A Separate Peace (2004) (TV)

Director:

Peter Yates

Writers (WGA):

John Knowles (novel)
Wendy Kesselman (teleplay)

Release Date:

12 September 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

Four friends with one dark secret they could never outrun.

Plot Keywords:

Tea | Friend | Class | Military Draft | Tea Party

Awards:

1 win & 3 nominations

Cast

J Barton	...	Gene
Toby Moore	...	Finny
Jacob Pitts	...	Brinker
Danny Swerdlow	...	Leper
Aaron Ashmore	...	Chad
Adam Frost	...	Harry
Matt Sadowski-Austin	...	Rach (as Matt Austin)
Sean McCann	...	Dr. Stanpole
Alison Pill	...	Beth
R.D. Reid	...	Farmer
Hume Cronyn	...	Professor Carmichael
Colin Fox	...	Professor Fitzwinkler
Lise LeBel-Wagner	...	Mlle. Lebecque
John Bayliss	...	Mr. Radford
Linda Goranson	...	Mrs. Carmichael
John Peters	...	Phys Ed Instructor
Bazil Williams	...	Railroad Porter

Directed by
Peter Yates

Writing credits (WGA)
John Knowles		(novel)
Wendy Kesselman		(teleplay)

Produced by
Jay Cohen	....	executive producer
Laura Gherardi	....	executive producer
Lee Gottsegen	....	executive producer
Armand Leo	....	producer
Enrique Murciano	....	executive producer
Murray Schisgal	....	executive producer
Angela Spieles	....	associate producer
J.B. Sugar	....	executive producer
Michael Sugar	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Mason Daring

Cinematography by
Checco Varese		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Toby Yates

Casting by
Kerry Barden
Mark Bennett
Billy Hopkins
Beth Klein
Suzanne Smith

Production Design by
Doug McCullough

Art Direction by
Marion Pon

Set Decoration by
Jeff Fruitman

Costume Design by
Linda Muir

Makeup Department
Stephanie Ingram	....	key hair stylist
Lynda McCormack	....	key makeup artist

Production Management
Claire Welland	....	production manager
Skates Naiman	....	production supervisor (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Brian Backman	....	trainee assistant director
Rick Kush	....	second assistant director
Mark MacDonald	....	third assistant director
Bruce Speyer	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Shannon Hill	....	assistant art director
Michael Williams'Willis'	....	carpenter
Monique Roy	....	set buyer
Michael Smith	....	set dresser
Steve Stack	....	on-set dresser

Sound Department
Bob Costanza	....	sound effects editor
David K. Grant	....	boom operator
Kathryn Madsen	....	adr supervisor
Peter Reale	....	sound re-recording mixer
Randal S. Thomas	....	dialogue editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Jon Davis	....	special effects technician
Rob Huot	....	special effects key
Derek Liscoumb	....	special effects assistant
Ray McMillan	....	front projection
Jeff Skochko	....	special effects coordinator
Steve Skochko	....	special effects key

Stunts
Tom Farr	....	stunts
Louis Paquette	....	stunt double: J Barton
Alison Reid	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Darren Boyce	....	key grip
Jayson Clute	....	first assistant camera

Casting Department
John Buchan	....	casting: Canada
Aric Dupere	....	extras casting assistant
Donna Dupere	....	extras casting
Helen Mossler	....	casting executive
Aaron Unrau	....	extras casting assistant

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Erika Larner	....	on set key wardrobe
Karen Steele	....	wardrobe assistant
Robin White	....	wardrobe supervisor: extras
Steven Wright	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
John Breinholt	....	assistant editor

Music Department
David Bondelevitch	....	music editor

Other crew
Coralie Brady	....	assistant location manager: Port Hope
Derek Brady	....	location manager
David Donohue	....	assistant to producer
Janice Fowlie	....	production accountant
Miriam Laurence	....	dialect coach
Marie A. Nazar	....	publicist
Jeffery Pong	....	assistant location manager
Amy Wright	....	choreographer
Ralph Berge	....	production executive (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Punch 21 Productions (as A Punch 21/CubaSugar Entertainment production)
• CubaSugar Entertainment (as A Punch 21/CubaSugar Entertainment production)

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (2004) (worldwide) (all media)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2005) (Argentina) (VHS)
• FilmNet (2007) (Greece) (TV)
• Showtime Networks (2004) (USA) (TV)
• WoWow (2006) (Japan) (TV)

Other Companies

• By Davids'  catering
• Echo Sound Services  sound post-production (as Echo Sound)
• Reelcraft Services  craft service
• Starlight Catering Ltd.  catering (as Starlight Catering)
• Studio Catering  catering
• Toronto Film Studios  movie studio

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for brief strong language

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

German | English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

USA:R | Argentina:13 | UK:12 | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

Company:

Punch 21 Productions

Trivia:

Production finished one day under schedule at 28 shooting days.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Leper is headed into the woods "touring", he has a conversation with Brinker and Gene. While speaking he struggles with knitted mittens. At first he has both in hand. One falls, and when he is seen again, he has both. A moment later he has only one again.

Movie Connections:

Remake of A Separate Peace (1972)

Worse than awful

First I must confess that A Separate Peace is my favorite book. So of course, I have some bias against any attempt at adapting it for a feature film or television movie. But as I began to watch this film, I was more than willing to give it the benefit of the doubt. The original version from the early 1970s, though shot at Phillips Exeter Academy where the book's author attended school, and though it stayed as faithful as it could to the book, lacked any real depth of feeling and failed to capture the essence of the characters. The original seemed to simply go through the motions. Reading the trivia about the movie, you discover that it was cast mostly with non-actors. Thus, the original has an amateurish feel to it and it ultimately fails.

This new version, though I will grant that it captures the look of the period better than the original, seems to have thrown the book out all together. Scenes are rearranged, characters imposed where they don't belong, characters created that were not in the book, and no attempt was made to delve into the deeper conflicts that make the book so compelling. And the cardinal sin of all: the tree is not treated as the vital, almost central character it is in the book. This is an inexcusable oversight on the part of the film makers. How could they downplay the role of the tree? Why was it not introduced immediately? Why the Dead Poet-esque beginning? And what in God's name was up with Gene's accent? This film is, to be blunt, garbage. A Separate Peace should not be a difficult book to adapt for the stage or screen. John Knowles wrote it in a perfectly fine, linear style. The film makers should have trusted the story as it was already written; make changes, sure; embellish here and there, sure; take some mild dramatic license, sure. But destroy one of the pearls of American literature in the process? What were they thinking? In their corruption of the story line, they cut any possibility of suspense or drama. The whole movie falls flat and fails miserably.

If you are a high school or college student assigned to read this book and you are thinking of skimping and just watching the movie...don't even think about it. This film will be of no help to you.

Alas, we shall have to wait even longer before a version of this story comes to the screen that truly does it justice.