RUSSELL CROWE DIRECTS, STARS IN ACCLAIMED EPIC “THE WATER DIVINER”

Press release. Read my review here.

When Oscar-winner Russell Crowe stepped behind the camera to direct "The Water Diviner," he stood on a foundation built on collaborations with some of the most noted directors in the film industry, including Ridley Scott, Ron Howard, Michael Mann and Peter Weir, to name only a few.

Photo courtesy of RatPac Entertainment

"I've been fortunate to work with some of the very best in the business," Crowe says, "and you learn from everybody. It's the combination of that knowledge that creates what your voice is as a director. So I can very confidently say that I've stolen something from every single director I've ever worked with," he laughs.

“The Water Diviner” is an epic and inspiring tale of one man’s life-changing journey of discovery. Crowe plays Australian farmer Joshua Connor, who, in 1919, goes in search of his three missing sons, last known to have fought against the Turks in the bloody Battle of Gallipoli. Arriving in Istanbul, Connor is thrust into a vastly different world, where he encounters others who suffered their own losses in the conflict: Ayshe (Olga Kurylenko), a strikingly beautiful but guarded hotelier raising a child alone; her young, spirited son, Orhan (Dylan Georgiades), who finds a friend in Connor; and Major Hasan (Yilmaz Erdoğan), a Turkish officer who fought against Connor’s boys and may be this father’s only hope. With seemingly insurmountable obstacles in his path, Connor must travel across the battle-scarred Turkish landscape to find the truth… and his own peace.

The film not only resonated with Crowe as a father of sons himself but also as an Australian who was raised on the horror and heroism of Gallipoli. "I would definitely say the fact that I'm a dad myself influenced the way I felt about the script," says Crowe, "because, as every parent knows, as soon as you have children it affects everything in your life, every decision you make. I think that theme is universal. People everywhere can understand what would drive Connor to search for his sons."

Crowe's entire cast agrees that Crowe was more than ready for the new challenge of helming a film. Olga Kurylenko says, "Russell is one of the most brilliant actors of our time, and I think that is what makes him a superb director. His directions were full of images and feelings, so I didn't just hear them, I could feel them. And, of course, acting opposite him is amazing because it helps bring out your best when the other actor is so extraordinary."

Yilmaz Erdogan adds, "Working with Russell was very good for all the actors because he speaks our language. He understands the details of a performance and how to give you exactly what you need very briefly. He was a perfect leader."

"The great thing for me as a director was to cast such extremely talented people," Crowe comments. "When you get the right actors, they will become experts about their characters far beyond the director, writers or the producers because that's an actor's job. They, more than anyone, will protect the integrity of their characters."

In closing, Crowe reflects, "In war films today, it is important to tread that line where you honor the warrior but condemn war. And I believe 'The Water Diviner' definitely does that.

"It talks of loss and of grief," he concludes, "but the story is ultimately life-affirming and very much about love in its many different forms. Another key thing in life is the simple need to persevere; whatever comes up, you have to find a way to move on, and that requires hope. Hope is one of the fundamental tenants of humanity.and my hope is that audiences will come away reminded of that."

An extraordinary tale of love, faith and heroism, “The Water Diviner” will be shown exclusively at Ayala Malls Cinemas nationwide starting June 24.

RUSSELL CROWE, MAN WITH A DIVINE MISSION IN “NOAH”

Movie release material

Regarded as one of the finest actors of our time, Oscar-winner Russell Crowe (“Gladiator,” “Man of Steel”) is often sought after to bring an earthy humanity to towering characters. When the filmmakers began talking about who could carry the story of Paramount Pictures' new searing epic “Noah,” his name quickly came to the forefront.

Photo courtesy of UIP.

But playing Noah would be an extreme undertaking even by his standards – in part because Noah has never before been seen on screen as a real man trying to stand up under the most enormous burden in human history: to assure the survival of all living things.

Says director Darren Aronofsky, “Russell intrigued us because he is always authentic, and so very, very believable. No matter what, you never question if Russell believes in what he's saying. And of course the possibility of working with someone with that much talent, that much power, was very exciting for me -- just to see what we could create together.”

Screenwriter Ari Handel was gratified to have an actor who could step right into the outsized contours of the role. “We really needed someone in the great tradition of biblical epics who has that gravitas,” he says. “Russell is someone you believe could follow through on the most Herculean, impossible task without complaint. You never doubt his capability or his strength, but in his eyes, you see an underlying compassion.”

To help recruit him, Aronofsky made Crowe a promise: he would never be shot in the hoary cliché with a pair of giraffes behind his head. But once he began his research, Crowe found that trying to get inside Noah from a modern perspective was endlessly fascinating. “You start with all these preconceived notions about Noah, but when you start to break down what the world might have been like in his time, it’s very intriguing,” he says.

The biggest challenge for Crowe was coming to terms with how a man would grapple emotionally and morally with such an urgent but still hazy vision of disaster from the Creator. “Noah only starts to understand the task he faces as a sort of deduction because he’s not getting a lot of direct input,” Crowe explains. “What he understands is that he needs to look after all the animals, but he doesn't have any information at all about how he is to address the human question, so a lot is left for him to figure out. One of the cool things about him is that I don’t think he finds there’s any honor in this job. In fact, he sees it as the worst job he could possibly get from the Creator. But he will do everything in his power to finish it.”

Working with Aronofsky was a major lure for Crowe throughout. “I felt that we never finished a day without something really cool being captured,” says the actor. “He’s intense because he wants to get a lot done, but that's great because you know he's always looking for something. And here's the other thing: he never stops directing. Even in the longest, coldest, toughest night, he never stops talking about that thing that you're pushing towards, which I suppose explains exactly why he makes the type of movies that he does. He's always taking people into places and experiences that are not average or typical. And hopefully that’s what this movie does as well.”

Inspired by the epic story of courage, sacrifice and hope, Darren Aronofsky (“Black Swan”) brings to the screen his personal vision of “Noah.” Russell Crowe portrays the man chosen to undertake a momentous mission of rescue before an apocalyptic flood destroys the world. The film offers a mesmerizing visual adventure through everlasting themes of good and evil, destruction and mercy, hope, family and second chances.

The film sets out to imagine the largely unknown life of Noah and his family, inviting audiences into both the spectacle and the heart of their experience as the earth disappears under a colossal deluge that will undo everything … yet lead to a new day for all Creation.

Now showing in Philippine cinemas. Noah” is distributed in the Philippines by United International Pictures through Columbia Pictures.

Russell Crowe stars as Jack Knife in “The Man With The Iron Fists”

Academy Award^® winner RUSSELL CROWE is considered one of the finest actors of his generation.  Originally from New Zealand, he started making waves in the Australian film industry with his performance in the controversial film Romper Stomper—for which he became critically acclaimed around the world.  He has received three consecutive Academy Award^® Best Actor nominations for his performances in The Insider (1999), Gladiator (2000) and A Beautiful Mind (2001)—taking home the Oscar^® for his performance in Gladiator.  

Photo courtesy of UIP

Cast as Jack Knife in the action-adventure in Universal Pictures ‘The Man With Iron Fist’, who has been friends with director RZA since they met on the set of the 2008 blockbuster American Gangster.  During his time on set, he discussed the path to playing a roguish mercenary who has his own interests at heart: “Bobby and I did pretty much every working day together on American Gangster and got to know each other well.  We connected mainly through song lyrics, and he’s talked about this project since I met him.  It’s one of those things where you have mates that have their dream gig—the thing that they’ve been thinking about for a long time.  You learn about it, but it’s not often that they end up doing it.  When it was looking more and more real, Bobby and I were coincidentally on set of another movie, called The Next Three Days.  He calls me his big brother, and he said I really needed to be there, so I’m here.”

Crowe’s character shares a name with his unique weapon.  He tells a bit about the mystery man: “Jack Knife has come to China as a soldier, and he’s become enraptured by the country.  Part of that is due to the fact that he’s addicted to opium.”  As the performer dug deeper into the period of the 19^th century that RZA and Roth were using for the film’s backdrop, he became more disturbed by the events of the day.  “I was quite frankly disgusted with what I found.  I’d no idea that the British Empire flooded China with opium in order to control the populace and get a better trade balance.  That was a bit of a shock, and I brought that to his attention.”

Proud to see his friend excelling in a new role as a filmmaker, Crowe reflects: “Bobby’s understood it more himself as he went on, day to day.  You see him dealing with the cultural differences and language differences.  He’s been cool, calm and collected.  He still has the respect of everybody.”

RZA returns the compliment with a story that describes his level of respect for Crowe.  He says: “One of the people we used for the character study of Jack Knife was Ol’ Dirty Bastard—so Russell Jones/Russell Crowe.”  Of infusing one of Wu-Tang Clan’s founding members’ attitude and mind-set into the movie, RZA reflects: “My cousin’s not here anymore, but I wanted his spirit in the film.  Russell and I talked about it, and he loved the idea.”

“The Man With The Iron Fists” is released and distributed by

United International Pictures through Solar Entertainment Corp.

Showing on January 30.

CROWE JOINS ARONOFSKY'S "NOAH"

CROWE JOINS ARONOFSKY’S “NOAH”
 
PARAMOUNT PICTURES TO RELEASE MARCH 28, 2014
 

Russell Crowe

HOLLYWOOD, CA (April 22, 2012) - Paramount Pictures and New Regency Productions jointly announced today that Academy Award®-winner Russell Crowe has been cast as Noah in Academy Award®-nominated director Darren Aronofsky’s feature film of the same name. Paramount will release the film on March 28, 2014.
 
Said Aronofsky, "I’d like to thank Paramount and Regency for backing my team's work to breathe new life into the biblical epic. I rejoice that Russell Crowe will be by my side on this adventure. It's his immense talent that helps me to sleep at night. I look forward to being wowed by him everyday.” 
 
NOAH is a close adaptation of the Biblical story of Noah's Ark.  In a world ravaged by human sin, Noah is given a divine mission: to build an Ark to save creation from the coming flood. The screenplay was written by Aronofsky and Ari Handel and revised by Academy Award®-nominated screenwriter John Logan (GLADIATOR, HUGO).
 
Scott Franklin and Aronofsky of Protozoa Pictures, along with Mary Parent of Disruption Entertainment, will produce the film. The film will be executive produced by Ari Handel (BLACK SWAN), Arnon Milchan of New Regency and Chris Brigham (INCEPTION, ARGO).
 
The movie will begin shooting this July in Iceland and New York.
 
 

ABOUT PARAMOUNT PICTURES CORPORATION
 
Paramount Pictures Corporation (PPC), a global producer and distributor of filmed entertainment, is a unit of Viacom (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), a leading content company with prominent and respected film, television and digital entertainment brands. Paramount controls a collection of some of the most powerful brands in filmed entertainment, including Paramount Pictures, Paramount Animation, Paramount Vantage, Paramount Classics, Insurge Pictures, MTV Films, and Nickelodeon Movies. PPC operations also include Paramount Famous Productions, Paramount Home Media Distribution, Paramount Pictures International, Paramount Licensing Inc., and Paramount Studio Group.
 
ABOUT NEW REGENCY PRODUCTIONS INC.

Founded by Arnon Milchan, one of the most prolific and successful independent film producers of the past 30 years, New Regency Productions Inc. is engaged in the production and distribution of motion pictures throughout the world throughstrategic alliances with the world’s leading media and entertainment companies.  In addition to its library of over 100 titles, upcoming New Regency film releases include What's your Number?, starring Anna Faris and Chris Evans; In Time, directed by Andrew Niccol and starring Amanda Seyfried and Justin Timberlake; Darkest Hour and Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked.