WESTWORLD is a fantastic science fiction tale from the early
1970's that deserves more notoriety on several levels. The first feature film
written and directed by best selling author Michael Crichton, it has all of the
strengths of a screenplay penned by a novelist but very few of the usual
weaknesses that often come along with being too close to the page. It's a lean,
mean 90 minute thrill ride that builds its characters and its suspense very
well and seems to have been a major influence on later big screen projects. The
movie was a big hit for MGM in 1973 spawning a sequel film and an attempted TV
series in 1980 with HBO now set to remake the story as well. I guess the
concept is simply too juicy to leave in the past! WESTWORLD stars James Brolin,
Richard Benjamin and the legendary Yul Brynner along with a cast of very
recognizable faces from Hollywood .
In this episode I'm joined by writer Randy Fox to discuss the
film, our history with it and what it means to us as children of the 1970's.
This was a film neither of us got to see in the theater but its TV screenings
burned images into our memories for a lifetime. Of course, we circle the main
subject for awhile, reminiscing about the state of science fiction cinema in
the 70's before STAR WARS came along and forever altered the landscape. Our
mutual love of the films of that decade shines through and eventually leads us
to decide on another movie we should cover here on the podcast in the near
future.
Along with our personal takes on the film we also have a fair
amount of production information on the film including the battles with the
studio over budget, the short shooting schedule, smart editing decisions, the
injuries sustained by the cast, the height difference between director and star
as well as a lesson from Brynner on how to not blink onscreen! Additional we
touch on the many cinematic descendants of WESTWORLD, some of which may be
surprising. So, join us for a trip to Delos
where it seems certain that they have a vacation for you. And if you have any
comments or questions please write us at thebloodypit@gmail.com where we'll be
glad to hear from you. Thanks for downloading and listening.
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