Lifestyle7 min(s) read
Published 10:58 23 Aug 2019 GMT
Unless you're lucky enough to be in the business, you'll never truly understand how much time and effort goes into making a movie. So, to celebrate all the hard work that goes into making a hit on the silver screen, we've compiled a list of 30 eye-opening behind-the-scenes pictures from some of the best movies of all time!
[post_page_title]The Shining[/post_page_title]
One of the most celebrated horror movies of the last century is, of course, The Shinning. Based on Stephen King's novel of the same name, it follows a family as they caretake a creepy old hotel in the Colorado Rockies.
Needless to say, all hell literally breaks loose. Who could forget *that* elevator scene? But I think all horror fans are in agreement that the movie wouldn't be the classic it is today if it wasn't for Jack Nicholson's incredible performance.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Alien[/post_page_title]
Another classic from the 20th century is Alien. Released a year before The Shinning in 1979, it was arguably the pinnacle of Sigourney Weaver's career. It's a must for fans of sci-fi and action.
In case your memory needs refreshing, Alien follows a space crew exploring a seemingly abandoned alien ship, where after the death of a parasite, a terrifying creature grows and begins killing off the crew one by one.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]A Streetcar Named Desire[/post_page_title]
If you're a fan of classic literature and Marlon Brando's, well, everything, chances are that you'll have seen A Streetcar Named Desire at least once. It's based on a play of the same name by Tennessee Williams.
The movie follows Southern belle Blanche DuBois as she moves in with her sister, Stella, and husband, Stanley, causing even more problems in what was already a volatile and violent relationship.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Little Shop Of Horrors[/post_page_title]
Over the years, there have been a lot of memorable musicals on the silver screen, but one of the most celebrated - and bizarre - is Little Shop of Horrors, which has forever changed how many people view plants...
Originally a Broadway musical, the story was adapted for the big screen in 1986. It has a plot not too dissimilar from Gremlins and centers around an unusual Chinese plant bought during a solar eclipse which turns its owner into something of a local celebrity after he discovers that it thrives on human blood.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]A Night To Remember[/post_page_title]
The Titanic disaster that abruptly ended the optimism caused by the Industrial Revolution - reminding us that we really can't control everything and it's first successful interpretation on the big screen was A Night to Remember.
As you can see, it's not so different from James Cameron's 1997 retelling of the story, but unlike Cameron's movie, it's believed by many to be more historically accurate. The only element it really falls short in is its portrayal of the ship sinking in one piece when, in reality, it split in two, but at the time of its release in 1958, that was what people believe happened.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Harry Potter[/post_page_title]
The Harry Potter franchise dominated the noughties and the earlier part of this decade, thrusting its three stars, Daniel Radcliff, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, into superstardom.
The three are pictured here behind the scenes of one of the later movies filming in London's Picadilly Circus. Radcliffe said that the first movie confirmed that he wanted to act long term. "I really wanna do this," he recalled. "I wanna pursue acting."
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[post_page_title]The Misfits[/post_page_title]
Marilyn Monroe became the archetype of the "dumb blonde" during Hollywood's Golden Age and she is pictured here on the set of The Misfits, which was directed by Monroe's third and final husband, Arthur Miller.
The Misfits was a notable movie for tragic reasons as it was the last completed work of both Monroe and Clarke Gabel - two of the biggest names Hollywood has ever produced. Monroe died a year after it was released, and by the time it hit the silver screen, Gabel had already passed away.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Braveheart[/post_page_title]
It's been voted one of the greatest movies of all time, and even if you're not Scottish, Braveheart will make you want to be. It follows the story of William Wallace, a hero who played a key role during one of the First Scottish Wars of Independence.
While the movie got a lot of things right, there's no doubt that it wouldn't have been anywhere near as good if it was not for Mel Gibson's iconic performance, particularly at the end when he bellows "Freedoommmm!"
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Jaws[/post_page_title]
"Duunnn dunnn... duuuunnnn duun... duuunnnnnnnn dun dun dun dun dun..." It's just two notes, but the Jaws theme tune is arguably the most instantly recognizable in cinematic history.
Steven Spielberg is pictured above on the movie's set. As you can imagine, a lot of people got very wet filming this incredibly iconic movie, which put a lot of people off swimming in the sea for life!
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Terminator[/post_page_title]
If you haven't seen Terminator, you've not lived - when it comes to movies at least. Starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, it's one of the most popular franchises in cinematic history.
Despite looking human, Schwarzenegger plays a cyborg who has been sent back in time to assassinate Sarah Connor, who goes onto reveal the secrets of Skynet - an artificial intelligence system that's the series' primary antagonist.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Lord of the Rings[/post_page_title]
Despite being made well over a decade ago, the Lord of the Rings movies are as impressive as when they were made by Peter Jackson, pictured below, in the early noughties.
He's pictured below having what was likely a well-earned break smoking one of the pipes that featured in the films. Maybe he went for a drink at the real-life equivalent of the Green Dragon later this day...
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[post_page_title]James Bond: You Only Live Twice[/post_page_title]
Pictured below is the custom made set for the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice. It's maker Ken Adam said: "I'll never forget [Bond producer] Cubby Broccoli asking me how much it was going to cost. I had no idea, obviously. And he said, 'Well, will a million dollars be enough?” And I said, 'Sure.' [laughs] A million dollars in 1966 was a fortune! But then my worries started, you know. Once he had agreed, I said, 'Well, can I do it for a million dollars?'"
" I [realized] that if something goes wrong, I’ll never work in film again. I had a lot of nervous moments," he continued. Thankfully, he managed to pull it off and the complete set was constructed at Pinewood Studios.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope[/post_page_title]
A New Hope is the first installment in the original Star Wars trilogy and it really set the scene for what was to come. As you can see from this behind the scenes picture, it looks as awesome as the more recent movies.
This movie follows Luke Skywalker on his journey to rescue the beautiful Princess Leia from the forces of the Dark Side.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Interview With The Vampire[/post_page_title]
We associate a lot of things with the 90s, but vampires certainly aren't one of them - even though the decade gave us one of the best vampire movies in existence, Interview With The Vampire.
In the unlikely event you're unfamiliar with the movie, it centers around the story an ancient vampire named Louis tells a modern-day journalist, who, unfortunately, doesn't listen to his tale of woe...
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial[/post_page_title]
Unlike Alien, a much more family-friendly alien movie is, of course, E.T., which follows the journey of an alien desperate to simply go home.
After the gentle alien gets stranded on Earth, he's helped by a kind young boy called Elliot, but things take a dramatic turn for the worse when E.T. gets sick, prompting governmental intervention.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]The Wolf Of Wall Street[/post_page_title]
Putting *that* scene with Margot Robbie to the side for a moment, The Wolf of Wall Street was a critical and commercial success but sadly didn't get Leonardo DiCaprio any closer to that coveted Oscar.
But as well all know, he finally got lucky with his role in The Revenant. In case you haven't seen it, The Wolf of Wall Street is based on real-life New York stockbroker Jordan Belfort's memoir, which accounts the extreme fraud his company was engaged in on Wall Street.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Some Like It Hot[/post_page_title]
This is the second movie starring Marilyn Monroe to make this list, and stars Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon who disguise themselves as women to escape trouble during the prohibition era.
As you can see, it's one of the earliest examples of drag on the big screen and the movie was a hit. It's so popular that it has an impressive 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, so it really is a bucket list watch.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Along Came A Spider[/post_page_title]
If a movie's got Morgan Freeman in it, you know it's guaranteed to be good. My personal favorite performance of his is as Red in The Shawshank Redemption, however, Along Came A Spider is another Freeman gem.
Freeman stars in the movie as detective Alex Cross, who is drawn out of retirement when the daughter of a US senator is kidnapped. It's the sequel to the movie Kiss the Girls.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]The Muppet Movie[/post_page_title]
Jim Henson was arguably the greatest puppeteer to ever live and one of his most beloved creation is Kermit the Frog, who starred in The Muppet Movie.
While it might look like Kermit is an animate fluffy being brought to life, in this behind-the-scenes picture, it's the puppeteer who is being given instructions. Needless to say, this snap was taken at just the right time.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Brokeback Mountain[/post_page_title]
The noughties might not have been that long ago, but LGBTQ+ rights have improved astronomically since then, something demonstrated by the homophobic criticism Brokeback Mountain faced on its release in 2006.
The late great Health Ledger is pictured above on the set of the movie, which centers on the romance of a rodeo cowboy and ranch hand and is set in the even more backward year of 1963.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Hook[/post_page_title]
While there's no doubt that Disney's Peter Pan is a classic, it's unrivaled live-action counterpart is Hook, starring Robin Williams as the boy who was never supposed to grow up.
But, as the movie's plot went, Peter Pan did grow up, but he is brought back to Neverland after the evil Captain Hook captures his children. He must then remember who he used to be to save them.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]John Wick 3: Parabellum[/post_page_title]
Keanu Reeves is very much Hollywood's man of 2019, and he is pictured below in a behind-the-scenes picture from John Wick 3, which was one of the most successful movies of the year.
This is what the critics had to say about the movie on Rotten Tomatoes: "John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum reloads for another hard-hitting round of the brilliantly choreographed, over-the-top action that fans of the franchise demand."
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Psycho[/post_page_title]
Pscyho is arguably Alfred Hitchcock's most well-known movie. It features one of horror's most iconic villains, Norman Bates, who owns the motel that secretary, Marion Crane, finds herself at after robbing her boss.
In fact, the 1960 movie is so iconic that in 1992 the Library of Congress described it as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Catch Me If You Can[/post_page_title]
In Catch Me If You Can, Leonardo DiCaprio stars as the brilliant Frank Abagnale, Jr., who, all before his 18th birthday, had worked as a doctor, a lawyer, and as a co-pilot for a major airline.
But his biggest claim to fame was his ability to forge, which enabled him to become the greatest bank robber the US has ever seen. The movie, as its title suggests, is about a bid to catch him...
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]The Rocky Horror Picture Show[/post_page_title]
Let's do the timewarp again! Come on - you know the words. The Rocky Horror Picture show is one of cinema's greatest cult classics, starring Tim Curry as a sweet transvestite from transexual Transilvania.
Curry is pictured below having his makeup done for the movie, which like Psycho, centres upon a meeting at a "hotel" (well, mansion) after the all-American couple Brad and Janet get stranded and ask to use a phone...
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince[/post_page_title]
The Harry Potter movies left such an irrevocable mark on the world of cinema that it only stands to reason that we'd have more than one behind-the-scenes picture from them.
Who'd have thought that Professor Snape ever got into trouble with muggles? Certainly not me, that's for sure. No one but Alan Rickman could have done the role of the potions professor justice.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind[/post_page_title]
Another legend of the acting world, who, naturally, was going to make at least one appearance on this list is Jim Carrey, who is pictured below in a behind-the-scenes picture from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.
I'm sure most of us have had our hearts broken (unless you've been incredibly lucky!) and wished that you could simply have your memory of the person who did the breaking erased. That's what this movie is about.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Edward Scissorhands[/post_page_title]
And a list that includes Jim Carrey was obviously going to have at least one mention of Johnny Depp, who is pictured below as the Frankenstein Edward Scissorhands in Tim Burton's iconic movie.
Edward Scissorhands is the tragic tale of a man created by a scientist who dies before he finishes completing him, leaving him with scissors for hands which makes any semblance of normal life impossible.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Molly Gunn[/post_page_title]
Hollywood has seen its fair share of tragically premature deaths over the years and another talented person who was taken too soon was Brittany Murphy, pictured below behind the scenes of Uptown Girls.
Murphy played more than a few comedy roles during her lifetime and in this movie, she stars as a 22-year-old living a seemingly charmed life as the daughter of a famous rock musician. Needless to say, things don't stay charmed in the movie.
[[pagebreak]][post_page_title]Richard III[/post_page_title]
Ian McKellen is a bonafide legend, and he has played countless iconic roles throughout his impressive career. While some of the more notable parts include the likes of Gandalf the Grey, he also became a literal old hat at retellings of Shakespeare's work.
Unlike the play it's based on, the 1995 movie is set in 1930s England. In it, after a bloody civil war which leaves the king and his heir dead, Richard's brother Clarence takes the throne. He then goes on a mission to claim it for himself.
