Hacksaw Ridge turns ten this week, and the conversation still returns to its Okinawa battle scenes—their noise, their chaos and the discipline of a medic who refused to carry a weapon. The making behind that battle was nearly as hard-won. Here is the breakdown.
14 years in limbo
Hacksaw Ridge sat in development limbo for 14 years. Producers had tried for decades to film Desmond Doss’s story, including decorated war hero Audie Murphy and Hal B. Wallis. In 2001, Gregory Crosby wrote the treatment and brought the project to David Permut.
The rights moved slowly
In 2004 Terry Benedict won the rights to make a documentary about Doss and secured the dramatic film rights. After Doss died in 2006, Bill Mechanic acquired and then sold the rights to Walden Media, which developed the project with producer David Permut.
Gibson turned it down twice
Walden Media insisted on a PG-13 version of the battle, so Bill Mechanic spent years buying the rights back. He approached Mel Gibson wanting violence and faith, as in The Passion of the Christ. Gibson turned down the offer twice before agreeing.
Australian subsidies made it possible
With a $40 million budget, the team still faced many challenges. When Australian tax incentives were taken off the table, the film had to qualify as Australian for government subsidies. Gibson’s early years in Australia and a mostly Australian cast helped it qualify.
Garfield took it personally
Andrew Garfield was confirmed in November 2014. He admitted he cried the first time he read the screenplay, visited Doss’s hometown and touched his various tools. Gibson was drawn to Garfield after seeing him in The Social Network.
The battle’s sound came from archives
For a film built around battle, the mix came from history. Kevin O’Connell won his first Academy Awards for sound mixing after 21 nominations, and he stated budget constraints forced him to use archival sounds of WWII-era weapons.
The score changed hands twice
James Horner was originally approached to compose the score but was replaced by John Debney after Horner’s death in 2015. Debney was then replaced by Rupert Gregson-Williams before Venice. Gregson-Williams called the film’s soundtrack two parts: lovely romance, then brutal.
Abbey Road and a 36-voice choir
Gregson-Williams wanted to reflect spirituality without being pious and bravery without celebrating violence. The score was recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London with an orchestra of 70 musicians and a 36-voice choir conducted by Cliff Masterson.
Which detail from the Hacksaw Ridge shoot, score or financing do you still think about? Tell me your favourite fact from the making of this war drama.
Facts from Wikipedia: Hacksaw Ridge, 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.