Giving birth to a Predator

Like many other 1980’s classics, Predator is loaded with fun trivia that we at Inside Film can’t get enough of.

For instance, did you know that for the first two weeks of shooting, a completely different costume design was used for the monster, with none other than martial arts god Jean-Claude Van Damme inside the suit? The design later had to be changed for health and safety reasons, as its “fly like” head would wobble around uncontrollably, causing mayhem wherever it went. Van Damme was then relieved of his role for unconfirmed reasons, although the fighting guru was renowned for diva-like antics.

Funny, right? It gets better. An on set bodyguard had to be employed to protect the cast from fellow actor Sonny Landham. Landham’s on-screen character (Billy) exhibited strong physical features, a deep, booming voice and a rather badass, Native American appearance. Probably not the kind of guy you would want to upset. Unfortunately, Landham displayed very similar traits off-screen, leading to the insurance company behind the production to demand protection for the rest of the cast due to his “volatile nature”.

image via creafive.wordpress.com

image via creafive.wordpress.com

Yet, perhaps the most intriguing piece of trivia regarding Predator is how the original screenplay ever came into existence.

To understand what I mean, we must first go back to November 1985, a few days after the release Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky IV, the most successful entry in the Rocky franchise. At that time, the intense Stallone/Schwarzenegger rivalry was in full swing. Prior to cash cow that was the Planet Hollywood era, many were fully convinced that there was a real bitterness between Arnie and Sly.

After the box-office success of Rocky IV, many joked that due to the superhuman abilities of Stallone’s most recent opponent, Ivan Drago, the only real challenger left to Rocky would have to be of extra-terrestrial decent, or Rambo, but that would just be illogical.

Not everybody saw the funny side, however. In fact, screenwriters Jim and John Thomas took it very seriously, provoking them to produce a full script using the joke as inspiration. And thus, Predator was born, or Hunter, as it was originally called. After collaborating on Commando, Schwarzenegger and producer Joel Silver were called in to transform the science-fiction pulp storyline into the big budget, action classic we know today.

Jim Thomas later explained that ““The original conceit was ‘What would it be like if human beings were hunted by dilettante hunters the way humans hunt big game in Africa?’ ”

Sometimes these questions need to be answered. Without doing so, the action/sci-fi epic that is Predator would never have existed, whilst Rocky V would still have been released, and that is a world nobody deserves to live in.

The National Film Registry: The Fantastic Five

image via loc.gov/film/tour.html

image via loc.gov/film/tour.html

The National Film Registry is a collection of films selected for preservation in the Library of Congress by the United States National Film Preservation Board. Established in 1988, the board is given the responsibility of selecting up 25 films that are either “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant films” annually, in a bid to “showcase the range and diversity of American film heritage to increase awareness for its preservation”.

All films must be at least 10 years old before they are available for selection. A film is eligible regardless of length, style and purpose and an official theatrical release is not compulsory criteria to be selected. The Registry contains documentary films, shorts, experimental films, news reels, silent films, films out of copyright, music videos and many, many more.

As of 2013, the National Film Registry contains 625 films, all considered to be deserving of recognition, preservation and access by future generations. Some of the most creative, innovative and awe-inspiring works are contained within the protecting arms of the Registry. However, of the several hundred films selected, 5 are considered more prestigious than all the rest.

As mentioned earlier, a film must be at least 10 years old before it can be considered for selection. The earliest listing is Newark Athlete (1891) and the latest Decasia (2002). Only 5 films have ever been selected in its first year of eligibility, a feat which is now regarded as a major honour amongst American film makers.

The following films were all selected for preservation by the National Film Registry in their first year of eligibility:

1: Raging Bull (1980) Selected for Cultural Significance

2: Do the Right Thing (1989) Selected for Aesthetical Significance

3: Goodfellas (1990) Selected for Cultural Significance (A second first year selection for Robert De Niro (Raging Bull 1980)

4: Toy Story (1995) Selected for Cultural and Aesthetical Significance

5: Fargo (1996) Selected for Cultural and Aesthetical Significance

Nation Film Registry – www.loc.gov/film/registry_titles.php

This week in history: 19th April – 26th April

The 19th of April marks the anniversary of the release of My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Release 19th April 2002, the film is one of the highest budget-to-profit grossing films of all time, earning over $240 million to date. After a limited release, buzz surrounding My Big Fat Greek Wedding spread mostly by word of mouth, leading to the $5 million budget film to receive generally positive reviews.

image via search.peopleschoice.com

image via search.peopleschoice.com

On the 26th of April 1926, American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) partnered with Warner Brothers Film Studios to officially introduce the Vitaphone. The technology, which give film makers the ability to add sound to their pieces, debuted with 1926 film Don Juan which featured an orchestral score by the New York Philharmonic.

The Panopticon, the first movie projector developed in the United States was demonstrated by Woodville Latham and his sons Otway and Gray on April 21st 1985. Motion pictures had been shown in the United States for several years prior using the Kinetoscope, invented by Thomas Edison. However, the films could only be viewed one at a time in a peep-show box, not projected to a large audience.

April 21st also marks another very special occasion. The 21st April 1993 is the day Inside Film writer, and professional legendary human being Andrew Crooks was born. Yes, that’s me.

The Death of Brandon Lee: One of Films Most Tragic Moments

March 31st 1993 will forever remain one of the saddest days in modern film history. 52 days into a 60 day shoot, Brandon Lee, son of the late martial arts expert Bruce Lee, was tragically shot and killed during the filming of the supernatural action film, The Crow.

As did his father (Enter the Dragon 1973), Lee never lived to see the release of his most successful work. However, also like his father, mystery and suspicion surrounding the actor’s death will forever immortalise Brandon Lee in movie folklore.

Young Brandon Lee with father Bruce. image via es.wikipedia.org

Young Brandon Lee with father Bruce.
image via es.wikipedia.org

On April 1st 1993, the Los Angeles Times reported “Actor Brandon Lee, the 28-year-old son of the late Kung Fu star Bruce Lee, was killed Wednesday after a small explosive charge used to simulate gunfire went off inside a grocery bag during filming on a movie set in Wilmington, N.C.”

However, the article later states that “it is still unclear whether the projectile came from the gun or the grocery bag or both. “When the other actor fired a shot, the explosive charge went off inside the bag,” said Wilmington police Officer Michael Overton. “After that, we don’t know what happened.”

Although admitting the case was still under investigation, Wilmington Police announced that they were treating the incident as an accident, yet many fans suspected foul play. After suspicion surrounding the cause of Bruce’s death from an apparent reaction to painkillers in 1973, many were sceptical about the causality of Brandon’s fatal last scene.

The unfinished 1973 martial arts film Game of Death, starring Bruce Lee, provides even more spooky coincidences that further fuelled the fire of many conspiracy theorists, as Lee’s character is shot in similar circumstances to his real life son, although he does return to take revenge.

So how did this tragic event really occur? In the scene, Lee is supposed to have been shot by thugs as he walks into his apartment to find his girlfriend being raped. It is believed that due to increasing time restraints, the decision was made to use dummy cartridges in the prop weaponry, which appear functional, yet contain no gun-powder.

The empties would be made from real cartridges, a responsibility handed to effects technician Bruce Merlin. To do this, Merlin, assisted by prop master Daniel Kuttner, would dismantle the live cartridges by removing the bullets, emptying all contained gun-powder, detonating the primer (a device for igniting the powder charge in a modern cartridge of centerfire ammunition) and then re-assembling the cartridge.

During preparation, Merlin and Kuttner tested the gun that would be used in scene by using a cartridge containing only a primer and a bullet with no gun-powder, which caused the bullet to become lodged into the forcing cone of the gun. When it came to shooting the scene, the live bullet remained in the barrel, which was then propelled out by the explosion from a blank cartridge, fatally injuring Lee in the process, as the cameras rolled.

Lee was pronounced dead at 1.04pm. After being buried next to his father in Washington, footage capturing Lee’s death was destroyed before ever being developed. Released in 1994, The Crow became a box office smash and is now regarded as a cult classic.

Events, offers and releases 31/03/14

Bible Epic, Noah, is released this week, starring Russell Crowe. Niel Burger’s Divergent, Rio 2, starring Jesse Eisenberg and Richard Ayoade’s new movie The Double are all also released in cinema’s this week.

Powder Room (15), Klown (18) and Frozen (U) are all released on Blu-Ray and DVD in the coming days. How to Survive a Plague (E), a film about how 1980’s gay Americans organised, fought the system (and each other) and forced a reluctant establishment to deliver better Aids drugs is also released. A worthy-sounding but uplifting documentary.

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