Tetro

Tetro
Promotional film poster
Directed by	Francis Ford Coppola
Produced by	Francis Ford Coppola
Written by	Francis Ford Coppola
Starring	Vincent Gallo
Music by	Osvaldo Golijov
Cinematography	Mihai Malaimare Jr.
Editing by	Walter Murch
Distributed by	Alta Films American Zoetrope
Release date(s)	June 11, 2009
Country	United States Argentina Spain
Language	English Italian Spanish

Tetro is a 2009 film written and directed by Francis Ford Coppola and starring Vincent Gallo, Maribel Verdú and Carmen Maura. Filming took place in 2008 in Buenos Aires, Patagonia, and Spain. Tetro was released on June 11, 2009.^[1]

[edit]Premise

"Set in Argentina, the story will follow the rivalries born out of creative differences passed down through generations of an artistic Italian immigrant family."^[2]

[edit]Production

In February 2007, director Francis Ford Coppola announced that he would produce and direct the film Tetro, based on a script that he had written. Production was scheduled to begin in Buenos Aires, Argentina in late 2007.^[3] Coppola was attracted to Argentina as a location, "I knew Argentina has a great cultural, artistic, literary, musical, cinema tradition, and I like those kinds of atmospheres very much because you usually find creative people to work with."^[4] Production did not begin as scheduled, and by March 2008, Vincent Gallo and Maribel Verdujoined the cast.^[5] The Spanish company Tornasol Films and the Italian company BIM Distribuzione signed with the director to co-produce the film.^[6] Production began on March 31, 2008 with a budget of $15 million, with Coppola using the production style similar to his previous filmYouth Without Youth.^[5] Filming took place in La Boca in Buenos Aires and other parts of the capital city. Filming also followed in the Andean foothills in Patagonia and at the Ciudad de la Luz studios in Alicante, Spain.^[6] Production concluded in June.^[1]

In May 2008, during filming in Argentina, the Argentina Actors Association, an actors' union, claimed that production of Tetro was shut down due to union members working on the film without a contract. According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Local press reports say that script changes and communication problems between the multi-national cast and crew have extended filming days beyond regularly scheduled hours, and that some of the Argentine actors are still not certain of their salary." The director's spokesperson, Kathleen Talbert, denied that production was halted, saying, "There are no holds on shooting, no problem with actors. In fact, the majority of the Argentine actors have already wrapped the shooting."^[7] By the end of the month, the union said the issue was resolved, reporting, "The lawyers for the producers presented the necessary documentation and recognized the errors that they had made. So now they are able to continue with production." In contrast, Talbert reiterated that there had been no issue, and production was never halted.^[8]

[edit]Cast

• Vincent Gallo as Tetro, the protagonist. Coppola said of his casting choice, "I know choosing Vincent Gallo to star in my film will raise a few eyebrows, but I'm betting that seeing him in the role will open some eyes."^[5]
• Alden Ehrenreich as Bennie, Tetro's younger brother.^[9]
• Maribel Verdu as Miranda, the girlfriend of Tetro's brother.^[9]
• Carmen Maura as Alone, a literary critic and Tetro's mentor.^[10] The character was originally written to be male, and actor Javier Bardem was previously attached to the role. Coppola explained the change in sex, "As I read and reread [the script], I felt that the interaction between the two characters would be far more intriguing if they were of the opposite sex."^[10]
• Klaus Maria Brandauer as Carlo Tetrocini, Tetro's father.^[8]

Also cast in the film are Rodrigo de la Serna, Leticia Bredice, Ximena Iacono, and Jean-Francois Casanovas.^[6]

[edit]References

1. ^ ^{a b} Byrnes, Brian (May 29, 2008). "All's cool with Coppola, Argentine actors union". The Hollywood Reporter.
2. ^ "Tetro". ComingSoon.net. Coming Soon Media, L.P. Retrieved on August 6, 2008.
3. ^ McNary, Dave (February 13, 2007). "Coppola cops Italo Argentina tale". Variety. Retrieved on August 6, 2008.
4. ^ Riehn, Astrid (March 29, 2008). "Coppola starts shooting new film Tetro in Buenos Aires". Deutsche Presse-Agentur.
5. ^ ^{a b c} Miller, Winter (March 9, 2008). "French cops lead in 'Tetro'". Variety. Retrieved on August 6, 2008.
6. ^ ^{a b c} De Pablos, Emiliano; Charles Newberry (March 27, 2008). "Tornasol, BIM join Coppola's 'Tetro'". Variety. Retrieved on August 6, 2008.
7. ^ Byrnes, Brian (May 23, 2008). "Union claims 'Tetro' shut down". The Hollywood Reporter.
8. ^ ^{a b} Byrnes, Brian (May 28, 2008). "Argentinean 'Tetro' dispute over". The Hollywood Reporter.
9. ^ ^{a b} Kit, Borys (November 15, 2007). "Movie newbie joins Coppola's 'Tetro' family". The Hollywood Reporter.
10. ^ ^{a b} Goldstein, Gregg (April 2, 2008). "Carmen Maura to replace Javier Bardem in 'Tetro'". The Hollywood Reporter.