Disaster on the Riverside

Disaster on the Riverside is an Academy Award-winning disaster/period drama following the events of the city of Greenville, Mississippi during the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. The film, praised for its touching story and its variety of unique characters, debuted to outstanding praise, claiming several top place mentions from many critics and also riding a tidal wave to a mammoth box-office total. At the time, it was almost unprecedented for a disaster film to be considered Best Picture quality, with few exceptions to the rule, such as The Great Quake, among most notable films. This presented what would've appeared to be a struggle for the film. However, the film took a rather dramatic touch to the genre, focusing more on character and story development rather than the disaster at hand. That is what fueled the film to be considered Best Picture quality. In fact, some critics pointed out that the film played out to be more of a period drama than its primary focus of the river flood.

Fueled by its great praise, Disaster on the Riverside would take home eight out of a whopping sixteen Academy Awards, one of the highest nomination counts of all time. Most notable were Best Actress, Best Director and the overall achievement for Best Motion Picture of the year, among other titles of the year as Prussian Nights and other Oscar front-runner Medulla. Its win received some backlash from certain reviewers, but many rejoiced, claiming the film was a worthy victory. The film was the first from the Golden films incorporated studio to receive the high honor of winning Best Picture, after a losing streak over the past four years.

Pre-Production and Early Stages
In summer of Year 31, the idea to adapt a film based upon the horrid 1927 Mississippi River flood that left hundreds dead and thousands homeless came to life when studio heads at Golden Films Incorporated, shortly before the division into Golden Films General were presented with the concept. The film, which stood out as radically different with the idea of having the entire film focus solely on the destruction caused by the river flood, was almost immediately shot down. However, when the idea was again presented to the studio three months later, the script, which had undergone many improvements, appeared less hazy, and the studio greenlit the production. Still, more changes would be required to fit the script.

Two months have the approval of the disaster film, studio executives found producer Steve Starkey, best known for his work on Forrest Gump and Cast Away. However, the decision to remove Steve Starkey as executive producer of the film came when interest fell to producer Scott Rudin. Rudin signed on as executive producer of the film. Starkey, upset at being moved to co-produced, signed off of the deal. The studio searched for two more producers and a co-producer to helm the project, and soon enough they were found. After the finding of the producers, the studio set off to find its director. Initially, the decision rested upon the shoulders of Sam Mendes, but Mendes was already signed on for another Golden Films Incorporated production, Chains that Bind. After Mendes turned down the offer to direct the long, drawn out period piece, screenwriters found director Stephen Frears. But, like Mendes, Frears turned down the project. It wasn't until two weeks later that Darren Aronofsky signed on to the director's chair.

When at long last the behind the camera crew had been chosen, it was time to begin looking around for casting roles. The script, which had underwent another revision, called for a young, preferrably brunette, woman to play the role of bar tender and local Greenville citizen, Becky. Auditions were held at the studio. A total of four hundred plus women were permitted into the studio for the audition, but it wasn't until shining Kate Beckinsale took the audition that the role was casted. "Beckinsale delivered the performance we were looking for," executive producer Scott Rudis noted. "She really nailed the role." Beckinsale was pleased to be part of the team. She would see several wardrobe changes, and, to really fit the role, she studied the citizens of Mississippi to get an understanding of what it was like to be a woman at the time. She also studied two long history textbooks about the area to fit into character. While this took place, Anthony Hopkins had been chosen to play the role of Sheriff Taylor, the brutal authoritarian figure of the city. Other cast members took less time to find, with Michael Sheen and James Earl Jones being the next to sign on.

After auditions ceased, the completed script was checked a final time for any recurring scenes and/or errors. Upon completetion, the film would begin early photography stages, as well as rehearsal shoots.

Filming and Post-Production
To get an authentic feel for the movie, the primary photography, as well as most of the filming, took place in Mississippi along the famed river of the same name. However, the filming would not take place in Greenville, as the city lacked the needed elements to set up the true feeling of the film. Constructed set pieces were set up in the rural outskirts of Natchez, Mississippi, with some actual footage taking place on the Mississippi. Most of the principal photography took place. Filming would begin on March 27, Year 32, with the first shots taking place in the city of Natchez. Using the set pieces, however, the city was designed to resemble a 1926 Greenville. Similar footage was used in later scenes. Filming would last several months, closing on July 12, Year 32 due to some set backs and an equal amount of advances. It was then that the sound mixers added in the sound. The composer Hans Zimmer composed the soundtrack for the film, and the compositions would be added in by the sound mixers. Also, special effects technicians took special time to implement the water scenes and all other special-effects-generated events in the film. All of this would last several months, until post-production would begin in early April of Year 33, just about seven months before release. Disaster would enter the editing stage, and the special effects would be added to the film during this time. Early test screenings ran from May 12 to May 18, with most reports coming back positive. Still, the effects had to be touched upon. On June 29, after undergoing many effects additions and wrap-ups, the teaser trailer was released with Sky's Flame, the studio's major summer tentpole. A second set of test screenings ran from July 15th to the 20th, with all reports coming back positive this time. Any final touches would be put on before the film would enter the long waiting stage before release.

Pre-Release
Prior to its release, Disaster on the Riverside began to build up hype. Forecastors reported the film as a major Holiday tentpole. Others believed it could churn up some Oscar gold. In fact, the studio felt the film was a sure-fire Academy Award hit. After the build-up and the test screenings, all coming back positive, the film was helmed to be a possible Best Picture contender. The teaser trailer released with Sky's Flame met overly positive praise from audiences. Movie lovers said the film captured many different themes in the trailer. On October 18, just over a month before nationwide release, the film would see the launch of its theatrical trailer, which met a high amount of acclaim, even more so than its teaser trailer. Critic screenings were popping up now, and the film was averaging an overall high rating. When November rolled around, the film picked up more steam. Soon, it stood as Best Picture front-runner. This wasn't much to say as most of the Oscar films had yet to be released. Disaster was the first in a long line of films to come.

Box Office
Disaster on the Riverside was released nationwide on November 18. The 100 plus million budgeted period disaster debuted to a three day tally of 40.3 million, though it would land second on its respective weekend to Scaramouche, another Oscar-touted film. However, Riverside was received with higher acclaim among audiences. It averaged an A rating on Yahoo, and at the time its Rotten Tomatoes rating stood at a high 88%, though it was expected to climb up the scale. The film rode its tidal success to a leggy run over the Thanksgiving and post-Thanksgiving frames, falling 18% over the three-day Thanksgiving weekend and managin a healthy run throughout December, ending the month with over 180 million. Riverside would go on throughout the Oscar season as one of the heavyweights, ending its domestic run with almost 204 million. Overseas, the film received similar acclaim, debuting to over 15 million on the November 18-20 weekend. It played into many more markets in the weeks to come, reaching an international total of 429 million for just under 633 million worldwide, an impressive total and much higher than expected by studio executives.