What was the last movie you watched?

Spiritual_Chaos

CarryTheZero said:

Wow. Finally got around to watching this. It did not disappoint. A tiny bit confusing at the beginning, but if you stick with it until the film moves to South America, it’s incredible. I truly don’t know how they filmed that bridge scene. It literally looks like it was seconds from disaster in real life as they filmed it. Soundtrack by Tangerine Dream was pretty great as well.

Saw it for the first time recently too. Like in the last couple of years. Absolutely loved the brutality of it. Would love to catch a screening of it.

CarryTheZero

D-Day said:

CarryTheZero said:

Wow. Finally got around to watching this. It did not disappoint. A tiny bit confusing at the beginning, but if you stick with it until the film moves to South America, it’s incredible. I truly don’t know how they filmed that bridge scene. It literally looks like it was seconds from disaster in real life as they filmed it. Soundtrack by Tangerine Dream was pretty great as well.

Sorcerer has been a permanent fixture on my eBay watchlist for years. There are inexpensive options to buy the Spanish release but I don’t like the cover written in Spanish.

AI knows some making of details about the bridge 😉 - just checked it.

The 12-minute collapsing bridge scene in William Friedkin’s 

Sorcerer(1977) was filmed entirely with practical effects on location in the jungle—specifically the Papaloapan River in Tuxtepec, Mexico, and earlier in the Dominican Republic—without the use of CGI or miniatures. It cost approximately $3 million, took several months to complete, and involved building a functional, yet intentionally rickety, 200-foot suspension bridge. 

Here is how Friedkin and his crew pulled off the scene:

• Engineering and Hydraulics:Production designer John Box engineered a bridge that could withstand the weight of the trucks while appearing fragile. While it looked like rotting logs and frayed ropes, the structure was supported by hidden steel cables and controlled by a concealed hydraulic system, allowing the crew to make the bridge tilt and sway.
• The "Truck Trap": The trucks were often lashed to the bridge via invisible cables to keep them from falling, but they still wobbled, slipped, and fell into the water five times during rehearsals and filming.
• Artificial Environmental Effects: Despite a drought that reduced the river to 18 inches, Friedkin created the illusion of a torrential storm using large pipes to redirect water, massive sewage pumps to create a current, rain machines, and helicopters to create wind.
• Real-Life Danger: The actors (including Roy Scheider) and stuntmen performed the scene inside the trucks while the bridge was collapsing, leading to a genuinely dangerous, "life-threatening" atmosphere.
• Camera Work: Friedkin used three cameras at different angles to capture the action in a single take whenever possible, with the footage showing the trucks genuinely breaking through wooden planks.
• Logistical Nightmares: The production was forced to abandon the original location in the Dominican Republic when a drought dried up the river, requiring the $1 million bridge to be dismantled and rebuilt in Mexico.

The scene is widely considered one of the most intense, practical stunts in cinema history, with Roy Scheider comparing the experience to filming Jaws. 

Nice! So crazy! It obviously was very real in the practical sense but even the rain storm looks real. Here is something I found from the director himself. Interesting stories. Also, a bit sad with comments of I’ll be fine if the box office is fine. The box office was not fine. But what a movie!

https://biblioklept.org/2023/08/09/william-friedkin-describes-creating-sorcerers-bridge-crossing-sequence/

CarryTheZero

Spiritual_Chaos said:

CarryTheZero said:

Wow. Finally got around to watching this. It did not disappoint. A tiny bit confusing at the beginning, but if you stick with it until the film moves to South America, it’s incredible. I truly don’t know how they filmed that bridge scene. It literally looks like it was seconds from disaster in real life as they filmed it. Soundtrack by Tangerine Dream was pretty great as well.

Saw it for the first time recently too. Like in the last couple of years. Absolutely loved the brutality of it. Would love to catch a screening of it.

Yeah, I would totally watch a screening of this.

EL91640

seanwon

Had to watch this again after Alex soloed Taipei 101.

seanwon

Pap

The Ballad of Wallis Island (2025)

Malroth

enjoyed...seemed original to me....glad my wife didnt walk in during sex scene.

CarryTheZero

goldrush

We watched all 5 of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies over the last few weekends. It was my son’s first time seeing them. The first 3 are still great fun, and the other 2 have some good moments.

EL91640