A half dozen new images from Alejandro Gonzalez Iñárritu's upcoming adventure/drama The Revenant feature new looks at a haunted - and hunted - Leonardo DiCaprio. Inspired by true events, the stylized Western stars DiCaprio as Hugh Glass, a veteran explorer who embarks on a quest for survival and redemption after a savage bear attack nearly kills him. Also starring Tom Hardy, Domnhall Gleeson, and Will Poulter, The Revenant will open in limited release on Christmas Day before expanding on January 8th.
These new looks at the film bring the power of nature and the animalistic traits still present in man to the forefront, while also offering a glimpse at a tender moment. The frontier feel of DiCaprio and Hardy's characters resonates, whether against the bleak backdrop of a snow-covered winterscape or wreathed in torch flame while preparing for a nighttime hunt. My personal favorite is the mountain of buffalo skulls, which is reminiscent of 19th century Russian artist Vasily Vereshchagin's work, "The Apotheosis of War" (which is the most pretentious thing I've ever said on this site).
Take a look at the new images below along with commentary from production designer Jack Fisk (via Yahoo!), plus some bonus images from 20th Century Fox:
Vegetarian DiCaprio had to eat real meat in a scene depicting Glass surviving off a wild bison’s liver:
“He had to eat the liver,” says Fisk. “I think he threw up afterward… he was so into it. It made me really appreciate the extent to which he’ll go to make things right.”
As these frontiersmen prepare for a nighttime hunt, Fisk describes the natural lighting sources used:
“And this takes place before the kerosine lantern was invented.” Most filming took place between 5:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. “We’d be scrambling at the end of the day to film the last few hours of daylight.”
Part of a dream sequence, this scene depicts Glass (DiCaprio) observing a pile of roughly 10,000 buffalo skulls. Iñárritu was more concerned with Glass’s inner thoughts and added scenes that aren’t in the original book. “He didn’t worry about religiously doing the story,” says Fisk of the director.
Here's the official synopsis for The Revenant:
Inspired by true events, THE REVENANT is an immersive and visceral cinematic experience capturing one man’s epic adventure of survival and the extraordinary power of the human spirit. In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption. THE REVENANT is directed and co-written by renowned filmmaker, Academy Award® winner Alejandro G. Iñárritu (Birdman, Babel).
