Heaven's Burning (1997) watch online HD

Director Craig Lahiff and producer Helen Leake first approached acclaimed writer Louis Nowra two years prior to this movie being made and released, they discussed adapting one of his novels they were interested in bringing to the screen. That project never eventuated, but through ensuing discussions 'Heaven's Burning' evolved.

Director Craig Lahiff and writer Louis Nowra shared an interest in ;film noir; and over a period of time discussed several ideas Nowra had been working on. One in particular, entitled 'You Don't Know What Love Is' intrigued Lahiff and became the nucleus of 'Heaven's Burning'.

An energetic writer with a talent for taking things in a different direction, screenwriter Louis Nowra developed a script that was unusually paced for an Australian film and unlike anything that the country's film industry had produced in recent years.

One of the most compelling aspects of this film, according to its director Craig Lahiff, was the idea of making a contemporary 'Tristan and Isolde'. He saw Colin [Russell Crowe] and Midori [Yûki Kudô] as "two lost souls, fated to find each other". Lahiff's sentiment was echoed by producer Helen Leake who added: "From a certain perspective it's a modern day 'Romeo and Juliet' in a very unexpected and sometimes violent way. At its heart is the story of two people who come together and in doing so step out of their normal lives."

Producer Al Clark commented on the mix of genres: "It's a road movie, yet it veers from being a traditional film of that genre. It's a thriller that doesn't feel an obligation to continually thrill, and it's a touching film about the way people can collide at a moment in their respective lives." The inherent poetry of the piece, which blends humour, excitement, romance and violence, stimulated all involved from the outset.

For the leading lady role of Midori from Japan, a Japanese actor was essential. Both director Craig Lahiff and producer Helen Leake also felt this aspect would afford them a good chance of pre-selling the project in Japan. Their optimism was well founded as within a four day visit they managed to secure the involvement of Amuse Inc., a major Japanese distribution company active throughout Asia.

The filmmakers, after securing financing from major Japanese distribution company Amuse Inc., completed funding for the project with support from the Australian Film Finance Corporation, the South Australian Film Corporation, and Beyond Films, the latter of whom received the world-wide sales rights, excluding Japan and Australasia, these distribution rights were obtained by REP Film Distributors.

Casting the central role of Midori, was crucial. For director Craig Lahiff and producer Helen Leake, there was only ever one choice: Youki Kudoh. A huge star in her native Japan, both first saw Kudoh when she appeared in Jim Jarmusch's 'Mystery Train' (1989) and were captivated by her talent and screen presence.

When Japanese actress Youki Kudoh left Japan to commence work on this movie, there were eight film crews at the airport to record her departure. Kudoh's immense popularity aside, there was no question of her ability to inhabit the psyche of her character Midori.

Japanese actress Youki Kudoh found the contrast between Australia and Japan fascinating and was in no doubt as to the dilemma her character faced. "Japan is so safe, you can walk your dog at midnight. We have no bank robberies and murders rarely occur. For Midori to find herself involved in a bank robbery would be inconceivable. That, coupled with the betrayal by her ex-lover and the disgrace she would encounter in returning to Yukio, left her with few alternatives. When Colin saves her life, she feels she has no choice but to follow as, despite his hostility, there is no-one else. Initially her feelings for Colin are tinged with desperation, but he attracts her because he is so different from traditional Japanese men. She feels that he is amazing, dangerous and generous. She also senses that his toughness is a facade".

As with the casting of Midori (Youki Kudoh), there was really only one person to portray Colin. Several actors were considered, but ultimately director Craig Lahiff and producer Helen Leake felt that only actor Russell Crowe had the right blend of machismo and vulnerability required.

When actor Russell Crowe first read the screenplay for this movie, he reached page forty-six and thought, "Damn, so much has happened and there's still another fifty pages to go". An insightful actor with strong ideas, Crowe was mindful of the popular notion of a 'road movie'. "Within this genre, the worst possible thing you can do is continually focus on shots of a car", he remarked, "so the structure of this script with something new happening and characters being introduced every couple of scenes was both exciting and promising".

In the hands of another actor, Russell Crowe's character's Colin's essential lack of purpose might have rendered him unsympathetic, but Crowe, whilst acknowledging the shortcomings of Colin's personality, was at pains to depict him as a man who had never quite found the right path. "Colin is rather weak in terms of the reality of his life. Initially, I'm portraying him as a rather bland and opaque person, who gradually shows some promise until you feel that given a different set of circumstances he'd easily be part of greater society. In any given performance you must have a clear understanding of the audience's perception...He's had a couple of half-hearted attempts at life, but at a very early age it was put into his head that if something doesn't work you can always withdraw and once that's been established he's never followed anything through. When life presents a difficult situation he just leaves, hoping that in the next place he'll be braver".

Arguably, the most enigmatic character in the movie is Yukio, the abandoned husband of Midori (Youki Kudoh), played by celebrated Japanese actor Kenji Isomura. To say that Yukio undergoes a radical transformation is an understatement. From a successful businessman enjoying a honeymoon with his beautiful young bride, he suddenly finds himself an object of ridicule, a woeful state for a proud man. Overwhelmed by his loss, Yukio decides to pursue Midori and seek revenge, calmly dispatching anyone who gets in his way. In any relationship an equilibrium needs to be maintained. Within Yukio and Midori's marriage there is none, and that, essentially, is their tragedy. Producer Helen Leake explained: "Yukio did not marry Midori for love, but as part of the social edifice he is constructing for himself. His world collapses when she leaves him and he has lost everything".

The role of Cam, the lonely father of Colin (Russell Crowe), was portrayed by veteran actor Ray Barrett. Both producer Helen Leake and director Craig Lahiff had seen Barrett in the stage production of David Williamson's 'Brilliant Lies', which got filmed, with Barrett reprising his stage role of Brian Connor. Leake and Lahiff instinctively felt that he had the qualities needed to convey Cam's isolation. A battling farmer on a vast property, Cam's life is all memories. He has no future and little in the way of a present, just a lot of past. Within his kitchen is a wall full of Polaroids, self-portraits, a quixotic reminder for himself of his existence. Barrett felt a great sympathy for Cam, and despite the contrast between their two lives, was able to project Cam's desolation. Barrett said: "I think the script was beautifully constructed by Louis Nowra. For me the test of any script is not being able to put it down."

To an extent Colin (Russell Crowe)'s problems are accentuated by his friendship with Mahood (Robert Mammone), a young man of Afghani origin with a penchant for illegal activities and black leather. Mahood is a first generation Australian who, unlike the rest of his family, desperately wants to fit within his adopted country's culture. Mammone had initial doubts in accepting the role. "I had reservations about portraying somebody who embarked upon such a violent journey. However, I decided that there were aspects of Mahood's personality that were positive which I could utilize in my performance." Moreover, Mammone described his character as "a man who thinks he's extremely important but sadly isn't."

The casting of the minor and supporting characters within the movie was equally vital. Remarked director Craig Lahiff: "We always knew we wanted to cast the best people possible, even for the smaller roles. When we were in Sydney working on the script with [writer] Louis [Nowra], we saw one of his plays, 'The Jungle'. Kate Fitzpatrick was in that and we thought she would be marvelous as Gloria the barmaid." Tony Phelan who plays Bishop was also in 'The Jungle'. "We were impressed with his ability and felt it would be great to have somebody fresh. Tony doesn't have that experience of over familiar movie detectives, so he could create the kind of policeman we wanted, a guy with enough idiosyncrasies and irregularities to make the part interesting. Colin Hay did such a wonderful job in 'Cosi' (1996) that we had no trouble visualizing him as Jonah. Initially Jonah was scripted as a straight mean drunk, but we reworked the character, added the piano accordion and generally lightened him."

Additional casting included Matthew Dyktynski as Bishop's sidekick Moffat, a change of pace from his last role as the campus stud in 'Love and Other Catastrophes' (1996), television celebrity Ian Turpie as a used car salesman, and revered Australian actor Norman Kaye in a touching cameo as a blind store owner.

From the outset, director Craig Lahiff knew the 'look' he wanted for this film. A meticulous craftsman, every scene was carefully story-boarded. A staggering forty eight locations across Australia were selected, causing a logistical nightmare for an eight week shoot involving fifty actors. Part of the film was shot in and around Adelaide which, despite providing outstanding vistas, also supplied several dust storms which wreaked havoc with camera equipment and tight schedules.

Director Craig Lahiff and director of photography Brian Breheny were keen to discover a different language in terms of visual dynamics. Breheny enthused: "The pace was kinetic".

Colour was applied to the film thematically throughout, particularly red which was utilized for the interior of Boorjan (Petru Gheorghiu)'s house and the motel room where the main torture scene occurs. There was no other use of red, not even for the costumes as production designer Vicki Niehus was at pains to create an appropriate atmosphere for those scenes where violence is both premeditated and executed.

Principal photography commenced 1st October 1996 and concluded on 22nd November 1996. Reflecting upon the experience, director Craig Lahiff commented: "On any given day the film would assume a different personality. We'd be dealing with humour, bank robberies, shoot-outs, special effects, romance or we'd find ourselves in the middle of nowhere, in a tent, filming a Bachelors and Spinsters Ball. The challenge of continually adapting and striving for coherence was exhausting, frustrating but ultimately rewarding."

In casting veteran Australian actor Ray Barrett to play the tragic character of Cam, director Craig Lahiff commented: "Ray had the stature to work alongside Russell [Crowe]. He has immense dignity and sensitivity, he's a great actor and ideal for the role as written."

Cameo: Norman Kaye, the legendary Australian actor, as a blind store owner.

In a bizarre interpretation of life imitating art, actors Robert Mammone and Russell Crowe were, like the characters they portray in the movie, best friends, and had been for the past seven years prior to this picture.

Japanese actor Kenji Isomura had been familiar to Australian audiences through his starring role in the earlier Kennedy Miller landmark television mini-series, The Cowra Breakout (1984). Isomura was delighted to return to Australia to film this cinema movie. He said: "I loved the script, especially my character who initially is such a typical Japanese businessman. It was also great to spend so much time on location and not in a studio."

When he was invited to join the production, producer Al Clark saw an immediate link between it and his previous film, 'The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert' (1994), despite their obvious differences. "There's something irresistible about placing people in a landscape which they feel does not want them", he mused. "In 'Priscilla', it was two drag queens and a transsexual colliding with too much space. In 'Heaven's Burning', it's a country boy who's lost his bearings in the city and a Japanese couple in a state of complete dislocation. The wife is running away, and in the process, experiencing a deliriously exciting freedom. The husband is in pursuit, and in such pain, that he's acquired a kind of deranged numbness. He is emotionally wounded, but he has decided that revenge does not allow for compassion."

Producer Helen Leake worked with director Craig Lahiff from the outset in bringing this movie to the big screen, long before screenwriter Louis Nowra completed the final draft of the screenplay. Initially, both had approached Nowra with another project, but after many discussions the nucleus of this film was born.

As a director, Craig Lahiff impressed his cast with his laid-back approach and seemingly endless patience. Actress Youki Kudoh remarked: "He's so gentle. I never saw him lose his temper, which was amazing! He was always calm and took the time to explain exactly what he was thinking, whilst still allowing me to express my ideas". Actor Robert Mammone concurred: "He brings a sense of calmness that I haven't previously experienced. I don't think I've ever seen anybody trust his actors so much, he really nurtured us". Cinematographer Brian Breheny described Lahiff's approach as "a wonderful bedside manner...Craig's not [a] confrontationalist, but he gets the shots he wants by letting things go and everyone thinks, 'Oh, I've got my own way', but in fact they haven't, he has!".

Screenwriter Louis Nowra worked closely with director Craig Lahiff and producer Helen Leake to create a totally original screenplay, based on several themes he had been exploring, an endeavor which resulted in 'Heaven's Burning'.

Cinematographer Brian Breheny was working on a movie in Los Angeles when he received a call from producer Al Clark urging him to read "a really good script". Louis Nowra's screenplay immediately sparked his interest. Returning to Australia, he met with director Craig Lahiff and decided that this picture was too intriguing a project to overlook. Breheny said: "The fact that it was a road movie with a natural progression, with characters who were really fleshed out by the end, was extremely challenging. I also loved the interplay between the two leads and the distinct variations within the story, combining action with romance, comedy with violence. Visually, I felt that there was a great deal that could be achieved."

Despite his extensive credits, the movie's editor John Scott had never before worked on a film so action driven as this. He explained: "I haven't edited many violent scenes and I'm having great fun. I'm making continual jokes about how I've killed three people today and crashed four cars. There's an underlying element of comedy in 'Heaven's Burning' which plays beautifully against the action and the drama. The violence isn't really gruesome, it's unusual and somewhat ironic. The film's been shot in a very fluid style with lots of fabulous camera movements, creating a natural flow which I will follow."

Cameo: Ian Turpie, the Australian television personality, as a used car salesman.

The character of Yukio (Kenji Isomura) had a first name which was similar to the first name of actress Yûki Kudô who played Midori. Both are Japanese actors and both their characters and character names are Japanese.

Mahood (Robert Mammone)'s downfall commences when he invites Colin (Russell Crowe) to be the getaway driver in a bank robbery he has plotted with his father, a former member of the Afghani secret police, played with chilling conviction by Petru Gheorghiu. Their heist is a resounding failure with one member of the gang experiencing an excruciating death when his neck becomes trapped in a security screen. Mahood, with his father Boorjan (Petru Gheorghiu), pursue Colin and Midori (Youki Kudoh) across the country. Only Colin's death will redeem Mahood's honour and satisfy his father. Their pursuit culminates in the film's most horrific scene in which Boorjan's talent as a torturer of consummate skill emerges, to Mahood's barely suppressed panic. Mammone explained: "For Mahood, it's a terrible experience. It's like when you agree to do something and then when it starts to happen, you'd give anything to exit the situation."