After being released in March and doing quite well at the box office, The Adjustment Bureau will be released on DVD and Blu Ray on the 4th of July.
An unusual blend of sci-fi and romance, the movie features Matt Damon as a US Senate candidate whose fate changes when he meets and falls for a beautiful dancer, played by Emily Blunt.We posted an extended scene from the forthcoming DVD with Damon and the enigmatic Bureau agent played by Terence Stamp which you can see here.
The movie is written and directed by George Nolfi and I had the chance to chat to him and here’s what he told me about his experience.
HeyUGuys: The Adjustment Bureau is based on a short novel. What brought you to write and direct it?
George: More than a short novel, something even shorter – a ten pages story. My producer pitched me this story focused on a group of men who are basically “Fate” and who control people’s lives and decisions by making changes, “freezes”, in their brain. I thought it was an interesting concept – the idea of Fate personified was fascinating. Then he also mentioned a love story within this plot, and at that point I was sold, because it blended two different genres and I think this is something which attracts audiences and keeps them interested, and makes them want to watch the movie again.
HeyUGuys: Watching it, I found myself thinking that sometimes it does feel like an “Adjustment Bureau” is guiding our actions in real life. What do you think? Do you believe in predestination, or do we build our own destiny?
George: A little bit of both. In many ways The Adjustment Bureau can be seen as the metaphor for all obstacles that we can have in life. Where you are born and when, what language you speak, how healthy you are, are all things that dictate what life you are going to have. What was interesting was the notion that those obstacles don’t have to be final and don’t have to stop you from getting to where you want to be.
HeyUGuys: This was your first feature – how did you find the experience?
George: I loved it, I completely loved it and want to do it again. I am actually working on a couple of things right now, and I hope in the future to be able to work on more interesting different projects. I do think that you should try not to repeat yourself and always have something interesting and innovative to say.
HeyUGuys: How was working with Matt Damon and Emily Blunt? They had a very good chemistry in the movie.
George: They did, they like each other a lot. Casting is very important in the production of a movie, especially one based on a romance. In a story like in The Adjustement Bureau, where the protagonist wants to find the person he has lost and fights to have her back, if you don’t have people who can completely embody this then it’s not going to work. You need to have people who can be tridimensional and able to reflect this.
HeyUGuys: What was the most difficult thing to render on screen, in your opinion?
George: Well, in regards to scenes, surely the one in 6th Avenue was quite complicated – at some point in the film they have to run across 6th Avenue and you know that’s an extremely busy street all the time, so you lock the street for 90 seconds and you just have to make sure that everybody knows what they’re doing because you have a very short time to get it right. The actors need to know what they are doing and the crew needs to know how to capture it, as you only get 2 or 3 shots.
Another difficult scene was the one on Liberty Island – that’s one of our most important national monuments, and shooting there is quite complicated. It was winter at the time of filming and there weren’t enough daytime hours, so we had to shoot those scenes in the following spring. I tried doing it on a green screen but it just wasn’t the same – it’s very difficult for the actors to convey the right emotions when they’re not actually on location and it’s difficult for the crew as well as you can’t move freely and get the best shot. Likewise for the final scene on the rooftop – I could have done it on a green screen but I wanted a real rooftop, even though it’s complicates things both in terms of equipment (the sound is harder to capture clearly for example) and in terms of budget. I have to say those three scenes were the most difficult. It was a challenge for me as a first time director because you want to stay true to yourself while at the same time staying within a budget, but I think we’ve done quite a good job.
HeyUGuys: If you could direct any actor, would would you choose?
George: Even from the past? Well… Marlon Brando.
The Adjustment Bureau is out on Blu-ray and DVD on the 4th of July.
