Interstellar Corn Field
Linda Berens
It was something you may not have paid much conscious attention to in his 2014 hit Interstellar, but it was a crucial bit of filmmaking with a fascinating story behind it. Read on to learn how this happened.
His most recent film, 2017's Dunkirk, was an enormous undertaking in his quest to find a unique approach to the classic World War II film genre. From the thousands of extras on the beaches of France to the incredible dogfighting scenes in the planes above them to the enormous flotilla of every kind of boat imaginable coming to save the day, Dunkirk is a visual masterpiece. It is also a film with very minimal use of computer-generated imagery, the lack of which is something that has become a calling card of sort for Nolan in his films.
This is what separates directors like Christopher Nolan from others. He is willing to go every extra mile to make his vision come true on the screen and when it works, just like Dunkirk, it is glorious. The corn fields in Interstellar are something most movie-goers may not pay that much attention to, consciously, but subconsciously, given the importance of the crop to the plot, this attention to detail and fully immersive process makes for a stunning achievement and adds considerable depth to the film.
Explaining how he sought advice from Man of Steel director Zack Snyder on cinematic cornfields, Nolan told The Hollywood Reporter: "Luckily, Zack had grown a bunch of corn, so I said, 'How much can you really grow practically?'
"And they had done a couple hundred acres [for Man of Steel], so we looked into it; we found that where we wanted to build our farmhouse really close to the mountains [outside] Calgary. In the end, we got a pretty good crop, and we actually made money on this."
The actor, who lived in a trailer near the home of his character while shooting in Calgary, Alberta, said that during his initial three-hour meeting with Nolan the pair didn't even talk about the film.
"I came away knowing nothing else about the film," he said. "We talked about who we are as 43-year-old men, talked about who we are as [fathers], talked about our kids. We talked about some other films and work and just got really a sense of each other. And so when I walked out, I had a little bit of, 'OK, what was that?' I think he wanted to see who I was."
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It's a slower version of the Interstellar theme song and i liked it alot, then i stumbled on another song called cornfields chase, but the thing is, the track i linked below is not the original Cornfields chase song from Hans Zimmers interstellar album.
We can tell it's the same song with different names. So there must be an error. This is the wierd part. I checked out Hans Zimmers Interstellar album on google play because i wanted to buy this song, but it does not exist in his own album. Also on wikipedia, nothing there. Well the cornfield chase song is there but its not the same song as those i linked, because they are not the right ones. (spotify error?) There are only songs that remind of this ones. Does anyone have any answers? i've been googling and youtubing like a maniac and unable to find any answers.
The Blight is a plague that has ravaged almost all the remaining food sources on Earth. By the time Interstellar occurs, the last crops of okra are dying off, leaving just corn as the only viable food source for humanity. It's the main antagonist of the film, since it forced humanity to leave their own planet and the creation of the Endurance spaceship.
Considering the blight is a mere plot device, it could be seen as a parable of the hardships faced by humanity in its History, e.g. the modern global warming and the extinction of biodiversity, and/or as an allusion to life during the Great Depression starting in 1929 and the Great Recession started in 2008. With this in mind, the interstellar voyage is an allegory of the hard work needed to overcome great challenges. Difficult times that we overcome is an exhortation to do likewise without losing hope even if all seems lost.
In both versions of the script, a plant disease has ravaged the many sources of food, making wheat, potatoes, likely soybeans, and rice impossible to grow. With common feed stocks no longer available, eating meat likely became a costly luxury around the world. Corn remains the only viable crop, resistant to the blight, that can be grown and harvested.
In the 2008 script, the final result of the blight is depicted. Earth is completely devoid of plant life, with little to no oxygen available. Vast, barren plains, bare mountains, abandoned cities and towns, and lifeless oceans. With no trees to slow down the wind, dust storms blow fiercely, and are strong enough to demolish abandoned houses.
Professor Brand explains that wheat became extinct seven years before Cooper's arrival at NASA, and okra was due for extinction the present year. Like the potatoes which led to the Irish Potato famine and the wheat in the Dust Bowl (during the Great Depression), corn was expected to die off as well. Brand explained that 80% of the Earth's atmosphere is nitrogen which humans don't breathe, yet the Blight is known to consume nitrogen for sustenance. Vegetation creates breathable oxygen and as the Blight consumes more plant life and all available soil nitrogen, less breathable oxygen will be available for humans and animals, while Earth's nitrogen will be plentiful enough for the Blight to thrive, allowing it to spread farther and consume greater quantities of plant life. A reduction of oxygen in the atmosphere coupled with the extinction of plant life would make the Earth uninhabitable.
Blight could either be bacteria or fungi, however in both versions of the film, the origin and the exact nature of the blight is undetermined, although it could be speculated that it arose from climate change, or the widespread use of Monoculture farming practiced today, or simply a natural germ that mutated into an aggressive strain.
It is also likely the Blight has caused the devastation of other plant life on earth, not simply edible crops, but grasslands and forests that held down the topsoil. Therefore, dust storms could have been the result of the progressive deforestation and desertification of planet Earth. In any case, the true origin of Blight is never disclosed.
Interstellar is a compelling science fiction film released in 2014 and directed by the renowned filmmaker Christopher Nolan. The film features an impressive cast, including Matthew McConaughey as Cooper, a former NASA pilot turned farmer; Michael Caine as Professor Brand, a renowned physicist; and Anne Hathaway as Amelia Brand, a dedicated scientist. Other notable actors include Mackenzie Foy, Timothee Chalamet, Matt Damon, Casey Affleck, Wes Bentley, and David Gyasi.
The film is set in the distant future, where Earth is ravaged by famine and natural disasters. Humanity's survival hangs by a thread, with all resources redirected towards farming. Amidst this desperate scenario, a mysterious set of coordinates leads Cooper and his daughter Murph to a secret NASA base.
Professor Brand recruits Cooper to pilot a mission to find a new habitable planet in another galaxy, hoping to carry the seeds of human life there. Alongside Amelia, Doyle, and Romilly, Cooper ventures into space, leaving his family behind to save humanity.
Interstellar was widely acclaimed, grossing over $681 million worldwide, making it the tenth highest-grossing film of 2014. Its depiction of theoretical astrophysics earned praise from critics and astronomers alike for its scientific accuracy. The film received five nominations at the 87th Academy Awards and won Best Visual Effects, among other accolades.
Interstellar, the 2014 epic sci-fi film, leveraged a variety of picturesque locations to create its cinematic universe. Despite the narrative being set in Colorado, USA, most Earthbound scenes were shot in Alberta, Canada. In an intriguing display of creativity, Nolan had his team plant 500 acres of corn, aligning with Matthew McConaughey's farmer character. This vast cornfield was later dramatically decimated in a dust storm scene, crafted using practical effects.
The town of Longview in Alberta served as a primary filming location. A local ranch house was transformed into Cooper's home, while Longview School became the setting for a parent-teacher conference. A memorable football game interrupted by a dust storm was filmed in Okotoks' Seaman Stadium, just north of Longview.
The production also ventured into the awe-inspiring landscapes of Iceland. Svnafellsjkull, an outlet glacier of Vatnajkull to the east of Skaftafell, and Orrustuhll in the Eldhraun lava field were transformed into the icy Mann's planet and the water planet, respectively.
But the journey didn't end there. The cast and crew then made their way to Los Angeles, California, to capture the NASA facility sequence at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown LA. Over three weeks, the team meticulously constructed the set within the hotel, only to film the scene in a mere three days.
A trip to these filming locations would undoubtedly offer a unique experience, allowing fans to immerse themselves in Interstellar. From Alberta's sprawling cornfields and quaint towns to Iceland's majestic glaciers and lava fields, and finally, the urban appeal of downtown LA, these diverse locales promise an unforgettable journey.
Cooper is introduced as a former NASA pilot who now lives as a farmer with his family. The world has undergone significant changes, increasing the need for farmers to sustain the growing population. In this future society, there exists a divisive belief that NASA's Apollo missions were merely a facade aimed at undermining the economic stability of the Soviets. This notion profoundly frustrates Cooper.
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