On March 19, 2020, the wonderful drama "My friend Mr. Percival" is released in Russia, a review of the film, interesting facts about the filming and the creators, read our article. "My Friend Mr. Percival" is a modern adaptation of the classic Australian novel, Storm and Mr. Percival by Colin Thiele. In the film, Stormick grew up and turned into Michael Kingley - a successful businessman and loving grandfather. Once unexplained pictures of the past begin to appear before Kingley, making him remember a long-forgotten childhood spent on an isolated coast with his father.
He tells his granddaughter the story of how, as a child, he saved and raised Mr. Percival, an orphan pelican. Their incredible adventures and amazing friendship have left a deep mark on the lives of both. Based on the famous book, My Friend Mr. Percival tells a timeless tale of extraordinary and unconditional friendship.
About the plot
Michael Kingley is a successful businessman and a happy father of a family. But one day he is overtaken by images from his childhood, which he spent on the ocean coast hidden from the whole world.
He must tell his granddaughter the extraordinary story of a boy named Stormik and a pelican - Mr. Percival. A story of adventure and amazing friendship that influenced his entire life.
The film is based on Colin Thiele's world bestseller Storm Boy and the popular video game of the same name.
There are a lot of interesting facts:
- Performer of one of the main roles Geoffrey Rush, one of 22 actors in the world who have the so-called "triple crown of acting" - Oscar, Emmy and Tony awards. In total, the actor has more than 10 prestigious world cinematic awards.
- In the mid-70s, a film of the same name was already shot based on the story by Colin Thiele "Storm and Mr. Percival", which received the gold medal as the best film for a family audience at the 1977 Moscow Film Festival.
- The role of Stormyk for Finn Little became his debut, but at the moment he already has five films and TV series, and now he shares the set with Angelina Jolie, working on the film "Those Who Wish Me Death."
- Jai Courtney, who plays the protagonist's father, has starred in such films as Jack Reacher, Die Hard: A Good Day to Die, Suicide Squad, Divergent, Terminator Genisys and Unbreakable ... He played one of his most striking roles in the TV series "Spartacus: Blood and Sand".
- In the filming of the film, five pelicans were involved, but the role of the main character - Mr. Percival - was played by a pelican named Salty.
- After filming the movie, Salty "moved" to live at the Adelaide Zoo. Earlier, Salty's predecessor lived in the same zoo for almost 33 years, who starred in the first film "Storm and Mr. Percival".
- The life expectancy of pelicans is more than 30 years and, like swans, they are monogamous.
- Australian actor David Galpilil has appeared in two film adaptations of the book. In the 1976 film, he played the role of Aboriginal Bill Bonefinger, and in the modern film, he played the role of Bill's father.
- In 2011, a Franco-Greek remake was filmed based on the film "Storm and Mr. Percival", where Emir Kusturica played one of the main roles.
About working on the film
Colin Thiele's Storm and Mr. Percival, a tale of a young boy and his incredible friendship with an orphan pelican in the secluded South Australian Kurong National Park, has fascinated and thrilled readers around the world for almost 50 years.
Sydney-based producer Matthew Street (Invasion. Battle for Heaven, Baker Street Heist, Bush, The Messenger), like many modern Australian children, studied the book at school. The theatrical production of the same name in 2013 attracted his attention and made him remember his favorite work.
According to him, tickets were sold out for the entire season ahead. After hearing this story from Street, his business partner Michael Bougaine began to think about the "Storm and Mr. Percival" phenomenon, and within a month Ambience Entertainment agreed on the film rights. "
Street and Bougain saw the 1976 film adaptation and recall the intense emotions they experienced while watching.
“I was Stormick's age then, maybe a little younger,” Street recalls. “And the film told about life problems that were close to me, a child, and an adult.”
The producers saw that the issues raised in Thiele's 1963 book were still relevant to this day, and in many ways even more significant than before.
“These are eternal themes,” says Bougain. - This is a story about friendship, love, family, loss and hope. The book also raises the problem of ecology. There is a message here that we must protect what is dear to us - for ourselves and for future generations. "
In the spirit of a bestseller
From the outset, the producers wanted to make sure that the film retains the spirit that makes people re-read Thiele's book 50 years after its first edition. However, My Friend Mr. Percival was not meant to be a remake of the 1976 film. The producers decided to remain faithful to Thiele's original work, keeping the film's action in the late 50s. In addition, part of the film's plot unfolds today - this additional layer gives the story resonance and meaning. The new narrative introduces Stormik as a grandfather and adds a new dimension - an important theme of caring for nature.
Screenwriter Justin Monjo joined in on the adaptation of the book. The script writing process took several years.
“Our version of Storm and Mr. Percival was a very complex story,” says Michael Bougain. "We spent three years writing the script, working out the nuances and trying to understand the path of each character."
With one of the early versions of the script in hand, the producers began looking for a potential director, someone who would be inspired by the story and able to embody the delicate emotional characteristics that the story demanded.
Sean Sith's name came about almost immediately, thanks to his previous projects and his ability to work with actors.
"From the moment we met Sean, Matthew Street and I share the same opinion: Sean was the one we needed," Bugen recalls.
The producers were particularly moved by Sith's deep and longstanding connection to history.
“When Michael Bougaine invited me to the office and told me about the project, it hit me like a bolt from the blue,” Sith recalls. “I was born in Australia, but raised in Malaysia and returned at 12 to live with my mother's family. My uncle taught me, we went to the cinema with him to see Australian films, and one of them was "Stormick and Mr. Percival". This was the era of the film renaissance in Australia, there was a lot of optimism and pride in national films. I still have a poster for this movie at my house, so when Michael told me that he wanted to make Storm and Mr. Percival, I felt that it was destiny. "
Rereading the book and the draft of the script, Sith was amazed at how much the story could make viewers worry about her characters.
“The simplicity of their life, respect for nature and, of course, the connection between father and son, strongly resonated in me,” Street says. - Returning to a simpler life is an important topic that now sounds more and more often. We live in a messy world of gadgets and computers. It seems to me that people are striving for the return of harmony and unity with nature. And that's what I really wanted to capture by conveying this story. "
