Windtalkers : Production Notes


"The Navajo has the code. Protect the code at all costs. "

In World War II, the Japanese were continually able to break encrypted military transmissions, dramatically slowing U. S. progress. Finally, in 1942, several hundred Navajo Americans were recruited as Marines and trained to use a secret military code based on their native language. These Marines were called code talkers. Their code was ultimately the only one never broken by the Japanese and is considered to have been key in winning the war.

In Windtalkers, during the Battle of Saipan, Marines Joe Enders (Nicolas Cage) and Ox Anderson (Christian Slater) are assigned to protect code talkers Ben Yahzee (Adam Beach) and Charlie Whitehorse (Roger Willie). Their orders are to keep these men safe, but if a code talker should fall into enemy hands they're to "protect the code at all costs. " As the men become reluctant friends and the bonds of war are forged, each man is ultimately faced with a terrible decision: if they can't protect their fellow Marines, how far will they go to protect the code?

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures presents John Woo's spectacular Windtalkers, a Lion Rock Production starring Academy Award®-winner Nicolas Cage. Written by John Rice & Joe Batteer, the film's impressive and talented cast includes Adam Beach, Peter Stormare, Noah Emmerich, Mark Ruffalo, Brian Van Holt, Roger Willie, Frances O'Connor, Martin Henderson, and Christian Slater. Windtalkers was produced by Woo, Terence Chang, Tracie Graham and Alison Rosenzweig, with executive producer C. O. Erickson and line producers John J. Smith and Richard Stenta. The production team includes Jeffrey Kimball, ASC, as director of photography, Holger Gross as production designer, and Steven Kemper, Jeff Gullo and Tom Rolf, A. C. E. as film editors, with special make-up effects created by Kevin Yagher. Caroline Macauley and Arthur Anderson served as co-producers. Honored composer James Horner wrote the music for the film.

THE STORY

The Beginning

Windtalkers is a character-driven, emotional action drama set in the Pacific during World War II - a somewhat different setting than John Woo's other American action films. This time, Woo's stage is the 1944 Battle of Saipan, recreated onscreen in stunning detail. At the heart of the lightning-paced combat, the story centers on the incredible friendship that develops between Marines in battle and the complex relationship between the legendary Navajo American code talkers and their designated Marine guards.

The theme of friendship and the film's complex characterizations are what drew Woo and his longtime producing partner Terence Chang to the project. "I fell in love with the story the minute I heard it," Woo says. "It's so emotional, a celebration of the human spirit. I had been looking for something different from a generic action film, something our company could develop. " The pair felt they'd found the perfect material in Windtalkers.

Windtalkers presented Woo with the opportunity to revisit ideas similar to those in his celebrated Hong Kong films like The Killer (Woo and Chang's first collaboration in 1989) and Hard-Boiled. "John is basically known in the West as an action director, but some of his best films in Hong Kong are largely based on the theme of friendship among men," Chang says. "He's obviously very good with action, but he's also incredible with actors and drama and telling a story in a way that really affects an audience. "

The idea for Windtalkers began with producers Alison Rosenzweig and Tracie Graham. About ten years ago, Rosenzweig was first told about the code talkers by her brother Seth, a World War II aficionado. He had long been fascinated by their heroic contribution to the war in the Pacific and encouraged her to develop a movie about this relatively unknown chapter in American and Marine history. "I was absolutely compelled," she says, "but at first I felt their story would make a great documentary and wasn't necessarily material for a feature. "

Eight years later, while looking for projects to develop, Rosenzweig shared her knowledge of the code talkers with producing partner Graham. "I was immediately enthralled," says Graham, "but equally perplexed as to how to turn the story of the code talkers into a feature narrative. " Determined, the two producers delved into history books, eventually stumbling upon the dramatic key they'd been seeking.

"I read that during the war code talkers were assigned Marine guards for protection," says Rosenzweig. "They were to protect the code talker and his code from falling into the hands of the Japanese. " According to Rosenzweig, her reading revealed that if a code talker was in danger of being captured, the Marine guard was to prevent the code from being compromised at all costs. After thorough research, Marine Corps historians were unable to locate any evidence that such orders ever took place - it would be illegal for a Marine to be ordered to kill a fellow Marine. But the notion that a serviceman might have had to kill one of his own, someone he'd fought alongside and with whom he'd become friends, resonated with the producers. Intrigued by the emotional implications of such orders, Rosenzweig and Graham realized they had their story.

It was also fascinating to them that the code talkers were virtually unknown until fairly recently. "The existence of the code talkers was not declassified until the late '60s," says Graham. "Even though the code talkers were invaluable in winning World War II, the U. S. military wanted their accomplishments to remain secret, precisely because they'd been so successful. They were the military's secret weapon in the war, and they felt they might need them again. "

Shaping the Story

To pen the screenplay, the producing duo approached the writing team of John Rice and Joe Batteer. "Tracie and Alison had uncovered a terrific moral dilemma which we all thought would make for an incredibly dramatic narrative," Rice says. "A man is given ethically challenging orders and has to make a horrifying decision, a decision that could only be presented in the heightened circumstances of war. " Graham, Rosenzweig, Rice, and Batteer again voraciously submerged themselves in research. "We read everything we could that related to the involvement of the Navajo and the Marines in Pacific battle," says Rice.

They eventually decided to set their story against the backdrop of the Battle of Saipan and developed scenes that directly evolved from anecdotal accounts they read. For example, Batteer says, "There were instances when Navajo Marines were mistaken for Japanese by fellow Marines. Protecting code talkers from their own men, ironically, was another reason some were assigned guards. "

Rice credits the title, Windtalkers, to the Navajo culture. "Wind figures prominently in the Navajo scheme of things, culturally and religiously, and it feels very ethereal. We wanted to imbue the piece with a sense of this Navajo spirituality. "

Without a written script but on the strength of a thoroughly developed outline, Woo and Chang agreed to meet with the producer/writer foursome, who had worked together on assembling a pitch. "I remember after we pitched," says Graham, "Woo stood up, clapped, and said 'Now that's my kind of movie!'"

"John Woo was our fantasy director," says Rosenzweig, "so it was a thrill to have him react so enthusiastically. "

"That was a great day," adds Graham.

The development and pre-production process moved smoothly from then on. Graham, Rosenzweig, Rice, and Batteer set to work collaborating on fine-tuning and perfecting the script. "You can develop projects for years," Chang says, "but Windtalkers had been so thoroughly worked out that the first draft of the script was almost identical to what we heard in the pitch. " Finally, with a thoroughly solid screenplay and Woo at the helm, Windtalkers was on its way to the big screen.

THE CHARACTERS

Joe Enders and Ben Yahzee

Once Windtalkers' pre-production was underway, casting became the next important step. Years earlier while filming Face/Off, Woo had enjoyed a very cohesive working relationship with actor Nicolas Cage (a Best Actor Oscar®-winner for Leaving Las Vegas, another MGM film). He immediately thought of him for Windtalkers' lead role. Cage became the first actor to jump on board, eagerly embracing the chance to work again with the famed director. "John is the ultimate auteur," says Cage. "His vision is a world I want to work in. He's very trusting and collaborative with actors. I also believe he likes to work in extremes - his vision is extreme and so is mine. "

These similar sensibilities worked well in fleshing out the character of Joe Enders, a war-weary Marine who's been dehumanized by his experiences in battle. "Enders is shell-shocked, suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder," says Cage. "He's been through horrible experiences in the war and he's lost his innocence. He's probably the most unhappy character I've ever played. "

"The role of Enders is incredibly complicated," says Graham. "He's a good Marine who's willing to follow orders, which is why he's chosen for the code talker assignment. But it's also precisely because he follows orders that he lost so many men in a previous battle in the Solomon Islands. He did what he was told and it led to a catastrophe he's still trying to deal with, both emotionally and physically. "

When the film opens, Enders is anxious to return to the front, despite having been wounded in the same battle where his squad was killed - he took a blow to his head that severely damaged one of his ears. Rita, a nurse at the hospital who's been tending to his wounds, helps Enders fake a hearing test that will allow him to get back to the war.

Enders' new assignment is hardly what he had envisioned, however. Because of his unwavering ability to follow orders, Enders is chosen to serve as a guard for a Navajo Indian who has been trained to transmit messages in a secret military code based on the Navajo language. Cage says, "It's a double-edged sword. We're required to protect the code talker, but also to protect the code. Throughout the film, Enders wrestles the possibility of having to carry out his orders. "

Ben Yahzee is Enders' assigned charge. A new recruit who only recently left the peaceful surroundings of the Navajo reservation, Yahzee exudes a sense of balance and calm, spiritually guided by the teachings of his culture. Unlike Enders, his spirit has yet to be polluted by war. Yahzee quickly learns, however, how brutal war can be.

After an extensive search for a Navajo actor to play the part, the filmmakers decided Adam Beach would be perfect, a Native American from Canada who embodied many of Yahzee's characteristics. Chang had spotted Beach in the independent film Smoke Signals and felt he had the power and talent to play opposite Cage.

"Casting Yahzee was difficult," Chang continues. "We needed an actor to carry one of the two leading roles, and the best person for that role was Adam. The Navajo Nation gave us its blessing to cast Adam, though he is non-Navajo, as he is 100% Native American. "

In discussing his character, Beach says, "Yahzee is an intelligent Marine, but he learns in battle that he's not very good at killing people. " Yahzee seeks a friendship with Enders, but Enders isn't interested - he doesn't want to complicate his mission.

Eventually, however, the stress of battle brings them together. "Through Enders," Beach says, "Yahzee finds the strength to focus on his unit and mission and not worry about what's in front of him. He also learns the power of bonding with others. "

He doesn't get through the experience unfazed, though. "It's heartbreaking for Enders that Yahzee is losing his innocence the way he did, but Enders has to awaken the animal in Yahzee," says Cage. "Yahzee has to learn to kill for his own survival. " Through their relationship, Enders himself regains some sense of humanity. Each man helps give the other the strength to make it through war.

"Enders and Yahzee's relationship is one of the anchors of the film," says Graham. "Cage and Beach do an incredible job of building that relationship and giving it the importance and gravity necessary to carry the story. "

Ox Anderson and Charlie Whitehorse

Yahzee and Enders are part of a reconnaissance unit whose orders are to move ahead of the larger Marine battalion and assess enemy positions, helping to target artillery fire and guide the direction of troops. Yahzee uses the code to relay coordinates by radio to Whitehorse, a fellow code talker who has also been assigned a guard, Ox. Christian Slater and Roger Willie portray Ox and Whitehorse, respectively.

Describing his character as "big-hearted and charming," Slater, like Cage, was intrigued by Ox's conflict over his assignment as a guard. "Enders has given up on human existence to some extent and seems more resigned to the assignment, but Ox really questions his orders. ."

"Christian's a wonderful actor and audiences really respond to him," says Rosenzweig. "You're immediately drawn to his character. To see this likable person faced with such a devastating dilemma really packs an emotional punch. "

Like Cage, Slater was also looking forward to working with Woo again, having acted for the director in Broken Arrow. And Slater was excited to explore new ground, having never been in a war film. "It was an opportunity to pay tribute to the Marines and the Navajo, as well as to the time period and the war. "

A veteran performer, Slater proved invaluable to first-time actor Roger Willie. In the role of Whitehorse, Willie relied on Slater's experience. "I would follow Christian," says Willie. "I trusted him and let him lead the way. "

Selected from thousands of Navajo at an open casting call near his home in Colorado, Roger Willie had never before acted - he was only accompanying a nephew who was auditioning. He was thrilled at being cast in the role, though. "There's a special quality to Roger," says producer Chang. "He has such a strong presence, such wisdom and intelligence. "

Adam Beach adds, "Roger's a natural. He wasn't afraid to take control of his character and make suggestions. He had a lot of guts for a first-timer. "

The story of the code talkers is sacred to Willie, and it was an honor for him to portray one of his tribe's fabled heroes. "It means a lot to me. I always viewed the code talkers as special people. They are our own heroes. " Treated with reverence in the Navajo community, Willie says, "The movie presents an opportunity for the code talkers and the Navajo people in general to be exposed to the entire world. "

Nicolas Cage adds, "I think its immensely important for all Americans and the world to know that the Navajo took such an active part fighting for our country. "

The Squad

John Woo rounded out his cast with an extraordinary roster of actors. Chick, a burly and proud Texan, is played by Noah Emmerich; Mark Ruffalo portrays Pappas, a Greek American who's so terrified in battle he hyperventilates; Brian Van Holt is a surfer from Florida who's traded his board for a flamethrower; Martin Henderson plays Nellie, an inexperienced, scared kid from Rhode Island who obsesses about his wife back home; and Peter Stormare is Gunnery Sergeant Hjelmstad, a veteran Marine and Scandinavian immigrant who serves as squad leader.

These characters have different backgrounds and their paths would normally never cross, but they're thrown together to fight a war. People coming together in spite of their differences is a theme of Windtalkers. As producer Rosenzweig says, "I think each of the main characters is representative of a different part of American society. Having such a varied mix of actors helps broaden the scope of the story and give it a very real sense of perspective. People can see themselves in the different characters. "

Terence Chang agrees. "It's about people from different races, cultures, and religious backgrounds learning to respect their differences and work together. To me, that's the most important message in the film. "

Like many Americans, much of the cast knew very little about the code talkers and the Battle of Saipan before signing on to the film. Lessons in WWII history often focus more on Hitler and the European theater, leaving many Westerners with sketchy information about the Pacific battles. Peter Stormare, a native Swede, says, "In Europe you're taught the details of every European battle that took place during WWII, but we don't really know anything about the war in the Pacific except Pearl Harbor and Hiroshima. "

Stormare had long been fascinated by U. S. Marines and Native American culture. "As a kid growing up in Sweden, those were things about the United States I was amazed by - not the cowboys, but the Marines and the Native Americans. " Fueled by this interest and memories of family members who served in WWII, Stormare was delighted to be a part of the film.

The theme of brotherhood and unity also plays a big part in the relationship between Pappas and Nellie. Of his character, actor Mark Ruffalo says, "Pappas is a little cynical and caustic, but genuinely warm. He's been in the war for some time, and looks at this new kid, Nellie, as a younger brother, even though guys like Pappas never want to get too friendly with the new kid because they're often dead in a day or two. "

Nellie is inexperienced, skittish and afraid, and takes great comfort in being taken under Pappas' protective wing. Martin Henderson says, "Nellie doesn't want to be there. He wants to be home with his sweetheart. He turns to Pappas in the middle of battle for reassurance, even though Pappas is going through his own hell. The bonds of friendship become incredibly important in war. "

"My character is a reluctant immigrant," Ruffalo adds. "He's a second generation Greek and doesn't really feel part of the war, but he's stuck there. All he has is this fraternity. He maybe doesn't know exactly what he's fighting for, but he doesn't want to let the guys down. He finds himself fighting for his brothers in war. "

Harrigan, the Marine wielding the deadly flame-thrower, is a toughened warrior. Actor Brian Van Holt says, "He's a laid back beach guy from Daytona, Florida, who volunteers to fight. First and foremost, he's a Marine and rifleman, but then he acquires the flame-thrower and it becomes a part of his identity. " With a 72-pound WWII-era weapon strapped to his back throughout the film - a weapon that shoots 130-foot flames - Van Holt endured a different kind of hardship than his peers, and it gave him a new appreciation for U. S. Marines. Through his character, the actor also learned about the underlying brotherhood of the Marine Corps. "I think it becomes instinctual to want to protect the guy next to you. This bond is carried out throughout the whole movie. "

CAPTURING WINDTALKERS ON FILM

John Woo assembled an exceptional team of behind-the-scenes talent to bring his compelling story to the big screen. As on previous films, Woo relied on the creative ingenuity of directory of photography Jeffrey Kimball, ASC, and editor Steve Kemper, Jeff Gullo and Tom Rolf, A. C. E. Production designer Holger Gross and costume supervisor Nick Scarano also contributed to Woo's highly stylized vision for Windtalkers.

The 20-week shooting schedule was filmed entirely on location in Hawaii and Southern California. Principal photography began on Monday, August 28th, 2000, shooting the explosive and vast Saipan battle sequences at a privately owned ranch on the windward side of Oahu near Honolulu.

Covering approximately 4000 acres, Kualoa Ranch is a fully functioning cattle and recreational ranch currently owned by the Morgan family. Nestled in a valley roughly one mile wide and 4. 5 miles long between two jutting mountain ranges, the ranch provided the perfect landscape for Woo to capture the haunting realism of the film's opening battle. Dramatically sweeping up from the sea, it offered 360º vistas resembling the Pacific island of Saipan.

Producer Chang says, "The first Saipan battle was not originally written to be as big as it now appears in the film. But when you finish a script and give it to a director like John, you have to give him freedom to realize his vision, and he wanted to create huge battle sequences. In the first shot alone, we had 280 explosions and 700 extras. " Computer generated battleships and planes were inserted to enhance the magnitude of the battle. "It's a really huge movie for such an intimate story," Chang adds, "certainly the biggest John and I have ever done. "

While Cage and Slater had already witnessed Woo's command of his craft, the other cast members were awestruck. Mark Ruffalo says, "He's incredible. In one particular shot, a steadycam followed us into a ditch where all this hand-to-hand combat was taking place. In one long take, moving from man to man, he had choreographed the whole thing. It was like a one-act play. "

Capturing the scope of Woo's enormous battle sequences fell squarely on the capable shoulders of director of photography Jeffrey Kimball. Having collaborated with Woo previously on Mission: Impossible 2, Kimball was no stranger to the innovative way Woo expects the camera to follow the action. "John likes everything to move. He likes the choreography, he likes the cameras to dance," Kimball says. "He wanted the film to be realistic, so you feel as though you're in the war. " Kimball gave a documentary-like feeling to the scenes and highlighted the scope of the film by shooting in Super 35 format. "The images feel bigger in the theatre," he says.

At times, Kimball had the formidable task of overseeing as many as 14 cameras running simultaneously. Often a camera attached to a helicopter would fly overhead, requiring some of Kimball's first-rate camera team to find ingenious (and safe) ways to disguise themselves in the battlefield. Cameras were hidden in the backs of army vehicles, in tanks and trenches, and operators and their assistants were camouflaged in military uniforms. Kimball went to great lengths to ensure that Woo's intent to recreate the brutality of Saipan's combat was caught on film. "We had all manner of camouflage going. In those wide shots we wanted to be right in there with the Marines, in the thick of the action, so we even had a vintage WWII camera operated by a Marine cameraman. "

The logistics involved in staging the battle sequences were overwhelming and time-consuming. As many as 700 extras were on set at one time - approximately 500 Marines and 250 Japanese soldiers - all of whom were hired locally. With these numbers added to the production crew of approximately 350, Windtalkers became its own battalion, with a lunch tent catering to over 1000 people on some days.

Many of the extras came with some form of military background - former Army or Marine recruits, reservists, or active duty servicemen on leave. It was quite a sight to behold as hundreds of men in vintage U. S. Marine wardrobe moved up from the sea toward the constructed enemy line, a four-foot trench running the length of the ridge simulating where Japanese soldiers had been dug in over 50 years ago. From the ridge, a clear line of sight of the massive Marine movement, multiple field explosions, tank movement, and gunfire left onlookers breathless.

Writer Rice says, "I was blown away on the first day of filming. It was truly amazing to see a thousand men in a valley, tanks rolling by and hundreds of explosions going off in one shot. It was such a thrill as a writer to see so many talented people and actors bringing your story to life. "

BOOT CAMP

Prior to filming, most of the principal cast joined a core group of 62 extras for boot camp, where they endured a week of rigorous military training as WWII Marines. Windtalkers was fortunate enough to receive assistance from the Department of Defense, which made Kaneohe Marine Corps Base available for the actor's basic training. Under the tutelage of Sergeant Major Jim Dever (a retired 25-year veteran of the Marine Corps) and his active duty Marine instructors, the cast learned how to walk, talk, and think like Marines. Dever, who also served as military technical advisor on the film, says, "They learned about the Marine Corps, its history and structure, how to handle, load and clean the weapons correctly, and how to move on the battlefield like real Marines would have at that time. "

Boot camp gave the actors a taste of military life, also introducing them to tactical maneuvers and Marine terminology. But perhaps the most important result was that the cast came together during the experience. They were able to begin principal photography as friends, better able to simulate the bond between their characters and impart a sense of realism to their scenes.

Still reeling from boot camp, the cast arrived on the set with adrenaline pumping, ready for combat. They were in awe of what they saw. As Christian Slater says, "It blew all of us away. World War II had truly been recreated. It was massive, and it felt both dangerous and scary to be a part of it. "

RECREATING SAIPAN

The authentic Marine and Japanese wardrobes helped create the sense of realism felt by the actors. Working months in advance from historical resource material, costume supervisor Nick Scarano had 1300 Marine and 1000 Japanese uniforms sewn from specially selected fabrics. In keeping with Woo's commitment to authenticity, Scarano worked diligently with a crew of textile artists to distress the costumes as though they'd endured the worst of battle.

In doing research, Scarano learned that the uniforms of the Marines in WWII were mismatched. "They were the last of the soldiers to get uniforms, so they ended up with a mishmash of ill-fitting camouflage and green fatigues. "

The chain of command on the set operated much like one would imagine in battle. Woo relayed his vision to his first assistant director and right hand man, Arthur Anderson, and to his trusted stunt coordinator, Brian Smrz. The physical movement of the multitude of extras would then be organized by the military technical advisor, Sergeant Major Jim Dever, who would instruct his nine platoon commanders, leading 40-50 men each through squad leaders, on the formation of the men for each take.

Dispersed amongst these extras were some 40 stunt men, also in military costume, who moved with the men and shielded them from the innumerable explosives rigged by the special effects team. Under the supervision of Smrz, who has worked as Woo's stunt coordinator on his last four films, the rugged and highly-trained team of stunt men also ran through fire balls and took numerous "squib hits" while simulating the rigor and violence of combat.

Weapons coordinator "Rock" Galotti amassed over 500 vintage WWII era firing weapons and 700 rubber replica weapons for the film from private collectors and prop houses. The Marines in the film were equipped with M1 rifles, M1 carbines, Browning Automatic rifles and Thompson sub-machine guns, while the Japanese soldiers were armed with Arisaka rifles, Japanese type 92 machine guns and type 99 light machine guns. Galotti estimates that over half a million rounds of ammunition were used on the film. Also featured moving across battlefields are vintage Sherman tanks, their smaller Stuart brethren, and Japanese Hago tanks.

"Woo involves the audience completely," says Tracie Graham. "They're not being shown war - they're in it. " For the actors, who did a lot of their own stunt work, this intimacy was terrifying at times. Christian Slater says, "It was one dangerous, fear-ridden scene after another. Some of these long scenes had us running through mines and bombs - you had to be very careful what path you chose. " Adam Beach adds, "I was a little shell-shocked after my first two days of work," and Noah Emmerich says, "Through making this movie, I now have a new concept of war. I've been as close to war as I ever want to get. "

While the lush greenery of the valley in Oahu made for beautiful images, the frequent tropical showers posed logistical difficulties for the production. The rain storms could be relentless or intermittent, but the effect was the same: mud. Quite deep at times, the mud often made access roads impossibly dangerous for production vehicles; numerous pyrotechnic effects were halted, and cameras, gear, and wardrobe had to be shielded.

When filming was completed at Kualoa Ranch, the production moved to the coconut groves of Dillingham Estate on the North Shore of Oahu to shoot portions of the film's Tipo Pale sequence. This dusty and arid locale, provided a break from the rains of Kualoa. After two months of filming on location in Hawaii, the cast and crew then relocated to the mainland and continued filming in Southern California.

Naval Air Weapons Station, Point Mugu, was used to film the Camp Tarawa portion of the film, the Marines pre-battle embarkation point. The Veteran's Administration Hospital in West Los Angeles served as the location for the sequence in which Enders, while recuperating from battle injuries, meets Rita. After a few bitter cold nights of filming in Malibu Creek State Park, the cast and crew of Windtalkers finally moved to a privately owned ranch in the high desert of Los Angeles County for the remaining two months of filming.

THE CODE TALKERS

The idea of using the Navajo language to create a secure method of wartime communication is credited to Philip Johnston. Native American languages had been used before to encode messages during World War I, but Johnston knew how important it was that the military find a code that absolutely could not be broken. He was confident that the Navajo language was a perfect candidate for use in coding.

Johnston, the son of a missionary, grew up on a Navajo reservation and was one of the few non-Navajo able to speak the incredibly complicated and unwritten language. In 1942, once Johnston convinced the Marines of the language's usefulness, 29 Navajo Marines completed boot camp at the Marine Recruit Depot in San Diego, California. After boot camp they were sent to Camp Elliot (modern day Marine Air Corps Station Miramar) to develop the code. Eventually around 400 Navajo men were trained in the code's use and served as code talkers in the Pacific battles of the war.

During battle, the code talkers' primary objective was to facilitate communication on the battlefield, transmitting information over telephones and radios between Marine units and command centers about troop movement, orders, tactics, and other vital information. At Iwo Jima alone, the code talkers transmitted over 800 error-free messages in a 48-hour period. The Japanese were never able to break the code, and it became an indispensable tool for World War II military communication.

Because of its success and its possible use in future combat (the code was actually given limited use again in the Korean War), the code talkers were sworn to secrecy about their involvement in the war, and the code wasn't declassified until 1968. As a result, the code talkers' accomplishments went largely unheralded.

The 29 original Marine code talkers who developed the code were awarded Congressional Gold Medals in Washington, DC, by President George W. Bush on July 26, 2001. The original code talkers were:

Charlie Begay

Roy L. Begay

Samuel H. Begay

John Ashi Benally

Wilsie Bitsie

Cosey S. Brown

John Brown, Jr.

John Chee

Benjamin Cleveland

Eugene R. Crawford

David Curley

Lowell S. Damon

George H. Dennison

James Dixon

Carl N. Gorman

Oscar B. Ilthma

Allen Dale June

Alfred Leonard

Johnny R. Manuelito

William McCabe

Chester Nez

Jack Nez

Lloyd Oliver

Joe Palmer

Frank Danny Pete

Nelson S. Thompson

Harry Tsosie

John Willie

William Dean Wilson

THE CODE

The code created by the code talkers used basic Navajo words to symbolize 211 common military and wartime words and phrases. For instance, the Navajo term for "whale" stood for "battleship," "iron fish" meant "submarine," "chicken hawk" meant "dive bomber," "big harvest" meant "August," and "one silver bar" meant "lieutenant. " For language not covered by these code words, other Navajo words were used to stand for a letter of the alphabet. For instance, the Navajo words for "apple" or "ant" stood for "A," "barrel" stood for "B," "cow" stood for "C," and so on. There were multiple Navajo words used for each letter to make the code less uniform and much more difficult to break. Letter by letter, the code talkers could spell out words and phrases for which they didn't already have code.

The reason the code was never broken is because of the complexity and subtlety of the Navajo language. Just a slight change in pronunciation and/or inflection of a Navajo word can change its meaning. And because it's unwritten, there were no resources to which the Japanese could refer. In fact, it's estimated that only about 28 non-Navajos had a comprehensive knowledge of the language at the time of the war.

A few more examples of the Navajo code:

The Navajo word(s) for: Stood for:

Black Sheep Squad

War Chief Commanding General

Silver Eagle Colonel

Our Mother America

Hummingbird Fighter Plane

Shark Destroyer

Beaver Mine Sweeper

Crow Patrol Plane

Big Wind November

Wire Rope Cable

Potatoes Grenades

ABOUT THE CAST

NICOLAS CAGE (Joe Enders) received an Academy Award® for his performance as an alcoholic drinking himself to death in Mike Figgis' Leaving Las Vegas. He also received a Golden Globe and Best Actor awards from the New York Film Critics Circle, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the Chicago Film Critics, and the National Board of Review. Recently Cage was presented with the first Distinguished Decade in Film Award from ShoWest, and he received the American Cinematheque Award at the annual Moving Picture Ball. He also had his hand and footprints added to the famous collection at Mann's Chinese Theater in Hollywood.

Cage most recently appeared in John Madden's Captain Correlli's Mandolin and in Brett Ratner's romantic comedy The Family Man opposite Tea Leoni. He also recently starred in Jerry Bruckheimer's box-office hit Gone in Sixty Seconds opposite Angelina Jolie and Giovanni Ribisi, and in Martin Scorsese's drama Bringing Out The Dead. Upcoming projects include Spike Jones' Adaptation opposite Meryl Streep.

In 1999 Cage starred in Joel Schumacher's Eight Millimeter, Brian De Palma's Snake Eyes, and Brad Siberling's City of Angels, which was based on Wim Wenders' highly acclaimed German film Wings of Desire. In 1997 Cage was seen in John Woo's critically-acclaimed action-thriller Face/Off opposite John Travolta, in Con-Air opposite John Cusack and John Malkovich, and in The Rock opposite Sean Connery and Ed Harris.

It was Cage's portrayal of a tormented Vietnam vet in Birdy that first established him as a serious actor. Directed by Alan Parker, Birdy won the jury prize at the Cannes Film Festival. He then received a Golden Globe nomination as Best Actor for his role as Cher's lover in Moonstruck. David Lynch's Wild At Heart, starring Cage and Laura Dern, won the Palm d'Or at the 1990 Cannes Film Festival.

Cage received another Golden Globe nomination for his role in 1992's romantic comedy Honeymoon in Vegas, which also starred Sarah Jessica Parker and James Caan. In 1996 Cage was honored by the Montreal World Film Festival with their prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.

Among the actor's many additional feature film credits are Guarding Tess, Red Rock West, It Could Happen To You, Kiss of Death, Valley Girl, Cotton Club, Racing with the Moon, The Boy in Blue, Peggy Sue Got Married, Joel and Ethan Coen's Raising Arizona, Vampire's Kiss and Fire Birds. He also served as producer of the films Shadow of the Vampire starring John Malkovich and Willem Dafoe and the upcoming The Life of David Gale starring Kevin Spacey, Kate Winslet, and Laura Linney. He recently wrapped production on his directorial debut, Sonny, starring James Franco and Mena Suvari. Cage made his feature film debut in Rumble Fish.

ADAM BEACH (Ben Yahzee) may be best known for his critically-acclaimed portrayal of Victor Joseph in Smoke Signals, which won the Filmmaker's Trophy Award and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. Adam is currently in Arizona shooting the drama Skin Walkers for PBS; Robert Redford's Wildwood and Grenada USA are producing the film.

Next up, Adam will be seen in the indie film The Big Empty starring alongside Jon Favreau, Rachel Leigh Cook, Darryl Hannah and Kelsey Grammer. He'll also be seen in Posers for director Katie Talio. Recently Adam also completed starring roles in the indie films Last Stop for director Mark Malone and Now and Forever opposite Mia Kirshner. He was also seen in The Art of Woo, an indie feature recently shown at the Toronto Film Festival.

Adam was born in Manitoba, Canada, and began acting in Winnipeg when he was a teenager. At he age of 16, he was introduced to an extras casting director and the meeting landed him a spot in the film Lost in the Barrens playing Graham Greene's canoe mate. Adam spent the next four years in the theatrical world of Manitoba small theatre. Maintaining a profile in film and television during this time, he then landed a role in the made-for-TV movie Spirit Rider. This breakthrough was quickly followed by Cadillac Girls starring Gregory Harrison, as well as a recurring role on the CBC production North of 60.

It wasn't long before Adam was cast as the lead in Squanto, A Warrior's Tale opposite Mandy Patinkin. It was Canada's own Bruce McDonald, however, that finally recognized Adam's true potential and penchant for the absurd, casting him as Frank Fencepost in the screen adaptation of W. P. Kinsella's Dance Me Outside. This film garnered him critical acclaim both in Canada and the United States, and landed him a Best Actor award from the American Indian Film Festival.

Adam's award-winning performance launched him into the TV serial fray working on episodes of Lonesome Dove, Touched By An Angel, Walker, Texas Ranger, Madison, Dead Man's Gun, a co-starring role as Charlie in CBC's The Rez, and guest-starring on First Wave. Adams' features include My Indian Summer (Best Actor In A Feature Film by 1st Americans In The Arts), A Boy Called Hate, The Adventures of Joe Dirt opposite David Spade, and Mystery, Alaska.

Adam's work is strongly rooted in his Native heritage, bringing a unique and diverse perspective to his craft. His commitment to his spiritual development through traditional grass dancing enhances his work. Adam spends his spare time playing hockey and generously donating his voice and enthusiasm in support of Native Youth. He also sings and plays guitar in his own band he leads, Jesus Murphy.

PETER STORMARE (Hjelmstad) began his acting career in his native Sweden at the Royal National Theater of Sweden under the direction of Ingmar Bergman. He performed leading roles in Long Day's Journey Into Night, Miss Julie, King Lear and Hamlet. It was while performing Hamlet in New York that Stormare was embraced by American audiences and was sought for his first American feature film roles.

Stormare continued his work in theater while his film career took off, appearing in productions at the Actors Studio and The Public Theater. At the same time, he became the Associate Director of the Globe Theater in Tokyo. Stormare's feature film credits include Awakenings, Girl 6, Mercury Rising, Playing God, Flirting with Disaster and Joel and Ethan Coen's critically acclaimed Fargo. The success of Fargo prompted Stormare to move from New York to Los Angeles with his wife, Toshimi. He has since appeared in Steven Spielberg's The Lost World, the Coen brothers' The Big Lebowski, Joel Schumacher's Eight Millimeter and Michael Bay's Armageddon. Stormare recently appeared in Lars von Trier's Dancer in the Dark and Wim Wenders' Million Dollar Hotel. Upcoming films include Steven Spielberg's Minority Report, Happy Campers, and Spun.

NOAH EMMERICH (Chick) is best known for portraying Marlon, the best fried of Truman Burbank (Jim Carrey) in Peter Weir's highly acclaimed The Truman Show.

Noah made his feature film debut as Mo in Ted Demme's Beautiful Girls opposite Matt Dillon, Timothy Hutton and Rosie O'Donnell. He was most recently seen in Gregory Hoblit's sci-fi drama Frequency with Dennis Quaid and James Caviezel, and in the independent hit Love & Sex opposite Famke Janssen and Jon Favreau. He will next be seen starring in Beyond Borders with Angelina Jolie.

His additional credits include Life with Eddie Murphy and Martin Lawrence, Crazy in Alabama opposite Melanie Griffith and directed by Antonio Banderas, and Tumbleweeds opposite Academy Award® nominee Janet McTeer.

Emmerich studied filmmaking at New York University where he wrote and directed the short film The Painter, which won the Cine Award in Washington, DC, and the International Film Festival of Badalona, Spain. His second directing effort, The Date, won the Short Comedy award at Houston's Worldfest Film Festival.

Emmerich was recently given a first look production deal with New Line Cinema, where his company, Sandbox Entertainment, has several scripts in development.

Emmerich has also worked as a travel writer based in Southeast Asia, contributing to Conde Naste's Traveler magazine and co-authoring The Young Adventurer's Guide to Australia.

Emmerich graduated with honors from Yale University.

MARK RUFFALO (Pappas) recently burst onto the scene and won the Best Actor award at the Montreal Film Festival and the New Generation Award from the Los Angeles Film Critics Association for his standout performance in Kenneth Lonergan's You Can Count on Me opposite Laura Linney and Matthew Broderick. The film, which also played at the 2000 Toronto Film Festival, was co-produced by Martin Scorsese and The Shooting Gallery. It won both the coveted Grand Jury Prize for best dramatic film and the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the Sundance Film Festival. His work on the film also brought him an Independent Spirit Award nomination.

Ruffalo was last seen at Sundance for the premiere of his latest independent feature XX/XY, a dramatic love story that spans ten years, directed by Austin Chick. Recents projects include The Last Castle with Robert Redford and James Gandolfini and A View from the Top with Gwyneth Paltrow. He also recently signed on to star opposite Meg Ryan in In the Cut and with Sarah Polley in My Life Without Me.

Among Ruffalo's other feature film credits are Lisa Kreuger's Committed with Heather Graham, Ang Lee's Ride with the Devil, and 54. His independent films include Joan Micklin Silver's A Fish in the Bathtub, Life/Drawing, Safe Men, and The Last Big Thing. Additionally, he wrote and co-starred in The Destiny of Marty Fine, which was the first runner up at the 1995 Slamdance Film Festival. On television, Ruffalo starred in UPN's series The Beat, created by Academy Award®-winner Barry Levinson and Emmy Award®-winner Tom Fontana.

Ruffalo first gained attention starring in the critically acclaimed off-Broadway production of This is our Youth written by Kenneth Lonergan and for which Mark won a Lucille Lortel Award for Best Actor. He has won several awards for other theatrical performances, including a Dramalogue Award and a Theater World Award. He recently made a return to the stage in the off-Broadway production The Moment When, a new play by Pulitzer Prize- and Tony Award-winner James Lapine. In addition to acting, he co-wrote and directed the play Margaret at the Hudson Backstage Theater in Los Angeles.

Ruffalo currently resides in New York City.

BRIAN VAN HOLT (Harrigan) most recently starred opposite Josh Hartnett in Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down. He also recently completed production on the John McTiernan-directed military thriller Basic, in which he stars opposite John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson. Van Holt is currently in production on the James Foley helmed Confidence for Lions Gate, in which he stars opposite Edward Burns, Rachel Weisz and Dustin Hoffman.

An Illinois native and graduate of UCLA, Van Holt spent most of his youth immersed in athletics. He began his acting career as a teenager, performing in several stage productions at the Zephyr Theater in Los Angeles. The spotlight seemed to agree with him, and after graduating college with a degree in Sociology; he turned his full attention towards building a successful acting career.

Making his film debut in the romantic comedy feature Whipped, Van Holt has played a variety of roles, challenging himself to expand and refine his talents. He starred in the CBS comedy series Love and Money, and has guest starred on HBO's Sex in the City (playing a womanizing pervert with a distinctive finger fetish), Late Night with Al Franken (in which he played the Head of the Christian Coalition), Homicide (portraying a homosexual hustler), and Spin City (where he let his sensitive side shine through as a sexually-harassed water boy).

MARTIN HENDERSON (Nellie), born and raised in Auckland, New Zealand, was introduced to acting when Strangers, a local television program, held an open casting call at his elementary school. He was thirteen years old when he was cast in the series, and he has been acting professionally ever since. He then went on to star in the New Zealand drama Shortland Street for three years. In 1993 Henderson won the Best Male Dramatic Performance in a Television Show award at the New Zealand Television and Film Awards (equivalent to the Emmy Awards in the U. S. ) for his role as Stuart on Shortland Street.

In 1995 Henderson moved to Sydney, Australia, where he played an Olympian-in- training on the series Sweat. He was later cast opposite Rahda Mitchell in the feature Kick, a film set in the world of the Sydney ballet. After completing work on the film, Henderson moved to New York and began a two-year program of study at the Neighborhood Playhouse. Henderson worked in numerous New York stage productions, including the off-Broadway play Ophelia Thinks Harder at the Samuel Beckett Theater.

Henderson has recently completed the Dreamworks feature The Ring and is currently shooting the British independent film Skagerrak.

ROGER WILLIE (Charlie Whitehorse) makes his screen debut in Windtalkers. Having never acted before, Willie was discovered by the film's casting director Mindy Marin at an open casting call for Navajo in Durango, Colorado, on December 7th, 1999. With no intention of auditioning, he was coaxed into reading for a part by his two nephews, whom he had brought to the casting call.

Willie was brought to Los Angeles to study with an acting coach for a week, had his long hair cut to Marine length, and reauditioned for John Woo and the producers. He heard the news that he was cast in Windtalkers while participating in the Red Earth Art Show in Oklahoma City in June 2000.

Self-employed as an artist, Willie pursued his Arizona/New Mexico teaching certificate with Navajo Culture endorsement and was recently accepted into the graduate program at the University of Arizona in American Indian Studies, but has deferred entrance until next year in order to work on Windtalkers. Additional academic accomplishments include a Bachelor of Arts in Art from Ft. Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, as well as a secondary B. A. in American Indian Studies from UNC-Pembroke, North Carolina. His varied professional experience includes serving as a consultant for the American Indian Programs in Washington, DC, a public school art instructor, and a four-year stint in the U. S. Army in the Airborne Infantry in Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

Willie is currently a full-time student at the University of Arizona and is teaching the Navajo language for the University.

Willie was born and raised in Continental Divide, New Mexico, and is a member of the Wateredge clan. He speaks both fluent Navajo and English and was educated in the traditional ways of Navajo culture. Willie is married to Teresa, and they have two children, Seattle and Jodi.

FRANCES O'CONNOR (Rita) made a startling film debut in Emma-Kate Croghan's Love and Other Catastrophes, earning an AFI Best Actress Award nomination. She was last seen onscreen starring opposite Jude Law and Haley Joel Osment in Steven Spielberg's A. I. , which earned her a 2001 AFI Best Supporting Actress Award nomination.

O'Connor will next star in Oliver Parker's The Importance of Being Earnest opposite Judi Dench, Colin Firth, Rupert Everett and Reese Witherspoon. In April 2002, O'Connor began production on Richard Donner's Timeline opposite Paul Walker and Gerard Butler in Montreal.

O'Connor's other film credits include About Adam opposite Kate Hudson and Stuart Townsend; Bedazzled opposite Brendan Fraser and Elizabeth Hurley; Patricia Rozema's critically acclaimed Mansfield Park opposite Sir Harold Pinter, Embeth Davidtz, Jonny Lee Miller and Alessandro Nivola; Bill Bennett's Kiss or Kill, in which her performance garnered her the Best Actress Award at the Montreal Film Festival as well as the Australian Circle Critics' Award; Cherie Nowlan's Thank God He Met Lizzie with Cate Blanchett; and Peter Duncan's A Little Bit of Soul with Geoffrey Rush.

On television, O' Connor starred opposite Greg Wise in the BBC's adaptation of Flaubert's classic novel Madame Bovary for PBS. Her performance earned a 2001 Golden Globe nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television. O'Connor's other television credits include the television film Halifax: The Feeding and regular roles on such Australian series as Shark Bay and Law of the Land. O'Connor has also appeared on Frontline, Snowy River: the McGregor Saga, and Blue Heelers.

O'Connor recently starred on stage in the West End production of Tennessee Williams' Cat On A Hot Tin Roof opposite Brendan Fraser. O'Connor's other theatre work includes starring in Peter Whelen's The Herbal Bed with the Melbourne Theatre Company.

CHRISTIAN SLATER (Pete "Ox" Anderson) has starred on and off Broadway, appeared in more than 20 feature films, and has recently become a producer and director.

Slater made his screen debut in 1985 with The Legend of Billie Jean. He went on to appear in In the Name of the Rose, Francis Ford Coppola's Tucker: The Man and his Dream, Heathers, Young Guns II, Pump Up the Volume, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves, Untamed Heart, Tony Scott's True Romance (written by Quentin Tarantino), and Interview with a Vampire.

Other feature film credits for Slater include The Contender, 3000 Miles to Graceland, Murder in the First, Bed of Roses, and John Woo's Broken Arrow. He starred in and served as executive producer on Peter Berg's dark comedy Very Bad Things.

Born and raised in New York, Slater attended the prestigious Dalton School and the Professional Children's School. He made his stage debut at the age of 9 in Broadway's The Music Man with Dick Van Dyke. Recently, Slater garnered critical acclaim for his starring role in the Broadway production of Side Man.

In 1991 Slater directed The Laughter Epidemic, a children's musical benefiting The Pediatric AIDS Foundation.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

JOHN WOO (Director/Producer) most recently directed Mission Impossible 2 starring Tom Cruise, a phenomenal success both domestically and internationally. The film opened to some of the highest grossing weekend figures in history.

Woo began his illustrious career as a filmmaker in Hong Kong where he spent over two decades at the center of a thriving film industry, directing nearly 30 feature films. He was known primarily as a comedy specialist until the mid-1980s when he created a series of inspired romantic gangster dramas that broke box-office records.

Born in Guangzhou, China, in 1946, Woo moved to Hong Kong with his family when he was four years old. He was educated at Matteo Ricci College and, at age 19, began making experimental films. In lieu of film school, Woo sought entry-level positions in the flourishing Hong Kong film industry.

In 1971 he began working as an assistant director at Shaw Brothers. Just two years later he made his directorial debut with The Young Dragons. He was then signed to an exclusive contract at Golden Harvest. Two more successful martial arts films followed: The Dragon Tamers and The Hand of Death, the latter featuring action superstar Jackie Chan in his first major screen role.

Woo found equal success with a Cantonese opera film, Princess Chang Ping, but first became a major force in Asian filmmaking with a string of eight hit comedies, including Money Crazy and From Riches to Rags.

Woo left Golden Harvest in 1983 and joined a new company, Cinema City, where he directed the romantic gangster film A Better Tomorrow, starring Chow Yun-Fat. Woo's lush crime thrillers with Chow - which also include the brilliantly choreographed, character-driven action film The Killer and Woo's last Hong Kong-produced film, Hard Boiled - won enthusiastic fans among audiences and filmmakers around the world. Woo also directed the Vietnam War-set Bullet in the Head, the comedy action caper Once a Thief, and A Better Tomorrow II.

Woo made his U. S. feature film debut with Hard Target starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. In 1994 he formed WCG Entertainment with his producing partner, Terence Chang. Under this banner, Woo directed Broken Arrow starring John Travolta and Christian Slater and Face/Off starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. The latter was an enormous box-office hit for the Hong Kong director and was praised by critics worldwide.

Woo kept busy between his feature films directing pilots for television, including Once a Thief, an adaptation of his feature film, and Blackjack starring Dolph Lundgren. In 1998 Woo directed his first commercial, a Nike spot featuring seven Brazilian soccer stars which won a silver lion at Cannes. Windtalkers is being produced by Lion Rock Productions, Woo's new company with longtime partner Terence Chang.

JOHN RICE (Writer) is a Los Angeles-based screenwriter and director. Born and raised in Minot, North Dakota, Rice left the heartland for Washington, D. C. , to work for U. S. Senator Quentin Burdick. During his tenure there, he was accepted to the USC Film School in their Master's Program, where he was awarded the Warner Bros. Scholarship and first teamed with Joe Batteer.

Since then Rice has worked with almost every film studio and with formidable producers, directors and talent, including Joel Silver, Bruce Willis, Simon West, and Renny Harlin. He has worked on several projects, including Silent Running for director Simon West, Silver Surfer and The Stars My Destination. Original screenplays include Lewis & Clark: The Expedition and Journal of Adventure.

Together with writer Joe Batteer, Rice scripted MGM's Blown Away, which starred Tommy Lee Jones and Jeff Bridges, Chasers, which was directed by Dennis Hopper, and Curiosity Kills. Currently, Rice is scripting the African epic Abyssinia and the period Japanese film The Last Samurai. He's also attached to direct Chain, a story he developed with Nicolas Cage's production company, Saturn Films.

JOE BATTEER (Writer) was born and raised in Philadelphia, and earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy at Pennsylvania State University and a Master of Fine Arts in film production at the University of Southern California.

In 1986 Joe started writing with partner John Rice, a fellow USC alum. Together they have sold a number of original scripts, four of which have been produced: Curiosity Kills, produced as an USA Cable film in 1991; Chasers in 1994; Blown Away (MGM/UA) in 1994; and Windtalkers.

In addition to their recent success with Windtalkers, Batteer and Rice currently have several scripts in development, including an adaptation of the novel Café on the Nile for Pacifica Films and an original screenplay for New Regency entitled The Last Samurai.

Batteer currently resides in Southern California with his wife Cathy and two sons, Alex and Zach.

TERENCE CHANG (Producer) studied architecture at the University of Oregon before switching his focus to filmmaking at New York University. In 1978 he returned to his native Hong Kong to become a production manager for two Golden Harvest films, Itchy Fingers and Game of Death II.

He joined Rediffusion Television (RTV) in 1979 as an administration officer for the production department, where for two years he supervised the operations of all RTV's television productions.

In 1981 he joined Johnny Mak Productions as a producer. While at Johnny Mak, he produced Lonely 15, Dragon Force, and Everlasting Love, which was selected to participate in the Director's Fortnight section of the Cannes Festival in 1984.

From 1986 to 1988 he served as executive in charge of distribution at D&B Films, during which time he greatly contributed to launching the careers of Brandon Lee and Michelle Yeoh. In 1988 he joined Film Workshop as general manager, and was the executive in charge of production for The Killer, Swordsman, Spy Games, Love and Death in Saigon, A Chinese Ghost Story II, and Gunmen. He also successfully marketed these films internationally.

In 1990 Mr. Chang formed Milestone Pictures with director John Woo, and together they created Once a Thief and Hard Boiled. At the same time he also became the manager of Asia's superstar Chow Yun-Fat and world-class writer Lilian Lee, whose books include Farewell, My Concubine and The Last Princess of Manchuria.

In 1993 Mr. Chang co-produced John Woo's American film debut Hard Target. In 1994 he formed WCG Entertainment with partners John Woo and Christopher Godsick. He has since produced Broken Arrow, the two-hour television pilots John Woo's Once a Thief and Blackjack for Alliance Communications, Face/Off, Replacement Killers, The Big Hit, and action drama The Corruptor. Additionally in 2000 Mr. Chang executive produced Mission: Impossible II and Anna and the King.

With John Woo, Mr. Chang recently formed Lion Rock Productions, which has a first-look deal at MGM. Windtalkers is Lion Rock's first release. Mr. Chang is currently producing Bulletproof Monk for MGM.

TRACIE GRAHAM (Producer) partnered with Alison Rosenzweig in 1999 to form Graham/Rosenzweig Films. Their upcoming projects include the potential franchise action feature DARKSIDERS to be directed by David Goyer (Blade & Blade 2), a fantasy thriller The Manifestant, a survival action thriller The Cage, an African-American comedy Where's the Party At?, and a remake of The Reincarnation of Peter Proud.

Prior to forming Graham/Rosenzweig Films, Graham served as producer of Phoenix starring Ray Liotta, Angelica Huston and Anthony LaPaglia. Previously, Graham was vice president of production at Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA) and co-produced the box office success Dumb and Dumber starring Jim Carrey, as well as Threesome starring Lara Flynn Boyle and The War at Home with Martin Sheen.

Graham served as a production executive at Chanticleer Films where she first met Alison Rosenzweig. During her tenure, Graham produced films for Showtime's 30-Minute Movies series, many of which were nominated for Academy Awards®.

ALISON ROSENZWEIG (Producer) recently formed Graham/Rosenzweig Films with Tracie Graham. Under this banner they have numerous projects slated to start production, including DARKSIDERS, to be directed by David Goyer (Blade I and II); The Cage, a thriller set in the arctic; Where's The Party At?, an African American comedy bu Maisha Yearwood; and a remake of the The Reincarnation of Peter Proud.

A graduate of Wellesley College, Rosenzweig began her career in the entertainment business as an associate producer for Showtime's 30-Minute Movies series at Chanticleer Films, where she first met partner Tracie Graham. Among the many live-action shorts she Associate Produced was the Academy Award®-winning Session Man.

Previously, Rosenzweig served as Vice President of Production at The Samuel Goldwyn Company, where she oversaw such development projects as Tortilla Soup (an American remake of Eat Drink Man Woman), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty with Jim Carrey attached, and Master & Commander to be directed by Peter Weir. Before that, she was involved in many theatrical and cable films, including Look Who's Talking, Five Corners, and HBO's Blindside and State of Emergency.

C. O. ERICKSON (Executive Producer) most recently executive produced Antitrust starring Ryan Phillippe and Tim Robbins for MGM. He also executive produced Return to Me for the studio. He is one of the film industry's most experienced producers and production managers, with a career that spans more than 50 years of movie-making.

Among his extraordinary accomplishments are positions as production manager of Hitchcock's To Catch A Thief, The Trouble with Harry, The Man Who Knew Too Much, and Vertigo, as well as Joseph L. Mankiewicz's megaproduction of Cleopatra. He was production supervisor on John Huston's The Misfits and Freud and executive production manager on three of the biggest epics in motion picture history from Samuel Bronston Productions: Circus World, The Fall of the Roman Empire and 55 Days at Peking.

Erickson was associate producer of John Huston's Reflections in a Golden Eye, Franklin J. Schaffner's Nicholas and Alexandra, Roman Polanski's Chinatown and the James Bond hit Never Say Never Again. As well as executive producing Magic, Urban Cowboy, Popeye, Mobsters, Groundhog Day, Black Sheep and Kiss the Girls, Erickson produced Blankman and Stuart Saves The Family and was the executive in charge of production on Ridley Scott's science fiction favorite Blade Runner.

JOHN J. SMITH (Line Producer/Production Manager) has worked on four MGM films in addition to Windtalkers. His other MGM features include Red Corner, Delirious, and To Live and Die in L. A.

Smith served as co-producer/production manager on the very successful sequel Grumpier Old Men. Smith also worked as a line producer and/or production manager on Waterworld, Greedy, Sister Act, Come See the Paradise, Tap, Mannequin, and several other features.

RICHARD STENTA (Line Producer) has now worked as a producer or co-producer on several MGM films, including Heartbreakers, The Mod Squad, and Dirty Work. His other producing/co-producing credits include The Marrying Man, Let It Ride, Sleepwalkers, Hanky Panky, Stir Crazy, Quicksilver, and the television films To Sir with Love II, Phantom of the Opera, and Nadia.

Prior to his independent producing work, Richard served as vice president of worldwide production at Paramount Pictures, supervising such films as Beverly Hills Cop II, Some Kind of Wonderful, Fatal Attraction, Planes, Trains & Automobiles, The Untouchables, She's Having a Baby, and Big Top Pee Wee. He also served as vice president of film and television production at Kings Road Entertainment.

JEFFREY KIMBALL, ASC, (Director of Photography) reteams with director John Woo on Windtalkers, having served as director of photography on the box-office hit Mission Impossible 2. Prior to that, Kimball worked on Stigmata starring Gabriel Byrne and Patricia Arquette, directed by Rupert Wainwright. Among his other feature film credits are Wild Things, The Specialist, True Romance, Curly Sue, Jacob's Ladder, Revenge, Beverly Hills Cop II, Top Gun, and The Legend of Billie Jean. Kimball also served as second unit director of photography on Cat People for director Paul Schrader.

HOLGER GROSS (Production Designer), a native of Berlin, Germany, has been working in the United States since 1986, where he designed productions including The Negotiator and two films for director Roland Emmerich: Stargate and Universal Soldier. Broken Arrow was his first work for director John Woo.

Gross studied at the Bauhaus School-Weimar and the Academy of Fine Arts-Berlin, graduating with a Masters degree in architecture. He began his career in theater, television, and at Germany's fabled UFA-Studios. He worked on dozens of European and international film productions, including Possession starring Isabelle Adjani, The Lightship with Robert Duvall, The Formula with George C. Scott and Marlon Brando, The Magician of Lublin, and The Holcroft Covenant.

Other credits include Deep Rising, A Walk on the Moon, and American Ninja II.

In addition to his feature work, he received an MTV award for Best Art Direction for his Fritz Lang-inflected futuristic sets on Madonna's "Express Yourself" video.

STEVEN KEMPER (Editor) was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1955. The son of an ASC cinematographer, he has been exposed to the film business all of his life. He attended the University of Southern California School of Cinema where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree and developed his sensibilities as a film editor.

His first job in the movie business was working as an apprentice editor for the late editor Frank Keller. He worked his way up through the ranks of post production, and while working as an assistant editor for Michael Kahn on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Steven Spielberg gave him his first editing position on the Amazing Stories television series. He was nominated for an Emmy award for his work on the episode The Mission, which was directed by Spielberg. He also edited episodes directed by Joe Dante, Danny DeVito, Peter Hyams, Timothy Hutton and Todd Holland, among many others.

Kemper's first feature film credit came on the surprise hit New Jack City. Other editing credits include Time Cop, Sudden Death and End of Days. He also collaborated with John on his previous films Mission Impossible 2 and Face/Off.

JEFF GULLO (Editor) has amassed a wide variety of editing credits during his career. His work as editor was most recently seen in End of Days. His work as assistant editor was seen in Face/Off, Scary Movie and Total Recall. He worked as first assistant editor on In the Line of Fire and Showdown in Little Tokyo. He served as additional editor on The Relic, and worked as associate editor on Sudden Death and Time Cop. He was also second assistant editor on Die Hard.

TOM ROLF, A. C. E. , (Editor) is one of the most respected practitioners of his profession. He has worked on an incredible array of films throughout his career with some of the best directors in the business. Among numerous other honors, he won the Academy Award® for Best Film Editing for The Right Stuff. Rolf's other films include John Frankenheimer's The French Connection II and Black Sunday; Martin Scorsese's Taxi Driver and New York, New York; WarGames; Ridley Scott's Black Rain; Adrian Lyne's Jacob's Ladder; Michael Mann's Heat; Alan Pakula's The Pelican Brief and The Devil's Own; and Robert Redford's The Horse Whisperer.

KEVIN YAGHER (Special Make-up Effects) started Kevin Yagher Productions, Inc. , in 1985 when the art of special make-up effects was still in its adolescent stage; now for over 15 years they've been a forerunner in providing high-end special make-up effects for the entertainment industry. Beginning with such characters as Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street Part 2 and Chucky in the Child's Play films, Kevin established himself as one of the top make-up effects artists by developing and creating lifelike creatures, aliens and humans with meticulous detail.

Shortly after his work on Child's Play, Kevin was approached by the producers of HBO's Tales from the Crypt to design and build the show's host, the Crypt Keeper. Kevin also directed all of the show's wraparounds and several promotional spots, one of which earned him an Emmy. "Lower Berth," an episode he directed, went on to receive CableACE Award nominations for directing, makeup, screenplay, and photography.

KYPI has collaborated with some of the top directors in town, as well as several well-known actors, including Robert DeNiro, Mel Gibson, Gene Hackman, Johnny Depp, Nicolas Cage, John Travolta, Keanu Reeves, Christian Slater, and Tom Cruise in last year's summer blockbuster Mission: Impossible 2. KYPI has also created effects for such high-profile projects as Starship Troopers, Sleepy Hollow, and Face/Off.

CAROLINE MACAULAY (Co-Producer) has worked for John Woo and Terence Chang, holding different development positions as their production company has grown. Windtalkers marks Caroline's first credit as co-producer.

She has been the senior vice president of Lion Rock Productions since 1999, where she contributes to the development and production of John and Terence's feature projects. Currently, she is working on Bulletproof Monk, a fantasy action-adventure starring Chow Yun Fat, the first installment of the Charlie Chan franchise, and the independent character thriller The Long Hello and Short Goodbye, among others.

Caroline started her film career in 1993 working in the motion picture literary department of the William Morris Agency in Los Angeles. She is a 1992 graduate of Tufts University where she was editor-in-chief of the weekly school newspaper, The Observer, and a student stringer for The New York Times.

She resides in West Hollywood with her husband, Sean Macaulay, a screenwriter and film critic for The London Times.

ARTHUR ANDERSON (Co-Producer/1st Assistant Director) planted the seeds of his film career in the fertile farmlands of Charleston, South Carolina. While attending the University of South Carolina, he and his partner opened a successful commercial production company where he served as a producer/writer/director. After graduating in 1977, Arthur began working on feature films in New York and Los Angeles nonstop for two and a half years. In 1980 he became a member of the Directors Guild of America, moved to Los Angeles, and worked on numerous television shows and feature films as an assistant director.

The new Lassie television series was his first venue as writer/director. In 1996 he joined John Woo as his 1st assistant director on Face/Off, and subsequently on Mission: Impossible II. On Windtalkers, Arthur became a co-producer in addition to his duties as John's 1st assistant director.

JAMES HORNER (Composer) is one of the most celebrated modern film composers. Having composed the music for dozens of the most memorable and successful films of the past two decades, Horner was honored with two Academy Awards® and two Golden Globe Awards for his music from James Cameron's Titanic (Best Original Score and Best Original Song, "My Heart Will Go On"). He has earned five additional Academy Award® nominations, four additional Golden Globe nominations, and has won six Grammy awards, including Song of the Year in both 1987 (for "Somewhere Out There") and 1998 (for "My Heart Will Go On"). In April of 1998, Horner's Titanic soundtrack album completed an unprecedented run of 16 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart, setting a new record for the most consecutive weeks at #1 for a score album. It remains the largest selling instrumental score album in history, having sold nearly 10 million copies in the US and more than 26 million copies worldwide. The multi-platinum sequel soundtrack album Back to Titanic featured additional music from the film as well as several new compositions by Horner based upon themes from his original score.

Known for his stylistic diversity, his other film credits include Enemy at the Gates, Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, The Perfect Storm, Freedom Song, Bicentennial Man, Mighty Joe Young, The Mask of Zorro, Deep Impact, The Devil's Own, Ransom, Courage Under Fire, To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, The Spitfire Grill, Braveheart, Apollo 13, Casper, Legends of the Fall, Clear and Present Danger, The Pagemaster, Bopha, The Pelican Brief, The Man Without a Face, Patriot Games, Thunderheart, Sneakers, The Rocketeer, Glory, In Country, Field of Dreams, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, The Land Before Time, Willow, An American Tail, The Name of the Rose, Cocoon, Gorky Park, 48 Hours and Star Trek II. His latest projects are Ron Howard's A Beautiful Mind and Shekhar Kapur's Four Feathers.

Born in Los Angeles in 1953, Horner spent his formative years living in London, where he attended the prestigious Royal Academy of Music. His initial interest was to become a composer of serious, avant-garde classical music. Returning to his native California, Horner continued his music education at the University of Southern California where he received a Bachelor of Music in Composition. He then transferred to the masters program at UCLA where he earned his doctorate in music composition and theory. In 1980, Horner was approached by the American Film Institute and asked to score a short film entitled The Drought. It was then that he discovered his passion for composing music for film.

After scoring a number of films for the AFI, Horner left the academic world and began working for Roger Corman at New World Pictures. It was in this milieu of low-budget horror films (Brainstorm, Battle Beyond the Stars) that Horner developed his craft. It was also where he became acquainted with a number of young directors, including Ron Howard, for whom he would later score such films as Willow, Cocoon, and the hit Apollo 13. Also during his time at New World, Horner met a young cameraman named James Cameron, with whom he would later collaborate on the hit sequel Aliens and, of course, Titanic. In the ensuing years, Horner has gone on to collaborate with many of Hollywood's most noted and successful filmmakers, including Ed Zwick, Joe Johnston, Phil Alden Robinson, Steven Spielberg, William Friedkin, Mel Gibson, Oliver Stone, Philip Noyce, Michael Apted, Lasse Hallstrom, Norman Jewison, and Francis Ford Coppola.

Equally comfortable with lush orchestral scoring and contemporary electronic techniques, Horner has likened his approach to composing to that of a painter, where the film serves as the canvas and where musical color is used to describe and support the film's emotional dynamics. He is also noted for his integration of unusual ethnic instruments into the traditional orchestral palette in order to achieve exotic colors and textures. An accomplished conductor, Horner prefers to conduct his orchestral film scores directly to picture and without the use of click tracks or other mechanical timing devices. He has also composed several concert works, including a work entitled "Spectral Shimmers" which was performed by the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. Horner's most recent concert work is "A Forest Passage" commissioned by the Cleveland Orchestra in celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreational Area in Ohio.

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