This film by the director Lee Tamahori (Die Another Day) is the incredible and shocking story of Saddam Hussien's son's body double and the horrible things this man had to see and endure because of Uday Hussien's bidding's. The film is based on Latif Yahia's novel The Devil's Double and how he was forcefully asked to be Uday's stand in or his parents would be killed. Before Yahia was asked to be Uday's double (fiday), he was in the Iraqi Army as an officer. If you want to read more here is an article: http://www.thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2011/07/17/my-life-as-uday-hussein-s-body-double.html
I have also added him to my blog list for further reading, and I plan on reading his book. It should be a fascinating account on his life with Saddam's eldest son. Also Saddam himself had several body double's. With the lives that they led its no small wonder they did have someone stand in for them.
The film was absolutely fascinating to me, and the main actor, Dominic Cooper, who had the arduous task of portraying both Latif and Uday was brilliantly acted. If he does not get a Oscar nomination for this role, then it would only be because of the politics of the Academy Awards themselves, I would suspect. I even read in Yahia's blog that he will be a part of the discussion about Mr. Cooper and his possible nomination.
In order to make the Latif be turned into Uday, he had to endure some dental work. In the film Latif would place a dental piece into his mouth to emulate Uday's buck teeth essentially. Then Latif learned his mannerisms and speech. There is a scene in which Latif has to go before Saddam to get a once over for approval. Latif also passes Uday's younger brother, who right away knows that Latif is indeed not his brother. Incidentally, Uday asks his brother "how did you know he was not me?", he said its because "he was sober and not foaming at the mouth."
Throughout this film you are opened up to the world of the most brutal dictators of the Middle East. Uday was a psychopathic, narcissistic, and serial rapist, who would kidnap young students off the street. Uday had one female that was made to stay by his side, named Sarrab. The actress who portrayed her is French actress, Ludivine Sagnier, and I feel she made quite an impression and she certainly did for Latif, because they ended up bonding together, which I thought was pretty predictable. Latif took a huge risk in being with her, so they always met clandestinely.
There were a lot of graphic and brutal scenes that were almost too realistic in nature, particularly when Saddam's main guard is confronted by Latif. It is a battle of who insulted who the most and the guard suffers the consequences of being disrespectful to Latif. The scene is very bloody and the make-up was well done.
The places where the movie was filmed was in Jordan and Malta. The scenes with the palaces are amazingly beautiful and extravagant. I just thought this was a incredible film all the way around, especially since it is based on a true story of a person who was able to escape the clutches of Saddam Hussein's psycho son. There are times in the film in which Latif almost does not make it out alive and the risks were high with regards to his families safety always being held over his head.
Here is the trailer of this brilliantly made film:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auE1FAGP1Kc
I have also added him to my blog list for further reading, and I plan on reading his book. It should be a fascinating account on his life with Saddam's eldest son. Also Saddam himself had several body double's. With the lives that they led its no small wonder they did have someone stand in for them.
The film was absolutely fascinating to me, and the main actor, Dominic Cooper, who had the arduous task of portraying both Latif and Uday was brilliantly acted. If he does not get a Oscar nomination for this role, then it would only be because of the politics of the Academy Awards themselves, I would suspect. I even read in Yahia's blog that he will be a part of the discussion about Mr. Cooper and his possible nomination.
In order to make the Latif be turned into Uday, he had to endure some dental work. In the film Latif would place a dental piece into his mouth to emulate Uday's buck teeth essentially. Then Latif learned his mannerisms and speech. There is a scene in which Latif has to go before Saddam to get a once over for approval. Latif also passes Uday's younger brother, who right away knows that Latif is indeed not his brother. Incidentally, Uday asks his brother "how did you know he was not me?", he said its because "he was sober and not foaming at the mouth."
Throughout this film you are opened up to the world of the most brutal dictators of the Middle East. Uday was a psychopathic, narcissistic, and serial rapist, who would kidnap young students off the street. Uday had one female that was made to stay by his side, named Sarrab. The actress who portrayed her is French actress, Ludivine Sagnier, and I feel she made quite an impression and she certainly did for Latif, because they ended up bonding together, which I thought was pretty predictable. Latif took a huge risk in being with her, so they always met clandestinely.
There were a lot of graphic and brutal scenes that were almost too realistic in nature, particularly when Saddam's main guard is confronted by Latif. It is a battle of who insulted who the most and the guard suffers the consequences of being disrespectful to Latif. The scene is very bloody and the make-up was well done.
The places where the movie was filmed was in Jordan and Malta. The scenes with the palaces are amazingly beautiful and extravagant. I just thought this was a incredible film all the way around, especially since it is based on a true story of a person who was able to escape the clutches of Saddam Hussein's psycho son. There are times in the film in which Latif almost does not make it out alive and the risks were high with regards to his families safety always being held over his head.
Here is the trailer of this brilliantly made film:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auE1FAGP1Kc
No comments:
Post a Comment