About Hemingway & Gellhorn (HBO)

'Hemingway & Gellhorn' is a biographical drama film that premiered on HBO in 2012. Directed by Philip Kaufman, it focuses on the passionate and stormy marriage of literary master Ernest Hemingway and the up-and-coming war correspondent, Martha Gellhorn. Set amid the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War and World War II, it narrates their tumultuous love story that stretched over decades.

Making / Production

The film was produced by James Gandolfini, Alexandra Ryan and Trish Wash, among others. Hemingway & Gellhorn was made on a budget of $12 million and comprised top-grade special effects to accurately replicate the period it was set in. It was filmed mainly in the San Francisco Bay Area, with the Polish scenes being shot in Sacramento

Actors

• Clive Owen as Ernest Hemingway – Owen admirably portrays the charisma and eccentricities of the larger-than-life writer.
• Nicole Kidman as Martha Gellhorn – Kidman is luminary in her role as the energetic, ambitious and world-renowned journalist, Martha Gellhorn.
• David Strathairn as John Dos Passos – Strathairn convincingly plays the role of the prominent author, friend, and initially an admirer of Hemingway.
• Robert Duvall as Russian General – Duvall does not fail to deliver, even in his brief appearance as the Russian general.

Trivia / Interesting Facts

• This was the first film James Gandolfini produced under his production company.
• The majority of the film was shot with green screen backgrounds, with the actual locations added in post-production.
• Martha Gellhorn remains one of the most prominent female war correspondents of the 20th century. Her work spanned four decades.

Awards

Hemingway & Gellhorn garnered 15 Primetime Emmy Awards nominations, including Outstanding Miniseries or Movie. The film also received two Golden Globe nominations, for Best Miniseries or Television Film and Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film for Kidman.

Quotes

• "We were good in war. And when there was no war, we made our own." - Martha Gellhorn
• "War is the best subject of all. It groups the maximum of material and speeds up the action." - Ernest Hemingway

Music and Soundtrack

• "A Man Comes Around" by Johnny Cash
• "Red River Valley" by Clive Owen
• "You Always Hurt The One You Love" by The Mills Brothers