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H ollywood history is filled with
movies based on inspirational true
stories involving remarkable
individuals with the resilience and
determination to triumph over adversity. So it
was only a matter of time before the eventful
life of Louie Zamperini – as documented in
Laura Hillenbrand’s bestselling book
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival,
Resilience, and Redemption – was made into
a film. What was unexpected, however, was
that this incredible story of survival against
the odds would be brought to the screen by
actor-turned-filmmaker Angelina Jolie.
Zamperini was a gifted Olympic athlete
who joined the United States Army Air
Corp in 1941. Deployed as a bombardier, he
survived the crash of a defective B-24 bomber
in 1943, subsequently spending 47 days adrift
in shark-infested waters before being captured
by the Japanese Navy and interred in a POW
camp. Zamperini’s strong survival instinct and life
motto, “If I can take it, I can make it”, helped him
endure the torture and indignities he experienced
as a prisoner of war.
Angelina Jolie had made her directorial debut
in 2011 with the Bosnian War-set drama In the
Land of Blood and Honey, and was eager to
venture behind the camera once again, albeit
with the right project.
“I wanted it to be something I would love
and care about because directing takes so
much dedication, so much time away from your
family and much more effort than acting,” Jolie
explains. “You have to be completely committed
and fully engaged. I knew I wouldn’t be any
good at directing another film unless I was really
moved by the subject matter and felt it was
important.”
When producer Matthew Baer gave her the
working script for Unbroken in 2012, Jolie found
within it the themes she wanted to explore
onscreen.
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In choosing her second project as a director, Angelina Jolie found inspiration close to home.UNBROKEN
“I was intrigued by the draft I read, but
it was after I read Laura’s book that I knew
that I wanted to direct the film,” she recalls.
I was drawn to the incredible story of Louie’s
journey and Laura’s brilliant recreation and rich
documentation of pivotal events that shape the
last century.”
Not only was Jolie inspired by Zamperini’s
story, she soon discovered that the man himself
lived in her own neighbourhood in the Hollywood
Hills. “Louie could actually see the roof of my
house from his living-room window,” she laughs.
“Little did I know that he’d been there all the
time… all the while I was trying to figure out
what to do next with my life.”
This revelation made Jolie even more
determined to direct Unbroken, and she began
meticulously researching and planning how best
to structure Zamperini's story as a film. “I made
these storyboards at home, taking pictures from
the Internet, gluing and taping them onto sheets
of cardboard,” she recalls. “Then I put them in
garbage bags and hauled them to Universal,
where I pitched my butt off convincing the studio
I could do the job.”
With support from producer Baer, the studio
agreed to allow Jolie to further develop her
passion project, during which time she became
better acquainted with Zamperini. “I had the
privilege of spending a great deal of time with
Louie, who was a hero of mine,” Jolie notes. “I
quickly understood what my generation and my
children’s generation could learn from his.
“I wanted to make this film because, in the
end, Louie’s message is one that we all need,
now more than ever. He was someone who
helped to remind us all what each of us is
capable of: to never lose heart, to
gain strength from family, to
identify our fears and our pain,
to define brotherhood with
our fellow man, to come face-
to-face with the darkness and
to never, ever give up.”
I had the privilege of
spending a great deal of
time with Louie, who was
a hero of mine
Above: Angelina with Louie Zamperini
Right: Angelina directs
Top: Jack O'Connell (right) as Zamperini
in Unbroken