Annie Hall 1977

“I would never want to belong to any club that would have someone like me for a member.”

The film’s working title was “Anhedonia”, meaning the inability to feel pleasure. United Artists fought against it because they couldn’t come up with an ad campaign that explained what the word meant. Woody Allen renamed the film based on the main character just three weeks before it premiered. Coincidentally, Diane Keaton’s real name is Diane Hall and her nickname is Annie. Annie Hall’s outfits, which caused a brief fashion rage, were Diane Keaton’s own clothes. Allen originally envisioned this movie as a murder mystery, with a subplot about a romance. During script revisions, he dropped the murder plot, which he and Marshall Brickman later used in Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993). Alvy Singer’s (Woody Allen) scene where he sneezes into the bowl of cocaine was an unscripted accident. When previewed, the audience laughed so hard that Allen decided to leave it in, but had to add footage to compensate for people missing the following jokes from laughing so hard. Marshall McLuhan’s cameo was not Allen’s first choice. Luis Buñuel and Federico Fellini were asked first. The passerby Alvy refers to as “the winner of the Truman Capote look-alike contest” is in fact, really Capote, who appears uncredited. The rough cut ran 2 hours 20 minutes. Scenes eliminated include a fantasy of Annie and Alvy visiting hell. Allen rewrote this scene 20 years later for his film Deconstructing Harry (1997). Also cut was a big fantasy scene at Madison Square Garden where the New York Knicks played against a team of great philosophers.

Glengarry Glen Ross 1992

“Fuck you. That’s my name. You know why, mister? ’Cause you drove a Hyundai to get here tonight, I drove an eighty thousand dollar BMW. That's my name.”

David Mamet originally wrote Glengarry Glen Ross as a play, first performed in1983 at the National Theatre in London where it won the 1984 Pulitzer Prize. It took several years to convince a Studio to make the film. With a budget of just $12.5 million it was filmed in 39 days. The play was set in Chicago, the movie was set in New York. Jack Lemmon and Al Pacino were cast first, and did a series of readings with director James Foley to cast the other roles. The character of Blake was not in the original play. Mamet wrote that role specifically for Alec Baldwin, adapting it for the screen. Lemmon said the cast was the greatest acting ensemble he had ever been part of. During filming, members of the cast who weren’t required to be on the set would show up anyway to watch the other actors per form. They affectionately referred to the film as “Death of a Fuckin’ Salesman”. What fascinated Lemmon about the story was what he referred to as, “the misuse of the American dream and the erosion of ethics and the tenets of behavior”. Lemmon called Mamet “the greatest American playwright right now”, and after finishing the film he collaborated with him again the following year in his play, ‘A Life in the Theater’. In the film, characters George Aaronow and Dave Moss at one point talk about stealing the Glengarry leads and selling them to a competitor named Jerry Graff. Graff is actually an actor who has been in four movies, all written and directed by Mamet. The word “shit” is spoken 50 times and the word “fuck” and its derivatives are used 138 times.

On The Waterfront 1954

“Conscience... that stuff can drive you nuts.”

Arthur Miller had written the original screenplay for director Elia Kazan, but later withdrew it when the FBI asked studio heads to have him make the gangsters communists. Miller was openly critical of Kazan’s testifying at the McCarthy hearings. The idea for the film began with an exposé series written for The New York Sun by reporter Malcolm Johnson. The 24 articles won him a Pulitzer Prize revealing killings, graft and extortion that were endemic on the New York water front. Screenwriter Budd Schulberg spent years absorbing everything he could find about the water front, hanging out in west side Manhattan and Long Island bars, interviewing longshore union leaders and getting to know the priests in Hell’s Kitchen. The part of Terry Malloy was originally written for John Garfield but he died before they were ready to film. Producer Sam Spiegel sent the script to Marlon Brando but it came back unread. Frank Sinatra agreed to take the role until Spiegel finally convinced Brando. As part of his contract, Brando only worked until 4 pm so he could see his analyst. His mother had recently died and he was in therapy to resolve issues about his parents. For the classic scene between Rod Steiger and Brando in the back of the taxi, all of Steiger’s close-ups were filmed after Brando had left for the day, so his lines were read by a crew member. From a budget of just under $1 million, the film grossed ten times its production costs in its initial release. Brando was paid $100,000. Elia Kazan got $100,000 plus 25% of the box office.

The Outlaw Josie Wales 1976

“Not a hard man to track. Leaves dead men wherever he goes.”

Philip Kaufman wrote the screenplay based on a book by Forrest Carter titled, ‘Gone to Texas’. After the film’s release it was revealed that Forrest Carter was in fact Asa Carter (1925-1979), a former KKK member and speechwriter for Governor George Wallace. Clint Eastwood was unaware of this connection at the time. Kaufman had started out as the director of the film but got replaced by Clint Eastwood. This was a controversial move that prompted the Director ’s Guild of America to institute a ban on any current cast or crew member from replacing the director on a film. A rule which to this day is titled: “ The Eastwood Rule.” While casting, Eastwood met his future girlfriend, Sondra Locke who plays Laura Lee. Locke co-starred with Eastwood in six films: The Gauntlet (1977), Every Which Way But Loose (1978), Any Which Way You Can (1980), Bronco Billy (1980) and Sudden Impact (1983). In all of the Westerns that Clint Eastwood has made, he has never killed Indians. Josey Wales’ friendship to Indians emphasizes this. Because of Chief Dan George’s advanced age, he sometimes had trouble remembering his lines. During takes, Eastwood (as Josie Wales) would unconsciously begin to mouth the Chief’s lines without realizing it and had to be told to stop to avoid ruining the take. In 1996, this film was deemed “culturally, historically, and aesthetically significant” by the United States Library of Congress and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Eastwood has stated that of all his films this is his favorite.

Saving Private Ryan 1998

“The man means nothing to me, he’s just a name. But if, you know, if going to Ramelle and finding him so he can go home, if that earns me the right to get back to my wife, well then, then that’s my mission.”

Director Steven Spielberg considered Bruce Willis, Mel Gibson and Harrison Ford for the lead role of Captain John Miller, before deciding on casting Tom Hanks. Edward Norton was offered the role of Private Ryan but turned it down. Spielberg was considering Matt Damon based on his performance in Courage Under Fire (1996), but thought he was too skinny. Then Spielberg’s friend, Robin Williams introduced him to Damon on the set of Good Will Hunting (1997) which changed his mind. Michael Madsen was offered the role of Sgt. Horvath but had to pass and recommended his friend, Tom Sizemore. All principal actors underwent days of grueling army training except for Matt Damon, who was spared so that the other actors would resent him, and convey their resentment in their performances. Matt Damon ad libbed the story he tells to Tom Hanks about spying on his brother in the barn with the homely girl. The Omaha Beach invasion scenes cost $11 million to shoot, took forty barrels of fake blood and involved over 1000 extras, some of whom were members of the Irish Army Reserve. Over two dozen extras were actual amputees issued with prosthetic limbs in order to simulate soldiers having their limbs blown off during filming. The film was banned in India at first and then Malaysia because their censors thought it was too violent. Spielberg is on record as saying that even if this film had received an NC-17 rating, he still would only release it uncut. Saving Private Ryan is the first film from DreamWorks to cross $100 million.

300 - 2006

“Unless I miss my guess, we’re in for one wild night.”

 

Based on the Battle of Thermopylae in which King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) and 300 Spartans fight to the death against Xerxes and his massive Persian army, the movie never claims to be historically correct. It relies heavily on Frank Miller’s 1998 comic book mini-series. Changes from history were made by Miller and director Zack Snyder to appeal to a wider audience and create a more visually stunning action movie, rather than a typical historical epic. The makers showed a 90-second test of the film’s style to Warner Bros. executives to get a greenlight to do the project. They originally pushed Snyder to direct this film with a PG-13 rating as the goal. Snyder refused and ultimately the studio agreed to make an R-rated movie. The film was shot in 60 days on blue and green screen in Montreal except for two days of location shooting in Los Angeles for the horses ‘approaching Sparta’ scene. Post-production took almost a year. There are 1,523 cuts in the film, with 1,006 effects shots. Ten visual effects vendors contributed to the film, spread over three continents. Some weapons used in the film were taken from other war epic productions covering that period including Alexander (2004) and Troy (2004). The equipment was “recycled” to cut costs. Footage was previewed at the Comic-Con Convention in San Diego in 2006. Attendees were so impressed by the film clip that they demanded to see it three more times. Total world-wide box office gross: $456 million. DVD sales: $280 million. The movie’s filmed body count: 585.

To Kill a Mockingbird 1962

“There’s a lot of ugly things in this world, son. I wish I could keep ’em all away from you. That’s never possible.”

Gregory Peck’s inspired performance as Atticus Finch may be the highlight of his career, but Rock Hudson was actually the studio’s first choice for the role. James Stewart was also offered the part, but told the producers he thought the script was “too liberal”, and feared the film would be too controversial. The first scene that Peck shot had him returning home from Atticus’ law office while his children ran up to greet him. Writer Harper Lee was a guest on the set that day, and Peck noticed her crying after the scene was finished. “Why are you crying?” Peck asked. Peck had looked just like her late father, the model for Atticus, Lee explained. Peck even had a little round pot belly just like her father’s. “That’s not a pot belly, Harper,” Peck told her, “That’s great acting.” The pocket watch used in the film was a prop, but Harper Lee gave Peck her father’s watch after the film was completed because he reminded her so much of him. Brock Peters as Tom Robinson cried performing the courtroom testifying scene – without having rehearsed it that way. Peck said he had to look past him playing the scene instead of looking him in the eye, to avoid choking up himself. The role of Charles Baker ‘Dill’ Harris was modeled after Harper Lee’s childhood friend, Truman Capote. Capote in turn, based one of his characters in his book ‘Other Voices, Other Rooms’ on his recollection of Harper Lee. Mary Badham (Scout) and Gregory Peck became close friends during filming and kept in contact for the rest of their lives, Peck always calling her Scout.

Citizen Kane 1941

“I run a couple of newspapers. What do you do?” 

Orson Welles had unprecedented freedom as a first-time director from his deal with RKO. He was to write, produce, direct and act in two pictures for the company, with complete autonomy in the hiring of actors, technicians – and he had final cut. Studio head George Schaefer had to greenlight the project and could veto funds above the modest $500,000 budget. To finish Citizen Kane he spent an extra $200,000. The shooting script was based on two separate scripts written by Welles and Herman J. Mankiewicz, that Welles combined into one. It was based on the life of newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst. Xanadu’s design is based on Hearst’s elaborate California home in San Simeon and Mont St. Michel in France. Hearst was infuriated by this movie and forbid any advertising of it or any RKO movies in his newspapers and even tried to buy the negative from the studio to destroy it. But Welles had previewed the film to rave reviews so it got a limited theater release. Citizen Kane was never reviewed in any Hearst newspaper until the mid-1970s. Despite all the publicity, the film was a box office flop. At the 1941 Academy Awards it was booed every time one of its nine nominations was announced. It was only re-released to the public in the mid-1950s. Gore Vidal claims that “Rosebud” was actually Hearst’s pet-name for long-time mistress Marion Davies’ clitoris. Screenwriter Mankiewicz insisted he took the name from a bicycle he owned as a child. The original nitrate negatives are gone forever, lost in a mysterious fire in the 1970s.

The Empire Strikes Back 1980

“You must unlearn what you have learned.”

Irvin Kershner initially turned down the chance to direct this film but took the job after his agent convinced him he shouldn’t pass on making a sequel to one of the most popular films of all time, Star Wars (1977). Alec Guinness either demanded that Obi-Wan Kenobi be killed-off so he wouldn’t have to appear in any sequels or Lucas did it on his own. But Guinness was bitter and wasn’t lured back into the role of Obi-Wan until he was offered more money. Thus creating “the force” spirit idea that became integral to the Star Wars saga. To preserve the dramatic opening scroll George Lucas insisted on moving all the credits to the end. The Writers’ Guild and Directors’ Guild begrudgingly allowed it on the first Star Wars as it wasn’t expected to be such a big hit. But they balked at allowing it on this film. First they tried to block its release. Then they fined Lucas heavily, and tried to fine director Kershner. Lucas paid all the fines himself (nearly $250,000), then bitterly dropped his membership from the Writers’ Guild, the Directors’ Guild, and the MPAA– a move that has limited his hiring choices on later films. To avoid sharing creative control, Lucas didn’t use a major studio to finance this film. He bankrolled the entire $33 million production using his profits from Star Wars and a bank loan. Considered very risky at the time, it paid off several times over. Empire was the biggest grossing film of 1980. Lucas showed his gratitude far beyond the Hollywood norm by sharing the profits with his employees – paying nearly $5 million in bonuses.

JFK 1991

“The bigger the lie, the more people will believe it.”

After reading District Attorney Jim Garrison’s 1988 best-seller, On The Trail Of The Assassins, director Oliver Stone bought the rights with his own money. To collect as much information as possible on the assassination of JFK he hired Jane Rusconi, a Yale graduate to head up a team of 24 researchers. The screenplay’s first draft was 190 pages, pared down to 156 pages for filming. The huge production was shot in just 72 days. Getting permission to shoot in the Texas School Book Depository wasn’t easy– the administrators demanded $50,000. The hardest part was getting approval to transform the building back to the way it looked in 1963, which took five months of negotiation. And making Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas look the same as it did back then cost $4 million. Stone’s first choices to play the role of Jim Garrison were Harrison Ford and Mel Gibson. Initially, Kevin Costner also turned it down. Many actors including Donald Sutherland, Jack Lemmon and Ed Asner waived their usual fees to appear in this film. Ironically, the real Jim Garrison played the role of Chief Justice Earl Warren. Pat Dowell, veteran movie critic for The Washingtonian had written a 34 word positive review of the movie that was to appear in the January issue. But editor John Limpert, a known opponent to the film didn’t want to run a positive review of a film he regarded as deceptive, so he rejected it. Dowell resigned in protest. Oliver Stone showed the finished film in December 1991 to all of Congress on Capitol Hill, which led to the 1992 Assassinations Disclosure Act.

Chinatown 1974

“You’ve got a nasty reputation, Mr. Gittes. I like that.”

Peter Bogdanovich turned down the chance to direct. The role of Evelyn Mulwray was originally intended for producer Robert Evans’ wife, Ali MacGraw, but she lost the role when she divorced him for Steve McQueen. Later, Evans wanted Jane Fonda for the part while director Roman Polanski insisted on Julie Christie. When Christie passed, they went with Faye Dunaway. Writer Robert Towne was originally offered $125,000 to write a screenplay for The Great Gatsby (1974), but Towne felt he couldn’t improve the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, and instead accepted $25,000 to write an original story, titled Chinatown. This was meant to be the first film of a trilogy about corruption in the development of Los Angeles. It was set in the 1930s and was about the water department. The second film, The Two Jakes (1990), was set in the 1940s and was about the gas companies. The third film of the trilogy was about the building of the massive freeway system and was to be called Cloverleaf, named after a famous interchange in downtown L.A., but it was never made. But years later, some of the story ideas (like the building of a massive freeway by a corporation named Cloverleaf ) were incorporated into Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). Phillip Lambro was originally hired to write the music score but it was rejected by producer Evans, leaving Jerry Goldsmith only ten days to write and record a new score. Chinatown was the last movie Roman Polanski filmed in the U.S., before relocating to europe to avoid facing prison for a statutory rape charge.

Die Hard with a Vengeance 1995

“Hey, dickhead... did I come at a bad time?”

The film was originally titled “Simon Says” (where Zeus was scripted as a woman) and considered as the third sequel to Lethal Weapon (1987). Early drafts of the screenplay were based on the novel “ Troubleshooter” which involved terrorists seizing a Caribbean cruise ship. That idea was eventually used to make Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997). Screenwriter Jonathan Hensleigh says that the first hour of the film is his original “Simon Says” script word for word. He only changed the characters from the script, so it would feel like a part of the Die Hard series. The script’s working title became,“Die Hard: New York.” The studio insisted that he remove the scene with McClane walking around Harlem wearing a sign that reads, “I hate niggers”. They let him keep the scene in when he threatened to take the script to another studio. Sean Connery was director John McTiernan’s first choice for the role of Simon Gruber. He turned it down because he didn’t want to play such a diabolical villain. Later David Thewlis was cast before being replaced by Jeremy Irons. Laurence Fishburne was the original choice to play Zeus Carver, but he passed. Zeus’ look in the film was Samuel L. Jackson’s idea after researching his character ’s political POV by studying books on Malcolm X. The studio had considered editing out the opening bombing of the department store, or moving the film’s release date back because they were concerned that the American public might be sensitive because it was the anniversary of the Oklahoma City bombing.

The Thomas Crown Affair 1999

“Damn, I hate being a foregone conclusion.”

Director John McTiernan changed the heist from an armed bank robbery as in the original 1968 Steve McQueen version to an art heist because he felt audiences would be more sympathetic to an unarmed art heist done for a thrill. Faye Dunaway, who plays the psychiatrist in the remake, played Catherine Banning in the original. Rene Russo performed the first nude scenes of her acting career as Catherine Banning. Her line, “You’re not boring, I’ll give you that,” was her ad lib. The idea of unusual heat in the museum rendering thermal cameras useless came from McTiernan’s earlier movie, Predator (1987). In that movie, McTiernan’s actual thermal cameras began to fail when the jungle temperature reached over 90 degrees. The Shelby Mustang that Thomas Crown drives on Martinique was originally intended to be used by Arnold Schwarzenegger ’s character in Last Action Hero (1993), another McTiernan film, and was borrowed from the director’s private collection for this film. Crown’s watch is a Jaeger-Lecoultre Reverso, but the logo was hidden because Pierce Brosnan had an exclusive deal with Omega watches. The New York Metropolitan Museum of Art had refused permission to film in their interior, so they shot inside the main New York Public Library instead. The two Claude Monet paintings used in the film are not owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Thomas Crown Affair was the first of two film remakes that John McTiernan made from Norman Jewison movies. The other one is Rollerball (2002).

Goldfinger 1964

“You’re a woman of many parts, Pussy.”

In the Ian Fleming novel Pussy Galore is a lesbian, which is why in the film she gives Bond the cold shoulder at first. Fleming based the character of Pussy Galore on neighbor, friend and lover Blanche Blackwell. Producers Harry Saltzman and Albert R. Broccoli were intent on getting Honor Blackman for the part of Pussy Galore. But to be available she’d have to quit her role as Cathy Gale on the hit TV series The Avengers. To help persuade her they had the actress’ ability to perform judo written into the script. Theodore Bikel and Titos Vandis were both screen tested for the title role of villain Goldfinger but Saltzman and Broccoli both wanted to cast Gert Fröbe after seeing him in a German thriller, Es Geschah Am Hellichten Tag (1958), where he played a psychopath and serial killer. The original choice for Bond’s car was not the Aston Martin DB5 but an E-Type Jaguar, which cost half as much. During the filming they used two prototypes of the new Aston Martin. After the film’s release sales of the sports car increased by fifty per cent. With the success of Goldfinger the producers never had to pay for a James Bond car again. The budget for Goldfinger was more than the budgets for the first two Bond films combined. It earned back what was then considered a big budget of $3 million in just the first two weeks and was a bona fide box-office blockbuster – allowing Sean Connery to negotiate 5% of the gross for all future Bond films. It even got into the Guiness Book of World Records as the fastest grossing picture in movie history when first released.

Once Upon a Time in the West 1968

“He’s whittling on a piece of wood. I got a feeling that when he stops whittling, something’s gonna happen.”

Director Sergio Leone originally intended to reunite the three stars of The Good, The Bad and The Ugly (1966): Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach, in cameo roles as the three gunmen waiting for Harmonica (Charles Bronson) at the start of the film, but Eastwood was unavailable. Al Mulock, who played one of the three gunmen in the opening sequence, committed suicide by jumping from his hotel window in full costume after a day’s shooting. Production manager Claudio Mancini (who plays Harmonica’s unfortunate brother) and screenwriter Mickey Knox saw Mulock’s body pass by their hotel window. While Mancini put Mulock in his car to drive him to the hospital, Leone said to Mancini, “Get the costume! We need the costume!” Henry Fonda prepared for his role as the villain (Frank) by arriving in Italy wearing a pair of brown colored contact lenses. Leone ordered them removed as he wanted to introduce Fonda’s character in a close-up and wanted to show his cold blue eyes. Co-writer Bernardo Bertolucci suggested to Leone that the central character be a woman. Leone was hesitant, but then suggested the introductory shot of Jill (Claudia Cardinale) should be from below the train platform so the camera could see under Jill’s dress and show she wasn’t wearing any undergarments. Cardinale says she wasn’t told this idea and might not have agreed to be in the movie if it had required that shot. Cardinale and Paolo Stoppa take the longest buggy ride in movie history. It begins in Spain and goes through Monument Valley, Utah.

Fargo 1996

“Sir, you have no call to get snippy with me, I’m just doing my job here.”

Frances McDormand (Chief Marge Gunderson) is married to director Joel Cohen. To help perfect her character’s accent she worked with Larissa Kokernot who played one of the hookers – referring to her accent and mannerisms as “Minnesota nice”. William H. Macy begged the Coen brothers for the role of Jerry Lundegaard. He did two readings for the part and became convinced he was the best actor for the role. When they didn’t get back to him, he flew to New York (where they were starting production) and told them, “I’m very, very worried that you are going to screw up this movie by giving this role to somebody else. It’s my role, and I’ll shoot your dogs if you don’t give it to me.” (He was joking, of course.) Macy got nominated for Best Supporting Actor while McDormand won for Best Actress. The role of Carl Showalter was written specifically for Steve Buscemi. Buscemi dies in nearly every Coen Brothers film he appears in, with the exception of The Hudsucker Proxy (1994). Buscemi disappeared in Miller’s Crossing (1990), Barton Fink (1991) and The Big Lebowski (1998). With each successive role his remains get smaller. In Fargo we only see half of his leg in the wood-chipper. The reference to “Midwest Federal... talk to ol’ Bill Diehl” is a nod to film critic Bill Diehl, who wrote for the St. Paul Pioneer Press-Dispatch and interviewed the Coen Brothers shortly after the release of their first film, Blood Simple (1984). None of the movie scenes were actually filmed in Fargo. Contrary to the setup, the film is not, in fact, “Based on a true story”.

The Long Good Friday 1980

“Remember, scare the shit out of them, but don’t damage them. I want ’em conscious and talkative. And lads, try and be discreet, eh?”

Bob Hoskins voice was dubbed over by a Wolver-hampton actor for fear that the American audience wouldn’t understand his character’s East End accent. After Hoskins threatened to sue Jack Gill and Lion’s Gate (the original producers before selling the rights) the dubbing was removed. George Harrison’s Handmade Films Ltd. bought the film rights from Black Lion for £850,000. After Harrison saw the finished product, he reportedly said that he never would’ve approved such a violent film. Anthony Franciosa was originally cast as Charlie, the Mafia boss visiting from the U.S., but he left after three days filming, claiming to be unhappy with script alterations. The original title was “ The Paddy Factor” but this was changed after fears that it would give away too much of the film’s plot. After considering: “Harold’s Kingdom”, “Havoc” and “Citadel Of Blood” the title: “The Long Good Friday” was finally chosen because of its similarities to Raymond Chandler’s “The Long Goodbye” with an Easter setting. Pierce Brosnan’s role as an IRA assassin was originally completely silent but he improvised one line of dialogue. Even though it appears that Brosnan shares a scene with Bob Hoskins at the end, neither actor was there when the other was being filmed in close-up, so they never actually worked together. At the film’s finale in the back of the car, Hoskins was simply told that the camera would be on him in a close-up for five minutes non-stop. Though well known on the British stage and TV, it was this riveting part that launched Bob Hoskins’ movie career.

The Departed 2006

“The only one that can do what I do is me. Lot of people had to die for me to be me. You wanna be me?”

The film is an American adaptation of the Hong Kong film: Mou Gaan Dou ‘Infernal Affairs’ (2002). Warner Brothers bought the remake rights to the film for $1.75 million in 2003. Brad Pitt passed on the role of Billy Costigan to work with Alejandro González Iñárritu on Babel (2006). Robert De Niro was asked to participate, but had to decline because he was directing The Good Shepherd (2006). Leonardo DiCaprio had been cast in the title role in The Good Shepherd, but dropped out to play Billy Costigan in this film, so Matt Damon took that role. Originally, Jack Nicholson turned down the role of Frank Costello. But after meeting with Martin Scorsese, William Monahan (writer) and Leonardo DiCaprio, he was convinced to play Frank Costello. Nicholson had just finished doing several comedy roles and wanted to play a villain again and he considered the character of Frank Costello to be the ultimate incarnation of evil. Ray Liotta was the original choice for the role of Det. Sgt. Dignam but had to reluctantly decline due to other commitments. Mark Wahlberg said he based his performance of Dignam on police officers who had arrested him a couple of dozen times in his youth. After completing The Aviator (2004), Martin Scorsese kept Alec Baldwin in mind for future collaboration and subsequently cast him as Officer Ellerby, which had originally been offered to Mel Gibson. At $290 million wordwide, this film has the highest grossing box-office total of any of the 39 films Martin Scorsese has directed. Body count: 22.

King Kong 2005

“And lo, the beast looked upon the face of beauty, and beauty stayed his hand. And from that day forward, he was as one dead.”

Peter Jackson was paid $20 million to direct – the highest salary ever paid to a director in advance of a production. But after making $6 billion worldwide for The Lord of The Rings Trilogy (2001-2003), the producers understandably thought he was worth it. With a Best Actor Oscar for The Pianist (2002) Adrien Brody was on the ‘A’ list and the first and only choice to play hero Jack Driscoll. But he was under the impression that he was competing for the role until the producers told him they were only  interested in him– so he signed on before the script was written. Brody liked to improvise and at the last minute even did his own stunt driving while filming the taxi scene through Times Square. Originally Jackson wanted either Robert De Niro or George Clooney to play the role of Carl Denham, and Kate Winslet was his first choice for Ann Darrow but they all declined. Howard Shore had written and recorded the score, but before finishing he left the project. Peter Jackson stated that because of “differing creative aspirations” they both thought it best for Shore to be replaced – by James Newton Howard, who was given less than two months to write a new score for the entire film. Over 2 million feet of film were shot, equivalent to 370 hours –123 times more than the final cut. The budget climbed from $150 million to $207 million making it the most expensive film ever made – until it was topped by Spider-Man 3 (2007). King Kong’s opening made $50.1 million with worldwide grosses adding up to $550 million plus $100 million from dvd sales.

Lawrence of Arabia 1962

“He was a poet, a scholar and a mighty warrior. He was also the most shameless exhibitionist since Barnum & Bailey.”

Marlon Brando had signed for the role of Lawrence in 1960 but dropped out so he could play Fletcher Christian in Mutiny on the Bounty. Anthony Perkins was briefly considered, but director David Lean next wanted Albert Finney and spent time with him preparing for the role until he also dropped out– to shoot Tom Jones. Getting top actors to commit to a two year production was difficult. Alec Guinness wanted to play Lawrence, but Lean thought he was too old. Laurence Olivier was his first choice for Prince Feisal, so after he turned it down Guinness was given that role. It was Katherine Hepburn who urged the film’s producer, Sam Spiegel to cast Peter O’Toole – a highly respected stage actor, but unknown in the movies. Cary Grant was Spiegel’s first choice for General Allenby, but Lean pushed to cast Jack Hawkins based on his work for him on The Bridge on the River Kwai (1957). The role of Sherif Ali (played by Omar Sharif ) was intended for Horst Buchholz, but he was commited to Billy Wilder’s film: One, Two, Three. Second choice, Alain Delon screen tested successfully but couldn’t wear the brown contact lenses required for the role. King Hussein of Jordan loaned an entire brigade of his Arab Legion as extras. The King frequently visited the sets where he met and fell in love with a young British secretary, Antoinette Gardiner, who became his second wife in 1962. Their oldest son, Abdullah II, became King of Jordan in 1999. Peter O’Toole claims he never viewed the completed film until nearly two decades after its release.

Raiders of the Lost Ark 1981

“You’re not the man I knew ten years ago.” 

“It’s not the years honey, it’s the mileage.”

The original name in the script was Indiana Smith. It was changed to Jones on the first day of shooting. Tom Selleck was originally cast as Indiana, but was unable to take the role because he was committed to Magnum, P.I. (1980). Amy Irving (Spielberg’s first wife) and Debra Winger were both considered for the role of Marion. Sean Young played Marion in all the screen tests for casting Indiana, including with Tim Matheson and John Shea. Nick Nolte turned down the role before Harrison Ford was cast less than three weeks before principal photography began. Spielberg originally cast Danny DeVito to play Sallah, but he dropped out due to scheduling conflicts with Taxi (1978). When the role went to the much larger John Rhys-Davies, the character was rewritten based on Shakespeare’s Falstaff. Spielberg wanted Giancarlo Giannini to play Dr. Rene Belloq, then considered French actor/singer Jacques Dutronc before deciding on Paul Freeman. Klaus Kinski was offered the role of Toht, the sadistic Nazi interrogator, but said the script was “as moronically shitty as so many other flicks of this ilk”. Indy’s line to Marion on the ship, “It’s not the years, honey, it’s the mileage”, was an ad lib by Harrison Ford. Originally conceived as a low-budget adventure, production costs tripled to $22 million. Paramount financed it with producer George Lucas owning over 40% and getting half of the profits after the studio grossed a certain amount. It was 1981’s biggest box office. Indy’s kangaroo-hide bullwhip went for $43,000 at Christie’s in London in 1999.

Hud 1963

“Honey, don’t go shootin’ all the dogs ’cause one of ’ems got fleas.”

Hud is a screen adaptation by director Martin Ritt of Larry McMurtry’s first novel, Horseman Pass By. McMurtry’s later novels also were successfully adapted into films, including Peter Bogdanovich’s, The Last Picture Show (1971) and James L. Brooks’, Terms of Endearment (1983), which won Best Picture (1984). McMurtry won the Pulitzer in 1985 for Lonesome Dove that was made into a TV mini-series. He won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Brokeback Mountain (2005). Hud was filmed on location in Claude, Texas. Paul Newman was so frustrated by how censors reacted to several of his earlier edgy films, including The Hustler (1961) and The Long Hot Summer (1958) that he chose the most unsavory character and story he could find. Which was Hud, the amoral loner and seducer. Newman played the part of Hud as a villain and said he was later stunned that so many young moviegoers had a poster of Hud and viewed him as their hero. In preparation, Newman worked on a Texas cattle ranch for several weeks acquiring calluses along with a cowboy’s lope. Patricia Neal came out of retirement to play the vulnerable housekeeper, Alma Brown. She won the Oscar for Best Actress and Melvyn Douglas for Best Supporting Actor, but Newman lost the Oscar for Best Actor to Sidney Poitier, for Lilies of the Field. Newman had been nominated nine times for Best Actor before finally winning after reprising his role from The Hustler – as an older but wiser pool hustler in Martin Scorsese’s, The Color of Money (1986).

Wall Street 1987

“It’s all about bucks, kid. The rest is conversation.”

The film’s working title was “Greed”. Before casting Michael Douglas to play Gordon Gekko, director Oliver Stone’s first two choices were Richard Gere and Warren Beatty. Tom Cruise wanted the part of Bud Fox, but Stone had already agreed to cast Charlie Sheen. Stone later promised Cruise the lead in Born on the Fourth of July (1989). Stone gave Charlie Sheen the choice of casting either Jack Lemmon or Martin Sheen to play Carl Fox, his character’s father. (he chose his dad.) Hal Holbrook’s fatherly character, Lou, is named for Oliver Stone’s real father, Louis Stone who had been a Wall Street stockbroker and died just before the film’s release. Sir Larry Wildman, the British takeover artist played by Terence Stamp, is widely believed to be modeled after Sir Gordon White of Hanson PLC– a company that did nothing but acquisitions, liquidations and wholesale deconstruction of companies. Gordon Gekko’s “greed is good” speech had been inspired by a similar speech given by Ivan Boesky at the University of California’s commencement ceremony in 1986. Boesky was a Wall Street arbitrageur who paid a $100 million penalty to the SEC to settle insider trading charges later that same year. In his speech, Boesky said “Greed is all right, by the way. I want you to know that. I think greed is healthy. You can be greedy and still feel good about yourself.” As of 2007, this is the only movie to win both an Oscar for Best Actor: Michael Douglas, and a Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress: Daryl Hannah. Wall Street grossed $43.8 million in North America.

Pulp Fiction 1994

“I do believe Marsellus, my husband, your boss, told you to take me out and do whatever I wanted. Now I wanna dance. I wanna win. I want that trophy. So dance good.”

Quentin Tarantino had written two of the three overlapping stories before he wrote Reservoir Dogs (1992) and True Romance (1993). The role of Vincent Vega was originally written for Michael Madsen, who played the character’s brother, Vic Vega in Reservoir Dogs (1992), but he couldn’t do it due to scheduling conflicts. Daniel Day-Lewis wanted it, but Tarantino turned him down in favor of John Travolta. Matt Dillon discussed playing the role of Butch as an up and coming boxer, but wouldn’t commit. So Tarantino rewrote the part and briefly considered Sylvester Stallone before giving it to Bruce Willis, who had been disappointed at not being signed to play Vincent. Isabella Rossellini, Daryl Hannah, Meg Ryan, Joan Cusack, and Michelle Pfeiffer where all interviewed for the role of Mia Wallace. Tarantino preferred Michelle Pfeiffer until he met with Uma Thurman – who turned it down at first. Tarantino became so intent on casting her as Mia, he read her the script over the phone to convince her. He wrote the part of Winston Wolf specifically for Harvey Keitel and the character of Jules Winnfield for Samuel L. Jackson – although he almost cast Paul Calderon after a great audition. Jackson had to fly to Los Angeles and audition a second time to secure the role. Calderon ended up playing Paul the bartender. The parts of Honey Bunny and Pumpkin were written specifically for Amanda Plummer and Tim Roth. Pulp Fiction cost $8 million to make with $5 million going to actors’ salaries. It made $108 million at the box office.

Goodfellas 1990

“I’m funny how, I mean funny like I’m a clown, I amuse you? I make you laugh, I’m here to fuckin’ amuse you? What do you mean funny, funny how? How am I funny?”

The studio was initially very nervous due to the film’s extreme violence and language. It reportedly got the worst preview response in the studio’s history. Nevertheless they released it without alteration to overwhelming critical acclaim. Al Pacino had been offered De Niro’s role of Jimmy Conway but turned it down because he was afraid of being typecast. In order to play Henry Hill, Ray Liotta turned down the part of Harvey Dent in Batman (1989). Liotta spent months with the real Henry Hill and listened to FBI phone-tap cassettes of Hill while driving to and from the set. In the scene where Henry and Karen Hill negotiate to enter the Witness Protection Program, former U.S. Attorney Edward McDonald plays himself, re-enacting what he did in real life. After the film’s success, the government kicked out Henry Hill from Witness Protection because he went around bragging to everyone his true identity. Frank Vincent originally wanted the role of Paulie Cicero, which went to Paul Sorvino, but was cast as Billy Batts instead. (The gangster that ended up in Tommy DeVito’s car trunk). Martin Scorsese’s father plays the role of the prisoner who puts too many onions in the tomato sauce while cooking for the gang doing time at Rikers Island. Scorsese’s mother plays Tommy DeVito’s mother, ad libbing the entire dinner scene. Joe Pesci wrote the “You think I’m funny?” scene which was based on his real life experience. The word “fuck” is used 296 times, for an average of 2.04 “fucks” per minute. About half of them spoken by Joe Pesci’s character.

The Lord of the Rings 2001

“A wizard is never late, Frodo Baggins. Nor is he early. He arrives precisely when he means to.”

Getting the film rights to J.R.R. Tolkien’s books was not easy. In the 1960s The Beatles wanted to make the film with Paul as Frodo, Ringo as Sam, George as Gandalf and John as Gollum– but Tolkien refused. Then in 1968 he signed away the film rights for $15,000. So although his estate didn’t like Peter Jackson’s adaptation, Tolkien’s grandson approved it. (As a consequence his relatives disowned him.) Miramax was the first studio interested in Jackson’s interpretation of the books, but insisted on doing them all as one film. He refused, wanting to shoot them as two films. Mark Ordesky, an executive at New Line Cinema set up a pitch with their President Robert Shaye. He liked Jackson’s presentation a lot, but felt because there were three books, there should be three films. And to shoot them all as one production to save money. Delighted, Jackson rewrote his script as three films. The New Zealand government created a Minister for the Lord of the Rings to capitalize on the economic opportunities. Their army was cast as extras for the large battle scenes – but they later had to back out to serve as peacekeepers in East Timor. Shooting the trilogy there pumped $200 million into their economy. The overall budget for all three films was $300 million, plus $200 million for marketing. The Trilogy grossed $6 billion wordwide. Tolkien’s estate is suing New Line Cinema for $150 million in compensatory plus punitive damages, and the right to terminate any rights New Line may have to make films based on other works by the author, including The Hobbit.

Groundhog Day 1993

“I was in the Virgin Islands once. I met a girl. We ate lobster and drank piña coladas. At sunset we made love like sea otters. That was a pretty good day. Why couldn’t I get that day over and over and over?”

At first director Harold Ramis wanted to cast Tom Hanks for the lead, but decided against it because Hanks was “too nice”. The movie’s idea came from The Gay Science, a book by Friedrich Nietzsche. In it Nietzsche describes a man who lives the same day over and over again. The original script was for Phil Connors to live February 2nd for about 10,000 years. Ramis later said Phil probably lived the same day for only 10 years. In the first version, writer Danny Rubin has Connors already trapped inside Groundhog Day from the start. We join him on a typical day, with the audience wondering how he knows everything before it happens. Ramis was not going to change this aspect of the script, but eventually did. Early drafts explained the cause of Phil Connors’ weird predicament came from a disaffected ex-lover named Stephanie who cast a spell on him to teach him a lesson. Originally, Phil was supposed to kill the groundhog in his lair, but his was changed because it was too similar to Caddyshack (1980). After the film’s success, Bill Murray and Harold Ramis were both invited to be honorary Grand Marshals at the Groundhog Day celebration in Punxsatawney, PA. The movie was actually filmed in Woodstock, Illinois, 45 miles from Murray’s home town of Wilmette. A plaque there reads “Bill Murray stepped here” on the curb where Phil continually steps in a puddle. Murray wanted the film to be more philosophical and Ramis wanted it to be more comedic. They argued throughout the production and have not spoken to each other since.

The Big Lebowski 1998

“Darkness warshed over the Dude– darker ’n a black steer’s tookus on a moonless prairie night. There was no bottom.”

The Coen brothers wrote the screenplay with Jeff Bridges, John Goodman, Steve Buscemi and Sam Elliott in mind. Charlize Theron had been considered for the role of Bunny Lebowski. The Dude was based on independent film promoter Jeff Dowd (aka Jeff “ The Dude” Dowd, who helped the Coen brothers secure distribution for their first feature, Blood Simple (1984). Like his fictional counterpart, Dowd was a member of the Seattle Seven and takes a casual approach to grooming and dress. A lot of The Dude’s clothes in the movie were Jeff Bridges’ own clothes including the Jellies sandals that he wears. The Coens were inspired by Robert Altman’s movie, The Long Goodbye (1973), which also features a down on his luck protagonist. Both of the films are highly influenced by Raymond Chandler, and parody and pay homage to Los Angeles culture. Altman’s film features a gangster who is a devout Jew like John Goodman’s character, Walter. One of the inspirations for the character of Walter is the Coen brothers’ friend, writer-director John Milius, an infamously bombastic right-winger with an obsession with all things military. Before filming a scene, Jeff Bridges would frequently ask the Coen brothers “Did The Dude burn one on the way over?” If they said he had, he would rub his knuckles in his eyes before doing a take. In an early draft of the script, The Dude’s source of income was revealed. He was an heir to the inventor of the Rubik’s cube, but it’s never mentioned in the film. The word “Fuck”, or a variation of it, is used 281 times.

Men in Black 1997

“Gentlemen, congratulations. You’re everything we’ve come to expect from years of government training.”

Quentin Tarantino was originally offered the chance to direct this before Barry Sonnenfeld, but turned it down. Sonnenfeld had been a cinematographer on many successful films including: Big (1988), When Harry Met Sally (1989), the Coen brothers’ Blood Simple (1994), Raising Arizona (1987) and Miller’s Crossing (1990). His directoral debut: The Addams Family (1991) and then later Get Shorty (1995) established his reputation for directing comedy. (Right after graduating from New York Film School in 1978 he “refined” his craft making hardcore porn films.) Producer Steven Spielberg hired Sonnefeld and also brought in collaborator and writer David Koepp (Jurassic Park,1993 and The Lost World: Jurassic Park,1997) to do an uncredited rewrite. Clint Eastwood turned down the role of agent ‘K’. David Schwimmer and Chris O’ Donnell were both offered the role of ‘J’ before Will Smith, but passed. When Smith read the script he didn’t want to do it either– until his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith convinced him. John Turturro was offered the role of Edgar (Vincent D’Onofrio), but had to decline. The MIB headquarters are located in the ventilation tower of the Brooklyn-Battery tunnel that connects Manhattan to Brooklyn. The film’s climax takes place where the 1964 New York World’s Fair was held. When the space ship flies over Shea Stadium the player that gets hit on the head with the fly ball is then NY Mets outfielder Bernard Gilkey. It’s rumored that Linda Fiorentino ‘won’ her role of Dr. Laurel Weaver in a poker game with Barry Sonnenfeld.

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 1969

“Kid, there’s something I ought to tell you. I never shot anybody before.”

Marlon Brando, Warren Beatty and Jack Lemmon were all considered for the role of Sundance. Lemmon had to turn it down because he was about to film The Odd Couple (1968). Dustin Hoffman was considered for the role of Butch. The actual name of the Butch Cassidy and Sundance gang was ‘ The Wild Bunch’. But when Sam Peckinpah’s film, The Wild Bunch (1969) was released a few months earlier, the name of the gang was changed to the ‘Hole in the Wall Gang’ to avoid confusion. William Goldman’s screenplay originally was titled “The Sundance Kid and Butch Cassidy.” Steve McQueen and Paul Newman both read the script and agreed to do it, with McQueen playing the Sundance Kid. But when McQueen dropped out and was replaced by Robert Redford, the names were reversed in the film’s title because Newman was an established movie star and Redford was still relatively unknown. Director George Roy Hill wanted to shoot live action for the New York sequence on the period sets from Hello, Dolly! (1969). But the studio refused because this film was being released before theirs and they didn’t want audiences to see the sets yet. So Hill had Redford, Newman and Katharine Ross pose on the sets for still photographs instead. Then strippedthe posed images into authentic period photos and edited them into a montage set to music. Forthe scene where Newman rides Ross around on the bicycle handle bars the studio asked Bob Dylan to sing the now famous Burt Bacharach song, “Rain Drops Keep Fallin’ On My Head”. He declined.

American Beauty 1999

“I feel like I’ve been in a coma for the past twenty years. And I’m just now waking up.”

Alan Ball originally began writing American Beauty as a play. At first he intended to write a story about Amy Fisher, the “Long Island Lolita” who shot lover Joey Buttafuoco’s wife, Mary Jo Buttafuoco in 1992. When Terry Gilliam (Brazil, Time Bandits, Twelve Monkeys) turned down the chance to direct, the executive producer Steven Spielberg offered the project to English stage director Sam Mendes. Well known for directing plays in London’s West End, at the Royal Shakespeare Company and the Royal National Theatre, he was best known in the U.S. for his critically acclaimed 1998 stage production of Cabaret. American Beauty was his film directing debut . Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening were both Mendes’ first choices for the roles of Lester and Carolyn Burnham, although Chevy Chase, Jeff Daniels and Tom Hanks had all been considered for Lester. Tom Hanks later starred in Mendes’s follow-up movie, Road to Perdition (2002). In the original version of the script there was a separate storyline that included Frank Fitts (Chris Cooper) having a gay lover who dies in Vietnam. Cooper was the last role to be cast, and wasn’t offered it until rehearsals had begun. Wes Bentley, a young film actor whose parents are both ministers, was the first to read for the role of Ricky Fitts – beating out Jake Gyllenhaal for the part. The title, ‘American Beauty’ refers to a breed of rose that while pretty in appearance, is often prone to rot at the roots. So the tagline: ‘look closer’ is saying when you look past the so-called ‘perfect’ suburban life – you’ll find something rancid.

Aliens 1986

“Get away from her, you bitch!”

20th Century Fox loved director James Cameron’s script so much that they agreed to wait until he finished production on The Terminator (1984). Sigourney Weaver had initially been very hesitant to reprise her role as Ripley (Alien 1979), and had rejected offers from Fox Studios to do any sequel until reading Cameron’s script. But when finalizing her contract delayed production, Cameron devised a scheme: he called Arnold Schwarzenegger’s agent and told him that, because of his new standing in Hollywood following the success of The Terminator, he had decided to make this film entirely his own by writing the Ripley character out of the movie. Schwarzenegger’s agent quickly relayed this to Sigourney Weaver’s agent at ICM, who in turn contacted 20th Century Fox production head, Lawrence Gordon. Both, determined to keep the Ripley character in, immediately sealed Sigourney Weaver ’s deal. Tensions ran so high between music composer James Horner and director Cameron that he assumed they would never work together again. But years later Cameron was so impressed with Horner’s score for Braveheart (1995) that he later asked him to compose the score for Titanic (1997). Before filming, all actors playing Marines trained for two weeks with the S.A.S. (Special Air Service), Britain’s elite anti-terrorist force. Except Michael Biehn, who had replaced James Remar one week into production due to “artistic differences” with the director. Taking in $131 million made Aliens the biggest grossing film in the Alien series.

Bullitt 1968

“You sell whatever you want, but don’t sell it here tonight.”

Steve McQueen based his character of Bullitt on San Francisco homicide inspector Dave Toschi, made famous for his work on the Zodiac killings. McQueen had a copy made of Toschi’s custom fast-draw shoulder holster for the film, though he doesn’t take his gun out until the very end of the movie. Director Peter Yates was personally selected for this movie by Steve McQueen because Yates had filmed a realistic car chase a year earlier through the streets of London in Robbery (1967). Bullitt’s famous chase scene wasn’t originally in the script. In the first draft of the script adapted from Robert L. Pike’s novel “Mute Witness”, Detective Frank Bullitt was a Boston policeman who ate a lot of ice cream and never solved a case. The book had originally been bought with Spencer Tracy in mind to play Bullitt, but with Tracy’s death in 1967, the property fell into the hands of Steve McQueen and producer Philip D’Antoni. D’Antoni changed the location to San Francisco and added the car chase. Robert Vaughn, who plays politician Walter Chalmers, at first refused to do the film because he didn’t like the script and felt that there was no plot or a sensible story-line. McQueen insisted Vaughn be in the film so the studio offered him more money. Later Vaughn said his performance contains some of his best work that he is most proud of. Bud Ekins, McQueen’s motorcycle racing buddy, drives Bullitt’s modified Mustang for the bulk of the stunt driving. Ekins also did the famous motorcycle jump for Steve McQueen in The Great Escape (1963).

Fight Club 1999

“You wanna make an omelet, you gotta break some eggs.”

Author Chuck Palahniuk came up with the idea for the story after getting beaten up on a camping trip by some people who’d refused to turn down their loud radio in a neighboring campsite. The Tyler Durden character (Brad Pitt) is based on Palahniuk’s brief encounter with a real life person named Tyler Lovelly he was seated next to on a plane, years before he started the book. It wasn’t until he was two thirds of the way through writing the story that he came up with the seminal idea that Tyler and Narrator (Joe in the book) were going to be the same person. He realized they were both acting together as one person and so he chose to finish the story that way. The Project Mayhem idea is based on the Portland Cacophony Society. An actual group Palahniuk used to participate with, dedicated to huge pranks. Almost every major city in the world now has one. Edward Norton lost 20 pounds to play the Narrator after having beefed-up for his prior role as a Neo-Nazi skinhead in American History X (1998). Norton did this by running, taking vitamins and ignoring the on-set catering. Fox Studio execs originally wanted an actress with a bigger name to play Marla Singer and considered casting Reese Witherspoon, Courtney Love and Winona Ryder before going with Helena Bonham Carter. In the short scene when the Brad Pitt and Edward Norton characters are drunk and hitting golf balls at night, the actors really were drunk. Director David Fincher shot over 1,500 reels of film, more than three times the typical amount.

All the Presidents Men 1976

“Goddammit, when is somebody going to go on the record in this story?”

British director John Schlesinger declined an offer to direct as he felt the story should be told by an American. Robert Redford (the film’s producer), director Alan J. Pakula, along with Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein called an impromptu meeting with screenwriter William Goldman. At the time, his screenplay had been accepted and he was waiting to hear from Woodward and Bernstein. At the meeting he was presented with a new screenplay written by Bernstein and his future wife Nora Ephron. Goldman refused to read their screenplay and walked out of the meeting. Only one scene from their screenplay ended up in the film: the scene where Bernstein (Dustin Hoffman) outsmarts Miami District Attorney Martin Dardis’ secretary to get in to see him. The scene was pure fiction. Bob Woodward was also unhappy with Bernstein’s script, because it depicted him as a novice reporter that hero-worshipped Bernstein’s superior talent. On May 31, 2005, in advance of the July Vanity Fair article written by his attorney, 91 year old Mark Felt acknowledged publicly for the first time that he was ‘Deep Throat’, a fact corroborated by Bob Woodward and the Washington Post. At the time of the Watergate break-in, Felt had been second in command at the FBI. While filming in Washington D.C., Robert Redford stayed at the Watergate hotel. The number Redford dials in the film (456-1414) for the White House is the actual number of the White House switchboard. This was the first film Jimmy Carter watched after being elected President.

Capote 2005

“Ever since I was a child, folks have thought they had me pegged, because of the way I am, the way I talk. And they’re always wrong.”

This film is based on a book by Gerald Clarke, a former writer for Time, the Atlantic and Esquire. He had been writing a series of profiles of famous writers including Gore Vidal, Vladimir Nabokov, Allen Ginsberg and P.G. Wodehouse when he met Truman Capote at a George Plimpton party and persuaded Capote to let him write his biography. He met with Capote for hundreds of hours, who eagerly asked his friends to cooperate. “ Tell him whatever you want,” he wrote one friend. “God knows everyone else has.” He told Clarke, “I won't respect you unless you tell the whole truth,” adding that he would never ask to see what he was writing about him. And he never did. Clarke interviewed hundreds of people and traveled all over the United States and Europe to talk to them. The book took thirteen years to finish. He began it when Capote was in his late forties and in good health. Ironically, he eventually found himself in the same position as Capote–waiting. Capote had to delay finishing ‘In Cold Blood’ for years waiting for the killers to be executed. Clarke collaborated closely with screenwriter Dan Futterman, director Bennett Miller and Philip Seymour Hoffman. His only regret: turning down an offer to play a cameo role in a party scene because he was traveling in Turkey and didn’t want to cut his trip short, saying “My close-up will have to wait”. The movie was filmed in 36 days and opened on September 30th, 2005 –Truman Capote’s birthday. Philip Seymour Hoffman won 23 awards including Best Actor Oscar.

The Godfather 1972

“I spent my life trying not to be careless. Women and children can be careless. But not men.”

Paramount considered many directors including Sidney Furie, Constantine Costas-Gravas and Peter Yates. They chose Francis Ford Coppola because he excelled as a screenwriter (co-wrote the screenplay for Patton 1970), was inexpensive, his early directing showed great promise and his name would deflect controversy with the Italian-American community. Conceptually, Coppola saw the movie as a great family saga, not just another Mafia flick. He was to be paid $125,000 plus 6 percent of the gross. Ernest Borgnine, Edward G. Robinson, Orson Welles and George C. Scott were all considered by Paramount for the role of Vito Corleone. Burt Lancaster wanted it but was never considered. Frank Sinatra, despite his distaste for the novel, talked with Coppola. But Coppola wanted either an Italian-American or an actor so talented that he could portray one. He wanted either Laurence Olivier or Marlon Brando to play the Don. Olivier was gravely ill at the time. Brando’s recent films had been flops and producers considered him as washed up. He convinced them by doing an extraordinary screen test. Paramount initially offered him only union scale, but according to Robert Evans, the former Paramount production head, Brando was paid $50,000, plus points. But later, once the studio believed the film was going to be a big hit, they bought back his points just before the movie’s release for only $100,000. Evans claims this fleecing of Brando is the reason why he refused to do any publicity to help promote the movie or appear in the sequel two years later.

Dr. Strangelove 1962

“Gentlemen, you can’t fight in here... this is the War Room!”

Peter Sellers was originally cast in four roles, but couldn’t perfect the Texas accent to play Major T.J. “King” Kong. So director Stanley Kubrick decided to find an iconic actor who naturally fit the role. They approached John Wayne, who didn’t respond, and Dan Blocker (Bonanza) – who passed because of the script’s politics. Recalling an actor from his work on the Brando western One-Eyed Jacks (1961), Kubrick finally cast Slim Pickens as the gung-ho hick pilot. Pickens was never shown the script or told it was a black comedy and was directed to play it as a serious drama. George C. Scott based General Buck Turgidson on the then Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Curtis LeMay. Peter Sellers based President Muffley on Adlai Stevenson. Kubrick intended the film to end with a pie fight between the Russians and Americans in the War Room. The footage was shot, but he ended up going with the Peter Sellers’ ad lib – when Dr Strangelove stands up from his wheel chair and shouts, “Mein Führer! I can walk!” The idea to play, ‘ We’ll Meet Again’ sung over a series of nuclear explosions was suggested by Spike Milligan – Peter Sellers’ fellow ex-Goon. The film’s first test screening had been scheduled for November 22, 1963, coincidentally the same day that President Kennedy was shot in Dallas. So the premiere got pushed to January 1964 and the film was re-edited so that Major Kong’s line, after going through the survival kit contents check: “Shoot, a fella’ could have a pretty good weekend in Dallas with all that stuff,” was changed to: “Vegas”.