story of heroism and courage. That is one description of
K-19: The Widowmaker, the submarine thriller filmed last year in Russia, Winnipeg, Halifax - where a shipyard stands in for Murmansk - and on a Toronto sound stage.

  The film, based on true events, brings together A-list actors Harrison Ford and Liam Neeson, two movie heavyweights who count among their credits some of Hollywood's biggest hits, including the Star Wars series, Indiana Jones trilogy and Oscar winner Schindler's List.

  The saga of the real K-19, began on June 4, 1961. While sailing in the North Atlantic, the crew discovered that the cooling system of the reactor had failed.

  The movie follows Captain Alexi Vostrikov (Ford) who, at the height of the Cold War, is ordered to take over command of the nuclear missile submarine, the pride of the Soviet Navy. His assignment is to prepare the K-19 for sea and take her out on patrol - no matter what the cost. Incidents that happen while the sub is still in dry dock cause the crew to suspect it is a bad luck ship (a widowmaker).

  On its maiden voyage, the K-19 experiences a reactor accident that could lead to a core meltdown and explosion that will certainly kill all aboard and possibly trigger a nuclear war between the USSR and the U.S. Vostrikov and his second-in-command (Neeson) must choose between their orders from the Kremlin and the lives of the crew.
actors
Harrison Ford
Liam Neeson
Peter Sarsgaard

director
Kathryn Bigelow

locations
Halifax
Toronto
Winnipeg
Russia

outtake
There was a casting call during filming in Manitoba for 60 extras to play sailors. Apart
from the need
for athletic males 17-24 years of age, with short-cropped hair; they also
had to be very
pale because they were supposed to have been on the sub for such a
long time.

  As shooting for the film began last year, there were reports that some K-19 vets were unhappy with their portrayals after reading the screenplay. Eventually names and some events were changed for the film.

  Director Kathryn Bigelow told the New York Times she was immediately hooked by the sailors' heroic tale. "It was one of those moments when you realize, 'This could be very interesting.' Who were these men? Russians have always been depicted as the bad guys. What if they're the heroes? And what if we're able to see ourselves at that time through their eyes?"

  Ford, who is reportedly making a record $25 million for this project, has been quoted as saying it wasn't the money that attracted him to the film, rather it was the compelling script. He is presently in discussions to reprise his famous fedora-sporting character Indiana Jones in a fourth installment of the action-adventure series to be directed by Steven Spielberg and slated for release in 2004. Neeson is now preparing to start filming Exorcist 4:1 which is expected out in 2003.

- Vernon Oickle