History Trivia / TheLighthouse

* DoingItForTheArt:
** To give the movie its old-fashioned look, Robert Eggers shot it not only in black-and-white film but also in 1.19:1 aspect ratio, which old movies such as ''Film/{{M}}'' were filmed in back in the '20s and '30s. He also used vintage Bausch & Lomb Baltar lenses from the '30s[[note]]Baltar lenses are incredibly rare these days, even moreso for those in working condition.[[/note]] and had custom short pass filters installed in the film cameras to emulate vintage [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthochromasia#Orthochromatic_photography orthochromatic photography]]. This limited the amount of light that the film in the cameras received and required more elaborate lighting setups.
** The lighthouse as shown in the movie is an actual functional 70-foot lighthouse that was specifically constructed for the movie.

* WordOfGod: In multiple interviews, Robert Eggers confirmed that [[spoiler:Winslow is meant to either be or represent Prometheus and Wake is similarly a representation of Proteus,]] which had been a popular interpretation of several key scenes, [[spoiler: including the ending]].

* CareerResurrection: This film, along with others like ''Film/TheLostCityOfZ'' and ''Film/GoodTime'', helped Creator/RobertPattinson erase the taint he had from working on the ''Literature/{{Twilight}}'' films. Critics who had once dismissed him as a TeenIdol were pleasantly surprised by his legitimate acting chops in this film.

** In the original script, when Winslow/Howard stares into the light at the end of the film, he reached his hand into it, touches it, and burns his hand off.

** According to Robert Eggers, the two lead characters represent figures in Greek mythology: Wake represents Proteus, an old prophetic sea-god, who was called the "Old Man of the Sea". Winslow represents Prometheus, a Titan and trickster figure, who defies the gods (Wake's character) by stealing fire (represented by the light of the lighthouse).

* ActingInTheDark: The script didn't explain what Wake and Winslow's characters were seeing when they are staring into the light of the lighthouse. When Creator/WillemDafoe and Creator/RobertPattinson were playing these scenes, they didn't know either. The script only explained how their characters felt while looking at the light.
* AwardCategoryFraud: Creator/WillemDafoe was campaigned as a supporting actor, despite the fact that most agree his role was that of a lead. While Creator/RobertPattinson does have more moments from his point of view where Dafoe isn't seen, they're comparatively few to the scenes shared between them which make up the bulk of the movie. And despite Pattinson being the main viewpoint character, Dafoe's role is more talkative, having many long speeches in comparison to his more quiet costar. In the end though, [[AwardSnub Dafoe didn't make any of the major awards ceremonies that year]].

** To give the movie its old-fashioned look, Robert Eggers shot it not only in black-and-white film but also in 1.19:1 aspect ratio, one which old movies such as ''Film/{{M}}'' were filmed in back in the '20s and '30s. He also used vintage Bausch & Lomb Baltar lenses from the '30s[[note]]Baltar lenses are incredibly rare these days, even moreso for those in working condition.[[/note]] and had custom short pass filters installed in the film cameras to emulate vintage [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orthochromasia#Orthochromatic_photography orthochromatic photography]]. This limited the amount of light that the film in the cameras received and required more elaborate lighting setups.
** The lighthouse as shown in the movie is an actual 70-foot working lighthouse that was specifically constructed for the movie.
* DyeingForYourArt: Creator/RobertPattinson's and Creator/WillemDafoe's facial hair was all real. However, Pattinson had to dye his mustache dark because he's naturally dark blonde. Dafoe's bad teeth were a prosthetic.