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Friday, January 28, 2005 - Web posted at 7:34:38 GMT 'Phoenix' African premiere at Swakop MAGGI BARNARD at SWAKOPMUND'FLIGHT of the Phoenix', the first Hollywood movie to be shot completely in Namibia, will return to Swakopmund on March 13 for its African premiere. |
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Only two exclusive screenings are allowed at the Atlanta Cinema at Swakopmund before the action movie's simultaneous release in the rest of Namibia and South Africa on March 18. Europeans will be able to see the movie a month earlier, from February 20. Dignitaries including President Sam Nujoma, Prime Minister Theo-Ben Gurirab, representatives of Ministries and Mayors of towns involved in the making of the movie will be invited to the first screening at 18h00. The second screening at 20h30 is for the Namibian crew of about 150 people who worked on the movie. "This is just to say thank you to everybody who helped us," Guy Nockels of Namib Films told The Namibian yesterday. None of the international actors, including Dennis Quaid in the lead role, will be present at the first showing of the film in Africa. US PREMIERE Most of them attended the official premiere on December 17 in Los Angeles, USA. Nockels, who went over for the event, said he was very impressed. "I felt very proud walking out of the cinema. Namibia has been put on the map. The desert looks fantastic. It shows off the country beautifully." He said many people noted that the desert had never looked so good, "even the critics picked it up". Although Namib Films, Government Ministries and other contributors in the country are credited at the end of the movie, Nockels said it was unfortunate it did not state anywhere that the movie was shot in Namibia. It seems as if the scenery alone has caught the attention of the right people. Nockels would not reveal much, but said well-known moviemakers have already shown an interest in shooting a Namibian story in the country. When pressed for more details, he only added that it was already "more than interest", but no time line was in place yet. MIXED REVIEWS Reaction to the remake of the original 1965 movie, which starred Jimmy Stewart, Richard Attenborough and Peter Finch, has so far been mixed. Nockels said a lot of other good movies, including 'Oceans 12' and 'Aviator', were unfortunately released at the same time. The popular Internet Movie Data Base has given it a user rating of 6.5 out of 10 on its website, while readers on the Yahoo site have given it a C+. One user said it was an excellent movie, while another felt it was terrible. Movie critics have overall been less complimentary. One labelled it as silly and another said it had too many clichés. In comparison to the original and its star-studded cast, most critics could only say something positive about the special effects. "The sandstorms are much better. Overall there is much more sand," one critic said. Namibians will have to wait until March to make up their minds over the drama that unfolds when a C-119 cargo plane full of oil workers crashes in Mongolia's Gobi Desert during a sandstorm. The survivors attempt to build a new plane from the parts they find in the wreckage to escape. The plane was piloted by Captain Frank Towns (Dennis Quaid), an employee of oil company Geodel, whose job it is to go to remote oil rigs and shut them down when their productivity has decreased. The rest of the line-up include Giovanni Ribisi ('Lost in Translation'), Tyrese Gibson, Miranda Otto, Tony Curran, Sticky Fingaz, Jacob Vargas, Hugh Laurie and Jared Padalecki. The Director of the movie is John Moore, who did 'Behind Enemy Lines'. The only Namibians to land a role in the movie were 36 members of the Topnaar community at the coast, only five of whom were used in the actual scene. They played a band of Bedouins chasing the rebuilt Phoenix when it attempts to take off. The Namibian crew included artisans, such as welders, painters and carpenters, drivers, personal assistants, a locations team and the transport department. Seven Namibians were also taken on as trainees on the set through the Namibian Film Commission. They were employed in the camera, lighting, art, grips (everything below the camera), wardrobe and special effects departments. |
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