How Did They Ever Shoot That Scene? The Most Challenging and Dangerous Movie Sequences Ever Filmed

Yale University

Marc Lapadula is a Senior Lecturer in the Film Studies Program at Yale University. He is a playwright, screenwriter and an award-winning film producer. In addition to Yale, Marc has taught at Columbia University’s Graduate Film School, created the screenwriting programs at both The University of Pennsylvania and Johns Hopkins–where he won Outstanding Teaching awards–and has lectured on British and American Theatre and playwriting. Lapadula has given highly acclaimed classic film lectures on a wide range of cinema topics across the country at notable venues, such as: The National Press Club, The Smithsonian Institution, The Commonwealth Club, The Cleveland Museum of Art, and The New York Historical Society.

Overview

Certain screenplays floating around Hollywood year after year are branded by industry insiders as “Screenplays that are Brilliantly Written, but Impossible to Produce.”  They earn this distinguished moniker not because their subject matter is deemed too politically controversial or socially provocative, but because of the physical risks to actors, stunt-people and crew members who could be seriously harmed or mortally injured during filming. These screenplays call for such challenging logistical and technical execution by the production team that the project is deemed impossible to translate from harrowing words written on a page to terrifying images on a movie screen.

This presentation will focus on some of the most captivating, hair-raising and breathtaking sequences ever captured on celluloid — from the dawn of the movies up to modern times. Professor Lapadula will showcase movie directors such as William Wyler, Orson Welles, Francis Ford Coppola, William Friedkin and Martin Campbell, and feature movies including:

TOUCH OF EVIL

BEN HUR

THE FRENCH CONNECTION

APOCALYPSE NOW

SORCERER

CASINO ROYALE

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kitt.petersen

How did they ever shoot that scene?

Outstanding Marc. Your choice and your insight and points make on each of these films are spectacular. I am learning and this was a true joy!

2 years ago
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