A Mighty Heart - Preview and Cannes reaction
Preview by Jack Foley
ONE of the hits of the Cannes Film Festival was the latest film from prolific British director Michael Winterbottom, A Mighty Heart, starring Angelina Jolie.
The film follows the events of January 23, 2002, which changed Mariane Pearl’s world forever.
Her husband, Daniel, South Asia bureau chief for the Wall Street Journal, was researching a story on shoe bomber Richard Reid which drew them to Karachi, where a go-between had promised access to an elusive source.
As Danny left for the meeting, he told Mariane he might be late for dinner – but he never returned.
Six months pregnant when the ordeal began, Mariane was carrying a son that Danny hoped to name Adam.
But she wrote the acclaimed book A Mighty Heart: The Brave Life and Death of My Husband Danny Pearl in order to introduce Adam to the father he would never meet.
Transcending religion, race and nationality, Mariane’s courageous desire to rise above the bitterness and hatred that continues to plague this post 9/11 world, serves as the purest expression of the joy of life she and Danny shared.
The rights to A Mighty Heart were acquired by Jolie’s companion, Brad Pitt, in 2003, through his production company Plan B Entertainment.
But the story immediately captured the enthusiasm of Winterbottom, who told a Cannes press conference: “I was in Pakistan in 2001 when Daniel and Mariane were covering the war in Afghanistan. We were filming In This World in Peshawar when we heard about Danny’s death.
“So I had my own personal experience of Pakistan when I read Mariane’s book, and I was impressed. It seemed very recognizable.”
Angelina Jolie, who won rave reviews for her portrayal of Mariane, said she was determined not to do a disservice to her when preparing for the role.
She commented:“Mariane had suffered the ugliest side of all that is going on in the world today and came out of it believing we cannot just be angry and blinded by hate, but must continue to have a dialogue.
“If I didn’t represent her right, and people don’t see what a beautiful, strong, open-minded, loving woman she is, then I’ve hurt a really great woman.”
Her partner, Brad Pitt, also attended the press conference in his capacity as the film’s producer, and told journalists that he was delighted to be able to be a part of the process of making important films without necessarily starring in them.
“What I appreciate the most is to be part of projects that wouldn’t be right on the acting front – stories like Mariane’s story, which I was very taken with,” he explained.
“It was important for me to be a part of that and through producing we get to do that and take part in these kind of films and see them through to the end and find the right people like the cast you see here.
“That’s the producer’s job: make sure things stay on the rails. It’s a really interesting side to filmmaking itself and we don’t have to be in front of the camera.”
A Mighty Heart is due to open in UK cinemas on September 21