Saturday 28 September 2013

Unscripted Scenes, Funny Mistakes & Genius Improvisation.

Most films tend to have that one really iconic scene, perhaps made famous by a certain line. But what fascinates me is that some of the most unforgettable moments, scenes and lines to ever hit the big screen, weren't even suppose to happen! Even though the screen writers might hate it, sometimes the actors quick thinking or even mistakes can make that scene so much better. Here are some examples...

Shaun of The Dead - 2004 - Winchester Pub Ex-Porn star Scene


Firstly I would just like to say this is personally the best zombie-comedy film I've ever watched. So if you haven't seen it, I recommend it! Okay, so in this scene Ed played by Nick Frost is trying to cheer up his mate Shaun played by Simon Pegg who has just been dumped by his girlfriend. To do so he begins to describe some of the pub regulars, and tells Shaun that the old lady in the corner is an ''Ex-Porn Star'' and says ''she's done it all'' then does some rude hand gestures. Nick Frost was told to describe these people in the pub but wasn't told what actually to say, so it was all improvisation, but luckily Nick's a funny guy. As it was unscripted, Simon Pegg clearly found it rather amusing and  had no idea Nick was going to say that, which is why his laugh is completely genuine . I love this because you can tell Peggs previous laugh is so fake compared to his real one.

The Usual Suspects - 1995 - The Line Up Scene


The writer of this film only wrote one line for this scene and that was ''Give me the keys, you f*cking c*cksucker!''. It was then down to all five individual actors to deliver the line any way they wanted. In fact the writer is actually playing the cop interviewing them, he literally couldn't understand what Benicio Del Toro was saying, which is why he says ''in english please?''. Del Toro's reaction and the laughter was also unscripted. After watching the  commentary I find out that they were actually all laughing not because of Del Toro's mumbled answer, but because he actually farted. Charming.

Being John Malkovich - 1999 - Think Fast! Scene


In this scene two men, John and Craig are simply arguing, no violence, just talking . However just after they have finish their argument and Malkovich is leaving the scene, some randomer throws an empty can at John Malkovich and says ''Hey Malkovich! Think Fast!''. This guy must have seriously good aim, as it hits him right on the noggin! This particular unscripted scene will always be my favorite. Purely because the guy who throws the can is actually a drunken extra who really shouldn't be there and secondly because those who know of Malkovich will know that his little tantrum reaction was 100% genuine. You would have thought the extra was fired, but no, his pay check actually went from £100 to £700 because Spike Jonze the director decided to keep this moment in the final cut because he thought it helps to convey Malkovich's frustration. C'mon, who doesn't love Hollywood A-listers being made a fool of. Cracks me up every time I watch it! The extra deserves a pat on the back and some serious lad points.

Reservoir Dogs - 1992 - Ear Cutting Scene 


The script for Tarantino's violent Crime-Thriller, scripted that Mr. Blonde played by Michael Madsen was to torture Officer Nash by cutting off his ear with a razor. However, Tarantino didn't give Madsen any specific directions on what to do once the gruesome task had been done. Therefore all of Madsen's lines and actions after this point were all improvisation, including him saying ''Hey what's going on, can you hear that'' to the Nash's cut off ear, and all the dancing was also Madsen's idea. I can't imagine this scene with out the dancing or that line. Tarantino's decision to let Madesn take over was so the right think to do. Sometimes it's best to let an actor do what they do best! 

The Shining - 1980 - Heres Johnny! Scene


Okay, so this next one just proves what a genius actor Jack Nicholson truly is. Wendy and her son Danny hide from the deranged Jack Torrance played by Nicholson in a hotel bathroom. Jack begins chopping through the door with a axe and as he sticks his face into the broken opening, he shouts the phrase "Here's Johnny!" previously made famous by a chat show host called Johnny Carson. The line was not even apart of  Stanley Kubrick's original screenplay and was completely improvised by Nicholson. This is one of, if not the most well known and forgettable movie lines/scenes in film history, and can you believe it, it wasn't even suppose be in the film! Full credit goes to Nicholson!

The Dark Knight - 2008 - Delayed Hospital Explosion Scene


Originally the joker, played by Heath Ledger was suppose to walk down the street while the explosion at the hospital began, get on the school bus in a scripted pause, and then the bus would drive away while the explosion finished.  However, Ledger mistakenly forgot all about the pause and literally thought that the explosion stopped working half way through. So he started to jokingly fidget with the remote detonator. Then when the explosion began again (like it was scripted to) Ledger's quick jump is his genuine shock reaction as he didn't realize the explosion would start again. Christopher Nolan, the director, decided to keep this in the film because he said it brings a slight amount of dark humor to what would have just been a serious scene. 

Taxi Driver - 1976 - You Talkin To Me? Scene


If you have never heard the quote ''you talkin to me!?'' then, no offence but you have been living underneath a rock, because this is one of the most well known lines and iconic scenes ever created. Credit goes to both Robert DeNiro who is playing Travis Bickle which is our psycho and  the director, Martin Scorsese. For this scene the only direction that the screen play gives is 'Travis talks to himself in the mirror'. It was left up to DeNiro to decide what Travis was going to talk to about, in result the line ''you talkin to me!?'' hit the screens. However we have to give some credit to Scorsese as well , because his the guy behind the camera saying, i don't like the way your saying that, say it again, but differently. Which is why Travis repeats this line so many times. 

Goodfellas - 1990 - Your a Funny Guy.. Funny How!? Scene


As well as Taxi Driver, this is another great film directed by Martin Scorsese. Those who have seen this rather violent gangster flick will know that this scene really stands out in the film, especially as it emphasizes Joe Pescis quick tempered personality. In this scene Tommy played me Pesci is telling everyone his joke, and the atmosphere is all very jolly, but when Henry Hill played by Ray Liotta harmlessly calls Tommy a ''funny guy'' the mood suddenly stops when Tommy aggressively replies to Henry by saying ''Funny how!? Am I a clown!? Am I here to f*cking amuse you!?''. Amazingly this entire conversation, including Tommy's joke is all improvisation, no wonder Ray Liotta's reasons were a bit slack. 

Annie Hall - 1977 - The Sneeze Scene


This next one is actually  hilarious as it's such an unlucky thing to do, possibly the best film mistake to ever stay into a film and just proves that Woody Allen is genuinely a pretty clumsy guy. New-Yorker Alvy (Woody Allen) is about to snort cocaine for the first time, however just as he takes a quick peek, he accidentally does a  violent sneeze right into the tin holding it all, causing the white powder to go everywhere. Bless him. The surrounding actors' laughter was completely spontaneous, in fact they had to cut the scene short because they couldn't stop laughing . They weren't even properly filming, it actually happened in a rehearsal, but Woody Allen decided to add it in his film because audiences seemed to love it. Moral of the story; Never do cocaine with Woody Allen.

50/50 - 2011 - Head Shaving Scene


Have you ever noticed that with the film 50/50 every single movie poster or even trailer, revolves around the head shaving scene, when in fact the script of this film never even asked the main character to have his head shaved, this was all Joseph Gordon-Levitt's idea. He then made the decision to film it happening. So Seth Rogan and Levitt improvised the entire scene all in one take. Therefor I'm pretty the camera caught their real reactions while the two of them got to grips with Josephs new look. 



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