We bring you the facts about Darren Aronofsky
NOAH is released in Irish cinemas this week. The film, which premiered in Dublin last weekend, is a new vision and retelling of the biblical tale in which Noah took two of each kind of animal into an ark to save them from a devastating flood. We gathered together some trivia about Darren Aronosfky’s latest epic…
1. A passion project realised
Darren Aronofsky had been fascinated with the character of Noah since he was a child, seeing him as “a dark, complicated character who experiences real survivor’s guilt”.
2. Time is an illusion
According to Emma Watson, the film could be set at any point in time “It could be set in any time. It could be set sort of like a thousand years in the future or a thousand years in the past… You shouldn’t be able to place it too much.”
3. Friends reunited
NOAH is the third time that Russell Crowe and Jennifer Connelly have worked together on a film, after A BEAUTIFUL MIND and A NEW YORK WINTER’S TALE. This is also the second time they have played husband and wife, with the first one being A BEAUTIFUL MIND. NOAH is also the second collaboration between Emma Watson and Logan Lerman after THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER.
4. No more Mr Nice Guy
Russell Crowe explained that his version of Noah is not the kind gentleman we have come to know: “The funny thing with people being, they consider Noah to be a benevolent figure, you know? Because he looked after the animals. Are you kidding me? This is a dude who stood by and let the entire population of the planet perish!”
5. God Complex
Not once in the film do any of the characters refer to God, instead they refer to “the Creator.”
6. Banned
NOAH has already been banned in Bahrain, Qatar, and UAE as the local government said it would contradict the teachings of Islam. The film has also been banned in Egypt for similar reasons, as it violates Islamic law and could “provoke the feelings of believers.”
7. Screen Test
Three different versions of NOAH were shown to Christian audiences – without Aronofsky’s knowledge – and all were met with almost universal criticism. After much debate and discussion it was decided that no changes were to be made to Aronofsky’s vision for the film.
8. Two By Two
According to Darren Aronofsky, the animals seen in the film are “slightly tweaked designs of real existing animals.” No live animals were used in the entire production.
9. From Screen to Page
Ari Handel helped Aronofsky develop the script. Before they found financial backing for NOAH, they collaborated with Canadian artist Niko Henrichon to adapt the script into a graphic novel. The first volume of the graphic novel was released in the French language by Belgian publisher Le Lombard in October 2011 under the title Noé: Pour la cruauté des hommes (Noah: For the Cruelty of Men).
10. Around The World
Principal photography began in July 2012, in Dyrhólaey, Fossvogur, Reynisfjara and other locations in Southern Iceland. Filming also took place in New York state. A set representing Noah’s Ark was built at the Planting Fields Arboretum in Upper Brookville, New York.
NOAH is released in Irish cinemas on April 4th
Words: Brogen Hayes