Director Danny Boyle’s first post-Slumdog Millionaire project, 127 Hours, has got off to a shocking start at the Toronto Film Festival – three viewers passed out and one suffered a seizure during its recent screening, owing to a harrowing scene in which star James Franco amputates his own arm.
Boyle’s feature is based on Ralston’s autobiography Between a Rock and a Hard Place, a retelling of a faithful event in the life of mountain climber Aron Ralston, who became trapped in an isolated Utah canyon in 2003 after a fallen boulder crashed onto his arm.
Over the next five days, the climber survived on tiny sips of water before deciding make a life-altering decision – he had no hope of survival unless he freed himsel amputated his arm with a pen knife. In true Boyle fashion, the amputation scene is apparently highly realistic in its depiction and therefore extremely gruesome.
It is unknown yet whether the scene may be trimmed down before its January 2011 theatrical release, with multiple walk-outs reported from viewers that were either unaware of the nature of the pivotal scene, or unprepared for its gory content. A writer for entertinment site TheWrap.com stated that they could not “remember a reaction to a film like this in a very long time, perhaps not since “The Exorcist” sent audiences scurrying for the doors.”
