| The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Andrew Dominik |
| Screenplay by | Andrew Dominik |
| Based on | The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford by Ron Hansen |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Roger Deakins |
| Edited by |
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| Music by | |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release dates |
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Running time | 160 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $30 million[1][2] |
| Box office | $15.3 million[1][2] |
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford is a 2007 American epic revisionist Western film written and directed by Andrew Dominik. Based on Ron Hansen's 1983 novel of the same name, the film dramatizes the relationship between Jesse James and Robert Ford, focusing on the events that lead up to the titular killing. It stars Brad Pitt as James and Casey Affleck as Ford, with Sam Shepard, Mary-Louise Parker, Paul Schneider, Jeremy Renner, Zooey Deschanel, and Sam Rockwell in supporting roles.
Photography started on August 29, 2005, and ended in December 2005. Filming took place near Calgary, Canmore, and Edmonton, Alberta, and Winnipeg, Manitoba. To achieve the visual style he wanted for the movie, Dominik took influences from many sources, including still photographers, images clipped from magazines, stills from Days of Heaven, and even Polaroids. The original edit of the movie was envisioned by Dominik to be "a dark, contemplative examination of fame and infamy", reaching more than three hours in runtime. This was opposed by the studio and the film was edited repeatedly.
The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford had its world premiere at the 64th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2007, and was theatrically released in the United States on September 21, 2007, by Warner Bros. Pictures. The film received positive reviews from critics, who particularly praised Pitt and Affleck's performances and Roger Deakins' cinematography, but was a box-office bomb. At the 80th Academy Awards, it earned two nominations: Best Supporting Actor for Affleck and Best Cinematography for Deakins. Affleck was also nominated for a Golden Globe, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Critics' Choice Award for Best Supporting Actor, while Pitt won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor. It has since gained a large fan following, with many of them organizing re-releases of the film under the "Jesse James Revival" banner.[3]
- ^ a b "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Archived from the original on February 25, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ^ a b "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.
- ^ Chitwood, Adam (October 18, 2013). "THE ASSASSINATION OF JESSE JAMES Returning to the Big Screen for New York's Museum of Moving Image; Revival Campaign Launched". Collider. Archived from the original on March 29, 2023. Retrieved September 18, 2023.