This early outing for Bud Spencer and Terence Hill sees the pair in fine form in a huge spaghetti western with loads of story, characters and tons of action to recommend it from the start. The meaty running time consists of dozens of plot twists, dupes, swindles and betrayals and the film never lets up from a spot-on pacing which holds the viewer's attention at all times. The three main ingredients for the film are drama, action and comedy and all are served up in spades. Obviously the Spencer/Hill relationship is played for laughs and both actors put in commendable performances; Hill as the Eastwood-style sharp-shooter, the intelligent member of the pairing, and Spencer as the clumsy but lovable oaf who's as strong as an ox and complements Hill's character perfectly.The dramatic angle of the storyline comes in the sweaty form of Eli Wallach, reprising his role from THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY as a bandit with a heart of gold who ends up being used and abused by those he considered to be his friends. Wallach's mission of justice makes up the bulk of the film and once again the actor puts in an excellent performance which hugely enhances the film. Writer/director Giuseppe Colizzi understands the old adage "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" in regard to Wallach's performances so gives the public more of what they have seen already in the Sergio Leone film and the result is no less successful. The script is unusually fine and lends plenty of comic banter and interplay to the scenes between the action sequences.Speaking of action, there is plenty ranging from bloody boxing matches to more traditional shoot-outs, prison breaks, brawls and even a massive gun battle with a machine gun involved. The suspense is gradually upped for the genius climax, set in a dodgy gambling house as our heroes attempt to make themselves some cash by hiding in the loft and cellar and using the fixed roulette wheel for themselves with disastrous results. The film then plays its own ace by introducing arch-villain Drake, acted by American import Kevin McCarthy (INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS) as one of those slimy villains you just love to hate, and the resulting climax is wonderfully exciting.Great use of widely differing music is made throughout the film from epic-sounding vocals to waltzes at the end! Technically the movie is proficient with a more than adequate budget put to good use in the sets and costumes; solid, slightly artistic photography; and well-staged action. One of the best I've seen from Spencer and Hill and a film guaranteed to please fans of the genre.
Reitman honed in on the idea of a group of men operating from a firehouse and responding to emergency calls like firefighters would. Reitman got a laugh out of the concept, equipment, car and logo but had reservations about the fantasy elements. He had a lunch meeting with Aykroyd at Art's Delicatessen in May 1983. [16] Reitman made some suggestions to which Aykroyd immediately took to such as setting the movie in a modern American city, doing an origin story, and bringing in Harold Ramis. [17] [18] After their meeting, Reitman and Aykroyd went to The Burbank Studios and talked to Harold Ramis. At the time, Reitman and Ramis had offices there. Ramis happened to be reading one of Aykroyd's other scripts, one about the Canadian Mounted Police. Aykroyd told him to put it aside and take a look at his Ghostbusters script. After about 20 minutes, Ramis was in. [19] Later in the afternoon, Reitman called his agent Mike Ovitz, who also represented Aykroyd, Ramis and Murray, and asked him to set up a meeting with Columbia Pictures chairman Frank Price. [20] Reitman did a 5 minute pitch to Price about the Ghostbusters concept. Price liked it and asked about the budget. Without a final script and knowledge of such a movie, Reitman pulled a number out of thin air since his last movie was $10 million. Price advised him to keep the budget in the mid-$20 million range and gave Reitman 13 months to make a summer tentpole movie for 1984. [21] [22] With no script, two writers, two associate producers, most of the main cast, and no special effects house, Ghostbusters was greenlit.
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As preproduction went along, Reitman's team hired many freelance artists to draw out ideas for the ghosts and entities that would be in the movie. The artists were supervised by Michael Gross. Hundreds of concepts were conceived. Reitman did a simple mix-and-match to come up with the best assortment of designs. [49] [50] [51] [52] Gross was also doing preliminary research into who would work on special effects. [53] The only major special effects houses at the time was Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and Apogee. ILM was too busy with its current slate of projects, which included Star Wars: Return of the Jedi, Indiana Jones, and Star Trek III. Apogee was busy with Dune.[54] Michael Gross and Don Shay grew up in the same town and have been close friends since high school. Gross called Shay in for consultation on visual effects. Shay heard Richard Edlund was leaving ILM to set up his own effects studio. He set up a meeting with Ivan Reitman, Michael Gross, and Richard Edlund. During back surgery, Edlund received a phone call from Reitman to work on Ghostbusters. [55] Edlund's Boss Films (later Entertainment Effects Group) was hired to work on the movie. [56] [57] Columbia fronted $5 million to Richard Edlund to start his own effects house. It exclusively worked on Ghostbusters. [58] They had 10+ months to get their studio up and running, make up new techniques and styles, and design and construct everything. [59] It was discovered Filmation produced a children's live action comedy series called "The Ghost Busters" for the 1975-76 television season. Columbia entered negotiations with Filmation to secure the rights. Talks bogged down and uncertainty developed about the name of the movie. [60]
The final shooting script was completed on October 7. In total, the new script took about three months. [67] Around the time of shooting, it became apparent John Candy was going to pass on the role of Louis Tully. On the same day, Reitman called up Rick Moranis. Moranis was available and was sent the script. Two hours after receiving it, Moranis called back the same day and accepted the role. Moranis helped mold Louis into the accountant character seen in the final version. [68] [69] Bill Murray was due to return to the States a week or two before shooting began in October. Murray did some costume fittings then went back to Paris for a few more days of last minute photography for his movie "Razor's Edge." [70] Ivan Reitman and Harold Ramis drove to La Guardia International Airport and pick up Murray. Murray's private plane landed an hour later than scheduled. Murray then came through the terminal with a stadium horn programmed with 80 different fight songs. Reitman and Ramis 'dragged' Murray to a restaurant in Queens. [71] With about a week before principal photography, some camera and wardrobe tests were being conducted. Reitman decided to shoot a montage piece of the three Ghostbusters in uniform running down a street. Murray started filming on October 27, 1983 after taking a Concorde to New York and driving to 62nd Street and Madison for an 11 am start.[72] Aykroyd, Murray, and Ramis suited up and Reitman filmed the montage piece on Madison Avenue around 61st Avenue. [73] In late October, a week of preliminary second unit work and three-and-a-half weeks of principal photography began in New York. [74] [75] Most of the Tavern on the Green scenes were filmed the week before principal photography. [76] [77] The scene with the Subway Ghost was also shot before principal photography. [78] New dialogue continued to be discovered, suggested and inserted during rehearsal and shooting. Scenes were rearranged, such as when Zuul and Vinz reunite. Some scenes and lines were ultimately cut. Some were improvised and looped later. [79] [80] [81] [82] [83] [84] On the first day of principal photography, shooting took place at the Avenue of the Americas at the New York Public Library and Irving Trust Bank. [85] [86] [87] The scene with the Zombie Taxi Driver was also done on Madison Avenue during the first week of shooting. [88] The scene where possessed Louis walks and just before Slimer appears in the hot dog stand was shot in Broadway. It was also one of the very first things shot. [89] [90] 2ff7e9595c
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