What you may need to know:
1. Martin Scorsese is back with his latest Oscar-bait, an adaptation of Shūsaku Endō’s 1966 novel. Silence was previously adapted for the screen in Japan in 1971.
2. As the trailer deftly illustrates, Silence follows two Jesuit priests (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) on a dangerous journey through 17th-century Japan seeking their mentor (Liam Neeson), who has apparently renounced the Church. In that period, teaching the Catholic faith was illegal, and Christians were known as Kakure Kirishitan (Hidden Christians).
3. Silence has been in development since 1990, yet another ‘passion project’ for Scorsese. (To be fair, all his films are described as passion projects). On the topic of keeping Silence on his radar all that time, Scorsese had this to say:
“As you get older, ideas go and come. Questions, answers, loss of the answer again and more questions, and this is what really interests me. Yes, the cinema and the people in my life and my family are most important, but ultimately as you get older, there’s got to be more. Much, much more. The very nature of secularism right now is really fascinating to me, but at the same time do you wipe away what could be more enriching in your life?”
4. In 2012, Scorsese was sued by investors who alleged that Scorsese was in breach of contract after pushing back a start date to shoot the film several times since their original deal was signed in 1990. Cecchi Gori Pictures wanted a slice of the profits of each film he had made while Silence was on hold. The case was settled for an undisclosed sum in 2014.
5. The budget for Silence was so tight that everyone, including the A-list cast, Scorsese himself and veteran producer Irwin Winkler, worked for scale. Without superheroes, monsters or spaceships in the script, some studios are jittery about handing over their cash – even when someone like Martin Scorsese is involved.
6. Silence receives its world premiere at the Vatican tomorrow.
7. At first glance, the historical setting makes Silence look like a companion piece to Marty’s poorly-received 1997 drama Kundun. Any excuse.
Verdict: Kun-do.
Release date: Tomorrow (Rome)
