  Flyingj Member Username: Flyingj Post Number: 365 Registered: 08-2006 |
I liked much of it-but the ending-Eastwood says enough ethnic slurs to fill Comerica Park-AND he's one of the few people alive who can get away with that. Other than a few spots-St Ambrose, that barbershop on 11 Mile Road where the guy from "Fargo" & "Zodiac" works, Eastwood's block....there's very little D montage travelogue sequences like in Jerry Bruckheimer movies-no Ren Cen, no Eastern Market,no Ambassador Bridge etc. Still worth a look | ||
East_detroit Member Username: East_detroit Post Number: 1778 Registered: 11-2003 |
Its a great movie. We saw it last night and loved it. Unknown actors do a great job, especially the daughter living next door. No Detroit montage, but thats cool because it wouldnt make sense to the story and if you know Detroit its all over the place here, especially the ending sequence along the waterfront. | ||
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 1297 Registered: 09-2007 |
Please do-tell....how does Detroit fit in with the plot? Is the movie set in Detroit - or - via flashback, we learn that the central character is from Detroit? What's the scoop? | ||
East_detroit Member Username: East_detroit Post Number: 1779 Registered: 11-2003 |
The sets are all in Detroit. His house and the neighbor's house are both in Highland Park and thats the center of the story. Other things you see are his kid's house in Grosse Pointe, Lakeshore Drive and the Lake, Barber shop, Hardware store (I think also Grosse Pointe), etc. I dont think they ever say where they live. They didnt come here to film it to make it a Detroit story, they just used Detroit and the Michigan tax credits to make a film. | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 3185 Registered: 10-2003 |
We saw Gran Torino on Christmas night. We, including my 75-year-old mom, thought it was a terrific movie. Very well done!! The movie is set in Detroit, with mentions of the car industry and the Lions, but no specifics as to where the main character lives. Watching 'Gran Torino'? It might look familiar http://www.freep.com/article/2 0081221/ENT01/812210342 The bar scene was filmed in Center Line at the VFW on Sherwood (http://www.candgnews.com/Homep age-Articles/2008/7-16-08/WF-M OVIE.asp) There was one street scene where you could clearly see the Charlevoix street sign. Any idea what the cross street is? | ||
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 1299 Registered: 09-2007 |
Thanks for the information. Still a little confused as to whether the movie is actually SET in Detroit; in that I am not aware of Asian youth gangs running amok within Detroit's city limits. (Hope that doesn't seem racist) | ||
Rooms222 Member Username: Rooms222 Post Number: 159 Registered: 04-2005 |
The script was written to be in MN, where there is a larger Hmong population. With the tax break, the setting was changed to Detroit..... | ||
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 1302 Registered: 09-2007 |
OK, so the movie is SET in Detroit; despite the fact that Asian youth gangs are...nonexistent? Someone...anyone, a little validation here. | ||
Busterwmu Member Username: Busterwmu Post Number: 458 Registered: 09-2004 |
Highland Park/Rhode Island Street represents the "old neighborhood." Eastwood worked "on the Ford line for 50 years." That's all you get. It never says where the neighborhood is, and it doesn't need to. We all recognize it as Detroit and vicinity. Around the country, they'll recognize it as some rust belt town. That's about it. Great movie! Guess I'll have to detour down Rhode Island when I'm in that area one of these days... | ||
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 1304 Registered: 09-2007 |
OK...if we're good with Hollywood's misrepresentation of Detroit - in an attempt to pull an Asian audience...WTF. God Bless America | ||
Barnesfoto Member Username: Barnesfoto Post Number: 3551 Registered: 10-2003 |
Most of the world does not know or care that Detroit does not really have Hmong gangbangers...and at least the characters don't have east coast accents, like in the movie "Zebrahead". There are little visual clues that tell you it's Detroit..A map on the wall in the character's basement, a Highland Park Police Car.. Eastwood's hard as nails old racist curmudgeon character is a little bit exaggerated, but it's a decent movie. | ||
Kathleen Member Username: Kathleen Post Number: 3186 Registered: 10-2003 |
I don't believe that Gran Torino depicts a show of Hmong gang violence within Detroit, but rather within their own community. The movie deals with the Hmong community that moved into an existing deteriorating neighborhood and how they deal with a life of poverty and exclusion in a new land as well as how Korean War veteran Walt Kowalski's life experiences have shaped his view of Asian people and culture and so affect his relationship with his Hmong neighbors and their culture. As far as the Hmong community in metro Detroit, certainly one exists, albeit a small one. And there have been some incidents involving Hmong youth. Here are some articles from a few years back...maybe the lack of more recent articles indicates that life for the Hmong in Detroit has improved. 2006: Growing up Hmong in Detroit: Forum highlights struggles of city's often overlooked Asian group http://www.michigandaily.com/c ontent/growing-hmong-detroit 2006: Update: Detroit Hmong youth dialogue about Warren shooting29Sep06 http://wsoftheart.wordpress.co m/2006/09/29/update-detroit-hm ong-youth-dialogue-about-warre n-shooting/ 2006: SERVICES FOR IMMIGRANTS: Hmong not getting the help they need: Isolation hurts growing community http://www.xanga.com/DAY_Proje ct/553700369/item.html 2005: Culture shock, poverty plague Hmong in Michigan http://www.detnews.com/2005/me tro/0504/12/A01-147925.htm | ||
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 1307 Registered: 09-2007 |
Kathleen....thank you for the well-documented information. | ||
Ferntruth Member Username: Ferntruth Post Number: 708 Registered: 11-2006 |
"OK...if we're good with Hollywood's misrepresentation of Detroit - in an attempt to pull an Asian audience...WTF. God Bless America" Hollywood accepts your apology. God Bless America | ||
East_detroit Member Username: East_detroit Post Number: 1785 Registered: 11-2003 |
Hollywood isnt misrepresenting Detroit in this movie. Its not even claiming to represent Detroit. Its not about Detroit. Its a great movie, shot in Detroit with backgrounds a person from Detroit should recognize. | ||
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 1308 Registered: 09-2007 |
Ferntruth....not so much an apology as it is an indictment; thanks anyhoo. | ||
Crew Member Username: Crew Post Number: 717 Registered: 02-2004 |
"The events depicted in this movie are fictitious. Any similarity to any person living or dead is merely coincidental." It's called dramatic license. The producers haven't claims this was a documentary. | ||
Thejesus Member Username: Thejesus Post Number: 3618 Registered: 06-2008 |
"Eastwood worked "on the Ford line for 50 years." That's all you get. It never says where the neighborhood is, and it doesn't need to." In the opening scene, Eastwood's sons were discussing how he was upset that his grandson wore a Detroit Lions jersey to his grandmother's funeral (the kid was wearing a Roy Williams #11 jersey) | ||
East_detroit Member Username: East_detroit Post Number: 1788 Registered: 11-2003 |
When his son tries to use him to get some Lions tickets, I heard more than a few audience members snicker. | ||
Warriorfan Member Username: Warriorfan Post Number: 802 Registered: 08-2005 |
quote: Take your "facts and logic" and leave, this is DetroitYES and we'll have none of that here! Clearly this is an opportunity for thin-skinned DYers to complain about Detroit getting a bad rap from Hollywood, even though the film does not specify what the setting is. | ||
7051 Member Username: 7051 Post Number: 181 Registered: 02-2006 |
"Largest concentration of Hmong in the U.S"...8,000...7 Mile and Hoover" according to the article. http://www.michigandaily.com/c ontent/michigan-hmong I remember seeing figures as high as 30,000 about 7 years ago. Like other ethnic minorities they are hard to accurately count and don't often trust government entities (i.e. census). | ||
Django Member Username: Django Post Number: 2140 Registered: 10-2003 |
I also heard or read that it was supposed to be set in MN, and they are known to have a very large Hmong community. It easily just could have been an assumption that it was set in MN because of the Hmong community there. | ||
Ravine Member Username: Ravine Post Number: 2940 Registered: 01-2006 |
Some of you really stretch to reach reasons for feeling that Detroit has been mistreated. That loud popping noise was your shoulder, dislocating; you're gonna need to have that looked at. Hopefully, no bursal sacs were ravaged. | ||
Rooms222 Member Username: Rooms222 Post Number: 160 Registered: 04-2005 |
From the Nov. 29 LA Times........ Eastwood did officially change the locale of the movie from MN to MI. He did not rewrite anything else in the script which is unusual for others, but fairly normal for him....See below.. "The only thing Eastwood changed was the locale, which moved from Minneapolis to Detroit, largely because by shooting in Michigan, the film -- which cost $35 million -- earned a big tax rebate. Gerber says Eastwood nearly always goes on his first instinct about a script, recalling that when Eastwood directed "A Perfect World," he used the script by John Lee Hancock, then an unknown writer, without changing a word. Ditto for David Peoples' script for "Unforgiven," which was shot as written. "There's no doubt that if this had gone through a studio, they would've given it to someone better known to rewrite," Gerber said. "That's why I gave it to Clint directly. No one asked (Warner Bros.) for any notes. We took it to them as a fully set-up package. It was either you're in or you're out. In my experience, Clint doesn't do much development. When he reads a script, he either wants to do it or he passes."" (Message edited by rooms222 on December 29, 2008) | ||
Alan55 Member Username: Alan55 Post Number: 2487 Registered: 09-2005 |
Chuckjav: "OK...if we're good with Hollywood's misrepresentation of Detroit - in an attempt to pull an Asian audience...WTF." There doesn't seem to be any insults or aspersions cast on Detroit. If Eastwood is spending money here, using local goods and services, who cares what he represents it as? | ||
Chuckjav Member Username: Chuckjav Post Number: 1313 Registered: 09-2007 |
Alan55...Right You Are. Misrepresentation is more akin to not doing homework, or not caring what nit-pickers (like me) think. Insults and aspersions are a completely different matter; totally unrelated to my rant. | ||
Detroitej72 Member Username: Detroitej72 Post Number: 977 Registered: 05-2006 |
If you look closely at Eastwood's home, it is decorated with objects bought from The Polish Art Center in Hamtramck. The owner's have a signed picture of Clint hanging behind the counter. He sent it as a show of gratitude for the many knick knacks that were purchased from there. | ||
Thecarl Member Username: Thecarl Post Number: 876 Registered: 04-2005 |
i was pretty happy to have my barber's barbershop featured in the film! ted widgren, owner of the store, turns 90 on january 6th, i believe. i still remember going to his shop over the summer and seeing a sign posted, "closed, 71st class reunion." that man is an immaculate library of places and events for close to 70 years of detroit's and royal oak's history. it's worth hearing the stories for me to let a man of that age put a straight razor on my neck! | ||
Fishtoes2000 Member Username: Fishtoes2000 Post Number: 705 Registered: 06-2005 |
My favorite Ted the barber story was when he was working on the printing presses at the Free Press. He was leaving at the end of his shift and they asked if he could stick around. The Hindenburg had just crashed. | ||
Thecarl Member Username: Thecarl Post Number: 878 Registered: 04-2005 |
my favorite story is when he went out for high school basketball and ended up walking home late after practice, and he was worried about wolves (part-wolf dogs his neighbor raised) prowling around at dark. he started taking the double-barreled 16-gauge shotgun to school. i asked where he put it. he said there was a locker in the boiler room, where "all the kids put their guns." i asked, "all the kids?" he said many went hunting or plinking after school, no big deal. i then started thinking about two boys exchanging words at school, and putting down their guns, so they could fight. |
