Snowpiercer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Snowpiercer |
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US Theatrical release poster
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| Directed by | Bong Joon-ho |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | Bong Joon-ho |
| Starring |
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| Music by | Marco Beltrami |
| Cinematography | Hong Kyung-pyo |
| Editing by |
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| Release date(s) | 29 July 2013 (Times Square) 1 August 2013 (South Korea) |
| Running time | 126 minutes |
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| Language | English, Korean |
| Budget | $40 million |
| Money made | $86.8 million |
Snowpiercer is an exciting 2013 science fiction action film. It's based on a French graphic novel called Le Transperceneige. The movie was directed by Bong Joon-ho and written by him and Kelly Masterson. It was made by companies from South Korea and the Czech Republic. This film was Bong Joon-ho's first movie made in English. Most of the talking in the movie (about 85%) is in English.
The film stars famous actors like Chris Evans, Song Kang-ho, and Tilda Swinton. The story happens on a special train called the Snowpiercer. This train travels all around the world on a long track. It carries the very last people left alive on Earth. This is because a plan to stop global warming went wrong. It made the whole planet turn into a giant Snowball Earth, covered in ice.
Chris Evans plays Curtis Everett, who leads the poor passengers at the back of the train. They decide to fight against the rich people at the front. The movie was filmed in Prague, at Barrandov Studios. They used train car sets that could move like a real train. This was done with special equipment called gimbals.
Snowpiercer was loved by critics and appeared on many "best films" lists in 2014. People praised its unique ideas, the directing, and the amazing acting. Chris Evans and Tilda Swinton got special praise. In the United States, the film was first shown in only a few cinemas. But because it was so popular, more cinemas showed it. It also became available on streaming services. The movie cost $40 million to make. This makes it one of the most expensive films ever made in South Korea.
Characters on the Train
Here are some of the main characters you'll meet in Snowpiercer:
- Chris Evans as Curtis Everett
He is the brave leader of the people who want to start a revolution. - Song Kang-ho as Namgoong Minsoo
This character is an expert. He designed the special security systems on the train. - Ed Harris as Wilford
He is the person who created the train and its powerful engine. He also takes care of it. - John Hurt as Gilliam
He is like a wise, spiritual leader for the people in the tail section of the train. - Tilda Swinton as Minister Mason
She is Wilford's main helper and second-in-command. She speaks for Wilford to everyone on the train. - Jamie Bell as Edgar
He is Curtis's loyal second-in-command, always ready to help. - Octavia Spencer as Tanya
She is a strong mother who is determined to get her son back. - Go Ah-sung (credited as Ko Asung) as Yona Minsoo
She is Namgoong Minsoo's 17-year-old daughter. - Alison Pill as Teacher
She teaches young students in a classroom near the front of the Snowpiercer. - Vlad Ivanov as Franco the Elder
He is a very tough henchman who works for Minister Mason. - Luke Pasqualino as Grey
He is Gilliam's bodyguard. Grey is strong, quick, and good with knives.
Other characters include Adnan Hasković as Franco the Younger, a soldier for Mason. Clark Middleton plays the Painter, who draws pictures of life on the train. Emma Levie is Claude, Wilford's assistant. Tómas Lemarquis plays Egg-head, one of Wilford's agents. Steve Park is Fuyu, another assistant to Mason. Paul Lazar plays Paul, one of the rebels. The people who created the original graphic novel, Jean-Marc Rochette and Benjamin Legrand, also appear briefly in the film.
How the Train was Made
The filmmakers worked hard to make the Snowpiercer train look and feel real.
Costumes and Looks
Costume designer Catherine George created all the clothes for the movie. For Minister Mason, she got ideas from old photos and people who seemed a bit strict. Mason's purple suit was designed to look like a serious politician's outfit, but with a royal touch. George also looked at pictures of dictators in fancy uniforms for ideas.
For the people in the tail section, their clothes looked like they were made from whatever materials they could find. They had to fix their clothes with different pieces of fabric. For Curtis, the designers wanted him to look like a regular person, but still easy to spot. They even cut the sleeves of his shirts to make him look less muscular.
Nam and Yona wore dark, intense black clothes. George got ideas from old train engineers' uniforms and French railway jackets for Nam's outfit. She also used a Japanese fabric called Boro for many tail section costumes. Claude's bright yellow coat was chosen carefully. Yellow is a very bright color that grabs attention. In colour psychology, yellow can also mean a lack of feelings or kindness.
Building the Train Cars
Director Bong and his artists drew many pictures of what the train cars would look like. Czech production designer Ondřej Nekvasil helped bring these ideas to life. For the tail section, Nekvasil wanted it to look dark and simple. He got ideas from crowded, poor areas in places like Hong Kong. To make the sets look old and used, they first made colorful props. Then, they made them look worn out and dirty. This made it seem like the train had been used for a very long time.
Bong and Nekvasil imagined that the train cars were built at different times in Wilford's life. They also had to decide how big the train should be. They made it a bit bigger than a normal train. This gave enough space for the cameras to move inside. It was tricky because even the biggest film stage they had (about 300 feet long) wasn't big enough for all the train cars.
Instead of using too much CGI (computer effects), the team built 26 real train cars. They used a huge spinning machine called a gimbal in Prague. This gimbal made the train sets move just like a real train. Bong said that sometimes they even felt a little carsick on set because the movements were so realistic!
Sound in the Movie
Sound engineers Anna Behlmer, Terry Porter, and Mark Holding worked on the sound for Snowpiercer. They mixed all the sounds, and sound editor Taeyoung Choi watched over everything.
Music and Soundtrack
Marco Beltrami was chosen to write the music for Snowpiercer in May 2012. In January 2013, a song called Yona Lights was shared online. It was released on the film's official website in South Korea. Some of the music from Snowpiercer was played at a film music festival in July 2013.
The official music album for the film came out in August 2013 in South Korea. It was released around the world on September 9, 2013.
Movie Release
Snowpiercer was first shown in Seoul, South Korea, on July 29, 2013. This was its premiere. After that, it was shown at several film festivals around the world. These included the 2013 Deauville American Film Festival in France, the Berlin International Film Festival in Germany, the Los Angeles Film Festival in the US, and the Edinburgh International Film Festival in Scotland.
Watching at Home
The movie was released on DVD and Blu-ray in countries like France and Korea. This happened before it was even shown in cinemas in North America. In North America, the film came out on DVD and Blu-ray on October 21, 2014. It also became available to stream on Netflix starting November 1, 2014. The movie didn't get a proper release in the UK until November 2018. Then, it was available digitally on Amazon Prime Video and later on DVD and Blu-ray in 2020.
TV Series
The Snowpiercer film and the original graphic novel were made into an American TV show. This show started on TNT in the United States on May 17, 2020. You can watch it on Netflix in many countries around the world. The show stars Jennifer Connelly and Daveed Diggs. It tells a new story that begins about seven years after the global disaster.
Images for kids
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Director Bong Joon-ho promoting the film at the 2013 Deauville American Film Festival
See also
In Spanish: Snowpiercer para niños
