Silent Hill director is a gamer, fo' real
by James Ransom-Wiley 
{ Apr 5th 2006 at 4:25PM }
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Christophe
Gans, the director of the upcoming movie adaptation of Silent Hill, actually played the game — before he
got the job. What's more, he loved the game enough to strike a deal with a friend to film Gans pitching his ideas about
the movie and later, insert Japanese subtitles. Gans then had the 37-minute tape shipped to Konami headquarters in
Japan. Konami ended up screening the tape for the entire staff.Luckily, Brotherhood of the Wolf (Gans' previous film) was just making the rounds in Japan at the time, and Silent Hill's creator, Akira Yamaoka, realized that Gans would be capable of handling the game's movie adaptation (i.e. he wasn't just a delirious fanboy). Needless to say, Gans got the job. "If tomorrow I wanted something else, I would do exactly the same thing,” says Gans.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sense @ Apr 5th 2006 4:37PM
I always thought he was a pretty good pick. Brotherhood of the Wolf was dark, scary, wierd, and vague. Just like Silent Hill!
I hope he does the game justice. I have been waiting far too long for the creation of this film. So long that there is no way it will live up to my expectations. I'm still hopeful though :)
Kendal @ Apr 5th 2006 4:46PM
Maybe this will be the first good Video Game to Movie adaptation. I always thought that the Silent Hill games could make a very good movie.
If this guy was a fan of the games and played them before making this movie then we may just have hope yet.
Deckardb @ Apr 5th 2006 5:03PM
I gotta say... I'm not generally one to get caught up in hype, but I'm pretty stoked about this movie.
As soon as I found out Christophe Gans was directing this, I wiped a bit of sweat off my brow. This guy is a huge fan. He's not just played the games, he's played them to completion. Christophe says that about 1/3 of his life is spent playing video games. When he played the first Silent Hill game, he liked it so much, he actively sought out to get the rights to make a movie out of it. That's the kind of person we need directing movies based on games; Somebody with some respect and understanding of the source material. They're even using Akira Yamaoka's music for the film!
Yeah, it's too late for me friends..I'm totally psyched for this flick.
P.S. Early signs indicate good things for this movie. Apparently, TriStar said the movie was great and did not require any changes. This is going to be Christophe's directors cut that we will see at the theaters. They then told him "Think about a sequel".
inlogic @ Apr 5th 2006 5:42PM
Hell yeah! If it ain't Uwe Boll it has too be good!
Smack042 @ Apr 5th 2006 6:09PM
Yes! Uwe Boll's days are numbered! Hallejua!
Peter @ Apr 5th 2006 6:24PM
I put up a few more excerpts from the Fangoria article. Another one of my favorite bits that really shows Gans' love and respect for the game:
The emphasis on evasion rather than fighting back is what Gans feels makes the game so terrifying - and in turn, the movie as well. In Resident Evil, when youre afraid, you can shoot a zombie and youre satisfied because you destroy what you fear, he notes. In Silent Hill, you never stop being afraid. Its a much more uncomfortable concept, because the game is about isolation and loneliness. Youre isolated not only physically, but morally. When you have to beat the shit out of a poor, screaming monster and crush him to the ground, I believe its morally very, very uncomfortable, and certainly not heroic.
rico @ Apr 6th 2006 5:54AM
Yeah he played the game but A. was he any good at it and B. can he direct a good movie.
WizarDru @ Apr 6th 2006 8:07AM
Rico, did you read the previous comments? Gans directed "Les Pacte des Loupes" aka Brotherhood of the Wolf, as well as a great adaption of Crying Freeman. His directing credits really aren't even at issue.
So far, the director is well-known and the trailer looks excellent. It has a good cast, decent budget and the active participation of the original creators. I'll hedge my bets and be cautiously optimistic about it's success...but we're not even in the same zip code as Uwe Boll. Hell, not even the same CONTINENT.
Sense @ Apr 6th 2006 9:34AM
Wow, Peter, those are some great comments.
"When you have to beat the shit out of a poor, screaming monster and crush him to the ground, I believe its morally very, very uncomfortable, and certainly not heroic.
I might just have to link your site for my site.
Gans pretty much has that game nailed. I've never been able to put my finger on it, but he's got it. It really does isolate you in a moral way. Sometimes playing Silent Hill has almost made me feel like a bad person. Now I know why!
Peter @ Apr 6th 2006 11:06AM
Yeah, I was really impressed with how intimate Gans' understanding of the material was. I'd love to just scan the whole Fango article and post it, because it's full of such great material (which is truly a beacon of hope for us gamers who get our hearts broken time and time again by studios), but I also have too much respect to shaft Fangoria like that, because it's not like their sales are soaring already (though they have been on the rise).
On a side note, in addition to already being asked to do a sequel to Silent Hill, Gans' has been approached to take on another flagship film of a franchise game. Though Gans' isn't allowed to reveal what game, he said it isn't for Konami, which unfortunately means no MSG.