Gattaca

Gattaca (1997)

Timing: 1:47 (107 min)

7.566/10
6855

7.968/10
236878

7.7/10
345000

All about film

Video 10

Photo 89

Actors and characters

Release date

1997-07-09

Country

United States

Production

Columbia Pictures, Jersey Films

Genre

Thriller, Science Fiction, Mystery, Romance

Budget

$36 000 000

Revenue

$12 532 777

Website

https://www.sonypictures.com/movies/gattaca

Director

Andrew Niccol

Actors

Ethan Hawke, Uma Thurman, Jude Law, Alan Arkin, Loren Dean, Gore Vidal, Tony Shalhoub, Ernest Borgnine, Blair Underwood, Xander Berkeley
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Andrew Niccol

Producer

Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher

Operator

Slawomir Idziak

Composer

Michael Nyman

Artist

Natalie Richards

Audition

Francine Maisler

Editing

Lisa Zeno Churgin, Bradley Cramp, Tim Swan
All team (152)

• During the filming of the movie, Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke began dating, and a year later she gave birth to their child, after which they got married.
• Announcements within the Gattaca building are made in the artificial language Esperanto.
• In the opening and closing credits, the first letters of the names and surnames of the participants highlight the names of nitrogenous bases found in DNA molecules (A - adenine, C - cytosine, G - guanine, T - thymine). The film's title is also composed solely of these four letters, like a fragment of DNA.
• Uma Thurman's character is named after the Italian astronomer Cassini. In the year of the film's release, a probe of the same name was launched to Saturn, and in 2005 it reached Titan – Vincent's main goal.
• The film features cars from the 1960s: a police Rover P6 and a Citroën DS driven by Irene.
• All the cars used in the film are electric vehicles. The wireless charger used in the film was taken from the EV1 electric car.
• The staircase in Jerome's apartment is styled after a DNA spiral.
• The film was shot under the working title “The Eighth Day,” which is a reference to the biblical myth of creation. The original title implies human intervention in the nature created by the Creator, and “The Eighth Day” is also the name of a center where children are created using genetic engineering methods (according to one of the cut scenes). However, after frequent shifts in the film’s release date, this title was used by the Belgian film “The Eighth Day.” In this connection, the screenwriter and director Andrew Niccol was forced to choose a new title for his film.
• The total length of the 35mm film print of “Gattaca” is 2918 meters.
• The car Vincent Freeman drove was a 1963 Studebaker Avanti.
• In 2011, NASA scientists named 'Gattaca' the most scientifically accurate science fiction film of all time.
• As part of the film's promotional campaign, people were encouraged to call a phone number listed in the advertisement to apply genetic engineering technologies to their children. Thousands of calls were received from parents wanting to 'improve' their offspring.
• Many of the 'futuristic' buildings in the film are actually quite old. Most of them are built in an architectural style called 'Brutalism,' which was popular in the 1950s. The two giant arches visible in the background during the conversation between Jerome and Irene are actually the spillway of the Sepulveda Dam in Los Angeles, built in the 1930s.
• This was Maya Rudolph's debut film role.
• The Marin County Civic Center in San Rafael, which depicts the headquarters of the Gattaca Corporation in the film, was also used in George Lucas's THX 1138.
• The film is the directorial debut of Andrew Niccol.
• Vincent says he was conceived on the Riviera, but not the French one, but in Detroit. This refers to the 1971 Buick Riviera car model.
• Jude Law's character asks to be called by his middle name, Eugene. The name 'Eugene' (Evgeniy) means 'noble' in Greek, but literally the name can be translated as 'with good genes'. Eugenics (the science of improving the inherited characteristics of a race or breed) is a central theme of the film.
• In the restaurant scene, when Vincent blows cigarette smoke into a glass of wine, describing that the atmosphere of Titan is shrouded in dense clouds, a composition called 'Nuages' (Clouds) is playing in the background.
• Symbols denoting the statuses of “Valid” or “Invalid” are significant. On the scanners, an infinity symbol appears next to the name of a Valid individual, signifying their “infinite potential.” A dagger appears next to the name of an Invalid. In taxonomy, a dagger next to a taxon indicates extinction. Furthermore, the dagger symbol resembles a cross – a reference to the fact that “Invalids” are also called “Children of God” (Irene addresses Vincent this way after he reveals his true identity to her).
• In order to undergo the final “transformation” into Jerome, Vincent (standing 5 feet 11 inches tall) opts for leg-lengthening surgery to reach Jerome’s recorded height of 6 feet 1 inch. In reality, Jude Law and Ethan Hawke are both approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall (178 and 180 cm respectively).
• Jude Law's character asks to be called by his middle name, Eugene. The name "Eugene" (Evgeniy) means "noble" in Greek, but literally it can be translated as "with good genes." Eugenics (the science of improving the inherited traits of a race or breed) is a central theme of the film.
• In the restaurant scene, as Vincent blows cigarette smoke into a glass of wine while describing the atmosphere of Titan being shrouded in dense clouds, a composition titled “Nuages” (“Clouds”) plays in the background.
• The symbols denoting the statuses of “Valid” or “Invalid” are significant. On the scanners, next to the name of a Valid, an infinity symbol appears, signifying their “infinite potential.” Next to the name of an Invalid, a dagger appears. In taxonomy, a dagger next to a taxon signifies extinction. Furthermore, the dagger symbol resembles a cross – a reference to the fact that “Invalids” are also called “Children of God” (Irene addresses Vincent this way after he reveals his true identity).
• In order to undergo the final “transformation” into Jerome, Vincent (standing at 5 feet 11 inches) opts for leg-lengthening surgery to reach Jerome’s recorded height of 6 feet 1 inch. In reality, Jude Law and Ethan Hawke are both approximately 5 feet 11 inches tall (178 and 180 cm respectively).