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"No Snow for Dr Zhivago"
By Derek Robins, Yahoo News.
A lack of snow caused huge headaches during the filming of ITV1's £10m re-make of the blockbuster Dr Zhivago.The makers were tearing their hair out when snow refused to materialise in Slovakia in March, as the makers had to use fake snow and ship tons of real white stuff from the mountains.
Co-producer Hugh Warren said: "It was a difficult time for the team. We had all the expense of going to Slovakia and trouble crossing the border and there was no snow! It was ironic."
In the end 570 bags of paper snow, 284 bags of cellulose dust, 60 cans of frost spray, 250 litres of snow solution had to be used. And the fake snow proved to be useless as sledges would not slide on it and it was too cold for the ice-makers to work, said producer Anne Pivcevic.
While the production suffered a lack of snow in Slovakia there was a blizzard just two days before shooting began. Keira Knightley, 17, who plays Lara in the three-parter which begins on November 24, said: "It would have been perfect for filming but the sun came out and melted it all and it didn't snow again."
Pivcevic is confident that viewers won't notice fake snow. She said: "One day we had to film partisans in a village in the depths of winter. Sadly it was a sunny May day. So we had to use special snow candles to create the effect of drifting snowflakes. I'm pretty confident we'll get away with it."
November 13, 2002
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