Some films leave their mark in memories for good reasons, or sometimes because of scenes so intense that they push spectators to leave the room. We remember the unbearable scene of Monica Bellucci, who had a fear during the film, in Irreversible de Gaspard Noé or the so -called “Chestburster” scene (in French “torso”) ofAlien who marked an entire generation and has become iconic. A more recent science fiction film, released in 2007, sparked a collective reaction during a tragic sequence. Indeed, by viewing it, spectators left the room. In question? One of the main characters, a dog, is killed. These are I am a legendAvailable on the Netflix streaming platform, with Will Smith. “I am a legend has never been well received at test projections because we killed Sam. People left theaters when this dog dies”declared the screenwriter Akiva Goldsman to the Hollywood Reporter. This film, a sequel to be in preparation, tells the story of the only survivor of a human epidemic. All the others are either dead or infected with a virus that transformed them into monsters.
I am a legend : Sam’s death has scared spectators flee
In the feature film, Robert Neville (Will Smith) has his dog, Sam, a faithful German shepherd as a company. But when Sam is bitten and infected, Neville is forced to act and euthanize in an overwhelming scene. In order to preserve the public, the staging does not show the act since the camera remains focused on Will Smith’s face. We only hear the sound of the legs of the animal scraping the ground until it stops, then the sound of breathless breaths. A strong staging which nevertheless shocked the spectators.
I am a legend : Will Smith evokes this difficult scene
To be able to include such a strong scene in the film, the screenwriter and Will Smith had to go pitcher the idea with Warner Bros. Problem, Alan Horn, the leader of the time, had four photos of German shepherds in his office and explained to them that he had just lost one, said the actor. Once the idea has been announced, it did not like it at all, Alan Horn even crying at the evocation of the death of Sam and indicating to her interlocutors that the star of the film killing a dog would never pass to the public.
It was then that Akiva Goldsman had the idea of the staging. “He found the happy medium, artistically and creatively, to get the idea without devastating the public”noted the actor who brought in nearly $ 9 billion with his films. Despite this scene that upset people, I am a legend was a real success since he brought back $ 585 million to the box office.
Article written with the collaboration of 6medias
