La. town "rich" in talent for film --
Donaldsonville fits mood for movie "Behind the Sun"

BYLINE: Steven Ward --
A feature film crew transformed the streets of downtown Donaldsonville into a town that lies in the heart of the fictional Louisiana parish of LeSalle.

The LeSalle Parish sheriff, a burnt-out alcoholic played by Academy Award winner Billy Bob Thornton, leads a quiet, small-town existence until there's a murder.

That's when Thornton's character, Darl, becomes obsessed with solving the case and is forced to come to grips with moral responsibility and the shattering of establishment myths.

The movie is called "Behind the Sun." A woman from Brusly and a man who spent the first six years of his life in Donaldsonville are responsible for bringing the filmmakers to Ascension Parish's West Bank city.

Alicia Allain, the film's line producer, graduated from Brusly High School before moving to Los Angeles to work in the film industry's vanities area.

"Vanities means I did hair and makeup. That's where I learned about the film business and decided that I wanted to become a producer," Allain said while overseeing the film crew as it prepared for a shot in front of the Mississippi River. Allain lives in Los Angeles but resided in Baton Rouge for three years. Allain took a break from the film business and worked as a hair stylist at The Gallery.

It was Allain, 31, who called film location scout Dana Hanby, a Covington resident who moved away from Donaldsonville when he was 6. She wanted Hanby to find a place to shoot "Behind the Sun."

"They gave me the script to read, and then I started thinking about possible locations," Hanby said.

Hanby, the film's location manager, said his old hometown came instantly to mind, especially the Ascension Parish Courthouse in Donaldsonville.

"Of course, the director and producer have the final say on the location. I showed them around, and they loved it," Hanby, 46, said.

Hanby, Allain and the film's producer, John Morrissey, all said the people of Donaldsonville have been wonderful about allowing the film crew to work its magic.

The film's star, Thornton, said he's having a great time working in Donaldsonville - with the exception of the pollen in the air.

"I've been having some problems with allergies acting up a little," Thornton said after completing a scene with his character's father near the river bank.

"But I love it here. I love the South. The air is heavier here. I love the people, the food and the culture. The people here are rich; you know what I mean by rich? Rich with culture."

Thornton said Donaldsonville has the exact look the film needs.

"This is a really good place to shoot this movie because the mood is already here. You don't have to create that," Thornton said.

The film is based on an original script by its director, Robby Henson.

Morrissey describes the film's plot as a story about the Old South and the New South.

"Billy Bob's character is broken down. An alcoholic relic of the Old South," Morrissey said. "A murder occurs, and he has no intention of solving it, but he is slowly drawn in. He learns about ethics from strippers down in New Orleans, and he finds out that the people who are really morally bankrupt are the ones he knows as the establishment. It's a film about rediscovering values."

Allain, whose job as line producer is to hire the film crew and watch over the day-to-day operations of filming, said 80 percent of the crew members are from Louisiana.

"These people have been working together for 15 years. The local people are more than qualified. They have worked on movies like 'Steel Magnolias,' 'Blaze,' you name it," Allain said.

Allain also said the people of Donaldsonville are extremely happy about the filming because of the influx of money into the town's economy.

"We frequent the restaurants, we buy lumber here," Allain said.

The film also stars actress Patricia Arquette, who will be in Donaldsonville sometime this week to shoot her scenes, and Sela Ward, star of the ABC-TV drama "Once and Again." Arquette plays Thornton's love interest and Ward plays his character's ex-wife.

The entire film will be shot in Louisiana. In addition to Donaldsonville, the crew will shoot in Plaquemine and New Orleans.

Allain said the film should be in theaters sometime in the spring of 2002.__The Advocate (Baton Rouge, LA.) (April 16, 2001)