When Tarantino worked in a video shop, he recommended a customer watch Louis Malle's Au Revoir Les Enfants. To which the customer replied "I ain't watching no Reservoir Dogs", which is where that title came from.
Marilyn Monroe and Bette Davis were early considerations to play Scarlett O'Hara in Gone With The Wind. Apparently Monroe was devastated she missed out.
Michelle Pfeiffer was originally cast as Evita and even recorded a few demo's for the soundtrack. But she dropped out as she refused to go abroad to film it. She had only wanted to do the film if it was filmed in a sound stage.
Julie Andrews was denied the role of Eliza Doolittle in the film version of My Fair Lady as movie bosses felt she was too unknown. Julie had originated the role on Broadway.
Not getting 'My Fair Lady' freed her up to do 'Mary Poppins' though.
I like this story about 'The Untouchables':
Brian De Palma met with Bob Hoskins to discuss the role of Al Capone in case Robert De Niro, the director's first choice for the part, turned it down. When De Niro took the part, De Palma mailed Hoskins a cheque for £20,000 with a "Thank You" note, which prompted Hoskins to call up De Palma and ask him if there were any more films he didn't want him to be in.
Pete Townshend was commisioned by Ridley Scott to provide the soundtrack to Blade Runner, but couldn't fulfill it because of touring commitments with The Who. Vangelis stepped in and the rest as they say is history. I didn't know this fact until I read it in Townshend's autobiography recently.
The Longest Day: the young officer who runs up to Richard Todd and tells him the bridge has been cleared WAS Todd in real life, as Todd was a lieutenant on the Pegasus Bridge assault.
In Villain (1971), Richard Burton plays the nasty villain of the piece, Vic Dakin.
In the original 1968 novel The Burden of Proof by James Barlow, a witness at the trial of Dakin and his gang for a brutal wages snatch describes Dakin as 'looking a lot like Richard Burton'.
Michael Caine turned down two major films in the 60's/70's:
Women In Love, as he hates 'pointless' on-screen male nudity and wont do it. Frenzy, as he thought the script and story were misogynistic and sadistic.
The theme song from "You Only Live Twice", performed by Nancy Sinatra, is said to have been assembled from about 30 takes. Supposedly, she was so nervous she kept messing it up.
kubrick had no heat radiator fins on spaceship discovery in 2001. Cos folks would have said "why does it have wings?". After which, in star wars, george lucas had spaceships with wings, flying exactly like aircraft, in a complete vacuum......
sound of music, all the children were growing quickly, but at different rates! Where they stand in a line, their shoes had to be re-built each time ......
Pete Townshend was commisioned by Ridley Scott to provide the soundtrack to Blade Runner, but couldn't fulfill it because of touring commitments with The Who. Vangelis stepped in and the rest as they say is history. I didn't know this fact until I read it in Townshend's autobiography recently.
That is interesting. It's so difficult to imagine BR without Vangelis's score.
Again, difficult to imagine anyone else doing that film. But I think Queen were definitely better suited to the cheesy camp schlock-fest of 'Flash Gordon'. I think they were only asked to do one song originally, but were so keen on the project that they offered to do the whole thing.
The book was a sequel to a novel called The Detective and Sinatra had played the lead in the movie which was made in the late 60s.
It would have been interesting to see how Old Blue Eyes would have played it. "Do be do be do, mother******!"
Just checked on imdb.com and Sinatra had a clause in his contract which meant he had to be offered the role in any sequel to the movie.
thanks for that, now remember reading about this somewhere before, Roderick Thorpe, I believe was the author
Sean Young was the original Vicki Vale in Batman, before I think a horseriding accident leading to a recast of Kim Basinger
Annette Bening was the original Catwoman in Batman Returns before, she fell pregnant and had to pull out
I think someone may have mentioned Sean Young's attempt at convincing Tim Burton, she could be Catwoman by turning up at the Warner Bros lot
oh and
James Remar was orignally cast as Hicks in Aliens ( he had begin filming)but left/was fired owing to I guess, creative differences with Mr C, leading Michael Bihen getting a call Friday in Los Angeles from Gale Anne Hurd who said, was his passport, in order, he was on a plane to London and on set the following Monday
Comments
Regards
Mark
Ooops
Shame on me for not looking into that.
No wonder she didn't get the part.:'(
Not getting 'My Fair Lady' freed her up to do 'Mary Poppins' though.
I like this story about 'The Untouchables':
Brian De Palma met with Bob Hoskins to discuss the role of Al Capone in case Robert De Niro, the director's first choice for the part, turned it down. When De Niro took the part, De Palma mailed Hoskins a cheque for £20,000 with a "Thank You" note, which prompted Hoskins to call up De Palma and ask him if there were any more films he didn't want him to be in.
Its not Sean Connery doing the barrel sequence in Dr No, but stuntman Bob Simmons.
Connery almost tumbles doing it in Diamonds Are Forever (watch closely!)
Dustin Hoffman almost ended up as Deckard in Blade Runner. Originally an older actor was to be cast: Connery or Robert Mitchum were top of the list.
Snake Plissken was to be played by Charles Bronson. Tommy Lee Jones almost was cast as a younger Plissken, but Carpenter chose Kurt Russell.
Pink Floyd were to do the music for Flash Gordon.
In the original 1968 novel The Burden of Proof by James Barlow, a witness at the trial of Dakin and his gang for a brutal wages snatch describes Dakin as 'looking a lot like Richard Burton'.
Women In Love, as he hates 'pointless' on-screen male nudity and wont do it.
Frenzy, as he thought the script and story were misogynistic and sadistic.
why
did he option the book it was based on or something ?
The book was a sequel to a novel called The Detective and Sinatra had played the lead in the movie which was made in the late 60s.
It would have been interesting to see how Old Blue Eyes would have played it. "Do be do be do, mother******!"
Just checked on imdb.com and Sinatra had a clause in his contract which meant he had to be offered the role in any sequel to the movie.
That is interesting. It's so difficult to imagine BR without Vangelis's score.
Again, difficult to imagine anyone else doing that film. But I think Queen were definitely better suited to the cheesy camp schlock-fest of 'Flash Gordon'. I think they were only asked to do one song originally, but were so keen on the project that they offered to do the whole thing.
For a moment I had a vision of a secret agent going about with a Sooty puppet on his hand
thanks for that, now remember reading about this somewhere before, Roderick Thorpe, I believe was the author
Sean Young was the original Vicki Vale in Batman, before I think a horseriding accident leading to a recast of Kim Basinger
Annette Bening was the original Catwoman in Batman Returns before, she fell pregnant and had to pull out
I think someone may have mentioned Sean Young's attempt at convincing Tim Burton, she could be Catwoman by turning up at the Warner Bros lot
oh and
James Remar was orignally cast as Hicks in Aliens ( he had begin filming)but left/was fired owing to I guess, creative differences with Mr C, leading Michael Bihen getting a call Friday in Los Angeles from Gale Anne Hurd who said, was his passport, in order, he was on a plane to London and on set the following Monday
The world's longest actual runway is only 3.5 miles.
Is that the one they built for the space shuttle? Or did I dream about that?