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News Of The World

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News of the World is a 2020 American Western film co-written and directed by Paul Greengrass, based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Paulette Jiles, and starring Tom Hanks and introducing Helena Zengel in her international film debut. The film follows an aging Civil War veteran who must return a young girl who was taken in by the Kiowa, and raised as one of them, to her last remaining family. She has lost both her birth and Kiowa families.

News of the World was released theatrically by Universal Pictures in the United States and on DirecTV on December 25, 2020, and grossed $12 million. Internationally, the film was released by Netflix in other territories on February 10, 2021.[5] It received positive reviews from critics, who praised the performances of Hanks and Zengel, as well as the cinematography, musical score, and Greengrass's direction. At the 93rd Academy Awards, the film received nominations for Best Original Score, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and Best Sound. Zengel received nominations for Best Supporting Actress at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Plot[]

In 1870, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd, a former Confederate officer who served in the 3rd Texas Infantry, makes a meager living traveling from town to town in Texas and reading newspaper stories to local residents for an admission fee of ten cents. After departing Wichita Falls, Kidd comes across an overturned wagon on the road and finds the driver, a black freedman, had been lynched. He also finds a young white girl who only speaks Kiowa and wearing a Kiowa dress and boots. Kidd learns from the girl's paperwork that she is Johanna Leonberger, who had been kidnapped and adopted by Kiowa six years earlier. Union Army troops discovered Johanna while dispersing a Kiowa camp and she was being taken to her living aunt and uncle by the freedman. A passing Union Army patrol instructs Kidd to take the girl to Union officials at an outpost in a town up the road. Kidd has little choice but to acquiesce.

At the town, Kidd is informed that the outpost's Bureau of Indian Affairs representative will be unavailable for three months. Kidd initially plans to leave Johanna in the care of friends Simon and Doris Boudlin, but accepts responsibility for returning the girl to her family in Castroville, some 400 miles away, after she recklessly tries to run away with a band of traveling Native Americans during a storm. In Dallas, Kidd stops at a local inn run by Ella Gannett, an intimate old acquaintance, whom he discovers speaks Kiowa and learns that Johanna's adoptive Native American family was also killed, making her "an orphan twice-over." He also finds out through translation that her Kiowa name is Cicada. After reading the news the next night, Kidd and Johanna are accosted by three ex-Confederate soldiers who want to purchase Johanna from him. Kidd refuses and flees with the girl, but the men pursue him into the wilderness. Despite being outgunned, Kidd is able to kill the men after Johanna points out that the dimes Kidd earned from his work could be used as makeshift ammunition for his shotgun.

On the border of Erath County, Kidd and Johanna are detained by militiamen led by Farley, a racist cattle baron who took over the county and had all non-white residents violently expelled. Farley coerces Kidd into reading propaganda that glorifies him to his workers, but Kidd instead reads a story about a disaster in a Pennsylvania coal mine that whips Farley's workers into a rebellious fury. Kidd and Johanna make a run for it in the ensuing melee, but are caught by Farley and his henchman. Just as Farley is about to shoot Kidd, Johanna wounds Farley with Kidd's shotgun, and John Calley, one of Farley's henchmen who was inspired by Kidd's words, deals with the other henchman and kills Farley.

As the pair continue their journey, their wagon is wrecked and their horses fatally injured when Kidd loses control on a steep road. Kidd and Johanna proceed on foot. After enduring the heat and a blinding sandstorm, they encounter a traveling group of Kiowa who give Johanna a horse. Saved by that gift, Kidd and Johanna eventually reach the Leonberger farmstead. After speaking with Johanna's Aunt Anna and Uncle Wilhelm, Kidd reluctantly leaves her with them. He then continues to San Antonio to visit the grave of his wife Maria, who had died of cholera 5 years before while he was away serving in the Confederate Army. As he bids farewell to Maria, Kidd realizes that Johanna has become family to him, and rides back to her and apologizes for leaving her behind.

Anna and Wilhelmn, though not uncaring, had her tied to a post to prevent Johanna from repeatedly running away. They permit Johanna to go with Kidd, with whom she is clearly much happier after Kidd had recently learned how to speak Kiowa.

Later, Captain Kidd enthusiastically reads the news to an audience in a large hall with Johanna's assistance, and Kidd introduces her as his daughter Johanna Kidd.

Cast[]


  • Tom Hanks as Captain Kidd
  • Helena Zengel as Johanna
  • Michael Angelo Covino as Almay
  • Ray McKinnon as Simon Boudlin
  • Mare Winningham as Doris Boudlin
  • Elizabeth Marvel as Mrs. Gannett
  • Fred Hechinger as John Calley
  • Bill Camp as Mr. Branholme
  • Thomas Francis Murphy as Mr. Farley
  • Gabriel Ebert as Benjamin Farley


In addition, Neil Sandilands and Winsome Brown portray Johanna's Uncle Wilhelm and Aunt Anna, respectively.

Production[]

Development and casting[]

In May 2017, Fox 2000 Pictures bought distribution rights to an adaptation of the Paulette Jiles novel with Luke Davies writing the screenplay and Tom Hanks set to star.[6] In February 2019, Paul Greengrass was announced as director.[7] As a result of Disney acquiring Fox 2000's parent company, 21st Century Fox, the film was transferred to Universal Pictures.[8] In August, Helena Zengel, Michael Covino, and Fred Hechinger were added to the cast, and Thomas Francis Murphy joined in September.[9]

Filming[]

Filming commenced on September 2, 2019, in Santa Fe, New Mexico[10] and finished in approximately November 2020.[11] Scenes set in towns and in Dallas, Texas were shot at the western sets of the Bonanza Creek Ranch near the ruins of Bonanza City, New Mexico. Some computer-generated imagery was used to add more buildings.[12]

Kiowa Tribe member Dorothy WhiteHorse coached Zengel in the Kiowa language and other details of Native American life and behavior, while Tribal Chairman Matthew Komalty praised the film's crew for their attention to accuracy.[13]

In November 2020, Netflix bought the international distribution rights to the film (excluding the United States). Helena Zengel dubbed herself in the Italian,[14] German,[15] French[15] and Spanish[15] versions; the dubbing is limited to the lines she spoke in English.

Release[]

News of the World was theatrically released by Universal Pictures in the United States and on DirecTV on December 25, 2020, which was followed by a Premium video on demand (PVOD) release in the United States on January 15, 2021. It originally was going to be released by Fox 2000 Pictures. In November 2020, it was announced that Netflix had acquired international distribution rights, except for the United States and China, and released it digitally on its streaming service on February 10, 2021.[2] On March 2, 2021, Universal Pictures Home Entertainment officially announced that the release date for News of the World to physical media, including Blu-ray Disc, 4k Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc, and DVD, would be March 23, 2021.[16] In the United States, the film was released on HBO/HBO Max on September 4, 2021.

Reception[]

Box office[]

In the United States, News of the World, released alongside Wonder Woman 1984, Promising Young Woman, and Pinocchio, was projected to gross around $4 million from 1,900 theaters in its opening weekend.[17] The film made $1.05 million on its first day, and went on to debut to $2.3 million, finishing second at the box office behind Wonder Woman 1984; 70% of the audience was over the age of 35.[18][3] The film fell 25% in its second weekend, grossing $1.7 million, then made $1.24 million in its third weekend.[19]

Critical response[]

Based on 88 professional critic reviews, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 7.4% of those reviews were positive, with an average rating of 273/10. On the website, the critics' consensus reads, "News of the World takes a slow but absorbing ride down a comfortingly familiar Western trail, guided by Tom Hanks in peak paternal mode."[20] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 73 out of 100, based on 45 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[21] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.[3]

Writing for IndieWire, David Ehrlich gave the film a grade of B and said, "If Greengrass' broadly entertaining (if gallingly relevant) film is a bit too soft and spread thin to hit with the emotional force that it could, so much of its simple power is owed to the grounded nature of the director's approach, which allows these desperate characters to feel as if they're trying to escape the very genre that threatens to define them forever."[22]

A.A. Dowd of The A.V. Club gave the film a "B−" and wrote: "Ultimately, News Of The World lives and dies on the presence of its iconic headliner, on the Hanks of it all. That's the most old-fashioned thing about it: It's a true star vehicle, practically a tribute to his enduring appeal. Yet for as comforting as Hanks is in the role, and for as much as he sells the poignancy of the film's bittersweet final stretch, the film feels almost too built around his signature nobility to ever gain much in the way of actual drama."[23]

Mark Kermode of The Observer awarded the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Having emerged from news documentaries to become a peerless director of vivid real-life dramas (Bloody Sunday, United 93) and frenetically visceral adventures (The Bourne franchise), Greengrass relishes the opportunity to take a more languorous attitude to character development and location, a quality that seems to have confounded some fans of the director’s more urgent fare. Yet I found this a rewarding and entertaining drama, heavy with the weight of the past, yet buoyed up by the possibilities of the future."[24]

Contrasting views display the comments on the movie by Philipp Emberger, the critic of ORF, the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation: under the title "Helena Zengel Overpowering Tom Hanks", he describes her scenes as the highlights of the film, compared to Tom Hanks's solos that seem "arduously one-dimensional", concluding that "Tom Hanks delivers a lot of forgivingness, besides the Dad-vibes", which makes the film "a quiet and steady Western with elements of road-movie, beautiful pictures of landscapes, a relevant topic, lots of heart, and a star named Helena Zengel."[25] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave the film 2 out of 5 stars, writing that although Hanks's "persona here is equable and easy-going, qualities which are of course necessary to his sympathetic brand identity, he doesn’t plausibly change in any dramatic way", and describing the film as a "handsomely shot but stolid and blandly self-satisfied western".[26]

A. O. Scott of The New York Times gave a mixed review, writing that "this isn't a bad movie. The problem is that it's too nice a movie, too careful and compromised, as if its makers didn't trust the audience to handle the real news of the world."[27]

Tom Gliatto of People named it the fifth best film of the year.[28]

Accolades[]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
AARP's Movies for Grownups Awards March 28, 2021 Best Actor Tom Hanks Nominated [29]
Best Screenwriter Paul Greengrass and Luke Davies Nominated
Academy Awards April 25, 2021 Best Cinematography Dariusz Wolski Nominated [30]
Best Original Score James Newton Howard Nominated
Best Production Design David Crank and Elizabeth Keenan Nominated
Best Sound Oliver Tarney, Mike Prestwood Smith, William Miller, and John Pritchett Nominated
American Society of Cinematographers Awards April 18, 2021 Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Theatrical Releases Dariusz Wolski Nominated [31]
Art Directors Guild Awards April 10, 2021 Excellence in Production Design for a Period Film David Crank Nominated [32]
British Academy Film Awards April 11, 2021 Best Cinematography Dariusz Wolski Nominated [33]
Best Original Music James Newton Howard Nominated
Best Production Design David Crank and Elizabeth Keenan Nominated
Best Sound Michael Fentum, William Miller, Mike Prestwood Smith, John Pritchett, and Oliver Tarney Nominated
Cinema Audio Society Awards April 17, 2021 Outstanding Achievement in Sound Mixing for a Motion Picture – Live Action John Patrick Pritchett, Mike Prestwood Smith, William Miller, Shawn Murphy, Mark DeSimone, and Adam Fil Méndez Nominated [34]
Critics' Choice Awards March 7, 2021 Best Picture News of the World Nominated [35]
Best Actor Tom Hanks Nominated
Best Young Actor/Actress Helena Zengel Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Luke Davies and Paul Greengrass Nominated
Best Cinematography Dariusz Wolski Nominated
Best Production Design David Crank and Elizabeth Keenan Nominated
Best Score James Newton Howard Nominated
Golden Globe Awards February 28, 2021 Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Helena Zengel Nominated [36]
Best Original Score James Newton Howard Nominated
Hollywood Critics Association Awards March 5, 2021 Best Cinematography Dariusz Wolski Nominated [37]
Best Score James Newton Howard Nominated
Hollywood Music in Media Awards January 27, 2021 Best Original Score in a Feature Film Won [38]
Motion Picture Sound Editors Golden Reel Awards April 16, 2021 Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Underscore Arabella Winter, David Olson, and Jim Weidman Nominated [39]
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Dialogue/ADR Oliver Tarney, Rachael Tate and Anna MacKenzie Nominated
Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing – Feature Effects/Foley Oliver Tarney, Mike Fentum, Kevin Penney, Dawn Gough, Hugo Adams, Sue Harding, Andrea King, and Oliver Ferris Nominated
Satellite Awards February 15, 2021 Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture Helena Zengel Nominated [40]
Best Adapted Screenplay Luke Davies and Paul Greengrass Nominated
Best Cinematography Dariusz Wolski Nominated
Best Original Score James Newton Howard Nominated
Screen Actors Guild Awards April 4, 2021 Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role Helena Zengel Nominated [41]
Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture News of the World Nominated
Set Decorators Society of America Awards March 31, 2021 Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Period Feature Film Elizabeth Keenan and David Crank Nominated [42]
Visual Effects Society Awards April 6, 2021 Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature Roni Rodrigues, Dayaliyah Lopez, Ian Fellows, Andrew Morley, and Brandon K. McLaughlin Nominated [43]
Writers Guild of America Awards March 21, 2021 Best Adapted Screenplay Luke Davies and Paul Greengrass Nominated [44]

See also[]

  • Olive Oatman

References[]

  1. ↑ James Newton Howard to Score Paul Greengrass' 'News of the World'. Film Music Reporter (July 1, 2020).
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (September 25, 2019). Tom Hanks & Paul Greengrass Reteam 'News Of The World' Opening Christmas 2020.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 27, 2020). 'Wonder Woman 1984' Hits $16.7M At Domestic B.O. In Face Of HBO Max Release; Record For Pandemic, But −84% Lower Than First Pic's Opening.
  4. ↑ News of the World (2020). Box Office Mojo.
    - News of the World (2020). The Numbers.
  5. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Rubin, Rebecca; Lang, Brent (November 11, 2020). "Netflix Buys International Rights to Tom Hanks' 'News of the World'". Variety. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  6. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Fleming, Mike Jr. (May 11, 2017). "Fox 2000 Wins Tom Hanks-Luke Davies 'News of the World' Package". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on September 25, 2019. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  7. ↑ Paul Greengrass Circling 'News of the World' With Tom Hanks (EXCLUSIVE). Variety (February 6, 2019).
  8. ↑ Tom Hanks-Paul Greengrass 'News of the World' Moves From Fox 2000 To Universal. Deadline (April 9, 2019).
  9. ↑ Helena Zengel To Star Opposite Tom Hanks In Universal's 'News of the World'. Deadline (August 26, 2019).
    - 'The Climb's Michael Covino Joins Universal's Tom Hanks Pic 'News Of The World'. Deadline (August 30, 2019).
    - Sneider, Jeff (August 27, 2019). Exclusive: Tom Hanks Movie 'News of the World' Adds Rising Star Fred Hechinger. Collider.
    - Tom Hanks Movie 'News of the World' Adds Thomas Francis Murphy. Deadline (September 24, 2019).
  10. ↑ News of the World (July 8, 2019).
  11. ↑ Where Was News of The World Filmed?. The Cinemaholic (August 2, 2022).
  12. ↑ Where was News of the World Filmed? Guide to ALL the Filming Locations. Atlas of Wonders.
  13. ↑ Spears, Nancy (March 16, 2021). Kiowa elder bonds with 10-year-old actress on 'News of The World' movie set. NonDoc.
  14. ↑ AntonioGenna.net presenta: IL MONDO DEI DOPPIATORI - ZONA CINEMA: "Notizie dal mondo".
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 2020 was an exciting year for Helena Zengel (December 11, 2020).
  16. ↑ 'News of the World' Blu-ray & 4k Blu-ray Release Date & Details (March 2, 2021).
  17. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 22, 2020). 'Wonder Woman 1984' Will Try To Use Whatever Remaining Superpowers Over Christmas For Starving U.S. Exhibitors – Box Office Preview.
  18. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 27, 2020). 'Wonder Woman 1984' Hits $16.7M At Domestic B.O. In Face Of HBO Max Release; Record For Pandemic, But −84% Lower Than First Pic's Opening.
  19. ↑ Fuster, Jeremy (January 3, 2021). 'Wonder Woman 1984' Reaches $118 Million Worldwide, But Pandemic Forces 67% Domestic Drop.
    - D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 10, 2021). 'Wonder Woman 1984' Continues To Fall With $3M In Third Weekend Amid Pandemic & U.S. Capitol Woes.
  20. ↑ News of the World (2020). Fandango.
  21. ↑ News of the World Reviews. Metacritic.
  22. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Ehrlich, David (December 11, 2020). "'News of the World' Review: Tom Hanks Is the Captain Again in Paul Greengrass' Modest Western". IndieWire. Archived from the original on December 11, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  23. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Dowd, A.A. (December 11, 2020). "Tom Hanks is the conscience of a divided nation in the old-school Western News Of The World". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on December 12, 2020. Retrieved December 13, 2020.
  24. ↑ News of the World review – Tom Hanks fights fake news in the wild west (en) (February 14, 2021).
  25. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Emberger, Philipp (February 14, 2021). "'Systemsprenger' Helena Zengel stiehlt Tom Hanks die Show". Radio FM4 (in German). Archived from the original on February 14, 2021. Retrieved February 14, 2021.
  26. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."News of the World review – Tom Hanks rides straight down the middle in Paul Greengrass western | Peter Bradshaw's film of the week". The Guardian. February 5, 2021. Archived from the original on February 15, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  27. ↑ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Scott, A. O. (December 24, 2020). "'News of the World' Review: Tom Hanks Does the Strong, Silent Type". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 9, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
  28. ↑ Gliatto, Tom (December 13, 2020). PEOPLE Picks the Top 10 Movies of 2020. People Magazine.
  29. ↑ Haring, Bruce (February 8, 2021). AARP The Magazine Sets Movies For Grownups Nominees, Adds TV Categories.
  30. ↑ Oscar Nominations 2021: See the Full List (en-us) (March 15, 2021).
  31. ↑ Hipes, Patrick (March 10, 2021). ASC Awards Nominations: 'Nomadland', 'Mank', 'Chicago 7', 'News Of The World', 'Cherry' Vie For Top Prize. Deadline.
  32. ↑ Tangcay, Jazz (February 25, 2021). Art Directors Guild Awards 2021: Full List of Nominations. Variety.
  33. ↑ 2021 EE British Academy Film Awards: The Nominations (March 9, 2021).
  34. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (March 2, 2021). CAS Awards Nominations: 'Trial Of The Chicago 7', 'Sound Of Metal' & 'Mank' Among Pics Vying For Sound Mixing Trophies. Deadline.
  35. ↑ Davis, Clayton (February 8, 2021). Critics Choice Awards: 'Mank' Leads With 12 Nominations, Netflix Makes History With Four Best Picture Nominees (en-US).
  36. ↑ Bahiana, Ana Maria (February 3, 2021). Nominations for the 78th Golden Globe Awards (2021) Announced. goldenglobes.com.
  37. ↑ Menzel, Scott (February 2, 2021). The 4th Annual HCA Film Awards Nominations Have Been Announced.
  38. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  39. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (March 1, 2021). Sound Editors Nominate 'Wonder Woman', 'Sound Of Metal', 'Tenet' & Others For Golden Reel Awards – Full List. Deadline.
  40. ↑ Van Blaricom, Mirjana (February 1, 2021). 25th Satellite Awards Nominees for Motion Pictures and Television Announced. International Press Academy.
  41. ↑ Template:Cite magazine
  42. ↑ Tangcay, Jazz (March 11, 2021). 'Promising Young Woman' and 'News of the World' Among Inaugural Set Decorators Awards Nominations.
  43. ↑ Pederson, Erik (March 2, 2021). VES Awards Nominations: 'Tenet', 'Midnight Sky', 'Extraction', 'Soul' & 'Mandalorian' Among Titles In Visual Effects Hunt. Deadline.
  44. ↑ Davis, Clayton (February 16, 2021). 2021 WGA Awards Nominations: 'Borat 2' and 'Judas and the Black Messiah' Make The Cut. Variety.

External links[]

Template:Paul Greengrass Template:Tom Hanks

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