Able Edwards (2004)

Shot on mini dv entirely against a green screen, "Able Edwards" is a story about the clone of a famous entertainment mogul created to revive the glory days of his deceased predecessor's ... See full summary »

Director:

Graham Robertson

Writer:

Graham Robertson

Stars:

Scott Kelly Galbreath, Michael Shamus Wiles, Steve Beaumont Jones

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Scott Kelly Galbreath	...	Abel Edwards
Michael Shamus Wiles	...	Chairman Lowery
Steve Beaumont Jones	...	Gower
David Ury	...	Franklin Wallace
Keri Bruno	...	Rosemary Edwards
Johari Johnson	...	Morgan Farina
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Susan Allison	...	Mary Lou Edwards
Dennis Apergis	...	Mr. Halston
Christian Armbruster	...	Warren Edwards, 1 yr.
Jackson Atwater	...	Young Edwards
Brian Carpenter	...	Warren Hastings
Carol Carpenter	...	Committee Member Silva
Sean Casaus	...	Young Gower
Christine Dunn	...	Times Reporter 1
Jonathan Everett	...	Nathaniel Edwards

Storyline

Shot on mini dv entirely against a green screen, "Able Edwards" is a story about the clone of a famous entertainment mogul created to revive the glory days of his deceased predecessor's corporation. In the process of restoring reality entertainment to a synthetic, virtual world, the clone relizes he has yet to live as his own man.

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Plot Keywords:

clone | corporation | green screen | resurrection | cryogenics | 

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Genres:

Sci-Fi | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

Graphic Films Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

15 March 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Politis Edwards

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Graphic Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Shot entirely against a green screen.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Title Card: In the not so distant future, the world is faced with a global catastrophe. A biological containment is release into the atmosphere and over the following years, decimates nearly 90 percent of the world's population. / Fleeing the poisoned planet, humanity relocates to an experimental prototype community orbiting Earth know as Civilization pod. It is there that life continues with the hope of one day returning to a safe clean environment on the planet's surface.

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Connections

References Red Planet (2000)

User Reviews

A must see for digital independent filmmakers

Able Edwards is a great microcinema achievement. The story is set in a 1950s-looking B&W near-future where earth has become inhabitable. Space colonies float around the earth's orbit. Deceased Media Tycoon Abel Edwards (An inspired mix between Walt Disney and Charles Foster Kane) is brought to life in the form of a clone sampled from the original mogul's body as a desperate attempt from the Edwards Corporation to regain the falling empire's glory.

This is basically a 21st century rework on Citizen Kane's story line with sci-fi overtones, introducing the theme of cloning, shot entirely against a green screen against still photography backgrounds (many scanned from a public library) and some occasional 3-D CGI. Sin City's fans will be inspired by the fact that you can actually shoot a whole epic in your living room.

However, don't expect Hollywood FX hyperrealist environments, fancy camera moves, or baroque compositions. Director Graham Roberson purposely chose to do every single shot (even those which could have easily been made on location), with a green screen channeled background (whether still photographs, live action footage or CGI). You might say that at times the movie's mise en scene feels static: Some extra layers of compositing (and extra months of work in post) could have added more depth in making some of the photo backgrounds more lively, or create the impression that the camera moves a little more.

However this does not detract at all from the story, on the contrary, it might even help it: The result is a prosthetic, unrealistic, yet harmonious, solid and consistent atmosphere that blends very well with the charming 1950s B&W look and epic feel of the piece.

The acting complements the mood with effective performances from the whole cast. Scott Kelly Galbreath (Abel Edwards) manages to transport us to another era with his square jaw and Errol Flynn-esquire mustache. Everything here is at the service of conveying an entertaining story that despite the grandeur of the sci-fi aura, deals with the human condition and the concept of individuality: Is the clone going to behave the way the company has conditioned him to be? Or will he develop his own character?

The film was executive produced by Steven Sodenbergh, who basically donated his Canon XL-1 and Mac G-4 from Full Frontal. It's easy to see why the project caught his attention. Unlike many low budget sci-fi, this is not so much about the special effects or the action, but about concentrating on telling a engrossing story. Some might say that it follows way too closely that of Citizen Kane to develop its own voice, but I find much more interesting and fresh to imitate the storyline of Kane than that of Star Wars or Halloween. Besides this has the twist cloning, which adds a whole new dimension and makes the character unique.

If you love movies you will truly enjoy Able Edwards, as it is an inspiring achievement.