2021.02.17
History of the Revolution by Zemeckis & Rawston
As a result, the CG technology in "Death Becomes Her" was recognized by winning the Best Visual Effects award at the 65th Academy Awards in 1993. This was in recognition of the wonder and praise shown by the film for recreating the texture of human skin using CG for the first time, a feat that had never been used before, such as a head that rotates 180 degrees and a stomach with a large hole from being hit by a bullet. ILM then applied the technology they had achieved in "Forever After" to " Jurassic Park " (1993) the following year, bringing about a further revolution in the history of CG.
The foundation for this was laid by Robert Zemeckis, a pioneer in the field, and Ken Rawston, the VFX supervisor with whom Zemeckis has collaborated since Back to the Future (1985).
"Death Becomes Her" (C) 1992 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Here, I would like to briefly explore the history of the cinematographic revolution brought about by Zemeckis and Lawston.
" Who Framed Roger Rabbit " (1988/for which Rawston and his team won an Academy Award for Visual Effects) attempted the groundbreaking innovation of combining animation and live action.
In collaboration with ILM, an innovative digital compositing system was used to Back to the Future Part II (1989), in which a father and son, all played by Michael J. Fox, sit at the same table.
" Forrest Gump " (1994/Rosewood and others won an Academy Award for Visual Effects) in which the main character appears alongside former American presidents and John Lennon through digital compositing.
" Contact " (1997) attracted much attention for its opening scene, which showed a three-minute pull-back CGI shot from the surface of the Earth to the depths of space, the longest in the history of a live-action film.
" The Polar Express " (2004) further evolved motion capture, developing technology that could record the facial and body movements of multiple actors at once.
" The Walk" (2015), a meticulous reproduction of the now-defunct Twin Towers, etc.
Looking back, it's clear how much film fans around the world have benefited from Zemeckis' visual revolution.
And then there's "Death Becomes Her." I forgot to mention that the story (skewer) of this film, which pierces the revolutionary CG shot (meat), also projects the values of beauty that are worth writing about. Set in Hollywood in the late 1970s, it ultimately depicts the merits and demerits of remaining beautiful, and unearths the evil desires that lurk within people.
That's why, despite being panned by critics at the time as "pathetic and grotesque," it grossed $149 million worldwide and has remained a beloved cult movie for so long.
Text: Kiyoto Kiyoto
Transitioned from the apparel industry to a movie writer. He regularly writes reviews for Eiga.com, Pia, J.COM Magazine, Tokyo Walker, Yahoo! News personal "Kiyoto Seito's Cinema Gym", etc. She has written books such as ``Learn from Audrey's Stylish Practice Book'' (published by Kindai Eigasha), which utilizes her knowledge of fashion. Currently in charge of commentary on BS10 Star Channel's movie information program "More Movies."
"Death Becomes Her"
DVD: 1,429 yen + tax
Publisher: NBCUniversal Entertainment
(C) 1992 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
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