The Patriot
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Short description
The Patriot is set in South Carolina during the American Revolution. Benjamin Martin, a widower raising seven children on his plantation, fought in the French and Indian War but has left that life behind and wants only peace. His eldest son Gabriel enlists to fight the British, and the arrival of Colonel Tavington's troops brings the war to the family's doorstep. Martin takes up arms again, leading a militia band against the British while trying to keep his family safe.
Roland Emmerich directed the film, the sixth of fifteen he has made and his follow-up to Godzilla; Robert Rodat wrote the screenplay. Mel Gibson plays Benjamin Martin, with Heath Ledger as Gabriel, Joely Richardson as Charlotte Selton, Jason Isaacs as Colonel Tavington, Chris Cooper as Colonel Burwell and Tchéky Karyo as Jean Villeneuve. The production credits 62 cast members and 403 crew.
The film was released in June 2000 and runs 165 minutes. Made for about 110 million dollars, it took roughly 215 million dollars worldwide, a solid return though not overwhelming against its cost. On IMDb it holds 7.2 out of 10 from around 312,000 votes, and on TMDB the same 7.2 from about 4,500 votes. A critics' rating of 6.4 from 137 reviews places it below the audience scores, though still within a respectable range for a large-scale historical war drama.
What's left behind the scenes
- Harrison Ford turned down the offer to play the lead role because he disliked the script, which he believed depicted a narrative about the War of Independence, even bordering on a melodrama about 'lone revenge.'
- Screenwriter Robert Rodat wrote 17 draft versions of the script before settling on a final acceptable version.
- During filming, Heath Ledger performed all the stunts himself, without using stunt doubles.
- According to the script, Benjamin Martin's character had six children, but Mel Gibson insisted that his character be given another child, as he himself has seven children.
- The signature mark of director Roland Emmerich (44) can be noticed in the tavern where Martin recruits volunteers for his unit, and it can also be seen on the label of a wine bottle.
- The character of Colonel Tavington is partially based on the real-life figure of Banastre Tarleton, who was a commander of the Cornwallis cavalry. Colonel Tarleton had his weaknesses and flaws, but he was nowhere near as ruthless and evil as Colonel Tavington (despite being depicted as such in many historical accounts).
- The same house was used for filming Aunt Charlotte's house as was used in the film 'Forrest Gump' (1994), with only minor changes to the interior decoration. The stone fence seen in 'Forrest Gump' is hidden by bushes in this film.
- While training Mel Gibson and Heath Ledger in the use of muzzle-loading rifles, props master Mark Baker gave the actors this advice: "The smaller the target, the smaller the miss." His point was that if you aim at a person and miss, you don't hit the person, but when you aim at a button (for example) and miss, you still hit the person. Gibson liked this little tip so much that he actively used it in the film, especially in scenes involving ambushes.
- Jake Gyllenhaal auditioned for the role of Gabriel Martin several times, but the role ultimately went to Heath Ledger.
- One of the "English soldiers" (which were actually mannequins) floating face down in the river after the "ambush" is a mannequin of John Travolta.
- Kevin Spacey was originally slated to play Colonel Tavington. However, after the filmmakers paid Mel Gibson $25 million for his participation in the project, the film's budget could not accommodate a similarly substantial fee for Kevin.
- Ryan Phillippe was almost cast as Gabriel.
- Heath Ledger beat out over 200 candidates for the role.
- At the 28th minute, as the royal army approached Benjamin Martin's house, the general asked who had delivered the dispatches; at that moment, Gabriel Martin was in a shirt, and a second later he was in a blue uniform.
- Filming took place from September 7, 1999, to January 20, 2000.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
