The Quick and The Dead Patreon Request | Watch Along

Hey, Deasha! I'm glad you enjoyed your first Western! This featured a pre-"Titanic" Leonardo DiCaprio, a pre-"Gladiator" Russell Crowe and a pre-"Spider-Man" Sam Raimi behind the camera! Sharon Stone was at the peak of her power and beauty when she produced this movie after Paul Verhoeven catapulted her to superstardom for kicking Arnold Schwarzenegger's ass in "Total Recall" and ensnaring Michael Douglas as the ultimate femme fatale in "Basic Instinct"! She hand-picked director Raimi because she was a fan of "Army of Darkness", specifically requested Leo DiCaprio after seeing his range in "The Basketball Diaries" and "What's Eating Gilbert Grape?", and personally demanded Russell Crowe after seeing his skinhead turn in the Australian "Romper Stomper". To this day, Crowe credits Stone with launching his career. Raimi directed the film in the style of a Spaghetti Western. American Westerns were once Hollywood's meat-and-potatoes but had faded from popularity by the mid-1960s when Italian cinema strikingly reframed the genre through the prism of European sensibilities which were more cynical, nuanced and explicit. Shot in Spain with international casts centered on European talent on the rise or American legends past their prime, these highly stylized films revitalized a tired genre for a new generation with some of the best horse operas ever made! The three masters were the three Sergios: Sergio Sollima, Sergio Corbucci and Sergio Leone. Leone was responsible for the "Dollars Trilogy" which launched Clint Eastwood's legendary career with the role of The Man with No Name. Gene Hackman is a national treasure. He retired 20 years ago to become an accomplished painter and novelist! After being discharged from the US Marines, he went to journalism school which was a family vocation. At the relatively late age of 30, he tried out acting at the Pasadena Playhouse where he and fellow student Dustin Hoffman were voted "least-likely-to-succeed"! Today, the two-time Oscar-winner is considered one of the best character actors who ever lived known for his versatility at playing heroic, villainous and comedic roles. He's one of those rare actors who became a star through character roles rather than being identified as a marquee personality. He is probably best known as Lex Luthor from the Christopher Reeve "Superman" films. Fellow Playhouse alum and "least-likely-to-succeed" honoree, Dustin Hoffman, acted with his classmate in only one movie: Gary Fleder's "The Runaway Jury" based on the John Grisham novel starring John Cusack. Not known to suffer fools, Hackman gave director Raimi a hard time during one scene according to set visitor Bruce Campbell of "Evil Dead" fame, Raimi's long-time friend. During the first duel between Gutzon the Swede and the Kid, Hackman was to sit in a chair, signal the start of the match and ask for odds on the Kid all of which he refused to do! Rather than yield, beg or bluster, Raimi explained the reason for each action: Herod's seat was a throne while the townsfolk stood, Herod's signal demonstrated his authority over the proceedings and his interest in the Kid was due to the paternity sub-plot that humanizes Herod. Hackman saw that Raimi had thought everything through and never questioned him again. Lol. In the scene where Herod interrupts Stone and Crowe from conspiring not to shoot one another, Hackman shocked Sharon Stone by actually smacking her across the face! He told Raimi he wanted one take like that without warning the boss-lady. Her sudden start, wide eyes and flash of rage are COMPLETELY REAL! However, Stone didn't break character and Raimi kept the take. Hackman apologized but explained he wanted an authentic reaction to spice up the scene. After seeing the footage, Stone agreed it was the right call. Lol The undertaker was played by legendary black actor Woody Strode in his final performance. Strode was a mainstay of John Ford Westerns but is probably best remembered as the honorable gladiator Draba opposite Kirk Douglas in Stanley Kubrick's "Spartacus"! You apparently saw the international version which includes the brothel love scene between Cort and Ellen. The American version deletes that scene so there was a discrepancy between your timer and my copy. Where did you source your copy from because one has to dig deep on the web to find that footage in the States!

Alex Vazquez