!! I suppose it's a bad sign for business, but it's a good news for the fans :love-luv41
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jodiefan

is this a new video?

http://www.heyuguys.co.uk/2011/06/13/exclusive-the-beaver-interview-with-director-jodie-foster/

i suppose shes doing promo in the uk now
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TitaniumX

Thank you jodiefan :)
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Artful_Dodger

Thank you. Never get tired of it. :love-sigh
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