Apocalypse on the Set: Nine Disastrous Film Productions

Selecting nine films plagued with problems, Taylor has wisely detoured away from tabloid exposé journalism to deliver informative in-depth essays on movies wildly out of control, noting, “The stories of the characters within the film were often secondary to the rumors of disaster and misfortune that enticed many to see these pictures.” Situations can explode due to conflicting personalities or personal dynamics between cast, crew and studio. Dangers are heightened by extreme risks, as in Werner Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo: “The studio wanted it to be a plastic miniature boat pulled over a garden hill, but I said we will pull a real ship over a real mountain.” Twilight Zone: The Movie became a major news story in 1982 when the helicopter crash during a night scene resulted in three deaths. An outstanding chapter on the 166 days shooting Waterworld reviews production woes, escalating costs (a reported $200 million) and the creative differences of director Kevin Reynolds and producer-star Kevin Costner. Pouring through books, published interviews, production footage, memoirs, newspaper stories, documentary films and magazine articles, Taylor shows how hopeful pre-production plans can easily erupt into confusing cinematic chaos and logistical nightmares. (Mar.)