German Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck talks about "The Tourist", Jolie and Depp

I haven't seen this movie, but by reading the director's interview and his experience working with Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp gives me a full color on what kind of movie if you combine Jolie, Depp and Venice. Well, Venice is not a character, but a location of the movie were the Tourist movie takes place. The German Director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck got lucky on this after winning an Oscar for Best Foreign Film "The Lives of Others", and wow! I can't imagine the feeling if Angelina Jolie calls you on the phone and invite you to do a movie with her.

Few weeks before the premiere of the movie, I have this weird dream and in my dream, Johnny Depp called me on the phone and he hired me as his road manager for his visit in the Philippines. oh wow! I wish that it will come true, it was a secret visit here and then bamm!! I woke up! and its all a dream. (im not joking on this!)

read the interview below

In 2007, German director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film for “The Lives of Others.” The searing portrait of a Stasi agent set against the political intrigue and subsequent collapse of the East German state, the film marked both his debut as a director and one of the most acclaimed releases of the decade.

In January 2011, von Donnersmarck returns with his long-awaited follow up and first Hollywood film, “The Tourist,” which follows the exploits of Johnny Depp’s American innocent abroad in Europe, Frank Tupelo - a man who gets more intrigue than he bargains for when he falls for Angelina Jolie’s enigmatic screen siren, Elise.

The director talks about the romantic thriller in the following interview:
Q: How would you describe “The Tourist”?
FHD: The film is many things at the same time. It’s a suspense thriller. And it’s hopefully as intriguing and fun as are Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp in everyday life.

Q: How did the film come about for you?
FHD: I had just finished a script for a dark international thriller that I’d been writing for a year and a half, when Angelina called me and said, “Look, there’s this project that I’m thinking about and I’d really think about it if you’d consider doing it.” I looked at it. It definitely had the potential to be a sexy, fun, sweeping movie. As a fan of Angelina’s, I also felt that she was one of those rare women who had the explosive power of a Rita Hayworth or a Grace Kelly, but that she’s never really had a part where she could show it all - that extremely feminine, elegant side. She’s played tough action figures in “Salt” and “Lara Croft.” And she’s played challenging drama like “Changeling” and “A Mighty Heart.” But she’s never had a part where she was just allowed to be as glorious as she is... I guess I saw a chance to really present her in that way. And to present audiences with Angelina the way I’ve always thought of her.

Q: How did you proceed?
FHD: Well, we still needed an ideal costar… It’s tough to find a costar for Angelina, because she has so much going for her, and I didn’t want Frank’s character to look to weak by comparison. We needed someone who was a great actor, but who was also charming, funny, sexy and smart. When we put all that together, we realized we needed Johnny Depp. Our producer Graham King arranged a meeting between Johnny and me in Johnny’s office, we had a great conversation and he loved the idea of doing this with us.

Q: What was it like making your first Hollywood film?
FHD: With the crew and those fantastic actors, it was a real joy. They were so game to try out something new and so it was just a fantastic exchange, a really great experience.


Q: You decided to actually film in Venice, a tricky proposition I would imagine for a film of this scale, or indeed any scale…
FHD: It’s rare for a movie to shoot entirely in Venice – the normal way to do it would be 3 weeks in Venice for the exteriors and all the rest shot in studio. But since Johnny had a hard out date and had to leave for Pirates of the Caribbean, we wouldn’t have had time to build the Venice interiors in a studio. So for practical reasons, we had to do the unheard of thing…we had to shoot the entire picture in Venice, for which I’m thankful. It seemed an almost crazy thing for a producer and a studio to allow. But we had a real reason to do it… I hope that you’ll be able to feel, when you see the film, that it has that special quality, that Venice itself is also a character in the movie.

Q: Was it a conscious decision to follow up “The Lives of Others” with something so different?
FHD: Yes, it certainly was. I had actually just finished writing a screenplay which was, again, a kind of international dark, political thriller, maybe a little bit in the vein of “The Lives of Others.” And then just as I was about to start setting it up, “The Tourist” came along. I thought to myself, if I make this dark film now, I’m going to be that guy, forever. I’ll be the guy who does dark political thrillers. And I do want to explore other things too. Maybe it will be great to do the exact opposite and go for something very colorful, elegant and beautiful.

Q: How has your life changed since winning an Oscar?
FHD: An opportunity like The Tourist would probably have never come along without the Oscar. Whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing is for the viewer to decide.


(Showing today across the Philippines, “The Tourist” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit http://www.columbiapictures.com.ph for trailers, exclusive content and free downloads. Like us at www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests.)

source: Columbia Pictures Philippines

Angelina Jolie as the charming Elise Ward in "The Tourist" movie (opens on January 8)

Fans of Angelina Jolie will jump for joy again to see her in the big silver screen for the new movie - The Tourist, another action-thriller and romantic film with Johnny Depp, it will be released this Saturday in all Philippine cinemas. You'll see a different role of Angelina Jolie and we'll see her in all glam and beauty glory. Everyone loved her as Salt in the previous film, but now we can see her in a different role, she's hot and cute after I saw the trailer,and by looking at the still photos from the movie, it is all eye candy and Angelina will steal our hearts again.

read more below about Angelina Jolie as she introduce us as to her character as Elise Ward.
Angelina Jolie plays Elise Ward, a beautiful (of course!) and mysterious woman involved in a romantic relationship with the wanted thief Alexander Pearce – but keeps her true motivations close to the vest, in Columbia Pictures' new romantic thriller “The Tourist.”

“She’s instructed by Alexander to take a train from Paris to Venice, and while on the train find a man – someone of Alexander’s height and build,” says Jolie. “She finds Frank (played by Johnny Depp) and throws him into this adventure.”

Jolie had been attracted to “The Tourist” by the potential of the strong female character and by the chance to work with director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, and to have him co-write the script. After a very early meeting, it was clear that the director and star were on the same page about the kind of movie they wanted to make. “Henckel von Donnersmarck's `The Lives of Others' is a beautiful, intelligent film, but also heavy,” says Jolie. “When we met, he was very clear that he wanted to make a movie that was luxurious and fun, something that would be exciting for people to watch but didn’t take itself too seriously. It was a perfect match.”

“There are a lot of people looking for Alexander Pearce,” says Jolie. “He’s stolen a lot of money from a gangster. The gangster wants revenge – and his money back – and the British want him for the taxes on the money he stole. Everyone’s looking for him, including Elise, who hasn’t seen him for a long time and isn’t quite sure when he’ll turn up again.”

Playing off rumors that he has drastically altered his appearance, Pearce gets word to Elise: get on a certain train for Venice, choose a stranger of approximately Pearce’s height and build, and make everyone else believe that man is Pearce. She chooses the American math teacher Frank Tupelo (Depp), who’s headed to Venice to try to mend a broken heart. “She throws him into an adventure he’s not prepared for,” Jolie adds.

Of course, not everything goes according to Elise’s plan. “Imagine a woman who is elegant, sophisticated, and educated, who falls for a guy who is not any of those things,” says Henckel von Donnersmarck. “She has this grand master plan, and falling for him was not meant to happen.”


“My character in this film is different than any other film,” says Jolie. “Florian gave me very specific direction. My natural modern rhythm is quicker and harder. At the beginning of the shoot, Florian’s note to me was to slow down, as Elise lives in a world of quiet luxury and elegance.”

“Angelina wakes up in the morning and is glamorous and feminine, and I wanted to capture that about her on film in the character of Elise,” says Henckel von Donnersmarck.

“I wanted this to be a thriller that was simply a fun time at the movies,” says producer Graham King. “Two extraordinary actors, with amazing chemistry, set in an exotic, bigger-than-life location. Who wouldn’t want to go on an adventure in Paris and Venice with Angelina and Johnny?”


Opening across the Philippines on Saturday, Jan. 8, “The Tourist” is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Visit http://www.columbiapictures.com.ph for trailers, exclusive content and free downloads. Like us at www.Facebook.com/ColumbiaPicturesPH and join our fan contests.

TRAILER