lord war

does any one know why in the movie lord of war the gun dealer has a little press in his warehouse were he keeps is merchandise??????

image: lord_of_war4.jpg

lord_of_war4.jpg

image: lord.jpg

lord.jpg

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I haven’t seen the movie, but maybe there’s a connection between lead type and lead bullets? Like, he bought out a printshop for the lead, and kept the press because it looked cool? One of the rules of filmmaking is that everything in every scene is there for a reason.

Barbara

Barbara

Kind of looks like a slug cutter and printer’s saw are pictured as well.

Maybe the location shot was somebody’s print shop and the director just liked having the oddities present. Wouldn’t be the first time printing equipment was used as background in a film.

But I think the rule was Chekov’s, and in regard to theater. An aesthetic statement. If a rifle/shotgun is shown above the fireplace mantle in the first act, it must be used by the third act. Or something like that.

A fairly useful rule in book design as well!!

Gerald

I think BarbHouser has a point; melt the lead and you get bullets! I wasn’t planing to see the movie but now as Gerard pointed it out I am going to see it just because of the little press. Cheers.

I took a look at the movie and in the scene that is shown, the narrator, Nicholas Cage, mentions forged passports. So I assume Barbara was correct initially about the rationale for the press being included in the shot.

The entire opening sequence of the movie shows the industrial manufacture of a bullet, and a bullet for a semi-automatic rifle so I doubt very much the scene might reference that type metal was being melted down for use as bullets. Bit low tech for a movie concerned with illegal trade in high end arms.

Gerald