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Mining Movies

Alberta-shot Discovery Channel miniseries, Klondike, mixes history and melodrama – by Eric Volmers (Calgary Herald – January 16, 2014)

 

http://www.calgaryherald.com/index.html

Given its rugged nature, it’s not surprising that much of the chatter around the Discovery Channel’s Klondike has dealt with the more physical aspects involved in filming the six-hour miniseries last year in Alberta.

Actors climbed mountains, plunged into rivers, dodged (fake) avalanches, fought and shot each other and generally did their best to look gaunt, desperate and dishevelled when sloshing in the muck of a recreated Dawson City of the 1890s.

But star Richard Madden insists there was a more scholarly side to the shoot. In fact, to hear the 27-year-old Scottish actor talk about it, the set could become positively nerdy when it came to comparing notes on their characters.

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FOOL’S GOLD: Panning Discovery Channel’s Klondike – by Chris Turner (Walrus Magazine – Jan/Feb 2014)

http://thewalrus.ca/

ONE DAY last spring, I made a trek to the Klondike. I had a map with a pair of cartoon trees that marked Dawson City—the Paris of the North, Canada’s own El Dorado, the booming, brawling centre of the last great gold rush. I was driving a Volkswagen station wagon with my eight-year-old daughter in the back. I brought her along to see the Klondike and to provide cover for my visit, which was unauthorized.

We drove west out of Calgary on the Trans-Canada Highway to Jumping Pound Road, turned south, briefly backtracked east, then through the gates of the CL Ranch—thankfully unbarred and thrown open—where dusty, zigzagging paths through the rolling Rocky Mountain foothills finally gave way to a broad expanse of dirt parking lot encircled by spruce trees, half-full of cars and pick-up trucks and trailers. At the far end, over a slight rise, the wood plank roofs of Dawson City came into view. We parked and strolled toward town as nonchalantly as we could. My daughter wondered if we would be arrested.

I explained that the worst they’d do is escort us off the set. It was the final day of shooting on Klondike, Discovery Channel’s first scripted drama, a six-hour miniseries based on historian Charlotte Gray’s book Gold Diggers: Striking It Rich in the Klondike. I had obtained a PDF of the map from an extra after Discovery representatives neglected to respond to requests for a set visit.

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Discovery Channel set to launch first-ever scripted miniseries ‘Klondike’ – by Bill Brioux (Canadian Press/CTV News – January 10, 2014)

 

http://www.ctvnews.ca/

PASADENA, Calif. — Is there gold in them thar miniseries hills?

Discovery Channel thinks so. The U.S. cable network is set to launch its first-ever scripted venture “Klondike.” The six-hour, three-night miniseries begins Jan. 20 on Discovery Canada before continuing the following Tuesday and Wednesday.

Scottish actor Richard Madden (“Game of Thrones”), Abbie Cornish (“RoboCop”), Tim Roth (“Pulp Fiction”), Sam Shepard (“August: Osage County”) and Augustus Prew (“Kick-Ass 2”) star. Ridley Scott, Paul Scheuring and David Zucker are among the executive producers. It’s all based on Charlotte Gray’s book “Gold Diggers: Striking It Rich in the Klondike.”

The cast and producers took questions from reporters Thursday as part of the semi-annual Television Critics Association press tour. A large, Klondike-themed casino was erected for an evening event on the back lawn of the tour hotel.

Shepard was a last-minute replacement for Chris Cooper, who had to withdraw with an illness right before production was scheduled to begin.

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Chilean miracle miners back in spotlight (AFP/Sydney Morning Herald – January 2, 2014)

http://www.smh.com.au/

At the bottom of a dank salt mine in Colombia, a 200-strong film crew featuring Spanish actor Antonio Banderas is reconstructing the incredible tale of 33 miners buried alive for 69 days in Chile in 2010. Actors from multiple countries work in suffocating heat on The 33, which traces the unlikely survival of the men trapped deep underground after a collapse at the San Jose copper mine in the Atacama desert.

“It’s not just about the physical ordeal these 33 men went through – it’s about the emotional one, of wondering if they would live or die, or if they would go crazy waiting to find out,” Gregg Brilliant, a spokesman for the American film production, told AFP.

To depict the incredible story that unfolded more than 600m underground, the production team chose to film at two sites outside the Colombian capital Bogota. Behind a security cordon, curious onlookers try to catch a glimpse of a star, but their Hollywood hopes are repeatedly dashed.

In the salt mines of Nemocon, the humid and musty environment combine with the thin mountain air to recreate the oppressive atmosphere at San Jose, located 800km north of Chile’s capital Santiago.

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‘Ghost Mine’: Portlander Patrick Doyle talks about Season 2 of Syfy series – by Kristi Turnquist (The Oregonian – September 4, 2013) [RepublicOfMining.com – Halloween Theme]

 

http://www.oregonlive.com/

Click here for Ghost Mine episodes: http://www.space.ca/GhostMine.aspx

When he’s confronted by skeptics who doubt the possibility of ghosts, Patrick Doyle has a ready response. “I’m very much a skeptic as well,” says Doyle, who is one of two paranormal investigators featured on the Syfy series, “Ghost Mine.”

“I think you have to be honest with yourself and be a skeptic to be in the paranormal field,” says the 42-year-old. “You’re always questioning.” But for those who scoff at the concept of paranormal activity, Doyle says this: “I’d ask them first, have you had something that happened to you, heard something, seen something, that you can’t explain?”

Doyle has, and it’s those experiences that led him to his fascination with eerie phenomena. He continues to pursue his passion in Season 2 of “Ghost Mine,” which premieres tonight on Syfy.

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Lights! Camera! Über promoter Friedland launches Ivanhoe Pictures – by Dorothy Kosich (Mineweb.com – September 9, 2013)

http://www.mineweb.com/

Will Ivanhoe Mines’ Robert Friedland match Frank Giustra’s success as a producer/film distributor?

RENO (MINEWEB) – After losing control of his Ivanhoe Mines to Rio Tinto, billionaire Robert Friedland is rebounding with a non-mining venture, Ivanhoe Pictures, a motion picture and television financing and production company.

Announced at Toronto’s Film Festival, Ivanhoe Pictures has been launched by Friedland, Greene Street President and Co-Founder John Penotti, and Ray Chen, founder and chairman of Beijing Premiere Media Company. Initially, the company will bridge production opportunities in America and Asia with a focus on China, India, Korea and Japan. The company will also pursue English and local language films in a number of global markets.

Friedland will serve as chairman of the company, Penotti as CEO, and Chen as executive vice president.

Through Ivanhoe Capital, Friedland was a key investor in Sina.com, the largest Chinese Chinese-language online infotainment web portal. Ivanhoe also provided the founding venture capital for U.S.-based Sirus Satellite Radio, which has evolved into SiriusXM radio.

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NEWS RELEASE: Ivanhoe Pictures Launched as a New Finance and Production Company

September 08, 2013 11:38 ET

HOLLYWOOD, CALIFORNIA and BEIJING, CHINA–(Marketwired – Sept. 8, 2013) – International financier Robert Friedland, producer John Penotti and Beijing-based media veteran Ray Chen have launched Ivanhoe Pictures, a motion picture and television financing and production company.

Ivanhoe Pictures will finance and produce film and television projects that have broad appeal to a global audience. Initially, the company will bridge production opportunities in America and Asia, focusing on China, India, Korea and Japan. Beyond that, the company will pursue English and local language films in a variety of global markets.
Ivanhoe Pictures will be based in Hollywood, California, with offices in Beijing and New York. Mr. Friedland is Chairman of the new company, Mr. Penotti is Chief Executive Officer and President and Mr. Chen is Executive Vice President.

Mr. Friedland is recognized in the business worlds of finance, venture capital and mineral resources. Through his principal interests, held through Ivanhoe Capital Corporation, Mr. Friedland has participated in financing a broad range of initiatives in more than 50 countries during the past 25 years. He was an initial, key investor in Sina.com, the largest Chinese-language online infotainment web portal. Ivanhoe provided the founding venture capital for U.S.-based Sirius Satellite Radio, which went on to build SiriusXM into the world’s most successful digital satellite radio service.

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[TVO Medical television] School of Hard Rock – by Kayla Perry (Sudbury Star – June 1, 2013)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

Medical shows may be standard fare on television, but Hard Rock Medical is different, says Sudbury artist and lead actor Stephane Paquette.

“I think what sets this show apart is the fact that the 13th character is really Northern Ontario,” says Paquette. “It plays a huge part in the show — we have scenes where we shot underground and scenes where we go moose hunting with the native communities. It’s really about the North.”

The TVO drama was filmed in Sudbury last year, and is set in the Northern Ontario School of Medicine and its Laurentian University campus. It showcases eight students as they make their way through the school’s courses and adapt to life in Northern Ontario.

Paquette stars alongside Patrick McKenna and Tamara Duarte. A well-known actor, musician and performer in Sudbury, Paquette plays Charlie Riviere, a father of three children who applies and gets accepted to the medical school.

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(Mining Movie) Dead Mine: Hunting Yamashita’s treasure – by Niken Prathivi (Jakarta Post – January 20 2013)

 

http://www.thejakartapost.com/

Four mercenaries escort a group of treasure hunters into an abandoned bunker deep in the jungles of Sulawesi, Indonesia.

Yamashita’s Gold, a legendary hoard of war loot that was stolen in Southeast Asia by Japanese forces during World War II, is a popular topic among ambitious treasure hunters. The treasure was named after Japanese general Tomoyuki Yamashita.

A pushy rich man, Warren Price (Les Loveday), seeks the treasure and sponsors the dangerous voyage. He comes to the island under the protection of mercenaries Capt. Tino Prawa (Ario Bayu), Ario Nando (Mike Lewis), Djoko (Joe Taslim) and Sgt. Papa Ular (Jaitov Tigor).

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The Nickel Queen (Australian Mining Movie – 1971)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Nickel Queen was an Australian comedy film released in 1971 starring Googie Withers and directed by her husband John McCallum.[2] The story was loosely based on the Poseidon bubble, a nickel boom in Western Australia in the late 1960s, and tells of an outback pub owner who stakes a claim and finds herself an overnight millionaire.

Plot

Meg Blake is the widowed owner of a pub in a small desert town in Western Australia. Corrupt American mining executive Ed Benson starts the rumour of a nickel discovery to sell shares to gullible investors. Meg heads the rumour and stakes the first claim. Benson promotes her as the “Nickel Queen”.

Hippie Claude Fitzherbert follows Meg into Perth high society and becomes her lover. Benson is exposed as a fraud, Fitzherbert deserts Meg and runs off with Benson’s wife and Meg is reunited with an old suitor from her hometown.

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The Last of the Knucklemen (Australian Mining Movie – 1979)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

The Last of the Knucklemen is a 1979 Australian film directed by Tim Burstall.

The story involves a gang of rough miners. Tom (Peter Hehir) turns up at the mine looking for a place to hide. He allies himself with the mining foreman Tarzan (Gerard Kennedy) before the big fight.

Original Play

John Power’s play had been produced in 1973.[2]

Leslie Rees described it as “a sequence of sketches using the same basic characters but without much development or thematic resolution”.[3]

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Moon (Mining Film – 2009)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Moon is a 2009 British science fiction drama film directed by Duncan Jones.[3] The film is about Sam Bell (played by Sam Rockwell), a man who experiences a personal crisis as he nears the end of a three-year solitary stint mining helium-3 on the far side of the Earth’s moon.[4] It was the feature debut of director Duncan Jones, son of the British rock musician David Bowie. Kevin Spacey voices Sam’s robot companion, GERTY. Moon premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and was released in selected theatres in New York and Los Angeles on 12 June 2009. The release was expanded to additional theatres in the United States and Toronto on both 3 and 10 July[5] and to the United Kingdom on 17 July.[6]

The film was praised by critics and was nominated for two BAFTA Awards, winning Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer for Jones. It also won the Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation, Long Form (defeating Academy Award for Best Picture nominees Avatar and District 9) and two British Independent Film Awards including Best British Independent Film (BIFA) winner of the 2009 award for the Best British Independent Film.[7] It was nominated for the Saturn Awards for Best Science Fiction Film and Best Actor for Rockwell.

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The Molly Maguires (Mining Movie – 1970)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

The Molly Maguires is a 1970 American film based on a 1969 novel by Arthur H. Lewis that was directed by Martin Ritt. It stars Richard Harris and Sean Connery.[2]

Set in late 19th-century Northeastern Pennsylvania, this social drama tells the story of an undercover detective sent to a coal mining community to expose a secret society of Irish-American miners battling exploitation at the hand of the owners. Partly inspired by a true story, the film portrays the rebellious leader of the Molly Maguires and his will to achieve social justice.

Plot

The Molly Maguires were a secret organization of Irish coal miners established in nineteenth century Pennsylvania to fight oppressive mineowners. Led by Jack Kehoe (Sean Connery), they plant dynamite to destroy plant shafts and equipment. As character James McParlan, Richard Harris portrays real life Pinkerton Detective James McParland who was employed to infiltrate the Mollies.

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Lust For Gold – (Mining Movie – 1949)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

Lust for Gold is a 1949 American western film directed by S. Sylvan Simon and starring Ida Lupino, Glenn Ford and Gig Young. The film is about the legendary Lost Dutchman gold mine, starring Ford as the “Dutchman” and Lupino as the woman he loves. The historical events are seen through a framing device set in the contempary 1940s. It was based on the book Thunder God’s Gold by Barry Storm. Part of the film was shot on location in Arizona’s Superstition Mountains.

Plot

In modern times, a newspaper reports that “noted explorer and writer” Floyd Buckley (Hayden Rorke) claims to have discovered the location of the lost gold mine. He is approached by Barry Storm (William Prince), who believes he has some claim to it, as the Dutchman was his grandfather. Buckley brushes him off, but when he heads into the Superstition Mountains, Storm secretly follows him.

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Salt of the Earth: The Movie Hollywood Could Not Stop – Steve Boisson (American History Magazine – February 2002)

http://www.historynet.com/

When director Elia Kazan’s On the Waterfront opened in 1954, critics and audiences hailed the gritty movie about Hoboken dockworkers and applauded Marlon Brando’s performance as the ex-boxer who ‘coulda been a contender.’ At the next Academy Awards ceremony, On the Waterfront won Oscars for best film, best director, best actor, and best supporting actress.

Another movie about beleaguered workers opened to quite a different reception that same year. Like Kazan’s film, Salt of the Earth was based on an actual situation, in this case a mining strike in New Mexico. Both movies were shot on location with the participation of those who had lived the real stories. And both movies shared a history in the Hollywood blacklist. There the similarities ended. Kazan and his writer, Budd Schulberg, had both named names — identified movie people they said were Communists — when questioned by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC).

Some saw their movie, in which Brando’s character testifies against the racketeers who run the docks, as an allegory in support of informing. The people behind Salt, in contrast, were unrepentant blacklistees whose leftist political affiliations derailed their careers during the Red scares of the 1950s. On the Waterfront was a hit and is remembered as a classic film. The makers of Salt of the Earth struggled to find theater owners willing to show their incendiary movie.

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