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Jeff Lebowski · 12-26-2007, 05:28 PM

I rented this DVD last week:

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462504/

It is directed by Werner Herzog and is based on a true story about a US Navy pilot shot down over Laos who was a POW and then escaped. I believe he was the only US POW in the Viet Nam War to successfully escape.

I am big fan of true stories, especially when the filmmakers go the extra mile to stay true to the historical account, as they did in this case. It is a remarkable story. Highly recommended.

There was some superb acting in this film. As the story progresses, the characters lose weight and become much thinner. I wondered how this was done, since that is more than a camera trick. I did a little research and found that the main actors lost weight before the film and they then filmed the movie in reverse. Over the six weeks or so of the filming, they ate rich food so as to gain weight quickly. It is amazing how much weight they lost for this film. Especially Jeremy Davies:

http://www.imdb.com/gallery/ss/04625...th_key=0462504

He went above and beyond the call of duty. The producers were concerned that he lost too much weight and his health was in danger, but he (and the others) insisted that he wanted to do it out of respect for the POWs.

12-26-2007, 05:28 PM	#1
Jeff Lebowski Charon Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the heart of darkness (Provo) Posts: 9,564	Rescue Dawn I rented this DVD last week: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0462504/ It is directed by Werner Herzog and is based on a true story about a US Navy pilot shot down over Laos who was a POW and then escaped. I believe he was the only US POW in the Viet Nam War to successfully escape. I am big fan of true stories, especially when the filmmakers go the extra mile to stay true to the historical account, as they did in this case. It is a remarkable story. Highly recommended. There was some superb acting in this film. As the story progresses, the characters lose weight and become much thinner. I wondered how this was done, since that is more than a camera trick. I did a little research and found that the main actors lost weight before the film and they then filmed the movie in reverse. Over the six weeks or so of the filming, they ate rich food so as to gain weight quickly. It is amazing how much weight they lost for this film. Especially Jeremy Davies: http://www.imdb.com/gallery/ss/04625...th_key=0462504 He went above and beyond the call of duty. The producers were concerned that he lost too much weight and his health was in danger, but he (and the others) insisted that he wanted to do it out of respect for the POWs. __________________ "... the arc of the universe is long but it bends toward justice." Martin Luther King, Jr.