Promised Land (2012 film)
Promised Land | |
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Directed by | director |
Written by | writer |
Screenplay by | |
Story by | Dave Eggers |
Produced by | producer |
Starring |
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Narrated by | narrator |
Cinematography | Linus Sandgren |
Edited by | Billy Rich |
Music by | Danny Elfman |
Production companies |
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Distributed by | distributor |
Release dates |
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Running time | 106 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $15 million[1][2] |
Box office | $12.3 million[2] |
Promised Land is a 2012 American
Damon was originally attached to direct the film, but he was replaced by Van Sant. Filming took place mainly in
The film had a limited release in the United States on December 28, 2012 and followed with a nationwide expansion on January 4, 2013. The film had its international premiere and received Special Mention Award at the
Plot
Steve Butler has caught the eyes of top management at his employer, Global Crosspower Solutions, an energy company that specializes in obtaining natural gas trapped underground through a process known as
Coming from a town and a life very similar to that of the people he is now determined to win over on behalf of Global, Butler tells the story of how his own town died after the local
The community seems willing to accept Global's offer, until an elderly, local high school science teacher, Frank Yates, who happened to be a successful engineer in his working life, raises the question of the safety of fracking during a town meeting. It's decided that the people will vote in a few weeks whether or not to take the offer. After hearing about the vote, Dustin Noble, an unknown environmental advocate, starts a grassroots campaign against Global, motivated by a tale of his family losing its Nebraska dairy farm after the herd died as a result of Global's industry-standard fracking process.
Butler begins to meet a great deal of resistance in town. Noble seems to be winning over nearly everyone, including Alice. One night Butler receives a package from Global that includes an enlarged copy of a photograph of dead cattle on a field that Noble said came from his family's Nebraska farm. The enlargement shows that an object thought to be a silo is, in fact, a lighthouse, which are nonexistent in Nebraska, revealing that Noble fabricated his story and deceived the people. The picture was actually taken in Lafayette, Louisiana, where Global is in the midst of a lawsuit over environmental complications that were probably caused by their fracking practices.
Butler informs the town's mayor of the deception, who then informs the rest of the town. He returns to the hotel to find Noble loading his truck, preparing to leave town. Noble accidentally reveals that he knows the picture with the lighthouse was taken in Lafayette. Butler realizes the only way Noble could have known this information is if he were also employed by Global, and that Noble's job had been to discredit the environmental movement and convince the town to vote in favor of Global's offer. He arranged for Butler to receive the "confidential" photos and engineered the entire public relations effort.
At a town meeting the next day, the citizens are prepared to vote on Global's efforts to buy drilling rights to their property. Butler talks to them about how the barn in the picture reminds him of his grandfather's barn. He reveals that Noble has manipulated them and is employed by Global. Butler leaves the meeting to find Thomason on the phone with Global. She tells him he's fired and that she is leaving for New York. Butler walks to Alice's home and she welcomes him in.
Cast
- Matt Damon as Steve Butler
- John Krasinski as Dustin Noble
- Frances McDormand as Sue Thomason
- Rosemarie DeWitt as Alice
- Scoot McNairy as Jeff Dennon
- Titus Welliver as Rob
- Terry Kinney as David Churchill
- Tim Guinee as Drew Scott
- Lucas Black as Paul Geary
- Hal Holbrook as Frank Yates
Production
Promised Land is directed by Gus Van Sant based on a screenplay by Matt Damon and John Krasinski, who are film producers along with Chris Moore. In interviews, Krasinski and Damon said[3] that the idea for the movie was partially inspired by an investigative series of stories in The New York Times by Ian Urbina, called "Drilling Down",[4] about fracking. The screenplay was based on a story by Dave Eggers. Krasinski came up with the film's premise and developed the idea with Eggers. They pitched the idea to Damon, suggesting that both Damon and Krasinski would write and star in the film. The project was set up at Warner Bros. with Damon attached as director in October 2011, in what would have been his directorial debut. Filming was scheduled to begin in early 2012.[5]
In January 2012, Damon stepped down as director due to scheduling conflicts but remained involved with the project.
The film score was composed by Danny Elfman.[13] Three songs by The Milk Carton Kids including Snake Eyes, The Ash & Clay and Jewel of June were also written for the film.[14]
Oil industry controversy
Promised Land was criticized by the energy industry for its portrayal of the resource extraction process
Krasinski, who co-wrote the screenplay and plays Dustin, said the film's original premise involved
Leading up to the film's release, a spokesperson for Independent Petroleum Association of America said, "We have to address the concerns that are laid out in these types of films." The industry planned to send scientific studies to film critics, to distribute leaflets to film audiences, and to use social media like Facebook and Twitter as a response to the film.[15][20] Where the industry launched "direct attacks" at Gasland, it instead sought to portray Promised Land as "derivative, condescending and clichéd". In Pennsylvania, the industry group Marcellus Shale Coalition bought a 16-second onscreen ad to be shown at 75 percent of theaters in the state at the same time Promised Land was released.[11]
James Schamus, chief executive of the film's distributor Focus Features said, "We've been surprised at the emergence of what looks like a concerted campaign targeting the film even before anyone's seen it."[15] As the film was released, he said, "Fracking is a great premise for real drama. It represents Americans deeply conflicted about how to deal with these issues." He compared the industry's stealth campaign against the film to the one depicted within the film.[11]
Release
Theatrical run
Promised Land had a
The film had its international premiere at the 63rd Berlin International Film Festival in February 2013[26] where Gus Van Sant won a Special Mention.[27]
Critical reception
Promised Land received mixed reviews from critics. On
Accolades
Year | Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|
2012 | National Board of Review
|
Top Films | Won | |
2012 | National Board of Review
|
Freedom of Expression Award | Won | |
2013 | Berlin Film Festival
|
Golden Bear | Gus Van Sant | Nominated |
2013 | Young Artist Award | Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actress Ten and Under | Lexi Cowan | Nominated |
2013 | Environmental Media Awards | Ongoing Commitment Award | Matt Damon | Won |
2013 | Environmental Media Awards | Feature Film Award | Won |
References
- New York Times. Retrieved December 2, 2016.
- ^ a b "Promised Land (2013)". The Numbers.
- ^ "Matt Damon and John Krasinski on Making "Promised Land," a Non-Message Message Movie". Co.Create. 2013-01-02. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
- ^ "Drilling Down Series - Natural Gas". The New York Times. Retrieved 2017-01-12.
- ^ Kit, Borys (October 19, 2011). "Matt Damon to Direct Warner Bros. Drama He Co-Wrote With John Krasinski". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Kit, Borys (January 5, 2012). "Matt Damon Won't Direct Movie He Co-Wrote with John Krasinski". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Kit, Borys (January 6, 2012). "Gus Van Sant Taking Matt Damon's Place on Dave Eggers Project". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Weinstein, Joshua L. (February 1, 2012). "Focus Features comes aboard Damon, Krasinski film". Reuters.
- ^ Jagernauth, Kevin (February 1, 2012). "Gus Van Sant/Matt Damon's 'Promised Land' Goes To Focus & Participant". The Playlist. indieWire. Archived from the original on August 4, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
- ComingSoon.net. April 24, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
- ^ a b c d Drajem, Mark (January 4, 2013). "Fracker Ad Clashes on Screen With Damon's 'Promised Land'". Bloomberg Businessweek.
- ^ a b Vancheri, Barbara (June 15, 2012). "John Krasinski and Gus Van Sant totally immersed in film shot in Pittsburgh". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
- ^ Martens, Todd (Dec 6, 2012). "Composer Danny Elfman's year: 6 film scores, 6 different styles". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2022-04-01.
- ^ Burlingame, Jon (2012-12-12). "Song: In Their Own Words". Variety.
- ^ a b c Gilbert, Daniel (October 7, 2012). "Matt Damon Fracking Film Lights Up Petroleum Lobby". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on 2018-02-12. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
- ^ a b Buford, Talia; Martinson, Erica (April 5, 2012). "Matt Damon to star in 'The Promised Land' anti-fracking movie". Politico.
- ^ McAleer, Phelim (September 25, 2012). "For his next escape". New York Post. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
- ^ Carney, John (September 28, 2012). "Matt Damon's Anti-Fracking Film Backed by OPEC Member". NetNet. CNBC.
- The Huffington Post. April 6, 2012. Retrieved October 2, 2012.
- ^ Szalai, George (October 8, 2012). "Energy Industry Targets Upcoming Matt Damon Film 'Promised Land'". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ McNary, Dave (August 23, 2012). "Van Sant's 'Promised Land' to arrive Dec. 28". Variety.
- ^ McClintock, Pamela (December 29, 2012). "Holiday Box Office: 'Django' Narrowly Beats 'Les Mis' on Friday; 'Hobbit' Still No. 1". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Subers, Ray (December 30, 2012). "Weekend Report: 'Hobbit' Holds Off 'Django' on Final Weekend of 2012". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
- ^ Kaufman, Amy (January 6, 2013). "'Texas Chainsaw 3D' is strong No. 1; 'Promised Land' disappoints". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
- ^ "Promised Land (2012)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
- ^ "First Films for the Competition and Berlinale Special". berlinale. Retrieved 2012-12-13.
- ^ "Prizes of the International Jury". berlinale. Retrieved 2013-02-16.
- ^ "Promised Land (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved April 3, 2021.
- CBS Interactive. Retrieved July 11, 2020.
- The Los Angeles Times.
- New York Times.
- ^ Lacey, Liam (January 4, 2013). "Promised Land: Stellar cast, but the film is a fracking disappointment". Toronto Globe and Mail. Retrieved 7 January 2013.
External links
- Official website
- Promised Land at IMDb
- Promised Land at Box Office Mojo
- Promised Land at Rotten Tomatoes
- Promised Land at Metacritic
- Promised Land Archived 2016-08-29 at the Wayback Machine informational page at TakePart