February 09, 2025
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Otter Cliffs spot of Scorsese film shoot

It’s not unusual to see someone rock climbing at Acadia National Park’s Otter Cliffs.

Having a 70-foot crane nearby – now that’s unexpected.

The crane, and the climber, were there Wednesday as part of a shoot for the Paramount-Columbia motion picture “Ashecliffe.”

“Ashecliffe,” set for release next October, is directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Leonardo DiCaprio. It’s based on the 2003 novel “Shutter Island” by Dennis Lehane.

A capsule description of the thriller from The Hollywood Reporter explains that two U.S. marshals (played by DiCaprio and Mark Ruffalo) investigate the disappearance of a patient (played by Emily Mortimer) from a hospital for the criminally insane on an island in Massachusetts. They run into trouble when they are deceived by others, and a hurricane and an inmate riot trap them on the island.

Also in the cast are Ben Kingsley, Elias Koteas, Michelle Williams, Max von Sydow and Jackie Earle Haley.

But neither Scorsese nor any of the cast are in Maine, as the majority of the filming, which was done in Massachusetts, had wrapped back in July.

Leah Girardin, director of the Maine Film Office, explained that what was happening at Otter Cliffs was a second-unit shoot over three days, with footage to be used for special effects. Filming was expected to wrap up today.

On the closed set (no members of the public are allowed), the 40-person crew is using a wireless, digital “spider” camera attached to cables from the 70-foot crane to capture shots of a stunt climber on the rocks.

Girardin said it was too early to gauge the economic impact of the shoot, and that she would know more after talking with the production staff after the filming.

dmcgarrigle@bangordailynews.net

990-8028


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