Scorsese’s “Shutter Island” Gets Absurd Name Change

Amid all of the Oscar and Heath Ledger news over the past week it looks like a strange piece of news slipped right through the cracks for most of us.

In what has to rank as one of the weirdest name changes in history, the Boston Herald reported that the Martin Scorsese adaptation of the Dennis Lahane novel, “Shutter Island” will now be called “Ashecliffe.” Ashecliffe, we understand, is the name of a mental facility in the book located on the fictional island off Boston harbor where much of the action takes place.

Leonardo DiCaprio is playing U.S. Marshal Teddy Daniels, who, along with his partner Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo), is investigating the disappearance of a murderess who escapes from a hospital for the criminally insane and is presumed to be hiding on the remote Shutter Island. The drama is set in 1954.

Michelle Williams, currently grieving after the loss of her one time fiance and father of her child, Heath Ledger, is playing DiCaprio’s dead wife who still haunts him (in memories I hope). Ben Kingsley will be playing J. Cawley, the hospital’s enigmatic chief physician who reluctantly plays host to the two marshals.

There’s no word on just why the name of the movie was changed from that of the book. There are indications that the film will take greater liberties with flashbacks than the book did, but that hardly seems a reason to name a movie “Ashecliffe.” I expect this title to change once again as the producers sober up and realize the should have picked Truth instead of Dare.

“Ashecliffe� hopes to start in March and will most likely shoot in Massachusetts, Connecticut or Nova Scotia.

---

Movies