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Soul Surfer (film)

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Soul Surfer
Poster image of AnnaSophia Robb standing on a beach's shore, holding a surfboard against her, with a shark bite-shaped chunk missing from the board. Her left arm (which Bethany Hamilton lost) is not visible in the shot.
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySean McNamara
Screenplay bySean McNamara
Deborah Schwartz
Douglas Schwartz
Michael Berk
Story bySean McNamara
Deborah Schwartz
Douglas Schwartz
Michael Berk
Matt R. Allen
Caleb Wilson
Brad Gann
Produced bySean McNamara
David Brookwell
Douglas Schwartz
Dutch Hofstetter
StarringAnnaSophia Robb
Dennis Quaid
Helen Hunt
Carrie Underwood
CinematographyJohn R. Leonetti
Edited byJeff Canavan
Music byMarco Beltrami
Production
companies
Distributed bySony Pictures Entertainment
Release date
  • April 8, 2011 (2011-04-08)
Running time
106 minutes
CountryTemplate:Film US
LanguageEnglish
Budget$18 million[1]
Box office$11,100,000[2]

Soul Surfer is a 2011 American drama film about the life of surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her left arm in a shark attack when she was 13 years old. The film is directed by Sean McNamara, who based the screenplay on Hamilton's biographical book of the same name and on filmmakers' interviews with the family. AnnaSophia Robb stars as Hamilton, and Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt star as Hamilton's parents.

Plans for a film existed since shortly after the shark attack on Hamilton in 2003 and her subsequent recovery. After several false starts to production, McNamara was attached to direct the film. While the film is based on Hamilton's 2004 biographical book, the director and producer David Brookwell interviewed the family to learn about unpublished conflicts to include in the film. Filming took place in Hawaii in early 2010, and Robb wore a green sleeve on her arm so visual effects could be added in post-production to create the appearance of a stump. Additional filming took place in Tahiti in August 2010.

FilmDistrict, which was launched in September 2010, formed a partnership with TriStar Pictures to release Soul Surfer in theaters. The company originally anticipated releasing the film in 300 theaters, but the company was impressed enough with the final product to pursue a release in 2,000 theaters. The film was released in theaters in the United States and Canada on April 8, 2011.

Synopsis

In the year of 2003, Bethany Hamilton (AnnaSophia Robb), a 13 year old local champion surfer, was attacked while surfing near Tunnels Beach by a 14-foot tiger shark which severs her left arm. She fights through this tragedy with the help of her family and friends and eventually returns to surfing to fulfill her dream of becoming a professional surfer.

Cast

Production

Soul Surfer is directed by Sean McNamara and is based on the 2004 biography Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board. The book and the film are based on the real-life experience of Bethany Hamilton, who lost her left arm as a result of a shark attack while she was surfing. She was 13 years old when she was attacked on October 31, 2003. Though she lost her arm, she was motivated to resume surfing and was able to compete in a major surfing competition on January 10, 2004, finishing fifth. Her story of recovering from the attack became widespread, and her family faced multiple media opportunities.[3]

Shortly after the incident and the media attention, the father of Bethany's friends Chantilly and Tiffany, Roy "Dutch" Hofstetter, became the Hamilton family's media manager. Hofstetter in February 2004 envisioned a film based on Bethany's experience, provisionally titled The Bethany Hamilton Story.[3] Bethany published her biographical book Soul Surfer in 2004,[4] and BBC reported that a film about her life was scheduled to begin filming in January 2005.[5] Production did not begin as anticipated, and Time reported in July 2006 that production was scheduled for later in the year.[6] Variety reported that the project at one point had an investment of $7.5 million and the backing of Peter Schlessel, a Sony Pictures executive.[7]

Though production had not begun by the end of 2006, in January 2007 Sean McNamara was announced to be directing the biographical film.[8] While Hamilton had a series of surfing successes, turning pro in 2007, McNamara and producer David Brookwell sought more material for the film. The book was considered "a straightforward account" that was targeted to Christian readers, so the filmmakers met with the Hamilton family to determine if there were any unpublished conflicts that could be highlighted in the film. They discovered that the incident had strained the family, that family members questioned their Christian faith, and that Bethany Hamilton struggled with her physical appearance and how boys would perceive her. The media attention on the family was described by Brookwell as "a second shark attack" that had made their lives uncomfortably public.[7]

McNamara and Brookwell spent several years raising money for production.[7] The director wrote an adapted screenplay with Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz and Deborah Schwartz. Additional writing was performed by Ron Bass, Jen Smolka and Kara Holden. Before the film entered production, Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions acquired distribution rights for North America and most other territories. The production companies Mandalay Vision, Brookwell McNamara Entertainment and Life's a Beach Entertainment collaborated for the production, with Enticing Entertainment and Island Film Group providing financing.[9] In February 2010, McNamara cast numerous actors into roles for Soul Surfer. AnnaSophia Robb was cast as Bethany Hamilton, and Dennis Quaid and Helen Hunt were cast as Bethany's parents. Singer Carrie Underwood, in her feature film debut, was cast as a church youth leader. Filming began the same month in Hawaii.[10] Principal photography and second-unit aerial work took place for 40 days; cinematographer John R. Leonetti shot on 35mm film. During filming, Robb wore a green sleeve on her arm so visual effects could be included later.[7] Though McNamara was editing the film by May 2010,[11] additional filming took place in August 2010 in Tahiti. During post-production, the VFX company Engine Room worked on 450 arm-removal shots, digitally inserting a stump in place of Robb's green sleeve. Ultimately, the film's budget exceeded $15 million.[7]

Release

In July 2010, USA Today reported Soul Surfer as one of several faith-based films similar to The Blind Side being produced in Hollywood; other films included Get Low, Like Dandelion Dust, and Jumping the Broom.[12] In September 2010, the company FilmDistrict was launched, and the company formed a partnership with TriStar Pictures to release Soul Surfer.[9] FilmDistrict originally committed to release the film at 300 theaters, but when executives saw the final product, they invested $26 million in a print and advertising commitment with the goal of releasing Soul Surfer in 2,000 theaters.[7]

Prior to the film's commercial release, it was screened for religious leaders. A scene in which Dennis Quaid's character reads the Bible in the hospital at his daughter's bedside had the words "Holy Bible" digitally removed from the cover. Bethany Hamilton's father said that David Zelon, an executive at Mandalay Pictures, lobbied to reduce the Soul Surfer's Christian elements so the film could appeal more to non-Christian audiences. The Hamilton family objected, and the words "Holy Bible" were restored in the scene in a follow-up screening. Another debatable scene was one in which Carrie Underwood's character, a church youth leader, quotes Christian scripture. While those involved with the film were fine with the verse, they did not want the scene to explicitly indicate that its origin was the Bible. Their stance was challenged, and the scene indicates the verse being from the Bible. The Hollywood Reporter cited the dust-up as an example of Hollywood learning to appeal to the faith-based community while still attracting secular audiences. The Blind Side, which accomplished both, had grossed $256 million in the United States and Canada.[13]

The film was finally released on April 8, 2011.[14]

Reception

The film met with a mixed to positive reception from the critics, with a 52% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes and an average score of 52/100 at Metacritic.[15][16] This new movie based on Bethany Hamilton's courageous, faith-filled story garnered high honors on CBN.com.[17]

Further reading

  • Hamilton, Bethany; Berk, Sheryl; Bundschuh, Rick (2006). Soul Surfer: A True Story of Faith, Family, and Fighting to Get Back on the Board. MTV. ISBN 978-1-4165-0346-0.

References

  1. ^ Kaufman, Amy (April 7, 2011). "Movie Projector: With 'Hop' and 'Arthur,' Russell Brand should top box office". Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
  2. ^ http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=soulsurfer.htm
  3. ^ a b Campbell, Duncan (February 8, 2004). "To the power of one". The Observer. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ "Surfer Girl Makes Comeback After Shark Attack". ABC News. April 7, 2005. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "Shark girl surfer hits the waves". BBC. April 6, 2005. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ Stinchfield, Kate (July 30, 2006). "Milestones: Bethany Hamilton". Time. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ a b c d e f Caranicas, Peter (February 1, 2011). "Splashy finish for 'SoulSurfer'". Variety. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Stewart, Ryan (January 27, 2007). "Soul Surfer Gets a Director, Now Needs a Star". Moviefone. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ a b McClintock, Pamela (November 1, 2010). "'Soul Surfer' is first FilmDistrict pickup". Variety. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (February 3, 2010). "Carrie Underwood to star in 'Surfer' film". Variety. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Agence France-Presse (May 18, 2010). "Shark bite surf princess still making waves". Bangkok Post. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "More faith-based films along lines of 'Blind Side'". USA Today. July 18, 2010. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ Bond, Paul (February 16, 2011). "Producer Tried to Edit Bible Out of Sony's 'Soul Surfer'". The Hollywood Reporter. {{cite journal}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Soul Surfer". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 16, 2011. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)
  15. ^ "Soul Surfer (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  16. ^ "Soul Surfer". Metacritic. Retrieved April 9, 2011.
  17. ^ CBN.com's Review of "Soul Surfer", CBN.com.
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