| Dead Calm | |
|---|---|
&sq=Google&lang=en&file=File:Deadcalmposter.jpg) Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Phillip Noyce |
| Screenplay by | Terry Hayes |
| Based on | Dead Calm by Charles Williams |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Dean Semler |
| Edited by | Richard Francis-Bruce |
| Music by | Graeme Revell |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. (through Roadshow Distributors) |
Release date |
|
Running time | 95 minutes[1] |
| Country | Australia |
| Language | English |
| Budget | A$10 million[2] |
| Box office | A$10.2 million[3][4] |
Dead Calm is a 1989 Australian psychological thriller film directed by Phillip Noyce, produced by George Miller, and starring Sam Neill, Nicole Kidman and Billy Zane. The screenplay by Terry Hayes was based on the 1963 novel of the same name by Charles Williams.
Filmed around the Great Barrier Reef, the plot focuses on a married couple, who, after tragically losing their son, are spending some time isolated at sea, when they come across a stranger who has abandoned a sinking ship.
Notably, the movie is the first successful film adaptation of the novel, after Orson Welles worked for a number of years to complete his own film based on it titled The Deep, though it ultimately went unreleased and uncompleted.
Dead Calm was generally well received, with critics praising Neill, Kidman, and Zane's performances and the oceanic cinematography. It was nominated in eight categories at the 1989 Australian Film Institute Awards, including Best Film, and won four. Modern retrospective analyses have been favorable, with The New York Times naming it one of the 1000 best films ever made.[5]
- ^ AustralianClassification. "View Title | Australian Classification". Classification.gov.au. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ NEXT YEAR'S 10 BEST FILMS By Garry Maddox 13 July 1987 Sydney Morning Herald p 16
- ^ "Dead Calm," Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 10 November 2011.
- ^ "Film Victoria - Australian Films at the Australian Box Office" (PDF). Film.vic.gov.au. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 February 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2016.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page).