"K-19: THE WIDOWMAKER" PRODUCTION INFORMATION Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson star in a thrilling drama about what many believe to be the most dangerous time in global history .Not unlike today, it was a time when the only mechanism for peace was mutually assured destruction, and people around the world felt tension on a daily basis. The story is inspired by a chilling event that happened in 1961 during the Cold War when the Soviet Union had enough nuclear weapons to destroy the world two times over and the United States had the nuclear power to destroy the world ten times over. As schoolchildren were taught to "duck and cover" under their desks and parents built bomb shelters in their backyards, each nation continued to add to its nuclear stockpile. ..waiting for who would strike first. "K-19: The Widowmaker" is not a film about war but about the courage it takes not to go to war, It is about military muscle, mind and heart. It is ~ut'a world in which technology is king and sacrifice in the name of national security is common. It exemplifies the duty a soldier feels toward his nation and his countrymen, and lays bare the burden of responsibility a leader feels for those under his command. And finally, it is about how easily tragedies can occur in wartime or anytime by accident, by machine malfunction... or by human error. Inspired by a true story, the film follows the heroism of Captain Alexei Vostrikov (Harrison Ford) who, at the height of the Cold War, is ordered to take command of the nuclear missile submarine K-19 away from its original commander Captain Mikhail Polenin (Liam Neeson). Vostrikov's mission is to quickly ready the ill-prepared sub for her maiden voyage - no matter what the cost. But Vostrikov, Polenin and K-19's loyal crew can never imagine all that is expected of them. Neither can they fathom what the price of failure might be for them and for the world when a nuclear reactor malfunctions, threatening a core meltdown and an explosion that will certainly kill all aboard. As they glide beneath the Arctic seas, it is the crew's collective bravery and Vostrikov's daring embrace of his duty toward his country and his men which will ultimately save K-19. ..and stave off what surely would have been a nuclear disaster. Paramount Pictures and Intermedia Films present a National Geographic/Palomar Pictures/First Light/IMP Production, "K-19: The Widowmaker." Produced and directed by Kathryn Bigelow, the film stars Harrison Ford, Liam Neeson and Peter Sarsgaard. Joni Sighvatsson, Christine Whitaker and Edward S. Feldrnan serve as producers. The executive producers are Harrison Ford, Nigel Sinclair, Moritz Borman and Guy East. Steven-Charles Jaffe and Basil Iwanyk are the co-producers. The screenplay is by Christopher Kyle from a story by Louis Nowra. Paramount Pictures is part of the entertainment operations of Viacom Inc., one of the world's largest entertainment and media companies and ct leader in the production, promotion and distribution of entertainment, news, sports and music. This film is rated PG-13 by the MPAA for disturbing images. ABOUT THE STORY Loved and trusted by his men, respected as the most experienced submarine captain in the Soviet Navy, Captain Mikhail Polenin (Neeson) is removed from command of K-19 when the Soviet leadership decides he isn't readying their flagship sub fast enough for her maiden voyage. In his place, the naval brass summons Captain Alexei Vostrikov (Ford), a strictly "mission-oriented" officer with an iron will, who takes K-19 out to sea precisely on schedule at 1600 hours on June 18, 1961. Polenin, due to his practical knowledge of the sub, remains on board as Vostrikov's executive officer, arid the two clash repeatedly. They do, however, have one thing in common: Each is dedicated to the Navy and to the country they serve. Once under way, Vostrikov tests K-19 and the crew to the utmost degree, conducting drill after drill, driving the submarine and the men to the edge by plunging toward maximum diving depth, then beyond, barely short of the fatal "crush depth," nearly 1,000 feet under the sea. At last the mentally, emotionally and physically taxing sea trials end with the successful launch of a test missile. Then a fateful order comes from Moscow: K-19 is to head westward, slipping past NATO bases to take up its Cold War patrol station a mere 400 kilometers off the U.S. coastline... between Washington, D.C., and New York. Unaware that the submarine has been crippled, steadfast Captain Vostrikov obeys the Motherland, taking K-19 and his men on what could be their last voyage. For on July 4, 1961, with the patrol mission scarcely under way, a disaster of global magnitude strikes: the atomic submarine's reactor cooling system springs a leak, and the reactor core slowly, relentlessly heats up. If it reaches 1,000 degrees the reactor could melt, with catastrophic results. Sealed and intensely radioactive, the reactor compartment, if opened, would send massive amounts of radiation throughout the ship. And yet, it must be done, for an eruption of the reactor could set off missile warheads, and a nuclear explosion so close to a NATO base could trigger World War III. ABOUT THE PRODUCTION According to director/producer Kathryn Bigelow, the story of what happened to K-19 and her crew had everything an action-thriller needed built right into the actual events as they took place during the Cold War. And, since that war was fought on a mental battlefield rather than a physical one, the film, drawn from public sources and historical record, is that much more intriguing and unique. "The story had all the elements for a dramatic movie," says Bigelow, who went to Russia prior to filming to talk with K-19's survivors and their families. "It had a built-in 'ticking clock' suspense factor; that is, a nuclear submarine with an impending reactor meltdown that could cause catastrophic global repercussions. It had, at its center, a ferociously dedicated and charismatic captain, whose bold decisions under pressure saved the boat and its crew. And above all, it had the courageous young submariners themselves, who knowingly subjected themselves to a lethal dose of radiation to repair the damage and fend off disaster." Caught up in making "K-19: The Widowmaker" for five years, Bigelow says that she feels privileged to have conducted extensive research with the people whose lives were touched by the K-19 disaster, and she was inspired by their stories to make a film that shows their compelling sacrifice and humanity. "Our film examines the heroism, courage and prowess of the Soviet submarine force in ways never seen before," adds Bigelow. "It is a fascinating tale of ordinary people who became heroes when faced with a tragic situation. Capturing the nobility of their sacrifice has been the primary motivation for everyone involved in making this film." Approximately 50 actors were assembled to portray the crew of K-19 and the Soviet military leaders. In order to show faces reflective of the diverse nationalities that made up the Soviet Union, Bigelow drew on talent from Canada, Iceland, England, Russia and Hollywood, making the cast uniquely international. According to Harrison Ford, who stars as Captain Alexei Vostrikov, a character inspired by an actual Captain aboard K-19, what initially interested him in the project is that it d~icts the Russian experience during the Cold War, something that he believes Hollywood has never seen. "There are no good guys versus bad guys in this story, no politics," says Ford, "Our goal was to have audiences come to an appreciation of those who served on K-19. As in any group, there were all kinds of people on board. But when threatened with a terrible situation, they came together with heroic and selfless behavior. When the time came, they did their duty." Co-star Liam Neeson, who plays Mikhail Polenin, a character inspired by the acting Executive Officer of K-19, agrees, adding that "K-19" afforded the cast an opportunity to portray heroism in a timeless way. "There are great human dynamics in this story," says Neeson. "Under incredible, stress, faced with death, these men summon a sense of duty and commitment to each other and to all ofhumanity." "K-19: The Widowmaker" was filmed in Moscow during February of 2001. Happily, however, because of the post-Cold War thaw in Russian-American relations, the production team was allowed access to film inside government buildings and public spaces, with cooperation from Russian authorities and assistance from the country's military establishment. In addition, a fonner Soviet submarine captain joined the crew through principal photography, working alongside a naval technical adviser to lend maximum authenticity to portrayals of naval practice and shipboard operations. While filming was under way, costume designer Marit Allen worked under great time pressure to complete more than 400 naval unifonns worn by the ill-fated submarine's crew. So many unifonns were necessary because each actor required several changes of costume, from full-dress unifonn to shipboard working dungarees. Made by Russian workers, the unifonns were identical to those used during the Cold War, right down to the fabric. When filming in Russia was completed, the production moved directly to Canada's Lake Winnipeg for two days. There, the frozen lake's surface provided a convincingly harsh stand-in for the Arctic Ocean ice pack. The cast and crew then moved to Toronto, where the submarine-interior sequences were filmed. Additional location shooting took place at Halifax, Nova Scotia, where the snow-covered Halifax Shipyards facility served as the Soviet naval base at Munnansk. Following more interior work in Toronto, the production went back to Halifax, which served as a base for shooting in the open North Atlantic. Principal photography was completed in June 2001, after which director/producer Bigelow returned to Los Angeles for post-production editing and special effects work. RECREATING HISTORY Although "K-19: The Widowmaker" is first and foremost a human story of courage, duty and impossible decisions, its roots in historical fact presented exceptional challenges. Recreating the actual nuclear submarine was a feat unto itself. Toward that end, precisely detailed reproductions of ten submarine compartments were built. Authentic down to the smallest knob and dial, K-19's interior is replete with Russian- language label plates and a maze of pipes. To achieve even more authenticity, production designers Karl Juliusson and MichaeJ Novotny went so far as to commission a Toronto company to create a complete set of dinnerware when a full complement o(real naval dishes was unavailable. But extremely authentic interior scenes alone were not enough. The exterior of the K-19 had to be thoroughly true to life as well. Since "the actual K-19 lies in a Russian ship graveyard, poisonous and decaying, unable to be revived even by Hollywood," according to producer Edward S. Feldman, a new one had to be "cast" to play the ill-fated sub. Producer Joni Sighvatsson began negotiations to borrow an submarine on display in St;Petersburg, Florida. "It became very confusing," says Sighvatsson. "When I told people on the phone I was in St. Petersburg, they never knew if I was in Florida trying to secure the sub or in St. Petersburg, Russia, doing research. Ultimately, the deal went through and we towed the ship from Florida to maritime Canada. We faced so many major hurdles before the cameras even began to roll." As producer and Executive Vice President of Production for National Geographic Feature Films Christine Whitaker notes, "The Florida submarine was smaller and a different class of submarine thanK-19, but by the time our production designers did their magic, it looked like the genuine item." Filming at sea required director/producer Kathryn Bigelow to become a makeshift admiral, with an armada of almost 20 vessels and an army of marine experts under her command. In addition to the newly built replica of the K-19 itself, other important ships in Bigelow's production fleet were a decommissioned Canadian sub, reconfigured to play the Soviet vessel that was dispatched to rescue the K-19, and the Canadian ship Terra Nova, cast as the American destroyer USSDecatur. Also under Bigelow's command was the barge supporting a replica of the K-19 conning tower, a huge lifeboat, five tugs, a canlera boat, two catering vessels, a fast transfer boat, six speedy Zodiacs, two large crafts for production personnel and a boat for the art and special effects departments - literally a flotilla of vessels all important for a successful shoot. ABOUT THE K-19 DISASTER In 1961 the Cold War was at its zenith. Both superpowers, the United States and the Soviet Union, were trapped together in a hall of mirrors, each captivated by images of the other's nuclear strength and willingness to use it. In November of 1960, the United States sent the USS George Washington, its first Polaris missile submarine, on patrol. The sophisticated vessel, able to lurk undetected off Russian coasts for months at a time, was capable of launching 16 nuclear missiles on a moment's notice. In response, the Soviet leadership rushed to place its own first nuclear ballistic missile submarine into service, though it meant risking the crew in an untried and unready vessel. Often referred to as the "Silent Service," submarines have always been dangerous boats (submariners traditionally call their vessels boats), and the K-19 --at more than 4000 tons and nearly 400 feet long --was no exception. During the Cold War, the United States Navy lost two nuclear submarines, the USS Thresher in 1963 and the USS Scorpion in 1968, both with all hands on board. The Soviets also lost three nuclear submarines during that trying period of history, and later, in 2000, the democratic Russia suffered the Kursk disaster even as "K-19: The Widowmaker" was beginning pre-production. The K-19 was an exceptionally risky submarine to be aboard. The three ballistic missiles she carried used liquid fuel --toxic, corrosive and explosive --exceedingly tricky to handle. Even worse, her nuclear reactor sacrificed safety margins for power and compactness. On July 4, 1961, while under way on exercises, K-19 developed a leak in her reactor cooling system. Left unchecked, the leak could have led to a core meltdown of the reactor. Although it could not explode like a nuclear bomb, a reactor core meltdown had the potential to produce dangerous radiation and an intense radioactive explosion. Amid the tensions at the peak of the Cold War, such an explosion so close to a NATO facility might well have spiraled into a catastrophic military confrontation between the Super Powers. Faced with this unthinkable eventuality --and the equally unthinkable alternative of accepting American help --the crew of K -19 had to do what they could .to repair the leak. And so they did, at a terrible cost: in the weeks and months following the accident, some twenty men died from radiation exposure. Amazingly, after that terrible incident, K-19 was repaired and returned to service, but it continued to be a jinxed boaL fu 1969, it collided underwater with the U.S. submarine Gato and was badly damaged. Still, K-19 managed to return to port, and in 1972, it suffered a disastrous fire while submerged, losing 28 crewmembers. fu fact, Soviet submariners eventually dubbed the ill-fated vessel "Hiroshima." The 1961 accident that forms the story of "K-19: The Widowmaker" was covered up during the Soviet era, leaving the heroism and sacrifice of K-19's crew unrecognized for 30 years. According to producer Joni Sighvatsson, it's "a real human drama about people with enormous commitment to their country, and even more commitment to their profession, their peers and their fellow human beings" that has to be told. "We were always intrigued by the mystery, the secrecy surrounding K-19, but we brought the project to Kathryn Bigelow because we knew she'd explore the humanity behind the story, not just the suspense," adds producer Christine Whitaker. "She'd give audiences a way to relate to the Russians." "Understandably, the Communist regime did not consider it a shining moment in history," observes director/producer Kathryn Bigelow. "So, because it did not happen in wartime, they assigned no heroism to it. They classified it as merely an accident. I hope 'K-19: The Widowmaker' will change all that."