Christopher Webster [Celluloid 12.21.09] movie news action drama gallery



It's been almost a year since the world learned about Peter Weir's next project. Touted as an epic and realistic WWII prisoner escape saga based on a true story, The Way Back sounded like a big-budget version of Van Diemme's Land and we hoped it would hold true on it's promises to be as rugged a tale.

Well, now we've got the first look at some official stills from the film for you and it looks as good as it sounded. The stills feature almost every member of the film's strong cast of leads all dirtied up.

Synopsis:
When they escape a Siberian labor camp in 1940, seven courageous multi-national prisoners discover the true meaning of friendship as their epic journey takes them across thousands of miles of hostile terrain en-route to India and their freedom.

The Way Back stars Colin Farrell, Ed Harris, Jim Sturgess and Saoirse Ronan (who first came to our attention from City of Ember).

Check out the first look at Peter Weir's The Way back after the break.

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Gareth (12 years ago) Reply

It reminds me of this film:

http://www.amazon.com/As-Far-Feet-Will-Carry/dp/B000NA6CQ8/

Definitely worth a look.

Fantasy Girl (12 years ago) Reply

You may want to switch the order of the cast members you listed. Jim Sturgess plays Janusz, the leader of the band of escapees. My co-webmistress was lucky enough to see an early cut of the film -- here's her review: http://jimsturgessonline.com/?p=2171

joe (12 years ago) Reply

Peter Weir is an under appreciated genius. From Last Wave, Living Dangerously, Truman Show, etc. Can't wait.
And Soirse Ronan. Amazing young actress. From what I've heard she gives the standout performance in a film filled with great acting.
It's a good time to be a fan of filmmaking.
When's this film being released?

Ben.adam (12 years ago) Reply

Gareth, I totally thought the same, I even did watch this movie a couple of weeks ago in the TV... Judging from the first stills and news about The way back, it could be a slightly better cast version and more international (concerning the different ways back) version of As far feet will carry.

Anonymous (12 years ago) Reply

Wow Sturgess is really going for it with his adult choices... this and that 'Heartless' look wicked

Gareth (12 years ago) Reply

Sounds like it, Ben. According to Wiki it is based on a memoir written by this guy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavomir_Rawicz

Interesting background to the memoir, too...

Nathan (12 years ago) Reply

This story- the long walk- was about my grandad who is still alive today, Slavomir Rawicz stole the story after it was documented and claimed it as his own, but it has since been proven that he was a fake/ liar. It has been documented in various newspapers and readers digest about what actually happened. I get to hear it first hand, so know what he is saying is true. If you would like to know anything else, just ask!

Simon Rawicz (12 years ago) Reply

Firstly Nathan, you have no right to call my Grandfather a liar, you neither knew him, spoke to him, or had the chance to ask anything about anything he was, endured or did or didn't do, you also know nothing of what he's done in his life and how for 37 years of my life he told the same unfaltering story of his life, he wore the same scars, had the same nightmares and spoke the same tales, also as he also wrote a pre book of his life shortly before he died, which wasn't published I'd like to hear what you know of that if it was your own granddad's story... Maybe you'll wait till another film is out before you latch onto that or maybe you'll just jump onto a different story for a change.

The truth is that no one, us nor you know everything about the full facts yet as they haven't been discovered yet, how you pathetically claim to offer more information is comical. There isn't any, we've been looking into lots of elements of the story for many reasons, not for financial gain, but to discover where our family name came from, where our family were or are, and what if anything can be determined by the rare records left and we've been doing a damned site longer than you have.

Seems like after 50 years of the book being in existence and now my Granddad isn't here to defend himself he's fair game for a bunch of glorified money grabbers who have just popped up when there is a sniff of money coming out due to a film.

Your not the first to come out of the woodwork claiming to be either long lost family, or the new original member of the story, however at least others showed respect, something you are clearly neither capable of or deserve, and they dealt with the issue in a more mature manner.

Its not hard to work with the information now its been available for over 50 years, its a bit more realistic when it was done before the internet, before common knowledge and all the information was available, people are all to happy to disrespect others to try and gain their 15 minutes.

We all would like the facts, no more than ourselves. I neither claim to know everything about the facts and neither should you but we've had over 50 years of chance to discover things, without the 15 minutes of fame trying to disgrace a man who deserved better and who isn't here to defend himself.

Should i wait till you die before claiming that you are a lie and that in fact someone else lived your life when you can't say anything? No, so neither should you.

A documentary that claimed to be acting on the interests of the family shortly after my Granddad died when the family allowed someone who's sole purpose of making a trash story did expose information that neither added or detracted to the validity of what my Granddad did or didn't do as there life of my Granddad contained more elements than in the book, but of course you would have known that already wouldn't you, the few scraps of information covered, which couldn't be verified either way only added to the complications. And that was all!

We welcome more facts and don't claim to know everything, but that is our right, you know nothing more than what people who spoon feed you through the media take onboard.

Before you come out with statements like that be very careful what you say, and as a person i think even you would expect people to behave with more respect towards your granddad if they didn't know anything about him at all...

Debate is welcome as are the facts, but you know nothing more of this anyone else who spends 5 minutes on google hoping to be another expert of something they haven't a clue about.

Chas Rawicz (12 years ago) Reply

Well said cuz!

NATHAN (12 years ago) Reply

Firstly, 'Debate is welcome as are the facts, but you know nothing more of this anyone else who spends 5 minutes on google hoping to be another expert of something they haven't a clue about.' Why would i need to Google something to find out the untruths when i can go and ask my grandfather who can tell me actually what happened. He nor our family are glorified money grabbers due to the film, he doesnt want any financial gain at all, he just wants to tell the truth.
Ill write you a quote: 'In 1956 a book called the Long Walk became a worldwide best seller. Written by a former Polish Military Officer, Slavomir Rawicz, it told the story of how he a nd six companions escaped from a labour camp in Siberia in 1941 and walked to India. Rawicz settled in Nottingham and the book was ghost written for him by Ronald Downing, a Daily Mail reporter. The book was controversial from the outset. Reviewers cast doubt on it plausibility. The explorer Peter Fleming, who travelled across the region in 1937, declared Rawicz's book to be "moonshine". Ohters, such as explorer Eric Shipton and writer E.M.Forster, also had suspicions.
In 2006, after Rawic'z death, BBC reasearchers discovered documents in his own hand showing that he was with the Polish army in Persia when the book said he was crossing the Himalayas. A radio 4 programme declared the book to be a fraud."Its clear somebody did the long walk" the programme concluded, "but it couldnt have been Rawicz."
As you have said 'The truth is that no one, us nor you know everything about the full facts yet as they haven't been discovered yet, how you pathetically claim to offer more information is comical.'
I feel i can offer more information as i can go straight to the source. I believe the reason you cannot find out anymore information is because your grandfather didnt do the walk and there is only so much information you can fabricate.
I do not wish to argue or speak ill of the dead, especially due to the hardship they had to endure during the war, i want the truth just as much as you, not for any financial gain, but just so people know the true events.

maria (12 years ago) Reply

In my humble opinion it was fantastic that someone actualy told that story to the world at times when stalinist russia dominated aur lands, and we could not talk about its dirty dids openly - the West sited with stalin to avoid more war. There was many moore people with similer experiences, but had no voice or oportunity to let others know what stalin did to so many. Perhabs S Rawicz decided to make the story his own true to make people think - now we know from other sorces about gulags hlodomors and sibiraks so let us honour the people who suffer trying to get out off the stalinst hell = sorry for my english

eber hart (12 years ago) Reply

LOVE Weir's best stuff ---BUT --WHY is he wasting precious time on the done-to-death,
seen-to-death PC WWII franchise? -ESP. on this,
the once again 'mysteriously overlooked'
60th Anniversary of the ominously relevant,
indeed, STILL unfolding ---KOREAN WAR
---even as people continue to suffer and die
---by--the---million..?

wonder (11 years ago) Reply

If Nathan's grandfather is the real person who took the long walk, then why doesn't he give his full name like the Rawicz grandson did-who is his grandfather, and what proof does he have? Given the time that the story came out, did it ever occur to anyone that the the Soviets of 1956 doctored records to try and discount Rawicz' account?

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