Cloud Atlas (2012)

An exploration of how the actions of individual lives impact one another in the past, present and future, as one soul is shaped from a killer into a hero, and an act of kindness ripples across centuries to inspire a revolution.

Directors:

Tom Tykwer, Andy Wachowski,

Writers:

David Mitchell (novel), Lana Wachowski (written for the screen by),

Stars:

Tom Hanks, Halle Berry, Hugo Weaving

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 12 wins & 28 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tom Hanks	...	Dr. Henry Goose / Hotel Manager / Isaac Sachs / Dermot Hoggins / Cavendish Look-a-Like Actor / Zachry
Halle Berry	...	Native Woman / Jocasta Ayrs / Luisa Rey / Indian Party Guest / Ovid / Meronym
Jim Broadbent	...	Captain Molyneux / Vyvyan Ayrs / Timothy Cavendish / Korean Musician / Prescient 2
Hugo Weaving	...	Haskell Moore / Tadeusz Kesselring / Bill Smoke / Nurse Noakes / Boardman Mephi / Old Georgie
Jim Sturgess	...	Adam Ewing / Poor Hotel Guest / Megan's Dad / Highlander / Hae-Joo Chang / Adam (Zachry's Brother-in-Law)
Doona Bae	...	Tilda / Megan's Mom / Mexican Woman / Sonmi-451 / Sonmi-351 / Sonmi Prostitute
Ben Whishaw	...	Cabin Boy / Robert Frobisher / Store Clerk / Georgette / Tribesman
Keith David	...	Kupaka / Joe Napier / An-kor Apis / Prescient
James D'Arcy	...	Young Rufus Sixsmith / Old Rufus Sixsmith / Nurse James / Archivist
Xun Zhou	...	Talbot / Yoona-939 / Rose
David Gyasi	...	Autua / Lester Rey / Duophysite
Susan Sarandon	...	Madame Horrox / Older Ursula / Yusouf Suleiman / Abbess
Hugh Grant	...	Rev. Giles Horrox / Hotel Heavy / Lloyd Hooks / Denholme Cavendish / Seer Rhee / Kona Chief
Robert Fyfe	...	Old Salty Dog / Mr. Meeks / Prescient 1
Martin Wuttke	...	Mr. Boerhaave / Guard / Leary the Healer

Storyline

Everything is connected: an 1849 diary of an ocean voyage across the Pacific; letters from a composer to his friend; a thriller about a murder at a nuclear power plant; a farce about a publisher in a nursing home; a rebellious clone in futuristic Korea; and the tale of a tribe living in post-apocalyptic Hawaii, far in the future.

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Plot Keywords:

future | composer | clone | nursing home | reporter | 

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Taglines:

Everything Is Connected

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for violence, language, sexuality/nudity and some drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Germany USA Hong Kong Singapore

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

26 October 2012 (USA)

Also Known As:

Atlas oblaka

Filming Locations:

Krematorium Baumschulenweg, Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

$102,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$9,612,247 (USA) (26 October 2012)

Gross:

$27,098,580 (USA) (18 January 2013)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Cloud Atlas Productions, X-Filme Creative Pool, Anarchos Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

172 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Datasat SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

With a budget of over $100,000,000, Cloud Atlas is one of the most expensive independent films to date.

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Goofs

In the final scene showing Timothy Cavendish, in which he is writing the screenplay for the movie based on his adventures, the typewriter text shows a phrase containing the word "labored". Being English, he would spell it the English way, "laboured".

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Quotes

Timothy Cavendish: Never forget Herman Melville, writes a ripping yarn about a big white whale which is summarily dismissed, and yet today it is lugged around in the backpacks of every serious student of literature in the world.
Dermot Hoggins: I don't give a fuck what happens when I'm dead, I want people to buy me book now!
Timothy Cavendish: Well, as your publisher, obviously nothing would make me happier. But sadly, for whatever reason, 'Knuckle Sandwich' has yet to connect to its audience.
Dermot Hoggins: You want a reason? I'll give you a reason
[points]
Dermot Hoggins: ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

When a montage is shown of all the characters the actors are playing, the font of the names changes with each time period.

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Connections

Features Newsnight (1980)

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Soundtracks

"Chimhyang Moo"
Written by Byungki Hwang
Performed by Byungki Hwang
Taken from the album Chimyang Moo
Courtesy of C&L Music, Inc.

User Reviews

Quite an achievement

"Cloud Atlas" is nearly three hours in length, but I wasn't bored for a minute. The film alternates between six very different stories quite seamlessly, creating an exhilarating experience. It's part sci-fi, part historical drama, part love story, part comedy. Any number of things could have gone wrong with the film. All the different genres it brings together might have failed to coherently mesh. But they did, and it's something to see.

The film takes us on shipboard in the 1800s, where a young man forms an unlikely bond with a stowaway, a runaway slave. It tells the sensitive, melancholy story of a promising young composer in the 1930s – separated by prejudice and misfortune from his lover, a man named Sixsmith. It also brings us to 1973, where an intrepid reporter finds herself caught up in a web of murder and intrigue. In the present day, the film offers up the comedic tale of a publisher on the run from a gang of thugs. Plunging into the future, it shows a dystopian vision of Seoul, South Korea that is comparable to "Blade Runner" and a primitive post-apocalyptic Hawaii.

Linking these stories together are the simple thematic elements of love, compassion, and a love for liberty. The correspondence between the composer Robert Frobisher and Sixsmith depicts the plain beauty of love as well as any film I have seen, as do tender moments between the central characters of the portion of the film set in the futuristic New Seoul. Even in the blatantly comic segment with Jim Broadbent as the publisher, a deep passion for freedom and human dignity shines through.

All the actors do a great job in their multiple roles. You can care for Tom Hanks one moment as a villager in a future Hawaii, and then revile him in the next scene where he plays a truly despicable doctor. The best performances are given, however, by Doona Bae and Jim Broadbent. I think they surpass all the rest. Bae plays a "fabricant", a kind of clone designed to serve humanity. Her gradual awakening to her own self-worth, to the subjugation of herself and of her people, is beautifully and movingly conveyed. She is heartbreaking in this role. Broadbent is equally excellent as the publisher Cavendish. His expressive face and popping eyes are ideal for comedy – and he's hilarious. But he's more than that. Broadbent infuses the character with a sense of sorrow and weariness at key moments. Cavendish has depth, a history, regrets from his past. Broadbent brings all this out brilliantly without losing his comic touch.

Everything in "Cloud Atlas" comes together to create a film I found thought-provoking and highly entertaining. I don't hesitate to recommend it.