Millions-part 5

PART FIVE: A WORLD OF WONDER

There's an old show business tenet that recommends you should never work with children or animals, but then again, that saying basically favours the business rather than the show. Danny Boyle, on the other hand, enjoyed the experience immensely and has nothing but praise for his young stars. "The thing about working with kids is that you learn so much," he says. "I've learnt more as a director working on this film than on anything else. You learn about acting, about presenting stories and you can see those kids grow as they take in information. They're so hungry for knowledge, even if it sometimes appears they're bored and want to get back to their Playstations. By the end of the shoot I could see a huge difference in them. We got to a stage where they didn't need any telling."

Meanwhile, for cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, the chance to step into a child's mind offered more of an excuse to rip up the rulebook and experiment. "It's an excuse to play," he corrects, "and if you have a director who wants to play too, like Danny, that can be amazing." Boyle affirms that this was his intention: to make the experience as rich as he could for everyone and not just the viewer. It's an old adage that says a happy set makes for a terrible film, but Millions is an exception to that rule. "I wanted it to be an emotional experience," says Boyle. "I really felt that very, very strongly from early on. I wanted it to be a generous film, in the way that it was made and also in the way that its spirit conveyed itself. A spirit of generosity, which isn't very fashionable."

"Danny's fantastic in two ways," says producer Graham Broadbent, "he communicates his passion to the crew, meaning that the crew will go way beyond what they'd normally do on a film. But he also puts a huge amount into achieving what he wants and he was truly amazing to watch with the children. He really knew how to get on their level and to inspire them. He worked really hard to build a relationship with them and he loved them and they loved him.

According to Frank Cottrell Boyce, Boyle came into his own during the scene in which Damian takes part in his school's nativity play, "Danny sang the Christmas carol Little Donkey to the young extras to get them in the mood," he says. "He sang it totally off-key and I hope that wonderful moment will be on the DVD extras, because it's just extraordinary how off-key he could be and still be breathing! He wasn't just a bad singer, it was like he was doing the mating call of some other-worldly being!"

Boyle was very much aware of this scenario and he embraced it. "As a director, sometimes you try and be as big a kid as possible," he says. "I loved making this film because this time there was a reasonable excuse. Nobody was looking at me thinking, 'Uh-oh, he's completely lost it now.' They thought I just was trying to make the kids feel at home..."

But despite this apparent clowning and not-so-serious behaviour, the film told its makers plenty about the lives and minds of children today - even Dod Mantle, who has a young son of his own. "Look at Alex," he says. "Here's a young boy who has obeyed no conventional acting rules," he explains. "He's eight years old and a bit of a wild card, so he just stands there in front of you and does what he does - which for me is wonderful. I've done a lot of documentaries where you're forced to be spontaneous and in this case, Danny as a director and I as a cinematographer, both wanted to be spontaneous and try to find both a vibrancy and an insight into that irrational world in his little head."

This was part of Boyle's plan from the outset. To ensure that the film was an organic experience he invited Cottrell Boyce on set for the whole shoot and encouraged his input. He even cast him as the teacher who organises the school nativity play and tries, with little joy, to direct Damian as St Joseph. "That's a little scene from Hollywood," grins Boyle, "struggling with star actors. They say it should be done one way, you think it should be done another and you have to compromise. "

Cottrell Boyce's presence created an interesting dynamic. Although he and Boyle have very different views on spiritual matters, they both shared a common objective. Explains Boyle, "It's a film about faith, but not in a strictly religious sense. Frank remains a practising Catholic, and I'm not, and I think that's why it has religious overtones but it isn't actually about religion. Frank didn't want it to be about religion either because he doesn't proselytise for it or anything like that, it's a personal thing. It's about having faith in people really, rather than ideology or totems."

Which brings us back to the beginning. Though the film deals with saints, marvels and even miracles, its message says more about the inquisitive and thoughtful minds of our young than the scriptures. "The film was made by a believer and an atheist, and yet the idea of faith is really strong. It's not necessarily religious," he says, "it's just saying if you believe in your dreams they will work for you in the end. And sometimes they really do come through." Which, fittingly, may just be the story behind this extraordinary production too.

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