Kubrick did lightning design for The Spy Who Loved Me?
The guy who wrote “Apoc. Now” only read it once in high school (Heart of Darkness)
Chocolate syrup was used for blood in the shower scene of the film Psycho.
Marvelous Marvin Hagler (he had his name legally changed to include the ‘Marvelous’) moved to Italy after he quit boxing and began starring in low budget movies.
Charlie Chaplin was a pedophile.
The scene in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind with the elephants was unplanned. The crew was in NY and circus elephants were being brought through the streets and Michel just grabbed the camera and had Jim and Kate go with it. I love that scene and I think Michel is just gorgeous for being able to use his suprise surroundings. That’s one of the things exceptional filmmaking is all about.
Brando was fond of prank calls, using his gift for mimicry to impersonate friends and associates on the phone
Charlie Chaplin enjoyed the company of young women, but he wasn’t a pedophile. A pedophile is someone who has/want to have sex with a prepubescent child. Charlie liked them a tiny bit older than that. There you go useless trivia you will never need to know…
During the “I hope your first child is a masculine child…” speech when we see Luca Brasi over Vito’s shoulder, Marlon Brando had a card taped to his head that said ‘FUCK YOU’ just to screw with Lenny Montana.
The insufferably mannered & self-conscious “star” of Dreyer’s Vampyr, the pseudonymous Julian West, was in fact Nicolas de Gunzburg, who had essentially bought his role in the film for the price…of the production of the film. Greatest vanity project EVAR?? (Apropos of nothing – I’m sure Idi Amin thought he’d won the same sort of prestige via Schroeder’s doc, and for free. Little did he know…)
Not going to lie, though, Witkacy, although de Gunzburg was a nonprofessional, he did seem to like movies. Also, he played the role of someone who doesn’t know which way is up rather well.
Fellini, after he had completed Juilet of the Spirits, realized that his wife’s problems all throughout the production (i.e., she didn’t feel like Juliet would do such things after she had been left by he husband) were completely valid. He stated that Juliets sexual exploration came from his mind, that a man would do it; through his stubborness, though, he hadn’t realized that a woman would not do the same.
Savvy
Silvester Stallone started out as a porn star.
I don’t really know of any weird ones, but here’s a film factoid:
On the set of Dr. Strangelove, Kubrick told George C. Scott to over-act a few scenes in order to “loosen up”, and told him the scenes would not make it into the final cut. They did.
I thought of a kinda weird one: Lindsay Anderson was very attracted to all the male leading stars in all his films.
Most of the Oil in There Will Be Blood is actually chocolate syrup that McDonalds uses in their milkshakes.
I Drink Your Milkshake! McDonald’s should have ran with that one… weird indeed Rob. Very good job!
Vladimir Garin, who played Andrei in the movie “Vozvrashcheniye”, drowned shortly after the end of shooting in a lake near the one where several of the picture’s scenes were filmed.
The last film that Orson Welles worked on? “Transformers: The Movie.” He played Unicron.
He also lent his voice to two songs by not-very-good American metal band Manowar.
How about another boxing one. The scene in Black or White where Mike Tyson slaps and attacks Robert Downey Jr. for hitting on him was improvised and somewhat real. Just before the take, Downey asked Toback if Tyson knew what was coming and was told no. Downey asked what if Tyson killed him and the director said there’s probably less than a 5% chance of that happening and that the way (the then still not sober) Downey was going he was probably going to die soon anyways so Downey should push it as far as possible to provoke a reaction from Tyson. Downey complied. That is commitment to one’s craft! The Tyson-Downey fight can be seen here.
Ha, that was entertaining if not a little frightening Jay.
Hey Derek, Manowar is the greatest and most powerful band on earth!
In Pulp Fiction, Mia and Vincent didn’t win the dance competition but they stole the trophy. You can hear about the theft when Butch is going back to get his watch from his apartment and when he is walking back there is an open window that has a radio playing a news report.
’Bogart’s a hellava nice guy until 11:30 pm. After that, he thinks he’s Bogart.’ – Dave Chase, a Hollywood restauranteur.
In Raging Bull, Sound effects for punches landing were made by squashing melons and tomatoes. Sound effects for camera flashes going off were sounds of gunshots.
The bully that pulls a blade on Donnie in Donnie Darko ( the one opposite Seth Rogen ) is also the lead singer of the band Phantom Planet.Probally most Famous for their song “California” used in the opening credits of “The O.C.”.
Also the little girl at the Jim Cunningham seminar that is worried about her sister’s weight is Ashley Tisdale of High School Musical fame.
Zac Efron had a bit part on FireFly as “young Simon” . …That’s all i have
haha
-The shoes eaten by Charlie Chaplin were made of licorice.
-On the set of Strangers on a Train Hitchcock abandoned his daughter on the top of the ferris wheel for an hour just for kicks.
-Two hours before James Dean died he got a speeding ticket for driving 75 mph in a 45 mph zone. He shrugged it off and went speeding down the road.
Some music trivia:
- Gus Van Sant released three great albums (Gus Van Sant, 18 Songs About Golf and Lost World/Bursting Clouds_). I listen to them regularly. They’re fun.
- Pedro Almodóvar was a member of a parodic punk-rock group. Search youtube for Almodóvar y McNamaraquery=%22Almod%C3%B3var+y+McNamara%22&aq=f.
- Jim Jarmusch was also a former band member of The Del-Byzanteens (listen to them on Mypace). Good old 80ies No-Wave. Two songs of The Del-Byzanteens were also used in Wim Wender’s movie The State of Things.
-Kathy Bates debut on film: As a beautiful singer in Milos Forman’s great movie Taking Off (1971) – And Even The Horses Had Wings. Music rights have contributed to Taking Off’s home video status being in limbo. I am still looking for the rare and impossible to find soundtrack on Vinyl!
I heard somewhere that Eddie Murphy bleeped Johnny’s ex-roommate.
I love Brooke Shields’ boho dreads.
I got nothin’ on the film side, so: In 1970, Doc Ellis, pitching for the Pittsburgh Pirates, threw a no-hitter against the San Diego Padres. He was tripping on LSD during the game.
A young Scorsese frequently rented “The Tales of Hoffmann” from a store that only had one copy. When it wasn’t available the owner told him, “that Romero kid has it,” That Romero kid grew up to be George Romero who now lists Tales of Hoffman as his favorite film of all-time. Scorcese also cites it as a major influence and both directors are present on the bonus features of the Criterion edition of the film. Two of our most famous directors, known primarily for tough guys and zombies, were significantly influenced by the same copy of a British opera film. I think that’s pretty cool.
Christopher Langford
Sophia Loren and OJ Simpson were in a movie together? The Casandra Crossing