To prepare himself, his crew and the cars for the movie sequence, McQueen and company went to the Cotati race course near San Francisco. Directed by Peter Yates, the film stars detective Frank Bullitt played by Steve McQueen who did most of his own stunt driving in the iconic car chase featuring a Ford Mustang 390 GT and Dodge. Le stockage ou laccs technique est ncessaire dans la finalit dintrt lgitime de stocker des prfrences qui ne sont pas demandes par labonn ou lutilisateur. In addition, the Ricochet Audio Network offers over 50 original podcasts with new episodes released every day. Two hitmen burst in shooting Stanton in the leg and Ross in the shoulder. The other less banged-up Mustang was purchased by a WB employee after all production and post-production was completed. So I was a little hesitant. (Look up Odessa steps baby carriage if youve never heard of it). [64], Steve McQueen's likeness as Frank Bullitt was used in two Ford commercials. [68] In November 2022, Bradley Cooper was cast as Frank Bullitt. He had a motorcycle collection. It was fantastic. Steve McQueens cool never goes away. Well, I wasnt going to argue, so I said, okay, fine. McQueens stint as a stunt driver didnt last long, however. Ford Mexicali. [31] The sale made it the most expensive Ford in the world. Want to know more about this location and its connection to Bullitt? The owner refused to sell, and the car now sits in a barn and has not been driven in many years. There were THREE cars racing wildly through the streets of San Francisco, making car chase history, although only two are seen in the movie. [53] Five nominations at the BAFTA Film Awards for 1969 included Best Director for Peter Yates, Best Supporting Actor for Robert Vaughn, Best Cinematography for William A. Fraker, Best Film Editing for Frank P. Keller, and Best Sound Track. We wanted some shots of the Mustang really burning the corners. The famous car chase was later spoofed in Peter Bogdanovich's screwball comedy film What's Up, Doc?, the Clint Eastwood film The Dead Pool, in the Futurama episode "Bendin' in the Wind", and in the Archer season-six episode "The Kanes". The driver of the Charger is Bill Hickman, maybe the most famous stunt driver of all time, he also played important roles in the chase scenes in The French Connection and The Seven-Ups, among many others. Yeah, that was a good one! We did lose a lot of hubcaps on the Charger. The Mustang was really just starting to fall apart., There was an incident which alerted the crew to take extra precautions while doing the car chase. They scared the hell out of him. They turn north, then west, then south uphill. Le stockage ou laccs technique qui est utilis exclusivement des fins statistiques. At the time, Keller was credited with cutting the piece in such a superb manner that he made the city of San Francisco a "character" in the film. Carey said they were gonna do a lot of jumping with it, and he said it had to be strong. There was class to the BULLITT chase, there was a reason for it, and thats one of the key things people forget: the greatest stunt in the world is worthless if there isnt a reason or story to it and BULLITT had a story point all the way through and a reason. There seemed to be a general atmosphere of professionalism and mutual admiration on the set. Like when theyre (Hickman and Genge) going up the hill and theyre after Steve and all of a sudden he disappears and they cant see him and the guy (Hickman) looks up and Steve appears in his rear view mirror. Of all the musclecars offered in the late sixties, why were these two cars chosen, and how were they modified to survive the torturous driving? [12][13][14][15], In 2007, Bullitt was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, as "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".[16][17]. He overshot a turn, smoked the tires and everything. We hopped it up because Steve wanted the car hopped up. [67], In February 2022, it was announced that Steven Spielberg would be directing and producing a new film centered on the Frank Bullitt character for Warner Bros. Pictures, with Josh Singer writing the screenplay. The producers used a 1968 Mustang GT390 and a 1968 Dodge Charger 440 to do the trick, along with some other cars from Ford. You couldnt really remember the complete story, if somebody asked you, unless you read the script, because the script was much better and made more sense., As filming of the chase progressed, Loftin wanted to see the daily work (rushes). Hickman and Steve were buzzing around the tracks, and it was pretty even. Mustang From Famed 'Bullitt' Car Chase Heads to Auction The owner of Steve McQueen's "hero car" figures the price could approach $5 million, or at least far more than the $3,500 his father paid. In reality they only filmed on sections of the route but thats movie business for ya! in. They were even the subject of a documentary in 2003. Im not going to cite a particular favorite, but this topic provides an opportunity to rant on how terrible most car chases have gotten since the advent of computer graphics. But it looked like hell., His confidence in Mr. Houstis is evident as he relates another incident. Hence, I appreciate the original Gone in 60 Seconds (1974) because they used only a single Mustang throughout the movie (though they had to do some significant patching after a stunt driver missed a mark and the Mustang hit a lamp post it wasnt supposed to). They then are headed north and turn from Larkin St. onto Francisco St. headed west. [23], Bullitt is notable for its extensive use of actual locations rather than studio sets, and its attention to procedural detail, from police evidence processing to emergency-room procedures. While examining the victim's luggage, Bullitt and Delgetti discover a travel brochure for Rome and traveler's checks made out to an Albert and Dorothy Renick. [30] The Mustangs' engines, brakes and suspensions were heavily modified for the chase by veteran car racer and technician Max Balchowsky. Zodiac, p. 96. To realize the famous scene of the pursuit, two Ford Mustang Fastback V8 GT 390 were lent by by the American brand to the production. [25] According to McQueen, "The thing we tried to achieve was not to do a theatrical film, but a film about reality. [43] Produced on a $5.5 million budget, the film grossed $19 million in 1968,[44] making it the fourth-highest-grossing film that year, and over $42.3 million in the US through 2021. I changed the distributor and all, but basically never had the engine apart on the Ford. Ron Riner remembers the stock Mustang had undercarriage modifications, not only for the movie, but for Steve McQueen. What we found out was that there is none; it was pretty much a hit and miss thing and, as Ron Riner put it, other people have tried to put the same combination together to get the same results and havent really done it. Mr. Hickman was one of the coolest drivers Ive ever met. Max Balchowsky tells us, there was a scene where the Charger passed a truck, and they only wanted to leave so much room on one side, and Hickman did it perfectly when he came by and took the bumper off the truck. McQueen gave the group a visual cameo appearance in the movie, "Bullitt," which was being filmed in San Francisco in April." In the scenes in the Charger with Hickman, he was scared to death. A true feat that is still cited today as an example by filmmakers around the world. I vote Bullitt as best car chase if for no other reason than Steve McQueen defined cool. Bullshit, Bullitt replies. Both were painted Highland Green and had the GT package with 390 CID engines. Stunt coordinator Carey Loftin got Bud Ekins to drive the Mustang for the bulk of the stunts. So Im partial to the breed. Among all of Hollywoods road movies, BULLITT unquestionably made film history with its original car chase sequences. The authentication revealed this to be the lost Bullitt car. Bullitt is famous for its car chase scene through the streets of San Francisco, which is regarded as one of the most influential in film history. Remember that banging going down? There's nothing to suggest that the as yet un-named, new Frank Bullitt movie will include a chase sequence. Shooting occurred over a period of weeks. My vote goes to William Friedkins attempt to top himself and the French Connection chase in the almost-forgotten To Live and Die in L.A. Wang Chung soundtrack notwithstanding. All Rights Reserved. The film was nominated for and won several critical awards. Local authorities did not allow the car chase to be filmed on the Golden Gate Bridge, but did permit it in Midtown locations including Bernal Heights and the Mission District, and on the outskirts of neighboring Brisbane.[33]. Realizing one of the two Mustangs was an S-code, Garcia had the car authenticated by Kevin Marti. [36] Paul Monaco has written, "The most compelling street footage of 1968, however, appeared in an entirely contrived sequence, with nary a hint of documentary feel about it the car chase through the streets of San Francisco in Bullitt, created from footage shot over nearly five weeks. The Hollywood Reporter's original . The story begins with Bullitt assigned to a seemingly routine detail, protecting mafia informant Johnny Ross (Pat Renella), who is scheduled to testify against his Mob cronies before a Senate subcommittee in San Francisco. BULLITT was also the first picture done with live sound (some of which was added later as needed). Later, we took both cars out and went playing around with them over by Griffith Park (near Los Angeles). In 1974 Marranca sold the car to Robert Kiernan through an advertisement in Road & Track. The picture stars Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn, and Jacqueline Bisset. [65] In a 2004 commercial for the 2005 Mustang, special effects are again used to create the illusion of McQueen driving the new Mustang, after a man receives a Field of Dreams-style epiphany and constructs a racetrack in the middle of a cornfield. A really good action movie IMO. Or sign in if you're already a member. I told Steve I knew a lot about camera angles and speeds to make it look fast. Im not that familiar with them anyway. It appears in the Movie Stars category, along with other famous cars such as the Ford Torino from Starsky & Hutch and the Ford Mustang Mach 1 from Diamonds Are Forever. And he flipped it around and he slid in backwards. The bad guys drive a 1968 Dodge Charger 440 Magnum. Robert Duvall has a small part as a cab driver who provides information to McQueen. Said Ron Riner, Pat Houstis was excellent and he was in his prime at the time. Carey Loftin has nothing but praise for Mr. Houstis and an amusing recollection. An extended chase ensues, through the streets of San Francisco and on to Brisbane, where the Dodge crashes off the road, killing its occupants in a fiery explosion. [55] Bullitt producer Philip D'Antoni went on to film two more car chases, for The French Connection and The Seven-Ups, both set and shot in New York City. Filming of the chase scene took three weeks, resulting in 9 minutes and 42 seconds of footage. They turn west and the next few scenes are inter-cut, reused footage of the same street sequence, as shown by repeated presence of the same Cadillac and a Green Volkswagen Beetle. Longer, faster and more action packed than anything before it, the 10-minute car chase scenefeaturing McQueen as Lt. Frank Bullitt chasing a black Dodge Charger while behind the wheel of this 1968 Ford Mustang GTwas the first to use cameras in a way that put the audience right inside the cars and alongside the actors. An iconic film of the 1960s that helped nurture the aura of star Steve McQueen, Bullitt really came into its own with its impressive car chase through the steep streets of San Francisco. It sure made Ford glass look good., The gentleman in the car, playing Bill Hickmans partner in crime, was actor Paul Genge. Bullitt was co-produced by McQueen's Solar Productions and Warner Bros.-Seven Arts, the film pitched to Jack L. Warner as "doing authority differently". It stars Steve McQueen, Robert Vaughn and Jacqueline Bisset. In the next scene the Dodge is going north, rounding Laguna onto Marina, having leaped six blocks. He was excellent.. From the interior shots looking forward inside the Mustang its easy to see which one is driving. Visit the building of Blade Runner before stopping at Hogwarts and finally landing in Jurassic Parkin the middle of the Hawaiian archipelago. And if you want to learn more details about the making of the chase scene Ive posted a nine-minute video below which discusses the making of the movie with an emphasis on the car chase. [73][74], Theatrical release poster by Michel Landi. Both Mustangs were owned by the Ford Motor Company and part of a promotional loan agreement with Warner Brothers. Unfortunately, the Charger missed the station, but the charges were set off and the explosion, thanks to some deft film editing, had the desired effect and was added to the movie. Or that the bus ofInto The Wild has been moved to discourage fans from spending the night there? Enregistrez mon nom, mon adresse lectronique et mon site web dans les cookies de ce navigateur pour la prochaine fois que je ferai un commentaire. And all these are sort of like the Wilhelm scream an in joke for movie buffs, I think. Le stockage ou laccs technique est strictement ncessaire dans la finalit dintrt lgitime de permettre lutilisation dun service spcifique explicitement demand par labonn ou lutilisateur, ou dans le seul but deffectuer la transmission dune communication sur un rseau de communications lectroniques. The BULLITT chase scenes were shot around Easter of 1968. [34] Ekins, who doubled for McQueen in The Great Escape sequence where McQueen's character jumps over a barbed-wire fence on a motorcycle, performs a lowsider crash stunt in front of a skidding truck during the Bullitt chase. Those cold blue eyes! That full scene (a little over ten minutes in length) is below. Bennett decides to wait until Monday and lets Bullitt investigate the long distance phone call to San Mateo. The island of Alcatraz appears in the windshield of the heros Ford Mustang Fastback GT 390, before giving way to the Coit Tower as the vehicle climbs Filbert Street. McQueens car in the movie has an interesting history as well. The engine sounds were dubbed in from a GT40, and used yet again in the Seven-Ups car chase. And it was Steves idea to put the big dent in the fender, to show that it got banged up and he didnt have enough money or the time to fix it., Warner Brothers purchased two four-speed Dodge Chargers at a Chrysler dealership in Glendale California, recalls Ron Riner. Adore galement voyager la recherche des lieux les plus emblmatiques de la pop culture. [citation needed] Driver's point-of-view shots were used to give the audience a participant's feel of the chase. The 13th episode of TV series Alcatraz includes a recreation of the chase scene, with newer models of the Mustang and Charger. He was still a kid., Balchowsky remembers I hardly had to anything to the Dodges engine, but what I was worried about was the strength of the front end. To shore up the front, Balchowsky revised the torsion bars, beefed up the control arms and added heavy duty shocks. When the time came to start shooting, the production managed to obtain the approval of the San Francisco City Council. But the story, according to Ron Riner was not the key element to the success of the movie. The chase scene was probably better than most at the time but its just not that realistic when compared to Bullitt. Also a San Francisco chase. Lost your password? I find car chases in movies from the 1970s and 1980s much more satisfying than most of the more modern fare because the older ones were more realistic in that the cars had to actually perform the stunts, and they tend to have longer shots, rather than the more modern rapid cut and splice techniques that make it hard to follow exactly whats going on. Finally, the frantic race ends outside the city on the Guadalupe Canyon Parkway, on the Brisbane side, after 10 minutes and 53 seconds. So he takes ridiculous risks in the chase in an effort to get himself killed (which he does not succeed in doing). After two or three time we almost had to bodily put tranquilizers in him, and put him in the car. DePalma has done quite well by only stealing from the best. They top a rise and Angel Island comes into view slightly on the left, placing them on about Stockton and Chestnut. Together, car and driver were the epitome of old . The plane is ordered to return to the terminal. Though boasting many merits, Bullitt, starring Steve McQueen at top form, is best known for the famous car chase, which lasts 10 minutes and 53 seconds. The effect was more than McQueen had bargained for. They were denied permission to film on the Golden Gate Bridge. The chase inBullitdoesnt have a baby carriage in it, now does it? the most famous car chase in the history of American film in stop motion withn hot wheels carsfrom the steve mcqueen movie Bullitt (1968) The car ended up in New Jersey a few years later, where Steve McQueen attempted to buy it. Percival(View Comment): [citation needed], McQueen based the character of Frank Bullitt on San Francisco Inspector Dave Toschi, with whom he worked prior to filming. But the director of BULLITT wanted a brand new car instead of an ex-police car, so I got the springs from a friend at Chrysler. He brought in Bill Hickman to play a part and drive the other car. Loftin recalls: I asked (the studio) what kind of guy were they looking for? They turn left or south, going uphill. Also included are additional cues that were not used in the film. You beat me to it. Id rather have his girlfriend with or without the car. (1986). [18], Bullitt was director Yates's first American film. Susan Encinas - Muscle Car Review, March 1987, View more fantastic advertising images in the Tunnel Ram Mustang gallery. It starts off in slow cat-and-mouse style, accompanied by a nerve-tingling Lalo Schifrin score, as Bullitt is tailed by two hit men. The other hitman was played by Paul Genge, who played a character who had ridden a Dodge off the road to his death in an episode of Perry Mason ("The Case of the Sausalito Sunrise") two years earlier. Writers Trustman and Kleiner won a 1969 Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for Best Motion Picture Screenplay. The chase sequence takes place over a number of non-contiguous streets in and south of San Francisco. Mr. Riner posed an interesting premise: did you realize that there wouldnt be an 01 car (the General Lee in Dukes of Hazzard) if we hadnt done BULLITT and Dodge hadnt sold so many Chargers?. That required heavy-duty parts and. Or is there an official count somewhere? When Steve did that, it wasnt on purpose. The next morning they were spraying my hair down and cutting it. Motorcycle Classics magazine reported the sale, observing the McQueen effect still obtains, meaning it went for 2 or 3 times the money it would have if he had not owned it once. Bullitt - Car Chase - Complete. One of his former machines just sold at auction. They turn from Laguna St., in front of Ft. Mason, onto Marina and in front of the Safeway. They really described Bill Hickman., Steve McQueen chats to young fans on location, The screenplay of the movie was written by Alan Trustman, based on the novel, Mute Witness by Robert L. Pike. So when McQueen reported for duty to find stuntman Bud Ekins sitting in his car, dressed as McQueen, he was furious. [39], The original score was composed by Lalo Schifrin to track the various moods and the action of the film, with Schifrin's signature contemporary American jazz style. Mafia men in a Dodge Charger tail Frank Bullitt, but he . Graysmith, Robert. The chase sequence combined several locations, located miles apart and edited together. and if you can run a car real hard up and down that hill its working pretty good., The day before the chase scenes were to be filmed, we went up to Santa Rosa and rented the track,said Balchowsky. We trimmed the tires down (on the Charger), we practically made them down to bicycle tires to try and handicap Hickman, and Bill just run them. Carey Loftin also recalls, we test ran the car at Griffith Park near the Observatory, up a long hill. This post was promoted to the Main Feed by a Ricochet Editor at the. The enduring scenes of the forboding Charger and the powerful Mustang have etched themselves in film making history. Before the filming could be done, the Charger and the Mustang required preparation. I had no idea what they wanted to do until I got there. To beef up the Mustang, Balchowsky started with the suspension, reinforcing the shock towers, adding crossmembers and reinforcements, exchanging the springs for replacements with higher deflection rates and replacing the stock shocks with Konis. According to Adler, "the ending should satisfy fans from Dragnet to Camus. The brief prologue is set in Chicago with the briefest establishing shot of the Chicago Sun Times Building and the Marina City Towers - though the action itself was, like the rest of the movie, filmed in San Francisco.. Detective Frank Bullitt (Steve McQueen) has to track down a . McQueen, at the time a world-class race-car driver, drove in the close-up scenes, while stunt coordinator Carey Loftin, stuntman and motorcycle racer Bud Ekins, and McQueen's usual stunt driver, Loren Janes, drove for the high-speed parts of the chase and performed other dangerous stunts. Chalmers holds Bullitt responsible for the injuries to Ross. It ran good, needed just a few little adjustments. In the greatest car chase in film history, Steve McQueen's Ford Mustang GT chases down bad guys in a 1968 Dodge Charger. Loftin, when you need me for a closeup you WILL let me know, wont you?, As for the cars, Max Balchowsky tells us, I suggested they get a 390 GT. Consequently, it was Elkins who drove the car down hilly Chestnut Avenue. Cathy, who has followed him, is left horrified by the scene. [41] This release also includes re-recordings of the 1968 soundtrack album arrangements for some tracks. In 2000, the Society of Camera Operators awarded Bullitt its "Historical Shot" award to David M. Walsh. The Mustang's interior rearview mirror goes up and down depending on who is driving: when the mirror is up, McQueen is visible behind the wheel, when it is down, a stunt man is driving. My wife owns a 65 Mustang that has been in her family since the day it left the showroom (her uncle bought it, later gave it to her grandmother, who gave it to her father, who gave it to her). Rdacteur de presse et auteur des livres Le Heavy Metal au cinma, Paroles de fans Guns N' Roses, Paroles de fans Rammstein et Welcome to my Jungle : 100 albums rock et autres anecdotes dpareilles. When the Charger does a U-turn on what is Precita Avenue to follow the Mustang, a storage tank on Potrero Hill, in the southeast part of SF, is visible in the distance. At 1am Sunday, while Stanton is phoning Bullitt to say Chalmers and a friend want to come up, Ross unchains the room door. Sanchez and Garcia are now in the process of giving the car a full restoration. Steve liked the sound of the car and he wanted mags. [62][63] In the 2011 video game, Driver: San Francisco, the "Bite the Bullet" mission is based on the famous chase scene, with licensed versions of the Mustang and Charger from the film. Please enter your email address or username. The film also received the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Cinematography (William A. Fraker) and the Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing Feature Film. The best teeny things came up in it, the best stuff was Steves ideas. Published Dec 25, 2021. Bullitt is a 1968 American neo-noir action thriller film[4] directed by Peter Yates and produced by Philip D'Antoni. Well, if were just going to ignore the rules entirely : That was good. 562K views 2 years ago #SteveMcQueen #CarChase #60s A visual and verbal breakdown of the famous car chase to the 1968 American crime thriller starring Steve McQueen Bullitt. The guy who did special effects devised the chain balls that bust the Mustang windshield. Well that was a great turn of events. Chalmers suggests to Bullitt that the situation can be exploited to benefit both of them. They drive downhill or north, towards the Bay, and turn west in front of the same Caddy, several blocks north of Van Ness. [59] In 2009, Bud Brutsman of Overhaulin' built an authentic-looking replica of the Bullitt Mustang, fully loaded with modern components, for the five-episode 2009 TV series, Celebrity Rides: Hollywood's Speeding Bullitt, hosted by Chad McQueen, son of Steve McQueen. See where the "Fast and Furious" movies and "Mad Max: Fury Road" land on our list. In the emergency room operation scene, real doctors and nurses were used as the supporting cast.