CHANGELING
Impeccably designed & graced by a top-notch performance from Angelina Jolie, ‘Changeling’ is a beautifully shot drama that packs a powerful emotional punch.
by Vishal Verma

A Universal release of a Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment presentation in association with Relativity Media of a Malpaso production. Produced by Clint Eastwood, Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, Robert Lorenz. Executive producers, Tim Moore, Jim Whitaker.

Directed by Clint Eastwood. Screenplay, J. Michael Straczynski. Genre: Drama. Target Audience: General

Starring
Christine Collins - Angelina Jolie
Walter Collins - Gattlin Griffith
Rev. Gustav Briegleb - John Malkovich
Capt. J.J. Jones - Jeffrey Donovan
Det. Lester Ybarra - Michael Kelly
E. Davis - Colm Feore
Gordon Northcott - Jason Butler Harner
Carol Dexter - Amy Ryan
S.S. Hahn - Geoff Pierson
Dr. Jonathan Steele - Denis O'Hare
Ben Harris - Frank Wood
Dr. Earl W. Tarr - Peter Gerety
Mayor Cryer - Reed Birney
Arthur Hutchins - Devon Conti
Sanford Clark - Eddie Alderson

Technical Analysis
Initially it appears to be following the footsteps of his earlier Oscar winner, MYSTIC RIVER, since both films center on a missing child. But Clint Eastwood's CHANGELING takes a serious factual dip in reality and gets circled around the infamous "Wineville Chicken Murders" in Riverside County, Calif., which achieved great notoriety at the time and, surprisingly, have never inspired a film before.

‘Changeling’ is an achievement – not only for its outstanding screenplay by J. Michael Straczynski (creator of TV's "Babylon 5") that has deceptive simplicity which takes care of the director Clint Eastwood’s concern by underplaying the melodrama and gives a compelling picture in proving the adage that fact is stranger than fiction.

Technically, ‘Changeling’ is the veteran Clint Eastwood’s brilliant till date. The late 20’s is remarkably depicted, the red tramps, cars, skates in the telephone office, costumes etc. all is done with astonishing detail and panache.

Angelina Jolie delivers an outstanding performance which may get her an Oscar nod. Following ‘A Mighty Heart’ AJ flawlessly paints Christine as a woman who was simultaneously courageous and yet frighteningly vulnerable - her helplessness in the face of Code 12 (an actual law that enabled the police to commit anyone they deemed difficult) is genuinely terrifying. There's also strong support from Malkovich and a brief but powerful cameo from Amy Ryan as a fellow prisoner who helps Christine deal with her imprisonment.

Helmers could have taken different approaches to this ‘Wineville Chicken Murders’ tragedy and taken it to a sensationalistic, melodramatic, or a psycho thriller way but Eastwood's approach is simple that sticks to the central elements of the story with some echoes of "A Perfect World" and not signaling the story's eventual dimensions at the outset thus creating a perfect film if we ignore the length and police justification in the end.

The Story
CHANGELING is based on a true story, Angelina Jolie stars as Christine Collins, a single mother working in 1928 Los Angeles when her son goes missing. A boy is returned to her months later by the police, but she is shocked and disheartened when she realizes that the boy isn't her son. Joined by a crusading pastor (John Malkovich), Christine battles for justice against the corrupt L.A.P.D. while she continues to search for her child. Eventually her fight against the cops lands her in a mental hospital, where she is surrounded by others with a similar plight. Screenwriter J. Michael Straczynski had been best known for his work in science fiction (BABYLON FIVE) and graphic novels, but he makes an adept transition to feature drama with this film. Its unusual focus--on the victim and her struggle for justice, rather than on the criminal and the crime--brings further depth to the film.


Business Analysis
The worldwide gross of the movie is 75,295,966 in $ till this write up and the movie is definitely going to do some serious business in India thanks to Eastwood for crafting another Oscar-worthy film that is certainly worth sitting through where Angelina Jolie gives her best.

Other Credits
Camera (Technicolor, Panavision widescreen), Tom Stern; editors, Joel Cox, Gary D. Roach; music, Eastwood; production designer, James J. Murakami; art director, Patrick M. Sullivan Jr.; set designers, Adrian Gorton, Dianne Wager; set decorator, Gary Fettis; costume designer, Deborah Hopper; sound (Dolby Digital/SDDS/DTS), Walt Martin; supervising sound editor, Alan Robert Murray; co-supervising sound editor, Bub Asman; re-recording mixers, John T. Reitz, Gregg Rudloff; visual effects supervisor, Michael Owens; visual effects, CIS Vancouver, Pacific Title and Art Studio; stunt coordinator, Buddy Van Horn; assistant director, Donald Murphy; casting, Ellen Chenoweth. Reviewed at Famous Studios Preview Theatre, Mumbai, Jan 13, 2009. Media Awareness (India): Percept Profile (A Division of Percept Ltd). Running time: 141 MIN.

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