american
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
made-for-television
A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...
The War of the Worlds
''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by ''Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appear ...
''. A documentary-style drama directed by
Timothy Hines
Timothy Hines is an American film director, screenwriter, writer and film producer, producer. Best known for his adaptation of the H. G. Wells novel ''The War of the Worlds'', he has a background in directing television commercials and short films ...
, it revisits Wells' novel, portraying the events of the book as historical, through the documented recollections of a survivor of the Martian war.
Concept
The film bases its documentary approach on the 1938
Orson Welles
George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...
CBS radio
CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broadc ...
broadcast of ''
War of the Worlds
''The War of the Worlds'' is a science fiction novel by English author H. G. Wells, first serialised in 1897 by ''Pearson's Magazine'' in the UK and by ''Cosmopolitan (magazine), Cosmopolitan'' magazine in the US. The novel's first appear ...
Timothy Hines
Timothy Hines is an American film director, screenwriter, writer and film producer, producer. Best known for his adaptation of the H. G. Wells novel ''The War of the Worlds'', he has a background in directing television commercials and short films ...
said, in reference to this technique, "When Orson Welles broadcast ''War of the Worlds'' on the radio in the 1930s, he presented it in such a way as to not clearly identify that it was a work of fiction. He did it for the drama. And many people took the fictional news broadcast as a real news broadcast. People believed they were hearing an actual invasion from Mars that night. We are approaching the story in the same way, as if it were an actual news documentary".
Cast
Production
The then-82-year-old actor Floyd Reichman, playing Bertie Wells, was recruited from the
Theatre Puget Sound
Theatre Puget Sound (TPS) is a not-for-profit organization devoted to supporting the performing arts in the Puget Sound area of Washington. It was founded in 1997.
Both individuals and organizations can be members of Theatre Puget Sound. Currentl ...
website by producer Goforth. Goforth played the character "The Wife" in flashbacks.Archipley, Paul (February 11, 2010) "H.G. Wells' 'War of the Worlds' filmed in Mukilteo - Martians land at B&B" ''Mukilteo Beacon''. p. 1,7. Retrieved September 13, 2012. Jim Cissell provides narration. Seattle-area actors Jack Clay (professor emeritus of the UW School of Drama) and John Kaufmann complete the main cast.
The film's budget was "less than" US$10 million.
Principal photography filmed at the
Hogland House
Linus Höglund (born 25 March 1997), better known as Hogland, is a Swedish music producer, DJ and songwriter.
He started his career in 2015 with his first song "The Night", which placed itself in the top 3 of the Swedish Spotify Viral 50 lis ...
, a
bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...
in
Mukilteo
Mukilteo ( ) is a city in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. It is located on the Puget Sound between Edmonds, Washington, Edmonds and Everett, Washington, Everett, approximately north of Seattle. The city had a population of 20,254 ...
,
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...
. Post-production work included "incorporating footage from the original film, archival stills from the period of the story, World War I footage, historical maps, photographs and other footage that will give the film the look and feel of a true documentary" according to Goforth and Hines. Editing took a "reported 3 1/2 years".
Release
According to the production company's website, the film was scheduled for a July 2011 release, to be available only in theaters on select weekends.
In 2011, the film was scheduled to tour 50 cities in the U.S. and Canada. Co-Producer Donovan Le stated that opening on weekends would be the most lucrative, with "no internet distribution whatsoever until the movie has played out its run." Hines stated he was inspired by
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film ''Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co ...
's Rockstar Tour for his film ''
Red State
Starting with the 2000 United States presidential election, the terms "red state" and "blue state" have referred to U.S. states whose voters vote predominantly for one party — the Republican Party in red states and the Democratic Party in b ...
''.Martin, Jessica (June 13, 2011) "''War of the Worlds The True Story''" . SFCrowsnest.com. Retrieved 2012-12-18.
The film premiered in Seattle on June 14, 2012 to begin its 50-theatre tour of the United States.
To qualify for nomination for the
Oscars
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
, from December 18–24, 2012, ''True Story'' played in
Pasadena, California
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
I ...
.
Reception
Gary Goldstein of the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
'' described the film as "clever like Wells" and "hugely inventive and ambitious," with an "eye-popping variety of" original and archival footage", matched to the period, adding, "''War of the Worlds: The True Story''," a mock sci-fi docudrama packed with a truly impressive —and clever —mix of editing (a reported 3 1/2 years' worth), special effects, visual artistry and offbeat storytelling. In closing, he wrote, "It's quite a production."
''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
'' summarized the film as "mostly impressive for its technical achievements", and "despite the undeniable technical proficiency on display, it yields diminishing returns." Describing the integration of film from various sources, "Hines weaves the various styles of footage together in expert fashion, creating a relatively seamless effect. He's also been remarkably faithful to the source material" of Wells' novel. But the reviewer concluded:Scheck, Frank (December 27, 2012) "''War of the Worlds: The True Story'': Film Review" ''
The Hollywood Reporter
''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...
''. "But ultimately the viewer is less consumed by the story than in dispassionately admiring the craftsmanship on display. The dramatic scenes, filmed in sepia tones to blend in with the historical footage, are clumsily staged and acted. And the endless battle sequences blend in together in wearying fashion, making the film seem far longer than its 105 minutes."
In
Ain't It Cool News
Ain't It Cool News (AICN) is an entertainment news website founded by Harry Knowles and run by his sister Dannie Knowles since September 2017, dedicated to news, rumors, and reviews of upcoming and current films, television, and comic book proje ...
the reviewer described ''True Story'' as "The best film I had the privilege of seeing this week", continuing, "I especially loved watching the attacks of both the aliens and the giant machines which have a ''Sky Captain & The World Of Tomorrow'' look to them." He summed up the film as "one of the coolest little films I've come across in quite a while. As if the Orson Welles radio broadcast wasn't mythic enough, along comes this mock-doc to add a whole new layer of intrigue to H.G. Wells' fascinating story. Highly recommended to those who love revisionist history, alien invasion films, and thrilling real-life documentaries."
Shawn Frances, critic of the film review site, You Won Cannes, praised the film writing, "Ever since the 1953 movie adaptation of War Of The Worlds there have been numerous other translations of Wells' novel, even a 1988 short-lived TV series, but of all the ones I have seen the only two—yes, only two—I find worthy of repeated viewings is the '53 film and this new 2013 docudrama.""Movie Review: War Of The Worlds: The True Story (2013, Dir. Timothy Hines)"
You Won Cannes
In Modern English, ''you'' is the second-person pronoun. It is grammatically plural, and was historically used only for the dative case, but in most modern dialects is used for all cases and numbers.
History
''You'' comes from the Proto- ...
. June 22, 2013.
The ''Port Townsend Leader'', published in Hines' home town, described the film's visuals as "packing a punch" despite the limited budget, finding the "designs of the tripods and aliens much truer to the book" than in other films of Wells' story, and that "Hines uses
he aliens'
He or HE may refer to:
Language
* He (pronoun), an English pronoun
* He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ
* He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets
* He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...
limited screen time well." The review noted that "scenes of destruction and panic tend to blur together after awhile" in spite of some "standout set pieces", and the sepia-toned palette of the film "loses its appeal". Concluding, the film "puts a unique spin on something that has been done many times before, which is no small feat."