The Dictator (2012 film)
The Dictator | |
---|---|
Directed by | Larry Charles |
Written by | Sacha Baron Cohen Alec Berg David Mandel Jeff Schaffer |
Produced by | Sacha Baron Cohen Alec Berg David Mandel Jeff Schaffer |
Starring | Sacha Baron Cohen |
Cinematography | Lawrence Sher |
Edited by | Greg Hayden Eric Kissack |
Music by | Erran Baron Cohen |
Production company | Four by Two Films |
Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 105 minutes |
Country | Template:Film US[2] |
Languages | English Arabic |
The Dictator is an upcoming 2012 American comedy film written by and starring Sacha Baron Cohen. Baron Cohen's fourth film will "tell the story of a dictator who risked his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed", according to distributor Paramount Pictures.[3] Larry Charles, who previously directed Baron Cohen's mockumentaries Borat and Brüno, will also direct the film. Baron Cohen will star alongside Ben Kingsley and Anna Faris.[3] Baron Cohen will play the role of Admiral General Aladeen, a dictator from the fictional Middle Eastern country of the Republic of Wadiya. The film is reported to be a departure from Baron Cohen's previous mockumentary films, as The Dictator features a supporting cast of known actors, proper film production camerawork and is not focused entirely on Baron Cohen's character, unlike his films Borat and Brüno, which featured minimal supporting cast, firsthand camerawork, and usually only featured one other known actor besides Baron Cohen.
The film is said to be inspired by the novel Zabibah and the King by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein.[4] This genre of film has also been done before in Charlie Chaplin's The Great Dictator, a polemic parody of Hitler. The trailer alludes to the fact that the film is also inspired by the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, due to the character's visit to the United States and his all-female security force. Furthermore, the archive news footages of U.S. President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron in the beginning of the trailer are all excerpts of speeches condemning Gaddafi's actions in the 2011 Libyan civil war.[5] Footage also shows U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton condemning the Syrian leader, Bashar al-Assad. Throughout the trailer, the song "Mundian To Bach Ke" by DJ/producer Panjabi MC featuring Jay-Z played a central role as the film's main theme song. A special version of the trailer was later made for a Super Bowl XLVI commercial advert spot.[6]
Cast
- Sacha Baron Cohen as Admiral General Aladeen
- Bobby Lee as Mr. Lao
- Kevin Corrigan as Slade
- J. B. Smoove as Usher
- Megan Fox as Herself
- Ben Kingsley
- Anna Faris
- Jason Mantzoukas
- B. J. Novak
- John C. Reilly as Hotel Manager
- Adeel Akhtar
- Fred Melamed
Production
Location shooting took place at the Plaza de España in Seville, and on the island of Fuerteventura Spain.[7]
Filming also took place in New York City in June–August 2011.[citation needed]
Publicity
On 26 February 2012, Baron Cohen was banned from attending the 84th Academy Awards in his role as Admiral General Aladeen; however, it was later decided that he could come as himself in civilian attire. Baron Cohen, despite the ban, came dressed up as the Dictator, greeting the reporters with a cheery "Hello, death to the West!" and while holding an urn which he said was filled with the ashes of his "doubles-tennis partner" Kim Jong-il whose dream, Baron Cohen claimed, was "to be sprinkled over the red carpet and Halle Berry's chest again." As Baron Cohen showed the golden urn featuring the image of Kim Jong-il, he then proceeded to view the bottom of the urn while "accidentally" spilling its contents onto E! red carpet host Ryan Seacrest. The "ashes" were later reported to be pancake mix.[8]
References
- ^ Kaufman, Amy. "The Dictator moves off Dark Shadows release date". LA Times. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
- ^ Buchanan, Jason. "The Dictator". Allrovi. Retrieved April 10, 2012.
- ^ a b "The Dictator Nabs Ben Kingsley". Hollywood.com. Retrieved 2011-12-14.
- ^ "Ain't It Cool News: The best in movie, TV, DVD, and comic book news". AintItCool.com. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
- ^ "The Dictator trailer: does Sacha Baron Cohen rule OK?". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 2011-12-17.
- ^ Littlejohn, Georgina; Eleanor Gower (2 February 2012). "'I just bought NBC, I know the final score, enjoy the game': Sacha Baron Cohen stars in special Super Bowl film trailer for The Dictator". Daily Mail. Retrieved 24 February 2012.
- ^ "Canarias7. Cultura. ¿Distingue Fuerteventura en la película de Baron Cohen?". Canarias7.es. 2012-01-13. Retrieved 2012-01-27.
- ^ "Sacha Baron Cohen - IMDb r=AcceleratedIdeas". Retrieved 27 February 2012.