Before the flick sprang to life on the silver screen, Director Richard Rush dashed up to the podium to enlighten the audience about the underlying theme about the film-within-a-film.
"Stunt Man has a complex structure," he underscored right off-the-bat.
"The theme is all about illusion and reality."
At this juncture, the well-respected auteur waxed poetically that people tended to view life through a keyhole of sorts.
"Because they can't see the whole picture, they tend to make things up as they go along, to make sense of things."
"If you don't understand something in the film tonight, just turn to the person next to you for clues. If they have no idea what is going on either," he chuckled loudly," then we're all in trouble."
I initially caught the flick in Vancouver (BC) when it was first released.
Thirty years later, the well-crafted celluloid offering has held up admirably.
In fact, "The Stunt Man" is a timeless piece of filmmaking that still resonates today.
In a nutshell, the intriguing tale focuses on a young man (ably played by Steve Railsback) on-the-run from the law, who stumbles on a film crew shooting a period piece on location in the countryside.
Suddenly, the hapless intruder is thrust into a make-believe world, that causes him to lose his footing (and sanity) momentarily.
According to the articulate director, the project was ten years in-the-making.
Initially, in spite of his success in the industry, the studios were inclined to reject the insider-look at the movie-making industry (with a big thrust on stunt men and the illusions they create on film at the drop of a hat).
When Rush approached the execs with the script, for instance, their immediate response was puzzling.
"Is it a comedy or is it a drama," they quizzed him stupidly.
The seasoned pro referred to the project as one that belonged to the "illusion reality" genre which ended up leaving them cold.
"Imagine, there is an assembly-line churning out Chevies. Then, a Cadillac comes along."
"They didn't know how to market the flick."
Rush noted that once stunt films like Hooper were released, he became hopeful that his pet project might get off the ground, because it had become a known commodity since it was first pitched.
However, when Rush took a second shot at promoting it to the studio suits, the response remained the same.
"What is it?"
Finally, one day when he was jetting across the country, an independent film producer made a financial commitment to finance the off-beat feature.
"There were so many occasions when I sat in the Polo Lounge and producers claimed to have the financing in the bag. But, it just wasn't so."
Even still - the heady offer he finally got a green-light for - took a couple of years to be signed, sealed, and delivered.
In response to a fan's query, Rush confided - that for the part of the "director" - Peter O'Toole was always his first choice.
But, Rush's lack of nerviness nearly screwed up the chance to land the celebrated actor.
"Through a friend, I met Peter at a quiet get-together. We chatted quite a bit, but I thought it was tacky to approach him about film work at a private party."
When O'Toole strode off into the other room, the visionary director beat himself up, for letting the opportunity slip through his fingers.
"You chicken shit," he inwardly cried out.
As luck would have it, O'Toole was having a conversation with another gent, who happened to mention that Richard Rush wrote and directed "Freebie & the Bean".
Apparently, O'Toole was a fan of the flick, so he trotted back out to Rush.
"I loved that film. I want to work with you."
Curiously, I was walking down the street one day years ago, when a stranger dashed up to me and gushed that I looked alot like Peter O'Toole.
Before I had the opportunity to utter up a response, the film buff was quick to butter me up.
"When O'Toole was young and glamorous."
During the "Lawrence of Arabia" phase of his career, I expect!
In the "Stunt Man", he's pretty dazzling, too.
Steve Railsback came to Rush's attention because he was a protege of Elia Kazan.
"I was cast for a part in 'The Visitors'," the actor piped up when the conversation turned in his diirection.
Rush pointed out that although Railsback had a masterful 'Manson' role under his belt, the film had not been cut at that juncture, so he did not have the opportunity to screen footage of the relative new-comer.
"I was impressed with the risks he took in the cold-reading. Right away, I knew Steve was right for the main character in 'The Stunt Man'."
Railsback, meanwhile, had nothing but rave reviews for O'Toole.
He revealed that in-between takes, he often huddled with O'Toole about the craft of acting.
The wide-eyed expressive thespian recalled that O'Toole summed up his acting skills this way:
"Art is choice."
For an actor, they both agreed, choices were what really mattered.
Railsback also confided that one fateful evening, O'Toole engaged in a sly little game with the wet-behind-the-ears actor, with the specific aim of testing his character.
"He tried to intimidate me to see if I could pass muster," he laughed in so many words.
Obviously, O'Toole was impressed with the way he handled himself that eventful evening.
After all, the following day - when Railsback stepped into his trailer - he found himself gifted with a bottle of wine from O'Toole (wrapped ia a ribbon) with a note affixed to it.
The message read:
"To the most un-intimidatable actor I know."
The audience roared.
"I stood up to him. I mean, I had to show him I had the balls to do it," he fondly recalled.
Barbara Hershey (currently garnering rave reviews for "The Black Swan") came to the project because Rush was familiar with her earlier work on a TV series.
"Richard just blew me away. you know, I didn't think I was going to be able to do that scene with the old woman at the graveyard. But, as the camera started to roll, everytrhing began to click."
Like the others, Ms. Hershey was awestruck by Richard Rush's approach to his work.
"Barbara was perfect for that dingy role of the actress," he quipped in an after-thought.
"I don't give any direction until the actors have their stamp on the role and indicated where they intend to go," Rush underscored for the record.
A process that worked well in the instant case of the Stunt Man production.
Rush remembered one incident that makes him laugh and shake his head to this day.
Every morning, O'Toole would parade himself before the director - for a wardrobe check, to discuss the day's shoot, and that sort-of-thing - before the shoot commenced for the day.
On one occasion, when O'Toole strolled in, it struck Rush that the wardrobe was not only - "dead on" - but somewhat familiar for some inexplicable reason.
Gotcha!
Behind Rush's back - O'Toole arranged for the wardrobe department to whip up a carbon-copy "look" - that Rush often sported on the movie set!
"At times, things got a little schizophrenic," he mused.
After the film wrapped, problems persisted with distribution for "The Stunt Man", unfortunately.
Allegedly, the backers managed to land a deal to screen the flick in Seattle/
"But, one of my enemies was inclined to book it into a movie house in the burbs. I thought one closer to the University would have been a better choice since that was where my true audience was."
When a reviewer noted that he intended to pen a critique, Rush made a deal with the journalist.
"If you hate the flick, then wait until after the release before writing your review. Okay? If you love it, then please publish the critique before it premieres at the Theatre on opening night."
As fate would have it, the journalist gave a glowing review - and so - Stunt Man ended up running at the theatre for a year to packed houses (earning at least a million dollars during the course of the screening).
"After that - AVCO picked "The Stunt "Man" up - in Los Angeles."
When Rush's "baby" received a prize for best picture at the Montreal Film Festival, 20th Century Fox agreed to distribute the "illusion reality" genre hit Internationally.
However, Fox was inclined to wait until there were Oscar nods, before promoting it.
"When we got three Oscar nominations, Fox booked the flick into three Theatres. One for each nod," he uttered up in disgust.
When the studio ordered the prints, that signalled a death knell, too.
"In those days, to succeed at the box office, at least 1000 prints were needed (today it is 3000) for a decent campaign to drum up interest across the country. Fox only printed 250 copies, so what did that tell us?"
In spite of the reluctance of Fox to go full-throttle with promos, though, the reviews were fantastic!
Even still, the flick languished around the country, out-of-reach of film buffs pining to view it.
In tandem with the re-release of - "The Stunt Man" - a documentary was rustled up to facilitate an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at the filming of the project.
"I intended to use video footage and insert a handful of interviews. But, as it turned out, there wasn't any video footage available. Also, a laser disc presentation had to be scrapped because the DVD format became more popular as a form of technology."
At that juncture, Rush had to scrap all the laser disc scraps, and start fresh.
"I footed the bill. And, it was expensive."
The disgruntled director admitted that - in the final analysis - the documentary was a bit self-serving.
But, what could he do?
Hershey (casually-dressed and radiating a healthy glow), Railsback (more of a character actor today - than the heart-throb of yesteryear) and Richard Rush (articulate and in good spirits) - were all well-received last night for good reason (by the way).
After all, the high-profile trio were pretty generous with their professional (i.e., posing for publicity stills with fans, signing autographs, sharing amusing anecdotes below the footlights of the revival house, etc.).
A good time was had by all!
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