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Silence (2016)
Silence is a 2016 epic historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Jay Cocks and Scorsese. It is based on the 1966 novel by Japanese author Shūsaku Endō, marking the third film adaptation of the novel. The film stars Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Tadanobu Asano, Ciarán Hinds and Liam Neeson. The plot follows two 17th-century Jesuit priests who travel from Portugal to Edo period Japan via…
Directed by Martin Scorsese · Shot by Rodrigo Prieto · Cut by Thelma Schoonmaker · Music by Howard Shore · 161 min
How it was made
- Producer Irwin Winkler chose to shoot the film, set in 17th-century Japan, in and around Taipei because Taiwan offered comparable locations at far lower cost; the tight budget meant Scorsese, Winkler and the entire principal cast including Liam Neeson and Adam Driver worked for union scale or less.
- On January 28, 2015, a ceiling collapsed in a backlot at Taiwan's CMPC Studios during production, killing one contracted crew member and injuring two others.
- Cinematographer Rodrigo Prieto shot landscapes and actors on film but switched to digital for night scenes, and simulated moonlight with a rig of blue-green lights nicknamed the 'UFO' suspended from a crane.
- Prieto and Scorsese based the film's colour palette on Baroque painters, opening the film in blue and cyan tones before shifting to a golden-yellow hue as the story progresses.
Behind the scenes
Elsewhere
More by Martin Scorsese
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