American Cinematographer - February 1990 - 63

His only complaint during the
Canadian shoot was increasing
homesickness for his native Ire¬
land.
Late in 1988 a cross-Can¬
ada search to find a town that
could be dressed for the produc¬
tion met with dismal results. When

producer Art Linson decided to
take advantage of Vancouver
and rates, $2.5 million of the
overall production budget was
allotted to build a sprawling 21crews

building town in Mission, BC, on
land surrounded by forests, moun¬
tains, an appropriate body of wa¬
ter and even an existing bridge -
a
bridge which in real life is the
span between a very full lake and
a
very steep dam.
It took nearly three

.

months to construct the border
town. Wolf Kroeger, who doesn't

Opposite page:
Escaped cons

grant interviews, refused to dis¬
cuss

construction

logistics. Local

DeNiro and Penn

set dresser

Jim Erickson (Missis¬
sippi Burning) was recruited to
bring the streets and buildings to
life, right down to the old, cracked

mug their way
into the

priesthood.
Above: An entire

depression-era

billiard balls in the town bar.
"What struck me about
We're No Angels was the incredible
detail of the border town," says

border town was
constructed near

Vancouver, BC.
Left: Rousselot's

unit

publicist Brigitte Prochaska.
"Every morning we would drive
from Vancouver, cross through
beautiful countryside, round a
bend and suddenly be transported
in time to a grey, rotting, depres¬
sion setting. No matter how closely
you inspected the homes and
shops and junk in the alleys, you
couldn't quite shake the feeling
that you were in the 1930s."
When Rousselot

lighting scheme
for the monastery
includedsix 12Ks
beamed in

through the
windows.

was

photograph the film it
wasn't an arbitrary decision. Jor¬
dan, inspired by the look of Diva,
had originally wanted Rousselot
for Company of Wolves in 1984.

diction conjured by Jordan during
the initial pre-production phone
call between the two men. "In

Production shuffles cancelled that

have to deal with
tion from lines,

hired to

tantalizing partnership.
"Since he didn't ask
for Mona Lisa or High Spirits,

comedy you want to see every¬
thing that's going on because you
a

lot of informa¬

gestures, facial

me

expressions," explains Rousselot.

I'm
not sure why he asked for me for
this project, " laughs Rousselot.
"Maybe he wanted a colleague
from Europe! But Neil's very

"But Neil wanted to shoot this film
like a thriller, where shadows

simple to work with. As with
Stephen Frears (Dangerous Liaisons)

knew audiences wouldn't need to

and John Boorman

(Emerald Forest,

Hope and Glory)

abound. The trick was to
miss any
mood. I

try to not

of the faces, yet keep the
put shadows where I

pick

up information, and just
crossed my fingers! I've been

once you've
reached the same view of the proj¬

compromising since day

one on

this shoot, because I like

images

ect, he lets you go

you can

off and do your

job."
one

of

The view of Angels was
comedy realism, a contra¬

frame for most

scenes. When
they
photographed separately, the
script's comedy elements didn't
work as well. Echoing the DeNiro/
Charles Grodin Midnight Run
team, DeNiro's plethora of expres¬
sions play off Penn's smooth
were

demeanor to maximum effect.

However,

up.

movie where

The We're No Angels produc¬

tion crew averaged a dozen set-ups

good working day, despite the
or
big action se¬
quences. "The trouble was, a lot of
the story takes place in building
on a

lack of stunts

interiors

hardly see at all."

a

leads share the same frame,
which plays like a comedy, yet is
lit like a thriller, takes time to set
two

near or

in front of win¬

Jordan and Rousselot
decided early on to photograph

dows, and while we were trying to

DeNiro and Penn in the

weather

February 1990

same

maintain

American

a

dull winter

changed

every

Cinematographer

light, the
five min-

61
American Cinematographer - February 1990

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