Jane Campion’s 2021 Western psychological drama The Power of the Dog turns five this week, and it remains a landmark of controlled filmmaking. Based on Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel, the film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons and Kodi Smit-McPhee, and is set in Montana in 1925. Here are eight details you probably did not know.
They didn’t speak on set
Throughout the production Cumberbatch stayed in character; he and Dunst agreed not to speak on set. That silence sat inside a shoot that began in New Zealand in January 2020, halted in March for the COVID-19 pandemic, resumed in June after border exemptions were granted, and concluded in July.
Campion saw Phil in a BBC drama
Campion had Cumberbatch in mind for the role of Phil Burbank. He first caught her attention in the 2012–13 BBC drama Parade’s End. The project was announced in May 2019, and Elisabeth Moss was initially cast; Kirsten Dunst later replaced her. After Paul Dano dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with The Batman, Jesse Plemons—who had been offered the role before Dano—was cast.
Boot camp meant castrating bulls
To prepare, Cumberbatch researched the Lewis and Clark Expedition and worked for a time on a Montana cattle ranch near Glacier National Park. He attended a three-week boot camp to learn horse-riding, rope-throwing, castrating bulls, and playing the banjo.
Montana was shot in New Zealand
The film is set in Montana in 1925 but was filmed mostly in rural areas in New Zealand’s Otago Region. Filming began in the Maniototo in Central Otago, and also took place in the coastal city of Dunedin and the town of Oamaru. All interior scenes were shot on sound stages in Auckland during the final weeks.
Campion wanted a year of prep
Director of photography Ari Wegner shot The Power of the Dog using two Arri Alexa LF cameras paired with Panavision Ultra Panatar anamorphic lenses, with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio. Campion was specifically looking for a female cinematographer who would embark on a full year of preparations alongside her, and she sought out Wegner after they worked on a 2015 ANZ ad campaign. The two did meticulous storyboarding, sometimes separately so they could compare later.
The score is cello played like a banjo
Campion recruited Jonny Greenwood to compose the score. Greenwood wanted to avoid the sweeping strings typical of Westerns, opting instead for atonal brass sounds to emphasize the landscape’s alien, forbidding quality. Unhappy with the sound of Phil’s banjo on screen, he played the cello like a banjo using the same fingerpicking technique—a sound he called “a nice confusion” and “a sound you recognize, but it’s not a style that you’re familiar with.” Pandemic restrictions meant he recorded many cello parts himself and layered them.
It screened at IFFI before Netflix
The film premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2021, and had Special Presentation screenings at Toronto and Telluride that same month. It also played at the 52nd International Film Festival of India in November. Limited theatrical runs began in Australia and New Zealand on November 11, before Netflix released it worldwide on December 1.
Netflix spent around $50 million and the actors scored Oscar nominations
Between promotion and awards campaigns, Netflix spent around $50 million on the film. Cumberbatch, Plemons, Smit-McPhee and Dunst received critical acclaim and earned Academy Award nominations for Best Actor, Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 94% based on 351 reviews, with an average rating of 8.4 out of 10.
Which of these details stayed with you? Tell us your favourite fact from The Power of the Dog.
Facts from Wikipedia: The Power of the Dog (film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Film images from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.