Mosquito Coast

As you probably know, the movie Mosquito Coast is being filmed here. Harrison Ford is starring in the part of the father. He brought his yacht down and is living in solitary ease anchored off the Fort George light.

Alex did not enjoy the book so I never started it. Now I have read it and found it fascinating. The early part moves so slowly and without dramatic tension that I could not imagine how…or why…anyone could make a movie of it. However, the part of the father is a role any ambitions actor would sell his soul for. As a matter of fact, the pressure is on to have the film wrapped up and ready to go by November, before the deadline for Academy Award nominations. The producers’ last major effort was Amadeus, which won 8 Oscars.

Most of the key technical people as well as Harrison Ford had been nominated for Academy Awards for their work in Witness, and one won an Oscar (for film editing, I believe). When the award was announced in March, there was much rejoicing in the Fort George Hotel bar.

From all reports, Ford is an affable, unassuming person, something of a loner. He wanders about Belize disguised only in sun glasses and nothing about him is anything except ordinary. We have heard nothing but good about him…and nothing good about the actress who plays his wife, someone whose name we neither recognized nor remembered, who allegedly has a severe case of Thirty-ish Star-itis.

 

Much of my information comes from Ann Crump who is operating the dispensary for the filming. She is British and a highly trained nurse, and did the same thing when The Dogs of War was filmed here two or three years ago.

The group is a mix of Australians, British, and Americans, and Ann says they are positively paranoid about water and food. In the beginning, a few had brief bouts of illness, which happens anywhere, but they all acted as if they were dying of Rare Tropical Diseases. One man did get very sick, I think from some chronic condition, such as heart, and was flown out. Aside from that, there have been only minor scratches, infected bites, etc. Harrison Ford scraped a knee badly enough for attention, but returned to shooting the scene, which involved climbing and swinging on ropes off his “Fat Boy” refrigeration machine. As I understand it, they shot the scene a dozen times and Ford never complained or appeared tired.

 

Recently one of the Belizeans working on the film lost his Belize City house in a fire. According to Ann, the minute the film crew heard about it, they set out a jar to take up donations. It was filled so quickly that it had to be emptied several times a day. Harrison Ford quietly tucked in a check for $4,000.

 

One of the more colorful members of the cast is Butterfly McQueen, who played the maid Prissy in Gone with the Wind. She is now in her early 70’s, but has the same high, squeaky voice. Ann says she is a real pro and completely business-like about her work, cheerful and friendly with everyone. However, she operates like a bag lady, collecting food scraps for the 7 cats she is keeping in her room at the Fort George.

 

The children in the cast all are delightful, according to Ann, though she would not venture the same evaluation of their parents. There are red-haired twin girls, absolutely indistinguishable, long-time professionals from the East Coast. The young boy lead, about 12, I think has been a professional since before he was a year old, discovered by an ad-agent friend of the family’s. He has modeled in ads and has been in a soap opera for years.

 

Most of the filming is being done at Gracie Rock, where they have built four “Geronimo’s,” the main jungle establishment…assumedly each in a certain stage of development. That means four “Fat Boys,” the crazy, huge invention of an ice machine.

They also are shooting in San Pedro, Manatee Bar, and at various points on the Belize River, Sibun, and Haulover. They will finish filming in Atlanta…obviously the opening scenes. When they filmed in Belize City, the government was so cooperative that they routed traffic over the Belcan Bridge for two days to clear their location at the intersection by St. Mary’s Church and the City Council.