Film project wrapping up in Yarmouth
Dismantling of site props next step
The film project at Cape Forchu’s Leif Ericson trail is drawing to a close.
The Lighthouse, a thriller directed by Robert Eggers, stars Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson.
Film executives have not supplied Leland Anthony, warden for the Municipality of Yarmouth, with a specific date for when the barricade, established on April 4 at John’s Cove beach, will be removed, but he said on Monday he expects it won’t be long.
He understands that people would like to visit the lighthouse property, which is a popular attraction in Yarmouth County.
“My understanding is that as soon as the film has been screened to make sure they don’t have to reshoot any scenes, then they are going to start taking things apart,” Anthony said, adding that it would take five days for the film review.
“I would think that the outer barricade would come down but that they’d still have to barricade the Leif Ericson park because they have to take things in and out.”
A sign at the entrance to the trail says it will be closed until May 11.
A temporary lighthouse, lighthouse keeper’s home, foghorn building and boat house that were built for the film set must now be dismantled and the site restored to the condition it was in before before the public can access the trail again.
Anthony said he believes the film crew was finished at the Yarmouth airport, where another set was built inside a large hangar.
He said the lighthouse lens and much of the furnishings from the Cape Forchu set are being transported to Halifax for more interior scenes.
Anthony said he never had the chance to meet the actors, and he was a little disappointed that local media hadn’t been invited to see the site.
“No cameras, just so they could tell people what they saw,” he said.
The Tri- County Vanguard also put in several requests to interview the actors and others associated with the film but the newspaper was told press interviews pertaining to the film would only take place next year when the film is released.
Anthony said when council members were invited to the site for remediation discussions, he had a chance to view the structures up close.
“The authenticity of the stuff…. If you didn’t know any better, you’d swear the buildings were 100 years old. As soon as you stepped inside the house, you stepped back into the 1800s,” he said. “For example, the grimy ceiling because of the smoky stove.”
He said the exterior of the film lighthouse looked exactly like solid granite or brick but as soon as you touched it, you wondered how it lasted as long as it had, given that it was just a temporary structure.
Anthony said the location manager, Shaun Clarke, had good things to say about Yarmouth.
“He said that the people of Yarmouth showed a lot of respect to the actors and courtesy to the film crew.”