Simon Birch
| Simon Birch | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster
|
|
| Directed by | Mark Steven Johnson |
| Produced by |
Roger Birnbaum Laurence Mark |
| Screenplay by | Mark Steven Johnson |
| Based on |
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Marc Shaiman |
| Cinematography | Aaron E. Schneider |
| Edited by | David Finfer |
|
Production
company |
|
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
114 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $20 million |
| Box office | $18,310,591 |
Simon Birch is a 1998 American comedy-drama film loosely based on A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving and was directed and written for the screen by Mark Steven Johnson. The film stars Ian Michael Smith, Joseph Mazzello, Jim Carrey, Ashley Judd, and Oliver Platt. It omitted much of the latter half of the novel and altered the ending.
The movie does not share the book's title at Irving's request; he did not believe that this novel could successfully be made into a film. The name "Simon Birch" was suggested by him to replace that of Owen Meany. The opening credits of the film state that it was "suggested by" Irving's novel. The main plot centers on 12-year-old Joe Wenteworth and his best friend Simon Birch, who was born with dwarfism.
Simon Birch believes that God made him for a special, heroic purpose. Simon and his best friend Joe Wenteworth are both outcasts in their tiny New England town: Joe is the illegitimate son of the town beauty, and Simon, at age 12, is so small that he still plays the infant Jesus in the church Christmas pageant. In the summer of 1964, friendship is put to the test when Little League Simon hits a foul ball that strikes and kills Joe's mother. Together, they try to find out who Joe's father is. Just as they succeed, the time comes for Simon to fulfill the destiny he believes in. A situation arises that demands a hero - a very small hero.
When Joe and Simon were riding a bus, the bus crashed into a lake. Joe got everybody out but Simon drowned with the bus. When Simon is in the hospital, he gets a visit from Joe who also is in the hospital. Simon dies, but Joe will remember that he will always be his best friend in his heart.
The bus crash scene was filmed near Ontario's French River. The film's quarry scenes were shot at Elora, Ontario. The church featured in many parts of the film is in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia. Its black borders were painted white for the film. At the end of the film when it switches to the future, the borders are black. The baseball scene as well as many indoor scenes were filmed in Glen Williams, Ontario.
...
Wikipedia