A budget puzzle piece that transformed into an obsession of the public
The claustrophobic sci-fi and horror film titled ‘Cube’ released in the year 1997 in the hands of Canadian director Vincenzo Natali. The film, like many others, faced the issue of funding as it was recorded on minimal expenditure when relative to the end result of the film. The film was recorded solely on a single rotating set and did not feature a single ‘A-lister’ to promote it, which did not help with funding. Despite this, the film was liked and has been a cult classic ever since.
The film, to many actors, was a passion project. The film was an indie and relatively low budget feature. Because of this, it gave many of the actors the opportunity for a breath of fresh creativity, as well as offering pleasant atmosphere. For a couple of actors, this film drifted them into oblivion, however for others this led them into a life riddled with artistic pursuits.
Nicole de Boer as The Architect and his Shadows
Nicole de Boer, as Leaven, plays the role of a mathematics student who puts the big puzzle in together. She also, after being the anchor of her character, projected a mental image of the group with grace and intellect. She is an actress who many audience appreciates for her character, as despite being in a film, is somehow relatable.
Immediately after Cube, de Boer was quite fortunate to seize the role of Ezri Dax in the television show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. Although she freely admitted that the excitement of being a part of “Star Trek” was phenomenal, she also admitted that the “Star Trek” fandom could sometimes be a little overbearing. Ironically, being typecast is a brace double-edged sword: the science fiction genre is always guaranteed to furnish employment opportunities, but other genres are not so favorable.
In her off screen character, de Boer remained a fierce supporter of Canadian independent film by going back to do smaller projects even after mainstream exposure. She considered Cube the starting point of a lifelong struggle between cult status and the effort to keep it in a highly competitive industry.
The Cold Precision of David Hewlett
The character of Worth, in Cube, remains the most memorable of and most appreciated, and that is thanks to the work of David Hewlett. His spectacular work added a lot of emotion to the film and enabled it to show another side too.
Hewlett’s career took off after Cube and took on a life of its on in science fiction. He was a permanent part of the Stargate franchise and made a mark for himself after playing the witty and sarcastic Dr. Rodney McKay. The best part, however, was that the Cube fans loved how the witty and sarcastic McKay was a progression from what they loved in Cube.
Hewlett himself enjoyed the passion of the fandoms. He later on took the time to work on his own sci-fi films after having conversed with a number of fans on the internet. For him, the film Cube was not a burden, but a foundation that showed how peculiar roles could take you to now envisioned paths.
Maurice Dean Wint’s The Brutality
Quentin, a demagogue police officer, is the most menacing character in the movie thanks to the work of Maurice Dean Wint. He attributes a lot of his character’s paranoia and outlandish behavior to the roots of violent aggression. His performance exemplifies how the most mundane forms of authority deteriorate and crumble under the burden of pressure which was, in fact, what a lot of the audience members were terrified of more than the cube itself.
As for Wint’s account of the period, the experience offered a juxtaposition. Many casting directors couldn’t separate him from Quentin’s menace, and he admitted in interviews that being recalled as The Violent Cop from Cube was a little problematic. Regardless, he managed to enjoy steady employment in television in Canada, fulfilling roles aimed at softening the public perception of him while demonstrating range.
In the case of Wint, he was the antithesis of the role he was cast to play. He was remembered by castmates as selfless, and quite protective, as opposed to the quentin character whose reckless outbursts of fury, if anything, deepened the respect that the other actors accompanied to him for his artistry.
Julian Richings: from the mysterious Alderson to a horror icon.
Richings might not have been as lucky as Alderson, but as the quiet man who meets a most unfortunate demise within the very first moments of a film, he manages to stand out to a disappointing degree. He is almost otherworldly while in the super pose, and his presence manages to linger long after his exit.
Julian Richings now is a prominent Canadian character actor, as he embraced the genre of horror and fantasy. He later appeared in a profoundly static and motionless role in Supernatural, where he plays Death, as he equally undertook in his short role in Cube. This is to say, he has made a career out of the belief that if a certain feature film is in his possession, that actor’s reputation is established irrespective of the limited screen time he has.
Behind the Rotating Walls
For the cast, as well as the characters, Shooting Cube was as much a survival test as it was a film shoot. The crew had a very limited budget for the film, so they could only create one cube set and spent the rest of their time changing the color gels to try and create the look of hundreds of rooms. The time spent was long, the space was small and was described as claustrophobic, and the studio lights often made the perditions unbearable.
Those challenges brought about unforeseen connections. Nicole de Boer remembers the cast using humor in between takes to ease the tension of such a stifling atmosphere. David Hewlett made the quip. “we were trapped together just as much as the characters were.” This raw authenticity only added to their performances.
Improvisation was yet another way the actors could help define their characters and how they would react to the pressure of being confined. Natali promoted a great deal of improvisation, and while the story itself was very rigid, it was able to give rise to some very natural silences and outbursts that would be impossible to script.
The impact of the film was far-reaching and wide, with most of the population mesmerized by science fiction and horror loving the picturesque minimalistic scenery of the film.
“I think it was to prove that with a little imagination, you can have a film with a dilapidated set, and no A-list actors and still mesmerize the audience.” Said Wint.
But the film didn’t have a set to rave over, nor actors with glamourous, A-list attributes and the notion of a ‘cult success’ was rather laughable.
The Change: Society and Technology
The demographic of fans has also broadened considerably with the growing popularity of science fiction and horror. Grave theorists and film enthusiasts of the later part of the twentieth century can still be spotted, fascinated with the use of science to create fiction and vice versa.
“I feel like the audience has morphed into restless adolescents and newborns who try to mold the entire genre for a few hours of entertainment,” Wint added.
The same could be said about the genre, with many enthusiastic creators, almost like a cake waiting to be integrated with special toppings and cream.
Nicole, one of the ‘stars’ of the show, grew into almost the female definition of what it meant to be a horror icon, and was noted to walk spine-chillingly graceful, as if beckoning you to a realm filled with blood and fog, worlds apart from the reality we live in now.
The film has now taken on a life of its own as a sort of riddle, being replayed, reanalyzed, and marvelled at for its ability to do so much while using so little, for as how long its reinterpreted, rewatched, and adored. The cast, however, viewed it as more than a simple addition to their resumes; it was the work that connected them to a dedicated following that will not allow Cube to vanish from history.
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