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Filmmaking is a challenging endeavor. A wide array of complex components must seamlessly come together to deliver an experience that captivates the audience for just a few hours. It's no wonder that things sometimes go awry.
The greater the ambition behind a project, the higher the chances of things going wrong. At times, movies turn out spectacular despite the risks involved. In other cases, they flop. Here, we explore 10 films that didn’t quite go as expected.
10. When The River No Longer Runs Through It
William Friedkin was already a celebrated director when he took on the helm of the 1977 film Sorcerer. His past triumphs with The French Connection and The Exorcist likely played a part in why the studio went along with his bold decision to build a massive bridge over a turbulent river in the Dominican Republic for the film.
However, when it was time to shoot the bridge scene, the river had dried up. Rather than settle for a dry riverbed, Friedkin moved the entire production to Mexico, where a new bridge was constructed over a different, similarly wild river.
1976 must have been a challenging summer, as this new river also ran dry before filming could start. It’s unclear whether Friedkin would have continued with his bridge-building adventures, but the studio intervened, compelling him to rely on the effects team for assistance.
Despite the difficulties, the scene turned out to be breathtaking. The bridge appeared unstable, with steel cables concealed inside weathered ropes. Hydraulic systems hidden beneath the structure made the bridge sway whenever vehicles passed. The remaining water in the river was drawn out by pumps and redirected into sprinklers, creating a dramatic downpour.
Later, Friedkin confessed that during the making of the scene, they lost five trucks over the edge of the bridge—at times, with the driver still aboard.
9. Storms, A Heart Attack, And Marlon Brando
When your movie features the word “apocalypse” in its title, you’re probably setting yourself up for some serious complications.
Yet, even Francis Ford Coppola couldn’t have anticipated just how challenging Apocalypse Now would become. This was likely for the best, considering he had already sunk $30 million of his own money into the project.
Filming took place in the Philippines, and what was supposed to be a five-month shoot ended up spanning over a year—a year full of chaos. Storms devastated the set, Martin Sheen suffered a heart attack, and according to Coppola, everyone on set slowly descended into madness. Sheen overindulged in alcohol, Dennis Hopper in cocaine, and Coppola himself had an epileptic seizure.
Then, Marlon Brando arrived.
He was severely overweight and unprepared for the role. Production was halted for a week so Coppola could go over Brando's lines with him. Then, Brando shaved his head and decided he would only be filmed in shadow.
Facing financial disaster if the film failed, Coppola experienced a nervous breakdown and even considered suicide.
Despite these significant challenges, the film was completed and is now considered a masterpiece.
8. When You Have The Wrong Sort Of Cloud
Some films are labors of love, with directors determined to get every detail just right. While this dedication is commendable, movie budgets typically can’t afford such precision. Film crews are often large, and location shoots can be very costly.
Most films are a balancing act between the director's creative vision and the financial limitations imposed on them. However, some directors aren’t willing to accept restrictions.
Take Michael Cimino, for example. During the production of Heaven’s Gate, the schedule continually slipped due to his insistence on perfection. One of his main priorities was historical accuracy for the sets. If they didn’t meet his standards, he had them torn down and rebuilt.
This approach didn’t come cheap.
He took so many retakes that he used around 0.4 million meters (1.3 million feet) of film, which also added up in cost. Yet, the studio had little recourse because Cimino’s contract granted him complete artistic freedom. He fully exploited this to fine-tune even the smallest details.
For instance, Kris Kristofferson was required to crack a whip at least 50 times before Cimino was satisfied with the sound it made. Additionally, an irrigation system was put in place to ensure the grass on the battlefield had the perfect shade of green.
Things took a strange turn when filming was paused for hours—and the cast, crew, and extras were left doing nothing—while Cimino waited for the perfect cloud to drift into the shot.
Once shooting wrapped, Cimino changed the locks on the editing room door and set to work sorting through the mountains of footage. He was so pleased with his creation that the initial work print ran 5.5 hours long. The studio, however, insisted on something shorter. The final cut, a trimmed -hour epic, was released in 1980.
It flopped.
7. When The Shoot Is As Ugly As The Film
John Boorman’s 1972 film Deliverance is far from a beautiful story. The film, about four businessmen who venture into the wilderness only to encounter its savage dangers, offers a deeply uncomfortable viewing experience. As they fight for survival, their primal instincts take hold.
And it is certainly not pretty.
The making of the film was equally harsh. Boorman insisted that his actors perform all their own stunts during their canoe journey down turbulent rivers with fast-moving currents. Burt Reynolds later revealed that Boorman had required the film to be shot in sequence so that he could rewrite the script in case one of the actors died.
Which was a very real possibility.
Jon Voight completed a rock-climbing sequence without a harness or safety wires, as the director wanted a close-up shot. Reynolds injured his tailbone while tumbling over a waterfall in a canoe.
This might explain why every character in the film looks so thoroughly miserable. However, no one died, and the film was met with critical acclaim. Boorman received an Academy Award nomination for Best Director, and Deliverance earned a nomination for Best Picture.
6. When You Endanger The Stars
In Hollywood, stars are usually kept in the lap of luxury. They have their own trailers, personal assistants, and dressers. Someone tends to their hair and makeup, while another person ensures their coffee is just how they like it. But when the cameras start rolling, some actors end up doing things that are far from glamorous, and at times, even perilous.
Take Brendan Fraser, for instance. He came close to being hanged when the safety mechanism on his noose malfunctioned during The Mummy. Isla Fisher nearly drowned in a water tank during Now You See Me. Margaret Hamilton was set on fire in her first scene for The Wizard of Oz. While her Wicked Witch of the West vanished in a burst of red smoke, the trapdoor beneath her didn’t open as it should have.
Thankfully, all of these actors survived.
However, the tragic deaths of Vic Morrow and two child actors in a helicopter crash while filming Twilight Zone: The Movie led to one of the longest and most significant lawsuits in movie history. In an astonishingly insensitive remark, director John Landis said of the incident, “There was absolutely no good aspect about this whole story. The tragedy, which I think about every day, had an enormous impact on my career, from which it may possibly never recover.”
The careers of Vic Morrow and the child actors he worked with haven’t exactly been flourishing either.
5. When You Get on the Neighbors’ Nerves
Shooting on location can be frustrating for locals who live and work nearby. Even though film crews may make many promises to residents before filming starts, those commitments aren’t always upheld.
Location scouts should remember the fiasco during the filming of the original *Doctor Dolittle* in 1967. The production team took over a whole village in Wiltshire, England, and even constructed a massive fake dam.
The local residents weren’t happy. One of them, an SAS officer named Ranulph Fiennes, even attempted (though unsuccessfully) to destroy the dam with explosives he had borrowed. Fiennes was eventually discharged from the army and went on to become the world’s greatest living adventurer.
Despite this, Doctor Dolittle exceeded its budget significantly, mainly due to delays caused by the weather, issues with the animals, and problems with the cast. To make matters worse, the film failed to recover its expenses at the box office.
4. When Authenticity Becomes a Little Too Real
Realism in films is generally appreciated, and it’s great when directors go the extra mile to offer viewers a genuine experience. However, at times, they can push it too far.
The movie Roar, directed by Noel Marshall, is an example of this. Released in 1981, it tells the story of a man living alongside lions, tigers, and other dangerous creatures in his private wildlife sanctuary in Africa, and the chaos that ensues when his family comes to visit.
Marshall cast his wife, Tippi Hedren, and his stepdaughter, Melanie Griffith, to star in the film with him. The production took 11 years to finish, largely due to the prolonged hospital stays of cast and crew who were injured by animal attacks during filming.
Tippi Hedren was attacked by a lion, suffering a bite to her head, while actress Jessica Griffith endured severe facial injuries, requiring 50 stitches. The cinematographer's situation was even worse, as a lion tore off his scalp, leaving him with over 200 stitches.
After all the hardship, the movie Roar was finally released in 1981, but it flopped at the box office.
3. When Ships Refuse to Sail—On Dry Land
Werner Herzog is a man with grand ambitions. Beyond being a renowned film director, he also acts, writes, and directs operas. His films often portray characters who, driven by bold dreams, are willing to face challenges even when those dreams seem wildly unattainable.
In 1982, while making the film Fitzcarraldo, Herzog drew inspiration from his character and took on the monumental task of hauling a massive steamboat over a mountain. The film tells the story of a man determined to build an opera house in the Amazon jungle, and he believes the best way to get there is by dragging his boat from one river, up a mountain, and down to another river on the other side.
Herzog was determined not to rely on any special effects, models, or shortcuts to make the task easier. He insisted on using only the ropes and pulleys visible in the movie, a bulldozer to clear the path, and a team of indigenous extras. Together, they managed to pull the 320-ton boat up the mountain.
The ropes concealed steel cables that became dangerously hot, requiring them to be cooled with buckets of water to prevent the rope from catching fire or the cable from snapping. The shooting paused every time the boat moved 9 meters (30 ft) so the cameras could be reset. Massive logs were placed under the boat to keep it from sinking into the earth, and this had to be done manually, not with a crane, as depicted in the film.
Herzog was insistent that the audience see the entire ship in motion, refusing to use close-up shots to mask the more challenging aspects. It took two full weeks to get the boat to the top of the mountain.
Afterward, they had to halt for six months because the river on the other side had nearly dried up. The boat was left precariously balanced at the summit until the water levels rose again. When the boat was finally launched into the river, after being out of the water for six months and enduring the grueling journey, it almost capsized.
Although filming this scene was utterly insane, it has since become one of the most iconic moments in cinematic history.
2. When it pours in the desert, things take a surprising turn.
There are certain truths we take for granted, and deserts are often one of them.
But George Miller's experience on the set of Mad Max: Fury Road proved otherwise. Rather than relying on CGI, he chose to race real vehicles through the Namibian desert, repeatedly crashing them for authenticity.
This low-tech approach didn’t sit well with everyone, especially the producers who had to foot the bill. Nevertheless, the action-packed stunts contributed to an unforgettable film.
Initially, Miller had planned to film in Australia. However, an unexpected rainfall transformed the desert into a blooming oasis, forcing a change of location to Namibia.
Mad Max: Flora Road didn't quite have the same allure, so the production had to journey across continents to reach completion. Yet, Miller's unwavering commitment earned the film 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture of 2015.
1. When your filming location feels a little too far out of reach.
What options do you have when your film is set in a distinctive but somewhat isolated historical site?
You could rely on the expertise of Hollywood set designers to faithfully recreate the environment on a soundstage. Or, you could take a more genuine approach and actually travel to the location.
In the early 1990s, Kevin Reynolds made the decision to film Rapa Nui on Easter Island. Located in a secluded area of the Pacific Ocean, the island was notoriously difficult to access, and supplying the crew with food proved even more challenging.
The film was meant to delve into the history of Easter Island, offering theories about what happened to its population. However, it seems that Rapa Nui prioritized its location's authenticity above all else.
Historians criticized the film for inaccuracies in its historical details, while film critics were unimpressed by the script. One reviewer even remarked that it felt more like Fantasy Island than Easter Island.
When Rapa Nui hit theaters in 1994, it was a commercial failure.
