The Shipping News (film)

The Shipping News
Directed by	Lasse Hallström
Produced by	Rob Cowan Leslie Holleran Irwin J. Winkler
Screenplay by	Robert Nelson Jacobs
Based on	The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx
Starring	Kevin Spacey Julianne Moore Judi Dench Cate Blanchett
Music by	Christopher Young
Cinematography	Oliver Stapleton
Editing by	Andrew Mondshein
Distributed by	Miramax Films
Release date(s)	December 18, 2001 (2001-12-18)
Running time	111 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$35 million
Box office	$24,405,825

The Shipping News is a 2001 drama film directed by Lasse Hallström, based on the Pulitzer Prize winning novel by E. Annie Proulx.

It stars Kevin Spacey as the protagonist Quoyle, Judi Dench as Agnis Hamm and Julianne Moore as Wavey Prowse. It also stars Pete Postlethwaite, Scott Glenn, Rhys Ifans, Cate Blanchett, Jason Behr, and Gordon Pinsent.

Overview

The film makes a multitude of changes from the book, notably: Quoyle had two daughters in the novel, but only one in the film; in the film he does not begin working as a reporter until after arriving in Newfoundland; and a number of characters, such as the younger Buggit family, were deleted or merged.

It climaxes with a storm which destroys the Quoyle's ancestral family home and almost drowns the Gammy Bird's editor Jack Buggit, caught in the rope of a lobster pot while fishing. Buggit is thought to have drowned but is actually in a state of shock resulting from hypothermia. He regains consciousness during his wake in front of a large crowd of mourners, central to the theme of rebirth in the optimistic ending of the story.

Cast

• Kevin Spacey - Quoyle
• Julianne Moore - Wavey Prowse
• Judi Dench - Agnis Hamm
• Cate Blanchett - Petal
• Pete Postlethwaite - Tert Card
• Scott Glenn - Jack Buggit
• Rhys Ifans - Beaufield Nutbeem
• Gordon Pinsent - Billy Pretty
• Jason Behr - Dennis Buggit
• Larry Pine - Bayonet Melville
• Jeanetta Arnette - Silver Melville
• Katherine Moennig - Grace Moosup
• Lauren Gainer - Bunny Quoyle
• Alyssa Gainer - Bunny Quoyle
• Kaitlyn Gainer - Bunny Quoyle

Reception

The film earned mixed reviews from critics, earning it a 56% rating on Rotten Tomatoes with the consensus stating: "Though solidly made and acted, The Shipping News is rather heavy-handed and dull, especially given the nature of its protagonist."

Quoyle Point and Killick-Claw

Quoyle Point is a fictional point of land on the Newfoundland coast bearing the family name of the protagonist in both the book and the movie. The actual town used for "Killick-Claw" in the movie was New Bonaventure in the Trinity Bight area of Newfoundland. This area is home to approximately 2,000 Newfoundlanders, most of whom are descendants of 18th-century settlers from England's West Country, the Channel Islands and Southeast Ireland.

In the movie, Quoyle Point is a remote, spectacular site with a cove and dramatic cliffs. There is a desolate, weathered green house on the point, the old family home of the Quoyles. At some time in the past, the house had been dragged across the sea-ice from a neighboring island and cabled to the ground at the four corners to protect it from being blown away.

The film crew pre-built the green house on a stage in Halifax, Nova Scotia, disassembled it, transported it via ferry to Newfoundland, and then reassembled it piece-by-piece on 'Quoyle Point,' using snowmobiles so as not to disturb the natural location. All traces of it were removed at the end of filming.

Awards

Won

• Florida Film Critics:
  1. Best Supporting Actress (Cate Blanchett)
• National Board of Review:
  1. Best Supporting Actress (Cate Blanchett)

Nominated

• Art Directors Guild (ADG):
  1. Excellence in Production Design Award Feature Film - Contemporary Film
• BAFTA Awards:
  1. Best Actor (Kevin Spacey)
  2. Best Supporting Actress (Judi Dench)
• Berlin International Film Festival:
  1. Golden Berlin Bear (Lasse Hallström)
• Broadcast Film Critics:
  1. Best Composer (Christopher Young)
  2. Best Picture
• Golden Globe Awards:
  1. Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama (Kevin Spacey)
  2. Best Original Score (Christopher Young)
• Screen Actors Guild (SAG):
  1. Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role (Judi Dench)
• USC Scripter Award:
  1. USC Scripter Award (Robert Nelson Jacobs and E. Annie Proulx)
• Young Artist Awards:
  1. Best Ensemble in a Feature Film

External links

• The Shipping News at the Internet Movie Database
• The Shipping News at AllRovi
• The Shipping News (film) at Rotten Tomatoes