At the bottom of a dank salt mine in Colombia, a 200-strong film crew featuring Spanish actor Antonio Banderas is reconstructing the incredible tale of 33 miners buried alive for 69 days in Chile in 2010.
Actors from multiple countries work in suffocating heat on "The 33," which traces the unlikely survival of the men trapped deep underground after a collapse at the San Jose copper mine in the Atacama desert.
"It's not just about the physical ordeal these 33 men went through -- it's about the emotional one, of wondering if they would live or die, or if they would go crazy waiting to find out," Gregg Brilliant, a spokesman for the American film production, told AFP.
To depict the incredible story that unfolded more than 600 meters (1,970 feet) underground, the production team chose to film at two sites outside the Colombian capital Bogota.
Behind a security cordon, curious onlookers try to catch a glimpse of a star, but their Hollywood hopes are repeatedly dashed.
In the salt mines of Nemocon, the humid and musty environment combine with the thin mountain air to recreate the oppressive atmosphere at San Jose, located 800 kilometers (500 miles) north of Chile's capital Santiago.
The film recounts the story of the mine accident and how all 33 men -- 32 Chileans and a Bolivian -- eventually escaped in a spectacular rescue operation watched around the world.
Banderas, 53, will play Mario Sepulveda, the charismatic de facto leader of the group.
French actress Juliette Binoche, who replaced Jennifer Lopez in the cast, and Americans Martin Sheen and James Brolin also star in the film.
Under the guidance of Mexican-born American director Patricia Riggen, the actors sweat profusely, keeping make-up artists hard at work before each take.
"The ambiance is real. You donĀ“t have to act so much," said Lou Diamond Phillips, who plays Luis Urzua, the mining team's shift leader nicknamed "Don Lucho" who organized the men's food supply during their ordeal.
Hard to show weight loss on screen
Producers relied heavily on a vast trove of data about the incident, including the miners' medical reports, to make the film as authentic as possible.
Depicting the weight loss of the miners, who survived on tins of tuna and small sips of milk, proved a major obstacle.
Head of makeup Ana Lozano said that recreating the miners' emaciated look was her most complicated task. Despite dieting, none of the actors were able to lose as much weight as the men they portrayed.
The film crew played with light and shadow effects to mark the outline of the miners' ribs and experimented with small prosthetic devices to accentuate their eyes.
Latex was used to simulate the redness and peeling of their skin.
After filming wraps in Colombia, the team will head in early 2014 to the Atacama desert, Brilliant said.
Binoche will make her debut on set in the desert as Dario Segovia's sister, who organized a makeshift village near the mine where family and media gathered to await news of the miners.
"The film isn't just about the event itself -- it's about the people, both above and below ground, who held onto their love and their hope to pull them through what seemed like an impossible rescue," said Brilliant.
The movie however will not recount the story's real-life ending, which is less joyous.
The men's fame neither lasted nor brought them the fortune for which they had once hoped.
"We are like a big family -- but with each going his own way," Urzua, the real "Don Lucho", told AFP from Chile. -- AFP
AFP
Thu Jan 02 2014
Spanish actor Antonio Banderas stars in the "The 33" -AFPpic
AWANI Ringkas: Wujudkan akta lindungi pekerja OKU/autistik
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Kementerian Perpaduan kaji keperluan Pelan Tindakan Pendidikan, Penghargaan Rukun Negara
Pelan tindakan ini menggariskan modus operandi melibatkan Kementerian Perpaduan Negara, Kementerian Pendidikan, Kementerian Pengajian Tinggi, dan Kementerian Komunikasi.
PRK Kuala Kubu Baharu: Calon PH tayang sijil UPSR 7A, SPM 10A
Calon PH, Pang Sock Tao menyahut cabaran Ketua Penerangan Pas, Ahmad Fadhli Shaari supaya menunjukkan kelulusan pendidikan rendah dan menengahnya.
AWANI Ringkas: Wujudkan akta lindungi pekerja OKU/autistik
Ikuti rangkuman berita utama yang menjadi tumpuan sepanjang hari di Astro AWANI menerusi AWANI Ringkas.
Isu stoking: Pengarah KK Mart, isteri akan kemuka representasi kepada AGC
Pengarah KK Mart yang berdepan dua pertuduhan melukakan perasaan orang Islam dalam isu berkaitan penjualan stoking tertera kalimah Allah akan mengemukakan representasi kepada Jabatan Peguam Negara.
Inisiatif IHH Healthcare lancar pemasangan panel solar wajar jadi contoh - Fadillah Yusof
IHH Healthcare Malaysia mencatatkan pencapaian baharu dengan melancarkan inisiatif pemasangan panel solar di seluruh rangkaian hospitalnya sekali gus menjadikannya pelopor.
Che'gu Bard akan didakwa di Johor Bahru esok
Che'gu Bard berkata, ia dipercayai berhubung kenyataannya mengenai isu kasino di Forest City, Johor.
Ahmad Zahid ucap tahniah kepada Farah Ain
Ahmad Zahid mengucapkan tahniah kepada atlet boling padang Nor Farah Ain Abdullah yang muncul juara pada Kejohanan Boling Padang Dalam Dewan Dunia 2024.
Raih RM31 juta sejak ditayangkan! Sheriff kini filem no. 1 di Malaysia
Berita gembira ini turut disokong oleh abang Syafiq, Syamsul Yusof yang turut bangga dengan kejayaan naskhah yang dihasilkan adiknya.
Letupan bom Sungai Golok: PDRM tingkat kawalan keselamatan sempadan Malaysia-Thailand
PDRM mempertingkatkan kawalan keselamatan di sempadan Malaysia-Thailand susulan insiden letupan bom dan bunyi tembakan di Sungai Golok.
Aktres Bollywood Mallika Sherawat punca rumah tangga Antonio Banderas berantakan?
Aktres Bollywood Mallika Sherawat dikhabarkan berang dengan dakwaan dia menjadi punca rumah tangga aktor Hollywood, Antonio Banderas dan Melannie Griffith berantakan.