After watching Danny Boyle's 127 hours, I was put off climbing, abseiling and pen knives for the rest of my life. The film was one of the most powerful pieces of cinema that I have seen for a long time and despite making me cold sweat and come out of the cinema like I was suffering from post traumatic stress, the thing that I can't stop talking about is James Franco's performance.
He truly does seem to be making it as a bit of a man of the moment, himself and Anne Hathaway having been asked to host the 2011 Oscar nominations a long time ago, he may now be in line to receive a nomination himself.
He truly does seem to be making it as a bit of a man of the moment, himself and Anne Hathaway having been asked to host the 2011 Oscar nominations a long time ago, he may now be in line to receive a nomination himself.
Franco seems to be a man who constantly wants to achieve more. From interviews as a result of the new film, I have been fascinated with learning about the man behind the roles. He has an astounding number of degrees in literature, poetry and film making, he is a commissioned artist, he's directed multiple short films and written a published novel, and this is even before you begin to study his acting career. His resumé is highly unusual, from playing stoner Saul Silver in hit comedy Pineapple Express, to Peter Parker's friend turned enemy in Spiderman and then to a leading role in Danny Boyle's eagerly anticipated biographical film 127 hours.
The film follows the real events experienced by climber Aron Ralston, in the Blue John Canyon in Utah. In a matter of seconds, Ralston's experience and life is changed forever as a simple mistake causes a gigantic boulder to become lodged on his right hand. Ralston has not told anyone where he is going, and carries no mobile phone and the film documents his slow realisation that he hasn't asked anyone for help - an attitude that has worked his whole life previously, that he is invincible alone. When he first becomes trapped, Boyle filmed one long take that eventually lasted 20 minutes, telling Franco to just try everything he could to move the boulder that was trapped on his arm. The long take exhausts Franco and by the end of it, the feeling of desperation is so tangible that it grips the whole audience.
Ralston documented his real experience on a video camera, including desperate farewell messages to his parents and apologies to an old lover and the experience causes him to reflect on all the mistakes he has ever made. The real tapes have never been shown to anybody other than Ralston's close family, however, he allowed Franco and Boyle to view the films in order to correctly portray the extreme situation.
With no choice, Ralston eventually uses his blunt pen knife to amputate his own arm. Again, the whole scene was filmed in one take on several cameras to get a feeling of how long and gruelling it was. The screeching white noise that plays when he cuts through the nerve and the scream of pain from Franco is enough to turn even the strongest stomachs.
Finally, with himself freed, he still has the gruelling task of trying to return home from the middle of nowhere. And seeing some other climbers in the distance, he finally asks for help. Franco's portrayal of the way Ralston absolutely accepted that his personality is not working. He collapses and allows himself to be helped, for me, this was the most powerful moment.
