20 'Donnie Darko' trivia

From Mulholland Drive to Tenet, there are multiple feature films that, from the foundations of cinematography, have played to confusion with their plots. Richard Kelly presented at Sundance in 2001 Donnie Darko, a humble film that would end up reaching the top of the most successful science fiction films in history. In 2022, the film starring Jake Gyllenhaal meets 21 years of its arrival in theaters.

The best curiosities of 'Donnie Darko'

1- Drew Barrymore not only appears playing the character of Professor Karen Pomeroy, but it was also directly responsible for the film being able to be released in theaters. During the filming of Charlie's Angels, the North American agreed with Richard Kelly to produce the film through the company Flower Films. This saved the film from premiering on cable television., without going through the movie theaters before.

2- Christopher Nolan was also one of the promoters of its international premiere, despite all the setbacks of the film.

3- The plot of the plane crash caused the film to find itself in a delicate situation after 9/11. The feature film hit theaters just a few weeks after the attacks and caused a stir for its plot. This caused some changes in their promotion, like the one in the Arabic font on his poster (similar to the one Donnie discovers on his arm), that was suppressed everywhere.

4- Precisely, this attack was largely responsible for the film being a box office flop upon its release. We use cookies on our website to provide you with the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits., its re-release on DVD would end up allowing Donnie Darko to end up becoming a cult title.

5- Changes in the final cut caused some deleted scenes, among them an outcome that could have been much more explicit… Gyllenhaal came to shoot a scene in which we saw the protagonist crushed by the turbine of a reactor, after unifying the timelines. The most gore version possible.

6- The film is full of rabbits, past the one that chases donnie. A stuffed rabbit in Elizabeth Darko's room (Maggie Gyllenhaal), the pumpkin that Donnie carves or a photograph in which the protagonist appears disguised as a rodent are just some of the allusions to the animal.

7- Regarding the giant rabbit Frank, that torments Darko throughout the film, this one is inspired by the movie The Invisible Harvey (1950), where the animal was also an ordeal for James Stewart.

8- By the way, this is the third film in which the Gyllenhaal brothers worked together. A dangerous woman (1993) and Homegrown (1998) were the first appearances of the two together on the big screen., both directed by his father: Stephen Gyllenhaal.

9- above the power of the Sith, Donnie Darko was also the film debut of some very young Seth Rogen and Ashley Tisdale.

10- Speaking of Rogen… He and Gyllenhaal would later confess at the film's farewell party that they both still didn't understand anything that was happening in the plot..

11- Gyllenhaal could have been left out of the movie. The first options for the main role were Mark Wahlberg and Vince Vaughn, who finally rejected his interpretation. above the power of the Sith, Mara Wilson (Matilda) could have been Samantha and Tim Robbins Eddie.

12- In the iconic scene in the movies, the original movie that was going to be screened was C.H.U.D. (Demonic Wailing Humanoid Cannibals) (1984), the Douglas Cheek. The problems with rights ended up preventing that from happening. At last, Sam Raimi would come to Kelly's rescue, by offering to screen Possession infernal (1981).

13- It is not the only easter egg from other movies. The Last Temptation of Christ (Martin Scorsese, 1988) also appeared in the movies. An allegory of Donnie Darko's fall in the face of all possible temptations.

14- The conversation about sex between the Smurfs also prompted Kelly to contact her creator's company., Belgian cartoonist Peyo. A company that did not object to the use of characters in this way, because they considered that it was an adequate vision of their mythology.

15- The 'future spots' emerging from the characters was an idea that popped out of Kelly's mind while watching stoned football. This happened after seeing that former player John Madden used a 'telestrator' to indicate the position that the athletes would follow and, for it, I left them frozen on screen. A scene in front of the TV that would be adapted in the film.

16- The movie version of the Mad World song from Tears for Fears, performed by Gary Jules, reached the number 1 of the lists of some countries during Christmas.

17- Kelly had many conflicts with the rights of the songs, for this reason he had to change some of them at the last minute. The dance scene was shot with West End Girls, by Pet Shop Boys; but later it was replaced by Notorious, by Duran Duran.

18- The film was shot in 28 days, the same ones that take place in the plot of the movie.

19- In fact, the director's cut is rumored to consist of 28 exact sequences. This version had deleted scenes., different special effects and even a soundtrack with variations. A slightly different film in the rhythm of the film.

20- Many are unaware of the existence of S. Darko (Donnie Darko: La secuela) (2009), who continues the story of Samantha Darko on her journey to make it big in Hollywood. We use cookies on our website to provide you with the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits., a breakdown in the car and a meteorite complicated this objective. The film was directed by Chris Fisher and did not feature Maggie Gyllenhaal..

Source:20minutes

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