Congratulations to Sarah W. of Toronto, for winning our Victoria Day DVD contest. Big thank you to E1 Home Entertainment for supplying the prize.
You can read more about the wonderful Canadian film Victoria Day here.
Check back soon for more contests!
-John C.
The wonderful Canadian film Victoria Day is now available on DVD. And we have one copy to give away to a lucky reader. Good luck!
To enter, simply email your full name and an email address where you can be contacted to contests@onemoviefiveviews.com, with “Win a copy of Victoria Day on DVD” in the subject line. The contest ends next Tuesday, October 6th, when a random draw will be held. Contest is open to Ontario residents only. Must be 14 years or older to enter. Full rules and regulations here.
-John C.
Today, E1 Films is releasing the wonderful Canadian film Victoria Day on DVD. If you missed this one in theatres, please seek it out on DVD. I thought it was a small triumph. We reviewed the film when it came out in theatres on June 19th, we all highly recommended it. You can read our reviews here. Our consensus was:
“ Victoria Day is a well-made, believable Canadian film. Due to it’s storyline, and execution, this film will be accessible to a wide audience. ***3/4 (Out of 4) ”
There is just over 40-minutes of bonus material on the DVD, including interviews with the cast and crew, B-Roll footage and selected clips. Here’s a link to all of our Victoria Day coverage from last June, including my interviews with three of the lead actors and writer/director David Bezmozgis.
-John C.
Victoria Day - An E1 FIlms Release http://www.victoriadaymovie.ca/
Release Date: June 19th, 2009
Rated 14A for coarse language and sexual content
Running time: 88 minutes
David Bezmozgis (dir.)
David Bezmozgis (writer)
Lesley Barber (music)
Mark Rendall as Ben Spektor
Holly Deveaux as Cayla Chapman
John Mavro as Sammy Balaban
Scott Beaudin as Noah Hartsman
Melanie Leishman as Melanie
Nataliya Alyexeyenko as Mila Spektor
Sergiy Kotelenets as Yuri Spektor
Mark Rendall and Holly Deveaux in Victoria Day - an E1 Films
Our reviews below:
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Victoria Day Review By John C.
**** (out of 4)
The year is 1988, the city is Toronto, Victoria Day is a coming of age story about Ben (Mark Rendall) a 16 year old star hockey player. One night when he’s at a Bob Dylan concert with his friends, Sammy and Noah (John Mavro and Scott Beaudin), his hockey rival, Jordan, asks him for five dollars to buy drugs. Ben gives him the money, and ends up being the last person to have seen him. Shortly after the concert, he goes missing.
It becomes more complex when Ben starts to fall in love with Jordan's 15 year old sister Cayla (Holly Deveaux). With the pressure of having to play in the hockey finals, Ben takes a week-and-a-half journey into maturity, set against a backdrop of watching the Stanley cup finals on the CBC and listening to Bob Dylan and other music from the ‘60’s.
I found the film to be very emotionally connecting and real. They’re all genuine and really likable characters. The acting by the young cast is excellent, natural and very believable.
Adventureland was another coming-of-age film that came out this year and took place in the late ‘80’s. I liked Adventureland, but this is definitely a stronger film.
The movies wonderfully retro soundtrack works perfectly, with Bob Dylan’s song “Dark Eyes” being the recurring theme. Over the credits, there is an excellent cover of the song courtesy of Sam Roberts and his band.
I loved every second of this Canadian indie-film. Watching Victoria Day is almost like reading a great book. We can’t wait to see what happens to the characters next, but are disappointed when it’s over. Try and go see it in theatres, and if you can’t, make sure you get the DVD. Either way, Victoria Day should not be missed.
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Victoria Day Review By Erin V.
**** (out of 4)
Victoria Day takes place in Toronto, in 1988. It is shortly before the Victoria Day weekend, and Ben, (Mark Rendall), is wrapping up his hockey season, when after a Bob Dylan concert at Ontario Place, his hockey ‘rival’ Jordan disappears. Ben feels partially guilty, as he was one of the last ones to see him before the concert, after loaning him five dollars to buy drugs. As the days after Jordan’s disappearance go on, things become more complicated for Ben as he helps in search parties to try to find his missing teammate. Through all of this, there is a budding romance that is happening between him and Jordan’s sister.
Victoria Day is a film that despite being set in Canada, I think would be pretty universal. It is a story that most people, especially teenagers, are going to relate to. It is a coming of age story. Set in the 1980’s, I can see some people comparing this movie to the recent American film, Adventureland, especially when first going in. Here is what I have to say about that: I saw Adventureland, and despite both being about teens in the 80’s, I wouldn’t really see much need to compare them. I found Adventureland to be an all right film, although it didn’t really know what it was trying to be at times. Essentially, Victoria Day, I felt, was the opposite. Unlike Adventureland, Victoria Day actually feels believable. It is a very well made film. Everything about Victoria Day just works. The storyline is handled well, with credit going to David Bezmozgis - director/writer of the film - and the young lead actors.
A couple of things that I think led to this kind of believability, was that Ben’s parents, while they can speak English, talk to him in Russian, with him answering them in English. This is true to a lot of immigrant families. Also, nothing about this movie seems farfetched. There aren’t any unbelievable, convoluted, ‘yeah, right’ circumstances, like we often see from Hollywood these days. The music, a lot of which is centered around the Bob Dylan song Dark Eyes, kept the feel of the movie in the 80’s. Essentially, there is nothing in this film that would throw you out of the film by standing out like it shouldn’t be in there.
This being said, if you get the chance, go see Victoria Day, while it is still in theatres. It is a well-made Canadian film that I think will be accessible to a wide audience.
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Victoria Day Review By Nicole
**** (out of 4)
Victoria Day is a very believable Canadian drama about a 16 year old boy in Toronto. Set in 1988, this story revolves around Ben Spektor, an ordinary teenager born to Russian immigrant parents. Ben is a popular kid, playing on the local hockey team. When Ben, and his friends, Sammy and Noah, go to a Bob Dylan concert at Ontario Place, Ben runs into his hockey rival, Jordan. Jordan asks Ben for drug money, and Ben reluctantly gives him five dollars. Later on, news gets out that Jordan has gone missing. Ben feels guilty about giving Jordan the money, and is afraid to tell anyone. Things get more complicated when Ben finds himself falling in love with Jordan’s sister Cayla. How will Ben be able to deal with his secret, when everyone wants to know what went down on the day of the concert? Victoria Day shows us how one frightening event affects various people’s live.
Victoria Day is a very well made film. The story is realistic, and the acting is very genuine. We believe the characters, and care about their lives. One thing that worked is that the cast consisted of real teenagers some of whom are still in school, rather than made up elderly people. Lesley Barber’s quiet underscore fits the low key tone of the film, without overshadowing the acting or storyline. Victoria Day is worth seeing and would be a good choice to show in high schools.
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Victoria Day Review By Maureen
***1/2 (out of 4)
Victoria Day is a very believable, well written, solidly acted, Canadian film. Set in Toronto in 1988 the story focuses on high school hockey player Ben Spektor (Mark Rendall) and the life changing events that take place prior to Victoria Day weekend.
When the movie first opens, Ben’s life revolves around his hockey games and hanging out with his buddies Sammy (John Mavro) and Noah (Scott Beaudin). Things start to change when the three friends attend a Bob Dylan concert at Ontario Place. Ben reluctantly lends his hockey rival, Jordan Chapman, five dollars to complete a drug deal at the concert. Jordan goes missing after the concert and Ben is plagued with guilt.
The community sets up search parties for Jordan and Ben finds himself torn between living his life with hockey and friends as though nothing had happened and sharing what he know about Jordan’s disappearance.
Ben’s struggle with his guilt and his questioning of what is important to him is what made this movie so strong for me. Ben has to deal with the realization that his hockey career means more to his Russian immigrant parents, especially his father, than it does to him. The scenes between Ben and his parents, mostly in Russian with English subtitles, are really nice to watch. The other complication for Ben is his budding romance with Jordan’s sister, Cayla (Holly Deveaux).
Through all of this Ben tries to keep his life as normal as possible and so goes with his friends Sammy and Noah to shoot fireworks for Victoria Day. The fireworks scene is fun to watch and pivotal to the storyline.
Overall, Victoria Day is a good movie from start to finish. The soundtrack is a good mix of sixties through eighties music with a remix of Bob Dylan’s Dark Eyes being a recurring theme. Director/writer David Bezmozgis deserves recognition for this solid film production.
Check this one out in theatres. It’s a good Summer choice for teenagers and adults, especially Torontonians.
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Victoria Day Review By Tony
*** (out of 4)
Ben Spektor (Mark Rendall) is a high school junior in 1988. Like many children of immigrants (myself included), when his parents talk to him in their native language (Russian) he always replies in English. Having settled on a living as a masseur, his father Yuri (Sergiy Kotelenets) has greater ambitions for his son as a pro hockey player like Wayne Gretzky. Ben is good at hockey, but he also likes 1960’s music which he shares with schoolmates during morning announcements. Though he has started dating, he still enjoys childish antics with pals Sammy (John Mavrogiannis) and Noah (Scott Beaudin), such as a mock battle with bootleg Roman candles. At an Ontario Place Bob Dylan concert he reluctantly lends $5 to a teammate for drugs. When this boy goes missing, Ben feels partly responsible, which he has to admit to the boy’s sister Cayla (Holly Deveaux), whom he really likes.
Victoria Day is a welcome addition to the coming of age short stories written by director David Bezmozgis. Born in Latvia to Jewish parents, he grew up in the 1980s in the north end of what is now Toronto, a neighbourhood enriched by many Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union. This is a typically low-key real-life Canadian film, where nothing spectacular happens and there is no clear resolution, but with a good script and fine acting it is a memorable story. Along with Adoration and À L’Ouest De Pluton, it should get a lot of high school exposure in upcoming Reel Canada programs.
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Scott Beaudin, Mark Rendall and John Mavro in Victoria Day - an E1 Films release
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Consensus: Victoria Day is a well-made, believable Canadian film. Due to it’s storyline, and execution, this film will be accessible to a wide audience. ***3/4 (Out of 4)
Mark Rendall and Sergiy Kotelenets in Victoria Day - an E1 Films release
Here is the interview I did with the two stars of Victoria Day, Mark Rendall and John Mavro, which I did last Monday at the Metropolitan Hotel in Toronto. Our reviews of the film will be coming this Friday, June 19th. Please be aware that we did discuss the film, so there are some spoilers.
-John C.
How were you cast for the roles of Ben and Sammy?
John - Jeff Hustle who plays Jordon’s father was a friend of David’s, and Jeff’s daughter was in Jesus Christ Superstar which I did in grade 11, I played Judas. David came to see Jeff’s daughter, he saw me in it as well and then after that he came back to see me in a one act play festival that I did and after I finished that play, he came up to me and was like “Hey I’m doing a movie, I think you’d be really good as this character”. So I went and auditioned and didn’t hear anything from him for a while, then got a call back and didn’t hear anything again, and then he called me and said that I got the part. So yeah, that was really cool.
Mark - And I was working with a friend of David’s in New York this past summer and Brad - the director I was working with, David’s friend - put me in contact with David because he was having trouble finding a lead, and as soon as I got back to Toronto from New York we ended up talking and he cast me.
How does Victoria Day compare to your previous work?
John - This is the first thing I’ve ever done, I had never done any -I’d done theatre before and I’d done school shows and stuff - I’d never done any commercials or TV shows, so this is a wicked way to start my career.
Mark - Well for me I’ve been acting for like 9 or 10 years. It was really good the crew was very tiny, the enviroment that David set up on set was very consistent, it was light but at the same time professional. It was very good.
What was the hardest scene to film?
Mark - I think it was - well technically speaking, the fireworks.
John - Yeah. Well what happened was we did a three day nighttime shoot, so I think we shot from like nine at night until like seven in the morning, and that was pretty brutal, because it got pretty cold at night.
Mark - Everyone was exhausted.
John - And we were wearing uncomfortable shoes, and we were shooting fireworks at each other, that was probably like the hardest one. But in terms of emotionally hard I didn’t really have any strenuous scenes. But I guess maybe the scene you had with Jeff, might have been.
Mark - No I liked that scene a lot. I mean really, the emotional stuff it flowed well the enviroment was safe, David made it really nice. So it actually ended up working, it wasn’t that hard. But you know, making-out with Cayla and Melenie.
John - Yeah, that’s like the hardest part, making-out with good looking girls.
Mark - Yeah, that was tough, actually. David was there for me, so he helped me through.
(laughs) So how many takes did you need for that scene?
John - He kept screwing up.
Mark- I kept screwing up. I felt you know - I just couldn’t get that “feeling” - So you know I feel like we did, maybe 15 or 20 takes, different angles.
John - Sometimes the camera wasn’t even one, you just had to practise.
Mark - I mean, we definitely had to practise.
John - Did you?
Mark - Yeah, we definitely had to practise. Actually a weird thing was David wanted to watch us rehearse actually kissing, which I think was a bit strange.
What was your favorite scene to film?
Mark - Fireworks.
John - Yeah definitely the fireworks.
Mark - No wait! I was going to say making-out.
John - See I didn’t get to do any of that. So for me definitely the fireworks. We used real fireworks for that. We each got hit a couple of times, it didn’t hurt too much, but no, we did get hit a couple of times.
Mark - Okay, really though. This is going to be tough, because it’s like the difference between making-out and shooting fireworks at each other. But I think the fireworks were pretty great. ‘Cause making-out in front of a camera can be sometimes a bit awkward, you know getting really physical. But the fireworks were really fun.
How long was the filming process for Victoria Day?
Mark - It was 21 days.
John - Yeah, 21 days, which I mean I hadn’t done anything before that, but I’m assuming that’s really fast.
Yeah, it is
Mark - A week of rehearsals though, beforehand.
John - Yeah, a week of rehearsals beforehand. Then there was the whole casting process which took a while. But I don’t think that counts as production, but I guess that counts as pre-production. But yeah, 21 days, that’s 3 weeks, so that’s nothing.
Yeah, when did you film this?
John - October of 2008, so just at the beginning of this last school year.
Okay, what was it like working with director David Bezmozgis?
John - Again you can answer this probably more thoroughly, because you have people to compare him to. But, for me it’s like I didn’t judge him so much as a director, but as a person, I mean he’s like an amazing guy to work with. And like more than any other adult I’ve met, he was able to communicate with as a teenager. It wasn’t like an adult coming in like “Do this, do this”, it was more like “Yo, whats up?”, he was just really relaxed.
Mark - I don’t think he said “Yo, whats up?”
John - No, but he was like really relaxed, and that translated well to us listening to what he had to say.
Mark - He is like very relaxed, he knows what he wants, and he know how to convey it in the fewest words possible. He’s like a very good director, he gives you your space when he knows that you need it, but he’s also very adamant about what he wants, and he will convey that to you. So yeah, he’s a good director.
And also he’s an author
John - That’s the thing, like reading the script, and watching it unfold on film, he’s completely done his own writing justice. he knew exactly how to translate it.
Yeah watching the movie is almost like reading a book
John - Yeah, it’s like literary.
Yeah I know, it’s really good
John - Yeah it’s very good.
This is a question for Mark: When the actors playing your parents are speaking Russian, could you understand them?
Mark - I learnt what they were saying, and I picked up a few words here and there, but actually it was strange, because hanging around the set with them and David picked up some Russian words, so I kind of understand what they were saying. But mostly, I had it phonetically spelled out and then I had their lines in English, so before we would film I would learn both, so I had something to react to.
That’s good.
This is a question for Mark: So were you actually playing Hockey, or did you have a stunt double?
I did have a stunt double, I’m not a good hockey player.
Did your stunt double look like you?
Mark - A little, well not really. He was the same height.
John - Yeah he was the same height, but the way they filmed it, they made sure never to get the front of him, so it was only the back of him that you ever saw, or from far away.
Okay, well I already asked a question about stunt doubles, but did you have stunt doubles in the fireworks scene?
Mark - No stunt doubles.
John - Yeah the thing with that was no stunt doubles, well no stunt doubles when we were firing at each other, but for the fall. For the fall, originally we had had a stunt double come in and do that, but David didn’t like the way that had looked. So Mark was just like I’ll just do it. They were kind of apprehensive about Mark.
Mark - It was the last day, though!
John - So yeah, Mark ended up doing that and they really liked what he did, so we actually didn’t end up using the stunt double.
So you didn’t really break your arm, did you?
Mark - No. But even if I had it wouldn’t have mattered because it was the last day. Well, I mean it would have mattered to me.
And you're never seen again in the movie without a cast
Mark - Exactly.
This is a question for John: On IMDb your name is listed twice under the cast listing for Victoria Day. Once as John Mavro and again as John Mavrogiannis. Which is your real name and which one do you prefer to be known as?
John - John Mavrogiannis is my real name, it’s Greek, and just for the sake of - just as like a stage name I cut out - I started doing that in the last year of high school, dropping out the GIANNIS, because it’s a really long name, I’m surprised you were even able to pronounce it, congratulations for that.
Thank you
John - Because like literally anytime people call my house there like “Is Mrs. Mavrogigianis, there?, so I cut that just for the sake of auditions and casting calls. So I cut it down to John Mavro, because it just has a better sound to it.
Mark - Mavro. And I can be Rend, Mark Rend.
John - Yeah, instead of John Mavrogiannis. I don’t know why I’m actually listed twice. I have no idea. But yeah, John Mavro as far as acting goes.
What is the maximum number of takes you did for a single scene, and what is the least number of takes?
John - The maximum number, what is the one we did quite a few for? Well the hackey-sack scene we did quite a few for.
Mark - We were filming on the RED camera, which is a digital camera, so it’s not like they have the restraints of having to spend money on film.
And taking time to change the reels
Mark - They had to change the hard drive. But I don’t know, we probably did, maybe 20 takes maximum.
John - Yeah, I’d say 20-25 takes was maximum.
Mark - in a particular setup.
John - Oh yeah, that’s the thing. We would do takes in one setup and then move it and do more takes.
Mark - ‘Cause you need coverage.
John - One angle we probably did 25, I’d say was our max.
Mark - And minimum was like, I’m trying to think of what scene it was, I don’t know.
John - There were a few scenes were we did like maybe 7 or 8 and we were done.
Mark - We also did quite a few shots.
John - That’s the thing, yeah.
This is a question for Mark: In the scene where Ben is eating the banana and sticks half of it down did you just do that because it was the third or fourth take and you were tired of eating bananas?
Mark - (laughs) I am so glad you asked that. I don’t know how that worked. I would literally take little bites, so did probably only a good 3 takes of that actually, and that’s your point. I was like David, f--- it, I’m not going to eat like 5 f---ing 12 bananas, this isn’t going to happen, this isn’t going to fly. He was like “Just eat the whole thing”. So basically after that shot, when I lie down on the bed, I would only take a small bite of the banana.
Yeah.
Mark - That was a bit weird, there are three shots - it transitions into three shots - and I’m always chewing on this banana and then you see me swallow it, it was just weird. I didn’t want to do that.
What are your thoughts on the finished film?
John - I loved it. I mean me and Mark don’t particularlly like seeing ourselves act. It’s like uncomfortable for me. I thought the film was amazing, but I’m really critical of my performance, so that part was like whatever, but I loved the movie it was really nice.
Mark - I think tonally, aesthetically the pacing, everything David got really - like I said, everything just translated really well from page to screen, and he really did his script justice.
I’ve seen the film and I loved it, but how have audiences been reacting to the film?
Mark - I mean the only people I’ve really talked to are at film festivals.
Sundance?
Mark - Yeah at Sundance. They’re really moved by it or when they didn’t understand something they’d really get up and say they were confused or you know “I really want to know why she was crying” or like why did this happen or what happened at the end. I think people do relate to it on many levels and it’s a very human story.
John - When we showed some of it at Newtonbrook, where we filmed some of the scenes at the high school, and when the teenagers saw it we got a lot more laughs from the teenagers, than from the older audiences. So I think it’s teenage movie for teenagers.
And what do you think happens at the end of the movie?
John - I mean the thing is, it was originally written that he walks into the water and drowned, but that was really similar to incident that happened in ‘88. Then they were thinking about changing it to him walking into a construction site and dying there and eventually they cut it. I really think that he died.
Mark - Yeah, it’s implyed basically. I mean even in the last hockey scene they going to have the players all on one team wearing black armbands, too symbolize that they were mourning, but they ended not even doing that and allowing it up to debate, but yeah he’s gone.
Yeah, I know. So there’s not going to be a sequel where he comes back?
John - Yeah, they should call it.
Mark - Boxing Day?
John - Or Memorial Day.
Mark - Yeah, Memorial Day.
How do you think it’s going to reach audiences outside of Canada?
John - I don’t think it will.
Mark - Well I don’t know, it’s a human story so even if it takes place in Toronto, in a specific area, I don’t know, I think if people connect to it. If it gets released in the States, then I think they will.
John - When you think of American audiences, you think of them wanting car chases, gun battles and scantily clad women.
Mark - It’s the same with Canadian audiences.
John - He was down at Sundance, and people received it well there, I guess, eh?
Mark - Yeah.
John - So if that’s any indication to what the States are going to think, than it should go over well.
‘Cause it takes place around the same time as a film like Adventureland
John - Yeah exactly.
Mark - Or like the Squid and the Whale or something like that.
Did you see Adventureland?
Mark - No.
John - No but I heard that it takes place in, is it ‘88 as well?
‘87, I think
John - You saw that, too?
Yeah, I mean it’s more of a comedy in some parts and more of a drama in other parts, and it’s centred around working at a crappy amusement park, so obviously it’s different in that sense, but the time period is the same
John - Yeah, I heard it was pretty good.
And it’s also the same director as Superbad
John - Yeah, oh yeah really? Who was that?
Greg Mottola
John - Oh yeah, cool.
Is there anything else you’d like to add before we wrap up?
John - I just want to say it was an amazing experience for my first time to do any professional work, I had an amazing time. The crew was just amazing, they were hilarious. in between takes, we’d all be joking. Yeah, it was definitely a good time.
Mark - Yeah, I’m the same.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today.
John - Thank you, thanks so much for coming in.
I recently had the chance to interview actor Scott Beaudin, on his role as Noah in Victoria Day. Here is the interview, which happened via email. Please be warned that we do discuss the film, so there are spoilers. Check back tomorrow for my interview with Mark Rendall and John Mavro, who play Ben and Sammy in the film.
-John C.
I noticed in your bio that you used to provide the voice of Peep on the children’s TV show Peep and the Big Wide World. Someone I know (John McGrath) used to voice a fish and a crow on that show. Do you remember working with him (directly or indirectly)?
90% of the time I was working in the room by myself and the other 10% of the time I would work with Jamie Watson (Quack) and Amanda Soha (Chirp). I never actually had the pleasure of working with Mr. McGrath personally, but I would love to, he certainly has an impressive resume.
How were you cast for the role of Noah in Victoria Day?
I originally auditioned for the role of Ben. I also received a call back for the role. After the call back, I was asked to come in a third time, but reading for the role of Noah. The rest is history.
How does Victoria Day compare to your previous work?
A trend that has appeared with much of my work is that of a large, young ensemble and Victoria Day kept to that. Working with other teens or young actors is a very enjoyable experience. You can relate to the other actors, and it is helpful to learn from your peers.
What was the hardest scene to film?
I am an atrocious hacky-sackerist. My hardest “acting” moment came not from facial expression, or body language, but simply just trying to keep a rally of more than two going when playing outside of the school with John (Sammy) and Mark (Ben). The shot of me doing a fancy kick seen in the film was the only shot available. I thank our editor Roderick for choosing to make me good at hacky-sack. Ah, the magic of film making.
What was your favorite scene to film?
Without a doubt my favourite scene was the fireworks scene. I’ve always been one to simply observe the fireworks, not have them whiz past my ear as I run full tilt into a patch of mud. I’m sure audience will be dazzled at how real the fight looks. That’s because we were all actually hitting each other with them. I guess that’s what a 17 year old finds fun.
I know they filmedVictoria Day in 21 days, but for how much of that time were you actually on set?
12-14 of the 21 days
What was it like working with director David Bezmozgis?
As the writer/director, this was David's baby, and he had a crystal clear vision of what he wanted from his performers. However, unlike most directors I’ve worked with, he rarely told me how to say my lines, which although it was different, was still effective as he trusted me to make my own decisions, which was a breath of fresh air.
How did you feel your character, Noah, was central to the story?
Noah and Sammy are supporting characters for Ben’s storyline. We help the audience see what Ben’s life is like prior to the accident and helps his character develop during the rising action of the story. Noah is also a good representation of society in a tragic scene such as this. Noah tells Ben what he wants to hear when he is down, but at the end of the day he isn’t losing any sleep over the incident. He only showed up to the search because Ben told him to, and comforts him in the car because he’s nice.
What did you think about filming the fireworks “fight” scene?
The fireworks scene was shot over 2 days. The first night of shooting was torture. The temperatures were around freezing and the ground was wet. After about an hour the three of us were quite tired of all the sliding we had to do. Luckily for John Mavro and myself, we were able to sneak away to a costume trailer heat our shoes up with hair driers. Mark wasn’t so lucky, but that’s what he gets for being the leading man, I suppose. Night 2 was a much better environment. The ground was all clear and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. We were also given a little more freedom with the fireworks. Our clothes were flame-retardant, we were wearing hoodies, had professionals standing by, and weren’t carrying any live fireworks in our bags. We figured we could have a little fun with the scene.
What is the maximum number of takes you did for a single scene, and what is the least number of takes?
Well they don’t call me Scotty “One-Take” for nothing. I kid, of course. Most scenes (for me) would take 2-3 takes per camera angle. The amount of angles can vary depending on the amount of action in the scene, and I would get more and more comfortable with it as the filming progressed. There have been times when I blinked and a scene was over and there have been other times that I have nearly been in tears, begging for food, pleading for only one more take.
What do you personally think happens to Jordon at the end of the movie?
I personally think that if Jordan doesn’t get himself killed (which is quite probable), he’ll end up in a life-threatening situation which would get him hospitalized.
What are your thoughts on the finished film?
I think the final product is a great example of the quality of film that Canadian film makers have to offer. It’s a great piece of entertainment that can reach out to many different demographics with balanced performances from all the actors.
I’ve seen the film and I loved it, but how have audiences been reacting to the film and how do you think audiences are going to react when they see the film?
I have not seen a screening of the film that hasn’t been a cast/crew screening, but I hear that the unbiased audiences really enjoyed it, and that it was very well-received at the Sundance Film Festival.
Are there any upcoming projects that you can tell us about?
To all casting directors: I’m not working! I haven’t been working! Call me! Although there hasn’t been much going on film-wise, I have been performing frequently in a post-punk/indie band called “The Italics” as the lead singer. Other than that, it’s just baseball and school to worry about.
Thank you for taking the time to talk to me today.
I recently had the chance to talk with David Bezmozgis, Director of the upcoming film Victoria Day, in Toronto at the Metropolitan Hotel. Here is my interview. Please be aware that we did discuss some plot elements, so there are minor spoilers for the film in the interview.
-John C.
How does Victoria Day compare to your previous work?
My previous work, I guess is a collection of stories about a family of Soviet Jews, so it also touches on the same kind of community in the same place, set in Toronto and North York, and the point was to make it feel like real life, like “what’s it really feel like to go through this”.
What was the hardest scene to film?
I think the concert scene was probably the hardest scene to film, because we didn’t know if we were going to get all those extras in the back - we didn't pay for those people.
Was it historically accurate - was there actually a Bob Dylan concert on, like, May 15th, 1988 in Toronto?
Not to that extent, but there was a Bob Dylan show in 1988...
...at Ontario Place.
Yeah, it was like Exhibition Stadium, but it was close enough.
And what was your favorite scene to film?
That’s a tough question. I guess the scene where - the hospital scene - where the parents show up and the father sees him with the broken arm. To me, I always look forward to seeing that scene.
How long was the filming process?
We shot for 21 days
...and then the pre-production and the post-production?
Pre-production... what did we have... I think we had 4 weeks of pre-production, and we posted it in 3 months - which is fast.
Now one of my questions for John and Mark was, “what was it like working with you”, but obviously I’m not going to ask you that...
You want to know what it was like working with me? I thought I was ok. I got along with myself for the most part.
Did you use a clapboard?
oh, a clapper?
Yeah.
We do, but it’s all digital.
You don’t get the little chalkboard?
You don’t get the chalkboard, you get digital figures that are running all the time... But you still clap it - it’s called market, so it’s like “market” (clap) marker.
And could you understand the Russian when the actors were speaking Russian?
I speak fluent Russian. I directed the Russian actors in Russian.
Yeah, that’s what I thought. And did you write those parts of the screenplay in Russian?
I wrote it in English, and then for the Russian parts, the actors and I kind of worked together to translate it into Russian.
What did you think about filming the fireworks scene?
It was a lot of fun.
Because I know that you like filmed for three days, and through the night...
Yeah, we filmed it over a couple of nights, but it’s challenging because you would have stuff flying around, and you have to be safe.
And you had to get permits...
Oh, yeah, you have to get permits for everything.
...and insurance obviously for the actors.
Yeah, everybody was insured, even me.
That’s good.
What is the maximum number of takes you did for a single scene?
That’s a good question. You know that scene at the hospital, that I was talking about? Where the father says, “You think that’s your arm? Well it’s my arm.”, we probably did 15 takes of that. That’s probably the most of anything we did.
What was the least number of takes?
I think there are any number of times when we only had one or two takes. We’re pretty quick.
Was this filmed digital?
On RED.
4K?
Yeah, 4K. It was good - I like the RED. My cinematographer? Not so much. He prefers film, but I think the look we got is filmed really, really good compared to any other digital form.
It must really help in the editing...
Yeah it does,
Because you didn’t have a ton of film to go through, but obviously they said that you had to keep changing the harddrive.
Yeah, we had to keep swapping out, but it’s an interesting technology for sure. I’d want to do more of it.
Was this all edited in Apple’s Final Cut?
Yes, it was edited in Final Cut.
Did you do all the editing yourself?
No, no, there’s an editor.
How long would the “Director’s cut” of the film be?
Same. I’m very happy with exactly what we have there.
So there’s not much deleted content? What would you put on the DVD?
There’ll be some background stuff, there’ll be some auditions, I think there’s some behind the scenes that will be there... And there’ll be some other cool stuff that will be on there too.
Good, I look forward to it.
Is it true that you wanted Mark (Ben) to keep eating bananas in that scene?
I needed him to eat the bananas when he was on camera, he had to have something in his mouth, so yes, he had to eat the bananas.
Yeah, because Mark was saying he kept telling you he didn’t want to eat anymore f---ing bananas...
Yes, he needed to eat the f---ing bananas.
What are your thoughts on the finished film?
I am very proud of the movie - I’m really pleased with it.
How do you think it’s going to connect with audiences?
Well we’ve shown it before. We showed it at Sundance, we showed it here at a film festival, and I’ve gone to high schools and shown parts of the film to students, and they really... they get it - they’re thrilled by it.
Obviously it’s a very different film from Adventureland, but have you seen Adventureland, and how do you feel it’s similar to another coming of age story that takes place in 1987, (or ‘88)?
I haven’t seen Adventureland, but I’m aware of it...
Yeah, ‘cause it was also at Sundance...
It was also at Sundance - in fact we played them back to back - but I couldn’t see it because there was something else going on. But there’s a little movie called The Squid and The Whale, which is also set in the ‘80’s - do you know this movie?
Yes - never seen it, but I know of it.
I saw that one, and I liked it a lot, but it also, I think, had a similar style and a similar tone.
Are you working on any more movies?
I have a few things in mind, nothing that’s starting anytime soon, but I hope so.
Would you want to cast some of the same actors again?
Yeah, I would love to work with most of them again - probably all of them.
Thanks for taking the time to talk to me today...
It was my pleasure.
...and I hope you check out the reviews.
I will.
The excellent new Canadian-indie film Victoria Day will be opening next Friday, June 19th. Come back on the 19th for our reviews, and check back all next week for interviews with the director, David Bezmozgis and actors Mark Rendall, John Mavro, Scott Beaudin, Holly Deveaux and Melenie Leishman. You can check out the film's official website here, where you can also watch the trailer for the film. The movie is being distributed by E1 Films, and is already one of my top ten favorite films so far this year.
-John C.
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