Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (2006)

Director:

Larry Charles

Writers (WGA):

Sacha Baron Cohen (screenplay) &
Anthony Hines (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

3 November 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy

Tagline:

Come to Kazakhstan, It's Nice!

Plot:

Kazakh TV talking head Borat is dispatched to the United States to report on the greatest country in the world. With a documentary crew in tow, Borat becomes more interested in locating and marrying Pamela Anderson.

Plot Keywords:

California | Kazakhstan | Travel | TV Reporter | New York City

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 18 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Sacha Baron Cohen	...	Borat
Ken Davitian	...	Azamat
Luenell	...	Luenell
Chester	...	Bear
Charlie	...	Bear
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pamela Anderson	...	Herself - Autograph Signing (uncredited)
Bob Barr	...	Himself - Former Georgia Congressman (uncredited)
David Corcoran	...	Himself - Fraternity Member (uncredited)
Carole De Saram	...	Herself - Feminist (uncredited)
Mitchell Falk	...	Prime Minister of Kazakhstan (uncredited)
Alan Keyes	...	Himself - 2-Time Republican Presidential Candidate (uncredited)
Andre Myers	...	Pride Dancer (uncredited)
Jean-Pierre Parent	...	Kazakh Swimmer (uncredited)
Chip Pickering	...	Himself - U.S. Congressman (uncredited)
James Smith	...	Himself - Chief Justice of State Supreme Court (uncredited)
Grace Welch	...	Herself - Feminist (uncredited)

Directed by
Larry Charles

Writing credits (WGA)
Sacha Baron Cohen		(screenplay) &
Anthony Hines		(screenplay) &
Peter Baynham		(screenplay) &
Dan Mazer		(screenplay)
Sacha Baron Cohen		(story) &
Peter Baynham		(story) &
Anthony Hines		(story) &
Todd Phillips		(story)
Sacha Baron Cohen		(based on a character created by)

Produced by
Sacha Baron Cohen	....	producer
Peter Baynham	....	co-producer
Monica Levinson	....	executive producer
Dan Mazer	....	executive producer
Jay Roach	....	producer

Original Music by
Erran Baron Cohen		(original music by)

Cinematography by
Luke Geissbuhler		(director of photography) (as Luke Geissbühler)
Anthony Hardwick		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Craig Alpert
Peter Teschner		(edited by)
James M. Thomas		(edited by) (as James Thomas)

Casting by
Allison Jones

Costume Design by
Jason Alper		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Thomas Kolarek	....	hair stylist
Thomas Kolarek	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jamie D. Boscardin	....	additional production supervisor (as Jamie Boscardin Martin)
Shirley Davis	....	production supervisor: additional photography
Susan Ehrhart	....	production supervisor: additional photography
Patrick Esposito	....	post production supervisor
Brad Goodman	....	post production supervisor (as Bradley M. Goodman)
David Siegel	....	unit production manager (as David A. Siegel)
Dale Stern	....	unit production manager
David M. Bernstein	....	unit production manager: pre-production (uncredited)
Ines Matei	....	unit production manager (uncredited)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
John Isabeau	....	second assistant director
David Siegel	....	first assistant director (as David A. Siegel)
Dale Stern	....	first assistant director
David M. Bernstein	....	first assistant director: pre-production (uncredited)
Cristina Iliescu	....	first assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Jason Alper	....	designer: items from Kazakhstan
Scott M. Davids	....	anthem designer (as Scott Davids)
Scott Goldman	....	anthem designer
Kevin Hughes	....	props consultant
David Maturana	....	art director: Romania (as David Saenz De Maturana)
David Maturana	....	art director: additional photography (as David Saenz De Maturana)
Alexandria Andross	....	buyer (uncredited)

Sound Department
Mary Andrews	....	dialogue editor
Kerry Ann Carmean	....	sound effects editor (as Kerry Carmean-Williams)
Matt Colleran	....	re-recording recordist (as Matt Colloran)
Patrick Cusack	....	assistant sound editor
Andrew DeCristofaro	....	supervising sound editor
David Esparza	....	sound effects editor
Jeff Glueck	....	assistant sound editor
Scott Harber	....	production sound mixer
Michael Hertlein	....	dialogue editor
Lora Hirschberg	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jake Jackson	....	stage engineer
Alan Kerr	....	foley artist
Ryan Maguire	....	foley mixer
Chris Navarro	....	adr recordist
Nancy Nugent	....	supervising dialogue & adr editor (as Nancy Kyong Nugent)
Michael Payne	....	sound effects editor
Brandon Proctor	....	re-recording mixer
Sean Rowe	....	foley artist
Christopher Sidor	....	re-recording recordist (as Chris Sidor)
John C. Stuver	....	dialogue editor
Eric Thompson	....	adr mixer
James Wright	....	sound consultant: Dolby (as Jim Wright)
Jeremy Brill	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Kerry Ann Carmean	....	sound editor (uncredited)
Bill Henderson	....	sound re-recording engineer (uncredited)
Jon Klein	....	boom operator (uncredited)
Chad Robertson	....	sound mixer (uncredited)
John Soukup	....	sound transfer (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Scott M. Davids	....	visual effects supervisor
Julia Croon	....	visual effects coordinator (uncredited)
Jalal Jemison	....	digital effects artist (uncredited)

Stunts
Michael Li	....	action team
Peewee Piemonte	....	safety
Nicole Randall	....	action team
Harry Wowchuk	....	action team
Attila Nemes	....	stunt performer (uncredited)
Shaun Vickers	....	stunt safety (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Mark Schwartzbard	....	first assistant camera
Michael Alba	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
John Johns	....	video utility (uncredited)
Sherman Johnson	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Bret Lanius	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Owen A. Smith	....	camera operator (uncredited)
Mark Walpole	....	first assistant camera (uncredited)

Casting Department
Wendy Hoffman	....	voice casting (as Wendy Hoffmann)
Tracy Dixon	....	extras casting (uncredited)
Adam St. Clair	....	location casting (uncredited)

Editorial Department
Frederick W. Chandler Jr.	....	post production assistant
Scott M. Davids	....	first assistant editor
Andrew Dickler	....	additional editor
Jeff Mee	....	assistant editor
Colin Patton	....	apprentice editor
Todd Schulman	....	editorial assistant: Mr Baron Cohen
Sarah Thiessen	....	assistant editor (as Sarah K. Thiessen)
Kathy Thomson	....	digital intermediate color timer
Marisa Clayton	....	digital intermediate producer: Modern VideoFilm (uncredited)
Chad Cole	....	on-line editor (uncredited)
Harry Muller	....	color timer (uncredited)
Robb Porter	....	post-production coordinator: Modern VideoFilm (uncredited)
Adam Rosenblatt	....	editor: main title (uncredited)

Music Department
Geoff Alexander	....	orchestrator
Jonathan Allen	....	recordist
Jonathan Allen	....	scoring mixer
Shira Arad	....	music researcher
Thomas Bowes	....	orchestra leader
Isobel Griffiths	....	orchestra contractor
Richard Henderson	....	music editor
Richard Henderson	....	music supervisor
Desislava Stefanova	....	vocalist (as Dessislava Stefanova)
Igor Outkine	....	musician: accordion (uncredited)
Sharon Smith	....	additional music editor (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Jeff Lira	....	driver
Monty Lira	....	driver
Jonathan A. Rosenfeld	....	transportation coordinator
Jeff Verdick	....	driver
Dale Combs	....	driver: maxi-van (uncredited)
Jim Petti	....	transportation (uncredited)

Other crew
Jason Alper	....	Mr. Baron Cohen's feces provided by
Kieran Baker	....	researcher (as Kieran R.M. Baker)
Chelsea Barnard	....	field coordinator
Christine Bergren	....	production counsel
Jack Blessing	....	loop group
Ranjani Brow	....	loop group
Unjoo Lee Byars	....	anthem sequence by: mOcean
Sophie Charles	....	researcher
Julie Chouinard	....	field coordinator
Conor Copeland	....	assistant to: Mr Baron Cohen, New York
David Cowgill	....	loop group
Caitlin Cutt	....	loop group
Alex Daniels	....	coordinator: naked fight
Scott M. Davids	....	anthem designed by: mOcean (as Scott Davids)
Scott M. Davids	....	graphic supervisor (as Scott Davids)
Lisa Davidson	....	production coordinator: additional photography
Dana Dubé	....	head trainer
Laurie Epstein	....	assistant to: Mr. Charles
David Louis Feinberg	....	field coordinator: additional photography (as David Feinberg)
Ruben Fleischer	....	behind the scenes (as Ruben Fleisher)
Marissa Goodman	....	loop group
Bridget Hoffman	....	loop group
Wendy Hoffman	....	loop group (as Wendy Hoffmann)
Russ Honican	....	anthem sequence by: mOcean
Jenny Hunter	....	field supervisor
Mark Ivanir	....	loop group
Susannah Julien	....	production coordinator
Sherry Kecskes	....	assistant accountant
Ashley Kravitz	....	research consultant
Ruth LaBarge	....	trainer
Alexandra Lambrinidis	....	key set production assistant
Matthew Ryan Lepore	....	production secretary
Alexa Song Lindenthaler	....	first assistant accountant: additional photography (as Alexa Song-Lindenthaler)
Jacqueline Lofstrom	....	field coordinator: additional photography
Anna Mathias	....	loop group
Blair Miller	....	production assistant
Andrew Newman	....	consultant
Tanya Oskanian	....	assistant to: Larry Charles
Phil Proctor	....	loop group (as Philip Proctor)
Leslie E.A. Rider	....	assistant production coordinator
Adam Rosenblatt	....	anthem sequence by: mOcean
Clint Rowe	....	trainer
Tim Schildberger	....	field supervisor
Todd Schulman	....	field supervisor
Kevin Schwimer	....	loop group
Julie Shapiro	....	travel: Travelcorps
Andrew Simpson	....	trainer
Russell Smith	....	production counsel: Smith Dornan & Dehn PC
Charline St. Charles	....	assistant production coordinator: additional photography
Shane Sweet	....	loop group
Bernadette Tanchauco	....	production accountant (as Berni Tanchauco)
John Hans Tester	....	loop group (as Hans Tester)
Erik Tily	....	field coordinator
Jim Vickers	....	consultant: kidnapping (as James P. Vickers)
J. Christian Walsh	....	assistant to: Mr Baron Cohen
Jeff Wickline	....	first assistant accountant: additional photography
Ines Wurth	....	loop group
Bruce Allen	....	credit sequence artist (uncredited)
Wayne Arnold	....	additional first assistant (uncredited)
Fred Baron	....	production executive (uncredited)
Joe Borden	....	research assistant (uncredited)
Scott Clackum	....	location scout: South Carolina (uncredited)
Sarah Connolly	....	production secretary (uncredited)
Graeme Dunlap	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Christopher Godfrey	....	assistant: Jay Roach (uncredited)
Arturo Guzman	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Charles Heaphy	....	production financing (uncredited)
Bryan Iler	....	key location manager (uncredited)
Jason Kessler	....	assistant to writer (uncredited)
Joanna Lara	....	production secretary: wrap (uncredited)
Eric Leiderman	....	field coordinator (uncredited)
Ari Novak	....	production consultant (uncredited)
Adam Paroo	....	location scout: South Carolina (uncredited)
Belit Paulissian	....	researcher (uncredited)
Mike Psenicska	....	driving instructor (uncredited)
Noelle Kim Retes	....	assistant: Jim Vickers (uncredited)
Rodrigo Rojas	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Howard R. Schuster	....	financing (uncredited)
Robert W. Sterrett III	....	assistant location manager (uncredited)
Omar Veytia	....	location manager: mexico (uncredited)

Thanks
Jason Alper	....	acknowledgment: Borat's image created by
Alec Berg	....	the producers wish to give special thanks for their assistance
James L. Brooks	....	the producers wish to give special thanks for their assistance
Isla Fisher	....	the producers wish to give special thanks for their assistance
Tom Gammill	....	the producers wish to give special thanks for their assistance
David Mandel	....	the producers wish to give special thanks for their assistance (as Dave Mandell)
Trey Parker	....	the producers wish to give special thanks for their assistance
Jennifer Perini	....	the producers wish to give special thanks for their assistance
Max Pross	....	the producers wish to give special thanks for their assistance
Jeff Schaffer	....	the producers wish to give special thanks for their assistance
Matt Stone	....	the producers wish to give special thanks for their assistance

Production Companies

• Four by Two (as A Four by Two Production)
• Everyman Pictures (as an Everyman Pictures production)
• Dune Entertainment (in association with) (as Dune Entertainment LLC)
• Major Studio Partners (in association with)
• One America (as One America Productions, Inc.)
• Four by Two Films

Distributors

• 20th Century Fox Netherlands (2006) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (2006) (France) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (2006) (UK) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (2007) (Japan) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (2006) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox (2006) (Singapore) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox de Argentina (2007) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• FS Film (2006) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Fox-Warner (2006) (Switzerland) (theatrical)
• Odeon (2006) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation (2006) (USA) (theatrical) (as 20th Century Fox) (A News Corporation Company)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (Brazil) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2007) (Argentina) (DVD)
• FS Film (2007) (Finland) (DVD)
• Odeon (2007) (Greece) (DVD)
• Sub (2010) (2011) (Finland) (TV)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (2007) (Sweden) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment Germany (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• USA Network (2007) (USA) (TV)

Special Effects

• Yard VFX (visual effects) (as Yard FX)

Other Companies

• Abel Cine Tech  lenses and cameras (as Abel CineTech)
• Animal Insight  bears provided by
• Atlantic Records  stereophonic musical listenings available on
• Castel Film Studio  Romanian production services provided by (as Castel Film Studios)
• Channel 4 Television Corporation  special thanks to (as Channel Four Television)
• Christine Bergren Music Consulting  production counsel
• Corbis  photographs courtesy of: Pamela Anderson (as Corbis Images)
• Downtown Records  stereophonic musical listenings available on
• Filmtools  expendables (uncredited)
• Fremantle Media  footage provided by (as FremantleMedia)
• Getty Images  footage provided by
• Hanno Egipt  footage provided by
• Home Box Office (HBO)  footage provided courtesy of (as HBO)
• ITV Archive  footage provided by (as ITN Archive)
• Image Bank Films by Getty Images  footage provided by (as Imagebank Film)
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  this picture made under the jurisdiction of (as I.A.T.S.E.)
• One America  acknowledgement: is the author of this motion picture for purposes of copyright and other laws (as One America Productions, Inc.)
• Russian Stock Footage Library  footage provided by
• SDD Global Solutions  legal services (uncredited)
• Scarlet Letters  end titles
• SmithDehn  production counsel (as Smith Dornan & Dehn PC)
• Sony Pictures Television  footage provided courtesy of: "Married with Children"
• Soundelux  sound editorial by
• Star Waggons  cast trailers (uncredited)
• TVDATA.ru  footage provided by
• TalkBack Productions  special thanks to
• Thought Equity  footage provided by
• Todd-AO Studios  post production sound re-recording by (as Todd-AO Hollywood)
• Travel Corps  travel (as Travelcorps)
• Twentieth Century Fox Television  footage provided courtesy of: "Capa" (as Twentieth Television)
• Twentieth Century Fox  footage courtesy of: "Jingle All the Way"
• Villagers of Moroieni, Romania, The  the producers wish to give special thanks for their assistance
• Widget Post Production  ADR recording facility (uncredited)
• Widget Post Production  sound post-production (uncredited)
• Wilshire Stages, The  adr stage (as Wilshire Stages)
• Yard VFX  graphics (as Yard FX)
• Yard VFX  titles (as Yard FX)
• mOcean  anthem sequence by (as Mocean)
• mOcean  main titles (uncredited)

Also Known As:

"Borat!" - USA (poster title)

MPAA:

Rated R for pervasive strong crude and sexual content including graphic nudity, and language

Runtime:

84 min | Canada:82 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Romanian | Hebrew | Polish | Armenian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

South Africa:18LNPS | Ireland:16 | UK:15 | Singapore:R21 | New Zealand:R16 | Finland:K-15 | Norway:11 | Netherlands:12 | Sweden:Btl | Germany:12 | USA:R (certificate #42670) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud) | Australia:MA | Philippines:R-18 (MTRCB) | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Brazil:16 | Hong Kong:IIB | Portugal:M/12 | Malaysia:(Banned) | Argentina:13 | South Korea:18 | Argentina:16 | France:U | Italy:VM14 | Poland:15 | Malta:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Spain:18 | Japan:R-15 | Denmark:11 | Iceland:12 | Ireland:18 (DVD rating) | Ukraine:(Banned) | Chile:14 | Peru:14

Filming Locations:

Virginia, USA

Company:

Four by Two

Trivia:

The A in "BORAT" on the DVD cover is actually the letter D in the Cyrillic alphabet. Also on the inside DVD cover, the R in "BORAT" is backwards, which is actually the character "Ya" in Cyrillic.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the beginning when Borat is walking, we see some kids beside him, when the camera zooms in the kids have dispersed or changed.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Borat:Jak sie masz? My name-a Borat. I like you. I like sex. Is nice!
["How are you?" in Polish]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Have I Got News for You: Episode #37.6" (2009)

Soundtrack:

Magic Mamaligia

A Hilarious (and Much Needed) Assault on Decency

Sacha Baron Cohen comes to America in the guise of Borat Sagdiyev and wreaks his own brand of Kazakhi havoc in this very very funny film.

In our age of uber-political correctness, "Borat" comes sweeping through like a brisk and refreshing wind, completely bounding over every cultural taboo we've erected around ourselves. Thus, no one is safe: Borat takes on Jews, blacks, gays, feminists, middle-Americans, religious fanatics, frat boys. The only weapon against the bumbling Borat is a sense of humour, which this movie shows most Americans painfully lack. Indeed, if there is any message to be had from "Borat" (and I'm not sure there is much of one, beyond its fascinating cultural experiments), it's that everyone needs to lighten up and not take themselves so seriously.

The image of Americans projected in this film varies from the heartwarming to the downright frightening. New Yorkers threaten Borat with physical violence when he approaches them on a subway. Feminists walk out on him when they find his views on women too much to tolerate. Folks out in the heartland commiserate with him over his hatred of gays and Jews; a gun shop owner even helps him pick out the best weapon for shooting Jewish people. A sweet Jewish couple give him a place to sleep, and bring him a homey meal (that is, before they turn into invading cockroaches). A group of manic Pentecosts help him find Jesus. An RV full of frat boys make complete asses of themselves by espousing their hopelessly ill-informed views on minorities in our country and the need to revert to slavery. The majority of people treat Borat in the condescending way of those who want to think of themselves as being culturally aware without really knowing anything at all about other cultures. These people become rude the second Borat offends their sense of propriety. On the other hand, the disenfranchised of America greet Borat with open arms, and we see a group of gays and a group of blacks interacting with him as if no cultural boundaries existed at all. The film's sweetest (and most unexpectedly so) moments come from Borat's befriending of a black prostitute.

Of course, this is a carefully crafted work of fiction, and Cohen only lets his audience see what he wants them to see. I would probably react much the same as many of the people in this film if this crazy-looking and sounding man appeared out of nowhere and began to antagonize me. But the movie does make Americans look like a bunch of awfully self-important, uptight stiffs, and I've been to enough places in this country and met enough people to realize that the way events play out in this film (even if they are manipulated or staged) probably come very close to the real thing.

Thank God for movies like "Borat." If nothing else, they remind us that our cultural boundaries only matter as much as we let them, and that all of the fears that govern political correctness are mostly ungrounded. After all, virtually every person in this film was offended at one point or another, and as far as I can tell, all of them lived to tell about it.

Grade: A