News of the World
All actors and roles (10)
Short description
Set in Texas in 1870, five years after the end of the American Civil War, the film follows Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a veteran who travels from town to town reading newspaper stories aloud to audiences hungry for news of the wider world. On his travels he encounters Johanna, a ten-year-old girl of German descent who was taken by the Kiowa people years earlier and has since lived among them. Tasked with delivering her to her surviving relatives in San Antonio, Kidd takes the reluctant girl under his care, and the two cross hundreds of miles of harsh country together, facing both the dangers of the frontier and the people who want to stop them reaching their destination.
Paul Greengrass directs and co-wrote the screenplay with Luke Davies, adapting Paulette Jiles's novel. The film sits late in Greengrass's filmography, after a run that includes Bloody Sunday, two Bourne entries, United 93, Captain Phillips, Jason Bourne and 22 July. Tom Hanks plays Kidd, with Helena Zengel as Johanna; the supporting cast includes Michael Angelo Covino, Ray McKinnon, Mare Winningham and Elizabeth Marvel.
Made for a budget of 38 million dollars, the film took in about 13 million dollars worldwide, a modest return shaped by its pandemic-era release. On IMDb it holds 6.8 out of 10 from roughly 101,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.9 out of 10 from a much smaller sample. A critics' rating of 7.4 out of 10 from 270 reviews places it above both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- Twelve-year-old German actress Helena Zengel first came to the attention of director Paul Greengrass when he saw her work in the acclaimed German film "System Crasher" at the 2019 Berlin Film Festival. Greengrass was particularly impressed by how expressive her eyes were, as that was exactly what he needed for the role of Joanna, who has few lines in many scenes. Helena auditioned in her hometown of Berlin and then in London, where she officially met the producer and director.
- Helena Zengel began learning to ride horses at the age of four.
- Preparation for filming lasted six weeks and took place in New Mexico. Helena Zengel spent three weeks learning the language and customs of the Kiowa people.
- Helena Zengel from Germany was cast as Joanna, and at the start of filming she had no idea who Tom Hanks was. She met him only on set, the actors worked wonderfully together and became friends, and continued to correspond even after finishing work on the film.
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