T H E M A G I C O F M A R C I A N O
DIRECTOR: Tony Barbieri
STARRING: Nastassja Kinski, Robert Forster, Cody Morgan
DISTRIBUTOR: Lumiere International/Vanguard Home Video
TECH SPECS: 35mm, 1.85:1, Kodak (5293, 5279), Arriflex 35 BL 4s
Young James (Cody Morgan) explores the local docks. This 40ft crane shot follows the foreground flag up the pole, then pans away to reveal the scope of the marina. Principle photography took place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, where they say that “if you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes.” Sure enough, though this crane shot was accomplished under a cloudless blue sky, the very next setup (a mere 25 minutes later) was completely overcast.
Katie (Nastassja Kinski) tries to comfort her son James (Cody Morgan) when the abusive boyfriend strikes. Irving used a Tiffen Sepia 2 filter to lend an idyllic warmth to all the house interiors. This was an intentionally paradoxical choice made by Irving and director Tony Barbieri, to act as counterpoint to the agonizing disintegration of the characters’ mental states and family bonds.
James (Cody Morgan) fantasizes that he’s far away from his troubled home. This was the only scene not photographed in Halifax, Nova Scotia. It was filmed at the USC swimming pool in Los Angeles, which did not have all the proper compositional elements that Irving and director Barbieri wanted. Thus, the entire right-side grandstand was added digitally (along with a shadow that would fit the correct time of day). The sky was also replaced and the crowd was created by digitially multiplying the handful of extras that were actually on the set.
James (Cody Morgan) dreams of diving underwater at the USC swimming pool. This scene was photographed four months after the main production had wrapped.
Henry (Robert Forster) bonds with Katie (Nastassja Kinski) at James’ birthday party. Since all of the house interiors were shot on a soundstage, Irving took full advantage of the flying walls to get the camera where it needed to be in order to use longer lenses for more “glamorous” close-ups.
Katie (Nastassja Kinski) sets sail in the cold North Atlantic, off the coast of Nova Scotia. And cold it was, especially when Irving was buzzing over the boat in a helicopter for the final shot of the movie (see below).
