The Huntley Hotel, located at 1111 2nd Street in Santa Monica, which had just opened weeks before filming began, was also used. Other notable filming locations included 7655 Curson Terrace, a home that had been rented by The Beatles earlier that year because of its sprawling views of Los Angeles, as well as its state-of-the-art design. It was also the first to film to be shot inside of the infamous Alcatraz prison, which had closed three years earlier, in 1963. The production of Point Blank was filmed entirely on-location in Los Angeles and San Francisco. “It’s an effect that the audience would never be able to articulate but that they absolutely feel.” -Steven Soderbergh An example of the use of the color yellow in “Point Blank” with Angie Dickenson and Lee Marvin off Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. In fact, yellow paint was used on things like a telescope near the Santa Monica shoreline, as well as on columns in a parking garage, in order to emphasize the use of color throughout these scenes. In the film, there are a lot of grays used throughout the early scenes, transitioning to greens and yellows later in the movie. The art direction was done in an intentional manner to gradually become more vibrant as the movie goes on. Several scenes were acted out in an improvisational manner during this process, and would later be incorporated into the final shooting script. Prior to filming, there were several days of rehearsals at Marvin’s home. Marvin and Boorman were adamant about keeping the non-linear structure of the novel intact, and made sure that the script, and later the editing, would reflect the spirit of Westlake’s novel. Lee Marvin and Sharon Acker filming a scene in “Point Blank” at 1338 Miller Drive in West Hollywood. Carrol O’Connor (All In The Family) was cast as “Brewster,” head of the crime syndicate that Walker wants his money back from. Newcomers John Vernon ( National Lampoon’s Animal House) and Sharon Acker (Lucky Jim)were cast as Walker’s business partner, “Mal Reese,” and his wife “Lynn Walker,” respectively. However, Boorman and Marvin insisted upon Angie Dickenson (Dressed To Kill), who was ultimately cast. MGM wanted Stella Stevens (The Poseidon Adventure) for the role of “Chris,” Walker’s sister-in-law, and love interest. The budget for Point Blank was set at $2 million and with Marvin cast as lead, the other roles needed to be filled. So on my very first film in Hollywood, I had final cut and I made use of it”. He said, ‘I defer all those approvals to John.’ And he walked out. ‘And I have approval of principal cast?’. “(Marvin) said, ‘I have script approval?’ They said ‘yes’. Angie Dickenson and Lee Marvin filming “Point Blank” off Ocean Avenue in Santa Monica. Lee Marvin used his significant clout in Hollywood, and was able to secure multiple meetings with the head of the studio, the producers, as well as with his agent, and John Boorman. I can only imagine a very young Mel Gibson was walking along and picked it out of the gutter.” – John Boorman “When Mel Gibson did a remake of this picture, the script that he shot very much resembled the script that Lee Marvin threw out of the window. Both Boorman and Marvin thought the script was terrible, but they agreed that the story, and the main character of “Walker,” was fantastic. Angie Dickenson and Lee Marvin during the filming of Point Blank at 7655 Curson Terrace in Los Angeles.īoorman reached Marvin and they discussed the project at length. Winkler sent the script to his friend John Boorman ( Excalibur) and tasked him with finding Marvin and getting him interested in the project. Marvin was in London working on The Dirty Dozen (1967) and they were unfamiliar with the city, and how to track him down. The pair were eager to cast Lee Marvin (The Big Red One) as the lead and begin production. In 1966, Irwin Winkler had just completed the production of his first motion picture, Double Trouble (1967), starring Elvis Presley, when his associate Judd Bernard approached him with the script for Point Blank. The movie Payback (1999) was also based on this novel. Westlake’s (written under the name “Richard Stark”) 1963 novel The Hunter, about a thief who is betrayed by both his wife and partner, and works his way through a crime syndicate to get his money back. “(Point Blank) is a film that I’ve stolen from so many times.” -Steven Soderbergh Lee Marvin entertains Angie Dickenson and the crew on the set of Point Blank at 7655 Curson Terrace in Los Angeles. Filmmakers such as Steven Soderbergh ( The Limey) and Quentin Tarantino ( Once Upon A Time In Hollywood) have cited aspects of this movie including its unorthodox editing and use of bold colors as having a large impact on their style. Point Blank, released in 1967, is widely considered to be one of the best and most influential movies of the 1960s.
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