What Was the Hardest Film to Make?

Making any film comes with its challenges, but we've found 12 of the most difficult films to make. From pulling a 320-ton boat up a hill, to shooting half a film underwater, to even trying to make a movie with Wesley Snipes. Most of these will be production nightmares, where everything that could go wrong with making a film going wrong.
These film productions usually started with grand ambitions and ended with budgets ballooning because of an ever-growing list of issues. These are films disowned by their actors, or ones that nearly bankrupted studios, or even had the cast and crew constantly attacked by animals. In the end you decide on which film takes the crown for being the hardest to make.
Chapters:
00:00 - Intro
00:39 - Working on Water
02:35 - Overweight Typhoons
04:37 - Dream Project
06:17 - A Boat and a Dream
08:17 - Wesley Snipes
09:39 - Underwater
11:35 - Old Money
13:35 - Biggest Flop
15:26 - Leo vs Bear
17:05 - Most Dangerous
18:37 - Talking Parrots
19:51 - One Take
21:05 - BONUS
Waterworld. Kevin Costner. Box Office Bomb. Production Nightmare. Apocalypse Now. Francis Ford Coppola. Martin Sheen. Marlon Brando. Megalopolis. Adam Driver. Fitzcarraldo. Werner Herzog. Klaus Kinski. Practical Effects. Blade Trinity. Wesley Snipes. Problematic Actors. The Abyss. James Cameron. Filming Underwater. Cleopatra. Elizabeth Taylor. Mankiewicz. Most Expensive Movie. Heaven's Gate. Michael Cimino. Studio Bankrupt. The Revenant. Alejandro Iñárritu. Leonardo DiCaprio Oscar. Roar. Animals in Film. Dr. Dolittle. Russian Ark. Longest shot in film. Lord of the Rings trilogy.
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If you have any other ideas for videos, leave a comment and I might make a video with your idea.
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#movieproduction #filmhistory #movielist

[@FilmStack]

Hey everyone! Make sure to check out our Part 2 to this video which includes 11 more difficult films to make! Also just a small correction that's been brought up a few times in the comments. Russian Ark (2002) no longer has the longest single shot in film. Victoria (2015) has dethroned it with the whole film being filmed in a single 134 minute take. Russian Ark still deserves its spot on the list due to its scale and the pressure they had from not having much time to film.

[@mikeboy0001]

Was going to point that And if you see the movie, you'll notice Victoria was much harder to shoot, different locations, outdoors, indoors, moving cars, actual script and fantastic performances Important to mention it's not boring as Russian Ark, it's a thrilling and brilliant piece of cinema A true Masterpiece in my view

[@agabrielrose]

@@mikeboy0001How many orchestras were in it?

[@rogersheddy6414]

12:38. She had pneumonia. She had a tracheotomy. And she had a heavy duty smoking habit.

[@TTFerdinand]

I could take a day or two of "torture" to shoot a movie. Can't imagine it dragging on for months tho.

[@gingernightmare9152]

I ❤Victoria.

[@fungus_am0nguz644]

Wesley Snipes not opening his eyes in that scene musta been one of the most hilarious things ever pn that set. Haha can u imagine? "Aaaaaand ACTION .......Wes....wes open your eyes....wes...wes please open your eyes...HEY WES OPEN YOUR FKIN EYES.....pretty please"

[@kidkangaroo5213]

when you can't bother to perform one of the most simple and common human actions to portray your character, then you cease to be an actor

[@master-of-mind5881]

The backstage drama behind the scenes is more entertaining then the movie itself. Snipes knew what he was doing. He knew his diva behaviour would be remembered more then the movie! I always thought the moment he opened his eyes looked weird now I know. 😂😂

[@thatboybear]

@@kidkangaroo5213his filmography and pay scale would disagree.

[@goat9295]

@@kidkangaroo5213 the only time I'll feel bad for a hollywood actor is if they've been taken advantage of sexuallu(too common). Other than that, DO YOUR DAMN JOB. They get paid to much to act like children.

[@goodoldbubba6620]

Well. Wesley sure got repaid dozens of times over afterwards. He is still paying for it actually. It's one thing for one of Marlon Brando's status to be a pain. It's quite another for one light-years below that level to act the fool.

[@dominic4981]

Apocalypse now definitely feels like most ambitious film ever made specially for what it did back in the day

[@FilmStack]

Yeah they just don’t make films like that anymore. Those guys were on a mission to get it done haha

[@steveconn]

Just alot of military gear. Recreating small version of Vietnam.

[@marccru]

You will never see set design like that again.

[@goodoldbubba6620]

It is a masterpiece. Not an even close accurate depiction of combat conditions in Vietnam, but a masterpiece of cinema nonetheless.

[@travisbickle3835]

war and peace by sergei bondarchuk

[@7bordello]

Any movie with Klaus Kinski in it could qualify as a hard movie to make lol

[@flzrian3623]

His freakouts are absolutely iconic

[@user-cp9id1mj8b]

Bro when he freaks out in german to another german chef in the middle of the amazon with tribespeople looking on confused. I literally almost shit my pants laughing.

[@kellymoses8566]

He was completely insane.

[@ChrisJensen-se9rj]

Aguirre: The Wrath of God must take the crown for the worst Kinski movie of all. Supposedly about a Conquistador looking for El Dorado, the internet descriptions tell of the journey made by Kinski's character "taking its toll on his mental health." Anyone watching this low budget extravaganza of pointless film making would, I'm certain, have experienced a remarkably similar effect on the mental health of any audience unfortunate enough to have shelled out actual cash to view this film.

[@mlvcsj]

What about For A Few Dollars More?

[@christianstryder]

I think Tarkovsky’s Stalker is an honorable mention. Not only did they have to nearly re-shoot the entire film because of a processing issue but it’s theorized filming in toxic locations is what eventually caused him and his wife to pass away from the same type of cancer around the same times.

[@FilmStack]

It was actually the last one that didn’t make the cut for this video, even did the research for it. Too many films to talk about so we might make another one in the near feature going over even more films

[@spiritualanarchist8162]

Is that the movie based on the novel ; Roadside picnic ?'

[@ianstopher9111]

@@spiritualanarchist8162 Yes it is.

[@spiritualanarchist8162]

@@ianstopher9111 thanks

[@spiritualanarchist8162]

@@ianstopher9111 thanks

[@CourtlandSandoverSly]

I worked on The Grey. They dragged a plane from California to the top of a ski hill in northern BC, and shot "on location" in blizzards. I've never been so cold in my life, and all the actors and producers were there with us.

[@mrfake675]

I love that movie. I appreciate your hard work.

[@afakefilms]

@@mrfake675 another Mr Fake?! Pleased to meet your acquaintance.

[@mikemcconville2495]

Fantastic movie

[@delauder]

I remember previewing The Grey at a Director’s screening at CAA before it came out in wide release. I do remember him coming out before the movie started and saying something like “we’ll see if they ever let us make something like this again” with like a nervous chuckle, as if to say the shooting was grueling. Then the movie started with a plane crash sequence that nearly scarred me for life. 😂 One of the most intense things I’d ever seen. You can completely tell when things are shot on location with real natural elements, especially in harsh conditions. You can’t fake stuff like that and sadly so many movies are. We’re getting more and more advanced yet slowly losing everything about what makes movies special. Bravo to you and your team!

[@sandordula5207]

One of my favourite. Great work in every ways! Congrats!

[@seatownfan]

That “Roar” movie is legit insane.

[@eddiegreencheez]

Cameron seems to put himself through everything that he puts his actors through, credit for that

[@patrickwilliamson29]

Just because you're prepared to eat shit, doesn't mean you should expect others to do the same

[@Greg_Buckingham]

@@patrickwilliamson29they’re signing up for the job to eat it? Lol

[@whitedevil2]

@@patrickwilliamson29 ever hear of great leaders saying "i wouldn't command any of my employees/soldiers/etc to do something i wouldn't do myself"? the fact that he's in the trenches with them, and already had the track record of making masterpieces, his crew has/had less cause for grumbling.

[@seanpaden7532]

There’s a scene in Fitzcarraldo where a cable breaks and winds up killing one of the tribesman and I had to do a google search to make sure that was scripted and I didn’t just witness someone’s actual death.

[@mogadon7]

How Badly injured was Leonardo DeCaprio by the Bear in The Revenant ?

[@trevorpacelli8056]

I don't think any film would ever be harder to make than Tommy Wiseau's The Room. Try being on set for longer than one hour while putting up with Wiseau's bizarre line of logic.

[@patrickwilliamson29]

That movie sucked so hard, not funny at all. I honestly don't understand why people enjoy it

[@trevorpacelli8056]

@patrickwilliamson29 Because it's so fascinating how many weird creative decisions Tommy Wiseau made while writing, directing, producing, and starring in his movie. Nothing he does ever makes sense, and results in something where the more times you watch it the more pathetic details that worsen the film’s quality you notice.

[@stevenking4617]

Does that one count as a movie, though?

[@trevorpacelli8056]

@@stevenking4617 lol, sure it does.

[@Masterfighterx]

@@patrickwilliamson29 Same can be said about Paranormal activity, just replace funny with scary

[@BedBugReviews]

FilmStack: "We don't want to over stay our welcome, because this was already a pretty long video." Me: "When is hardest films to make part 2?"

[@evanroberts2771]

When the channel that's been making the content about these films produces enough content for him to steal....

[@tricivenola8164]

Carrie Fisher said often that nobody would ever know how hard it was to make the first three Star Wars. I like your channel, you know some things that don't get out much. Thanks.

[@danroberts9050]

Because she was tripping on acid.

[@E3ECO]

I heard "How the West was Won" (1962) was difficult to film because of the Cinerama process. It was a huge camera utilizing three lenses that had an enormous field of view. This made it hard to film without getting the camera itself into frame. Cinerama had until then been used to make travelogues, and the three directors found it cumbersome for filming drama. The actors had a tough time because they couldn't look directly at the person they were talking to during over-the-shoulder shots, but instead had to gaze between two of the lenses to make it look right. And the movie itself had enormous practical effects, horse and bison stampedes, and a rafting scene where the monster camera setup ended in the river. Despite all that, the movie was hailed as amazing and was a box office success. Not many movies were made using this process though, and the specialized theaters it needed for projection went out of business.

[@johannesheym8471]

The german movie "Victoria" by Sebastian Schipper was shot in a single continuos take and runs for 138 minutes. It is (afaik) the longest one shot movie that exists.

[@lukelocks9083]

The Dr Dolittle movie, has the funniest mishaps! Where the goat ate the script, the ducks wouldn't float and hilariously the Parrot kept shouting "Cut"! They say never work with kids and animals if you want a stress free filming.

[@JamesBond-pu6qf]

The Last Airbender was the hardest movie to make because someone actually made the conscious decision to plague mankind with such an atrocity- and then another man agreed to such a thing.

[@craigkemery]

The difficulty of the Revenant is pretty overblown. It was a pain, mostly due to the use of all natural light as previously mentioned. It really wasn’t all that remote, almost all of the locations are regularly used for other productions, and the notion that travelling to locations took up 40% of the days is pretty absurd. There were certainly some cold days, but in the later months, the production actually struggled to maintain the snow during an unseasonably warm winter. Many major productions such as Fargo(tv) and Cold pursuit used the exact same locations in far harsher weather. Dicaprio definitely had some challenging scenes, but still spent the vast majority of the shoot in heated tents and trailers surrounded by an entourage of assistants. The amount of crew turnover however, was not at all exaggerated.

[@osareafallire]

Roar is straight insane. No movie like it will ever be made again. I met the son (the guy with the beard) at a screening in Austin. The whole thing is terrifiying but the background music is something right out of a 1980's live action Disney family adventure film including goofy "boing" sound effects. The only FAKE blood in it is some they put on one lion that was designed to be the "bad guy" lion. Spoiler: There's a fair amount more blood in it. Thanks for including it in this list.

[@g-manthenurseman7532]

I wonder if everyone involved with Roar wished they had waited for CGI-😅. It is definitely terrifying, especially the guy getting scalped.

[@mattjordan6743]

I've always been intrigued by the plot of Megalopolis since I first heard of its premise way back in the early-2010s.

[@hippomancy]

"making a movie with Wesley Snipes"...

[@cedricgist7614]

Good job! Most of these films I've never seen - yet know of them by reputation. So, what you shared - even briefly - enlightened me. I think you did a good job picking these particular projects to profile - including the bonus. And I can see this video was a project in itself. I've got so many subscriptions - but you deserve a "like" and I am subscribing.

[@rsigmond5422]

The scalped cinematographer of Roar is Jan de Bont. In the 90's he became the director of the movies Speed and Twister.

[@KasFromMass]

Kevin Costner's very quick to point out that over time, Waterworld has made over 1 Billion and still makes money. It only broke even in theaters, but its been a success on video, traditional TV, and now streaming, throughout every worldwide market.

[@Professorlicme8]

I LOVE that movie. Post apocalyptic water settings are so interesting and rare

[@prestonvanhorn6248]

I think the space movies have to be super expensive because to go up there and film things for an entire movie would be crazy expensive

[@travisbickle3835]

fr

[@apokatastasian2831]

they don't film movies in space, it's all effects

[@Migmaqiw]

@@apokatastasian2831prove it

[@Puppy_Puppington]

I know right! And can you imagine how much it costs to get to those galaxies far far away with the crappy mileage we get on our older rockets & space shuttles!!! I’m truly grateful to Lucas film ltd. For taking the time and risks to give us great films!

[@Puppy_Puppington]

@@apokatastasian2831mhmm. Sure buddy.. next your gonna say that the moon landing is all fake fx too!!! 😂😂

[@psterud]

I know this video deals with American movies, but one I think of is Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker, based loosely on the Strugatsky brothers novel Roadside Picnic, which got entirely remade several times during the process. If you know Tarkovsky, you know every single thing he did was epic, highly deliberate, and existential. The final film is a masterpiece, but it boggles my mind to think of those people having to recreate the movie over and over. There's got to be something demoralizing about that process. But there's also something to be said about not going with your first effort.

[@TrillDeuce]

First video I've seen from your channel. 6 minutes in and it's excellent.

[@ForeheadPushUps]

You must include Howard Hughes' HELL'S ANGELS (1930) at the Great Depression with real planes crashing, filming delays. BEN HUR (1925) was ambitious too. Worth a mention cause it's one of my fav movie: the train scene in THE GENERAL (1926) cost 500k$.

[@FRN2013]

And Ben Hur (1959) was no 'walk in the park' to make, either!

[@jimmerhardy]

You missed Friedkin's Sorcerer. Shot in the jungle, it's a magnificent film that broke everyone involved.

[@ScottyColoradoKid]

Agreed; and its his best movie....(I think nobody saw it just because of the title)

[@jimmerhardy]

@@ScottyColoradoKid And because of Star Wars, mostly that, and it's an adult-level non-popcorn date movie.

[@jp3813]

Watching The Abyss is really a double feature: one for the film itself (preferably the special edition) and the other for the behind-the-scenes documentary ("Under Pressure: Making the Abyss").

[@a.nobodys.nobody]

Was just thinking how id never watched it. Almost put it on last night. Thanks for the tip to watch the behind the scenes doc

[@JohnBender1313]

I like the special edition but have decided Cameron made the right choice cutting the wave. It wouldn't make sense for the NTIs to threaten us for our actions when they are asking us to stop and put away such things.

[@jp3813]

@@JohnBender1313 It makes sense when you consider that the NTI's almost got nuked out of existence. The Cold War was a threat, but WWIII is a holocaust.

[@c.cudder1234]

What Iñarritu and the rest of the cast and crew achieved with The Revenant still amazes me to this day. Some shots are just breathtaking and when I tell you I would get literal chills in the theater because of how freezing cold it looked was absolutely insane. I've never had an experience where I could actually feel the movie coming out of the screen. When you combine those inpeccable shots and realize how good of a performance everyone achieved, it seriously deserves the praise it got, and those oscars as well.

[@robertdominicceasarsalvill2221]

Apocalypse Now is one of the greatest war movies ever made because of FFC. It just so happened that they filmed it here in the Philippines where typhoons were devastating.

[@williamdillard5060]

That scene in the amazing movie "The Revenant" when "Glass" is attacked and mauled by the bear, is so realistic that it literally makes me cringe every time I see it. That cold and those extremely difficult weather conditions can not be done with CGI. They ALL had to be cold and somewhat miserable. It reminded me of being on guard duty for 8 hrs in South Korea in below 10 WCF back in the late 70s.

[@mrquirky3626]

That's not quite true about cold conditions can't be replicated with CGI. HBO's brilliant Band of Brothers came out in 2001, and if you watch the behind the scenes stuff, a lot of the winter forest scenes for the Battle of the Bulge episodes were actually done in a warm, indoor studio with the actors pretending to be freezing in fake snow and their icy breath added in post with CGI to make it seem more realistic.

[@smaze1782]

Excellent compilation sir. I expect to see way more subs in your future.

[@CIS101]

Random video for me, but the critiques of these movies seems totally legit, and on point. It's amazing how a good movie can result from all of these problems.

[@shmooveyea]

Love The Revenant shoot, freezing wilderness of winter, bro that's just my hometown 😢

[@sebastianm.2901]

Thank you for the timestamps!

[@gmg9010]

Roar the reason why I’m fine with having cgi wild animals for the most part.

[@FilmStack]

Haha agreed! It’s crazy they didn’t stop after the first few attacks

[@landondavis8125]

​@FilmStack, they should sue

[@user-sl2ng2hr1k]

When I saw it I assumed they just kept the camera rolling and then wrote the script around the best shots they got, but apparently they kept making reshoots so that the lions got tired and grumpy. Insanity. The modern trailer is hilarious though. Best trailer ever.

[@Magneticlaw]

I very much appreciate your narration....no goofy AI voice. Good video!

[@joeri-uu5kp]

really? You dont get annoyed that all sentences are equal length and equal intonation with that annoying rise at the end?

[@WUStLBear82]

_Roar_ might have been the most dangerous near-term, but _The Conqueror_ (1955) might be the most dangerous long-term, given that dozens of the cast and crew contracted various types of cancer, many fatal, over the following two decades. Outdoor scenes were filmed 200 mi downwind of the active Nevada Nuclear Test Range, and for studio shooting at RKO they trucked in hundreds of tons of still-radioactive sand from Nevada because Howard Hughes complained that the color of the beach sand they originally used didn't match the location footage. How that sand was eventually disposed of is unknown, according to the book 'Killing John Wayne: The Making of The Conqueror'.

[@carlsoll]

These are Great Bro! *subscribed*

[@flzrian3623]

Your fact about Russian Ark being the longest single shot is wrong. Victoria (2015) is another movie that was taken in just a single shot and it's 140 minutes. They filmed it 3 times on consecutive nights between 4 and 6 AM and used the first one

[@evanroberts2771]

If filmed BETWEEN 4 and 6, how long is that runtime again?????

[@flzrian3623]

@@evanroberts2771 approximately. Idk the exact times but about 3:50 to 6:10 or something

[@mikeboy0001]

They actually used the last take on the last attempt It's a Masterpiece

[@flzrian3623]

@@mikeboy0001 true! Filmed between 4:30 and 7:00. Looked it up just now

[@a.nobodys.nobody]

Never heard of it. Worth checking out?

[@williampotter2098]

When I saw the title, "Apocalypse Now" first came to mind. Coppola had many battles to win to get that made but persevered and got it finished. A great man.

[@Supermunch2000]

I see Herzog, I smile and thumbs up.

[@FilmStack]

Within the last year alone, we’ve talked about Herzog in 4 videos. But there’s still so much room for more Herzog in our lives haha

[@jalin8039]

Pirates of the Caribbean 2 and 3 were also a big challenge to film

[@354Entertainment]

For me it is Apocalypse Now by far! The hardest production in history and the result is magnificent, still today!

[@shimmer8289]

My vote is for Aguirre the Wrath of God aka Fitzgeraldo. I loved it and watched it 2x. When I watched it I felt amazed and a bit concerned at the danger to animals and humans in the creation of that movie.

[@doublethomas8415]

Before watching I was like "IF Fitzcarraldo isn't on the list, it's incomplete". Thanks for not letting me down!

[@brick6347]

I mean, they sounded horrible to make, but at least nobody died. The same cannot be said of Twilight Zone: The Movie, which claimed 3 lives (2 of them children). There's probably other examples, but i can't think of any of the top of my head. And course an actor dying always makes it hard to finish the movie. The Crow, Gladiator etc.

[@alancrawford8749]

Was thinking the exact same.

[@abracadaverous]

I was surprised it didn't make the list.

[@Xylus.]

I saw your video, and my first thought was Fitzcarraldo. Of course, the first image of the video is in fact Fitzcarraldo 😂 looking forward to the rest of the video.

[@Skybloo263]

Jodorowsky's Dune is also an iconic movie that never been completed, although a bit out of this category because it never hit the screens, the documentary is fascinating, showing all the art work that some been used in the movie "The Fifth Element"

[@kellymoses8566]

Cleopatra's inflation adjusted budget is $316 million

[@amrita_s8094]

More than infinity war

[@madlenellul3430]

Kelly…Yes I have to agree with you with Cleopatra. Two films became one … nearly bankrupted the studio. Over budget, over acted….over long..🤫🤗

[@benjaminskylerhill8276]

It’s a crime that this channel doesn’t have more subscribers

[@kaufmanek]

Definetly Interstellar. Imagine how much traveling into such distant areas of the cosmos must cost, and I haven't even mentioned the amount of time it took!

[@cyrollan]

good lord, these are INSANE. it's a miracle that Apocalypse Now was even made, but it's also an excellent movie

[@steveconn]

Fitzcarraldo - pulling a ship up a mountain - c'mon, hardest to make easily (other than life with my mother).

[@Wheretheportlandorarealadiesat]

Waterworld will live on forever it’s a cult cult hit people love this movie

[@MerchantIvoryfilms]

Bridman: "We made it "look" like one shot" Russian Ark: "We DID do it in one shot"

[@acrophobe]

"The sheep kept peeing on Harrison" is an incredible sentence to say out loud out of context. Just let people imagine.

[@pleasantlyblue7425]

The movie Apocalypse Now, I thought it was chaotic. Thank you for sharing.💞🌟🕊🌺💯

[@EldestSaint]

I've never heard of Fitzcarraldo.. but it's free on KZbin right now. I'm going to watch it right after this video. Thank you. 🙂

[@bpdbhp1632]

Gotta be hachi. Working with a dog in the leading role must be a nightmare

[@johncambridge554]

Great job. Maybe not perfect, but extremely informative. For the follow-up, I'd definitely recommend considering Aliens, The Godfather, and Terminator 2. Perhaps also The Bourne Identity and Toy Story 2.

[@misterpaulggftw9103]

For the one take film, watch Victoria by Sebastian Schipper as well. It is 2 hours and 20minutes long- all in one take.

[@warpathh]

You missed one of the hardest to make films of all time… William Friedkin’s 1977 film Sorcerer…

[@ihavegymnastics]

Yes!!!

[@Polyphemus47]

I must have seen that film at least a dozen times back then. The Tangerine Dream soundtrack was a big plus.

[@Willrobert92]

I can always tell just by watching that film that the logistics must've been a nightmare. The bridge scene alone looks like it would've been hell for both the cast and the crew

[@seatownfan]

Of course, before Sorcerer, there was “Wages of Fear” which had its own difficulties. I would like to see “Socerer”, but it is very hard to find.

[@warpathh]

@@seatownfan no, it’s not.

[@Trevorious2010]

Filmstack: "these are the hardest films to make!" Cast of Jackass has entered the chat

[@vicariously143]

Great vid. Thanks

[@DA-bk9bf]

17:08 That must have been a terrifying set, for a movie I literally never heard of.

[@WatchAndGame]

Small correction: I think that the german movie Viktoria is a longer signle shot movie than Russian Ark. Also, really good, worth a watch!

[@edwardturner1282]

Thoroughly enjoyable. I might review them. Some again and some for the first time.

[@user-ym4xy6us5e]

You speak as though your are a person of note. Forgive me, but may I please know your credentials?

[@jeremycunningham7897]

I absolutely love these movies - except the last Blade effort + Water world. I also haven’t seen Roar + Russian Ark but they look good! All the others tho, absolutely terrific stuff! Thanks :)

[@V3ntilator]

"The Abyss" filming were so insane the casting got mental problems, physical problems etc. and some almost died too. The underwater scenes were filmed in a nuclear tank too...

[@mostlymotiongraphics2134]

I think Tarkovsky's "Stalker" also deserves a mention, given that it had to be shot three times and killed one of the lead actors, the director and his wife.

[@thenightstar8312]

No mention of The Thief And The Cobbler? What about Pink Floyd: The Wall? The director of it had some pretty choice words about how difficult it was to make and how he ultimately believed the experience wasn't even worth it in the end

[@Polyphemus47]

You're the only person I've ever seen that mentioned "The Thief and the Cobbler". That one deserves its own vid. I liked it a lot, but my VHS copy is long gone, now.

[@AlexanderRentsch]

Quest for Fire would also fit into this list. 😉

[@yagomi32]

Wesley CGI eyes are the funniest thing ever 🤣🤣🤣🤣. I wonder how many times they begged him to open his eyes 🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@danieldravot341]

The cold in ‘The Revenant’ was almost unbearable to watch so making the movie must have been a gargantuan challenge.

[@munkustrap2]

I was surprised that Jaws wasn't mentioned beyond the Spielberg warning about filming on the ocean. That movie was extremely difficult to make.

[@douglee3651]

The Abyss was since its debut, and still really is, my favorite movie of all time. But the history of its making and the anguish inflicted on its actors dampens my ability to enjoy or share it, because I believe the pain has not all passed for them. So I would like M.E.M., E.H., and anyone else to whom it squarely enough applies, to know this: I want you, and everyone, to enjoy the ultimate success of the venture, *and the credit for that success*, after the fashion of the ending of Genesis' song Driving The Last Spike… "Digging in darkness, and living with danger. Showing no fear of what lies up ahead. They'll never see the likes of us again!" Whatever else can be said, and surely much ccan, they, earned, that, much.

[@Suedetussy]

Yes, it’s so unnecessary to put people under so much stress for the audience‘s „entertainment“. Yes, i watch movies for entertainment (or intellectual stimulation), but i can’t enjoy it,when people involved inthe making were suffering.

[@anauticalgate5496]

Loved that line in Waterworld ,from the weary old guy down in the boiler room when he saw the lit,stick of dynamite Costner dropped down the stack. "Oh,.. thank God"

[@PaNNgz]

Well done!

[@eddiegreencheez]

Cleopatras inflation is insane Along with Elizabeth Taylor smoking a cigarette with a fresh Tracheotomy bandage on

[@cyr0osworld834]

Crazy good and interessting video

[@thinkhector]

Another film that could have been included is "The Wizard of Oz." The film went thru three different directors and Margaret Hamilton, who plays the which, was severely burned.

[@AwakenedAvocado]

That green face paint was highly toxic

[@NondescriptMammal]

Also Buddy Ebsen, cast as the Tin Man, got seriously ill from the aluminum dust used as makeup, and had to be replaced

[@AwakenedAvocado]

@@NondescriptMammal lmao one part of me says the costume and make up department of wizard of the oz were maniacal sadiststrying to kill them off. The amount of heavy metals they exposed them to it wonder they're still alive

[@alexdagreat80]

I'm actually kinda disappointed The Wizard of Oz wasn't mentioned

[@FRN2013]

Yup, that and Ben Hur (both 1925 and 1959 versions).

[@a.nobodys.nobody]

.... he refused to open his eyes!? What!?!?!

[@aFoundingYouTuber]

Actor and director heatedly arguing because actor stopped delivering his lines on hearing "cut," but the director denying he said any such thing, only later to discover it was a parrot on set chortling "cut" at the worst time (when mid-scene), well, that's the dictionary definition of "priceless."

[@mandisf555]

great video! thanx

[@stevecowder4774]

It’s not hard at all to understand why The Revenant was difficult to make. It’s just brutal in every sense of the word. And being that it was filmed in frigid, all natural settings is another reason for how impressive this movie is. The cinematography was so outstanding, it practically makes one feel as though they’re really there, on location. The drama is bone chilling as well. And DiCaprio definitely deserved the Oscar.

[@reptongeek]

12:05 By the end of the shoot she would be paid $7 million, mostly because they had to pay Elizabeth Taylor for using the Todd AO filming process. I do want to see Heaven's Gate, but the length of it and its reputation makes me a little scared!

[@amimim69]

No reason to destroy time by watching heaven's gate...god it was an awful experience...probably after one hour i said f**k it and never went back to that shitty thing ever

[@reptongeek]

@@amimim69 I do like his previous film The Deer Hunter, but it did feel like a two hour movie told over three hours

[@amimim69]

@@reptongeek deer hunter is far far better than heaven's gate in my eyes at least. Heaven's gate is just long, pretentious, filled with too many ideas that just weren't explored enough and i felt it just watching the first one hour🤣. I am sry i just think heaven's gate is a bad movie

[@AnnaeusSeneca13]

I've seen Heaven's Gate at least a dozen times over the years. I always seem to love it more and more.

[@uniktbrukernavn]

We should use AI to make a movie directed by Herzog, written by Wiseau, starring Dennis Hopper, Kinski, and an aging Brando. The chemistry will be off the charts. I think Wiseau will come out on top because it'll be exactly like he envisioned it. Hopper and Kinski will kill each other, Brando will eat their corpses, Herzog will Herzog.

[@adambraverman756]

I worked on the Revenant. A very difficult shoot. The problem honestly was that the director and cinematographer, who are both from Mexico, would have private discussions and not share their information with the crew. Suddenly we’d be told to pick Up The camera and move it several hundred meters, then face another direction. This lack of communication (Ys Canadians didn’t speak Spanish) and possibly a cultural difference between the director/DOP and the crew on how we work in Canada led to many felt being disrespected.

[@zephyer-gp1ju]

I read the other day that one reason Cleopatra was so expensive was they started shooting it in England and the constant rain ruined the sets and they finally moved to Rome and had to rebuild all the sets. They used so much material, Italy basically ran out of building material. Have to wonder why the studios put up with some the crap from actors and directors. Brando was supposed to be a night mare to work with. He showed up on the Island of Dr. Moreau and was really fat. He was so difficult the director said he would never make another movie with him. Billy Bob Thorton is supposed to be great to work with until day 12 of the shooting and he turns into a night mare but they already have 12 days so they have to keep going. Heaven's Gate ran for a few months and it came out it wasn't making any money. My dad and I were watching the news and he said, "I could have told them it would sink, it has kris Kristofens in it."

[@cadillacdeville5828]

Thanks for this

[@Cadence733]

Re LOTR check out Ian Nathan's book on the making of it- absolutely brilliant.

[@Drakewyrm]

No mention of the original SW? George Lucas had to go through hell and beyond to make it. The studio made his life a nightmare. A lot of the crew never believed in the project and were openly making fun of him while filming.

[@JohnBender1313]

Its sad The Abyss never got the recognition it deserved for all that went into it. I remember seeing it for the first time flipping through channels on the TV, and couldnt stop watching. Its one of my favorite movies. And so many people i know have never heard of it.

[@Anarchy303]

The Cinema Tyler videos about Apocalypse Now are great. Highly recommend them

[@satsadarkpath2094]

Am I the only nerd that thought it was weird for the narrator to say that Cleopatra would make back its budget in the following years thanks to movie rentals?! Movie rentals didn’t exist for another 20 years after this was released, and in fact Cleopatra wasn’t released on VHS until the end of 1992. So a good 30 years after release 😅 Wow. I just showed my geek hand, and it was a royal flush 🤦‍♀️

[@witteafval]

"Rentals" in pre-VHS days primarily refers to theaters renting copies of the film and showing them after the initial release. Also add to that the money TV networks would pay to air a film.

[@satsadarkpath2094]

@@witteafval ah! Great! Thanks for the info

[@spacecadet35]

The remake of Snow White should be on this list. Even though it isn't finished yet, but is probably the most expensive film in history, and also going to be the biggest financial bomb in cinema history. There may even be a complete reshoot in the near future.

[@janegoodwin1823]

I worked on the Abyss. Interesting to see develope.