A Mighty Heart (2007)

User Rating:

6.7/10   

Director:

Michael Winterbottom

Writers (WGA):

John Orloff (screenplay)
Mariane Pearl (book)

Release Date:

22 June 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | Thriller | War

Tagline:

It was an event that shocked the world. This is the story you haven't heard.

Plot:

Mariane Pearl embarks on a frantic search to locate her journalist husband, Daniel, when he goes missing in Pakistan.

Plot Keywords:

Journalist | Pakistan | Reporter | Pakistani | Media

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 14 nominations

Cast

Dan Futterman	...	Daniel 'Danny' Pearl
Angelina Jolie	...	Mariane Pearl
Archie Panjabi	...	Asra
Mohammed Afzal	...	Shabbir
Mushtaq Khan	...	Danny's Taxi Driver (as Mushtaq Ahmed)
Daud Khan	...	Masud the Fixer
Telal Saeed	...	Kaleem Yusuf
Arif Khan	...	Mariane’s Taxi Driver
Tipu Taheer	...	Human Rights Director
Amit Dhawan	...	Technical Supervisor
Saira Nasir Khan	...	Nasrin
Aliya Khan	...	Kashva
Sarah Mone	...	Female Guest
Bushra Parwani	...	Female Guest
Zafar Karachiwala	...	Male Guest
Danish Iqubal	...	Male Guest (as Danish Iqbal)
Ali Tejani	...	Male Guest
Azfar Ali	...	Azfar
Ahmed A. Jamal	...	Khawaja (as Ahmed Jamal)
Denis O'Hare	...	John Bussey
Perrine Moran	...	Ruth Pearl
Jeffry Kaplow	...	Judea Pearl
Ishaque Ahmed	...	Arif
Alyy Khan	...	Omar / Bashir
Irrfan Khan	...	Captain
Adnan Siddiqui	...	Dost Aliani
Shah Murad Aliani	...	Farooq
Imran Paracha	...	Major Major
Imran Patel	...	Jamal Paracha
Jean-Jacques Scaerou	...	Philippe Scaerou
Veronique Darleguy	...	Véronique Laurent
Will Patton	...	Randall Bennett
Jillian Armenante	...	Maureen Platt
Demetri Goritsas	...	John Skelton
Zachary Coffin	...	Matt MacDowell (as Zack Coffin)
Sajid Hasan	...	Zafir
Farooq Khan	...	Noor
Gary Wilmes	...	Steve LeVine
Mikail Lotia	...	Hasan
Baba Shaikh	...	Phone Engineer
Amy Shindler	...	Michelle Pearl
William Hoyland	...	John Bauman
Bilal Saeed	...	Haider
Sean Chapman	...	US Journalist
Holly Goline	...	News Producer
Amy Rosenthal	...	Tamara Pearl
Nour Ayad	...	Ibrahim the Cook
Lynn Blades	...	News Reader (as Lynne Blades)
Ikram Bhatti	...	Sheikh Gilani
Fahad Hussein	...	Farhad Naseem (as Fahad Hussain)
Taj Khan	...	Suleiman
Hasan Ali	...	Cell Phone Worker
Naeem Sogay	...	Adil
Sujata Humane	...	Omar’s Aunt
Dr. Sayed Masood	...	Doctor
Imran Hasnee	...	Journalist at Sheraton
Inder Misra	...	Lawyer
Chad Chenouga	...	Satchi
Mike Rosen	...	US Journalist
Jenni Lee	...	US Journalist
Elizabeth Dannheim	...	US Journalist
Tom Spencer	...	US Phone Journalist
Qasim Iqbal	...	Hotel Manager
Fabienne Khaldi	...	Mariane’s Mother
Gigi Ledron	...	Woman in Orange
Aimee Matimbia	...	French Midwife
Harvesp Viraf Chiniwala	...	Baby Adam
Nassim Benbrik	...	Adam Aged 4
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Michelle Brew	...	International Press (uncredited)
Pervez Musharraf	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Colin Powell	...	Himself (archive footage) (uncredited)
Nedal Yousef	...	Pakistani Journalist (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Winterbottom

Writing credits (WGA)
John Orloff		(screenplay)
Mariane Pearl		(book)

Produced by
Andrew Eaton	....	producer
Dede Gardner	....	producer
Arti Gupta	....	local producer: India (as Arti Gupta Surendranath)
Susan Kirr	....	line producer: Texas
Anita Overland	....	co-producer
Brad Pitt	....	producer

Original Music by
Harry Escott
Molly Nyman

Cinematography by
Marcel Zyskind		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Peter Christelis

Casting by
Wendy Brazington
Ellen Lewis

Production Design by
Mark Digby

Art Direction by
David Bryan

Set Decoration by
Emma Field-Rayner

Costume Design by
Charlotte Walter

Makeup Department
Catherine Conrad	....	key hair stylist: Texas
Catherine Conrad	....	key makeup artist: Texas
Gabriel De Cunto	....	prosthetic artist
Christine Giugno	....	makeup assistant: France (as Christine Guigno)
Toni G	....	personal makeup artist: Ms. Jolie
Alex King	....	assistant makeup artist
Alex King	....	hair stylist assistant
Marese Langan	....	hair designer
Marese Langan	....	makeup designer
Adruitha Lee	....	hair stylist: Ms. Jolie
Adruitha Lee	....	wig designer
Christien Tinsley	....	designer and creator: special makeup effects prosthetics

Production Management
Raphaël Benoliel	....	production manager: France
Jane Coombes	....	post-production supervisor
Alice Dawson	....	production manager: France
Melissa Parmenter	....	production manager: Pakistan
Nicolas Piechaczek	....	assistant production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Meg Beatty	....	second assistant director: USA
Michael Elliott	....	first assistant director (as Mike Elliott)
Vanessa Gaitan	....	second second assistant director: USA
Zoe Liang	....	third assistant director
Eliot Mathews	....	second assistant director: France
Sandeep Menon	....	third assistant director: India
Bonnie Pirès	....	additional third assistant director
Yasudha Roongta	....	third assistant director: India
Anthony Wilcox	....	first assistant director: Pakistan
Anthony Wilcox	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Amy Bell	....	set decorator: Texas
Laurel Brock	....	art production assistant
Josh Crist	....	set dresser
Jillian Paul	....	art production assistant
Christopher Stull	....	art director: Texas (as Chris Stull)
Andrew Tapper	....	art director: graphics
Travis Eisenberg	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Shane Pritchett	....	art production assistant (uncredited)

Sound Department
Nick Adams	....	sound effects editor
Bob Baron	....	adr mixer
David O. Daniel	....	sound mixer: USA
Richard Davey	....	sound re-recording mixer
Shoab Faruch	....	adr mixer
Richard Flynn	....	sound recordist
Samir Foco	....	location foley editor
Samir Foco	....	location foley mixer
Peter Gleaves	....	adr mixer
Sue Harding	....	location foley artist
Sue Harding	....	location foley coordinator
Michael Jacobi	....	adr mixer
Mark Kenna	....	consultant: dolby film sound
Rashad Omar	....	sound recordist
Chris Sturmer	....	sound consultant: dolby
Joakim Sundström	....	supervising sound editor
Jessie Taylor	....	sound re-recording mixer
Chris Treble	....	assistant sound re-recording mixer
Robert Weatherall	....	sound studio assistant (as Bob Weatherall)
Bernard Weiser	....	adr editor: US
Will Whale	....	boom operator (as William Whale)
Stuart Wilson	....	sound recordist: Karachi
Paul Wrightson	....	adr editor

Visual Effects by
Adam Garner	....	digital effects artist
Marc Knapton	....	digital effects artist
Gus Martinez	....	digital effects artist

Camera and Electrical Department
Donald R. Howe Jr.	....	second assistant camera: USA
Henry Landgrebe	....	second assistant camera
Matthew McGinn	....	camera production assistant: USA
Peter Mountain	....	still photographer
Frank Omø	....	gaffer
Donis Rhoden	....	key grip: USA
Simon Tindall	....	camera operator: Karachi
Simon Tindall	....	first assistant camera

Casting Department
Sally Allen	....	additional casting: U.S.
Ruth Breslaw	....	casting assistant
Claire Traeger	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Harriet Balsom	....	costume assistant
Fiona McCann	....	costume supervisor
Celia Yau	....	costume assistant
Sarah Touaibi	....	wardrobe supervisor: pre-production (uncredited)
Hannah Walter	....	costume assistant (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Justinian Buckley	....	assistant editor: Pakistan
Dan Coles	....	digital intermediate colorist: Pepper Post Production Ltd.
Richard Cradick	....	on-line editor: Pepper Post Production Ltd.
Pete Harrow	....	digital intermediate asset manager: Pepper Post Production Ltd.
Jo McCaffery	....	digital intermediate producer: Pepper Post Production Ltd.
Paul Monaghan	....	first assistant editor
Immanuel von Bennigsen	....	trainee assistant editor

Music Department
Yolanda Antonio	....	vocals
Robert Blackwood	....	vocals
Tracey Campbell	....	musician: singer
Nick Carter	....	musician: singer, lead vocals
Andrew Fisher	....	orchestrator
Craig Fortnam	....	musician: guitar and bass guitar
Inder Goldfinger	....	musician: percussion
Isobel Griffiths	....	orchestra contractor
Gaby Lester	....	orchestra leader
Jimmy Robertson	....	additional score recordist
Nick Wollage	....	score mixer (as Nick Woolage)
Nick Wollage	....	score recordist (as Nick Woolage)
Ian Wood	....	additional score recordist
Ian Wood	....	assistant mix engineer
Ian Wood	....	assistant score mixer
Steve Parr	....	music recordist (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Travis Carr	....	driver
David Piechaczek	....	driver: France

Other crew
David Blank	....	assistant accountant
Mary Beth Chambers	....	production assistant: USA (as Mary Beth Meadows)
Erin Charles	....	production coordinator: USA
Catherine Charlton	....	dialect coach: Miss Jolie
Caroline Connor	....	office production assistant
Emily Currie	....	assistant: Ms. Gardner
Alice Dawson	....	production accountant: Pakistan
Raadhika Dosa	....	local assistant: Ms. Jolie, India
Jon Duncan	....	production accountant
Scott Eaton	....	assistant production coordinator
Holly Goline	....	assistant: Ms. Jolie
Veronica Green	....	general assistant: Revolution Films
Ryan Gronquist	....	office production assistant/runner: USA
David J. Groom	....	production assistant (as David Groom)
Michael Groom	....	assistant production coordinator: USA
Michael Groom	....	production assistant: pre-production
Jethro Harris	....	head of film: Pepper post-production Ltd.
Jose Angel Hernandez	....	location scout
Brian Hillard	....	laboratory technician
Franziska Hoch	....	rights and clearances
Josh Hyams	....	researcher
Amy Jackson	....	assistant: Mr. Eaton and Mr. Winterbottom
Steve Joberns	....	auditor: Shipleys LLP
Nazia Khan	....	assistant: Mr. Pitt
Susanna Lenton	....	script supervisor
Fiona McGuire	....	head of production: Revolution Films
Jennifer S. Milliman	....	production assistant
Jamal Udin Mommad	....	translator: Urdu
Peggy Mulloy	....	unit publicist
Fiona Neilson	....	rights and clearances
Asra Q. Nomani	....	consultant (as Asra Nomani)
Shobie Partos	....	location manager: USA
Lewis Partovi	....	on-set technical advisor
Mariane Pearl	....	consultant
Bonnie Pirès	....	runner: France
Vihan Suryavanshi	....	location manager
Joan Washington	....	additional dialect coach
Sarah Wheale	....	production coordinator (as Sarah Jane Wheale)
Mat Whitecross	....	researcher: archive footage
Eva Yates	....	assistant: Ms. McGuire, Revolution Films
Noel Davis Poyner	....	publicity intern (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Paramount Vantage
• Plan B Entertainment
• Revolution Films

Distributors

• Paramount Vantage (2007) (USA) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures International (UPI) (2007) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures International (UPI) (2007) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures International (UPI) (2007) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures International (UPI) (2007) (Denmark) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2007) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• United International Pictures (UIP) (2007) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Universal Pictures International (UPI) (2007) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (Germany) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (2007) (USA) (DVD)

Special Effects

• Tinsley Transfers (prosthetic pregnant belly - Angelina Jolie)

Other Companies

• AON/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services  insurance provided by
• APTN Library  archive footage courtesy of (as APTN)
• ARRI Media  camera and grip equipment provided by
• Air Studios  score recorded at
• BBC Motion Gallery  archive footage courtesy of (as BBC)
• Bulletproof Recording Company  soundtrack (as Bulletproof Records)
• Burnt Orange Productions  production services: Texas
• Central Station Technicolour  titles and captions
• Clarity Post Production Sound  sound re-recording (as Clarity Post)
• Corbis  archive footage courtesy of
• De Lane Lea  sound post-production
• Firstep Productions  production services: France (as Firstep)
• ITN Archive  archive footage courtesy of (as ITN)
• Kailash Picture Company  production services: India
• Lee & Thompson Wiggin  legal services
• Lights & Grips Equipment Hirers India  grip and lighting equipment
• Media Safety  health & safety
• Packair Airfreight  international logistics
• Pepper Post Production  digital intermediate post-production
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script services
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script
• Shipleys  auditors
• Soundtrack  ADR Facility
• Strongroom Recording Studios  score mixed at (as Strongroom)
• Technicolor  digital transfer
• Thought Equity  archive footage courtesy of (as Thought Equity Motion)

MPAA:

Rated R for language.

Runtime:

108 min

Country:

USA | UK

Language:

English | French | Urdu | Arabic

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

USA:R | Ireland:15A | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Portugal:M/12 | Netherlands:12 | Germany:12 | France:Unrated | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | Brazil:12 | South Korea:15 | Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:M | Norway:15 (TV rating)

Filming Locations:

Austin, Texas, USA

Company:

Paramount Vantage

Trivia:

Based on the memoir "A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life & Death of My Husband Danny Pearl" by Mariane Pearl.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: There are few billboards shown on the roads of Karachi, which were not imaginable in early 2002, i.e. Telenor Mobile Service (introduced in March 2005), Qarshi Jam-e-Shirin's latest campaign etc.

Quotes:

Captain: [after the two men have just watched a man be tortured] Are you okay?
Randall Bennett: [smiling nervously] Yeah.
Captain: We'll go easy on this next guy. He's a jihadi, spent time in Afghanistan. And he's a police officer.
Randall Bennett: Man, I love this town.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Hollywood on Set: Evan Almighty/Eagle Vs. Shark/A Mighty Heart" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Slinging the Booze

The Might of Truth

Telling the truth is generally considered to be the first step on the path to righteousness. It brings redemption to some and relieves the guilt of others. Many people have a hard time accepting the truth when faced with it. That difficulty in dealing is perhaps the main reason some run far away from the truth altogether. Given how troubling facing the truth can be in everyday reality, being subjected to it in celluloid on the big screen is a very hard sell. This is even more relevant when the film in question is based on an event that was played out to the point of emotional exhaustion in the media. (Just ask the producers of UNITED 93.) This is the plight of A MIGHTY HEART, an adaptation of Mariane Pearl's novel of the same name, about her experiences during the search for her kidnapped husband, Daniel Pearl, in the winter of 2002. For director Michael Winterbottom, this is only the beginning though. Assuming he manages to get people to see the film, (casting Angelina Jolie in the role or Marian Pearl certainly doesn't hurt the film's chances), Winterbottom must then get people to forget that they know how it's all going to end.

Winterbottom is too smart to go against the grain. Instead, he uses the audience's prior knowledge of the story to incite an even deeper emotional reaction. He begins by establishing his style. A MIGHTY HEART is not a documentary but rather a fictionalized reenactment of actual events that is shot and edited like a documentary. There are no talking heads but the camera is an active participant in the drama that unfolds. Hand-held movement, jump cuts and an omnipresent observer's point of view lend realism to the film's already tense premise. For those who aren't aware, Jewish-American journalist, Daniel Pearl (played here by CAPOTE scribe, Dan Futterman) was kidnapped in Pakistan in January of 2002. The violent act became an international scandal as the group that claimed responsibility for the crime demanded the liberation of prisoners from American detainee prison, Guantanamo Bay, in Cuba. The American government does not give in to the terrorists' demands. It doesn't end well. The film focuses on the efforts made by Mariane, the Pakistani police, the C.I.A. and the journalistic community throughout the search for Daniel. Knowing Daniel doesn't live through the ordeal and that this search is fruitless may leave the audience without hope but the dedication and fervor with which the case is attacked carries enough hope to inspire an overwhelming sympathy that sinks our hearts when what we know is coming actually comes.

A blustering soundscape and tightly framed street and crowd shots elevate stress levels to unimagined heights. Mariane is alone in a foreign country, searching for the most important person in her life. Knowing the odds are against her, holding on to hope becomes all the more complicated when she is surrounded by strangers, traffic and the sounds of incessant honking, cell phones and random farm animals. The chaos is absolutely inescapable. Yet still, Mariane must remain calm. After all, she is the heart of this operation. If her heart fails, all hope is lost and all efforts will fall apart. Jolie exhibits both outer strength and inner fragility at the same time as Mariane. She is direct and focused in face of this horrific reality, holding it together for Daniel, herself and her unborn child but Jolie's distant eyes and suddenly fidgeted demeanor suggest just how difficult maintaining all this composure truly is. Being a journalist herself, Mariane's most endearing quality is perhaps her ability to remain hopeful in spite of all the horror she has known in her own career without coming across as naïve. Jolie's balancing act upon such a tightly wound rope is truly genuine in both its intention and execution.

Any movie entitled A MIGHTY HEART cannot spend all its time entrenched in fact. After all, there is a delicate, growing love between Daniel and Mariane that is also being held prisoner. This love though cannot be held captive and gives life to hope. Their love comes back to Mariane in flashes throughout her suffering. Insignificant moments like the last time they saw each other take on new meanings, making the loss feel larger while still reminding her what she is fighting to find. The truth behind A MIGHTY HEART is that it takes one to live through something like this and, more importantly, live past it.