Thursday, June 19, 2008

Isaac's Storm

Author(s): Connor Campbell
Location: Carrollton, TX

"Isaac's Storm"

Directed by Steven Spielberg
Written by Steven Zaillian
Edited by Michael Kahn
Cinematography by Janusz Kaminski
Costume Design by Arianne Phillips
Original Score by John Williams
Based on Erik Larson’s acclaimed book “Isaac’s Storm”

Main Cast

Paul Giamatti- Isaac Cline
Mark Ruffalo- Joseph Cline
Toni Collette- Cora May Cline
Allison Janney- Sister Mary
Frances McDormand- Julianne Higgins
Tim Robbins- Franklin Higgins

Tagline: "One Town. One Man. One Storm"

Synopsis: August 27, 1900-
Isaac Cline is a respected man in Galveston, Texas, a fast growing city on the gulf coast full of life and promised to be the New York of the south. He and his pregnant wife Cora May and his three children were a social family. Isaac was the head of the National Weather Bureau branch in Galveston where he works with his brother Joseph. Tonight, Cora May and Isaac attended a party while Joseph stayed in the family’s lavish home. Meanwhile Sister Mary , a nun working at the orphanage was tucking the orphans into bed and afterwards, enjoyed her dinner, then went to bed herself. Just down the street from the Cline’s, Julianne & Frank Higgins learned they were expecting their first child after struggling to have a child. That same day, in the Gulf of Mexico, a captain of a ship reported long signs of unsettled weather. East Northeast at Force 4, a moderate breeze. Thirteen to Eighteen miles an hour with a barometric reading of 30.3 inches. Isaac Cline however, dismissed it as a distant squall.

August 28, 1900-
All is normal in Galveston. A Tuesday. Meanwhile, the “distant squall” has overtook a ship 300 miles southeast of the report from the previous day. Winds from the south southwest at 25-31 miles an hour, force 6.

August 30, 1900-
Isaac Cline reads the newspaper. The new census is in, and Galveston shows a population of 36,000. It was almost as if it was an omen to the damage that was to be done in the near future. Franklin and Julianne are busy celebrating their good news with everyone and Sister Mary is working happily and showering the orphans with the love they desperately need. The storm however was just off of the Antigua Coast where barometers fell and winds were shifting. At about 10 p.m. a Severe Thunderstorm made landfall with most severe weather in the area of St. Johns. Before landfall, residents reported an ominous stillness.

August 31, 1900-
Friday. The beach was beginning to crowd with people eager to start their weekend with a day of fun at the beach. In the gulf, on the island of St. Kitts the storm made landfall. A sea of water and ice fell down on the island. Isaac Cline still chose to ignore this storm, although, it seemed that it was destined for Galveston. Isaac seemed too proud to admit that a storm could hit Galveston. In the past, suggestions hade been made to build a seawall to protect the city, but Isaac’s arrogance convinced the town to shoot it down. Joseph Cline, however knew that Galveston was in danger of a direct hit. This was only the beginning.

September 6, 1900-
Galveston is now in direct path of the storm. Isaac and Joseph have been arguing about what to do. Joseph suggested an immediate evacuation of the city, while Isaac saw that as pointless and there was no way of knowing where it would land. Meteorology was in it’s infancy. They had no clue what they were doing. Regardless of what was happening at sea, Sister Mary took the orphans to the beach for a fun day. Also there were Franklin and Julianne. Everyone was enjoying themselves at the beach. In the gulf, swells were forming and they were headed for Galveston.

September 8, 1900-
The storm and the City of Galveston were about to become one. Isaac and Joseph kept their raging argument strong. As the day grew on, the entire city of Galveston eventually was engulfed in water. People scrambled home or to a safe place such as the Galvez hotel, the strand district or to a sturdy home. Finally, the hurricane warning flag was raised, but it was too late. When Isaac and Joseph got home dozens of people awaited them, including Franklin and Julianne. At the orphanage, the nuns were given rope and tied themselves to a number of orphans to help them stay together. The storm made landfall later that night and all hell broke loose. Houses began to crumble and fall under the pressure. Sister Mary led her children to the tallest part of the orphanage with the water chasing them every step of the way. At the same time, the train tracks that led out of town were being battered by the water until a section broke off and rolled towards the house. Joseph saw the tracks and grabbed two of Isaac’s children while Isaac grabbed his daughter and they all jumped out the window shortly before the train tracks hit the home and tore it to pieces. In a sea of dead bodies, Isaac, Joseph, and Isaac’s children could only wait for the storm to pass.

After the Storm-
The City of Galveston was in ruins. Upwards of 8,000 people died making it the deadliest natural disaster ever to hit the United States, a record it still holds today. Isaac and Joseph, trapped on the island were forced to clean up the dead. Isaac found the dead body of a child. Around his waist he found a rope. He pulled on the rope and through the debris he found another child with rope around his waist. He pulled the rope again and found another child, and another child, and another, and another, and then he found the lifeless body of Sister Mary . Franklin and Julianne survived, but Julianne lost her baby. Later on the beach which was littered with dead bodies that were dumped in the ocean that had washed back to the shore. There he found Cora May’s dead body. Isaac later fabricated a story in which he rode his horse along the beach warning the citizens of Galveston to flee the city hours before landfall saving many people’s lives, although that claim was impossible. The tide already would have been so high that the horse cold not move. Isaac fought a war with mother nature, and like many who had tried the same before him, he failed and had blood on his hands.

What the Press would say:

Steven Spielberg’s new film Isaac’s Storm is the story of Isaac Cline played by Paul Giamatti and the storm that ruined him. The film is chronicled in 7 segments of days that are told first in Galveston then move to the developing storm in the gulf, making the storm itself a major character in the film. Steven Zaillian’s screenplay is so eloquent in the way it describes these characters while maintaining the presence of the storm. Steven Spielberg’s direction is simply stunning. His haunting realism throws us back to his Oscar ® winning direction of Schindler’s List and Saving Private Ryan. Paul Giamatti is superb as Isaac Cline, the head meteorologist at the National Weather Bureau’s Galveston branch. He brings such emotion to this character who’s afraid to admit that his town is not hurricane proof. His performance is truly Oscar ® worthy. Mark Ruffalo plays Joseph Cline, Isaac’s younger brother who tries to convince Isaac that the storm is headed strait for Galveston. I am in awe of his talent in this film. Toni Collette also gives a great performance as the pregnant Cora May Cline, the wife of Isaac. Some of the most heartbreaking scenes of the film surround Allison Janney character Sister Mary. The performance this actress gives is amazing. I see her receiving an Oscar ® nomination. Frances McDormand and Tim Robbins round out the cast as Julianne and Franklin Higgins, a married couple who are expecting their first child. These characters represent the innocence of the victims. They give stellar performances with such subtlety and grace. This is truly one of the greatest film casts ever. The technical achievements of the film are also amazing and I am confident in saying that Isaac’s Storm is my favorite movie of the year. ****/****

FYC

Best Picture- Steven Spielberg, Kathleen Kennedy, Barry Mendel
Best Director- Steven Spielberg
Best Actor- Paul Giamatti
Best Supporting Actor- Mark Ruffalo
Best Supporting Actor- Tim Robbins
Best Supporting Actress- Toni Collette
Best Supporting Actress- Allison Janney
Best Supporting Actress- Frances McDormand
Best Adapted Screenplay- Steven Zaillian
Best Film Editing- Michael Kahn
Best Cinematography- Janusz Kaminski
Best Art Direction- Ewa Braun & Allan Starski
Best Makeup- Rick Baker
Best Costume Design- Arianne Phillips
Best Original Score- John Williams
Best Sound Editing- Gary Rydstrom & Richard Hymns
Best Sound Mixing- Kevin O’Connell, Gary Rydstrom & Ronald Judkins

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