Proof of Life (2000)

Hackford reveals, "I knew that this would be a difficult film to shoot and so I handpicked my crew. This is an international film in front and behind the camera."

Twenty-one nationalities made up the cast and crew. They came from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chechnya. Columbia, Cuba, Ecuador, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Poland, Russia, South Africa, United States and Venezuela. Everyone knew it would be an international movie that was breaking new ground by shooting in places that had never experienced a Hollywood production.

The conditions varied from ice cold to steamy and humid and were complicated with the threat of altitude sickness once the production moved to the Andes. At one point thirty crew members were forced off the set while filming 'Camp Insanity' because lack of oxygen at 14,000 feet made it difficult to work. All departments adapted to the harsh environment and became a unified team as they overcame the difficulties.

Charles Mulvehill, who has produced many films with considerable logistical hurdles as seen in "Red Corner," "Braum Stoker's Dracula" and "Dolores Claiborne" points out, "There was more rain in Ecuador while we were filming there this past spring than had been in the past fitly years and so consequently we had to deal with landslides on roads which affected our travel to and from set."

Meg Ryan comments, "When you're on location, there's sometimes certain kind of hardships and obstacles that a crew goes through that infuses the movie with a different kind of energy that would normally not be there."

Mulvehill agrees, "We had this multinational crew who worked incredibly well together. We went from Poland to Ecuador and then returned to England. In the course of filming, we appreciated that we were sharing these places and experiences with each other."

---