‘The Revenant is homage to great film-making’

Director Alejandro Inarritu says film portrays nature as it is

With its savage landscapes and tough filming conditions, survival drama The Revenant is a “homage to great film-making”, Academy Award-winning Mexican director Alejandro G. Inarritu said.

Inspired by real events, the film tells the story of fur trapper Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) who on an expedition in the 1820s was mauled by a bear and left for dead by his team. He survives and sets out to exact revenge on those who abandoned him.

To give the film an authentic feel, Inarritu, who last year won the best director and best picture Oscars for Birdman, cut back on special effects, using natural light.



“It’s (an) homage to how film-making was done in the origins and the great film-making of going to real places and not modifying ... or playing with pixels and computerised images,” he told Reuters.

The Revenant was filmed in Canada and Argentina; cast and crew endured tough outdoor locations and harsh weather conditions. “It was not a comfortable shoot at all,” Inarritu said. “But in that sense it’s what the film is about and it has its rewards ... it really portrays nature as it is, not in the way we see it in a park but as it is for real.”



Will Poulter, who plays Glass’ young apprentice Bridger, added that the trying conditions allowed for a more authentic performance. “As hard as it was, I think we also were very, very grateful that we were getting such a real experience. There was less around to take you out of the actual environment that your characters were operating in,” he said.

The film, which is expected to release in Pakistan towards the end of this month, looks likely to be an Oscar frontrunner after picking up three awards at the Golden Globes – best drama film, best drama actor for Leonardo DiCaprio and best director for Inarritu.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 14^th, 2016.

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