The Power of the Dog

The Power of the Dog (2021)

Timing: 2:6 (126 min)

6.744/10
2893

6.606/10
37501

6.8/10
222000

All about film

Video 29

Photo 61

Actors and characters

Release date

2021-10-25

Country

Australia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom, United States

Production

BBC Film, See-Saw Films, Cross City Films, New Zealand Film Commission, Bad Girl Creek, Max Films, See-Saw Films, Brightstar

Genre

Drama, Western

Budget

$35 000 000

Revenue

$271 009

Website

https://thepowerofthedogmovie.com

Director

Jane Campion

Actors

Benedict Cumberbatch, Kodi Smit-McPhee, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, Thomasin McKenzie, Geneviève Lemon, Keith Carradine, Frances Conroy, Kenneth Radley, Sean Keenan
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Jane Campion

Producer

Jane Campion, Emile Sherman, Iain Canning, Roger Frappier, Tanya Seghatchian, Rose Garnett, John Woodward, Simon Gillis

Operator

Ari Wegner

Composer

Jonny Greenwood

Artist

Audition

Nina Gold, Nikki Barrett, Tina Cleary

Editing

Peter Sciberras
All team (64)

• Kirsten Dunst and Benedict Cumberbatch became so immersed in their characters that they did not speak to each other during filming.
• The rights to the book on which this film is based were held by a wide variety of people over many years, but for one reason or another, no one ever got around to adapting the book for the screen. At one point, actor Paul Newman (1925-2008) owned the rights to the adaptation.
• Kirsten Dunst diligently and persistently learned the piano piece that her character performs on screen. In fact, she learned and played two pieces, but the performance of one was cut during editing – much to her displeasure.
• To get into the role of Phil, Benedict Cumberbatch didn't wash for almost two weeks at the beginning of filming. In addition, he started smoking non-stop, one cigarette after another. The actor smoked in real life, but he felt sick after each take due to smoking roll-ups. Continuous smoking led to him experiencing nicotine poisoning three times.
• Director Jane Campion had long wanted to work with Kirsten Dunst, whom she considered a wonderful actress, and at some point, even before filming this movie, fate brought them together on set. According to Dunst, Campion even wrote her a letter once – around 2001 – which she still keeps.
• Paul Dano was initially cast in the role of George, but due to commitments to other projects, he had to leave the film's cast.
• Editor Peter Skiberras from Australia began working in Sydney due to COVID restrictions. He later moved to New Zealand, where he continued working on the film's editing in complete solitude for the first two weeks of quarantine.
• Kirsten Dunst's character played the piano terribly, while Benedict Cumberbatch's character then brilliantly performed Johann Strauss the Elder's (1804-1849) “Radetzky March” (1848) on the banjo.