- City of Ember
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For the novel on which the film is based, see The City of Ember.
City of Ember 
Theatrical release posterDirected by Gil Kenan Produced by Seth Hanchett
Gary Goetzman
Steven ShareshianWritten by Caroline Thompson
Jeanne DuPrau (Novel)Starring Saoirse Ronan
Harry Treadaway
Bill Murray
Mackenzie CrookMusic by Andrew Lockington Cinematography Xavier Pérez Grobet Editing by Adam P. Scott
Zach StaenbergStudio Walden Media
PlaytoneDistributed by 20th Century Fox Release date(s) October 10, 2008 Running time 90 minutes Country United States Language English Budget $55 million Box office $17,929,684[1] City of Ember is a 2008 science fiction-fantasy film based on the 2003 novel of the same name by Jeanne DuPrau. It was directed by Gil Kenan from a screenplay by Caroline Thompson, and stars Saoirse Ronan, Harry Treadaway, Bill Murray, Mackenzie Crook, Martin Landau and Tim Robbins.
Contents
Plot
In the midst of a nuclear war, the Builders of the underground "City of Ember" place secret instructions in a small box. They agree that 200 years should be a reasonable margin of safety to stay underground. The box is thrust into the hands of the mayor of the underground complex. Each mayor, in turn, passes the box onto his or her successor. When the box has 47 more years left on the time-lock, the mayor holding the box dies suddenly. It seems the significance of the box had not been explained to anyone because the box is just put at the back of a junk-filled closet. When it finally reaches year 200, the time-lock clicks open, but the event goes unnoticed.
For generations, the people of Ember have lived in a huge underground complex built as a refuge for humanity. It is built into a vast cavern so high that it is filled with regular-sized buildings. Far above the tops of the buildings are banks of floodlights that light the city during the day and provide light for the greenhouses. The lights are powered by a massive generator. Now it is year 247 and Ember threatens to fall into darkness as the generator begins to fail. Blackouts are occurring with increasing frequency and last longer each time. There's also a major shortage of canned goods and light bulbs.
At a rite of passage for all graduating students called Assignment Day, the mayor (Bill Murray) stands before the graduating students as they choose, by lottery, what their occupations will be. Lina (Saoirse Ronan), a young girl dreaming to be a messenger, is assigned "Pipeworks Laborer" and Doon (Harry Treadaway) is assigned "Messenger". The two swap occupations. Lina goes home to find her grandmother searching for something in the closet, which turns out to be the lost metal box. Unable to piece the torn papers inside the box together, Lina nevertheless resolves to decipher their meaning and enlists Doon's help. As blackouts become more frequent, Lina and Doon realize that the information inside the box could lead to the salvation of Ember. Racing against time, the two follow the clues, cleverly maneuvering around corrupt politicians.
During their flight, it turns out that their parents had once joined in an attempt to make their way beyond Ember - an attempt which ended when Lina's father drowned after their tunneler hit an underground river. The pair realizes the document is a set of instructions on how to escape the city, and they search for the hidden exit. They also discover that the mayor has been hoarding canned food in a secret room. When they report the theft, they are declared traitors. Now on the run from the mayor's police, the pair puts their escape plan into action. They fetch Poppy, Lina's younger sister, and follow the instructions, which leads them to the surface where they see and feel the natural air and sky for the first time. At first, they are sad because it is dark, but they do not realize it is nighttime. In the morning, as the sun rises, they gaze in amazement at the glowing sun and blue sky. They then tie a message of their discovery to a rock and drop it back down to the city, where it is found by Doon's father (Tim Robbins).
Cast
- Saoirse Ronan as Lina Mayfleet, descendant of the 7th Mayor of Ember
- Harry Treadaway as Doon Harrow
- Bill Murray as Mayor Cole
- Toby Jones as Barton Snode, assistant to Mayor Cole
- Marianne Jean-Baptiste as Clary
- Martin Landau as Sul, technician in the Pipeworks and mentor to Doon
- Tim Robbins as Loris 'Barrow' Harrow, Doon's father
- Liz Smith as Granny Mayfleet
- Amy Quinn and Catherine Quinn as Poppy Mayfleet, younger sister of Lina Mayfleet
- Mary Kay Place as Mrs. Murdo
- Mackenzie Crook as Looper, keeper of the store rooms
- Lucinda Dryzek as Lizzie Bisco, a classmate of Lina and Doon
- Ian McElhinney as Builder
Production
In October 2004, Playtone partners Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman paid in the mid-six figures[2] to purchase the film rights to Jeanne DuPrau's 2003 novel The City of Ember. They entered negotiations with Caroline Thompson to adapt the novel and Gil Kenan to direct the film. The deal includes an option on the sequel novel The People of Sparks.[3]
Filming was scheduled to begin in early summer of 2007 and to wrap up in October of the same year,[4] a 16-week shooting process. A former paint hall in the shipyard of Harland and Wolff in Belfast's Titanic Quarter was converted into the post-apocalyptic city.[5]
Marketing
Walden Media hired Lucas Cruikshank to promote the movie in his internet series "Fred". The video was released Saturday, October 4, 2008 with an edited version of clips from the film, including "Fred's" face superimposed on the faces of characters from the trailer.
Reception
Critical response
The film received mixed reviews from critics. According to the consensus from review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film "is visually arresting, and boasts a superb cast, but is sadly lacking in both action and adventure." Of the 124 reviewers listed, 53% of the critics gave positive reviews.[6]
Metacritic scored the film as 57/100 rating falling under the category of "mixed or average reviews", based on 27 reviews.[7]
Box office
'On its opening weekend, the film opened poorly at #11 at the box office with $3,129,473.[8] As of February 20, 2010, the film has grossed $7,873,007 domestically and $10,056,677 internationally totaling $17,929,684 worldwide, well below its $55 million budget.[1]
Awards and honors
Saoirse Ronan was nominated for a 2009 Irish Film and Television Award as "Best Actress in a Lead Role in a Film", and art director Jon Billington and production designer Martin Laing were nominated for Satellite Awards in 2008 for their design of the film, as was Ruth Myers for her costume design.[9]
Home media
The DVD was released on Tuesday, January 20, 2009 in a DVD-18 format with the widescreen version of the film on one side, and the full screen version on the other.
It was released in 2009 on Blu-ray Disc in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France, all coded for Region B playback only. No United States Blu-ray release has been announced.
References
- ^ a b "City of Ember". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=cityofember.htm. Retrieved 2009-06-09.
- ^ TCM Misc. notes for The City of Ember
- ^ Michael Fleming (2004-10-31). "Playtone warms up to 'Ember'". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117912797.html?categoryid=1236&cs=1. Retrieved 2007-04-27.
- ^ Jane Loughrey (2007-03-07). "Hanks' firm to shoot film in Belfast's Titanic Quarter". UTV. http://u.tv/newsroom/indepth.asp?id=80654&pt=n. Retrieved 2007-04-27.
- ^ "Robbins' role in City of Ember". BBC. 2007-07-14. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/northern_ireland/6898938.stm. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ^ "City of Ember Movie Reviews". Rotten Tomatoes. http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/city_of_ember/. Retrieved 2010-09-13.
- ^ "City of Ember reviews". Metacritic.com. http://www.metacritic.com/film/titles/cityofember. Retrieved 2009-08-12.
- ^ "Box Office Weekend Grosses from 10/10/08 to 10/01/09". Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?view=&yr=2008&wknd=41&p=.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-26.
- ^ IMDB Awards
External links
- Official website
- Fox Walden site for Press
- Production notes
- City of Ember at the Internet Movie Database
- City of Ember at AllRovi
- City of Ember at Box Office Mojo
- City of Ember at Rotten Tomatoes
- City of Ember at the TCM Movie Database
Works by Jeanne DuPrau The Books of Ember The City of Ember (2003) · The People of Sparks (2004) · The Prophet of Yonwood (2006) · The Diamond of Darkhold (2008)Other novels Golden God (1981) · The Earth House (1993) · Car Trouble (2005)Non-fiction Adoption: The Facts, Feelings, and Issues of a Double Heritage · Cloning · Cells · The American ColoniesFilm adaptions City of EmberShort stories Pearl's Fateful Wish (2011)Tom Hanks Director That Thing You Do! (1996) • Larry Crowne (2011)Screenwriter That Thing You Do! (1996) • From the Earth to the Moon (1998, 4 episodes) • Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D (2005) • Larry Crowne (2011)Producer Cast Away (2000) • My Big Fat Greek Wedding (2002) • Connie and Carla (2004) • Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D (2005) • Neil Young: Heart of Gold (2006) • The Ant Bully (2006) • Starter for 10 (2006) • Charlie Wilson's War (2007) • The Great Buck Howard (2008) • City of Ember (2008) • Where the Wild Things Are (2009) • Larry Crowne (2011)Executive producer Television From the Earth to the Moon (1998) • Band of Brothers (2001) • My Big Fat Greek Life (2003) • The Pacific (2010) • Big Love (2006–2011)Production company Categories:- English-language films
- Ember
- 2008 films
- American films
- Children's fantasy films
- Fantasy adventure films
- Playtone films
- 20th Century Fox films
- Films shot in Northern Ireland
- Summit Entertainment films
- Walden Media films
- Films set in the future
- Dystopian films
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