Taglines: Life is for living.
An adaptation of the novel “The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud.” Ben Sherwod wrote the book, about a caretaker at a cemetery who manages to have weekly meetings with a younger brother whose accidental death he feels was his fault.
Based on an acclaimed novel, Charlie St. Cloud is a romantic drama starring Zac Efron as a young man who survives an accident that lets him see the world in a unique way. In this emotionally charged story, he begins a romantic journey in which he embraces the dark realities of the past while discovering the transformative power of love.
Accomplished sailor Charlie St. Cloud (Efron) has the adoration of mother Claire (Oscar winner Kim Basinger) and little brother Sam (newcomer Charlie Tahan), as well as a college scholarship that will lead him far from his sleepy Pacific Northwest hometown. But his bright future is cut short when a tragedy strikes and takes his dreams with it.
After his high-school classmate Tess (Amanda Crew) returns home unexpectedly, Charlie grows torn between honoring a promise he made four years earlier and moving forward with newfound love. And as he finds the courage to let go of the past for good, Charlie discovers the soul most worth saving is his own.
Author Ben Sherwood’s second book, “The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud,” was released in 2004 to critical acclaim and has been translated into 15 languages. The Washington Post proclaimed: “The Sixth Sense meets Field of Dreams in this heartwarming, old-fashioned fable,” while Booklist raved: “Uniquely lyrical, Sherwood’s story of a devotion so strong it transcends death is mystical, magical and moving.”
The novelist crafted his unconventional sophomore effort after a deep loss of his own. “The book came from two very personal places,” reflects Sherwood. “First, the sudden and unexpected loss of my father and the accompanying feelings of profound sadness and being frozen in place and not even realizing how much of an impact that grief can have on one’s life. Second, the liberating, transformative power of love—the way in which love can unlock so many things and give you the strength and motivation to move forward with your life.”
To Sherwood, the first part of this story was about fulfilling a sacred promise to a loved one. As he imagined “Charlie St. Cloud,” he asked himself: “What happens after an accident when two brothers make a vow never to leave each other, and then the paramedics are able to save one but not the other? What happens to that relationship then? And what if one of them could keep that promise to the other?” He sums his premise as: “It’s about a bond between two brothers that can’t be broken.”
Producer Marc Platt recalls his interest in Sherwood’s novel: “The story is challenging because it’s open to interpretation as to what’s real and what’s not. You don’t want to overly sentimentalize notions of loss and love. Yet, cinematically, you want the story relatable and accessible, so there’s a very delicate balance to strike.” As he looked for a performer to play the lost young man, Platt knew he “wanted to find someone with the humanity and charisma that this character possesses, but who wouldn’t be dour and sorrowful.”
The producer first met Zac Efron during the performer’s High School Musical period. Even then, the charismatic young actor impressed him. But when they connected a number of years later, Platt was struck by his maturity. “He was free of any pretense,” recalls Platt. “Zac emanates such humanity and compassion. It was very inspiring to see a young man without any affectation, with a burning desire to work hard and take risks as an actor. As we talked, he related his family history and told me about his younger brother, whom he feels so close to.”
Platt acknowledges that this is a much more mature, dramatic role than Efron has tackled up until now. But Efron was game for the challenge, diving into Charlie St. Cloud’s world with passion and commitment. “He’s got tremendous skill as an actor,” commends Platt. “And he’s worked so very hard to develop this character and understand his subtext.”
Smooth Sailing Lensing on Water
Cast and crew converged at the Eagle Harbour Yacht Club in West Vancouver, British Columbia, on July 31, 2009, to begin principal photography. It was here that the dramatic sailing sequence that opens the story was filmed. The race has Charlie and Sam aboard their beloved dinghy in a heated competition against many of Charlie’s peers, including Tess Carroll. It showcases Charlie’s brilliant prowess at the helm of his craft, his competitive spirit and his close relationship with his younger brother.
Reveals Steers of the scene that opens the film: “We establish the character of Charlie as this guy who has everything going against him. He’s dead last in a race against the rich kids in their fancy boats, while he and Sam are sailing an old, revamped boat they’ve named Splendid Splinter, a nickname for celebrated Boston Red Sox left fielder Ted Williams. Yet, Charlie is such a great sailor and strategist that he is able to outmaneuver the other boats and win the race.”
Filming at this location required a great deal of advance preparation by every department and member of the crew. Location manager KIRK JOHNS offers some insight into the intense logistical planning. “When shooting on water, you have to minimize everything,” he provides, “strip it down to basic necessities. Once you leave the dock, you don’t want to have to come back. You need a great deal of planning beforehand. As well, because it’s easier to move people than equipment, we ended up establishing a mother barge where we could station our equipment and wardrobe needs.”
This barge served as a base camp for the equipment that would need to be accessed by the camera, electric, grip, wardrobe and various other departments. A number of class 29 and 420 sailboats were purchased and members of the Eagle Harbour junior sailing program were hired to race them. A complex camera boat was rigged to shoot on the water and numerous support vessels were on hand to house and shuttle cast, crew and equipment from boat to boat to base camp. The team’s safety was of paramount importance.
GARY CAPO was brought on board as second unit director and was a tremendous asset in the choreography of this and other sequences. As well, unit production manager and executive producer Michael Fottrell approached JASON RHODES, a sailing coach in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games to serve as sailboat coordinator. As neither Efron, Tahan or Crew had previous sailing experience, STERLING BANCROFT was tasked with teaching them to sail—a process to which all three actors thoroughly committed.
Efron has long admired the beauty of the sport, and he admits that he can now see how sailors become immersed in it. Says Efron of his introduction to sailing: “Initially, it was difficult to learn. There are so many factors that go into it. It’s not just wind blowing into a sail and propelling your boat. It’s incredibly precise. One mistake, one lapse in judgment, and it can very quickly capsize. I was shocked when I got out on the water in these small boats. On the first day of sailing lessons, my instructor made a point of capsizing the boat. The boat flipped over, and I was dumped in the water. I was scared, but I also got it out of my system.”
His instructor was impressed by Efron’s ability to pick up the necessary skills. “Zac is such a strong sailor, and he loved it,” notes Bancroft. “I also showed him a few special moves that racing sailors will pick up on. My goal was that he have every badge of legitimacy and credibility that a sailor should have.”
Filming Charlie’s World
Though Sherwood’s novel is set in Marblehead, Massachusetts, the filmmakers decided to play out the story on the opposite coast, in the rugged beauty of the Pacific Northwest. Vancouver, British Columbia, and surrounding areas became the setting for this narrative, with multiple locations providing the geographic elements the filmmakers needed. Production designer Ida Random had her work cut out for her as she imagined Charlie and Sam’s world. “Burr had a very definite vision for this film,” she explains. “We loved the Andrew Wyeth feeling of it, and I started collaging a lot of pictures, such as headstones.
For our angels and headstones, Burr wanted to personally look at all of them. Similarly, with the sailboats, he was very specific about each color on every boat in the opening race. It was a challenge to keep a delicate design balance. Everything had to be perfect, but not noticeable. Things were real, and yet they were not. Believable, yet unbelievable, too.”
Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands was the template for the fictitious town of Quincy. But to create this small, picturesque harbor community, three locations were utilized: Gibsons, Steveston and Deep Cove. All of these are seaside towns that were blended together to create Charlie’s hometown.
As well, North Vancouver Cemetery, at the base of the North Shore Mountains, doubled for Seaside Cemetery, where Charlie works and Sam is buried. The exterior of Charlie’s caretaker cottage was erected at Minaty Bay near Brittania Beach, where additional water sequences were also filmed. The coffee shop in which Florio Ferrente tries to convince Charlie to move on with his life is the historic bar Molly’s Reach, in Gibsons, B.C. Molly’s Reach was made famous by the long-running Canadian television series The Beachcombers, which filmed at that location for more than 13 years.
Other locations include Seycove Secondary School, where Charlie’s graduation was lensed; Grebe Islets, in which the wreck of The Querencia is found; Central Park in Burnaby, which doubled as the Great Lawn; and Rice Lake Seymour Watershed, the pond where Sam and Charlie are comically attacked by geese.
There was a good deal of discussion about the glade behind the cemetery where Charlie and Sam meet at the close of each day when the cannons sound. It was a vitally important setting in both the novel and the film. Because the time of day was always sunset, it made the filmmakers vulnerable to time constraints in which to shoot the magic hour. It was ultimately decided to re-create this otherworldly setting on a sound stage.
The look and feel of the glade was inspired by a serene section of forest in North Vancouver where Random would often walk her dog. Construction coordinator BRIAN SHELL advises that the glade, approximately 150 feet by 50 feet, was unusual in its high-sided, bowl-shaped design. It took five weeks to build and assemble, and it was dressed with more than 200 trees salvaged from other productions and cleared building sites, as well as indigenous shrubs and mosses. As peaceful as it was, through much of the film both brothers are searching for the type of respite they are so close to finding.
Charlie St. Cloud (2010)
Directed by: Burr Steers
Starring by: Zac Efron, Amanda Crew, Kim Basinger, Dave Franco, Donal Logue, Charlie Tahan, Augustus Prew, Desiree Zurowski, Valerie Tian, Adrian Hough, Matt Ward, Brenna O’Brien, Tegan Moss
Screenplay by: Lewis Colick, Craig Pearce
Production Design by: Ida Random
Cinematography by: Enrique Chediak
Film Editing by: Padraic McKinley
Costume Design by: Denise Wingate
Set Decoration by: Carol Lavallee
Art Direction by: Kelvin Humenny, Geoff Wallace
Music by: Rolfe Kent
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for language including some sexual references, an intense accident scene and some sensuality.
Distributed by: Universal Pictures
Release Date: July 30, 2010
