The Broken Tower (2011)

Director:

James Franco

Writers:

James Franco (written by)
Paul Mariani (book)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | War

Tagline:

The Truth is Indecent.

Plot:

A biography of American poet Hart Crane who committed suicide at the age of 32 by jumping off the steamship SS Orizaba.

Plot Keywords:

Poet | Suicide | Male Male Kiss | Anal Sex | Bisexual

Cast

James Franco	...	Hart Crane
Michael Shannon	...	Emile
Dave Franco	...	Young Hart
Richard Abate	...	Father Crane
Betsy Franco	...	Mother Crane
Paul Mariani	...	Alfred Stieglitz
Shandor Garrison	...	Gorham Munson
Stacey Miller	...	Mrs. Cowley
Dylan Goodwin	...	Young Truck Driver
John Morrow	...	Young Sailor
Ivo Juhani	...	French Man in Library
Vince Jolivette	...	American Man in Paris
Fallon Goodsen	...	American Woman in Paris
Caroline Aragon	...	French Cafe Owner
Sebastian Celis	...	Deckhand
Will Rawls	...	Factory Worker
Kazy Tauginas	...	Boxer
Aztec Musicians Grupo de Danza Azteca Chichimeca Ome Acati	...	Musical Group
Alejandro León	...	Dancer
Alejandra Sosa del Rio	...	Dancer
Cármen Mera	...	Dancer / Singer
Gustavo Merino	...	Dancer
Natalia Careaga	...	Dancer
Rodolfo Libreros	...	Dancer
Raúl Contreras López	...	Dancer
Anamar Romero	...	Dancer / Smoke Handler
José Islas	...	Musician
Carlos Moreno	...	Musician
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Gary Abrams	...	Angry Boxing Fan (uncredited)
Ira Berkowitz	...	Poetry Enthusiast (uncredited)
Laura Burnett	...	Poetry Reading Attendant (uncredited)
Christopher J. Domig	...	Dancer in Tuxedo (uncredited)
Paul Galbraith	...	Poetry Enthusiast (uncredited)
David Gerson	...	Drunken Cafe Attendant (uncredited)
Sean Patrick Murray	...	Movie Theater Attendant (uncredited)
Jeff Petriello	...	Sailor (uncredited)
David Rothstadt	...	Poetry Reading Attendant (uncredited)

Directed by
James Franco

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
James Franco		written by
Paul Mariani		book "The Broken Tower"

Produced by
Caroline Aragon	....	producer
Nicolás Celis	....	line producer: additional photography
Monica Hoenig	....	line producer
Vince Jolivette	....	producer
Miles Levy	....	producer
John Morrow	....	associate producer
Jeff Most	....	executive producer
Jeff Rice	....	executive producer
James Franco	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Neil Benezra

Cinematography by
Christina Voros		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
James Franco

Production Design by
Kristen Adams

Art Direction by
Eric Morrell		(uncredited)

Costume Design by
Malgosia Turzanska

Makeup Department
José F. Carillo Serrano	....	hair stylist: additional photography
José F. Carillo Serrano	....	makeup artist: additional photography
Sarah Hindsgaul	....	hair stylist
Sarah Hindsgaul	....	makeup artist
Krystal Phillips	....	additional stylist

Production Management
Julie Buck	....	unit production manager
Peter Cairns	....	post-production supervisor
April Shannon	....	production manager: additional photography (as April Theresa Shannon)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Caroline Aragon	....	first assistant director: additional photography
Analeine Cal y Mayor	....	second assistant director: additional photography
Jacob Kader	....	second assistant director (as Jake Kader)
Jeff Petriello	....	second second assistant director

Art Department
Olivia Alejandro	....	set dresser: additional photography (as Olivia Vega)
Rodrigo Frias	....	set dresser: additional photography
Jorge Alejandro Vega	....	set dresser: additional photography (as Jorge Vega)
Micaela Carolan	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Meghan Lyons	....	set dresser (uncredited)

Sound Department
Neil Benezra	....	sound designer
Neil Benezra	....	sound re-recording mixer
Neil Benezra	....	supervising sound editor
Samuel Kelly Benezra	....	foley artist (as Sam Benezra)
Shea Kelly Benezra	....	foley artist (as Shea Benezra)
Federico Gonzalkez	....	sound recordist: additional photography
Dylan Goodwin	....	boom operator
Alex Noyes	....	dialogue editor
Laura Sinnott	....	sound recordist
J.R. Skola	....	sound recordist
Anthony Viera	....	sound recordist
Laura Sinnott	....	adr engineer (uncredited)

Stunts
Seth Andrew Bridges	....	stunts (as Seth Bridges)
Neimah Djourabchi	....	stunts
Drew Leary	....	stunt coordinator
Brian Morvant	....	stunts
Corey Pierno	....	stunts

Camera and Electrical Department
Chris Aran	....	first assistant camera (as Christopher Aran)
Stratton Bailey	....	key grip
Jose Guadalupe Barroso	....	electrician: additional photography (as José Guadalupe Barroso)
Peter Cairns	....	camera operator: "b" camera
Peter Cairns	....	digital imaging technician
Tim Curtin	....	swing (as Timothy Curtin)
Alejandro Ferrusquía	....	electrician: additional photography
Trevor Fields	....	best boy electric
Jason Goodman	....	additional camera operator
Jason Goodman	....	still photographer
Rob Leitzell	....	gaffer
Jonathan Leys	....	additional camera operator
Jonathan Leys	....	camera assistant: additional photography
Beto Muñoz	....	gaffer: additional photography
Peter O'Leary	....	additional camera operator
Peter O'Leary	....	best boy grip
Aileen Taylor	....	first assistant camera

Casting Department
Analeine Cal y Mayor	....	background casting
John Morrow	....	background casting
Jeff Petriello	....	background casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Karen Boyer	....	wardrobe supervisor
Jessica Morales	....	wardrobe assistant: additional photography
Abby Walton	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Peter Cairns	....	colorist
Kathryn J. Schubert	....	assistant editor (as Kathryn Shubert)

Music Department
Gerard Talbot	....	music consultant
Gerard Talbot	....	music licensing

Transportation Department
David Barragán	....	driver: additional photography
Edgar Canseco	....	driver: Mr. Franco, additional photography
Irv Gooch	....	picture cars
Paul Rosen	....	picture cars

Other crew
Tiffany Boyle	....	sales executive
Sebastian Celis	....	key production assistant: additional photography
Gustavo Diaz	....	caterer: additional photography, Monchis Catering
Peter Flanigan	....	legal services
Max Friedlich	....	production intern
Samuel Gilroy	....	production assistant
Kevin Jacobsen	....	production assistant
Alejandro Ju&aacute'rez	....	production assistant: additional photography
Christopher Laszlo	....	production coordinator
Victor Leycegui	....	caterer: additional photography, Monchis Catering
Melissa López Portillo	....	production assistant: additional photography
Antonio Maceda	....	caterer: additional photography, Monchis Catering
Antonin Macé de Lépinay	....	historical consultant
Joffrey Monteiro-Noël	....	production assistant
Fernando Morales	....	production coordinator: additional photography
Jose Luis Perico	....	caterer: additional photography, Monchis Catering (as Jose Luis 'Perico')
Elsa Ramo	....	financial legal services
Adrian Rodriguez	....	location manager: additional photography
Iris Torres	....	assistant: Mr. Franco
Carlo Villareal	....	production assistant: additional photography
Alissa Ziyad	....	production coordinator: additional photography
Janelle Garcia	....	assistant to producer (uncredited)
Jason Kadlec	....	location manager (uncredited)
Adam W. Rosen	....	legal services (uncredited)

Thanks
Doug Franco	....	dedicatee
Paul Mariani	....	special thanks
Ken Mate	....	special thanks

Production Companies

• RabbitBandini Productions

Distributors

• Focus World (2011) (USA) (all media)

Other Companies

• Brooklyn Sound Society  music supervision
• Brooklyn Sound Society  post-production sound services
• Divine Bites  catering
• Especialistas en Acción  stunts: additional photography
• Helen Uffner Vintage Clothing  vintage clothing rentals
• Monchis Catering  catering: additional photography

Runtime:

USA:99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color | Black and White

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Company:

RabbitBandini Productions

Trivia:

Shot in three countries and 30 locations in 15 days.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Hart Crane: An Exegesis (2012)

Soundtrack:

Naugahyde Blues

A Brave Little Film that Finds a New Way of Communicating

THE BROKEN TOWER will likely never be on the list of best films made, so why award it five stars? Because this very fine art piece is the result of the devotion of James Franco to his craft. He worked directly with Boston College professor Paul Mariani, the author of a half dozen volumes of poetry, as well as several biographies of 20th-century American poets, including William Carlos Williams, John Berryman, and Robert Lowell: Franco based THE BROKEN TOWER on Mariani's similarly titled 2000 biography of Crane.

The subject of the film is the life and creative genius of Hart Crane, (July 21, 1899 - April 27, 1932) an American poet who found both inspiration and provocation in the poetry of T. S. Eliot, Crane wrote modernist poetry that is difficult, highly stylized, and very ambitious in its scope. In his most ambitious work, The Bridge, Crane sought to write an epic poem in the vein of The Waste Land that expressed something more sincere and optimistic than the ironic despair that Crane found in Eliot's poetry. In the years following his suicide at the age of 32, Crane has come to be seen as one of the most influential poets of his generation.

James Franco wrote the screenplay based on book by Paul Mariani, directed and edited the film and acted the main role of Hart Crane. Crane was a nearly disconsolate man who refused to follow his wealthy father's business, longing instead to be a poet. Born in Ohio he traveled to New York (the place he always considered home), to Cuba, and to Paris searching for his poetic voice. He was a gay man in an era when his lifestyle was always under threat, he had a lover (Vince Jolivette) early on in an affair that was filled with passion, and in his travels he seemed to find his true love in Emile (Michael Shannon) that endured the manic highs and depressive, death-haunted lows that befell this self -destructive visionary poet. He attempted suicide at least once and finally ended his life in a successful suicide at the young age of 32.

Franco breathes life into Hart Crane, offering more understanding of this enigmatic genius than we have ever been afforded. In making the film Franco uses his younger brother Dave Franco to depict the young Hart and selects his small cast wisely. The film is completely in black and white and is in the format of 'Voyages' - each voyage takes us through a distinct part of Hart's life: his gay loves, his poetry readings, his forays to Cuba and to Paris and his lonely hours of sitting before an old typewriter where he created the major epics of poetry that remain some of the finest ever written by an American poet.

The film is choppy, not unlike the manner in which Hart's mind worked in bits and pieces, always immersed in thoughts of the sea, the labor of common man, of the Brooklyn Bridge which would play the major role in his most famous epic poem THE BRIDGE, and of the fellow artists whose work he so admired. There is a strange musical score (the work of Neil Benezra) which is long on choral chanting, and a quality of gritty cinematography achieved by Christiana Vorn. The technique of the making of this film matches the vision of James Franco in continuing to visit the lives of isolated geniuses. The dialogue, what little there is, is Crane's poetry as spoken by Franco.

For many this film will seem self-indulgent on Franco's part. And perhaps it partially is. But the flavor of this gay American poet of the 1920s and the reflections of America at that time ring true. THE BROKEN TOWER is not a biopic of Hart Crane. It is an elegy.

Grady Harp