Panic Room
(2002)
1. The role of Meg was originally to be played by Nichole Kidman but she got
injured during the filming of Moulin Rouge so the role went to
Jodie Foster. Her voice can still be heard on the answering machine.
Party, The (1968)
1. The Party was improvised from a 40-page outline. Each scene was
shot in sequence, and built upon the previous scene. To aid in this experiment,
the film's producers had a video-camera tube attached to the Panavision camera
and connected to an Ampex studio videotape machine - allowing the actors and
crew to review what they had just filmed. Thus, The Party was the
first movie ever shot with the now-standard "video assist" system.
2. The only Blake Edwards-Peter Sellers collaboration that was not a Pink
Panther film.
3. The unusual red sculpture on the wall behind the dining room table is a
Mexican "árbol de la vida" (tree of life). They are still manufactured today.
Patriot Games (1992)
1. The line “There's never been a terrorist attack on American soil” was
included in trailers for movie, but was left out of theatrical release because
it sounded too much like an invitation or dare.
Perfect World, A (1993)
1. Butch (Kevin Costner) and Philip visit a Friendly Dept Store, outside of
which there is a poster advertising Bull Durham (1988), in which Costner also
starred.
Peter Pan (2003)
1. Following tradition (in both theatre and film), the actor portraying Captain
Hook is the same actor portraying Mr. Darling (Wendy's father). In this case,
it's Jason Isaacs.
2. With the exception of the Russian version, Piter Pan (1987) (TV), this is the
first live action adaptation of J.M. Barrie's story to feature a male in the
role of Peter.
3. This is the first live-action film version of the story with sound. The Mary
Martin versions (1955, 1956, and 1960) were preserved on kinescope and
videotape, all for television, and the 1976 Mia Farrow version was also shown on
television in videotape format (though it features the same characters and
setting, Hook (1991) was not a version of "Peter Pan").
4. The film is dedicated In Memory of 'Al-Fayed, Dodi', the son of executive
producer 'Al-Fayed, Mohammed'.
5. The book Aunt Millicent is reading is "The War of the Worlds" by H.G. Wells.
Phantom of the Opera, The (2004)
1. The project was ready to begin filming in 1990 and
was set to star Michael Crawford and Sarah Brightman (the original stars of the
stage version). Just before filming began, Andrew Lloyd Webber divorced
Brightman and the project was put on hold.
2. Shekhar Kapur was set to direct at one point.
3. John Travolta and Antonio Banderas were both considered for the role of the
Phantom. Banderas actually spent several years in vocal preparation.
4. Keira Knightley auditioned for the role of Christine Daaé.
5. Charlotte Church was considered for the role of Christine Daaé.
6. Anne Hathaway was considered for the role of Christine.
7. While others have been mentioned through the years, Joel Schumacher was
Andrew Lloyd Webber's choice for director since the movie project was conceived
in the early '90s.
8. It took over four hours for Gerard Butler to be fitted with full makeup and
prosthetics.
9. Filming of the final lair scene took a week to complete.
10. Katie Holmes was almost cast as Christine but the director said she was too
old for the part.
11. The movie was dubbed to Spanish language by the actors and singers from the
Madrid stage version. The main roles are played by Juan Carlos Barona (The
Phantom), Julia Möeller (Christine), Paco Arrojo (Raoul), Yolanda Pérez
Segoviano (Mme. Giry), Belén Marcos (Carlotta), Tony Cruz (Firmin), David
Venancio Muro (André), Enrique Ferrer (Piangi) and Ana Esther Alborg (Meg Giry).
The Spanish lyrics, however, are different from the Madrid version because of
the need of lyrics that can be lip-synced with the screen actors.
12. In April 2004 an audience of the stage version of "The Phantom of the Opera"
in London were asked to stay behind at the end and record the sound effects for
the movie. The sounds will be played during the chandelier crash.
13. The same lead sculptors were used for the making of the film sets and for
the original stage show in London.
14. Director Joel Schumacher wanted to meet Gerard Butler after he saw him in
Dracula 2000 (2000).
15. Gerard Butler hadn't seen the musical prior to receiving his role.
Phone Booth (2002)
1. Was filmed in 12 days in downtown Los Angeles.
2. At one point, Jim Carrey reportedly showed interest in the lead role.
3. The film was based on the NYU Student Short Film End of the Line
(1996)
4. The movie was originally set to be released on 15 November 2002. However,
after the sniper attacks in Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., 20th
Century Fox decided to delay the release of the film.
Pink Panther, The (1964)
1. The role of Inspector Clouseau was originally offered to Peter Ustinov.
Despite being relatively unknown internationally, Peter Sellers was offered the
part, and was paid £90,000.
2. Sellers modelled the character of Clouseau on the trademark of a box of
matches which includes an image of Captain Matthew Webb, who in 1875 became the
first person to swim the channel (his heroic moustache and proud stance are both
mimicked). To lose weight, Sellers took dieting pills for a year.
3. In the bath scene with Capucine and Robert Wagner, an industrial strength
foaming agent is used which burnt both of the stars' skin. Wagner, who was
completely immersed at one point, became blind for four weeks.
4. Originally, Sir Charles Lytton was supposed to be the main character
5. The Pink Panther is a diamond.
6. The animated panther introduced in the opening credits became a popular film
and TV character in his own right.
7. The second Clouseau film, A Shot in the Dark (1964), was
released only three months after this film.
Pink Panther Strikes Again,
The (1976)
1. One trailer for this film consisted entirely of bloopers.
2. During the opening credits, one of the movies parodied is The Sound of
Music, which starred Blake Edwards' wife, Julie Andrews.
Pirates of the Caribbean: The
Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
1. The movie is inspired by, and takes its theme from, the popular Walt Disney
theme park ride of the same name.
2. References to the Disneyland attractions include (but are not limited to):
-3 uses of the song "(Yo Ho, Yo Ho) A
Pirate's Life for Me" by X. Atencio and George Bruns in the opening scene (sung
by young Elizabeth), when Jack and Elizabeth are marooned on the island, and in
the end by Jack.
-The jail scenes, in which the
prisoners try to tempt the dog who holds the key to their cell. Jack says, "That
dog is never going to move" - although the movie dog eventually does, the one in
the ride doesn't. Jack later tries to tempt it with a bone, as does one of the
audio-animatronic pirates in the ride.
-The "burning town" sequence, and
within it, the redheaded prostitute (who slaps Jack), and the "stuffed pirate"
drinking the rum spurting out of a barrel
-Jack's initial discovery of Gibbs
sleeping with the pigs
-The line "Dead men tell no tales",
said by the macaw, which is repeated throughout the ride's narration
-A quick shot of a skeleton sprawled
on the beach of the Isla de Muerta, with a crab nearby
-During the raid on the town, seen is
a man being dunked into a well.
-A skeletal Barbossa drinks wine,
which trickles through his exposed ribcage, as one of the skeletal pirates do.
-Pirates demanding "We wants the
relic" recalls the pirates hunting the missing Aztec medallion
3. The first movie under the official Walt Disney Pictures banner to receive a
rating higher than PG in the USA (this one being rated PG-13).
4. The movie's world premiere was located at Disneyland Park at the Disneyland
Resort in California, home to the original Pirates of the Caribbean attraction,
on June 28, 2003. This was the first ever movie premiere at Disneyland.
5. Johnny Depp's character, Captain Jack, is portrayed as having gold teeth in
the film. These are real and Depp had his dentist implant those and others into
his mouth for the production. Jerry Bruckheimer thought there were too many and
asked him to remove all but a few.
6. Producer Jerry Bruckheimer and director Gore Verbinski wanted to use the
massive water tank in Baja, Mexico used for Titanic (1997) and
Pearl Harbor (2001), but Peter Weir's film Master and
Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003) had the tank booked during
the time Pirates was scheduled to shoot.
7. The "walking under the row boat" scene is a direct homage to The
Crimson Pirate (1952).
8. The scene where Orlando Bloom impersonates Johnny Depp's performance was
devised by Bloom who asked producer Jerry Bruckheimer if he could put it into
the movie.
9. Orlando Bloom has a rag or some other piece of clothing covering his right
wrist. This is to cover up his tattoo that he received during the "Lord of the
Rings" shoot. The tattoo is that of the number "9" in "elvish". During the
swordfight in the blacksmith shop, Bloom's elvish tattoo is partly visible when
Will raises his sword to parry after Jack's "You're not a eunuch, are you?"
10. The final cannon shot during the Black Pearl's siege of the town, billows
into a Mickey Mouse head shape against the night sky
11. The Jolly Roger that the Black Pearl flies is a skull and crossed swords,
which had originally been flown by historical pirate John "Calico Jack" Rackham
who is most famous for having the two most famous female pirates of the
Caribbean in his crew, Mary Read and Anne Bonney.
12. Jack Sparrow's line "...and then they made me their chief," is a tribute to
British comedy series The Fast Show (1994), of which Johnny Depp
is an ardent fan, so much so that he guest starred in one episode. The line was
originally uttered by the incoherent barrister Rowley Birkin QC, Johnny Depp's
favourite character from the show. The Fast Show was shown in the US under the
title "Brilliant". (Depp uses another Fast Show catchphrase in an unused version
of the "parley" scene in the cave when he says, "I'll get me coat..." - this can
be seen on the DVD.)
13. Clothing and smears of charcoal were used to conceal Johnny Depp's numerous
tattoos. The "Jack Sparrow" tattoo on his arm in the movie is a fake, but he got
a real replica after finishing the film, in honour of his son Jack.
14. Having decided that pirates were the 18th century equivalent of rock stars,
Depp's characterization of Sparrow was inspired by close observation of his
friend Keith Richards, though he emphasized in interviews that it was not an
impersonation.
15. In the cave at Isla de Muerte, one of Barboassas pirates can be seen with
what appears to be a smoking beard. According to the legends of Blackbeard (a
famous pirate) he used to attach slow burning fuses to his beard before a raid.
16. When Will wakes up after being knocked out he looks out into the port and
you can see the same girl who played the young Elizabeth sweeping at a doorway
(Lucinda Dryzek).
17. Alan Silvestri was first suggested to provide the score but has been
replaced by Klaus Badelt. However, some movie posters still show the credit
"Music by Alan Silvestri". These posters also show a different story credit,
omitting the fourth story writer Jay Wolpert: "Screen Story by Stuart Beattie
and Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio".
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (1987)
1. At the beginning of the movie, Neal Page races a character played by Kevin
Bacon for a taxi. Later, Neal phones his wife to tell her that he has been
delayed (again), in the background, you can here the fight from She's Having A
Baby (1988) (also directed by 'John Hughes) between Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth
McGovern, when she screams that she doesn't like his friend's girlfriend.
Planet of
the Apes (1968)
1. During breaks in filming, actors made up as different ape species tended to
hang out together--- gorillas with gorillas, orang-utans with orang-utans, chimps
with chimps. It wasn't required, it just naturally happened.
2. In the novel, the apes are technologically very advanced. However, the budget
could not accommodate the visual scope and magnitude of such a futuristic
society, so a more primitive depiction of ape society was used.
3. At the tribunal, when Taylor tries to explain his origins, the three ape
judges sequentially cover their eyes, ears, and mouth, paralleling the famous "see
no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" saying.
4. Allegedly, Jerry Goldsmith wore a gorilla mask while writing the score "to
better get in touch with the movie".
Platoon (1986)
1. Director Oliver Stone makes a cameo as an officer at the bunker which gets
destroyed by a suicide runner.
Predator
(1987)
1. According to an interview with director John McTiernan, the "hole in the
jungle" appearance of the Predator was played by Jean-Claude Van Damme in a
"blue screen" (actually red) suit. Van Damme quit after two days, unhappy with
being cast as an un-credited special effect. The alien was scrapped, redesigned
and was eventually played by 7'2" Kevin Peter Hall.
2. An attempt was made to get shots of the Predator swinging from tree to tree
using a monkey in a red special-effects suit. However, the monkey kept removing
the suit and the idea was abandoned.
3. The mandibles of the predator were the idea of James Cameron.
4. Most of film was shot under the original title "Hunter", it was only later
when the creature design was changed that the movie became "Predator". The
clapperboards showing the original title can be seen in the outtakes on the
special edition DVD.
5. The original "Hunter" model was a large creature with a long neck, a head
shaped like a dog and one big eye in the middle. This can be seen on the
camouflage demo's on the DVD. It was only when Stan Winston moved in that the
complete design of the now "Predator" changed, along with the title.
6. The black helicopter pilot seen at the end of the movie is Kevin Peter Hall,
the actor who plays the Predator.
Predator 2 (1990)
1. At the end of the film
when the camera is panning around the Predator's trophy collection, there is a
skull of an Alien from the Alien film series. The two had met in
comic books and novels before but never on screen.
2.
Bill Paxton
has been killed by a Predator, an Alien and a Terminator
Pretty Woman (1990)
1. The opera
Richard Gere takes Julia Roberts to is La Traviata, which is about
a prostitute who falls in love with a wealthy man.
Proof of Life (2000)
1. Will Gaffney, stand-in for David Morse, was killed in a freak accident when a
truck on which he was riding suddenly turned and drove off a cliff while being
filmed in Quito, Ecuador. The movie is dedicated to Will Gaffney.
2. Meg Ryan is seen with a cigarette in almost every scene, but it never shows
her smoke it. There are times when she lifts it to her mouth, but then it will
cut to another character.
Psycho (1960)
1. The painting that Norman removes in order to watch Marion undressing is a
classical painting depicting a rape.
2. The last shot of Norman Bates' face has a still frame of a human skull
inserted in it.
Pulp Fiction (1994)
1. Vincent Vega (John Tavolta’s character) is actually Vic Vega’s brother (Mr
White) in Reservoir Dogs (1992)
2. Every time Vincent goes
to the bathroom, something bad happens.
3. During the beginning
scene with Pumpkin and Honey Bunny, Vincent (bottom half only) is seen heading toward the bathroom.
If you listen closely, you can hear Jules talking about leaving the crime life.
4. The innocent bystander
shot by Marsellus Wallace is the same actor, who was pulled out of her car by
Mr. Pink in Reservoir Dogs (1992).
5. Jules' character was
originally written to have a gigantic afro, but a crewmember obtained a variety
of gerry-curled wigs instead, apparently unaware of the difference. The
production schedule did not permit correcting the mistake.
6. Tarantino originally
wrote the role of Jules specifically for Samuel L. Jackson, however it was
almost given to Paul Calderon after a great audition. When Jackson heard this,
he flew to LA and re-auditioned, getting back the part he was supposed to play.
Calderon ended up with a cameo as Paul, the bartender.
7. When Captain Koons visits the young Butch to give him his father's watch, his
recollections refer to an airman named "Wynocki" who transports the watch back
to safety. "Wynocki" is the name of John Garfield's character in Howard Hawks'
film Air Force (1943). Hawks is one of Tarantino's favourite
directors.
8. After Butch kills Maynard, Marsellus Wallace says that he's going to call
some friends "to go to work on [Zed] with a pair of pliers and a blowtorch." In
Charley Varrick (1973), a character named Maynard warns a bank
manager that some mobsters "will go to work on you with a pair of pliers and a
blowtorch."
9. The book that Vincent reads is "Modesty Blaise", by Peter O'Donnell.
In that book, a killer indulges in a Biblical rant very similar to that of
Samuel L. Jackson's character.
10. When Vincent calls Lance on his cell phone, Lance is eating a bowl of Fruit
Brute, a cereal from the older monster cereal family. Fruit Brute (which, along
with Frankenberry, Boo Berry, and Count Chocula, make up the monster cereals)
was the first of the type to be discontinued. Quentin Tarantino has held onto a
box and drops it into scenes from time to time. It appeared in Reservoir
Dogs (1992), too.
11. When Butch is approaching his apartment, there is an advertisement for Jack
Rabbit Slim's on the radio. An ad for "Jack Rabbit Slim's" can also be heard
during the torture scene in Reservoir Dogs (1992).
12. The most persistent theory (most usually attributed to a friend of a friend
who saw it posted on a message board by someone whose brother had read a report
of a radio interview with Tarantino himself) is that the contents of the
briefcase is Marcellus Wallace's soul. It is an ancient belief that when the
Devil takes a person's soul, it is removed through the back of the head. When we
see the back of Marcellus' head he has a Band-Aid covering the precise spot
indicated by tradition for soul removal. Perhaps Marcellus sold his soul to the
devil which would also explain why the combination to open the briefcase is 666.
Or could it be simply a 20-watt light bulb? The band-aid on Marcellus Wallace's
neck was there because actor Ving Rhames had a scar there that the makeup people
felt wound be too distracting during that scene.
13. When Vincent and Lance are attempting to give Mia the adrenaline injection,
the board games "Operation" and "Life" are visible in the background.
14. A scene removed from the final film involves Jules trying to consider what
to do while Pumpkin and Honey Bunny rob the diner. In the scene, Jules points
his gun at the bottom of the table and fires up twice, hitting Pumpkin and
killing him. He then spins around and shoots Honey Bunny three times, killing
her. As she falls her gun goes off and hits the Long Haired Yuppie Scum, who
dies screaming on the floor. The scene then cuts back to Jules talking to
Pumpkin in the diner, revealing the shootings to have happened entirely in
Jules' mind.
Pumping
Iron (1977)
1. In the film Arnold Schwarzenegger states that he missed his father's funeral
so that he could continue training uninterrupted. For the re-release (2002) of
the film Schwarzenegger said that that statement was untrue, and was made in
order to help sell the film.
Punch-Drunk Love (2002)
1. The film was inspired by an article in Time magazine about David Phillips, a
University of California civil engineer who stumbled upon a lucrative
frequent-flyer promotion. By purchasing 12,150 cups of Healthy Choice pudding
for just $3,000, he accumulated 1.25 million air-miles.
Punisher,
The (2004)
1. Pro Wrestler Kevin Nash had to cut his hair for his role. To explain the
haircut to his wrestling fans, he "bet" his hair in a match against wrestler
Chris Jericho.
2. The scene with the explosion in front of the Bank of America building was not
adequately publicized and hundreds of people called 911 thinking it was an
actual explosion.
3. Five identical Pontiac GTOs were built (two were totally destroyed) for the
movie.
4. Tony Ganios was approached about playing the role of the Punisher.
5. While filming a knife fight, Kevin Nash was accidentally stabbed by Thomas
Jane
6. The words that Frank Castle writes near the end of the film, listing the
bases of his vigilante philosophy in numbered order, form the beginning of his
war journal, an ongoing diary of his campaign against organized crime. It was
the basis for the long-running comic book "Punisher War Journal".
7. The "popsicle interrogation" scene was drawn from a nearly identical scene in
Punisher War Zone #1 (1992). In the comic book, the torture device was a wet bar
of soap.
8. Vin Diesel was offered the role of Frank Castle/The Punisher.
9. Hugh Jackman was offered the role of Frank Castle/The Punisher, but he had to
pass because he was already in pre-production with Van Helsing
(2004).
10. Rebecca Romijn-Stamos revealed that in a scene where she sews up a knife
wound on Thomas Jane, she pushes the needle too far in and ends up actually
sewing a couple of stitches on Thomas Jane's body instead of just the prosthetic
wound.
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