Is Power Of The Dog Based On A True Story Inspirations Explained

Is Power Of The Dog Based On A True Story? Inspirations Explained

Netflix’s The Power of the Dog is adapted from Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel of the same name, which was based on Savage’s own experiences.

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Is Power Of The Dog Based On A True Story Inspirations Explained

Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Power of the Dog.

Netflix’s The Power of the Dog tells a complex and gritty adaptation of a novel that itself is partly based on a true story and inspired by the real-life experiences of its author. Directed and adapted by Academy Award-winner Jane Campion and starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Kirsten Dunst, Jesse Plemons, and Kodi Smit-McPhee, The Power of the Dog’s reviews have been overwhelmingly positive, with a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes (from 214 reviews). The film is also garnering serious buzz for Oscar nominations for the cast and Campion, not to mention the technical nominations.

The story, set in Montana in 1925, focuses on wealthy rancher brothers Phil and George Burbank (Cumberbatch and Plemons, respectively). The kind and gentle George courts and marries Rose (Dunst), a widowed innkeeper, and brings her home along with her son Peter (Smit-McPhee), but Phil is heartlessly cruel to Rose and Peter from the get-go. When Peter figures out that Phil is secretly gay, they develop a camaraderie, much to Rose’s dismay, ultimately leading to a tragic twist at The Power of the Dog’s ending.

The Power of the Dog’s story is adapted from the 1967 semi-autobiographical novel of the same name by Thomas Savage. Savage was himself a secretly gay man who grew up on a Montana ranch in the 1920s, so parts of his life are clearly imbued into both Phil and Peter’s characters. Jane Campion explained that Savage’s story closely mirrors Peter’s in a myriad of ways, including the way in which he came to grow up on a ranch, his suppressed sexuality, a mother driven to alcoholism, and a complex relationship with an abusive uncle who ended up dying from anthrax poisoning (via Decider). However, The Power of the Dog’s major plot twist appears to be a fictionalized elaboration on Savage’s experiences.

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Although the film’s portrayal of homosexuality in the rural West is drawing comparisons to Ang Lee’s Brokeback Mountain (adapted from a fictional short story), The Power of the Dog is based on Savage’s actual experiences as a closeted gay man in that same environment. Savage’s living family members believe that the character of Bronco Henry, Phil’s late mentor and lover, may be based on an actual figure from that time in Savage’s life. Even if there is not one single inspiration behind Bronco Henry, he may have been an amalgamation of several people; Savage would have been well aware of the prevalence of homosexuality among ranchers in the rural West and had personal insight into what that looked like and how the cultural shame manifested.

Jane Campion’s The Power of the Dog masterfully adapts Thomas Savage’s 1967 novel and captures the core of Savage’s own adolescent life. The entire cast of The Power of the Dog is phenomenal, but Kodi Smit-McPhee and Kirsten Dunst are Oscar front-runners for their truthful portrayal of this time in his life, nearly a hundred years later. While the story is fictionalized, it is clear that Savage’s experiences with sexuality, family, and the West permeate the source material brought to life in the film.

Link Source : https://screenrant.com/power-dog-movie-true-story-inspirations-book-history/

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