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From an anonymous home owner in Toronto: There is a spot in the CM trailer where Renee Z is being hugged by Russell C while the voice over (Russell) says: “…I have the prettiest wife a man could wish for.” This
was filmed on our front porch. The scene is early in the film when Jim Braddock (Crowe) returns home from a fight. He walks up to the house glumly pretending he lost – then he tells his wife, Mae (Renee) that he won. She’s all smiley and leaps into his hug. One of the children (not in the trailer clip, but in the scene) runs out the front door and right off the porch (3 steps above the front walk) into Braddock’s arms. During the takes, Crowe did a masterful job of catching the little boy a few times when the child didn’t time the jump quite right. It was a beautiful summer night for filming. Started, oh around 8 and finished, I’m guessing, around 2. The street looked magnificent with the overhead lighting and vintage cars throughout; especially the Pierce-Arrow that Braddock arrives home in. The experience was tingling. I’ve never been around anything like that. They took about 15 or more takes of this scene. I used to think they did that because they got 14 wrong. But I learned they do different versions, presumably to use the best fit in the editing suite. They did tight shots, distant shots, soft focus, hard focus, and all those and more variations from 2 or 3 camera positions. I suppose standard movie making stuff. But fascinating for a newbie like me to witness first hand. The actors performed their craft like the pros they are. I don’t recall any gaffes or lost dialogue. While I was intense and gob-smacked by it all, the overall mood was relaxed and fun. In between takes there was a wonderful casual moment with Russell and Ron sitting on our front step joking and sharing a soda. A photo of that would have been a cherished keepsake. But we respected the company’s strict no-photo policy. I wish I had the nerve to say something to Russell or Renee that night – but I thought it inappropriate. The producers allowed us to be up close with the crew. Hence I felt that while the actors were working, they did not need the distraction of an excited property owner to take them out of the moment. Once shooting concluded I did have a brief dialogue with Ron Howard and introduced my daughter to him. I had met him a couple of times during location selection and I must say he is extremely gracious, considerate, and down to earth while at the same time laser focused on his vision of the story. The effort put into the smallest details of set dressing would astound you. Our home, dressed for the 1920’s, did not feel like a museum – it felt like a time warp. I mean we all understand the magic of Hollywood and how most times things are just set for the camera frame, period. But when the production designer noticed that the DOOR HINGES in our living room were period correct, I was astonished at the attention to detail that quietly contributes to the mood and setting the director wants the audience to experience. Having seen just a snippet of the finished product in the trailer, (and naturally I’m hardly objective) it seems you won’t watch this move, you’ll feel it. Much, much more than a series of incredibly accurate scenes. I guess that’s why they call it art. |
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