1Waterloo's Soviet Army Battle
For the 1970 film Waterloo, the filmmakers hired and trained 17,000 members of the Soviet Army to recreate the epic battle sequences using 1815 battle formations.
2. During the filming of The Longest Day, the cast discovered a buried tank on the beach. They cleaned up, and it was incorporated into the movie.
3. The last shot of Terminator, where Sarah drives her Jeep into a storm, was captured without a filming permit. At 29 years old, James Cameron told a cop he was a UCLA student when spotted during the unauthorized shoot.
4. Burgess Meredith's final role was in Grumpier Old Men (1995). Despite battling Alzheimer's, he made it through the film with coaching and passed away two years later, in 1997.
5. Sean Bean, during the filming of the Council of Elrond scene in Fellowship of the Ring, had the script taped to his knee, explaining why he frequently looks down.
Latest FactRepublic Video:
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
6Choi Min-sik's Octopus Prayer
While filming Oldboy (2003), Choi Min-sik, a vegetarian Buddhist, prayed between each of the four takes of the octopus scene.
7. While filming 'Wayne's World,' Mike Myers, not knowing how to drive, had to take driving lessons from Sears.
8. The 1978 film Halloween was filmed in the spring, leading the crew to scatter artificial and recycled leaves on the ground, sidewalks, and streets to create an autumnal appearance. After each scene, the crew diligently raked up the leaves and transported them to the next filming location.
9. During the production of "Sorcerer", director William Friedkin faced challenges detonating a giant kaoba tree for a key scene. Unable to succeed with his special effects team, Friedkin hired an arsonist from Queens known as "Marvin the Torch," who perfectly blew up the tree in one take.
10. In The Shawshank Redemption, Morgan Freeman's character was humorously asked why he is called "Red," to which he replied, "Maybe because I'm Irish." While the character in the book was Irish with red hair, Freeman was cast for the role, and the line was added for comedic effect.
11Sniper's Unexpected Fake Baby
In the 2014 film American Sniper, the filmmakers utilized a fake baby doll due to the absence of the intended real baby, who had a fever, and the failure of the backup baby to appear. During a media screening, the audience burst into laughter at the artificial appearance of the doll.
12. Roger Moore, at 57, became the oldest actor to play James Bond in A View to a Kill. His dressing room was next to co-star Grace Jones, and he would playfully complain when she blasted 'heavy metal' music too loudly.
13. In 1978, when John Carpenter screened the final cut of "Halloween" without sound effects or music for a 20th-century Fox executive, the executive was not scared. Determined to enhance the film, Carpenter composed the famous score in just three days, transforming the viewing experience.
14. Sylvester Stallone recounted an amusing incident during the shooting of the critically-panned D-Tox (2006). Teamsters greeted the cast at the airport holding signs that read DETOX, creating the humorous impression that Kris Kristofferson, Tom Berenger, and Stallone were heading to rehab rather than a film shoot.
15. While filming Monty Python & The Holy Grail (1975), Graham Chapman experienced delirium tremens (DTs) due to the lack of alcohol on set. DTs, potentially fatal even with treatment, typically afflict habitual drinkers consuming 0.5L of liquor or 7-8 pints of beer daily for 10 years or more.
16My Left Foot's Mirrored Creativity
The filmmakers used mirrors to film numerous scenes in the movie My Left Foot, which depicted the life of a man who could only control his left foot. The filmmakers employed this creative approach because Daniel Day-Lewis could only perform actions in the film using his right foot.
17. The 1983 film "Scarface" received an X rating from the MPAA three times in a row. On the fourth appeal, it finally secured an R rating. Director Brian De Palma released the original version anyway, admitting to it months after the film's release.
18. Just nine days before the start of the Jaws production, the roles of Quint and Hooper had not yet been filled. Initially, two other actors declined the offer to play the role of Quint. Robert Shaw, initially hesitant due to his dislike of the book, accepted the role at his wife's encouragement.
19. During the filming of The Shining, Stanley Kubrick made Jack Nicholson eat cheese sandwiches, a food he despised, to help him get into character.
20. Producer Debra Hill stored the same Michael Myers mask used in the first film under her bed for three years, resulting in its different appearance in "Halloween II" (1981). Additionally, the new Michael Myers actor had a stockier build compared to the original.
21Belushi's Blues Brothers Detour
While filming the mall scene of The Blues Brothers, actor John Belushi wandered off the set and into a nearby neighborhood. A local resident welcomed Belushi into their home, provided him with food, and allowed him to take a nap on their couch.
22. Filming the scene of James Bond jumping from an airplane without a parachute in Moonraker (1979) required 88 skydiving jumps, capturing just 3 seconds of action in each jump.
23. The desert scenes in the movie Ishtar were shot in the actual Sahara Desert instead of the Southwestern U.S. Columbia's parent company, Coca-Cola, influenced this decision due to their funds in Morocco that couldn't be repatriated.
24. The director of The French Connection bribed an official at the New York Transit Authority with $40,000. The official then overlooked regulations and allowed the famous chase sequence to be filmed.
25. During the filming of the James Bond film Goldfinger (1964), Harold Sakata, who portrayed Oddjob, sustained a severe burn on his hand during the electrocution scene. Despite the injury, Sakata persevered until the director called for a cut.
