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The Scourtge

06/28/00- Updated 10:19 AM ET

 

'Patriot' marches toward glory

By Susan Wloszczyna, USA TODAY

More about Mel

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red.JPG (949 bytes) Read the 3-star review
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red.JPG (949 bytes) Mel Gibson

EDISTO BEACH, S.C. - Palmetto trees flutter. Dolphins slice through the surf beyond the shell-strewn sand. Extras in Colonial garb dine in the sun.

Crew chatter and children's laughter mingle with the sounds of star Mel Gibson, roughly handsome and tan in ponytail and breeches, using a bullhorn to taunt German director Roland Emmerich of The Patriot as he channels a mischievous spirit named Klaus.

Explains Gibson with a playful glint: "He is Roland's inner voice. When he least expects it, Klaus will be behind him, saying sort-of-dour thoughts."

The Patriot
'Patriot': Mel Gibson flick comes riding into theaters this weekend.

Is this any way to way to win the American Revolution?

Feels more like a July Fourth picnic. At least when the cameras halt and the story of Gibson's widowed farmer - Benjamin Martin, drawn into the fray when the British threaten his family - isn't unfolding in all its bloody, sentimental, flag-waving glory.

A wedding, a healing hug between father and child, a long-awaited kiss. These few happy scenes in the $100 million epic are being shot at this nearly paradisiacal locale serving as a haven for Martin's battered brood, so the jovial mood is understandable.

Yet deceptive. Those involved behind the scenes of this 5 1/2-month shoot are waging their own campaign. They are out to convince moviegoers, who usually see three-cornered hats and think, "Ugh, history homework," that the War of Independence can make for blow-you-away 21st century entertainment.

Emmerich savors the challenge. "There's never been a successful American Revolution movie? Great, then there's something to prove."

Now the pressure is truly on, because mother studio Sony is counting on the R-rated Patriot to pull in major Yankee Doodle dough when it opens today, in time for the long Fourth of July weekend. It will have to square off against another big gun, Warner Bros.' The Perfect Storm, out Friday.

And not only is The Patriot about the birth of a nation, it's about the rebirth of the filmmaking partnership of Emmerich, 44, and producer Dean Devlin, 37. And that's no hype.

Hype? That four-letter word got them in trouble when billboards for 1998's Godzilla boasted "Size Does Matter." So does quality, and although the lizard flick would go on to gross nearly $360 million worldwide, it was a huge letdown critically and commercially from 1996's Independence Day, which set off almost $800 million in global box office fireworks.

Says Premiere magazine's Anne Thompson: "During Godzilla, they had the arrogance of filmmakers who have scored one of the biggest hits ever with Independence Day. After Godzilla, they were somewhat humbled."

And ready to change. Just as Gibson's Martin adapts to conquer, so these vets of summer movie wars revised their attack:

red.JPG (949 bytes) Change your strategy and forge new alliances. Martin learns to trust Frenchman Jean Villeneuve (Tcheky Karyo) as an ally. And, as a militia commander, he decides to switch to guerrilla tactics to ambush the all-too-organized Redcoats.

Similarly, Emmerich and Devlin, whose first co-production was the 1994 sleeper Stargate, specialize in sci-fi. But with The Patriot, they look to the past. And, for the first time, they are making a movie from a script they didn't write, one by Robert Rodat, hot off 1998's acclaimed World War II drama Saving Private Ryan.

It was Ryan producer Mark Gordon who approached the pair. Why did he select what on the surface seems like an unlikely choice? "I thought Independence Day was a perfectly made film for what it was. And if you are a good storyteller and you are talented, you can tell a number of stories."

Both Emmerich and Devlin say it was the strength of the screenplay, not necessarily a desire for a new direction, that attracted them to the project. "Your instinct politically is to do the opposite," Devlin says. "To do the same thing but make it successful. It's a big risk, but I've never read a script this good before."

Rodat decided to tackle the era because, he says, "it felt current, oddly enough." Part of his research involved letters and journals, "and what was striking about them were their immediacy. The concerns are identical to what you read about in the Balkans or Kosovo. Civil wars are different. When a war takes place at home, the conflicting responsibilities of parenthood and duty are highlighted and are more painful."

Robert Bucksbaum of box office tracking firm Reel Source thinks it's smart that the two filmmakers are reinventing themselves. " If they do something else and are successful, it will open more doors."

red.JPG (949 bytes) Recruit the right leader. The rebel military officers count on Martin, with his superior fighting skills, to bring them closer to victory. And instead of the spectacle being the star, as in their other movies, Emmerich and Devlin hired Gibson, one of the industry's most consistent draws, to lead the charge. "It was hard to read the script and not see Mel," Devlin says.

Why did Gibson enlist? For one, he never saw Godzilla. "I heard it wasn't too good. I guess they wanted someone a little less reptilian this time."

Ultimately, the vision sold him: "Stories, the good ones, almost always are about the heroism all of us are capable of, given the right circumstances." And he liked that Devlin and Emmerich, relatively ego-free for Hollywood types, are collaborative fellows. Emmerich, he says, "is the hard driver and calls the shots. Dean is constantly there to support. They aren't screamers."

red.JPG (949 bytes) Focus on the family. The force that drives Martin is his seven children - especially after his eldest, Gabriel (Heath Ledger), joins the army against his wishes. And the challenge of portraying the effects of war from a personal perspective was what inspired Rodat.

When he began to think about what would become The Patriot, the writer visited a friend who lived in Concord, Mass. After they put their sons to bed, they grabbed a couple of beers and went to the North Bridge, where the famous Minuteman statue stands.

"And when I looked at the statue, I knew that guy had children. And there are farms around the bridge, and a battlefield is right there among the homes. When Benjamin and his son watch the fighting through their window, it's very accurate."

Yes, it's a war movie. But Emmerich and Devlin have devoted themselves to selling the picture as a family story. "Historical dramas only work if they have a story everyone can relate to," the director says. "There's a certain fascination about war, but that alone will never make a good movie. Gone With the Wind isn't just about the Civil War. It's a sweeping love story."

Bucksbaum thinks the emphasis on family matters also will encourage ticket sales. "The biggest selling point for the movie, besides that it's called The Patriot and it's coming out during our most patriotic weekend, is the fact that he is protecting his family. Mel was so successful in Ransom in a similar situation."

red.JPG (949 bytes) Best offense is a good defense. Martin preys on the pride of Gen. Cornwallis (Tom Wilkinson) and the British officers, who underestimate the might of the "rustic" forces. Devlin and Emmerich, who usually make PG-13 fare, knew they had to prepare the public for rather graphic combat carnage.

The producer justifies it in Godzilla terms. "The violence is a monster. It's a horrible creature that's coming toward these people, and it has to be horrible. To be anything else would simply glamorize the war."

To get the word out about the extreme gore, Sony showed about 45 minutes to the press in early April. Footage included two buzzed-about shockers: A cannonball bounces and knocks a soldier's head off, and Martin, pushed to the edge by a sadistic Brit, goes after a group of Redcoats and hacks one with a hatchet.

Bucksbaum doesn't see a drawback. "Violence only turns off people if there's not a purpose to it."

That was proved true during three test screenings. "When we saw how they reacted to the violence," Devlin says, "it became clear they understood this was violence with consequences. This was to make it ugly, not to desensitize it."

And to ward off criticism of inaccuracies, which has already reared its head over reality-based characters, experts from the Smithsonian Institution oversaw everything from the crops Martin grew to the peg leg worn by an actor who is an actual amputee.

The Patriot, with its John Ford-style photography and strong performances, might not only see red, white and cash green. In a year that has coughed up few possible Oscar contenders, it might actually put the Godzilla guys into the running for awards.

"We see tears in the audience," Devlin says, "and we are as shocked as anybody."

And he and Emmerich may not be known for their lizard slip much longer. Says Bucksbaum: "You are only as good as your last film. No one will remember Godzilla, but they will always talk about The Patriot."





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