Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog has become one of those westerns that feels inseparable from its landscape, and that is exactly the production magic worth unpacking. The 2021 Western psychological drama is set in Montana in 1925, yet it was filmed mostly in rural areas in New Zealand’s Otago Region. That substitution explains a great deal about the film’s isolated, uneasy mood.
A Montana story was shot in New Zealand
The film is based on Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel and was written, co-produced and directed by Jane Campion. Although the story unfolds on a Montana ranch in 1925, it was filmed mostly in rural areas in New Zealand’s Otago Region. The production became an international co-production between New Zealand, Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
Cumberbatch trained like a real ranch hand
Benedict Cumberbatch had been in Jane Campion’s mind for the role of Phil Burbank; he first caught her attention in the 2012–13 BBC drama Parade’s End. To prepare, he researched the Lewis and Clark Expedition and worked for a time on a Montana cattle ranch near Glacier National Park. He then attended a three-week boot camp to learn horse-riding, rope-throwing, castrating bulls, and playing the banjo.
Campion wanted a female cinematographer
For the film’s look, Campion was specifically looking for a female cinematographer who would embark on a full year of preparations alongside her. She sought out Ari Wegner, who had shot a 2015 ANZ ad campaign with Campion. Their preparation included meticulous storyboarding, sometimes done separately so the two could compare later.
The look came from a frontier photographer
Wegner drew extensively on the work of Evelyn Cameron, an English photographer who moved to Montana near the turn of the 20th century. Period photographs from the Time magazine archives, Ken Burns’s documentary series The West, and the works of artists Andrew Wyeth and Lucian Freud were additional points of reference. The film was shot using two Arri Alexa LF cameras paired with Panavision Ultra Panatar anamorphic lenses, with a 2.40:1 aspect ratio.
Greenwood ditched the sweeping western strings
Jonny Greenwood composed the score and actively avoided the “sweeping strings” typical of Westerns. He opted instead for atonal brass sounds to emphasize the “alien, forbidding” quality of the landscape.
Phil’s banjo was actually a cello
Greenwood was not satisfied with the sound of Phil’s banjo on screen. As an alternative, he played the cello like a banjo on his own, using the same fingerpicking technique. The result, according to Greenwood, was “a nice confusion” and “a sound you recognize, but it’s not a style that you’re familiar with.”
COVID made Greenwood a one-man orchestra
Because of the pandemic and the accompanying restrictions, Greenwood was unable to work with an orchestra. He recorded many of the cello parts himself, layering them to achieve an orchestral texture.
Cumberbatch and Dunst did not speak on set
Filming began in New Zealand in January 2020 in the Maniototo in Central Otago, and also took place in the coastal Otago city of Dunedin and the town of Oamaru. Production was halted in March by the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed in June after border exemptions were granted for cast and crew. Throughout the production, Cumberbatch stayed in character; he and Kirsten Dunst agreed not to speak on set.
Which production detail lingers for you—the silent on-set pact or the cello standing in for a banjo? Tell us your favourite The Power of the Dog fact.
Facts from Wikipedia: The Power of the Dog (film), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Film images from TMDB. This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.
