Prince Avalancheis a 2013 Americancomedy-dramafilm written and directed byDavid Gordon Greenand starringPaul RuddandEmile Hirsch.The screenplay is based on the 2011 Icelandic filmEither Way(Á annan veg). The film was shot inBastrop, Texas,after theBastrop County Complex Fire.
| Prince Avalanche | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | David Gordon Green |
| Written by | David Gordon Green |
| Based on | Either Way byHafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Tim Orr |
| Edited by | Colin Patton |
| Music by | |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Magnolia Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $700,000 (estimated)[2] |
| Box office | $442,313[3] |
Plot
editIn 1988, an odd pair of sorts, meditative and stern Alvin and his girlfriend's brother, Lance, dopey and insecure, leave the city behind to spend the summer in solitude repainting traffic lines down the center of a country highway ravaged by wildfire. As they sink into their job in the remarkable landscape, they learn more than they want to about each other and their own limitations. They regularly encounter a drunk truck driver. As Lance leaves for a weekend in the city, Alvin enjoys his solitude and explores the woods by himself. He comes across a house that has been burned to the ground by the wildfire, and encounters a woman who explains that it is her house, and she is searching in the rubble for her pilot's licence.
Lance returns distraught and with a black eye, claiming to have been beat up by the boyfriend of a woman he had been courting. Lance later finds that his sister Madison, Alvin's girlfriend, has sent Alvin aDear John letterand the couple are heard arguing on the phone about Alvin's absence and Madison's new lover.
After a brief fight the two console each other about their predicaments. Lance reveals that the real reason behind his distress is that a middle-aged woman he has been seeing is pregnant with his child, and he laments and ponders his fears of fatherhood and responsibility. Alvin encourages Lance to embrace parenthood and assures him he will be a great father, and the two form an unlikely friendship. Alvin nicknames their duo "Alvinlance."
In a final scene, they greet the truck driver, and Alvin notices the woman he had encountered earlier entering his truck, but the truck driver does not see her.
Cast
edit- Paul Ruddas Alvin
- Emile Hirschas Lance
- Lance LeGaultas Truck Driver
- Joyce Payne as Lady
Production
editThe idea of makingPrince Avalanchecame when the bandExplosions in the Skyproposed the idea of making a movie with directorDavid Gordon GreenatBastrop State Park,which was being restored following the 2011Bastrop County Complex fire.[4]Adapted from Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurðsson's 2011 filmEither Way,the script forPrince Avalancheconsisted of roughly 65 pages – about 30 pages short of an average feature-length screenplay.[5]From development onward, the film was fast tracked to completion. "We really didn’t have time for proper or traditional development," said Gordon Green. "We had the idea in February of 2012, we were filming in May, and sound mi xing in July. It was an unusually tight production schedule."[6]Paul Rudd joked to anEntertainment Weeklyinterviewer, "I found the biggest challenge of working on this was trying to stifle myAlpha -male[masculinity]. "[7]
The film's entire production was done in secret; it was only announced to the public after completion in June 2012. This was at the request of the director, David Gordon Green, who wanted to get back to his independent roots after his last three films were completed by amajor film studio.[8]Principal photography forPrince Avalanchebegan in May 2012 and lasted for 16 days in Bastrop State Park. Because of its scale, the film was shot with a small 15-person film crew.[9]While already mid-shoot, the film crew came across Joyce Payne, a resident of the area whose home was destroyed in the fire.[10]Fascinated by her story, Gordon Green included her in the film. "It wasn’t scripted at all; it was something very real for her that we documented," said Gordon Green. "It ended up being pivotal. I couldn’t imagine the movie without it now."[6]
Release
editPrince Avalanchepremieredat the2013 Sundance Film Festivalon 20 January.[11]It then had its international premiere in competition at the63rd Berlin International Film Festivalon 13 February 2013[12]whereDavid Gordon Greenwon theSilver Bear for Best Director.[13]It subsequently screened at U.S. festivals such asSouth by SouthwestandMaryland Film Festival.
Reception
editPrince Avalanchereceived positive reviews and has an approval rating of 82% onRotten Tomatoesbased on 123 reviews with an average score of 6.90/10. The consensus states: "A step back in the right direction for director David Gordon Green,Prince Avalancheshambles amiably along with a pair of artfully low-key performances from Paul Rudd and Emile Hirsch. "[14]Metacriticgives the film a score of 73 out of 100, based on 29 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[15]
Soundtrack
editThe soundtrack was scored byExplosions in the Skyand David Wingo.[16]
References
edit- ^abcdef"Prince Avalanche (2013)".AFI Catalog of Feature Films.Retrieved10 September2023.
- ^"Prince Avalanche".Film Racket.September 10, 2013. Archived from the original on October 20, 2022.RetrievedOctober 20,2022.
{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^"Prince Avalanche (2013)".Box Office Mojo.IMDb.Archivedfrom the original on November 2, 2013.RetrievedOctober 30,2013.
- ^Abrams, Simon (August 9, 2013)."Q&A: David Gordon Green on Prince Avalanche, Emile Hirsch & Bitching About Movies".Esquire.Hearst Corporation.Archivedfrom the original on October 11, 2013.RetrievedOctober 30,2013.
- ^Sullivan, Kevin P. (August 13, 2013)."Emile Hirsch Was Unsure If 'Prince Avalanche' Was Actually A Movie When Filming It".MTV News.Viacom Media Networks.Archived fromthe originalon December 21, 2016.RetrievedOctober 30,2013.
- ^abDowd, A.A. (August 15, 2013)."David Gordon Green on Prince Avalanche and its Nicolas Cage companion piece".The A.V. Club.The Onion, Inc.Archivedfrom the original on November 1, 2013.RetrievedOctober 30,2013.
- ^Bierly, Mandi (January 20, 2013)."Paul Rudd talks 'Prince Avalanche' at Sundance: VIDEO".Entertainment Weekly.New York: Time Inc.: 14.RetrievedOctober 20,2022.
- ^"Rudd, Hirsch wrap secret indie".Variety.Penske Business Media.June 6, 2012. Archived fromthe originalon June 8, 2012.RetrievedDecember 15,2012.
- ^Sacks, Ethan (August 9, 2013)."To film 'Prince Avalanche,' David Gordon Green went into the wild with Emile Hirsch and Paul Rudd".New York Daily News.Archivedfrom the original on November 1, 2013.RetrievedOctober 30,2013.
- ^Hannaford, Alex (October 18, 2013)."Prince Avalanche: story behind a heartbreaking cameo".The Daily Telegraph.Archivedfrom the original on October 25, 2013.RetrievedOctober 30,2013.
- ^"2013 Sundance Film Festival Announces Films in Premieres and Documentary Premieres".Sundance Institute.December 3, 2012. Archived fromthe originalon December 6, 2012.RetrievedDecember 15,2012.
- ^"Quirky comedy film" Prince Avalanche "charms Berlin".Reuters.February 13, 2013.Archivedfrom the original on October 20, 2022.RetrievedOctober 20,2022.
- ^"Prizes of the International Jury 2013".Berlinale.Archivedfrom the original on 2017-09-13.Retrieved2013-02-16.
- ^"Prince Avalanche (2013)".Archivedfrom the original on April 12, 2021.RetrievedApril 29,2021– via rottentomatoes.
- ^"Prince Avalanche".Metacritic.Archivedfrom the original on July 9, 2015.RetrievedAugust 7,2015.
- ^Dolan, Jon (August 12, 2013)."Explosions in the Sky and David Wingo: Prince Avalanche: An Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Album Review".Rolling Stone.Wenner Media.Archivedfrom the original on October 20, 2022.RetrievedOctober 20,2022.