Multiple takes were spliced into a single end product resulting in discontinuity: heavy damage on the passenger side of Bullitt's car can be seen much earlier than the incident producing it, and the Charger appears to lose five wheel covers, with different ones missing in different shots. We trimmed the tires down (on the Charger), we practically made them down to bicycle tires to try and handicap Hickman, and Bill just run them. Carey Loftin also recalls, we test ran the car at Griffith Park near the Observatory, up a long hill. And if you want to learn more details about the making of the chase scene Ive posted a nine-minute video below which discusses the making of the movie with an emphasis on the car chase. Before Michael Bay brought nerve gas to Alcatraz, he had a Hummer wreak havoc on the streets of San Francisco. (Reuters) - The 1968 Ford Mustang GT that Steve McQueen drove in the classic car chase from the movie "Bullitt, one of the most famed cars from American cinema, sold for $3.4 million at. [45][46][47] At the time, Renata Adler made the film a New York Times Critics' Pick, calling it a "terrific movie, just right for Steve McQueen-fast, well acted, written the way people talk." According to Deadline, the new film, directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Bradley Cooper, is not a remake. The Charger is just barely faster than the Mustang, with a 13.6-second quarter-mile to a 13.8-second. [20][21] McQueen even copied Toschi's unique "fast-draw" shoulder holster. Robert Duvall has a small part as a cab driver who provides information to McQueen. You can undercrank the camera so you can control everything in the scene. He had a motorcycle collection. This was his personal car and he wasnt a rich guy, he didnt have a real nice car. When the Charger does a U-turn on what is Precita Avenue to follow the Mustang, a storage tank on Potrero Hill, in the southeast part of SF, is visible in the distance. Want to discover new information every month about the places of your favorite heroes? The car ended up in New Jersey a few years later, where Steve McQueen attempted to buy it. The Bullitt chase is archetypal, easily the best Ive ever seen. Produced by a team of pop-culture specialists and enhanced by numerous anecdotes, Cult! 2020 Fantrippers SAS. McQueen, at the time a world-class race-car driver, drove in the close-up scenes, while stunt coordinator Carey Loftin, stuntman and motorcycle racer Bud Ekins, and McQueen's usual stunt driver, Loren Janes, drove for the high-speed parts of the chase and performed other dangerous stunts. Im a sucker for espionage flicks set in Europe. Do you know the definition of an alcoholic? Enregistrez mon nom, mon adresse lectronique et mon site web dans les cookies de ce navigateur pour la prochaine fois que je ferai un commentaire. On Sunday, Chalmers stops Captain Sam Bennett outside the family church and served him with a writ of habeas corpus for Ross. A production manager would have cut your throat if you wanted to do something like that. Writers Trustman and Kleiner won a 1969 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay. All rights reserved. Now think what hed do for the star? They were real good., Because some of the stunts were so well orchestrated, they did not look like stunts at all. The film was nominated for and won several critical awards. The Mustang's interior rearview mirror goes up and down depending on who is driving: when the mirror is up, McQueen is visible behind the wheel, when it is down, a stunt man is driving. But if he can get himself killed in the line of duty before he dies of the disease his family (and in particular his son who needs a way to pay for college) gets a city insurance pay-out. Carey Loftin says, the extras were a big help. And all these are sort of like the Wilhelm scream an in joke for movie buffs, I think. A really good action movie IMO. [49] Among 21st-century critics, it holds a 98% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, representing positive reviews from 40 of 41 critics with an average rating of 7.8/10. [67], In February 2022, it was announced that Steven Spielberg would be directing and producing a new film centered on the Frank Bullitt character for Warner Bros. Pictures, with Josh Singer writing the screenplay. The Charger ran rings around the Mustang. Even on the 185, they (the audience) jumped out of their seats. Tex929rr(View Comment): Leonard Maltin has called it a now-classic car chase, one of the screens all-time best. Emanuel Levy wrote in 2003 that, Bullitt contains one of the most exciting car chases in film history, a sequence that revolutionized Hollywoods standards. In his obituary for Peter Yates, Bruce Weber wrote, Mr. Riner says, I think basically the story was long and confusing, so when the chase came along it was so good it gave more substance to the movie. "[14] In his obituary for Peter Yates, Bruce Weber wrote, "Mr. Yates' reputation probably rests most securely on Bullitt (1968), his first American film and indeed, on one particular scene, an extended car chase that instantly became a classic. We hopped it up because Steve wanted the car hopped up. The driver of the Charger is Bill Hickman, maybe the most famous stunt driver of all time, he also played important roles in the chase scenes in The French Connection and The Seven-Ups, among many others. Rdacteur de presse et auteur des livres Le Heavy Metal au cinma, Paroles de fans Guns N' Roses, Paroles de fans Rammstein et Welcome to my Jungle : 100 albums rock et autres anecdotes dpareilles. In the emergency room operation scene, real doctors and nurses were used as the supporting cast. He was excellent.. movies tells the secrets of the places that made the history of cinema. An extended chase ensues, through the streets of San Francisco and on to Brisbane, where the Dodge crashes off the road, killing its occupants in a fiery explosion. Mapping the movie route shows that it is not continuous and is impossible to follow in real time. He then sent the cars to Ralph Garcia to start work on turning one into a clone of the Eleanor Mustang from the movie, Gone in 60 Seconds. The section where the steps are located is also famous for its wild parrots. As with the Mustang, all parts were fluxed. In 1974 Marranca sold the car to Robert Kiernan through an advertisement in Road & Track. A child, Riner told us, maybe five years old, came out of a building and stepped out on to the street. You would rehearse it once- its got to be choreographed- then you would rehearse it again, and if it looked good, they shot it. And he flipped it around and he slid in backwards. Delgetti will take the first shift, then Stanton and then Bullitt. Filming took three weeks, resulting in 9 minutes and 42 seconds of pursuit. Im not going to cite a particular favorite, but this topic provides an opportunity to rant on how terrible most car chases have gotten since the advent of computer graphics. (KTLA) The chase ended in the 1000 block of Hacienda Boulevard . But the story, according to Ron Riner was not the key element to the success of the movie. Feel free to put your two cents in on either your favorite car chase scene(s) or what you consider the best car chase scene from the movies. Because Dodge had also brought back the Charger, the article featured a promotional gimmick of photographing the 2008 Mustang and 2008 Charger simulating the famous chase scene with the writers breaking down the Chase, moment by moment, to explain each cars strengths and weaknesses. Sanchez and Garcia are now in the process of giving the car a full restoration. Bennett decides to wait until Monday and lets Bullitt investigate the long distance phone call to San Mateo. Loftin insisted, and threatened to quit unless he could view the daily work. Relates Carey Loftin:The first thing Steve said was, he was going to do his own driving. In 2016, though, Hugo Sanchez purchased a pair of Mustang coups from the backyard of a house near Los Cabos, Mexico. Wed put the hubcaps back on, but I suppose it probably would have been better if we had left them off., Ill tell you this, said Max Balchowsky, I was really impressed with the Mustang after I got done with it. You beat me to it. "[15], The chase scene starts at 1:05:00 into the film. According to Ron Riner, Mr. Genge, who played a very realistic tough guy, seemed like he had hardly ever seen a gun before. Of all the musclecars offered in the late sixties, why were these two cars chosen, and how were they modified to survive the torturous driving? Popular with locals and tourists alike for many years, the citys steep streets gained international fame thanks to Bullitt. So he takes ridiculous risks in the chase in an effort to get himself killed (which he does not succeed in doing). .this was an obvious send-up of Bullett. Car '558 had been damaged severely during filming and was subsequently sent to a scrapyard. Bud Elkins said, I think it was the first time they did a complete car chase at normal camera speed. Originally printed in Muscle Car Review in 1987 - author: Susan Encinas, Where were you in 1968? Did you know that the cemetery where the final duel of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly was built from scratch and that no body lies there? The engine sounds were dubbed in from a GT40, and used yet again in the Seven-Ups car chase. Foreign Correspondent is a great movie and Hitchcock was a great director. Frank Bullitts car is a 1968 Ford Mustang 390 GT 2+2 Fastback. [33], The editing of the car chase likely won Frank P. Keller the editing Oscar for 1968,[35] and has been included in lists of the "Best Editing Sequences of All-Time". "[13] Emanuel Levy wrote in 2003 that "Bullitt contains one of the most exciting car chases in film history, a sequence that revolutionized Hollywood's standards. There's nothing to suggest that the as yet un-named, new Frank Bullitt movie will include a chase sequence. But thats in a train station. (Look up Odessa steps baby carriage if youve never heard of it). Steve McQueens cool never goes away. He said the cops were watching the action and werent watching the traffic and this motorcycle guy slipped through, and got into the scene and ended up in the picture. I said, you really think thats what happened? The extra said, I know, I saw it, I was there. And I said thats the way its supposed to look, because it wasnt supposed to look like a stunt. Ron Riner comments on the scene, I didnt know about the stunt and I was supposed to get the information!, There were THREE cars racing wildly through the streets of San Francisco, making car chase history, although only two are seen in the movie. The Dodge, which was practically stock, just left the Mustang like you wouldnt believe. Ron Riner has similar recollections. I think it really saved the film, because most people dont remember the story, they remember the chase. And it was Steves idea to put the big dent in the fender, to show that it got banged up and he didnt have enough money or the time to fix it., Warner Brothers purchased two four-speed Dodge Chargers at a Chrysler dealership in Glendale California, recalls Ron Riner. Im not that familiar with them anyway. I thought Id post one. Unfortunately one now must suspend disbelief on DeNiro and pretend one isnt watching an [expletive]. Bennett confronts Bullitt and Delgetti in the presence of SFPD Captain Baker, who wants Chalmers' support for the department. Those cold blue eyes! (The bottom of the stores name can be seen as the Dodge veers onto Marina.) A true feat that is still cited today as an example by filmmakers around the world. In 2001, the Ford Motor Company released the Bullitt edition Ford Mustang GT. Peter and Paul Church are visible just to the right of Coit Tower. "The Rock" (1996) Nicolas Cage in "The Rock." Buena Vista Pictures. Steve wanted to test the car. Billy Fraker, the cinematographer for the film, attributed the success of the chase sequence primarily to the work of the editor, Frank P. Keller. According to Peter Yates, Steve McQueen made a point to keep his head near the open car window during the famous chase scene so that audiences would be reassured that it was he, not a stunt man, who was driving. Every film location has its secrets. Pat Houstis, a terrific driver, had just built the camera car, and he showed it to me. Recalls Carey Loftin: Several years after BULLITT, an extra (on another set) was talking about BULLITT, and he was saying how it was amazing how accidents get into films and he said that the best one he ever saw was the scene where Bud Elkins did the spill off the motorcycle. Bullitt learns that Ross made a long distance phone call to a hotel in San Mateo. We had one scene where Pat was following Steve on Guadalupe Canyon Highway, a beautiful road. We had to weld reinforcements under the arms and stuff on the Dodge. You might have opened up the movie section of the newspaper and read a review about the newly released movie BULLITT. Like, the door handles came off, both the shocks in the front broke, the steering armature on the right front side broke and my slack was about a foot and a half. (Look up Odessa steps baby carriage if youve never heard of it). Well, I wasnt going to argue, so I said, okay, fine. McQueens stint as a stunt driver didnt last long, however. Im with Hartmann on this one. McQueen hadnt planned on having a stunt driver. Bud Ekins did that., In the Motor Trend interview, McQueen recalled there were some close calls and incidents that looked good on film but werent exactly planned to happen, some of which occurerd in the memorable downhill sequences. I didnt know if they wanted to go over 50 foot cliffs. Here you will find unforgettable moments, scenes and lines from all your favorite films. There were THREE cars racing wildly through the streets of San Francisco, making car chase history, although only two are seen in the movie. Its been 19 years since BULLITT was filmed, however the magic of this special movie has not diminished. Become a member to join the conversation. They scared the hell out of him. My biased opinion is that the Bullitt chase is the best. Remarkably cut out, the chase is on the other hand freed from any geographical reality. At San Francisco International Airport, Delgetti and Bullitt watch the Rome gate. But the movie's other star was its 1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback. Toschi later became famous, along with Inspector Bill Armstrong, as the lead San Francisco investigators of the Zodiac Killer murders that began shortly after the release of Bullitt. It worked out really good, Loftin said with a smile. Passionn de cinma, de rock and roll, de sries TV et de littrature. And Im doing some personal goal-post setting and trying to avoid the recent generation of films in the computer-graphics era (e.g., Fast and Furious, Gone in 60 seconds etc.). Shooting occurred over a period of weeks. [56] Another version of the Ford Mustang Bullitt, which is closer to resembling the original film Mustang, was released in 2008, to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the film. The next cut puts them eight miles away, back in the Vistacion Valley district, turning right from University St. on to Mansell St. From there they cut to Western entrance to Guadelupe Canyon Parkway on San Bruno Mountain in Daly City three miles away, heading East. The scenes, which were novelty then but classic now, were brilliantly executed. The detectives are told he is in a cheap hotel on Embarcadero. They turn from Laguna St., in front of Ft. Mason, onto Marina and in front of the Safeway. [citation needed] Prior to filming, the cars were modified by Max Balchowsky. The black Dodge Charger was driven by veteran stunt driver Bill Hickman, who played one of the hitmen and helped with the chase scene choreography. Its similar to the same springs they use in police cars, which makes a good combination. The sequences were the brainchild of Steve McQueen; He knew what he wanted and how he wanted it to appear on film. My favorite is the chase through Paris being led by a BMW 5 series. Mustang From Famed 'Bullitt' Car Chase Heads to Auction The owner of Steve McQueen's "hero car" figures the price could approach $5 million, or at least far more than the $3,500 his father paid. in.) Im with Hartmann on this one. It's the longest car chase scene in film history, surpassing the other famous and exciting car chase, in William Friedkin's 1971 Oscar winning, The French Connection. Finally, the frantic race ends outside the city on the Guadalupe Canyon Parkway, on the Brisbane side, after 10 minutes and 53 seconds. In reality they only filmed on sections of the route but thats movie business for ya! To realize the famous scene of the pursuit, two Ford Mustang Fastback V8 GT 390 were lent by by the American brand to the production. Ford Mexicali. I do like the movie long chase in Its a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. Among all of Hollywoods road movies, BULLITT unquestionably made film history with its original car chase sequences. Yes, they use tricks to make cars do things that are not physically possible, it is mostly quick cuts that I find annoying, and there are continuity problems (damage seen at one moment is not there in a subsequent scene), but the innovations the filmmakers developed to allow a camera to film the star in the car during the chase made the sequence very exciting. All Rights Reserved. See where the "Fast and Furious" movies and "Mad Max: Fury Road" land on our list. and if you can run a car real hard up and down that hill its working pretty good., The day before the chase scenes were to be filmed, we went up to Santa Rosa and rented the track,said Balchowsky. The chase scene was probably better than most at the time but its just not that realistic when compared to Bullitt. The Charger is just barely faster than the Mustang, with a 13.6-second quarter-mile to a 13.8-second.