Alpha (2018)
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | alpha |
| Original title | alpha |
 | |
| Country of production | United States |
| Publishing year | 2018 |
| length | 97 minutes |
| Age rating |
FSK 12 JMK 10 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Albert Hughes |
| script | Dan Wiedenhaupt |
| production |
Andrew Rona , Albert Hughes |
| music |
Joseph S. DeBeasi , Michael Stearns |
| camera | Martin Gschlacht |
| cut | Sandra Granovsky |
| occupation | |
| |
Alpha is an epic , prehistoric adventure film directed by Albert Hughes , which was released in US cinemas on August 17, 2018 and in German cinemas on September 6, 2018. The story of the film is set in the last ice age.
action
20,000 years before our time. For the first time, the young Keda is allowed to accompany the men of his tribe, whose leader is his father, on the hunt. They drive a herd of buffalo into the abyss, where one of the animals attacks Keda and pushes him down as well. Keda remains lifeless on a ledge where the others cannot reach him. The men of his tribe give him up, which his father sees the next morning. They build a stone grave and return to their village.
Just a week earlier, Keda had made a usable spearhead and thus acquired the right to go hunting with the other men. His father had told him about the stars and how they always show him the way home. Using the wolves as an example, he had explained to him that a leader has to look after his own, but also runs the risk of being questioned by them if they are weak.
Keda wakes up to a vulture tampering with his lifeless body. With difficulty he climbs down the steep face and falls into the torrent that was caused by heavy rain. The next day, Keda adjusted his foot again and a short time later was attacked by a pack of wolves. He can defend himself with his knife and take refuge in a tree. One of the wolves remains injured under the tree. The next morning, Keda tries to kill the wolf, but doesn't have the heart. He finds a cave where he takes care of the wolf and calls him Alpha, as his father called one of the wolves. Increasingly, both trust each other.
With the help of the stars, Keda goes back to his tribe. Alpha follows him. Together they hunt wild boars and defend themselves against other animals. At night they warm themselves by the fire, initially far from each other, soon close together. As winter comes, their journey becomes increasingly challenging.
When Keda, carrying the exhausted wolf and even at the end of his strength, reaches the village of his tribe, his parents are overjoyed. His father is very proud of him. The members of the tribe maintain Keda healthy and also take care of Alpha. When the shaman helps Alpha give birth to five cubs, Keda realizes that Alpha is a she-wolf.
production
The film initially had the working title The Solutrean , which referred to an archaeological culture called Solutréen that existed in the Upper Paleolithic , the coldest section of the last Ice Age between 22,000 and 17,000 BC. The culture was named after the French town of Solutré, where discoveries were made in 1866 that showed that the people of the time had already made advanced tools out of stone and bone. A hypothesis that men and women from Europe were the first settlers in America during the Ice Age followed on from this. The final film title Alpha refers not only to the role of an alpha wolf , which the young hunter assumes towards his new companion, but also to his newly acquired skills, which he has to prove in the struggle for survival, which were important to himself in the Ice Age to excel as leader of a tribe. His father had explained to the boy that survival is not a given, and that when people no longer have leaders to follow, you must become one yourself. After his adventurous journey, a boy has become a warrior.
Directed by Albert Hughes . When Alpha is the first feature film, served as a director at the Hughes without his brother Allen. The film music was composed by Michael Stearns and Joseph S. DeBeasi . The soundtrack for the film, which comprises a total of 33 pieces of music, was released for download from Madison Gate Records on October 26, 2018.
The role of the young man Keda was cast with Kodi Smit-McPhee . Jóhannes Haukur Jóhannesson plays his father Tau, Natassia Malthe his mother Rho. Leonor Varela can be seen in the role of the shaman of his tribe. The filmmakers created their own language for Alpha . For Scott Menzel, this adds a whole new level to the story and makes the film look authentic. The German dubbing , which is not subtitled, was based on a dialogue book by Tobias Neumann and the dialogue direction by Nana Spier on behalf of Berliner Synchron GmbH Wenzel Lüdecke in Berlin . Sebastian Fitzner lends his voice to Keda in the German version, Matti Klemm to his father Tau. While Morgan Freeman is the narrator in the original , Joachim Kerzel is in the German version .
The shooting took place in Lucerne Valley in California and in Brooks in Alberta, Canada. The cameraman was the Austrian Martin Gschlacht . The costumes were designed by Sharen Davis .
A first trailer for the film was released in July 2017, and a second followed in June 2018. The film was released in US cinemas on August 17, 2018 and in German cinemas on September 6, 2018. A cinema release in China took place on September 7, 2018.
In the USA, a director's cut was released in 2018 , which is shorter than the theatrical version and differs in the dramaturgy and the order of some scenes. On August 6, 2020, the film was included in the Netflix program.
reception
Age rating
In the US, the film was rated PG-13 by the MPAA . In Germany it was approved by the FSK from the age of 12, but allowed from the age of 6 if accompanied by the parents. The reason for the release says: “The calmly staged film portrays the rough and dangerous life in the past in a realistic way, in particular the fight between humans and animals is sometimes vividly depicted. There are also some other dramatic scenes of tension, for example when the protagonist falls into a lake. However, the representations are within a framework that does not overwhelm children from the age of 12. Viewers of this age can classify the events in the prehistoric context and maintain an appropriate emotional distance. ”A film review by the dpa warns that Alpha is not a maudlin Disney pleasure, rather there are nerve-wracking scenes with the brutal survival drama
Filming allegations
On April 27, 2016, five bison carcasses were arranged for filming on the set in Alberta. The animals had been slaughtered the previous day and partially skinned to be used in a particular scene. The American Humane Association, which bans the use of animals killed for the purpose of film production, was investigating the incident. "We have been made aware of allegations that, if true, represent a clear violation of our standards," said AHA representative Mark Stubis in a statement.
Reviews and grossing results
Rotten Tomatoes lists 125 reviews, 79 percent of which are positive. The average rating is 6.5 out of 10 points.
We Live Entertainment's Scott Menzel says Dan Wiedenhaupt's script focuses on building and shaping the relationship between Keda and Alpha. They would not become friends overnight, but slowly learn to trust and protect one another. The relationship between Keda and the Alpha is not something you've seen in a movie before, Menzel said. Even if there are many films about the Ice Age, these did not focus on the characters, but on the representation of what it was like to live in the Ice Age. Alpha, on the other hand, tells his story from a unique perspective, according to Menzel, and recommends watching the film in 3D if possible. Regarding Kodi Smit-McPhee's performance, who plays Keda, Menzel says it was phenomenal, not only because he speaks a foreign language throughout the film, but also because his co-star is a wolf.
Matthias Halbig writes in the Hannoversche Allgemeine Zeitung : "If there was ever a film made for IMAX cinemas, then this adventure from the country of Lange-her." Martin Gschlacht's recordings have a force that moves you to tears, so Halbig and speaks of pure overwhelming cinema.
In a film review by the dpa it is said that with grandiose shots of mammoth herds, huge waterfalls and fire-breathing volcanoes, the audience is attuned to a visually powerful epic. It also says there that the friendship that is slowly developing between Keda and the title wolf Alpha, despite inconsistencies, predictability and a sugar-sweet ending, at least dear to dog friends. The 22-year-old Australian Kodi Smit-McPhee is convincing in his almost mute role as he faces increasingly brave the harsh forces of nature.
Even Owen Gleiberman of Variety explains Kedas slow-growing bond with the lone wolf Alpha is the emotional core of the film when the two will team-hunters, with Alpha chasing the animals and Keda they done with his spear, which is of a poetic authenticity be. Albert Hughes is proving to be a breathtaking choreographer of nature, says Gleiberman.
Alberto Quintanilla from IGN recalls the story of the young man and his wolf of Mowgli , but set in prehistoric times.
The film's worldwide revenue from theatrical screenings is $ 98.2 million.
Awards
Hollywood Professional Association Awards 2018
- Award in the category Outstanding Color Grading - Feature Film ( Maxine Gervais )
Web links
- Alpha in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Alpha in the German dubbing index
- Alpha - Trailer A from Sony Pictures Germany on Youtube (Video)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Release certificate for Alpha . Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry (PDF; test number: 181973 / K).
- ↑ Age rating for Alpha . Youth Media Commission .
- ↑ Alpha. Moviepilot, accessed July 30, 2017 .
- ^ 'Alpha' Explores the Prehistoric Connection Between Man & Wolves. Highsnobiety, July 18, 2017, accessed July 30, 2017 .
- ↑ Joseph S. DeBeasi scoring Albert Hughes' 'Alpha'. In: filmmusicreporter.com, June 14, 2018.
- ↑ http://filmmusicreporter.com/2018/10/25/soundtrack-album-for-albert-hughes-alpha-to-be-released/
- ↑ Alex Billington: First Trailer for Albert Hughes' New Film 'Alpha' Set During the Ice Age. In: firstshowing.net. July 18, 2017, accessed July 30, 2017 .
- ↑ https://deadline.com/2018/06/alpha-movie-new-official-trailer-one-sheet-albert-hughes-studio-8-sony-1202410951/
- ↑ Start dates Germany In: insidekino.com. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
- ↑ Patrick Frater: Studio 8's 'Alpha' Heads for China Release. In: Variety, August 13, 2018.
- ↑ Comparison of the two film versions on schnittberichte.com, accessed on December 2, 2018 /
- ↑ http://www.comingsoon.net/movie/alpha-2018
- ↑ Reasons for approval for Alpha . In: Voluntary self-regulation of the film industry. Retrieved September 6, 2018.
- ^ Dpa: Fight for survival: Survival adventure «Alpha»: boy with wolf in the ice age. In: stern.de. September 3, 2019, archived from the original on September 9, 2019 ; accessed on March 1, 2019 .
- ↑ http://www.indiewire.com/2016/06/albert-hughes-film-under-investigation-dead-bison-the-solutrean-1201691930/
- ↑ Alpha. In: Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved May 30, 2019.
- ↑ https://weliveentertainment.com/welivefilm/review-alpha-inspiring-tale-survival-perseverance/
- ↑ http://www.haz.de/Nachrichten/Kultur/Uebersicht/Filmkritik-zu-Alpha-von-Albert-Hughes
- ^ Dpa: Fight for survival: Survival adventure «Alpha»: boy with wolf in the ice age. In: stern.de. September 3, 2019, archived from the original on September 9, 2019 ; accessed on March 1, 2019 .
- ↑ https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/alpha-review-kodi-smit-mcphee-1202904941/
- ↑ https://es.ign.com/alpha-1/137730/review/critica-de-alpha
- ↑ https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=sonyeventfilm2017.htm
- ↑ Carolyn Giardina: 'Avengers: Infinity War' Leads HPA Awards Feature Nominations. In: The Hollywood Reporter, September 26, 2018.
- ↑ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/hpa-awards-avengers-infinity-war-alpha-winners-1161561/item/hpa-awards-2018-outstanding-color-grading-feature-film-1161565