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The Kite Runner (film)

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The Kite Runner
An American poster for the film
Directed byMarc Forster
Written byKhaled Hosseini (novel)
David Benioff (screenplay)
Produced byWilliam Horberg
Walter Parkes
Rebecca Yeldham
E. Bennett Walsh Laurie Macdonald
StarringKhalid Abdalla
Zekeria Ebrahimi
Homayoun Ershadi
Ahmad Mahmidzada
CinematographyRoberto Schaefer
Edited byMatt Chesse
Music byAlberto Iglesias
Distributed byDreamWorks
Paramount Vantage
Release date
14 December 2007 (limited)
Running time
128 min.
CountryUSA
LanguagePersian / English
Budget$20 million

Template:Infobox movie certificates

The Kite Runner is a 2007 film directed by Marc Forster based on the novel of the same name by Khaled Hosseini. Though most of the novel is set in Afghanistan, these parts of the movie were mostly shot in Kashgar, China due to the dangers of filming in Afghanistan at the time of the making of the movie.[1] Much of the film's dialogue is in Dari (with English subtitles), and English. Most of the actors involved with the film, including the child actors, are native speakers. Filming wrapped up on December 21, 2006 and the movie was expected to be released on November 2, 2007. However, after concern of the safety of the young actors in the film, its release date has been pushed back six weeks to December 14, 2007. [2]

Plot

For full plot details, please see The Kite Runner.

The plot of the movie follows that of the novel. In abstract, it tells the story of Amir, a well-to-do boy from the Wazir Akbar Khan district of Kabul, who is haunted by the guilt of betraying his childhood friend Hassan, the son of his father's Hazara servant. The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of the monarchy in Afghanistan through the Soviet invasion, the mass exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the United States, and the Taliban regime.

Effects on the actors

Though the child actors enjoyed making the film, they and their families have expressed worries about their situation now that the film is done. Ahmad Khan Mahmidzada (Hassan as a child) said regarding one scene "I want to continue making films and be an actor but the rape scene upset me because my friends will watch it and I won't be able to go outside any more. They will think I was raped."[3] Additionally, Zekeria Ebrahimi (Amir as a child) has said "We want to study in the United States. It's a modern country and more safe than here Kabul. If I became rich here I would be worried about security. It's dangerous to have money because of the kidnapping."[3] Money has become an issue in another way as well, as some groups have claimed that the child actors were underpaid; Zekeria Ebrahimi, Ahmad Mahmidzada, and Ali Dinesh all received less than $18,000 each for the making of the film.[3] These events have even led to the creation of a website devoted to protecting the welfare of the boys involved in the film.[4] In October 2007 the family of Ahmad Khan (who plays Hassan as a child) announced the film's distributors, Paramount Vantage, are evacuating them from Afghanistan.[5]

Cast

Critical reception

The film received mixed to average reviews from critics. As of December 14, 2007 on the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 63% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 123 reviews.[6] On Metacritic, the film had an average score of 60 out of 100, based on 20 reviews.[7]

Awards and nominations

Nominations

Trivia

When Amir receives his degree from community college, the names of the graduates are names of crew members from San Francisco. Despite the fact that the official release date was pushed back, the movie was released to winners of the online Kite Runner Movie contest. Winners of this contest were able to watch a pre-screening of the movie, which took place in November 2007. In the same month, several hundred students from Independence High School in San Jose, where Khaled Hosseini graduated from, were given the privilege to watch a pre-screening as well.

References

  1. ^ French, Howard W. (31 December, 2006). "Where to Shoot an Epic About Afghanistan? China, Where Else?". New York Times. Retrieved 2007-02-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  2. ^ AP (5, October, 2007). "'Kite Runner' release delayed to protect young stars". CNN. Retrieved 2007-10-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)CS1 maint: date and year (link)
  3. ^ a b c "'Kite Runner' Boys Fear Afghan Backlash". Retrieved 2007-02-15.
  4. ^ "Save the Kite Runner Boys". Retrieved 2007-02-15.
  5. ^ Kite Runner boy star 'not safe'- BBC News
  6. ^ "The Kite Runner - Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2007-12-14.
  7. ^ "Kite Runner, The (2007): Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved 2007-12-14.
  8. ^ "HOLLYWOOD FOREIGN PRESS ASSOCIATION 2008 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 2007". goldenglobes.org. 2007-12-13. Retrieved 2007-12-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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