The Way Back (I) (2010)

Siberian gulag escapees walk 4000 miles overland to freedom in India.

Director:

Peter Weir

Writers:

Keith R. Clarke (screenplay), Slavomir Rawicz (novel),

Stars:

Colin Farrell, Mark Strong, Jim Sturgess

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Colin Farrell	...	Valka
Mark Strong	...	Khabarov
Saoirse Ronan	...	Irena
Jim Sturgess	...	Janusz
Ed Harris	...	Mr. Smith
Gustaf Skarsgård	...	Voss
Alexandru Potocean	...	Tomasz
Sebastian Urzendowsky	...	Kazik
Dragos Bucur	...	Zoran
Zahary Baharov	...	Interrogator (as Zahari Baharov)
Sally Edwards	...	Janusz's Wife, 1939
Igor Gnezdilov	...	Bohdan
Dejan Angelov	...	Andrei
Stanislav Pishtalov	...	Commandant
Mariy Grigorov	...	Lazar (as Marii Grigorov)

Storyline

In 1941, three men reach India from Tibet, having walked 4000 miles after escaping a Siberian gulag. The film tells their story and that of four others who escaped with them and a teenage girl who joins them in flight. The group's natural leader is Janusz, a Pole condemned by accusations secured by torturing his wife; he knows how to live in the wilds. They escape under cover of a snowstorm: a cynical American, a Russian thug, a comic accountant, a pastry chef who draws, a priest, and a Pole with night blindness. They face freezing nights, lack of food and water, mosquitoes, an endless desert, the Himalayas, and moral questions of when to leave someone behind.

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Plot Keywords:

india | gulag | american | thug | tibet | 

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Taglines:

Their escape was just the beginning

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for violent content, depiction of physical hardships, a nude image and brief strong language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [fr]

Country:

USA United Arab Emirates Poland

Language:

English Russian

Release Date:

21 January 2011 (USA)

Also Known As:

Camino a la libertad

Filming Locations:

Darjeeling, West Bengal, India

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$1,208,196 (USA) (21 January 2011)

Gross:

$2,677,401 (USA) (18 February 2011)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Exclusive Films, National Geographic Films, Imagenation Abu Dhabi FZ

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Saoirse Ronan (Irena) celebrated her 16th birthday on the set of this shoot.

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Goofs

When they notice Janusz has left the Tibetan monastery and they call for him on the mountain ridge, K2 appears in the background, which is in the Karakorum mountains, far away from where the action rolls, near the Tibetan border with Nepal.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[in Polish, using English subtitles]
Interrogator: [presents pen to sign confession]
Janusz: No.
Interrogator: Bring in the witness.
Janusz's Wife, 1939: [brought in]
Interrogator: Do you know this man? His name?
Janusz's Wife, 1939: Janusz Wieszczek.
Interrogator: Witness, what's your relationship with this man?
Janusz's Wife, 1939: [crying] I am his wife.
[...]

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Connections

Featured in Breakfast: Episode dated 7 December 2010 (2010)

User Reviews

Peter Weir goes from ocean to desert

Peter Weir's follow-up to Master & Commander (2003) is the unflinching, stark, & brilliant The Way Back, which takes on the weighty theme of man's struggle for freedom.

At the dawn of WWII, several men escape from a Russian gulag. The film details their perilous & uncertain journey to freedom, as they cross deserts, mountains, & several nations.

The cast is a clever mix of seasoned pros & relative newcomers. Ed Harris, in the role of the sole American, lends his usual gravitas. Colin Farrell borrows from his In Bruges character, but the addition of bad jailhouse tattoos is wildly amusing, & his Russian is quite passable. It's always nice to see Mister Farrell doing serious work, rather than bland fluff like Miami Vice or SWAT. Mark Strong's brief, but plot-essential appearance is joyous.

Jim Sturgess gets a chance to redeem himself from the disastrous flop 21, & does a fine job here, as the central character. & the adolescent Saoirse Ronan belies her extensive & impressive resume with an understated performance that sparkles against the men's terse asperity.

Breathtaking vistas that serve as the backdrop to the cast's efforts lend The Way Back an epic feel, echoed by mature editing, & mavellously restrained use of music.

This is, quite possibly, the most serious film Peter Weir has ever directed, & the result is both thought-provoking & inspiring. We can only hope that it gets a proper release, & is allowed an opportunity to reach its grown-up audience.