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In the early days of [[film|cinema]], some actors such as [[Buster Keaton]] and [[Charlie Chaplin]] did most of their own physical stunts. However, as these performances were usually very dangerous and many [[film star]]s were not so athletic, [[filmmaker]]s and [[insurance]] companies turned to hiring [[stunt double]]s to do them.
In the early days of [[film|cinema]], some actors such as [[Buster Keaton]] and [[Charlie Chaplin]] did most of their own physical stunts. However, as these performances were usually very dangerous and many [[film star]]s were not so athletic, [[filmmaker]]s and [[insurance]] companies turned to hiring [[stunt double]]s to do them.


Most western film actors today use stunt doubles, though some of them do a few of their own stunts to please film fans. In [[Asian cinema]], particularly in China, acting, singing and acrobatics are traditionally combined, e.g. in [[Chinese opera]]. Thus, traditionally trained Asian actors receive a far more physical education as their western colleagues. One famous example is the [[Hong Kong action cinema|Hong Kong action film]] star [[Jackie Chan]], who has performed most of his stunts himself. Other [[Hong Kong action cinema|Hong Kong action]] stars such as Chan`s former classmates from traditional opera school, [[Sammo Hung]], [[Yuen Biao]], and [[Donnie Yen]] also perform most their own stunts. In Thailand, [[Tony Jaa]], an [[actor]] who is highly skilled in martial arts, also does all his stunts without assistance. In Indonesia, [[Iko Uwais]] performed his own stunts in ''[[Merantau (film)|Merantau]]''. In India, action star [[Jayan]] did all his high risk physical stunts without stunt doubles, but he was killed in a helicopter crash while doing a stunt for a film in 1980. The Indian action film star [[Akshay Kumar]] performs all of his own stunts, while [[Hrithik Roshan]] also did his own stunts for the films ''[[Krrish]]'' and ''[[Dhoom 2]]''.
Most western film actors today use stunt doubles, though some of them do a few of their own stunts to please film fans. In [[Asian cinema]], particularly in China, acting, singing and acrobatics are traditionally combined, e.g. in [[Chinese opera]]. Thus, traditionally trained Asian actors receive a far more physical education as their western colleagues. One famous example is the [[Hong Kong action cinema|Hong Kong action film]] star [[Jackie Chan]], who has performed most of his stunts himself. Other [[Hong Kong action cinema|Hong Kong action]] stars, such as Chan`s former classmates from traditional opera school, [[Sammo Hung]] and [[Yuen Biao]], as well as [[Donnie Yen]], also perform most their own stunts. In Thailand, [[Tony Jaa]], an [[actor]] who is highly skilled in martial arts, also does all his stunts without assistance. In Indonesia, [[Iko Uwais]] performed his own stunts in ''[[Merantau (film)|Merantau]]''. In India, action star [[Jayan]] did all his high risk physical stunts without stunt doubles, but he was killed in a helicopter crash while doing a stunt for a film in 1980. The Indian action film star [[Akshay Kumar]] performs all of his own stunts, while [[Hrithik Roshan]] also did his own stunts for the films ''[[Krrish]]'' and ''[[Dhoom 2]]''.


Notable among professional Hollywood stuntmen were [[Yakima Canutt]] (1895–1986) and [[Dar Robinson]] (1947–1986). In ''[[The Lord of the Rings film trilogy|The Lord of the Rings]]'', [[Viggo Mortenson]] as [[Aragorn]] performed all of his own stunts, including swordplay, insisting it would look more authentic, and sustained several injuries as a result.
Notable among professional Hollywood stuntmen were [[Yakima Canutt]] (1895–1986) and [[Dar Robinson]] (1947–1986). In ''[[The Lord of the Rings film trilogy|The Lord of the Rings]]'', [[Viggo Mortenson]] as [[Aragorn]] performed all of his own stunts, including swordplay, insisting it would look more authentic, and sustained several injuries as a result. [[Tom Cruise]] also performed his own stunts in ''[[Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol]]''.


==Notable film stunts==
==Notable film stunts==

Revision as of 14:27, 29 March 2012

This article is about stunt performance. For other uses of the term, see Stunt (disambiguation).
"Stunt driver" redirects here. For the video game, see Stunt Driver.
Pyrotechnics stunt exhibition by "Giant Auto Rodéo", Ciney, Belgium.
Freestyle & Stunt Show 2007 - Landrévarzec

A stunt is an unusual and difficult physical feat or an act requiring a special skill, performed for artistic purposes usually on TV, theatre, or cinema. Stunts are a big part of many action films.

Before computer generated imagery special effects, these effects were limited to the use of models, false perspective and other in-camera effects, unless the creator could find someone willing to jump from car to car or hang from the edge of a skyscraper: the stunt performer or stunt double.

Types of stunt effects

Practical effects

One of the most-frequently used practical stunts is stage combat. Although contact is normally avoided, many elements of stage combat, such as sword fighting, martial arts, and acrobatics required contact between performers in order to facilitate the creation of a particular effect, such as noise or physical interaction.

Stunt performances are highly choreographed and may be rigorously rehearsed for hours, days and sometimes weeks before a performance. Seasoned professionals will commonly treat a performance as if they have never done it before[citation needed], since the risks in stunt work are high, every move and position must be correct to reduce risk of injury from accidents.

Examples

Mechanical effects

A physical stunt is usually performed with help of mechanics.

For example, if the plot requires the hero to jump to a high place, the film crew could put the actor in a special harness, and use aircraft high tension wire to pull him up. Piano wire is sometimes used to fly objects, but an actor is never suspended from it as it is brittle and can break under shock impacts. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000) is a kung-fu film that was heavily reliant on wire stunts.

Fire-breathing "Jaipur Maharaja Brass Band", Chassepierre, Belgium

Vehicular stunts

Performers of vehicular stunts require extensive training and may employ specially adapted vehicles. Stunts can be as simple as a hand brake turn, also known as the bootleg turn, or as advanced as car chases, jumps and crashes involving dozens of vehicles. Rémy Julienne is a well known pioneering automotive stunt performer and coordinator. Another well known vehicular stunt specialist is Englishman Ian Walton, who was the helicopter stunt pilot and stunt designer for many 1980s films, notably the Bond film Never Say Never Again. Streetbike stunts, also known as "stunting" gained wide spread popularity in the early 2000s and continues to grow. It is based on wheelies but now goes much further than that.

Computer generated effects

In the late 20th century stunt men were placed in dangerous situations less and less as filmmakers turned to relatively inexpensive (and much safer) computer graphics effects using harnesses, fans, blue- or green screens, and a huge array of other devices and digital effects. The Matrix (1999) is an example for a film that extensively "enhanced" real stunts through CGI post production. The Lord of the Rings film series and the Star Wars prequel films often display stunts that are entirely computer generated.

Examples

Stars who do stunts

Main article: Stunt actor
Jayan performing the ship crane stunt

In the early days of cinema, some actors such as Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin did most of their own physical stunts. However, as these performances were usually very dangerous and many film stars were not so athletic, filmmakers and insurance companies turned to hiring stunt doubles to do them.

Most western film actors today use stunt doubles, though some of them do a few of their own stunts to please film fans. In Asian cinema, particularly in China, acting, singing and acrobatics are traditionally combined, e.g. in Chinese opera. Thus, traditionally trained Asian actors receive a far more physical education as their western colleagues. One famous example is the Hong Kong action film star Jackie Chan, who has performed most of his stunts himself. Other Hong Kong action stars, such as Chan`s former classmates from traditional opera school, Sammo Hung and Yuen Biao, as well as Donnie Yen, also perform most their own stunts. In Thailand, Tony Jaa, an actor who is highly skilled in martial arts, also does all his stunts without assistance. In Indonesia, Iko Uwais performed his own stunts in Merantau. In India, action star Jayan did all his high risk physical stunts without stunt doubles, but he was killed in a helicopter crash while doing a stunt for a film in 1980. The Indian action film star Akshay Kumar performs all of his own stunts, while Hrithik Roshan also did his own stunts for the films Krrish and Dhoom 2.

Notable among professional Hollywood stuntmen were Yakima Canutt (1895–1986) and Dar Robinson (1947–1986). In The Lord of the Rings, Viggo Mortenson as Aragorn performed all of his own stunts, including swordplay, insisting it would look more authentic, and sustained several injuries as a result. Tom Cruise also performed his own stunts in Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol.

Notable film stunts

Silent comedian Harold Lloyd climbed the entire height of a Los Angeles skyscraper without wires or nets. Harvey Parry, Lloyd's stunt double, dangled from a broken clock face on the topmost floor above moving traffic

The front of a house fell down with Buster Keaton standing in the exact position of an open window, leaving him unharmed. His stone-faced expression remained unchanged.

Yakima Canutt escapes his shooting enemies by dropping between the first set of multiple pairs of horses of a moving stagecoach, moves backwards underneath all the horses until, unbeknownst to the drivers, he climbs on back to attack them. He originated this stunt earlier, but these are its most famous performances.

Joe Canutt, son of famed stuntman Yakima Canutt, doubled as Judah Ben-Hur when he rides his chariot over the wreck of a competitor. He was launched over the front of his chariot and barely managed to hang on to the front as he climbed back up.

Pursued by Germans, Bud Ekins as Capt. Virgil “The Cooler King” Hilts jumped his motorcycle 60 feet (18 m) over a barbed-wire fence.

Trapped by a posse, Butch and Sundance leaped off a cliff into raging waters knowing that the "fall will probably kill [them]". Mickey Gilbert doubled for Robert Redford and Howard Curtis for Paul Newman.

Papillon makes his final bid for freedom by leaping from a cliff into the sea. Dar Robinson doubled for Steve McQueen, his first major stunt in a Hollywood film.[citation needed]

Ross Kananga as James Bond used four crocodiles as stepping stones to reach safety on the other side. Kananga, who owned the crocodile farm seen in the film, and after whom the main villain is named, did the stunt five times wearing the same crocodile skin shoes as his character had chosen to wear. During the fourth attempt, the last crocodile bit through the shoe and into his foot.[citation needed] The fifth attempt is one seen on film, with the tied-down crocodiles snapping at his feet as he passed over them.

In the same film, Jerry Comeaux as James Bond jumped his speedboat 70 feet (21 m) over a police car, a record that lasted for 15 years.[citation needed]

One of the best known episode for its use of stunts, "Fathers' Clinic", Frank Spencer (played by Michael Crawford, who performed most of the stunts in the show[1]) skating at a roller rink, accidentally broke off from a conga line, bursting through the fire exit and on a hellish journey through the city streets, dodging buses and cars, ducking under lorries and crashing into a baby shop.[2][3]

"Bumps" Willard as James Bond driving an AMC Hornet leaped a broken bridge and performed a 270 degree roll in mid-air.[4] Willard was paid £30,000 for the stunt, which was held under Eon Productions copyright for several years afterwards. He successfully completed the jump on the first take.[citation needed]

A major character dies when the rope bridge he is standing on is cut. British stuntman Joe Powell volunteered for the stunt after the rest of the stuntmen refused.[citation needed] He fell 80 feet (24 m) onto cardboard boxes balanced on the edge of a ravine. If he had missed the boxes, no safety wire or parachute would have stopped him falling to the bottom of the ravine. The stunt was made more dangerous because the rope bridge caused Powell to spin as he fell.[citation needed]

Rick Sylvester, playing James Bond, escaped the bad guys by skiing off a cliff on Mount Asgard then releasing a parachute. Sylvester waited two weeks for the weather atop Mount Asgard to change.[citation needed] Finally he had a 15 minute window to make the jump. Five cameras were meant to record the stunt, but only the master shot worked.[citation needed] Sylvester was allegedly paid US$100,000 for the stunt.[citation needed] As he fell, one of his skis hit the parachute on its way down.

The initial freefall stunt sequence was done with the stuntmen's clothing modified with special breakaway patches to conceal lightweight parachutes.[citation needed]

A.J. Bakunas as Hollywood stuntman Hooper, leaped from a helicopter onto an airbag 232 feet (71 m) below, a record that endures to this day.[citation needed]

The hero fights the villain atop the world's then tallest freestanding structure, Toronto's CN Tower, and the villain loses. Doubling the villain was Dar Robinson who opened his parachute just 300 feet (91 m) from the ground after a fall lasting six seconds. Robinson was paid US$100,000 (£61,862.04).[citation needed]

In this Indian action film, action star Jayan hangs on to a ship crane and is elevated to a height of around 200 feet.

Corrie Jansen leaped 182 feet (55 m) from a cliff, a record freefall for a woman.[citation needed]

Indiana Jones climbs underneath a moving truck and is dragged along behind it before climbing back on board. The stunt was performed by Terry Leonard. Leonard agreed to do the stunt only if his good friend, stuntman Glenn H. Randall Jr., was driving the truck.[citation needed]

The Bandit leaps his Pontiac Trans-Am motorcar from the back of trailer, setting a record[clarification needed] that has not been broken.[citation needed]

Sharky (Burt Reynolds) shoots the villain, who then falls back through the window of the Hyatt Regency Atlanta. To achieve the effect, stuntman Dar Robinson ran at the window, then at the last moment, spun around to go backwards through the glass and land on an airbag. It is the highest freefall (220 feet (67 m)) from a building without a cable or parachute.[citation needed]

Renegade cop Roy Scheider, flying the state-of the-art “Blue Thunder” helicopter, is chased by a police helicopter down storm drains in Los Angeles, weaving between bridge supports until his pursuer eventually crashes.

A stunt featured Jackie Chan hanging off a real clock tower and falling through three ripped canopies used to break his fall before hitting the ground. Chan has described the stunt as a homage to Harold Lloyd in the film Safety Last.[citation needed]

Vince Deadrick Jr. and Terry Leonard as Joan Wilder and Jack Colton jumped from a car as it fell over an 80-foot (24 m) waterfall.

During the skateboard chase, Marty McFly runs over the top of Biff Tannen's convertible, front to back, and rejoins his skateboard behind the car.

While rampaging through a mall, Genghis Khan rides up to a trampoline, does a somersault off of it, and lands back on his skateboard.

Many dangerous and real life stunts in this Jackie Chan film were done without wires. Scenes include Chan hanging on to a double-decker bus window by an umbrella handle, as well as a mall fight scene at the end featuring many stunt team members performing tumbles, falls and flips through various objects including glass window displays, stairs, escalators, etc. The finale featured Chan jumping and sliding down a mall post covered with wired lights before smashing through a wooden canopy.

Dar Robinson asked to play the part of the albino killer so the audience would be more shocked by the villain's death. Without cutting away, Robinson was filmed falling backwards off a hotel balcony emptying his revolver at Reynolds' as he fell. A thin cable ran up Robinson's leg to a harness around his waist to arrest his fall just feet off the ground.

This was the third variation on a stunt that had appeared first in Moonraker and then in Octopussy; James Bond battles a bad guy while they are both hanging outside a plane. In this case, Bond and the villainous Necros fight as they cling to a cargo net filled with bags of opium hanging out the rear of a Soviet cargo plane. All three stunt sequences were done with ace parachutists Jake Lombard and B.J. Worth. Lombard, who had previously doubled for Roger Moore, took the part of Necros here, while Worth finally got to play Bond by doubling Timothy Dalton.[citation needed]

Nick Gillard as Eric Visser jumped his speedboat over a bridge in Amsterdam, breaking the record set in Live and Let Die.[citation needed]

Vic Armstrong as Indiana Jones rode his horse onto a ledge and jumped onto a moving tank.

The killer robot T-1000 flies a helicopter in a freeway chase after a S.W.A.T. van driven by The Terminator and at one point flies under an overpass.

Corrupt Treasury agent Travers hijacks a jet carrying US$100 million, then slides down a cable to the villains' Learjet. British stuntman Simon Crane performed the stunt. When the film's budget was not large enough for the one million dollars needed to complete the sequence, lead actor Sylvester Stallone agreed to cut his salary by the same amount.[citation needed][citation needed]

Stuntman Billy Morts doubled for actor Keanu Reeves as L.A.P.D. cop Jack Traven, who rips the door off a Jaguar sports car then leaps to the open door of a speeding bus, his feet scraping against the ground.

Wayne Michaels as James Bond bungee jumped over a dam to break into a Russian chemical weapons factory. Michaels reached 100 miles per hour (161 km/h) during the jump and came perilously close to the sloping surface of the dam, which was studded with irons struts that could have torn him to pieces. The stunt was further complicated as Bond had to take out a gun during the fall, which threw Michaels off trajectory.

Indian actor Akshay Kumar performs a dangerous stunt where he climbs onto a small airplane while it is moving, stands on top of the plane as it flies a thousand feet high, and jumps from the plane onto a hot air balloon, all in a single take.[5]

Thai actor Tony Jaa performed a number of stunts for the film, suffering injuries such as a ligament injury and a sprained ankle. One scene involved fighting while his trousers were on fire, which spread upwards and burnt his eyebrows, eyelashes and nose during filming. Despite this, he did several more takes after that.[6]

Echoing The Man with the Golden Gun, Gary Powell as James Bond put his boat into a 360 degree roll, wrecking a gun emplacement on a villainess's boat.

Sébastien Foucan as an African bomb-maker eluded Daniel Craig's James Bond using parkour. Foucan's (and the stunt's) notation in the opening credits were a first.

In one scene, Indonesian actor Iko Uwais performs a jump from one building to another. Another stuntman, playing a henchman, chases him and attempts to do the same, but Uwais hits him with a bamboo pole in mid-air and the stuntman falls three stories to the ground.

Stunts that have gone wrong

Stuntwork accounts for over half of all film-related injuries, with an average of 5 deaths for every 2,000 injuries.[citation needed] From 1980 to 1990 there were 37 deaths relating to accidents during stunts; twenty-four of these deaths involved the use of helicopters.[7]

  • Noah's Ark (1928)
    Three people died, one man lost a leg and a number were injured in a scene where several hundred extras were caught in the 'Great Flood'. The deaths were instrumental in the introduction of film safety regulations in the following year.[9]
  • The Wizard of Oz (1939)
    Margaret Hamilton was badly burned during a scene in which her character 'vanished' in a burst of flame and smoke. A delay in activating a trap-door left her exposed to the pyrotechnic device. Her stuntwoman was also injured in a scene involving a smoking broomstick.[10] Buddy Ebsen complained of life-long lung issues caused by an allergy to the aluminum dust used for his Tin Man makeup.[11]
  • How the West Was Won (1962)
    Stuntman Bob Morgan, husband of Yvonne De Carlo, was seriously injured and lost a leg during a break in filming a gunfight on a moving train. Chains holding logs on a flatbed car broke, crushing Morgan as he crouched beside them.[12]
  • Shark! (also known as Caine) (1969)
    A stuntman was mauled to death on camera when a shark, which was supposed to have been sedated, suddenly attacked.
  • Kamen Rider (1971-1973)
    During a scene for Episode 9 ("The Terrifying Cobra-Man"), lead actor Hiroshi Fujioka fractured his thighbone in a motorcycle stunt when he rode into a telephone pole at 50 mph, forcing him out of action. Producers had to use stock and unused footage, which was dubbed by Rokurô Naya, for the next four episodes, causing a dip in the ratings. Producers eventually had no choice but to substitute him with a second character played by Takeshi Sasaki. Fujioka made a return in Episode 53 ("Monster Jaguarman - Deathmatch by Motorcycle Fight"). As neither actor could be axed, the show ended up having two heroes.[citation needed]
  • The Exorcist (1973)
    Actress Ellen Burstyn seriously injured her back while filming a scene where she falls over backwards after her possessed daughter backhands her. The scene was left in the film.[citation needed]
  • Attack of the Killer Tomatoes (1978)
    The helicopter crash involving Jack Riley and George Wilson was entirely unintentional, but having not been seriously injured both actors continued by ad-libbing the rest of the scene, and ultimately it was included in the film.[citation needed]
  • Comes a Horseman (1978)
    Filming the scene where Robards' character is dragged to (presumably) his death, stunt man Jim Sheppard was killed when a horse that was dragging him veered from its course and caused him to hit his head on a fence post. The scene made it into the movie, although it is cut right before the horse passes through the gate which killed Sheppard.
  • Steel (1979)
    A.J. Bakunas died doubling for George Kennedy in a fall from the Kincaid Towers in Lexington, Kentucky. Bakunas had successfully performed a fall from the ninth floor of the construction site, but when he learned that Dar Robinson had broken his record high fall for a non-film related publicity stunt, Bakunas returned to perform the fall from the top of the 300-foot (91 m) construction site. Bakunas performed the fall expertly, but the airbag split and he was killed.[citation needed]
  • Kolilakkam (Shockwave, 1980)
    While a helicopter stunt was being carried out for this Indian action film, the 3rd attempt went wrong after 2 successful shots. The helicopter crashed, killing the actor Jayan.
  • For Your Eyes Only (1981)
    While filming a high speed chase in the bobsleigh-run, the four-man bob came out of the run at the wrong place and hit a tree. One of its occupants, a young stuntman named Paolo Rigon, was killed.[citation needed]
  • Twilight Zone: The Movie (1982)
    During the filming of a segment directed by John Landis on July 23, 1982, actor Vic Morrow and child actors My-Ca Dinh Le (aged 7) and Renee Shin-Yi Chen (aged 6) died in an accident involving a helicopter being used on the set. The helicopter pilot was instructed to fly close to the ground and an explosive charge was detonated very close to the helicopter, causing it to spin out of control and crash, decapitating Morrow and one of the children with its blades. The other child was crushed to death as the helicopter crashed.
  • Pepsi Commercial (1984)
    On January 27, 1984, Michael Jackson and other members of the Jacksons filmed a Pepsi Cola commercial overseen by executive Phil Dusenberry from ad agency BBDO and Pepsi's Worldwide Creative Director Alan Pottasch. In front of a full house of fans during a simulated concert, pyrotechnics accidentally set Jackson's hair on fire. He suffered second-degree burns to his scalp. Jackson underwent treatment to hide the scars on his scalp but never fully recovered from this injury.
  • Top Gun (1986)
    Stunt pilot Art Scholl was killed in an aircraft crash while taping footage of a flat spin.[16]
  • Armour of God (1986)
    During the filming of a scene in which Jackie Chan jumped from a wall to a tree branch, Chan lost his grip on the branch and fell 15 feet to the ground below. He landed on his head, causing part of his skull to crack and a fragment to lodge in his brain. He now has a plastic plug in a permanent hole in his skull and hearing loss in one ear.[citation needed]
  • UP2U (1988)
    During filming of a location report from the Royal Tournament, one of its presenters, Anthea Turner was injured when a pyrotechnic display exploded in her face while she was giving a piece to camera during a motorcycle stunt. The incident was broadcasted live on-air. The incident was later blamed on a miscommunication between programme staff and stunt organisers, coupled with a last-minute change in the location from which Turner gave her report.[citation needed]
  • Cyborg (1989)
    During a fighting sequence action star Jean-Claude Van Damme accidentally stabbed Jackson 'Rock' Pinckney in the eye, causing him to permanently lose vision in it.[citation needed]
  • Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour (1992)
    During a Metallica performance at Olympic Stadium in Montreal on August 8, 1992, vocalist/guitarist James Hetfield was unknowingly standing on a flash pot during the song "Fade To Black," when the flash pot ignited, causing second- and third-degree burns to his arms legs, hands, face, and the entire left side of his body. Hetfield was hospitalized for 17 days and was unable to play guitar for the rest of the tour, but was still able to sing. Metallica completed the tour, with guitar technician/Metal Church guitarist John Marshall playing for James. Hetfield has since made a full recovery.[citation needed]
  • The Crow (1994)
    In one of the most high-profile stunt deaths, Brandon Lee, the star of The Crow, was killed 8 days before the film's completion. Prop Masters working under time constraints had failed to notice that the previous firing of a cartridge with only a primer and a bullet had caused a bullet to lodge in the forcing cone of one of their revolvers. When the first unit used this gun to shoot the death scene, the chamber was loaded with blanks which had no bullets; however, the bullet, which was still in the barrel, was propelled out by the blank cartridge's explosion. Despite being rushed to hospital Lee died within a matter of hours.[citation needed]
  • Gone Fishin' (1995)
    Wife of stuntman Scott Wilder, Janet Wilder was killed and four other people are injured when a speedboat misjudged a ramp and landed in a crowd.[citation needed]
  • Seven (1995)
    In a scene where Detective David Mills (Brad Pitt) chased John Doe in the rain, Pitt fell and his arm went through a car windscreen, requiring surgery. This accident was written into the script to explain Pitt wearing a cast over his arm. Coincidentally, the original script did call for Pitt's character to be injured during this sequence but not to his hand.[citation needed]
  • The Stuntwoman (1996)
    Actress Michelle Yeoh, who usually performs her own stunts, was seriously injured during shooting of the film about the life of a stuntwoman, when she misjudged an 18-foot (5.5 m) jump off a bridge onto a truck. She fractured a vertebra and was in traction for a month. The sequence can be seen at the end of the film.[18]
  • Taxi 2 (2000)
    A Peugeot 406 was supposed to land in a pile of cardboard after a stunt, but missed and hit several crew. A cameraman died later of internal injuries and another cameraman broke both legs.
  • Exit Wounds (2001)
    During filming in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, a van was being towed along a street upside-down as part of a chase scene; stuntman Chris Lamon and another man were supposed to roll safely out, but Lamon struck his head, and died six days later.[citation needed]
  • xXx (2002)
    Stuntman Harry L. O'Connor was killed in an accident when he failed to rappel fast enough down a parasailing line to land on the submarine. He impacted a bridge at high speed and was killed instantly. On the DVD's director's commentary track, Rob Cohen commented on his decision to include the edited footage of O'Connor's death in the final cut of the film.
  • Red Cliff (2008/2009)
    While filming a scene in which a small boat was set on fire and was to ram a larger boat, the fire spread quickly out of control, killing stuntman Lu Yanqing and injuring six others.[19]
  • The Expendables 2 (2012)
    While filming, a stuntman was killed and another was left in critical condition during a staged explosion on a rubber boat. The surviving stuntman underwent a five hour operation which reportedly left him in stable condition.[20]

Recognition of stunt performers

Films such as Hooper and The Stunt Man and the 1980s television show The Fall Guy sought to raise the profile of the stunt performer and debunk the myth that film stars perform all their own stunts. Noted stunt coordinators Hal Needham, Craig R. Baxley and Vic Armstrong went on to direct the action films The Cannonball Run, Action Jackson, Joshua Tree. Vic Armstrong became the first stuntman to win both an Academy Award (for developing a descender rig as a safe alternative to airbags) and a Bafta award (for lifetime achievement in film). But the status of stuntmen in Hollywood is still low; despite the fact that few films of any genre or type could be made without them, stunt performers are still seen as working mainly in action films. Repeated campaigns for a "Best Stunts" Academy Award have been rejected.

In 2001, the first 'World Stunt Awards' was held in Los Angeles. Presented by actor Alec Baldwin, the event had A-list stars presenting the statues to Hollywood's unsung heroes. Arnold Schwarzenegger was presented with the first "Lifetime Achievement" award. He presented the awards in 2001. The awards show hands out eight awards: Best Fight, Best Fire Stunt, Best High Work, Best Overall Stunt by a Stunt Man, Best Overall Stunt by a Stunt Woman, Best Speciality Stunt, Best Work with a Vehicle and Best Stunt Coordinator and/or 2nd Unit Director.

Equality in stunts

In past Hollywood films it was common for men to double for women and White American stunt performers to double for African-American performers. Veteran stunt man Dave Sharpe, a man of shorter than average height, often doubled for women in film serials of the 1930s and '40s. It is now against union rules for stunt performers to double an actor of a different gender or race unless the stunt is so dangerous that there are no other volunteers, for example when B.J. Worth doubled for the black Jamaican actress Grace Jones parachuting off the Eiffel Tower in A View to a Kill. The rise of action heroines like Angelina Jolie and African-American stars like Will Smith has offered wider opportunities for stunt performers from diverse backgrounds.

The future of stuntwork

A backlash against dangerous stunts following the death of Sonya Davis [citation needed], coinciding with developments in Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) that make such stunts unnecessary threatens to reduce stunt performers to the status of body doubles. And yet a backlash against films that resemble video games could lead to a resurrection in pure stuntwork. Films such as The Matrix and Mission: Impossible II have shown how CGI and stunts can be integrated for maximum effect. But - if for no other reason than safety - it is doubtful that the records established by Hooper and Sharky's Machine will be broken anytime soon. A new sub-genre of eastern martial arts films exists which emphasize the actors performing their own stunts, deliberately using wide angles and unbroken shots to show each stunt in its entirety. Examples of actors doing their own stunts include Jackie Chan and Tony Jaa.

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/somemothers/index.shtml
  2. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/castaway/db0be4f5
  3. ^ http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/smdae.htm
  4. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hh0VF6s-UYU
  5. ^ Stacey Yount, Akshay Kumar on Filmi things, BollySpice, 2 March 2008
  6. ^ Franklin, Erika. May 2005. "Alive and Kicking: Tony Jaa interviewed", Firecracker Media (retrieved on December 15, 2006)
  7. ^ "Stunt Safety By Michael McCann, Ph.D., C.I.H."
  8. ^ Ronnie, A. (1973) Locklear: The Man Who Walked on Wings, Cranbury, New Jersey: A.S. Barnes and Company. ISBN 0-498-01073-2
  9. ^ Baxter, John O. (1974). Stunt; the story of the great movie stunt men. Garden City, N.Y: Doubleday. ISBN 0-385-06520-5.
  10. ^ Harmetz, A. (1998). The Making of the Wizard of Oz: Movie Magic and Studio Power in the Prime of MGM. New York: Hyperion Books.
  11. ^ Cox, Stephen (1988, rev. 2003). The Beverly Hillbillies: A Fortieth Anniversary Wing Ding. Cumberland House Publishing; Rev Exp edition. ISBN 1-58182-302-9.
  12. ^ http://www.snopes.com/movies/films/westwon.htm
  13. ^ "The Final Flight of the Phoenix." check-six.com. Retrieved: January 24, 2010.
  14. ^ "Cannonball Run Accident". Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  15. ^ Interstate Fire & Cas. Co. v. Stuntman Inc., 861 F.2d 203 (9th Cir. 1988).
  16. ^ Ashurst, Sam (November 4, 2008). Hollywood's deadliest stunts. Total Film.
  17. ^ http://www.chicagoartistsresource.org/node/9540
  18. ^ http://www.lovehkfilm.com/reviews/ah_kam.htm
  19. ^ "Stuntman Killed on John Woo Film Set" AP via Yahoo News
  20. ^ http://www.deadline.com/2011/10/stuntman-dies-during-the-filming-of-the-expendables-2/
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