The tick-tocking of the Academy Awards clock can be heard across the nation, and with the anticipation for Martin Scorsese’s psychological thriller Shutter Island, fans can now look forward to the Oscars.
The film, which was originally set to release Oct. 2, 2009, was pushed back to Feb. 19 due to scheduling conflicts with Leonardo DiCaprio. The Digital Spy’s Web site reported in 2009 that DiCaprio was having difficulty touring for the thriller due to production for his new science fiction film, Inception, and rumored Sinatra biopic.
Scorsese and DiCaprio wrangled in the premiere of the film Saturday at the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany. Beyond exasperated pride for the final release of the film, the duo expanded their regiment together as a power team.
For nearly a decade, Scorsese and DiCaprio have made amazing films including, Gangs of New York, The Aviator and Oscar winner The Departed. Shutter Island will be the fourth film that is sure to provide as many thrills and chills as the previous three.
“Each experience has been unique. It’s been a progression; now it’s been 10 years,” DiCaprio said of his relationship with Scorsese at a news conference in Berlin. “If I’m lucky enough to work with him, I would consider it a gift.”
The movie, set in 1954, follows U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels (DiCaprio) as he investigates the disappearance of a mental patient from Boston’s Shutter Island hospital for the mentally insane.
“This (film) was a complex jigsaw puzzle of emotional backstories and dream sequences and truth and fiction,” DiCaprio said. “It was challenging and fulfilling.”
Another challenge DiCaprio faced was mastering his infamous Boston accent moviegoers became acquainted with in The Departed. Judging by the psychologically teasing movie trailers for Shutter Island, it seems DiCaprio has mastered the challenge.
The film is based on a novel written by Dennis Lehane, who is most notable for Clint Eastwood’s adaptation of his novel, Mystic River, and Ben Affleck’s directorial debut on Gone, Baby, Gone. In an interview with Michelle Kung from The Wall Street Journal, Lehane said a lot of his success has been due to luck and a distinct desire to work with people who are acclaimed on a high level.
Lehane said ever since he met Scorsese, he had a newfound appreciation for Scorseses’ knowledge on movies.
“For the first time in my life, I met somebody who not only knew more about movies than me, but knew vastly more about movies than me,” Lehane said. “Not only had I not seen things he was throwing out at me, which is rare, but he knew of films that I haven’t even heard of, which is unheard of.”
Lehane said his inspiration for the novel Shutter Island was based more on a cinematic vision. Films such as the 1973 version of The Wicker Man and Invasion of the Body Snatchers gave Lehane a glimpse into the allegorical world he used for his novel.
“I wanted the book to have a real pulpy feel,” Lehane said. “Marty [Scorsese] really got the tone; you can tell by the actors’ dialogue, which is not the dialogue of people in the 1950s, but rather the dialogue of how people spoke in the 1950s movies.”
Shutter Island will surely pivot above the rest this year at the movies. With an amazing cast, director and novelist behind the works, the film hopes to be remembered.
