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Post by harmonica on Jul 30, 2009 4:04:44 GMT -5
Bronson made some really demanding dangerous scenes himself and some very spectacular fights.It's really worth to talk about in order to find out ho many dangerous scenes made himself. According to the making-of of "St. Ives" he made himself the elevator scene. www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7KxFIy8C3s |
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Post by chaney on Jul 30, 2009 10:24:50 GMT -5
Bronson was a great screen fighter and an excellent athlete. No doubt he was ballsy enough to climb onto an elevator cable several stories high for close-ups. But rest assured there were stunt doubles there for the more dangerous sequences such as falling down and catching the cables. No insurance companies would allow a star of Charlie's magnitude to attempt anything that had true risk attached.
It was common back then for stars to take credit for dangerous sequences and stuntmen to remain anonymous. Publicity and the filmmakers themselves often fostered this image. For years people were under the assumption that Steve McQueen did the motorcycle jump in THE GREAT ESCAPE, but it was his stuntman Bud Ekins who did that jump. Even today, Tom Cruise tries to pass off that he's doing dangerous stuff himself. No way.
Stunt coordinators worth their salt would never allow a star to attempt anything dangerous on a film they're running. First, it's taking away a big payday from one of their stuntmen. Secondly, if the star is hurt the coordinator's reputation in the business is ruined.
In regard to Charlie, I recall reading an interview with Archie Moore in which he said he did a double-take when the two were shooting BREAKHEART PASS. They were hanging off the side of the train and after the shot was done Charlie did a one-handed pull-up and was back on the top of the train. Archie couldn't believe how strong and agile Charlie was. Even there, stuntmen Howard Curtis and Tony Brubaker did the more dangerous sequences.
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Post by harmonica on Jul 30, 2009 12:33:11 GMT -5
I'm an athlete too and I know how difficult it is.I can do 15 pull-ups with two hands but not even 1 one-handed.I've tried it many times and it was just impossible for me and maybe I will never be able to achieve this.He must have been way too strong if that's true.Just think that he was 54 years old by that time.Imagine how strong he would be when he was 30, a few years after the mines and the WWII.If you take a look at some pictures from 50's like the ones from "Big House U.S.A." you 'll realize that he was even more muscular than what he was in 70's, it's reasonable.
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Post by chaney on Jul 30, 2009 15:13:11 GMT -5
I saw "Big House, USA" a year or so ago on TCM and was quite impressed at how muscular Charlie was. Definitely a much thicker look, like he was concentrating more on weights at the time as opposed to his usual free hand exercises.
I was able to do the one-handed pull up after some intense training some years ago. I'm 40 now and that was probably 20 years ago. I'm about Charlie's size at 5'9", 170. Still always amazed by the guy and his physique into his 50's. Maybe I'll start kicking that exercise around again using Charlie as motivation.
The way to build up the strength for the one-arm is to hold onto the wrist of the pulling arm with the other hand, gradually releasing gripping fingers as your strength increases. You can also move the gripping hand down to the elbow over time. Another trick is to wrap a towel over the bar and grip it with the other hand to stabilize yourself while you do one-handed pull ups. Also try doing "negative reps", lowering yourself slowly with only one hand. And keep pushing to do more and more regular pull ups.
Sometimes lighter people are the only ones who can do these no matter how much one tries. Then there are the genetically gifted. I bet Charlie could probably do them the first time he tried.
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Post by harmonica on Aug 1, 2009 5:02:36 GMT -5
How much did he weight?
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Post by chaney on Aug 1, 2009 10:33:46 GMT -5
I've seen Charlie's weight listed anywhere from 155 to 170 in various sources, with his height ranging from 5'7"-5'10".
I recall reading another pull-up story. On the set of SPARTACUS several Muscle Beach bodybuilders had been hired as extras and were passing the time away on the set with a contest to see who could do the most one-armed pull-ups. Some of them were able to do 1 or 2. Stuntman Richard Farnsworth, a wiry rodeo cowboy, jumped onto the bar and did 10 one-arm pull-ups and put all the bodybuilders to shame.
Farnsworth was noted in the business as an expert archer. In old westerns from the 1950's-1960's whenever someone was shot with an arrow it was Farnsworth who was firing them from off-screen into a protective plate the stuntmen would wear over their back and chest. It's interesting that archery was one of Charlie's hobbies, so maybe that sport should be looked at as a great arm-builder as well.
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Post by harmonica on Aug 2, 2009 5:06:57 GMT -5
70-77 kilos right?
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Post by harmonica on Aug 10, 2009 5:03:56 GMT -5
In the last scene of "Mr. Majestyk" it seems that it is Bronson who jumps through the window holding the shotgun and shooting.I also think that it's him who jumps in the truck shouting "Go".
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Post by maphillips3 on Aug 12, 2009 16:23:35 GMT -5
Thats pretty cool to here that from Archie Moore. He was a famous pro Boxer, and quite the athlete in his day, so if Charlie can get that kind of praise from a Pro Boxer, then you know you are strong! Chaney, what other comments did Archie Moore have too say about Charlie?
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Post by chaney on Aug 12, 2009 18:30:26 GMT -5
Unfortunately, I don't remember where I came across that article or if Archie said anything else in regard to Bronson. I only remember him talking about the pull-up and being impressed with how strong Charlie was.
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