Movies and stunts go together. Crew and film go together. John Landis and movie directing…ehhh…err…maybe not so much.
So… who is he? And why does he deserve to be shamed in the name of movie-making?
John David Landis is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. He has directed a lot of movies and some are now considered classics, like Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and the comedies “Trading Places” and “Three Amigos.”
He´s also directed many more major, which all mostly turned out all right…except for all the accidents and broken rules that wveryone -viewers, crew, and other directors alike – apparently oversaw.
During his movie production saga, though there was always the lure of profit, there were also incidents of crew being run over by trains or actors being decapitated in gruesome incidents. But no production ever reached the level of infamy of the making of the 1983 film, Twilight Zone: The Movie.
During the picture’s production, actor Vic Morrow’s character was to carry two Vietnamese children across a river to safety as a village exploded behind them, all while being chased down by a huge military helicopter.
But there was more. Later, investigators later found out that the children weren’t even legally allowed to work at that late hour; further, no on-set child-welfare worker would have permitted them to work in such close proximity to explosions or a helicopter.
Even worse, the helicopter pilot had almost no communication with the director or the special effects crew, the scene was poorly rehearsed and planned, the explosions causing the helicopter to smash into the river and kill Morrow and two children, Myca Dinh Le, age 7, and Renee Shin-Yi Chen, 6.
That would’ve been enough to ruin anyone’s career, but afterward Landis kept making movies and the death count only grew.
In Braddock: Missing in Action III, a helicopter crash killed four Filipino soldiers. In 2014, during the filming of “Midnight Rider,” a camera assistant named Sarah Jones was run over by a freight train. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed in the “Rust” set in 2021, and actor Bradon Lee was killed in the production of 1993 film “The Crow.” And yet, despite all that, it took three years for the case to come to trial. Landis, Folsey and three other defendants were charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Huh. A great mind turned evil? The uncovering of a hidden truth and bad guys brought to justice?
Might make a great movie.
So… who is he? And why does he deserve to be shamed in the name of movie-making?
John David Landis is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and actor. He has directed a lot of movies and some are now considered classics, like Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” and the comedies “Trading Places” and “Three Amigos.”
He´s also directed many more major, which all mostly turned out all right…except for all the accidents and broken rules that wveryone -viewers, crew, and other directors alike – apparently oversaw.
During his movie production saga, though there was always the lure of profit, there were also incidents of crew being run over by trains or actors being decapitated in gruesome incidents. But no production ever reached the level of infamy of the making of the 1983 film, Twilight Zone: The Movie.
During the picture’s production, actor Vic Morrow’s character was to carry two Vietnamese children across a river to safety as a village exploded behind them, all while being chased down by a huge military helicopter.
But there was more. Later, investigators later found out that the children weren’t even legally allowed to work at that late hour; further, no on-set child-welfare worker would have permitted them to work in such close proximity to explosions or a helicopter.
Even worse, the helicopter pilot had almost no communication with the director or the special effects crew, the scene was poorly rehearsed and planned, the explosions causing the helicopter to smash into the river and kill Morrow and two children, Myca Dinh Le, age 7, and Renee Shin-Yi Chen, 6.
That would’ve been enough to ruin anyone’s career, but afterward Landis kept making movies and the death count only grew.
In Braddock: Missing in Action III, a helicopter crash killed four Filipino soldiers. In 2014, during the filming of “Midnight Rider,” a camera assistant named Sarah Jones was run over by a freight train. Cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was killed in the “Rust” set in 2021, and actor Bradon Lee was killed in the production of 1993 film “The Crow.” And yet, despite all that, it took three years for the case to come to trial. Landis, Folsey and three other defendants were charged with involuntary manslaughter.
Huh. A great mind turned evil? The uncovering of a hidden truth and bad guys brought to justice?
Might make a great movie.