Having helmed acclaimed character-driven films likeAmores Perros,21 Grams,Babel, andBiutiful,Alejandro G. Iñárrituemerged as a formidable force on the world stage of filmmaking. But he was only getting warmed up as his next two projects, shot and released back-to-back, pushed the cinematic envelope in exciting new directions regarding technique. With 2014’sBirdman, which earned him Oscars for producing, directing, and writing, Iñárritu pulled off the undoubtedly painstaking task of crafting a narrative that seemingly played out in one continuous shot, putting frequent collaboratorEmmanuel Lubezki’s photographic masteryto meticulous and jaw-dropping use.
The following year, however, the ambitious filmmaker embarked on the even more daring challenge of bringingThe Revenantto the screen. Fromfilming in extreme locations to a ballooning budget and an extended shooting schedule, the 2015 survival epic would prove the most grueling undertaking of Iñárritu and starLeonardo DiCaprio’s respective careers. In hindsight,it’s not only a miracle thatThe Revenantwas completed, but also thatit went on to be a massive successdespite a fraught and logistically nightmarish production.
Why Did ‘The Revenant’ Take So Long To Make?
Inspired byMichael Punke’s novel of the same name,The Revenantentered development in the early 2000s.According toThe Hollywood Reporter, among the first filmmakers attached to the project was Oscar-winning screenwriter-turned-producer and directorAkiva Goldsmanworking from a screenplay byDave Rabe. After years of delays, with various filmmakers and actors coming and going,Alejandro G. Iñárritu joined the projectin 2011 and had discussions with Leonardo DiCaprio andSean Penn.
‘The Revenant’s Strength Comes in the Film’s Quiet Moments
Alejandro González Iñárritu’s survival film is at its best in its more of a silent character study.
Teaming up with writerMark L. Smith,who wrote his first draft ofThe Revenantin 2010, Iñárritu went to work revising the script, and it was quickly made apparent to Smith that the filmmaker’s vision for the project bordered on the impossible. “He would have some ideas and I would say, ‘Alejandro, we can’t pull this off. It’s not going to work,'“Smith toldCreative Screenwriting. “And he would say, ‘Mark, trust me, we can do this.'” After developingThe Revenantfor months, however, Iñárritu jarringly shifted tonal gears and went to work on the comedy-dramaBirdman, though he would return to the period epic in short order.
Shooting ‘The Revenant’ Pushed Its Cast and Crew to Their Limits
After scoring big at the Academy Awards withBirdman, Alejandro G. Iñárritu confirmedThe Revenantwould be his next directorial effort.According toVariety, the film was slated to cost $60 million and would shoot in remote Canadian locations beginning in September 2014. Aside from the grueling logistics inherent to shooting on-location and in extreme conditions,Iñárritu’s decision to shootThe Revenantin chronological order and use natural light would ultimately compound the challengesthat lay ahead.Shooting with natural lightmeant the work that could be accomplished in a day would be severely limited, requiring the actors and crew to repeatedly rehearse carefully choreographed action and complex, lengthy shots that maximized available light.
Despite extensive preparation, Iñárritu allowed for spontaneity and experimentation as he and his cast and crew raced against the clock.One crew member recalls in an article fromThe Hollywood Reporter, “It’s 4 o’clock, and you’ve got an hour and a half of daylight, and it’s not the light he wants to shoot in. If you want to seamlessly stitch the footage together, it’s not going to match.” Such an approach to shooting a $60 million film inevitably meant costs would skyrocket, and its original schedule could not be maintained. In addition,Iñárritu’s uncompromising vision led to numerous crew members quitting or being fired. “As a director, if I identify a violin that is out of tune, I have to take that from the orchestra,” said Iñárritu of his attention to detail. The director’s insistence on getting what he wanted also caused a rift with producerJim Skotchdopole, who, according toThe Hollywood Reporter, was eventually removed from the set after allegations of miscommunication with Iñárritu.
Filming in rural Canada during the winter and spring seasons also presented challenges in terms of weather. “Everybody was frozen, the equipment was breaking,” Iñárritu remembers. “To get the camera from one place to another was a nightmare.” Ironically, as a film shot primarily outdoors and reliant on certain conditions,a lack of snow in Canada pushedThe Revenant’s schedule and budget further and higher than anyone could have expected. In August 2015, a mere four months before the film was due to hit theaters, Iñárritu and his collaborators traveled to the southern tip of Argentina,blanketed with snow, to shoot a climactic sequence involving Leonardo DiCaprio andTom Hardy’s characters. “It was the most difficult film, I think, that any of us has ever done,“DiCaprio toldVariety. When all was said and done,the film’s shooting schedule extended months longer than originally anticipated, and its budget had more than doubled to a reported $135 million. It’s safe to assume everyone involved with the ambitious production held their collective breath asThe Revenantapproached its theatrical release.
‘The Revenant’ Was a Critical and Box Office Success
According toVulture,the notion ofThe Revenantscoring big at the box office seemed unlikely. In a cinematic era increasingly reliant on franchise filmmaking and established IP, a $135 million drama with no prospects of a sequel or merchandising was quite a gamble. With early projections for its opening weekend hitting the $20-$24 million mark, the film’s financial and studio backers feared they may have a box office bomb on their hands. But after playing in limited theaters for two weeks,The Revenantdefied expectations when it brought in nearly $40 million over the first weekendof its wide theatrical release. In a jam-packed holiday lineup that includedformidable competition likeStar Wars: The Force Awakens,The Revenantcontinued its impressive run with onlya 20% drop in its second weekendand continued performing consistently well for the next two months, ultimately capping its domestic run with $183 million and a global haul of $532 million.
Aside from its runaway success with audiences,The Revenantwas a major hit with critics, who were unanimous in their praise of Leonardo DiCaprio’s lead performance andTom Hardy’s sinister supporting turn. Afterfailing to take home the coveted Academy Award for Best Actor three timessince 2004’sThe Aviator, DiCaprio finally secured a well-earned win for his role as Hugh Glass, while fearless leader Alejandro G. Iñárritutook home his second consecutive Oscarfor Best Director and Emmanuel “Chivo” Lubezki won a third Oscar for Best Cinematography. Hindsight may be clear as day, but after the months-long shoot chock-full of logistical headaches and seemingly impossible creative aspirations, the idea thatThe Revenantwould be vindicated and championed in such a massive waywas anything but a foregone conclusion. Perhaps Iñárritu said it best when he toldThe Hollywood Reporter, “When you see the film, you will see the scale of it, and you will say, ‘Wow.'”
