Changeling

Changeling (2008)

Timing: 2:21 (141 min)

7.6/10
4399

7.929/10
236691

7.7/10
275000

All about film

Video 4

Photo 36

Actors and characters

Release date

2008-10-24

Country

United States

Production

Universal Pictures, Relativity Media, Imagine Entertainment, Malpaso Productions

Genre

Crime, Drama, Mystery

Budget

$55 000 000

Revenue

$113 020 256

Website

Director

Clint Eastwood

Actors

Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich, Jeffrey Donovan, Michael Kelly, Colm Feore, Jason Butler Harner, Amy Ryan, Geoff Pierson, Denis O'Hare, Frank Wood
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

J. Michael Straczynski

Producer

Clint Eastwood, Brian Grazer, Robert Lorenz, Ron Howard, Jim Whitaker, Geyer Kosinski, Tim Moore, Audrey Chon, Shauna Bryan

Operator

Tom Stern

Composer

Clint Eastwood

Artist

Pam Cartmel

Audition

Ellen Chenoweth

Editing

Joel Cox, Gary D. Roach
All team (201)

• Translated from English, the word 'changeling' which gave the film its title means a child of a magical creature – an elf, troll, or fairy – which they leave in place of a kidnapped human child.
• Twice in the film, the character of Angelina Jolie, Kristina, says: 'Never start a fight, but always finish it.' This is the same expression that, according to Captain John Sheridan, his father told him, and which featured in the 1990s series 'Babylon 5' (1994-1998), whose script was also written by J. Michael Straczynski.
• In some cinemas, the film was released under the title "Wanderer" ("Nomad").
• Ron Howard was initially intended to direct the film, but a tight schedule prevented him from participating in the project, and he remained only as a producer, suggesting Clint Eastwood for the director's chair.
• Hilary Swank and Reese Witherspoon were considered for the role of Christine Collins.
• 1920s Los Angeles was created using computer graphics.
• Clint Eastwood agreed to direct the project the same evening he read the script.
• Principal photography began on October 15 and was completed in November 2007. Filming took place in the vicinity of Los Angeles.
• After filming wrapped, director Clint Eastwood "invited" the entire film crew to room 18 of a psychiatric hospital (the very one where patients received electroshock therapy).
• The film is based on real events. A series of kidnappings and murders of boys in California, committed in 1928, is known as the "Wineville Chicken Coop Murders".
• At the 79th minute of the film, an electric current is applied to one of the clinic's patients, while orderlies hold her bare ankles. In this case, the current should have affected them as well, but it does not.
• The film shows the audience that electroshock therapy was used in psychiatric hospitals at that time, although in reality it did not begin to be used until ten years later.
• Screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski first heard the story of Christine Collins (played by Angelina Jolie in the film) from an unnamed source at Los Angeles City Hall. Once, he stumbled upon documents from some case that were intended for destruction but were instead thrown away. The source passed these documents on to Straczynski, who was so captivated by the story that he spent the next year conducting his own investigation and even decided to create a television project based on it. Nothing came of this idea. As for the film, everything in it actually happened in real life (as documented evidence shows), and the characters’ dialogue is often taken verbatim from court transcripts. Straczynski wrote the first draft of the script in just 11 days.
• Some scenes from the film were shot at the San Bernardino train station in California during the 2007 wildfires. Due to the thick smoke, it was difficult to breathe on set.
• After filming, director Clint Eastwood "invited" the entire film crew to room 18 of a psychiatric hospital (the very one where patients received electroshock therapy).
• The film is based on real events. A series of kidnappings and murders of boys in California committed in 1928 is known as the "Wineville Chicken Coop Murders".