Code 46 (2003)

Director:

Michael Winterbottom

Writer:

Frank Cottrell Boyce (writer)

Release Date:

7 May 2004 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

In the future...love is a dangerous game.

Plot:

A futuristic 'Brief Encounter', a love story in which the romance is doomed by genetic incompatibility.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Future | Affair | Totalitarian | Oedipus Complex

Awards:

4 wins & 9 nominations

Cast

Tim Robbins	...	William Geld
Togo Igawa	...	Driver
Nabil Elouahabi	...	Vendor
Samantha Morton	...	Maria Gonzales
Sarah Backhouse	...	Weather Girl
Jonathan Ibbotson	...	Boxer
Natalie Jackson Mendoza	...	Sphinx Receptionist (as Natalie Mendoza)
Om Puri	...	Bahkland
Emil Marwa	...	Mohan
Nina Fog	...	Wole
Bruno Lastra	...	Bikku
Christopher Simpson	...	Paul
Lien Nguyin	...	Singer in Nightclub
David Fahm	...	Damian Alekan
Jeanne Balibar	...	Sylvie
Mick Jones	...	Himself
Taro Sherabayani	...	Jim
Nina Sosanya	...	Anya
Shelley King	...	William's Boss
Tuyet Le	...	Apartment Security
Benedict Wong	...	Medic
Nina Wadia	...	Hospital Receptionist
Essie Davis	...	Doctor
Teo-Wa Vuong	...	Tester
Jennifer Lim	...	Tester with Couple
Archie Panjabi	...	Check In
Paul Barnes	...	Man in Corridor
Louis Lin	...	Sales Agent
Nabil Massad	...	Jebel Ali Hotel Owner
Kerry Shale	...	Clinic Doctor
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bernadette Jane Vanderkar	...	Young Maria (uncredited)

Directed by
Michael Winterbottom

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Frank Cottrell Boyce		writer

Produced by
Andrew Eaton	....	producer
Arti Gupta	....	line producer
Robert Jones	....	executive producer
Rosa Romero	....	line producer
David M. Thompson	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Stephen Hilton		(as The Free Association)
David Holmes		(as The Free Association)

Cinematography by
Alwin H. Kuchler		(director of photography) (as Alwin Kuchler)
Marcel Zyskind		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Peter Christelis

Casting by
Wendy Brazington

Production Design by
Mark Tildesley

Art Direction by
Mark Digby
Denis Schnegg

Set Decoration by
Michelle Day

Costume Design by
Natalie Ward

Makeup Department
Konnie Daniel	....	hair designer
Konnie Daniel	....	makeup designer
Lesley Smith	....	hair designer
Lesley Smith	....	makeup designer

Production Management
Charlotte Ashby	....	production manager
Peter Bach	....	post-production supervisor
Yvette Kirstein	....	production manager: Dubai
Chiu Wah Lee	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Caroline Chapman	....	assistant director: UK
Sarah Coombs	....	assistant director: UK
Michael Elliott	....	first assistant director
Candy Marlowe	....	crowd assistant director: UK
Chris Stoaling	....	third assistant director: UK
Charlie Waller	....	assistant director: UK
Anthony Wilcox	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Sam Abelman	....	carpenter
Bruce Barnes	....	carpenter
David Bryan	....	overseas art director
John Burgess	....	painter
Gillian Campbell	....	painter
Charlie Cobb	....	graphic artist
Dan Crandon	....	construction manager
Michelle Day	....	set designer
Paul Drake	....	assistant art director
Rod Gorwood	....	draughtsman
Ben Green	....	carpenter
Paul Halter	....	carpenter
Prue Howard	....	art department runner
Jason Htay	....	carpenter
Mark Larkin	....	assistant art director
Chris Lightburn-Jones	....	stand-by art director
Charlie Malik	....	dressing props
Gwen Murray	....	art department trainee
Victoria Orlova	....	property master: Dubai
Tim Powis	....	carpenter
Jody Raynes	....	painter
Nick Thomas	....	props master
Mark Wallis	....	carpenter
Joe Western	....	painter

Sound Department
Tim Alban	....	sound re-recording mixer
Orin Beaton	....	sound maintenance
Peter Burgess	....	foley artist
Peter Burgis	....	foley artist
Colin Cooper	....	adr mixer
Colette Dahanne	....	adr mixer
Richard Davey	....	sound re-recording mixer
Andie Derrick	....	foley artist (as Andi Derrick)
Mark DeSimone	....	adr mixer
Anthony Faust	....	foley editor
Peter Gleaves	....	adr mixer
Mitch Low	....	play back operator
Khama Matiti	....	sound recordist
Christer Melén	....	sound effects editor
Darko Mocilnikar	....	sound assistant
Michael Redfern	....	foley editor
Joakim Sundström	....	supervising sound editor
Jessie Taylor	....	assistant dubbing mixer
Stuart Wilson	....	production sound mixer
Paul Wrightson	....	adr editor

Special Effects by
Richard Conway	....	special effects technician
Nigel Wilkinson	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Hani AlYousif	....	digital effects artist
Jon Berridge	....	digital compositor
Matthew Bristowe	....	digital lab producer
Richard Etchells	....	visual effects editor
Pierre Fletcher	....	digital effects coordinator
Max Horton	....	colourist
Emma Ibbetson	....	digital effects producer
Rebekah King-Britton	....	3D artist
Isabella Laner	....	digital effects artist
Tony Lawrence	....	digital effects supervisor
Begoña Lopez	....	digital lab producer
Raoul Teague	....	digital effects artist
Ben Turner	....	digital artist
Thomas Urbye	....	online film editor
Daniel Walton	....	digital artist

Stunts
Ron Oakley	....	stunt coordinator: Dubai

Camera and Electrical Department
Matthew Butler	....	electrician
Lee Cleal	....	electrician
Chris Connatty	....	clapper loader
Johann Cruickshank	....	electrician
Pat Daly	....	rigger
Roger Eaton	....	assistant camera: additional unit
Roger Eaton	....	director of photography: additional unit
Reuben Garrett	....	gaffer
Annemarie Lean-Vercoe	....	assistant camera: additional unit
Adrian Mackay	....	electrician
Stephen Mathie	....	best boy
Peter Mountain	....	still photographer
Robert Shacklady	....	focus puller: pick-up shots
Sebastian Sharples	....	assistant camera: additional unit
Simon Tindall	....	focus puller
Lucho Zuidema	....	grip: UK
Julia Curtin	....	camera trainee (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Liza Bracey	....	costume assistant: UK
Sian Coakley	....	costume assistant: UK
Kate Towns	....	costume assistant
Yingjuan Xiao	....	costume assistant
Meng Xie	....	costume assistant: China
Esme Young	....	costume maker

Editorial Department
Ian Buchan	....	assistant editor
John Coulter	....	film scanner
Kennedy Dawson	....	film scanner
Alec Gibson	....	color grader

Music Department
Leo Abrahams	....	musician: guitar
Chris Barrett	....	assistant music engineer
Zach Danziger	....	musician: drums
Scott Kinsey	....	musician: keyboards
Tracy McKnight	....	executive soundtrack producer
Hugo James Nicolson	....	music mixer (as Hugo Nicholson)
Hugo James Nicolson	....	music recordist (as Hugo Nicholson)
Tim Roe	....	assistant music engineer
Pati Yang	....	additional vocals

Other crew
Ruth Breslaw	....	production coordinator
Nicole Carmen-Davis	....	legal services
Scott Challgren	....	legal assistant
Jonah Coombes	....	location manager
Andrew Gwyn Davies	....	production assistant
Jon Duncan	....	production accountant
Jethro Harris	....	operations manager: Pepper Post Production Ltd.
Tom Leeburn	....	production assistant
Gabby Le Rasle	....	assistant production coordinator
Helen Li	....	production coordinator
Steffy Marrion	....	production coordinator
Luke Morris	....	production executive
Melissa Parmenter	....	assistant: Michael Winterbottom and Andrew Eaton
Lewis Partovi	....	set runner
Rob Seager	....	assistant accountant
Rhys Summerhayes	....	floor runner
Josh Yudkin	....	location unit manager
Jim Lambert	....	crew (uncredited)

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
• Revolution Films

Distributors

• United Artists (2004) (USA) (all media)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corporation (MGM) (2004) (USA) (theatrical)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Compañía General de la Imagen (CGI) (2005) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Fandango (2003) (Italy) (theatrical)
• GAGA (2004) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Golden Village (2004) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• Spentzos Films (2004) (Greece) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (Brazil) (DVD)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2005) (Brazil) (VHS)
• Filmfreak Distributie (2005) (Netherlands) (all media)
• Sunfilm Entertainment (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• Tiberius Film (2004) (Germany)
• Vivarto (2005) (Poland) (all media)

Special Effects

• Smoke and Mirrors (digital special effects)
• Moving Picture Company (MPC) (digital intermediate)
• Artem

Other Companies

• AFM Lighting  lighting equipment
• Airstar  lighting equipment
• Casting Collective  extras casting
• Central Station Technicolour  title design
• Clarity Post Production Sound  sound post-production
• Commotion Records  soundtrack
• Kodak  motion picture film supplied by
• Limehouse Recordings  sound post-production
• Moving Picture Company (MPC)  mastering
• Pepper Post Production  video mastering
• Production Copier Company  production equipment and services
• Richmond Film Services  sound equipment
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script
• V.F.G.  lighting equipment

MPAA:

Rated R for a scene of sexuality, including brief graphic nudity.

Runtime:

92 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:16 | Finland:K-15 | New Zealand:R13 | Iceland:12 | South Korea:18 | Australia:MA | Germany:12 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:PG-12 | Singapore:R21 | UK:15 | USA:R (certificate #40188)

Filming Locations:

Blackwall Tunnel, London, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Mick Jones of The Clash sings the Clash song "Should I Stay Or Should I Go" in the karaoke-esque club scene, but he appears to get the words wrong. The song goes "If I go there will be trouble. If I STAY it will be double", but he sings "If I go there will be trouble. If I GO it will be double".

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When tracking the location of Jebel Ali, it is shown facing the Indian ocean. However, it is in fact on the Persian gulf.

Quotes:

Maria: If we are frightened, we run. It's our instinct. Adrenaline pumps round the body. The muscles contract. Our heart beats faster. And we run. We run for our lives, we run for safety, for our home, our families, our loved ones.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Obtaining Cover: Inside Code 46 (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

Tehran

I really like it (but...)

Pre-rambling, let me just that that I loved this film and it will probably be in my top 5 for the year (along with Fahrenheit, Eternal Sunshine, perhaps Control Room).

A few things did annoy me though.

Firstly, it should have been 30 or 45 minutes longer, but it actually felt like it was too long for the current script. There were too many awkward moments, both in terms of dialogue and editing. The majority of the ideas were fantastic, but a few scenes and characters needed more exploration. I know that the movie was essentially set over 2 or 3 days, but it still felt like everyone was in too much of a rush. It's not that the movie was confusing, just that too many events were left to the viewer to explain (or excuse). This is all just a roundabout way of saying that the script needed to be fleshed out some more.

And, while it was nice to see a few British film & television actors grab cameo roles (ie Benedict Wong from State of Play, Dirty Pretty Things; Nina Sosanya from Teachers [!]), it also woke me up to the fact that it was only a film in a way that seeing for instance Tim Robbins had not. It was weird, and I can't exactly explain it, but seeing them was simultaneously cool (hey good for them) and disappointing (you mean this isn't real?) at the same time. (And don't get my started on Benedict's accent...). Obviously, for people who aren't overly familiar with British TV this is all a moot point but it still freaked me out enough to mention it.

Anyway, nearly everything about the movie is great. The music, cinematography, directing, acting (overall), etc.. are all fantastic, and the movie has as much style as Solaris (moreso the remake) or Blade Runner. They even manage to make Coldplay sound non-cheesy towards the end of the film. It just needed a bit more substance.

8/10