Silence (2016 film)

Silence
Silence
	Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Martin Scorsese
Screenplay by	Jay Cocks; Martin Scorsese;
Based on	Silence; by Shūsaku Endō
Produced by	Martin Scorsese; Emma Tillinger Koskoff; Randall Emmett; Barbara De Fina; Gastón Pavlovich; Irwin Winkler; Vittorio Cecchi Gori;
Starring	Andrew Garfield; Adam Driver; Tadanobu Asano; Ciarán Hinds; Liam Neeson;
Cinematography	Rodrigo Prieto
Edited by	Thelma Schoonmaker
Music by	Kim Allen Kluge; Kathryn Kluge;
Production; companies	SharpSword Films; AI Film; CatchPlay; IM Global; Verdi Productions; YLK; Sikelia Productions; Fábrica de Cine; The Fyzz Facility; Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films;
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures (United States); StudioCanal (United Kingdom); CatchPlay Films (Taiwan); Gussi Cinema (Mexico);
Release dates	November 29, 2016 (Pontifical Oriental Institute); December 23, 2016 (United States); January 1, 2017 (United Kingdom);
Running time	161 minutes
Countries	United States; Taiwan; Mexico; United Kingdom;
Languages	English; Japanese;
Budget	$40–50 million
Box office	$24 million

Silence is a 2016 epic historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese from a screenplay by Jay Cocks and Scorsese, based on the 1966 novel of the same name by Shūsaku Endō, marking the third filmed adaptation of the novel. The film stars Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, Tadanobu Asano, Ciarán Hinds and Liam Neeson. The plot follows two 17th-century Jesuit priests who travel from Portugal to Edo period Japan via Macau to locate their missing mentor and spread Catholic Christianity. It is the third of Scorsese's films about religious figures struggling with challenges of faith, following The Last Temptation of Christ (1988) and Kundun (1997).

The pre-production phase of the filmmaking for Silence went through a cycle of over two decades of setbacks and reassessments. After filming of The Wolf of Wall Street concluded in January 2013, Scorsese committed to following it up with Silence. On April 19, 2013, Scorsese indicated that he would begin production on Silence in 2014. Irwin Winkler was then announced as a producer, as were Randall Emmett and George Furla, who would provide financing through their company Emmett/Furla Films. Soon thereafter, planning was made for the film to be shot in Taiwan.

A long-time passion project for Scorsese, which he had developed for over 25 years, Silence premiered in Rome on November 29, 2016, and was released in the United States on December 23, 2016. Though it received critical acclaim, being selected as one of the top ten films of the year by both the National Board of Review and the American Film Institute and being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography, it was a box office bomb, grossing $24 million against its $50 million budget.

^ "Verdi Productions". Verdifilms.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
^ Grater, Tom. "Studiocanal to release Scorsese's 'Silence' in UK". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on August 20, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.
^ "Silence (15)". British Board of Film Classification. December 12, 2016. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
^ Goldberg, Matt (January 22, 2015). "Martin Scorsese's Silence to Begin Filming on January 30th in Taiwan". Collider. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
^ Peter Debruge (December 10, 2016). "Film Review: Martin Scorsese's 'Silence'". Variety. Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2017.
^ Richard Combs (January 2, 2017). "Film of the week: Silence, Martin Scorsese's journey through the valley of doubt". Sight & Sound. Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2017.
^ Cite error: The named reference opening was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ "Box Office: 'Hidden Figures' Dominates MLK Weekend as 'Live by Night,' 'Monster Trucks,' 'Silence' Collapse". Variety. January 16, 2017. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
^ "Box-Office Pileup: Three Major Films Crash and Burn in Same Weekend". The Hollywood Reporter. January 13, 2017. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.
^ "Silence (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2025.

[1] "Verdi Productions". Verdifilms.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2017.

[2] Grater, Tom. "Studiocanal to release Scorsese's 'Silence' in UK". Screen Daily. Archived from the original on August 20, 2018. Retrieved August 20, 2018.

[3] "Silence (15)". British Board of Film Classification. December 12, 2016. Archived from the original on December 20, 2016. Retrieved January 14, 2017.

[4] Goldberg, Matt (January 22, 2015). "Martin Scorsese's Silence to Begin Filming on January 30th in Taiwan". Collider. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.

[5] Peter Debruge (December 10, 2016). "Film Review: Martin Scorsese's 'Silence'". Variety. Archived from the original on January 4, 2017. Retrieved January 4, 2017.

[6] Richard Combs (January 2, 2017). "Film of the week: Silence, Martin Scorsese's journey through the valley of doubt". Sight & Sound. Archived from the original on January 7, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2017.

[opening-7] Cite error: The named reference opening was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[budget-8] "Box Office: 'Hidden Figures' Dominates MLK Weekend as 'Live by Night,' 'Monster Trucks,' 'Silence' Collapse". Variety. January 16, 2017. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.

[9] "Box-Office Pileup: Three Major Films Crash and Burn in Same Weekend". The Hollywood Reporter. January 13, 2017. Archived from the original on August 5, 2017. Retrieved August 4, 2017.

[BOM-10] "Silence (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2025.

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