By BOB OAKES
February 19, 2010
Click here to listen to Ed Siegel’s review and his comments on the state’s film industry.
BOSTON — Martin Scorsese’s newest film, “Shutter Island,” has deep Greater Boston roots, as it is based on the 2004 novel of same name by local writer Dennis Lehane, and much of the film was shot in Eastern Massachusetts.
WBUR’s critic-at-large, Ed Siegel, reviewed the thriller and also said that its local shooting indicates the rise of the state’s film industry.
“Lehane captures the area really vividly in his books, but “Shutter Island” really could have been shot anywhere,” Siegel said. “But that makes it all the more impressive that it was shot entirely in Massachusetts since it really didn’t have to be.”
Siegel concedes that the controversial film tax credit has played a role in the growing industry.
“The movie that really changed things was “Pink Panther 2,” Siegel said. “That movie took place in Europe but was shot here. Hollywood filmmakers have always been drawn to the area, but now with the film professionals, the state-of-the-art facilities and that much-debated tax credit, the area has really moved into the top-10 of U.S. sites.”