About this item
Directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and starring Ben Affleck, Cuba Gooding, Jr., and Alec Baldwin, Pearl Harbor, the movie, explores the lives of two daring young pilots whose worlds are drastically altered by the events leading up to World War II. Offering a unique, behind-the-scenes glimpse of a blockbuster in the making, this illustrated volume features articles and sidebars detailing the making of the movie, including fascinating information about the special effects and music, as well as the roles of the director, producer, and editing teams.
About the Author
Randall Wallace - the Oscar®-nominated creative force behind the epic storytelling of such critical and box-office hits as BRAVEHEART, WE WERE SOLDIERS and PEARL HARBOR - last Fall brought to life the inspirational excitement of SECRETARIAT, the impossible true story of the racehorse who won the Triple Crown in 1973. In addition to his work in film and television, Wallace is also the writer of eight books. His latest, THE TOUCH, is slated for release September 1, 2011.
Wallace's skill with uncommon yet true tales of loyalty, courage and commitment from throughout human history has set him apart in Hollywood. His films have earned more than $1 billion dollars at the box office, but he is most sought after for something even more rare: a visual storytelling style that can make the past feel completely alive and screen characters from any time period compellingly real. He turned a forgotten Scottish warrior into a contemporary film hero in the screenplay for BRAVEHEART; adapted a classic Alexandre Dumas novel into an all-star adventure of palace intrigue with his directorial debut THE MAN IN THE IRON MASK; examined the sacrifices of American soldiers with one of the best-reviewed war movies of the last two decades, WE WERE SOLDIERS; and forged a blockbuster tale of friendship and romance against the backdrop of an America under attack in the script for PEARL HARBOR.
With SECRETARIAT, Wallace brought those skills to bear on a spectacular story for all ages. Wallace immediately had a personal vision for the film, one that honed in on themes he found irresistible and makes the action heart-pounding and immediate. Inspired by William Nack's book, Secretariat: The Making of a Champion, he turned the tale of the ultimate long-shot horse -- and a woman who refused to give up -- into a powerful depiction of the American zeitgeist at a time when the country was in search of hope. "Penny and her horse captured a part of my heart, and you've got to bring your heart to a story to tell it right. That's my only compass," says Wallace.
Telling the story right was no easy task. Refusing to use mechanical horses or digital trickery, Wallace instead utilized real jockeys, dozens of unpredictable animals and re-teamed with Academy Award®-winning cinematographer Dean Semler, who used unprecedented and innovative camera techniques to put the audience right on the track with a soaring Secretariat. Faced with a 45-day schedule and a budget under $40 million, Wallace came in early and with resources to spare.
SECRETARIAT was the culmination of lessons learned throughout Wallace's career, which has been unconventional in Hollywood, to say the least. Born in Jackson, Tennessee, he grew up in a vanishing world of country stores and potbelly stoves, where he once constructed a writing desk for himself out of pig-feed sacks. He went on to attend Duke University, where he studied Russian, re
