While we’re all drawn to the movies in order to view the “big show,” the culminating production, sometimes the making of films can be as equally interesting as the film itself. Samuel L. Jackson, for instance, specifically insisted on sporting a purple lightsaber in Star Wars so that he could appear more distinct during the gladiatorial combat scene featured in the film – There’s no complex mythology behind the saber itself, only a prosaic desire on Jackson’s behalf to appear more conspicuous in the movie.
In another instance, during a scene where Christopher Lee’s character of Saruman was being betrayed – literally stabbed in the back – by his mewling servant, Womtongue; Lee purportedly asked director Peter Jackson: “Peter, have you ever heard the sound a man makes when he’s stabbed in the back?” Perplexed, Jackson responded “Um, well no.” Reassuringly, Lee replied “Well, I have and I know what to do.” Lee, prior to becoming an actor, had been involved with secret operations organized by the British during World War II, so he likely was not being mendacious when he asserted that he was familiar with the sound of a man dying.
In the grand scheme of things, such tidbits are inconsequential and ultimately meaningless. Still, it’s fun to learn a little more about the fabric of movies, the threads moving through the quilt of great entertainment. In that spirit, here are 10 fun facts about movie blockbusters that you may not have otherwise known.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002)
Actors Involved: Daniel Radcliffe; The Neapolitan Mastiff, Bella
Behind the Scenes: In the Harry Potter films, Harry’s reliable protector and friend, Hagrid, owns a large and boorish dog named Fang, played by a Neapolitan Mastiff named Bella. In the Chamber of Secrets, Harry is desperate to identify the identity of a creature controlled by Salazar Slytherin’s heir that is systematically eliminating Muggle-born students at the school. He eventually hypothesizes that a creature named Aragog, an acromantula living in the Forbidden Forest, may be the culprit behind the attacks.
Harry, played by Daniel Radcliffe, eventually ventures into the Forbidden Forest to determine the truth of Aragog’s complicity in the crimes. He is joined by Ron and Fang, as Hagrid, who had befriended Aragog, had been previously escorted to Azkaban, the wizard-prison. The adventure into the forest eventually turns sour, though Harry and Ron do learn that Aragog is innocent of any wrongdoing at Hogwarts.
During the filming of the forest scene, apparently Bella had grown quite attached to the lead actor, Daniel Radcliffe. Whenever the animatronic spider for Aragog was trotted out on set, Bella would instinctively leap in front of Radcliffe to ostensibly defend him. This resulted in the scene having to be re-filmed numerous times. Dogs can be pesky interlopers, sometimes – especially on a film set.
Saving Private Ryan (1997)
Actors Involved: Matt Damon, Tom Sizemore, Vin Diesel, Edward Burns, Barry Pepper, Jeremy Davies, Adam Goldberg
Behind the Scenes: In Saving Private Ryan, Captain Miller’s “C Company” is assigned to decommission a fellow soldier, Private Ryan, whose three brothers had all fallen in combat during the later stages of World War II. In the film, the company trudges through much of France searching for the embattled private, in order to return him home safely to his grieving family.
Directed by Steven Spielberg, he apparently insisted all the actors in “C Company” experience basic military training before filming, excepting Matt Damon, the actor playing Private Ryan. Spielberg apparently wanted the cast of “C Company” to feel an ingrained bitterness and resentment toward Private Ryan’s character, which is certainly felt on-screen.
Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Actors Involved: Harrison Ford
Behind the Scenes: In Raiders of the Lost Ark, the eponymous character, Indiana Jones, is a swashbuckling archaeologist who attempts to beat the Nazis in discovering an ancient religious relic, the “Lost Ark,” or the receptacle of Moses’ ancient Ten Commandments. In the film, the relic serves as a central component for the Nazi’s plans of world domination.
In one particularly memorable scene, a sword fighter challenges Indy in a Cairo market. Putting his skills on full display, the swordsmen slashes, dances, and exhibits his formidable skill. Seemingly exasperated, Indy casually pulls out his pistol and easily disposes of the fighter with a gunshot. Oh, modern technology!
The scene was initially scripted by Spielberg to be an epic, rather than anticlimactic fight. However, due to some unforeseen variables, namely Harrison Ford contracting dysentery, the concept of the scene shifted. Initially scheduled as a three-day shoot, Ford, severely sick, persuaded Spielberg to condense the scene, suggesting instead that he merely shoot his antagonist. That’s certainly one way of truncating a film shoot.
Spiderman (2002)
Actors Involved: Tobey Maguire
Behind the Scenes: In the original Spiderman, directed by Sam Raimi, Peter Parker is bit by a genetically enhanced spider, endowing Parker with superhuman spider-like abilities. All of Peter’s senses are enhanced, he’s able to spin webs, climb on walls, swing along skyscrapers, and more.
In one scene, Peter’s romantic interest, Mary Jane, accidently slips in the cafeteria, her meal for lunch flying in several directions. Peter, harnessing his new abilities, acutely grabs the tray mid-air, and shiftily manages to catch every item of food previously destined for the floor. Apparently, this scene was shot without the use of CGI, which is astonishing! Tobey Maguire, who played Peter Parker, eventually was able to manage the feat after 156 takes.
Armageddon (1998)
Actors Involved: Entire cast
Behind the Scenes: Armageddon tells the story of a group of oil drillers confoundingly hired by NASA to detonate a nuclear bomb on an asteroid headed toward Earth. The rationale of NASA in this film defies logic, but the movie was a smashing success at the box office, earning 553.7 million dollars against a budget of only 140 million.
The plot mechanics of Michael Bay’s story are so absurd that NASA actually shows the film to new employees during their management training program. The new managers are assigned the task of identifying as many plot errors as possible. Thus far, a total of 168 have been found, though I’m sure more are lurking.
Django Unchained (2012)
Actors Involved: Leonardo DiCaprio
Behind the Scenes: In Django Unchained, Django finds himself in service to a peculiar German bounty hunter named Dr. King Schulz, whose mission is to capture the notorious Brittle brothers. Once their mission proves successful, Django is freed, and together he and Schulz pursue the most wanted criminals in the South. Their adventures eventually culminate in a visit to “Candie-Land,” an infamous plantation where Django’s wife is still enslaved.
During their visit to the plantation, Calvin Candie displays his sadistic and torturous tendencies to his guests during a dinner sequence. At one point, the actor playing Candie, Leonardo Dicaprio, vehemently smashes his hand against the dinner table. During this shoot, Dicaprio accidentally crushed a small glass, causing his hand to bleed profusely. However, Leo persisted with the scene, composing himself enough to stay in character. Quentin Tarantino was so impressed he used the take in the movie’s final cut.
Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Actors Involved: Sean Bean
Behind the Scenes: The Lord of the Rings films were famously shot in New Zealand, featuring prominently its iconic landscape and spawning a niche tourism industry there for fans of the books and movies. Filming across such a diverse landscape was a challenging endeavor for both the crew and cast.
For Sean Bean, who harbored an intense fear of flying, shoots in the mountains became difficult. He would only acquiesce to flying if it were absolutely necessary, which resulted in him having to compromise on several occasions. During one stretch of the first film, the Fellowship is in the midst of attempting to cross the Misty Mountains, where they are met with numerous hazards, ultimately compelling them to turn back. During the filming of these scenes, Bean would spend two hours every morning, climbing from the base of the mountain to the set near the top, fully dressed as his character, Boromir. The crew, in fact, often viewed him climbing during their much easier morning commute on a helicopter. They should’ve been charitable and dropped him a cup of coffee!
Titanic (1997)
Actors Involved: James Cameron (Director)
Behind the Scenes: James Cameron is certainly a stickler when it comes to detail. Titanic, his magnum opus to the ill-fated early 20th-century cruise liner, has a running time of two hours and forty minutes, excluding the scenes filmed in contemporary-day America – the exact amount of time it took for the Titanic to sink. Moreover, the Titanic’s collision with the iceberg reportedly lasted 37 seconds, exactly how long the collision scene is in Cameron’s film.
Wonder Woman (2017)
Actors Involved: Gal Gadot
Behind the Scenes: Wonder Woman, inspired by the DC comics character of the same name, explains the origins of Diana, the daughter of Zeus, who possesses numerous supernatural gifts. During the film, she sets out to break the stalemate of World War I, which she views as a machination of her uncle, Aries, the Greek God of War, who’s resolved to embroil the world in interminable conflict.
During the film, Gal Gadot, cast to play Diana, was five-months pregnant during the movie’s reshoots. Because her baby bump was visible, the production crew created a costume which featured a green screen around her belly, later removed during the post-production editing process.
The Hangover (2009)
Actors Involved: Ed Helms
Behind the Scenes: In The Hangover, a now classic comedy released in 2009, a group of groomsmen visit Las Vegas for a raucous bachelor’s party before their friend’s wedding. A member of the trio, however, stupidly slips them all (even himself) Rohypnol, a benzodiazepine referred to as a “roofie” in common parlance, and things quickly go awry; resulting in a night none of them can properly remember.
One of the characters, Stu, wakes up the next morning with his tooth unaccountably missing. In reality, the actor playing Stu, Ed Helms, is also actually missing a tooth! He never had an adult incisor grow and his fake incisor was taken out for the scenes where Stu’s tooth is gone.
The Social Network (2010)
Actors Involved: Natalie Portman
Behind the Scenes: In The Social Network, a movie exploring the beginnings of the social media giant “Facebook” the film narrates, in reference to Facebook’s invention at Harvard: “[It became] the biggest thing on a campus that included nineteen Nobel Laureates, fifteen Pulitzer Prize winners, two future Olympians, and a movie star.” The movie star referenced in this instance was actually Natalie Portman, who attended Harvard from 1999 to 2003. Portman actually helped screenwriter Aaron Sorkin, who adapted The Social Network for the screen, providing him with insider information about the happenings of Harvard during the time that Facebook first appeared there.
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