DEEP IMPACT
US, 1998, 120 minutes, Colour.
Robert Duvall, Tea Leoni, Vanessa Redgrave, Maximilian Schell, Morgan Freeman, James Cromwell, Ron Eldard, Blair Underwood, Jon Favreau, Laura Innes, Kurtwood Smith, Elijah Wood, Leelee Sobieski, Richard Schiff, Dougray Scott.
Directed by Mimi Leder.
Deep Impact was directed by Mimi Leder, who worked on episodes of ER and whose movie debut was another spectacular actioner concerning the retrieval of terrorist stolen nuclear missiles, The Peacemaker. Mimi Leder is no slouch in creating well-paced action.
But she is also interested in human drama. In Deep Impact, the action is kept until the end of the film, a huge tidal
wave that sweeps over the east coast of the US, taking New York and other seaboard cities with it. Leder, working from a screenplay by Bruce Joel Rubin (Ghost) and Michael Tolin (The Player), creates a range of characters (perhaps close to soap opera style, but this is a mass entertainment for the widest audience around the world). She creates human interest.
The central character is an ambitious Washington TV journalist (Tea Leoni) who stumbles on what she thinks is a political scandal (not too difficult in Washington, one supposes) but finds it is the story of her career. But there is more to her story. She is close to her divorced mother (Vanessa Redgrave) and resents her recently re-married father (Maximilian Schell).
With a cast including Redgrave and Schell, including quite moving death sequences, it is clear that the appeal is to
those who prefer more personalised disasters.
The screenplay also includes a teenager (Elijah Wood) who discovers the asteroid and who marries his girlfriend to save her and her family. Robert Duvall as a veteran of a moon voyage leads the expedition to destroy the asteroid. A group of 20 and 30 somethings (who are 'less worried about dying than looking bad on television') are his initially critical crew. But heroism is demanded of them all, including an emotional farewell by video to their families in Houston.
What the film is doing is challenging the popular audience to imagine such a disaster, to imagine how they might respond, especially for the over 50s who are excluded from the lottery for selecting survivors, to imagine facing imminent death. This is personalised drama and the personalised issues of life and death, of self-sacrifice and survival.
1.The impact of the film in the late 90s? In retrospect? A successful disaster film? Creating fear? People coping with disaster?
2.The apocalyptic aspects: the meteors, their coming towards Earth, humans able to control them or not? The political implications, the role of the media? The preparations, the secrecy, the information given to the public, the tone, the lotteries for survival, age issues? Professional and expertise issues? Death sentences for most people? The future for the young and the experts? The cloud covering the Earth for years? Rebuilding? Nature rejuvenating?
3.The meteors, the astronomical information, physics? The reality, the flight path? Scientific examinations, military answers, the nuclear issue?
4.A sense of realism, the media and the television world, the reports? Ordinary families, schools, astronomy and students, the observatory? Washington, the press conference, the White House? The flight from the east coast, the roads and the refugees?
5.The quality of the special effects, the meteor, the meteor splitting? The attempt in space to destroy the meteor? The effects for the meteor hitting Earth, the enormous tidal wave, its height? The cities destroyed, the detail of New York? The east coast, the wave going inland?
6.The score and the apocalyptic tone?
7.Leo, at school, observing the meteors, sending the information to the observatory? The professor, his alarm? The car crash? The misinterpretation about Leo’s survival? The naming of the meteors? The contact with Leo, his family? Sarah and his relationship with her, the kids at school and their reactions? The meetings, the information, the parents and the lottery? Leo’s parents successful? Sarah’s parents not successful? The plea, the permission, their not being allowed to go, Sarah not going? Leo getting the bike, return, the farewell to her parents? Rescuing Sarah? The race to the high ground against the water?
8.Jenny and her work, the television meetings, the tip-offs, her bosses, her wanting to be an anchor, seeing her on air? Her going to Rittenhauser, the rumours, the marital rumours? The irony of the truth? Her reaction, the Secret Service taking her to the White House, the kitchen, the president coming, the explanation? Her being silenced? Her going onto the internet, trying to break the code? The press conference, her privilege, asking the questions? Her visit with her mother, talking things over, her growing up, the divorce, her mother by herself? Her father’s wedding, not going, meeting her father, his wife? The gifts? Her leaving, going on air? The collage of her information, the passing of the months, the lotteries? Her mother, taking her life, at peace? Her father, his reaction? Her being able to go, giving her place on the helicopter to the mother and her baby? Going to her father, the discussions about the holidays, the photos, her mother taking the pictures? Memories, standing on the beach and being overwhelmed by the wave?
9.Rittenhauser, his political status, his options, the rumours? The president, Morgan Freeman and his style, capable, dignified? Meeting with Jenny? The press conference, the information, his bearing? The answers to Jenny? The final announcement, the failure of the mission, dignity, prayer, faith, hopes?
10.The astronaut team, the information about their background, the possibilities for destroying or deflecting the meteor? The party and the introduction to the characters, Fish and his experience, older? Oren and his superior attitude, young, discussions with Fish? The other members, Gus, Beth, Monk? Going on the mission, their messages to their families? Going into space, their work, skills, the mission, the detail, the accident, Oren’s blindness? The loss of power, the link with Houston? The personnel at Houston? The attempt to destroy the meteor, splitting it? The dangers, their facing the end?
11.Reactions on Earth, fears, looting, the guards and police? The president’s instructions about food, storage, behaviour? The crowded roads and people trying to escape?
12.The crash of the meteor, the enormous wave, its height, rolling towards the east coast, destroying New York, going inland? Sweeping the people away?
13.The end – disaster – and prospects for rebuilding?
