A Mighty Heart (2007)

Mariane Pearl embarks on a frantic search to locate her journalist husband, Daniel, when he goes missing in Pakistan.

Director:

Michael Winterbottom

Writers:

John Orloff (screenplay), Mariane Pearl (book)

Stars:

Angelina Jolie, Dan Futterman, Irrfan Khan

4 wins & 18 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dan Futterman	...	Danny
Angelina Jolie	...	Mariane
Archie Panjabi	...	Asra
Mohammed Afzal	...	Shabbir
Mushtaq Khan	...	Danny's Taxi Driver (as Mushtaq Ahmed)
Daud Khan	...	Masud the Fixer
Telal Saeed	...	Kaleem Yusuf
Arif Khan	...	Mariane's Taxi Driver
Tipu Taheer	...	Human Rights Director
Amit Dhawan	...	Technical Supervisor
Saira Nasir Khan	...	Nasrin
Aliya Khan	...	Kashva
Sarah Mone	...	Female Guest
Bushra Parwani	...	Female Guest
Zafar Karachiwala	...	Male Guest

Storyline

On January 23, 2002, Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is to fly from Karachi to Dubai with his pregnant wife, Mariane, also a reporter. On the day before, with great care, he has arranged an interview in a café with an Islamic fundamentalist cleric. When Danny doesn't return, Mariane initiates a search. Pakistani police, American embassy personnel, and the FBI examine witnesses, phone records, e-mails, and hard drives. Who has him? Where is he? There's also the why: because of U.S. abuse of prisoners at Guantanamo, because of a history of Journal cooperation with the CIA, because Pearl is a Jew? Through it all, Mariane is clearheaded, direct, and determined.

---

Plot Keywords:

journalist | pakistan | missing | wall street journal | jew | 

---

Taglines:

It was an event that shocked the world. This is the story you haven't heard.

---

Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Thriller | War

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language

Did You Know?

Trivia

After Angelina Jolie was cast as Mariane Pearl, she and the filmmakers came in for a great deal of criticism, since Pearl's and Jolie's racial backgrounds are not similar, and Jolie played the role wearing makeup that somewhat darkened her own skin tone. The casting reminded many critics of the time in Hollywood when it was customary to cast "ethnic" roles with white actors in makeup rather than using black, Asian, or Native American actors. During a promotional press event for the movie, Jolie responded to the criticisms by saying, "the idea is, if you ask Marianne, because she did address that... if you did actually want to find somebody that was her exact makeup, she's actually majority Dutch, and she's as black as she is Chinese, and she's Cuban, and she's French. So, it could have gone to many different racial backgrounds, probably, if you went technical on it." Pearl herself approved of casting Jolie; in Time Magazine, Pearl said, "I have heard some criticism about her casting, but it is not about the color of your skin. It is about who you are. I asked her to play the role - even though she is way more beautiful than I am - because I felt a real kinship to her."

---

Goofs

In the scene when Mariane is going for interview with CNN, the car stops at the signal. The place where they stops is not in Karachi, it is in Rawalpindi, approximately 1500 kilometers away from Karachi.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
Mariane Pearl: [narrating] The day after 9-11, Danny and I flew to Pakistan. He was the South Asia Bureau Chief for the Wall Street Journal, and I was working for French Public Radio. Thousands of journalist from all over the world arrived in Islamabad to cover the war in neighboring Afghanistan. On the 7th October, bombing began.

---

Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: 25 Years of Margaret & David (2011)

---

Soundtracks

Thodasa Pagla
(p) and (c) Saregama India Ltd
Courtesy of Saregama India Ltd

User Reviews

A very good film and Angelina Jolie is an actress

I just saw this film and I really liked. The story is very well told from the point of view of a professional journalist who has to experience with integrity and courage the whole process of losing her husband. I think Angelina Jolie makes AN EXCELLENT JOB. Many times I forgot was the sexy actress, and reminded me several great parts she have achieved in her career, including an Academy award. There is not any importance or relevance that she is a white woman developing an African woman... She is an actress. Until when we are going to play with racial issue. In many countries Hamlet is not from Denmark or Othello is not always a black actor, or Don Giovanni is not an Italian. The directing and several acting in this film are great. And the development of the film showing constantly the misery of this country to understand better their political situation and fanaticism.

It;s very comfortable to enjoy this film and going out in cities where we have so much comforts. I connected with Marianne Pearl, I felt I was with her watching her experience.

Details

Country:

USA UK

Language:

English French Urdu Arabic

Release Date:

22 June 2007 (USA)

Also Known As:

A Mighty Heart

Filming Locations:

Texas, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$16,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,948,863, 24 June 2007

Gross USA:

$9,176,787

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$19,008,745

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Vantage, Plan B Entertainment, Revolution Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

SDDS Dolby Digital DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1