The Interpreter [WS]

Director: Sydney Pollack Sydney Pollack

Overview

An overheard conversation leads a woman into a dark world of deadly intrigue in this political thriller. Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) is an African ?migr? who works as an interpreter at the United Nations. One of the languages she understands is Ku, a dialect spoken in her home country of Matobo. One day, as the General Assembly auditorium is being evacuated for a routine security sweep, Broome overhears a man speaking in Ku, who makes a cryptic statement that could be interpreted as a threat against the life of Zuwanie (Earl Cameron), Matobo's controversial ruler. Secret Service agent Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) is brought in to investigate Broome's story, and it isn't long before he's convinced that she knows more than she's willing to tell. As Keller and his partner, Dot Woods (Catherine Keener), dig deeper into Broome's story as well as her past, they discover a shocking tale of violence and corruption tied to Zuwanie's regime. The Interpreter was directed by Sydney Pollack, who also appears in a brief supporting role.

Product Details

Release Date:	10/04/2005
UPC:	0025192583520
Original Release:	2005
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:09:00
Sales rank:	47,214

Special Features

Alternate ending; Deleted scenes; Sydney Pollack at Work: From Concept to Cutting Room; Interpreting Pan & Scan Vs. Widescreen; The Ultimate Movie Set: The United Nations; A Day in the Life of Real Interpreters

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Nicole Kidman	Silvia Broome
Sean Penn	Tobin Keller
Catherine Keener	Dot Woods
Jesper Christensen	Nils Lud
Yvan Attal	Philippe
Karl Cameron	Zuwanie,Actor
Clyde Kusatsu	Police Chief Lee Wu
Eric Keenleyside	Rory Robb
Hugo Speer	Simon Broome
Maz Jobrani	Mo
Yusuf Gatewood	Doug
Curtiss Cook	Ajene Xola
Byron Utley	Jean Gamba
Robert Clohessy	FBI Agent King
Terry Serpico	FBI Agent Lewis
David Wolos-Fonteno	Phillip Ostroff
John Knox	Fred Jameson
David Zayas	Charlie Russell
Lynne Deragon	American Ambassador Davis
Christopher Evan Welch	Jonathan Williams
Dino Mulima	African Boy
Litto	African Boy
Adrian Martinez	Roland
Tsai Chin	Luan
Francine Roussel	Isobel
Enid Graham	Jenny
Okwui Okpokwasili	Tour Guide
Vladimir Bibic	G.A. President
Pietro González	Chilean Ambassador
Patrick Ssenjovu	Jad Jamal
Michael McGrath	Jonathan Ferris,Jonathan Ferris
Paul De Sousa	Portuguese Janitor
Ricardo Walker	U.N. Security Officer
Harry O'Reilly	U.N. Security Officer
Kirby Mitchell	U.N. Security Officer
Guy A. Fortt	U.N. Security Officer
Ramsey Faragallah	Polygraph Technician
Nelson Landrieu	Spanish Speaking Interpreter
Leonid Citer	Russian Interpreter
Satish Joshi	Secretary General
Jacques Sebag	French Ambassador
Sophie Traub	Young Silvia
Monty Ashton Lewis	Young Simon
Pietro Gonzalez	Chilean Ambassador
Harry Prichett	News Reporter
Ed Onipede Blunt	News Reporter
Chris McKinney	Forensic Officer
Diane Winter	British Airways Ticket Agent
Gerry Robert Byrne	U.N. Tourist
Martha Elliott	Woman On Bus
Jim Ward	U.N. Security Officer
Brevard Hudson	Interperter
Trevor Archer	U.N. Security Officer
Sydney Pollack	Jay Pettigrew
Mike Arthur	United Nations Cop
Hélène Cardona	French Interpreter
Dana Eskelson	Secret Service Agent #1
John Di Benedetto	Mechanic
Bridget L. Doerksen	Stripper
Ana Maria Lupo	Stripper
Pat Kiernan	Himself
Margot Staub	News Reporter
Harry W. Prichett	News Reporter
James Newton Howard	Composer
James Newton Howard	Composer

Technical Credits

Steven Zaillian

Scott Frank

Sydney Pollack	Director,Executive Producer
Steven Zaillian	Screenwriter
Scott Frank	Screenwriter
Kevin Misher	Producer
Eric Fellner	Producer
Tim Bevan	Producer
Anthony Minghella	Executive Producer
G. Mac Brown	Executive Producer

Editorial Reviews

John Ford supposedly said the most compelling image you can put in a film is a human face. John Ford would have loved directing Sean Penn. As he moves into middle-age, Penn has not lost an ounce of his skill as an actor. He is unable to do anything that seems out of character. But now his face has developed lines that, along with the grey hairs at his temples, give him a lived-in-look that reinforces his ingrained authenticity. The scene that introduces his character makes no sense -- the viewer is given no information about why he is drinking alone, unplugging a jukebox, or listening to outgoing phone machine messages. But it is a compelling sequence thanks to Penn's talent and his look. You know the character is experiencing something deep and painful even if you have no idea what it is. Director Sydney Pollack knows how to use his actors well. Nicole Kidman's character is supposed to be more mysterious so she does not get to be as emotionally open as Penn, but she is his equal in their scenes together -- scenes that snap with sparkling multi-layered dialogue. Some might be understandably bothered by the use of African genocide as a backdrop for a glossy Hollywood thriller, but the film is about the characters more than the plot. The central relationship between the pair is so deftly played, written so note-perfectly, and directed with such respectful understatement that their give and take helps to keep the audience blind to the film's faults. A superb suspense sequence involving three different tailings that end up with all of the watchers and the watched on the same bus shows that Pollack still has a great deal of skill behind the camera. The Interpreter is slick Hollywood entertainment to be sure, but it works because Pollack understands the truism spoken by John Ford.