Youth Without Youth (2007)

Director:

Francis Ford Coppola

Writers:

Francis Ford Coppola (screenplay)
Mircea Eliade (novella)

Release Date:

26 October 2007 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Romance | Thriller

Plot:

A love story wrapped in a mystery. Set in Europe before WWII, a timid professor is changed by a cataclysmic event and explores the mysteries of life.

Plot Keywords:

Newspaper Story | Based On Novella | Hospital Scene | 1930s | Nazi

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Tim Roth	...	Dominic
Alexandra Maria Lara	...	Veronica / Laura
Bruno Ganz	...	Professor Stanciulescu
André Hennicke	...	Josef Rudolf
Marcel Iures	...	Prof. Giuseppe Tucci
Adrian Pintea	...	Pandit
Alexandra Pirici	...	Woman in Room 6
Florin Piersic Jr.	...	Dr. Gavrila
Zoltan Butuc	...	Dr. Chirila
Adriana Titieni	...	Anetta
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mircea Albulescu	...	Davidoglu
Dan Astileanu	...	Professor (as Dan Astilean)
Cristian Balint	...	Grenzschutz
Dragos Bucur	...	Bartender
Theodor Danetti	...	Dr. Neculache
Andrei Gheorghe	...	Taxi Driver
Roxana Guttman	...	Gertrude
Dorina Lazar	...	Cook
Rodica Lazar	...	Teller
Anamaria Marinca	...	Hotel Receptionist
Hodorog Anton Mihail	...	Doru, The Guard
Mihai Niculescu	...	Vaian
Gelu Nitu	...	Policeman
Mirela Oprisor	...	Craita
Alexandru Repan	...	Dr. Chavannes
Dan Sandulescu	...	Nicodim
Andi Vasluianu	...	Intern
Matt Damon	...	Life Magazine Reporter (uncredited)

Directed by
Francis Ford Coppola

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Francis Ford Coppola		screenplay
Mircea Eliade		novella

Produced by
Francis Ford Coppola	....	producer
Anahid Nazarian	....	executive producer
Fred Roos	....	executive producer
Masa Tsuyuki	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Osvaldo Golijov

Cinematography by
Mihai Malaimare Jr.

Film Editing by
Walter Murch

Casting by
Florin Kevorkian
Karen Lindsay-Stewart

Production Design by
Calin Papura

Art Direction by
Ruxandra Ionica
Mircea Onisoru

Set Decoration by
Adi Popa
Adrian Popa

Costume Design by
Gloria Papura

Makeup Department
Barrie Gower	....	prosthetic makeup sculptor
Peter King	....	hair designer
Peter King	....	makeup designer
Dana Roseanu	....	makeup artist
Domnica Sava	....	hair stylist
Jeremy Woodhead	....	hair designer
Jeremy Woodhead	....	makeup designer

Production Management
Diona Dragnea	....	production manager (as Doina Dragnea)
Adriana Rotaru	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Vladimir Anton	....	second assistant director
Roman Coppola	....	second unit director
Oana Ene	....	second assistant director
Craita Nanu	....	second assistant director
Anatol Reghintovschi	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Gabriel Bucur	....	set dresser: Romania
Adi Iancu	....	stand-by props: Romania
Iasar Memedali	....	property buyer: Romania
Adi Popa	....	property master: Romania
Dora Somova	....	stand-by props: Bulgaria

Sound Department
Mihai Bogos	....	sound recordist
Viorel Dobre	....	adr recordist
Alex Dragomir	....	dialogue editor
Kim Foscato	....	sound effects editor
Ivan Fritz	....	machine room operator
Pete Horner	....	sound designer
Pete Horner	....	sound re-recording mixer
Robert Knox	....	sound re-recording consultant
Zach Martin	....	sound mix technician
Matei Mircea	....	boom operator
Walter Murch	....	sound re-recording mixer
John Nutt	....	dialogue editor
Victor Panfilov	....	sound effects editor
Horea Alexandru Pascu	....	assistant sound
Gene Radzik	....	sound consultant
Vadim Staver	....	foley artist

Special Effects by
Liviu Gherghe	....	special effects assistant

Visual Effects by
Kevin Bailey	....	additional visual effects (as Kevin N. Bailey)
Patrik Bergman	....	digital effects artist
Ales Dlabac	....	CG artist
Roland Friedrich	....	flame artist
Miro Gal	....	Flame artist
Jan Heusler	....	digital compositor
Tomas Kalhous	....	digital compositor
Vít Komrzy	....	visual effects producer
Jirí Linhart	....	digital effects artist
Petr Masek	....	digital compositor
Peter Nemec	....	Flame artist
Peter Nemec	....	digital effects artist
Peter Nemec	....	senior flame artist
Vaclav Ondrousek	....	digital compositor
Jiri Stamfest	....	matte artist
David Vána	....	visual effects supervisor
Petr Vcelicka	....	digital compositor
Jan Vseticek	....	visual effects coordinator
Kim Wiseman	....	digital compositor

Stunts
Octavian Golgot	....	stunt coordinator
Rasvan Puiu	....	stunt coordinator (as Razvan Puiu)

Camera and Electrical Department
Cos Aelenei	....	still photographer
Marius Bercu	....	gaffer
Alex Cosma	....	electrician
Marian Duca	....	key grip
Ilie Georgica	....	assistant camera
Stefan Stefanovschi	....	electrician
Bogdan Talpeanu	....	second assistant camera
Paul Ticu	....	electrician
Cristian Toader	....	best boy

Casting Department
Liliana Toma	....	extras casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Adina Bucur	....	costume supervisor
Mariana Pall	....	assistant costume designer

Editorial Department
Kevin Bailey	....	assistant editor (as Kevin N. Bailey)
Sean Cullen	....	associate editor
Andrei Dascalescu	....	assistant editor
Jim Passon	....	color timer
Mike Sowa	....	digital intermediate colorist
Corina Stavila	....	associate editor

Music Department
Jeremy Flower	....	music constructions
Petru Margineanu	....	music recording supervisor
Michael Pärt	....	music editor
Mihai Suteu	....	music recording engineer
Attila Tõzsér	....	music editor
Lev Zhurbin	....	additional orchestrator
Lev Zhurbin	....	music preparation

Transportation Department
Vasile Anghel	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Adrian Codoi	....	location manager
Jennifer Furches	....	script supervisor: second unit
Alexandru Iures	....	assistant: Francis Ford Coppola
Oana Marian	....	assistant: Tim Roth
James T. Mockoski	....	archivist
Marian Moldoveanu	....	location manager
Ioana Ofileanu	....	office production assistant
Iulian Pana	....	location manager
Magda Pintilie	....	production accountant
Adriana Racasan	....	assistant: Alexandra Maria Lara
Razvan Secara	....	extras coordinator
Ioana Stoica	....	location scout manager
Vasilescu Valentin	....	horse master

Production Companies

• American Zoetrope
• BIM
• Bavaria Atelier
• Pricel
• SRG Atelier

Distributors

• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (2008) (UK) (DVD)
• A-Film Distribution (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Cinema Without Frontiers (2008) (Russia) (theatrical)
• Pathé Distribution (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• Pathé (2007) (France) (theatrical)
• Pinema (2007) (Turkey) (all media) (distributor)
• Sony Pictures Classics (2007) (USA) (theatrical)

Special Effects

• Universal Production Partners (UPP)

Other Companies

• Deutsche Grammophon  soundtrack
• Dolby Laboratories  sound mix
• Pathé Pictures International  international sales

Also Known As:

Altra giovinezza, Un' (Italy)
Homme sans âge, L' (France)
Jugend ohne Jugend (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for some sexuality, nudity and a brief disturbing image.

Runtime:

124 min

Country:

USA | Germany | Italy | France | Romania

Language:

English | Sanskrit | German | French | Italian | Romanian | Russian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Ireland:15A | Switzerland:14 (canton of Geneva) | USA:R | Switzerland:14 (canton of Vaud)

Filming Locations:

Ana Aslan International Academy of Aging, Bucharest, Romania

Company:

American Zoetrope

Trivia:

The modestly-budgeted film was financed by the director's successful vineyard in California.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Coda: Thirty Years After (2007) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Middle Village

Coppala's Best Film Ever!

I know I am in the minority here but in my opinion, "Youth Without Youth" is the best film that Francis Ford Coppala has ever made.

My apologies to fans of "The Godfather" films and "Apocalypse Now." While his more popular masterpieces were certainly well made films, "Youth Without Youth" takes a lot more chances and does not make any compromises.

The film is about a 70 year old man who is struck by lightning. After he recovers from his injuries, he appears to be 30 years younger and does not age for the following 18 years – or maybe not. The ending leaves much to interpretation, which will infuriate many people who are not willing to think for themselves. Parts of the film appear to be dreams sequences (maybe the scenes that start upside down.) Maybe the entire film after the lightning strike is a dream. Maybe the entire film was meant to be taken literally (but probably not.)

At times "Youth Without Youth" seems like a David Lynch film without the horror aspects. There are doppelgangers and people with supernatural powers. It is surreal and strange and some scenes do not make sense in their sequence but are important in the entirety of the film.

"Youth Without Youth" is not a film for everybody. In fact, most people will probably not like it. But if you are a person who is willing to think about a film and bring your own interpretation to what is happening, you might end up loving this film.