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59-505: Franklyn is a 2008 British science fantasy film written and directed by Gerald McMorrow as his debut feature. The film stars Eva Green , Ryan Phillippe , and Sam Riley . Franklyn had its world premiere at BFI London Film Festival on 16 October 2008, and was released in the United Kingdom on 27 February 2009, by eOne . In a comic book-like world , Jonathan Preest is the masked vigilante of Meanwhile City, where everyone

118-430: A space opera ". Long Way Round Long Way Round ( LWR ) is a British television series and book documenting the 19,000-mile (31,000 km) journey of Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman from London to New York City on motorcycles. They travelled eastwards through Europe and Asia, flew to Alaska , and continued by road to New York. The series aired on Sky One from 18 October 2004 – 1 February 2005 and

177-525: A spoke on his rear wheel, which was replaced by The Motorcycle Shop in Anchorage. All of the motorcycles also suffered bumps, scrapes and cracks, but, except for von Planta's BMW, ultimately survived the journey. The music in Long Way Round was picked by McGregor and Boorman and includes tracks from Stereophonics , Blur , Coldplay , Orbital , Massive Attack , and Radiohead . The theme song

236-577: A 57% Fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes . Rights to Franklyn were purchased from sales and financier HanWay Films by Contender Films for the United Kingdom, and Seville Pictures for Canada, with both distributors operating under their parent company Entertainment One. Franklyn premiered at the 52nd London Film Festival on 16 October 2008. The film was released theatrically in the United Kingdom on 27 February 2009. Dave Calhoun of Time Out opined: "Produced by British industry veteran Jeremy Thomas, McMorrow’s admirable if not entirely coherent debut follows

295-504: A broken frame after a bad fall in Mongolia, and only a bodge-job by Boorman using tire levers and cable-ties enabled them to get to the next town, where it could be welded. Afterward, they realized that the anti-lock braking system no longer worked (due to the battery not being disconnected prior to the electric arc welder being used to repair the frame), and the entire bike had to be shipped to Ulaanbaatar and sent home. A replacement

354-415: A conversation with the hospital's janitor and another botched suicide attempt, Emilia decides to confront her mother. It turns out that, as a child, Emilia was abused by her father and told her mother about it. For her entire life, Emilia has thought that her mother did not believe her. Her mother reveals that she did believe Emilia, and that is why they left her father. The two women reconcile. Peter goes to

413-630: A doctor with them on the Siberian part of the trip, where they would be far from medical help. Researchers, dubbed "Ewan and Charley's Angels", helped get the team on the road and acquire all the necessary paperwork and visas. McGregor advocated riding BMW motorcycles , while Boorman preferred KTM (a specialist Austrian motocross and off-road bike manufacturer). They had also considered Honda . After off-road tests on KTM and BMW machines, McGregor agreed to go for KTMs, but KTM ultimately declined to provide them with promotional bikes, out of concern that

472-584: A jigsaw of his own delusions." Preest's mask was primarily influenced by Claude Rains ' film of H. G. Wells ' novel The Invisible Man . Preest also bears a resemblance to the character Rorschach in Watchmen , not only in terms of clothing but in terms of character. Franklyn had a budget of £6 million, of which £1 million was provided by the UK Film Council through its Premiere Fund. Production began on 24 September 2007 in and around London , and

531-471: A mixture of science fiction and fantasy in Startling Stories magazine. Critic Judith Murry considered science fantasy as works of fantasy in which magic has a natural scientific basis. Science fiction critic John Clute chose the narrower term "technological fantasy" from the broader concept of "science fiction". The label first came into wide use after many science fantasy stories were published in

590-410: A part of science fiction that was not plausible from the point of view of the science of the time (for example, the use of nuclear weapons in H.G. Wells' novel The World Set Free was a science fantasy from the point of view of Newtonian physics and a work of science fiction from the point of view of Einstein's theory). In 1948, writer Marion Zimmer (later known as Zimmer Bradley) called "science fantasy"

649-617: A similar dystopia to his 2002 short Thespian X . In October 2006, actor Ewan McGregor was cast as the lead in the film, which was slated to begin production in summer 2007. However, McGregor broke his leg in a biking accident in February 2007 during the second series of Long Way Round and was forced to leave the project. Actors Eva Green , Ryan Phillippe , and newcomer Sam Riley were cast in Franklyn in September 2007. Phillippe

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708-474: A television news crew and offerings of fermented milk. The team grew tired of these unscheduled events and eventually insisted they be allowed to travel alone. After an incident when a passenger in a passing car pointed a handgun at them on a deserted stretch of highway, the team realised the value of police protection and were glad to see the authorities when they reached the next town. The on-board cameras used by McGregor and Boorman were designed specifically for

767-501: Is a troubled art student living in London. During one of her arts projects, she records herself calling an ambulance and taking a deadly amount of pills. The ambulance arrives in time to save her, and she wakes up in a hospital. In that same building, Peter, a religious man, looks for his son David, who has become mentally unstable after returning from the war. He has been reported to be at that hospital before fleeing. After learning that

826-451: Is imaginary; a character he constructed as a child while dealing with the death of his father. He nonetheless goes to the restaurant the night of the date. At a shelter for the homeless, Peter meets Bill, an old acquaintance of David from his time in Basra. David recently attacked Bill and gave him a note with an address. Bill, who looks a lot like Wormsnake, fears David will kill him. After

885-416: Is legally enforced to adopt a religion. Preest, the only atheist in town, learns that his nemesis, The Individual, has kidnapped a girl. While looking for her, he is captured by the local authorities. Promising to eventually release him, they bring Preest to an operating room to implant a homing device on him. Before they can do that, Preest fights his way out of the building. In a reality like our own, Emilia

944-427: Is secretly following and recording strangers, occasionally disguising herself with a red wig. One of the strangers is named Milo, and his fiancée left him days before the wedding. Heartbroken, Milo starts believing an old childhood friend, a redhead named Sally, is everywhere he goes. He eventually talks to Sally, who looks a lot like Emilia, and arranges a date at a restaurant. Milo later learns from his mother that Sally

1003-505: The Orange County Choppers crew. In addition to McGregor, Boorman, and von Planta, the team had a support crew of producers David Alexanian and Russ Malkin , and cinematographer Jimmy Simak. For the journey through Asia, they were also accompanied by security advisor Sergey and doctor Vasily. The crew travelled in two Mitsubishi off-road vehicles – a red L200 Animal LWB 4x4 pick-up (which overturned in Mongolia and

1062-564: The vehicle registration certificates, while the team only had photocopies. After the team waited around twelve hours, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs contacted the checkpoint and insisted that the team be let through. The police in Kazakhstan often insisted on escorting the team through the country. The journey became a local news story, and the police would bring them to impromptu welcoming parties, usually featuring

1121-496: The 1950s and 1960s. The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction points out that as a genre, science fantasy "has never been clearly defined", and was most commonly used in the period between 1950 and 1966. The Star Trek franchise created by Gene Roddenberry is sometimes cited as an example of science fantasy. Writer James F. Broderick describes Star Trek as science fantasy because it includes semi-futuristic as well as supernatural/fantasy elements such as The Q . According to

1180-613: The American pulp magazines , such as Robert A. Heinlein 's Magic, Inc. , L. Ron Hubbard 's Slaves of Sleep , and Fletcher Pratt and L. Sprague de Camp 's Harold Shea series. All were relatively rationalistic stories published in John W. Campbell Jr. 's Unknown magazine. These were a deliberate attempt to apply the techniques and attitudes of science fiction to traditional fantasy subjects. Distinguishing between pure science fiction and pure fantasy, Rod Serling argued that

1239-675: The US over a cumulative distance of 18,887 miles (30,396 km). The only sections not undertaken by motorcycle were the 31-mile (50 km) passage through the Channel Tunnel , 580 miles (930 km) by train in Siberia to circumvent the Zilov Gap , several river crossings and a short impassable section in eastern Russia undertaken by truck, and a 2,505-mile (4,031 km) flight from Magadan in eastern Russia to Anchorage, Alaska in

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1298-510: The US. The riders took their BMW motorcycles through deep and swollen rivers, many without functioning bridges, while travelling along the Road of Bones to Magadan . The summer runoff from the icemelt was in full flow, and the bikes eventually had to be loaded onto passing trucks to be ferried across a few of the deepest rivers. The team stayed mainly in hotels while in Europe, North America, and

1357-497: The actual world does not supply', with the stuff of desires, dreams, and dread." Henry Kuttner and C. L. Moore published novels in Startling Stories , alone and together, which were far more romantic . These were closely related to the work that they and others were doing for outlets like Weird Tales , such as Moore's Northwest Smith stories. Ace Books published a number of books as science fantasy during

1416-471: The address in Bill's note, which turns out to be the building where Emilia lives. Baffled, he decides to go to the restaurant in front of the building, the same where Milo is "dating" Sally. David, who looks a lot like Preest, breaks into Emilia's apartment, hits her and uses her window to aim a rifle at his father in the restaurant below. The Meanwhile City reality is actually a fantasy constructed by David after

1475-434: The doctor rolled their off-roader in Mongolia, but escaped with minor injuries. Boorman badly strained his left shoulder in Siberia and was unable to ride for several days (mostly while they were riding on local trucks or with their support crew). McGregor was struck by a very young driver outside Calgary and was lucky that his panniers took the brunt of what could have been a very serious incident. The following day, Boorman

1534-473: The expedition. Operating within hostile and dangerous environments (such as unauthorised checkpoints) was covered by ex- SAS Major Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton . Training also covered off-road riding, the Russian language, and motorbike maintenance. They took advice from experts and embassy officials about the more remote countries they were to visit. During the first aid training, McGregor decided they would take

1593-400: The film its name). Riley follows Control by leaning heavily on middle-distance stares and up-turned collars, while Green is a troubled art student with a good line in haute couture , and Philippe is a troubled ex-soldier. The main problem is that by the time this tricksy film finally plays its hand, many viewers may already have been lost at the wayside." Derek Elley of Variety thought

1652-418: The film, "The visual style is impressive but the storylines are thin and the characters all extremely irritating." Fionnuala Halligan of Screen International weighed in: "It's unusual in the current film-making climate to see an independent director making such an ambitious debut as Gerald McMorrow's Franklyn . He aims high, visually and conceptually, but a more experienced director would have trouble finding

1711-584: The first case, Boorman attempted to stop a petrol pump by putting his finger over the nozzle, only to send a jet of fuel directly into McGregor's face; in the second, petrol gushed out of McGregor's own bike's tank while filling. McGregor's forehead became badly swollen around a mosquito bite in Kazakhstan, which required treatment. McGregor also showed his badly bitten rear in Far East Russia and revealed that his penis had become swollen and painful, again due to mosquito bites. Russ Malkin and Vassili

1770-494: The following: The music selection is also slightly different between the two versions. On September 18, 2020, the 10-episode edition was made available for streaming on Apple TV+ . McGregor, Boorman and the LWR team undertook a second journey known as Long Way Down , riding from John o' Groats in northern Scotland to Cape Town , South Africa in 2007. As with Long Way Round , visiting and raising awareness for UNICEF projects

1829-416: The former was "the improbable made possible" while the latter was "the impossible made probable". As a combination of the two, science fantasy gives a scientific veneer of realism to things that simply could not happen in the real world under any circumstances. Where science fiction does not permit the existence of fantastical or supernatural elements, science fantasy explicitly relies upon them to complement

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1888-430: The gas heater. Realizing what he has actually done, David commits suicide by igniting the gas, causing an explosion that destroys the apartment. Emilia, who was running out of the apartment, survives. Leaving the building, she is spotted by Milo. As the paramedics arrive on the scene, Milo and Emilia meet. Writer-director Gerald McMorrow wrote the original science fiction script Franklyn as his feature debut. It depicts

1947-486: The kidnapped girl has been killed by the Individual, Preest visits Wormsnake, his usual informant, and attacks him. Pretending he wants to arrange a meeting to talk things out, Preest gives Wormsnake a note with an address and tells him to give it to the Individual. He then hides in the building in front of the one referenced in the note and, holding a sniper rifle, awaits the Individual. Another one of Emilia's projects

2006-400: The late science fiction author Arthur C. Clarke , many purists argue that Star Trek is science fantasy rather than science fiction because of its scientifically improbable elements, which he partially agreed with. The status of Star Wars as a science fantasy franchise has been debated. In 2015, George Lucas stated that " Star Wars isn't a science-fiction film, it's a fantasy film and

2065-452: The lives of four people in and around London who are attempting to cope with various crises in their lives, from a relationship break-up and the search for a missing son to the psychological after-effects of military service. The film treads a fine line between realism and fantasy, occasionally dipping out of the world as we know it to visit a seductively strange vision of the capital that appears part-futuristic and part-medieval (and which gives

2124-781: The more populated parts of Russia, but frequently had to camp out in Kazakhstan and Mongolia. They visited various sights and landmarks en route, including the Church of Bones in the Czech Republic, the Mask of Sorrow monument (described as the "Mask of Grief" in the show) in Magadan, and Mount Rushmore in the USA. They arrived in New York on schedule and rode into the city accompanied by a phalanx of bikers, including McGregor's father Jim and

2183-492: The outreach center, McGregor was charmed by a young orphan girl, whom he and his wife adopted after production, named Jamyan McGregor. Details of meeting Jamyan and the adoption, as well as a now-grown Jamyan, were featured in the 2020 series Long Way Up . Ewan McGregor had petrol sprayed into his (recently laser-corrected) eyes at filling stations on two occasions, one of which required a trip to an optometrist in Ukraine. In

2242-425: The premise better suited to a novella rather than a feature film, believing that Franklyn lacked an emotional payoff. Elley criticized the script for not developing the ideas it introduced and for lacking background on the characters. The critic also considered Phillippe and Riley to be poor casting in their roles, while Green could not present her dual roles dramatically. Jason Solomons of The Observer reviewed

2301-471: The religious iconography he saw in Mexico City shopping malls. He later explained: "The idea was that if you're going to have a capital city based on religion, you've got somewhere like Florence or Rome and send somewhere like that three miles into the sky... Part of Preest's delirium and fantasies are based on the religion surrounding him and comics he read and films he saw. He sort of pieces together

2360-561: The right tone to pull this intricate plot off. Notices should be at least encouraging: McMorrow has pulled off a very handsome look on a limited budget." Science fantasy During the Golden Age of Science Fiction , science fantasy stories were seen in sharp contrast to the terse, scientifically plausible material that came to dominate mainstream science fiction, typified by the magazine Astounding Science Fiction . Although science fantasy stories at that time were often relegated to

2419-442: The route was especially wet and muddy, making the heavy BMW bikes undrivable and forcing McGregor and Boorman to man-handle them for long distances, whilst von Planta on the much lighter Planeta had no trouble riding. The frame of McGregor's bike broke in two places just past the small city of Tynda in Siberia, forcing them to flag down a passing truck which took them back to Tynda for more welding . One of McGregor's greatest fears

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2478-492: The scientific elements. In explaining the intrigue of science fantasy, Carl D. Malmgren provides an intro regarding C. S. Lewis 's speculation on the emotional needs at work in the subgenre: "In the counternatural worlds of science fantasy, the imaginary and the actual, the magical and the prosaic, the mythical and the scientific, meet and interanimate. In so doing, these worlds inspire us with new sensations and experiences, with [quoting C. S. Lewis] 'such beauty, awe, or terror as

2537-529: The southern tip of South America and drove 13,000 miles (21,000 kilometres) to Los Angeles, California. McGregor and Boorman rode Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycles, while the crew vehicles included prototype Rivian electric trucks. McGregor and Boorman were inspired by motorcyclist Ted Simon 's book Jupiter's Travels . They met with Simon in Mongolia. They also watched Austin Vince’s Mondo Enduro and called him for advice before reaching

2596-483: The status of children's entertainment, their freedom of imagination and romance proved to be an early major influence on the "New Wave" writers of the 1960s, who became exasperated by the limitations of "Hard Science Fiction" . The term "science fantasy" was coined in 1935 by critic Forrest J. Ackerman as a synonym for science fiction. In the 1950s, the British journalist Walter Gillings considered science fantasy as

2655-452: The team crossed from the Czech Republic into Slovakia, they realised that they hadn't received a stamp on their carnet (a document that ensures expensive items brought into a country are not sold) when entering the Czech Republic. This could have led to the seizure of their cameras, but a bribe was paid and the team allowed to continue. A similar problem occurred when crossing into Ukraine: border officials insisted on seeing original copies of

2714-400: The team might fail. BMW then contributed three BMW R1150GS all-terrain motorcycles, which were modified to help the team achieve and document their mission. They were also equipped with cameras, microphones and display/viewfinder screens mounted on the dashboards. A customised GPS with specially mapped waypoints in Mongolia and Siberia was crucial in areas with no roads or signposts. When

2773-483: The trauma of both the war and losing his sister at a young age. When she died, Peter told David that her death was part of God's plan, in an attempt to reasure him. Peter's attitude had the opposite effect on David, who has resented his father ever since. Believing himself to be a hero, he shoots at the exact moment that Milo stands up to "kiss" Sally. The bullet ends up hitting Milo and makes everyone around him panic. Meanwhile, in yet another suicide attempt, Emilia turns on

2832-517: The trip by Sonic Communications, in consultation with the team. Each rider controlled two cameras, including one built into his helmet, to provide a panoramic forward view. The second was removable to allow McGregor and Boorman to hold them, and to prevent theft or damage when the bikes were left unattended. They could see what they were filming on a small monitor attached to the handlebars. Von Planta and Jimmy Simak both carried more sophisticated camera equipment to capture story, scenery and action shots of

2891-563: The two principal stars. The journey was also used to promote the humanitarian efforts of UNICEF , and the team took time to visit and film some of its work. The projects visited were an orphanage in Ukraine housing children affected by the Chernobyl disaster , a climbing wall at a youth centre in Kazakhstan, and an outreach project working with street children living in the heating systems of apartment blocks in Ulaanbaatar , Mongolia. At

2950-475: Was an important part of the journey. Boorman competed in the 2006 Dakar Rally , which was filmed and broadcast in various countries as Race to Dakar . Boorman has also undertaken trips from Ireland to Sydney ( By Any Means ) and from Sydney to Tokyo ( Right to the Edge: Sydney to Tokyo By Any Means ). McGregor, Boorman, and the LWR crew's third journey was titled Long Way Up . They departed from

3009-466: Was bumped while stationary by a driver who reversed into him at slow speed, but without causing injury or major damage. Cameraman Claudio von Planta had an opportunist thief steal his tent and personal effects whilst left unattended in Siberia. Boorman also had his wallet stolen from his jeans at some natural hot springs in Canada, losing $ 500 and €400 along with his credit cards. Von Planta's bike suffered

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3068-497: Was completed by December 2007. Major locations included an East End bar and Greenwich Naval College, where many of the CGI sequences were shot. McMorrow described his approach, "I used an atypical and off-kilter background, and told a story that wouldn't normally be told. The film was set around some tricky locations but we managed to shoot it." The film entered post-production by April 2008. Franklyn opened to mixed reviews, receiving

3127-465: Was drawing water into his engine, which affected his bike twice while crossing Siberian rivers. He pumped out water from the engine and exhaust, and the bike restarted. The bikes also sustained problems after being incorrectly stowed during the flight from Magadan, which required a full service when they arrived in Alaska. Boorman's bike suffered the only serious tire puncture of the trip. Boorman also broke

3186-617: Was exchanged for a Ford Excursion in Alaska) and a black Shogun Warrior DI-D automatic estate. Additional vehicles such as a Ulyanovsk Automobile Plant 4x4 van were also used by the support crew during the Russian/East Asia segment. The vehicles generally followed about a day behind the bikers, meeting them at border crossings and when circumstances required a greater degree of teamwork. Before setting off from London, McGregor and Boorman received specialist training to prepare for

3245-409: Was found locally (nicknamed 'The Red Devil'), a new Russian-made IZh Planeta 5, purchased for about US$ 1,000. This later developed gearbox problems. Two passing Mongolian sheep herders were able to quickly repair it, laughing that McGregor and Boorman had such high-quality tools but little idea how to fix the bike, with McGregor and Boorman finding the irony as funny as their helpers. The next part of

3304-570: Was released, extending the series to ten episodes of about 45 minutes over three discs (and without the original bonus disc), totalling around 540 minutes. Differences between the two versions are notably at the beginning (the original covers their preparation with one episode rather than two), and at the end (the original shows their trip from Anchorage through Canada to New York in one episode rather than two). The special edition also dedicates an episode to retrospective interviews one year later. The special edition's episodes are unnamed, but cover roughly

3363-577: Was repeated on BBC Two in 2008. The series was added to Apple TV+ on 18 September 2020, along with sequels Long Way Down (2007) and Long Way Up (2020). From 14 April to 29 July 2004, Ewan McGregor, Charley Boorman and cinematographer Claudio von Planta travelled eastwards from London to New York City. The journey passed through twelve countries, starting in the UK and riding across France , Belgium , Germany , Czech Republic , Slovakia , Ukraine , Russia , Kazakhstan , Mongolia , Canada , and

3422-411: Was the last to be cast in what McMorrow termed a 'now or never' situation, saying of their first meeting: "You have preconceptions about people... You expect the bleach-blond Californian kid and what you got was an incredibly erudite, brought-up-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks Philadelphia actor. When I met him we did not stop talking all afternoon." McMorrow's visual inspiration for Meanwhile City came from

3481-473: Was written and performed by Kelly Jones , the lead singer of Stereophonics. McGregor and Jones had discussed ideas for the song by text message during the trip. A two-disc DVD was released as a mini-series late in 2005, consisting of seven episodes of about 45 minutes each, totalling around 400 minutes. The episodes are unnamed, but cover roughly the following: The accompanying bonus disc contains several short features and deleted scenes. A special edition DVD

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