You get a different perspective on their suffering and what has happened to them. In terms of the film as a whole I wanted to take the viewer on a journey with these characters. I didn’t want to have lots of flashbacks and long speeches.
I wanted people to learn things as the characters learn them, and gradually to get involved with them.
- Why did you cast this particular set of actors?
It wasn’t just a case of picking the best actor for a particular role. The important thing was that I had to pick actors who were prepared to go on a journey in very difficult circumstances.
I said to each of them, including those with considerable reputations, like Ed Harris and Colin Farrell, 'There will be days when you don’t have much to do. You will be plodding on, and I will be focussing on somebody else. Is that Ok with you.' It’s very much an ensemble acting job.
Apart from the actors who don’t make it, the rest are on camera all the time . They had to come on to the set every day having thought about what they’d eaten the night before and how they had slept, because the minute they were in a landscape, they had to be prepared for being filmed.
There wasn’t time on set to discuss their particular characters. I think they were inspired by Ed Harris, who lived the part. He’d wander off and make something out of a stick or repair his shoes. It enabled us to move fast, because we had a lot of ground to make up each scene.
- How tough was it to film in deserts?
I think deserts are always tough to work in - i’ve shot in the Outback before. But they are inspiring, to you and the actors. The tough thing is getting to and from base every day to where you are shooting.
It can take a couple of hours drive each way, which fills the day up with transportation issues.
Sometimes you’re freezing, sometimes you’re very hot. You tend to just get on with it. Actually in Morocco we had a man whose sole job was to clear the area of scorpions, and we also had a snake man.
- How hard was it to find distribution for The Way Back?
It was very hard. There was a conservative mood amongst distributors when we talked to them about the film, because of the financial crisis. And I think there has been a change in audience tastes and patterns, in particular the rise of fantasy films.
People are so used to looking at fantastical landscapes that it’s unusual for them to see real landscapes in The Way Back. Some distributors wanted to see a more conventional action film- to see the escaped prisoners being pursued by the Soviets. I wasn’t interested in going that way.
During the editing period, I’d look at the paper and see that there was a narrowing of subject matter amongst films.
You had independent films dealing with contemporary urban stories and then at the other end of the spectrum blockbuster, which tended to be sequels, and which were either fantasy or animation. I couldn’t see anything in between.
- What keeps you driving you as a film-maker?
Well I have been very fortunate to have had a long career, and it becomes a way of life. I find the thrill of starting off a new project very addictive, especially in my case, because I don’t do a great number of films.
When something good comes along, you just hope you can find another one. Making a film gives me a chance to live in the moment. In life your’e often looking to the future or reflecting on the past.
When you make a film, you’re in the moment. It’s exhilarating. Even when you’re an experienced director, each film is a new mountain to climb.You can easily make a mistake and go the wrong way and end up failing, no matter how many films you’ve done.
Beginning all over again on each project is part of what keeps you going. It’s always challenging. You’re always close to disaster. It’s that difficult to make a film. That’s where the addiction comes in - you think, I’ll try again once more.
I haven’t found my next film yet. I am in that process now of searching for it, and that’s the toughest part of what I do.
The Way Back is released on Blu-ray and DVD on 9 May 2011 from