Cold Fever

Cold Fever
Image:Cold Fever poster.jpg Icelandic theatrical poster.
Directed by	Friðrik Þór Friðriksson
Produced by	Jim Stark
Written by	Friðrik Þór Friðriksson Jim Stark
Starring	Masatoshi Nagase Lili Taylor Fisher Stevens
Music by	Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson
Cinematography	Ari Kristinsson
Editing by	Steingrímur Karlsson
Distributed by	Artistic License Films Iceland Film Corporation
Release date(s)	September 13, 1995 (TIFF) February 23, 1996
Running time	83 min (USA) 85 min (Germany)
Country	Iceland
Language	English, Icelandic, Japonese, German
Budget	ISK 130,000,000 (estimated)
IMDb profile

Cold Fever (Icelandic: Á köldum klaka) is a 1995 Icelandic film directed by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson. It is a road movie set in Iceland and was the first of Friðriksson's films to be made in the English language. The movie depicts the travels of a Japanese man across Iceland. It was jokingly promoted as the best Icelandic-Japanese road movie of 1995.

Synopsis

Hirata (Masatoshi Nagase) is a successful Japanese businessman whose plan for a two-week holiday in Hawaii changes when his grandfather (Seijun Suzuki) reminds him that he should go Iceland.

Hirata’s parents died there seven years ago, and the seven year death anniversary is a significant event in Japanese culture. Hirata must perform a ceremony in the river where they died - the drowned must be fed by the surviving family members if they are to find peace.

Hirata goes to Iceland - to Reykjavík. His final destination is a remote river on the far side of the island. He decides to purchase an ancient, bright red Citroën DS to make the journey and meets several strange people along the way. These include the mystical woman who sells him the car, that only plays one radio station, a woman who collects photographs of funerals, two American hitchhiker/fugitives (Lili Taylor and Fisher Stevens), who turn out to be armed and dangerous, and nearing his destination, an old man (Gísli Halldórsson) who teaches Hirata how to drink the most potent alcoholic beverage in Iceland.

Style

The film is humorous in tone with an unpredictable plot.^{[citation needed]} The cinematography highlights the beauty of Iceland's glaciers, rivers, and volcanic formations;^{[citation needed]} to accentuate this, the brief scenes in Japan were shot with the television aspect ratio of 1.33:1, while in Iceland the aspect ratio changes to the cinemascope (2.35:1).^{[citation needed]}

The film bears resemblance to the understated style made popular by director Jim Jarmusch.^{[citation needed]}

Themes

Cold Fever is about the value of striving hard for goals, but suggests that our most rewarding experiences are not planned, but come out of the blue.^{[citation needed]}

Credits

Cast

• Masatoshi Nagase: Hirata.
• Lili Taylor: Jill.
• Fisher Stevens: Jack.
• Gísli Halldórsson: Siggi.
• Seijun Suzuki: Grandfather.
• Laura Huges: Laura.
• Jóhannes B. Guðmundsson: Old Man.
• Bríet Héðinsdóttir: Old Woman.
• Guðmundur Karl Sigurdórsson: Guest at Thorrablot (uncredited).
• Magnús Ólafsson: ???
• Rúrik Haraldsson: ???
• Flosi Ólafsson: ???
• Ari Matthíasson: ???
• Álfrún Örnólfsdóttir: ???
• Hallbjörn Hjartarson: ???
• Katrín Ólafsdóttir: ???
• Jóhannes Grínari: ???

Crew

Director: Friðrik Þór Friðriksson.
Screenplay: Jim Stark and Friðrik Þór Friðriksson.
Producer: Jim Stark.
Co-producer: George Gund III.
Executive producer: Reinhard Brundig, Peter Aalbæk Jensen, and Christa Saredi.
Line producer: Ari Kristinsson.
Director of Photography: Ari Kristinsson.
Production Designer: Árni Páll Jóhannsson.
Editor: Steingrímur Karlsson.
Film edition: Steingrímur Karlsson.
Sound Design: Kjartan Kjartansson.
Sound edition: Ingvar Lundberg.
Music: Hilmar Örn Hilmarsson.
Featuring “Killer Boogie” by Þeyr.
Costume design: María Ólafsdóttir.
Production manager: Inga Björk Sólnes.
Gaffer: Andreas Burkhard.
Generator operator: Eggert Einarsson.
Still photography: Mark Higashino.
Script supervisor: Inga Lísa Middleton.
Colour grader: Petra Schütt.
Production: Icelandic Film Corporation, Iciclefilm, Pandora Film, Sunrice Inc., Zentropa Entertainments, Georg Gund III.
Support: Film Fond of Hamburg.

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