Movie sets are beautiful things. A perfect mix of arts and industry, bursting with activity and energy. Machine. A vast enterprise of interlocking mechanisms that work together to achieve a common goal. The results are simply magical. A story that will captivate, entertain, and destroy, whether you watch it on a 70-foot screen or an iPhone. But film sets are delicate machines. A single grain of sand in the machine can ruin the whole job. It can turn into chaos.
The movies on this list had buckets of sand in the machine during production. Everything from unfinished scripts to drug-related hospitalizations conspired to throw these sets into chaos, threatening the filmmakers’ ability to even complete the project, let alone produce something of artistic and commercial value. But despite these turbulent environments, each film on this list turned to gold due to the crew’s creativity, ingenuity, and tenacious tenacity. The movie is here.
Ten Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy It cemented Will Ferrell as a comedy superstar and proved Adam McKay’s credentials as a credible director. However, Ron Burgundy’s first conception of the saga (preserved in the companion film) Wake Up, Ron Burgundy: The Lost Movie) would have certainly jeopardized that result.
In the original story, which has made it to the test, Burgundy and his friends are investigating a terrorist group named “Alarm Clock”. Although it contains elements of satire found in McKay’s later work, the film is uneven and struggles to achieve a consistent tone. The results were so poor that the filmmakers were forced to rewrite and reshoot large portions of the film to produce the theatrically released version. McKay’s ability to maintain is a testament to good leadership and why he has had such a successful career.
9 Cleopatra
Two Hollywood legends playing two of the most famous lovers in history? Sounds like a safe bet on box office success. Cleopatra, starring Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton, was an ordeal to get to the theater. First, Taylor contracted meningitis and had to be hospitalized and miss several weeks of filming. As a result, director Ruben Mamoulian said that after 16 weeks he was left with only a 10-minute film, which cost him $ 7 million. Mamoulian immediately resigned. However, this was not the end of the production’s problems. Taylor fell ill again, this time with a case of pneumonia requiring a tracheotomy. Love affairs brought even worse press to an already infamous production.
Fox halted production and even tried to fire producer Walter Wagner until protests from Mankiewicz, Taylor and Burton forced the studio to pull out. But despite the tumultuous production, the electrochemistry between Taylor and Burton, coupled with Mankiewicz’s vision, made the film a hit. Cleopatra It became the highest-grossing film of 1963 and was nominated for nine Oscars.
8 titanic
Paramount Home Entertainment
paramount pictures
James Cameron once compared filmmaking to war.Well, the director put up quite a fight to make the 1997 epic titanic. Several cast members, including star Kate Winslet, became ill from spending too much time in cold water tanks.Three stuntmen were injured, and Cameron’s demanding style lowered crew morale I was allowed to. But the most harrowing moment was when, while filming in Canada, a still unidentified person put his PCP in chowder at dinner. Cameron and dozens of other crew members fell ill, and 50 were taken to hospital, including actor Bill Paxton.
Filming ran over time and budget, so Fox compromised with Paramount on co-financing the film. It turned out to be one of the best decisions in Paramount’s history. titanic It became the highest-grossing film of all time at the time, won 11 Oscars, and turned Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio into international superstars.
7 Ratatouille
The kitchen can be a chaotic place. But Pixar almost certainly didn’t try to recreate that mess when making his 2007 smash hit. RatatouilleThe project started in 2000 with animator Jan Pinkava’s story, but after four years of development, the studio commissioned Bob Peterson. Exactly one year later, Pixar was still unhappy with the story and let Brad Bird helm the film. Mr.The Incredibles The director had a big task ahead of him: taking a struggling animated production from script to screen in just 18 months. But Bird told Entertainment Weekly that the condensed schedule actually helped the production. All rumination time was used up. His determination certainly paid off. Ratatouille It won Best Animated Feature and has grossed over $600 million worldwide.
6 wizard of oz
Production of of wizard of oz It wasn’t as compelling as the eponymous fantasy world in which much of the film takes place. The studio went through two directors before settling on Victor Fleming, causing delays and reshoots. Buddy Ebsen, the original Tin Man, had to drop out after being hospitalized due to an allergic reaction to the aluminum cosmetics used for the role. The lights needed to shoot in Technicolor raised the onset temperature to over 100 degrees Fahrenheit. Due to a lack of safety standards, Margaret Hamilton, the Wicked Witch of the West, endured third-degree burns after a mistimed explosion ignited her toxic copper cosmetics. Garland reportedly suffered extensive physical and emotional abuse on set, in addition to a drug-heavy diet designed to control her weight. It’s truly amazing that I managed to rise from this cauldron of chaos.
Five Gladiator
Gladiator Directed by Ridley Scott, it’s a brutal sword-and-sandals epic starring Russell Crowe in a strong performance as a disgraced Roman general to avenge the murder of his wife and son. However, it wasn’t the massive sets or special effects that made filming difficult (although Crowe narrowly avoided being attacked by a tiger). The main problem was in the script. First, principal photography began with only about a quarter of the script completed, leading to uncertainty and forced improvisation. Second, the pages written often fell short of the cast’s expectations. Crowe, in particular, had problems with dialogue and repeatedly insisted on rewriting. Still, Crowe and Scott had a clear vision of the character’s emotional journey, and the visuals Scott’s power as an artist imbued the film with cinematic depth that transcended the tumultuous production. What is the final result? A classic blockbuster that grossed over $500 million and won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Actor.
Four hell apocalypse
hell apocalypse It definitely wins the award as the most chaotic work on this list. Francis Ford in his Coppola Vietnam War masterpiece explores themes of existentialism, madness and human brutality. Ironically, these themes were also in the making of the film.
Trouble started before the camera even rolled. A severe typhoon destroyed more than half of the Philippine set, causing production delays and heavy financial losses. The situation worsened when Martin Sheen suffered a heart attack on set and had to intervene until his brother Joe recovered. , plagued with even more headaches, forced the director to change the shot list. But Coppola continued to show the same tenacity and deep-rooted commitment to his vision that he did. godfather to make what is considered one of the greatest films ever made.
3 chin
When Steven Spielberg, 26, Arrives at Martha’s Vineyard to Direct chin“I thought my career as a filmmaker was over.” chin was the first major film shot at sea. This caused a number of problems, including waterlogged cameras, seasick actors, and unwanted ships pouring into the frame. To make matters worse, his three mechanical propeller sharks built for production rarely worked. Still, Spielberg found magic in obstacles. Unable to rely on prop sharks, he used more subtle methods to allude to the beast’s ferocity. This gradually increased the suspense, let the audience’s imagination run wild, and heightened the fear of the great white shark. Far from ending Spielberg’s career, chin It catapulted the young director into the stratosphere and launched one of the greatest careers in Hollywood history.
2 Casablanca
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iconic romance Casablanca It seems that there was a solid foundation in the beginning. Warner Bros. directed seasoned director Michael Curtiz, starring new star Humphrey Bogart and up-and-coming star Ingrid He Bergman. However, the production lacked a critical part of the filmmaking process: the screenplay. By the time principal production began, only half of the script had been written and the film had to be shot in chronological order. Co-writer Robert Koch even went so far as to deliver the scenes to Curtis on the day they were shot.
This stressful environment inevitably led to clashes between the writer and director, both wanting to prioritize different aspects of the story. But, as Koch later said, “Perhaps it was this tug-of-war between Curtis and me that gave the film a certain balance.” It contains the words and actions that fueled the legendary performance of .
1 godfather
The Corleone family may be methodical and organized, but godfather It was nothing. Widely considered to be the greatest film ever made, the adaptation of the Mario Puzo novel got off to a rocky start. Director Francis Ford Coppola (his second appearance on this list) took on the job only to save his production company, American Zoetrope, which was over $400,000 in debt. . He clashed with Paramount over budget, location and casting, working under constant threat of being replaced. He had to preemptively fire the editor and assistant director to prevent a rebellion. The real-life mafia also threatened the film, shooting producer Albert S. Rudy’s car in an attempt to quell the production. But Coppola persisted, sticking to his own vision and letting his fine filmmaking speak for itself. result? The Oscar-winning cinematic masterpiece that saved Paramount, revived the brand and introduced the world to Al Pacino. All the stress and confusion was certainly worth it.
