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RICHARD ASHTON
Special to The Jewish News
a
Sometimes the tag of the "most
expensive film ever made" is the result r,--/\
of a filmmaker's self-indulgence.
Charlie Chaplin's City Lights was the
subject of Hollywood gossip as
Chaplin shot repeated takes in pursuit
of perfection.
Likewise, director Stanley Kubrick
is renowned for his 50-plus takes for a
shot. The Shining was rumored to
have had Kubrick demand 150 takes
from Jack Nicholson and Shelley
Duvall. History appears to be repeat-
ing itself with Kubrick's new Eyes Wide
Shut, which holds the record for the
longest production ever. Star Tom
Cruise has been shooting the film for
more than a year.
Given the effects of inflation and
changing cost structures of filmmak-
ing, it's a safe to say that Titanic is not
--/\
the most expensive film ever made.
Fox's Cleopatra would most likely still
reign as the most expensive film of all
time. In 1964 it cost an astronomical
$40 million — and cost the career of
rabbing the headlines as the
most expensive film ever
made is James Cameron's
Titanic. The $200 million
epic put two studios, 20th Century
Fox and Paramount, under financial
pressure as they feared a box-office
debacle.
It seems that every time a film gets
labeled as "the most expensive," it
receives the kiss of death at the box
office. Before Titanic, Kevin Costner's
Wzterworld held the record with its
staggering $150 million budget. True
to form, it was a bust, and the studio,
Universal, took a huge write-down on
the profit and loss sheets.
The fact of the matter is the publici-
ty that surrounds a film's budget brings
with it a mountain of press scrutiny,
making it virtually impossible for the
film to get fairly reviewed. When Ishtar
was released, star Warren Beatty rightly
complained that it was the budget
that was reviewed, not the film.
The reviews and audience reaction
to Titanic, however, have been very
strong, with claims it's well on the
way to grossing more than it cost.
However, what is remarkable is
that in 1997 there were more than
a half-dozen films with budgets of
more than $100 million. Among
them: Tomorrow Never Dies and
Speed 2: Cruise Control.
The real news, hidden from the
press, is the speculation that Warner
Bros.' Batman and Robin escalated
well beyond $200 million in nega-
tive cost. Somehow, the press specu-
lation passed by the George
"Titanic" is a blockbuster that is recouping
Clooney film. But over at Warner,
costs at the box office.
the balance sheet shows the film to
have been a financial disaster.
Every year a film comes along
studio head Darryl Zanuck.
and pushes the envelope in terms of
The most successful big-budget
cost. Usually this is the result of a
film
of all time remains Gone With the
"runaway" production in which the
Producer David 0. Selznick
Wind.
producers have been faced with
spared
no expense bringing Margaret
unforeseen costs. One of the more
Mitchell's
novel to the silver screen. It
infamously expensive films was Francis
was
the
most
lavish film of 1939. But
Sets
Ford Coppola's Apocalypse Now.
Selznick's
folly
turned into the biggest-
were destroyed by a hurricane in the
film
of
all time and the shin-
grossinc,
Philippines, putting Coppola months
ing jewel in Hollywood history.
behind schedule.