The Donner Party (film)
Encyclopedia
The Donner Party is a 2009 period
drama
film written and directed by T.J. Martin, and distributed by First Look International. It is based on the true story of the Donner Party
, an 1840s westward traveling group of settlers headed for California. Becoming snowbound in the Sierra Nevada mountains, with food increasingly scarce, a small group calling themselves "The Forlorn Hope" turned to cannibalism. The Forlorn was the working title for the film.
on October 23, 2009, with a DVD release three months later on January 26. Shooting was swift, with principal photography
at the Donner Pass
, California taking only 12 days. Originally, the work had a higher budget, with greater use of child stars and a longer shooting schedule. The original production company pulled funding for the project, so several changes were made. The title change was a marketing choice by the distributor.
The soundtrack was done by the Aspiro Choir under Mary Amond O'Brian.
and
Period piece
-Setting:In the performing arts, a period piece is a work set in a particular era. This informal term covers all countries, all periods and all genres...
drama
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
film written and directed by T.J. Martin, and distributed by First Look International. It is based on the true story of the Donner Party
Donner Party
The Donner Party was a group of American pioneers who set out for California in a wagon train. Delayed by a series of mishaps, they spent the winter of 1846–47 snowbound in the Sierra Nevada...
, an 1840s westward traveling group of settlers headed for California. Becoming snowbound in the Sierra Nevada mountains, with food increasingly scarce, a small group calling themselves "The Forlorn Hope" turned to cannibalism. The Forlorn was the working title for the film.
Production
As well as being Martin's directorial debut, it was production company Anacapa Entertainment's first feature film. It premiered at the Austin Film FestivalAustin Film Festival
The Austin Film Festival was started in 1994 in Austin, Texas and is claimed to be "the first organization of its kind to focus on the writer’s unique creative contribution to the film and television industries"...
on October 23, 2009, with a DVD release three months later on January 26. Shooting was swift, with principal photography
Principal photography
thumb|300px|Film production on location in [[Newark, New Jersey]].Principal photography is the phase of film production in which the movie is filmed, with actors on set and cameras rolling, as distinct from pre-production and post-production....
at the Donner Pass
Donner Pass
Donner Pass is a mountain pass in the northern Sierra Nevada, located above Donner Lake about nine miles west of Truckee, California. It has a steep approach from the east and a gradual approach from the west....
, California taking only 12 days. Originally, the work had a higher budget, with greater use of child stars and a longer shooting schedule. The original production company pulled funding for the project, so several changes were made. The title change was a marketing choice by the distributor.
The soundtrack was done by the Aspiro Choir under Mary Amond O'Brian.
Cast
- Crispin GloverCrispin GloverCrispin Hellion Glover is an American film actor, director and screenwriter, recording artist, publisher, and author. Glover is known for portraying eccentric people on screen such as George McFly in Back to the Future, Layne in River's Edge, unfriendly recluse Rubin Farr in Rubin and Ed, the...
– William Foster - Clayne CrawfordClayne CrawfordClayne Crawford is an American film actor with a few episodic television appearances. Crawford has appeared in such films as A Walk to Remember , Swimfan , A Love Song for Bobby Long and The Great Raid . He had a recurring role in the first season of Jericho as Mitchell "Mitch" Cafferty...
– William Eddy - Michele SantopietroMichele SantopietroMichele Santopietro is an American actress of Italian and German descent. She is probably best known for her recurring character JoJo Palmice on HBO's critically acclaimed series The Sopranos, from seasons 1 through 4...
– Amanda McCutchen - Mark Boone JuniorMark Boone JuniorMark Boone Junior is an American actor perhaps best known for his roles as Bobby Munson in FX's Sons of Anarchy and in two films by Christopher Nolan, Memento and Batman Begins...
– Franklin Graves - Christian KaneChristian KaneChristian Kane is an American actor and singer/songwriter of Native American descent. He currently stars as Eliot Spencer on the TNT series Leverage. He is best known for his roles in the television shows Angel and Into the West, and the movies Just Married and Secondhand Lions.He is the lead...
– Charles Stanton
and
- Crispian Belfrage – Patrick Dolan
- Catherine BlackCatherine Black (actress)Catherine Black is a Canadian film, TV and stage actress. Black is best known for starring opposite Peter Weller in one episode of the science fiction Showtime series, Odyssey 5, playing Vanden, opposite Christian Bale, in the 2000 cult thriller classic, American Psycho directed by Mary Harron,...
– Ann Fosdick - Jamie Anne Allman – Eleanor Eddy
- Jack Kyle – Milt McCutchen
- Cary Wayne Moore – Jay Fosdick
- Alison HaislipAlison HaislipAlison Fesq Haislip is an American actress and former TV correspondent for Attack of the Show! on G4 and NBC's The Voice. She resides in Los Angeles, California.-Early life:...
– Mary Graves - Mara LaFontaine – Sarah Foster
- John A. Lorenz – Luis