Catherine Hardwicke Flashback #4

 Twilight (2008)

A teenage girl risks everything when she falls in love with a vampire.

If you were a fan from the beginning, you may recognize these next few pictures and remember the commotion they caused when released online. These were the first official images of the Cullens.

And, of course, some of the first behind the scenes looks at the movie:

Twilight Trivia:

-In the hospital scene, when Bella and her mother are talking about the accident, the TV in the background can be seen playing the previous scene.

-Cam Gigandet was originally cast as Emmett Cullen, but asked director Catherine Hardwicke if he could play the role of James instead. She agreed.

-In the script, the climatic Bella's "limbo" scene was intended to be an underwater sequence but budget constraints will not allow the scene to be filmed. As the alternative, outtakes from other scenes of Bella and Edward together were used, albeit digitally modified.

-When Edward and Bella are standing in the doorway of the Cullens' kitchen, there is a chess set on the dining room table behind them with red and white pieces, like the cover of 'Breaking Dawn', the final novel in Stephenie Meyer's 'Twilight' saga.

-In addition to Robert Pattinson and Jackson Rathbone among the 4 finalists for the role of Edward, the other two, according to Catherine Hardwicke were Ben Barnes and Shiloh Fernandez. Rathbone was eventually offered the other role of Jasper instead.

-At the cafeteria salad bar, Bella drops an apple which Edward picks back up and then cradles in his hands, copying the cover image of the Twilight novel. On the one of the DVD's special features Catherine Hardwicke said that took them 13 takes to get it right.

Check out more trivia here.

Twilight Reviews:

Owen Gleiberman writes: And getting Catherine Hardwicke to direct Twilight was a shrewd move, because the youthquake specialist of Thirteen treats teen confusion without a trace of condescension: She gets their grand passions and prickly defense mechanisms. She has reconjured Meyer's novel as a cloudburst mood piece filled with stormy skies, rippling hormones, and understated visual effects.

Roger Moore writes: There's a playfulness that seems just so right in Catherine Hardwicke's Twilight. The director of thirteen gives the hit Stephenie Meyer teen vampire novel a little edge, a little sexual heat. But she makes it fun, too.

Peter Bradshaw writes: It is, in its unworldly way, sweetly idealistic with a charm all of its own: a teen romance to get your teeth into.

Nominations and Awards:

Grammy Awards

Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (Nominee)

Best Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media (Nominee)- "Decode"

MTV Movie Awards

Best Movie (Winner)

Best Female Performance (Winner)- Kristen Stewart

Best Fight (Winner)- Cam Gigandet & Robert Pattinson

Best Kiss (Winner)- Robert Pattinson & Kristen Stewart

Breakthrough Male Performance  (Winner)- Robert Pattinson

Best Song from a Movie (Nominee)- "Decode"

Breakthrough Male Performance (Nominee)- Taylor Lautner

Young Hollywood Awards

Director (Winner)- Catherine Hardwicke

Check out all the nominations and wins here.    

O.A.R.'s "Love is Worth the Fall"

The band O.A.R. was invited to write a song for the film, though it was ultimately not used. The song would later be released on the deluxe edition of the soundtrack, along with other remixes and bonus tracks.

Marc Roberge of O.A.R. on the song:

“After Catherine showed me early cuts of Twilight I left Los Angeles with my imagination spinning and only one sentence written in my notes, “If he could only read her mind.”  Would that make this improbable love any easier? ‘Love Is Worth The Fall’ is about the sacrifices we are willing to make for even the chance at true love.  It is a song written to grow dynamically wider and more full from beginning to end just as the story of Edward and Bella starts with a glance only to become deeper with every passing day.  We wanted to put to music this epic love story we saw on screen.”

"Vampire Kiss" Montage

Twilight: Director's Notebook:

In this intimate book, readers will follow visionary director Catherine Hardwicke through the creative process that went into transforming Stephenie Meyer’s breathtaking novel into box office gold. Designed to replicate the director’s own personal notebook that she kept on set, readers will discover the inside secrets on wardrobe, storyboard sketches, behind-the- scenes photographs, personal notes about Catherine’s favorite scenes, and much more. (From amazon.com) 

Twilight Location Tour with Catherine Hardwicke:

In October, I went on a Twilight Location Tour in Oregon with Catherine Hardwicke. You can check out the post here, which highlights her discussion of Red Riding Hood. And check out some location pictures here.

Where Were They Then...?

Amanda Seyfried -Mamma Mia! (2008)

Shiloh Fernandez - Cadillac Records (2008)

Gary Oldman - The Dark Knight (2008)

Julie Christie - New York, I Love You (2009)

Billy Burke - Rockin' the Stache in Twilight (2008)

Virginia Madsen -Diminished Capacity (2008)

Lukas Haas -Entourage series (2 episodes in 2008)