The Sinister Saga of Making 'The Stunt Man' (2000)

Documentary about the making of this 1980 action/drama about a fugitive hiding out as a movie stuntman.

Director:

Richard Rush

Writer:

Richard Rush

Stars:

Richard Rush, Peter O'Toole, Steve Railsback

Cast

Credited cast:
Richard Rush	...	Narrator
Peter O'Toole	...	Himself
Steve Railsback	...	Himself
Barbara Hershey	...	Herself
Charles Bail	...	Himself
Sharon Farrell	...	Herself
Mario Tosi	...	Himself
Nelson Tyler	...	Himself
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Rona Barrett	...	Herself (archive footage)
Lance Guest
Yang Lin
Regis Philbin	...	Himself (archive footage)

Storyline

Narrated by director Richard Rush, this made-for-video documentary treats action fans to a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Stuntman, about a fugitive who hides out from the law by taking a job as a movie stuntman. Features interviews with stars Peter O'Toole and Barbara Hershey, along with the rest of the cast and crew of the film, who share their experiences from working on the project, as well as discuss the special efforts that went into bringing it all together.

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Plot Keywords:

behind the scenes | interview | stunt | filmmaking

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Company Credits

Production Co:

The Film Organization

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This documentary is featured in the 2-Disc Limited Edition DVD set for The Stunt Man.

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Connections

References Becket (1964)

User Reviews

Insightful but overlong "Making of" docu

Whatever happened to director Richard Rush? Honestly said: he sank into the nexus of Hollywood's forgotten talents. Those who actually know his film THE STUNTMAN starring Peter O'Toole and liked it, will be interested in THE SINISTER SAGA..., a 20-years-after Making-of... that gives a refreshingly unique insight into Hollywood politics, rather than explaining for the umpteenth time how a stunt evolves. Rush himself narrates the film, meeting colleagues and cast from his film (O'Toole, B. Hershey etc.). The voice of the film is poignant but bitter. Rush has only made one more film (COLOR OF NIGHT) since battling windmills with THE STUNTMAN.

Although THE SINISTER SAGA... is highly informative and fairly entertaining, its feature length asks for a lot of patience. The film is crudely edited, obviously on semi-pro equipment. The director's comments vary from sarcastic to self-celebration, repeatedly reciting past critiques, clearly wondering WHY his talent never got the wide recognition Rush claims to deserve. Still, THE SINISTER SAGA... is a substantial eye witness comment on Hollywood that goes under the surface, thus worth a look.