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A History of Violence
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
| name = A History of Violence
| image = History of violence.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = David Cronenberg
| producer = Chris Bender
J. C. Spink
| screenplay = Josh Olson
| based_on =
| starring =
| music = Howard Shore
| cinematography = Peter Suschitzky
| editing = Ronald Sanders
| studio =
| distributor =
| released =
| runtime = 96 minutes
| country =
| language = English
| budget = $32 million
| gross = $61.4 million
}}
'A History of Violence' is a 2005 action thriller film directed by David Cronenberg and written by Josh Olson. It is an adaptation of the 1997 graphic novel of the same title by John Wagner and Vince Locke. The film stars Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, William Hurt, and Ed Harris.
'A History of Violence' was in the main competition for the 2005 Palme d'Or, and was put into a limited release in the United States on September 23, 2005, followed by a wide release on September 30, 2005. It is sometimes considered one of the greatest films of the 2000s. The film was specifically praised for its performances, screenplay, atmosphere, and plot. William Hurt was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, while Olson was nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay. Mortensen himself praised it as "one of the best movies [he's] ever been in, if not the best", also declaring it was a "perfect film noir" or "close to perfect". It is also notable as being one of the last major Hollywood films to be released on VHS.
Plot
Tom Stall is a diner owner who lives in small-town Indiana with his wife Edie and his children Jack and Sarah. One night, two spree killers enter Tom's restaurant, threaten those inside and sexually assault one of his employees. Tom deftly kills them and is hailed a hero while the incident makes national news.
A few days later, Tom is visited by a man named Carl Fogarty who alleges that Tom is actually Joey Cusack, a former gangster with the Irish Mob in Philadelphia. Tom vehemently denies this, but Carl remains persistent and begins to stalk the Stalls. Under pressure, Tom's relationship with Edie, Jack, and Sarah face continued strain.
Following an argument with Tom over the use of violence at school, Jack runs away only to be captured and held hostage by Carl. Carl confronts Tom and demands his return to Philadelphia in exchange for his son's release. After Jack is freed, Tom manages to kill Carl's henchmen until Carl shoots him. A wounded Tom drops his faade and manifests his former self but Jack shoots and kills Carl with a shotgun before he can fight back.
At the hospital, a furious Edie confronts Tom who admits to being Joey Cusack, revealing that he started a new life to escape his criminal past. Tom becomes further isolated from the rest of his family and the community. One day, Tom receives a phone call from his estranged brother Richie Cusack who demands his return.
Returning to Philadelphia, Tom learns that his past actions have delayed Richie's advancement with the Irish Mob. Tom offers peace but Richie orders his men to kill his brother. Tom manages to escape from being strangled to death; he kills the gangsters and confronts Richie before shooting him dead. After returning home to find his family eating dinner, Tom is offered food by Jack and Sarah, signaling his acceptance back into their lives.
Cast
Production
The film is loosely based on the original graphic novel. Screenwriter Josh Olson intended from the very beginning to use the original story as a springboard to explore the themes that interested him.
In a 2014 interview, Mortensen said he read Olson's original version of the script and "was quite disappointed. It was 120-odd pages of just mayhem; kind of senseless, really." He only agreed to do the movie after meeting with Cronenberg, who (according to Mortensen) reworked the script.
Most of the film was shot in Millbrook, Ontario. The shopping centre scene was shot in Tottenham, Ontario, and the climactic scene was shot at the historic Eaton Hall Mansion, located in King City, Ontario. Harrison Ford turned down the role of Tom Stall.
Alternate versions
The U.S. and European versions differ on only two fight scenes: one where Tom breaks the nose of one of Fogarty's thugs and one where he stomps on the throat of one of Richie Cusack's thugs. Both scenes display more blood flowing or gushing out of the victims in the European version. In addition, a more pronounced bone-crushing sound effect is used when Tom stomps on the thug's throat.'A History of Violence' DVD Extra: U.S. vs. European.A deleted scene, known as "Scene 44", features a dream sequence in the diner, where Fogarty tells Tom he will kill him and his family; to which Tom responds by shooting him with his shotgun at close range. He then approaches Fogarty's mangled body, which raises a gun and shoots him.'A History of Violence' DVD Extra: Scene 44. In the DVD extras' on-set footage, Mortensen suggests Harris should pull the gun from his chest cavity. Cronenberg, while amused by the idea, rejects it for being too self-referential; he cites a sequence in his film 'Videodrome', in which a character pulls a handgun from a slit in his stomach.
Interpretation
The film's title plays on multiple levels of meaning. Film critic Roger Ebert stated that Cronenberg refers to 3 possibilities:
Cronenberg himself described the film as a meditation on the human body and its relationship to violence:
For me the first fact of human existence is the human body. Im not an atheist, but for me to turn away from any aspect of the human body to me is a philosophical betrayal. And theres a lot of art and religion whose whole purpose is to turn away from the human body. I feel in my art that my mandate is to not do that. So whether its beautiful thingsthe sexuality part, or the violent part or the gooey partits just body fluids. Its when Elliott in 'Dead Ringer' ('sic') says, Why are there no beauty contests for the insides of bodies? Its a thought that disturbs me. How can we be disgusted by our own bodies? That really doesnt make any human sense. It makes some animal sense but it doesnt make human sense so Im always discussing that in my movies and in this movie in particular. I dont ever feel that Ive been exploitive in a crude, vulgar way, or just doing it to get attention. Its always got a purpose which I can be very articulate about. In this movie, weve got an audience thats definitely going to applaud these acts of violence and they do because its set up that these acts are justifiable and almost heroic at times. But Im saying, Okay, if you can applaud that, can you applaud this? because this is the result of that gunshot in the head. Its not nice. And even if the violence is justifiable, the consequences of the violence are exactly the same. The body does not know what was the morality of that act. So Im asking the audience to see if they can contain the whole experience of this violent act instead of just the heroic/dramatic one. Im saying Heres the really nasty effects on these nasty guys but still, the effects are very nasty. And thats the paradox and conundrum."
Release
'A History of Violence' premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in May 2005, and was released in the United States on September 30 following a successful limited release on September 23, 2005.
Home media
The film was released on DVD and VHS formats on March 14, 2006, and was reported by the 'Los Angeles Times' as being the last major Hollywood film to be released on VHS.Reception
Box office
The film started with a limited release in 14 theaters and grossed $515,992 at the box office, averaging $36,856 per theater. A week later, it went on a wide release in 1,340 theaters and grossed $8,103,077 in its opening weekend. During its entire theatrical run, the film grossed $31,504,633 in the United States and $60,334,064 worldwide.Critical response
The film received widespread acclaim from critics. The review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a score of 87% based on 215 critics' reviews, with an average rating of 7.90/10. The website's consensus reads, "'A History of Violence' raises compelling and thoughtful questions about the nature of violence, while representing a return to form for director David Cronenberg in one of his more uncharacteristic pieces." On Metacritic, the film has an average score of 81 out of 100, based on 37 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". It was ranked the best film of 2005 in the Village Voice Film Poll.[http://www.villagevoice.com/take/seven.php?page=winners&category=1 > take 7 film critics' poll], 'Village Voice' 'Empire' named the film the 448th-greatest film of all time. The French film magazine 'Cahiers du cinma' ranked the film as 5th place in its list of best films of the decade 20002009. However, audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "C+" on an A+ to F scale.'Rolling Stone' critic Peter Travers gave the film four stars, highlighting its "explosive power and subversive wit", and lauded David Cronenberg as a "world-class director, at the top of his startlingly creative form". 'Entertainment Weekly' reviewer Lisa Schwarzbaum gave the film an A, concluding that "David Cronenberg's brilliant movie" was "without a doubt one of the very best of the year". Manohla Dargis of 'The New York Times' called the film a "mindblower", and noted Cronenberg's "refusal to let us indulge in movie violence without paying a price". Roger Ebert also gave the film a very positive review, observing that "'A History of Violence' seems deceptively straightforward, coming from a director with Cronenberg's quirky complexity. But think again. This is not a movie about plot, but about character." He gave it 3 and a half stars (out of 4).
In December 2005, it was named to the Toronto International Film Festival's annual Canada's Top Ten list of the year's best Canadian films."Topping the list: Canada's cinematic achievements". 'National Post', December 14, 2005.
In his list of best films of the decade, Peter Travers named this , praising director David Cronenberg:
Is Canadian director David Cronenberg the most unsung maverick artist in movies? Bet on it ... Cronenberg knows violence is wired into our DNA. His film showed how we secretly crave what we publicly condemn. This is potent poison for a thriller, and unadulterated, unforgettable Cronenberg.
BBC film critic Mark Kermode named the film the best of 2005.
In 2016, the film was ranked among the 100 greatest films since 2000 in an international critics poll by 177 critics around the world.
Accolades
{| class="wikitable plainrowheaders"|-
! Award
! Category
! Nominee(s)
! Result
|-
| rowspan="2"| Academy Awards
| Best Supporting Actor
| William Hurt
|
|-
| Best Adapted Screenplay
| Josh Olson
|
|-
| American Film Institute Awards
| colspan="2"| Top 10 Movie of the Year
|
|-
| Austin Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Supporting Actor
| William Hurt
|
|-
| rowspan="5"| Awards Circuit Community Awards
| Best Director
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Best Actress in a Supporting Role
| Maria Bello
|
|-
| Best Adapted Screenplay
| Josh Olson
|
|-
| Best Cinematography
| Peter Suschitzky
|
|-
| Best Original Score
| Howard Shore
|
|-
| Belgian Film Critics Association Awards
| Grand Prix
| rowspan="2"| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Bodil Awards
| Best American Film
|
|-
| British Academy Film Awards
| Best Adapted Screenplay
| Josh Olson
|
|-
| Cahiers du Cinma
| Top 10 Film
| rowspan="3"| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Cahiers du Cinma
| Best Film of the 2000s
|
|-
| Cannes Film Festival
| Palme d'Or
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| Central Ohio Film Critics Association Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Film
|
|-
| Best Director
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Maria Bello
|
|-
| Csar Awards
| Best Foreign Film
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| rowspan="4"| Chicago Film Critics Association Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Film
|
|-
| Best Director
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Maria Bello
|
|-
| Best Screenplay
| Josh Olson
|
|-
| Critics' Choice Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
| Maria Bello
|
|-
| DallasFort Worth Film Critics Association Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Picture
|
|-
| David di Donatello Awards
| Best Foreign Film
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| rowspan="5"| Directors Guild of Canada Awards[https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/david-cronenberg-sweeps-director-s-guild-of-canada-awards-1.593632 "David Cronenberg sweeps Director's Guild of Canada awards"]. CBC Arts, October 15, 2006.
| colspan="2"| Outstanding Feature Film
|
|-
| Outstanding Direction Feature Film
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Outstanding Picture Editing Feature Film
| Ronald Sanders
|
|-
| Outstanding Production Design Feature Film
| Carol Spier
|
|-
| Outstanding Sound Editing Feature Film
| Alastair Gray and Michael O'Farrell
|
|-
| Edgar Allan Poe Awards
| Best Motion Picture Screenplay
| Josh Olson ;
John Wagner and Vince Locke
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Empire Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Thriller
|
|-
| Best Actor
| Viggo Mortensen
|
|-
| French Syndicate of Cinema Critics Awards
| Best Foreign Film
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| rowspan="4"| Gold Derby Film Awards
| Best Motion Picture
| Chris Bender, David Cronenberg and J.C. Spink
|
|-
| Best Director
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Maria Bello
|
|-
| Best Adapted Screenplay
| Josh Olson
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Golden Globe Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Motion Picture Drama
|
|-
| Best Actress in a Motion Picture Drama
| rowspan="2"| Maria Bello
|
|-
| Golden Schmoes Awards
| Best Supporting Actress of the Year
|
|-
| Gotham Independent Film Awards
| Best Feature
| David Cronenberg, Chris Bender and J.C. Spink
|
|-
| Hollywood Legacy Awards
| Writer of the Year
| Josh Olson
|
|-
| rowspan="4"| International Cinephile Society Awards
| colspan="2"| Top 10 Films of the Year
|
|-
| Best Director
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actor
| William Hurt
|
|-
| Best Adapted Screenplay
| Josh Olson
|
|-
| International Film Music Critics Association Awards
| Best Original Score for a Horror/Thriller Film
| Howard Shore
|
|-
| rowspan="6"| International Online Cinema Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Picture
|
|-
| Best Director
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Best Actor
| Viggo Mortensen
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actor
| William Hurt
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Maria Bello
|
|-
| Best Adapted Screenplay
| Josh Olson
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Italian Online Movie Awards
| Best Director
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| rowspan="2"| Maria Bello
|
|-
| Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards
| Best Supporting Actress
|
|-
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Picture
|
|-
| rowspan="4"| London Film Critics Circle Awards
| colspan="2"| Film of the Year
|
|-
| Director of the Year
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Actor of the Year
| Viggo Mortensen
|
|-
| Actress of the Year
| Maria Bello
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Film
|
|-
| Best Director
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actor
| William Hurt
|
|-
| National Board of Review Awards
| colspan="2"| Top Ten Films
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| National Society of Film Critics Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Film
|
|-
| Best Director
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actor
| Ed Harris
|
|-
| rowspan="5"| New York Film Critics Circle Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Film
|
|-
| Best Director
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Best Actor
| Viggo Mortensen
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actor
| William Hurt
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Maria Bello
|
|-
| North Texas Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Supporting Actor
| William Hurt
|
|-
| rowspan="9"| Online Film & Television Association Awards
| Best Picture
| Chris Bender, David Cronenberg and J.C. Spink
|
|-
| Best Director
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actor
| William Hurt
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Maria Bello
|
|-
| Best Adapted Screenplay
| Josh Olson
|
|-
| Best Film Editing
| Ronald Sanders
|
|-
| Best Casting
| Mark Bennett and Deirdre Brown
|
|-
| Best Cinematic Moment
| Stair Scene
|
|-
| colspan="2"| Best Official Film Website
|
|-
| rowspan="6"| Online Film Critics Society Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Picture
|
|-
| Best Director
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actor
| William Hurt
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress
| Maria Bello
|
|-
| Best Adapted Screenplay
| Josh Olson
|
|-
| Best Editing
| rowspan="2"| Ronald Sanders
|
|-
| San Diego Film Critics Society Awards
| Best Editing
|
|-
| Sant Jordi Awards
| Best Foreign Film
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| Satellite Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Motion Picture Drama
|
|-
| Best Actor in a Motion Picture Drama
| Viggo Mortensen
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture Drama
| Maria Bello
|
|-
| Satellite Awards
| colspan="2"| Outstanding Overall DVD
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| Saturn Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Action/Adventure/Thriller Film
|
|-
| Best Actor
| Viggo Mortensen
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actor
| William Hurt
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| Scream Awards
| Best Director
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Most Heroic Performance
| Viggo Mortensen
|
|-
| The "Holy Sh!t"/"Jump-From-Your-Seat" Award
| The diner shootout
|
|-
| SESC Film Festival
| Best Foreign Film (Audience Award)
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Southeastern Film Critics Association Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Picture
|
|-
| St. Louis Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Director
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| Toronto Film Critics Association Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Film
|
|-
| colspan="2"| Best Canadian Film
|
|-
| Best Director
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Turkish Film Critics Association Awards
| colspan="2"| Best Foreign Film
|
|-
| colspan="2"| USC Scripter Awards
| Josh Olson ;
John Wagner and Vince Locke
|
|-
| rowspan="2"| Utah Film Critics Association Awards
| Best Actress
| Maria Bello
|
|-
| Best Supporting Actor
| William Hurt
|
|-
| Vancouver Film Critics Circle Awards
| Best Director
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| rowspan="7"| Village Voice Film Poll
| colspan="2"| Best Film
|
|-
| Best Director
| David Cronenberg
|
|-
| Best Lead Performance
| Viggo Mortensen
|
|-
| rowspan="3"| Best Supporting Performance
| Maria Bello
|
|-
| Ed Harris
|
|-
| Wiiliam Hurt
|
|-
| Best Screenplay
| rowspan="2"| Josh Olson
|
|-
| Writers Guild of America Awards
| Best Adapted Screenplay
|
|-
| Young Artist Awards
| Best Performance in a Feature Film Young Actress Age Ten or Younger
| Heidi Hayes
|
|}
Soundtrack
The soundtrack to 'A History of Violence' was released on October 11, 2005.
References
Buy A History of Violence now from Amazon
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