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Post by Spanish Phan on Jul 30, 2012 5:37:38 GMT -5
Hi all. I have finally managed to see "Survival Quest" and was amazed on how underrated and forgotten this little gem is. I actually enjoyed it a lot! In fact, I've found out that this movie was filmed in 1986 but sat unreleased for over 2 years. Chronologically, it was actually made before "Phantasm II" but the latter was filmed in the meantime and hit the screens before. Weird, isn't it? I have made some research over the net trying to figure out why "Survival Quest" was put on hold for so long, but could not find anything about it. Does anybody here know the reasons behind such a late theatrical release by MGM? Maybe Dustin our Chief Archivist or Kristen Deem can give us an insight or throw some light into this mystery...
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Post by postmortem on Jul 31, 2012 18:53:36 GMT -5
No idea why it took MGM so long to release, but "Survival Quest" was an ongoing project when I was hired onto "Phantasm II" as one of the first handful of pre-production crew in September 1987. In fact, several of the folks working on P2 had also worked on SQ. I wound up juggling duties on both films--with the post production of "Survival Quest"--helping out on some storyboards, writing press kits (and calling/interviewing the actors) and then helping the senior Coscarellis promote both Survival Quest and P2 back to back at the February 1988 American FIlm Market. I remember finally seeing "Survival Quest" at a movie theatre around 1989 (or 1990?) long after my time on P2 had ended. SQ was a clever little film, and a lot of actors in it went on to be stars in their own right. Thank you for noticing.
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Post by Spanish Phan on Aug 2, 2012 2:48:24 GMT -5
You're welcome, Kristen. Thank you for sharing your experiences during the making of SQ! I actually read your name in the end credits and I felt lucky to know (even if it just from an Internet message board) someone who has worked with one of my favourite filmmakers. I believe SQ is a very underrated and sadly forgotten film. The casting is awesome (specially Lance Henriksen, who delivers a wonderful performance) and the script was quite clever and well written. It had memorable quotes, many unexpected twists and the characters were likeable and well developed. Not to mention Daryn Okada's beautiful photography and Fred Myrow's powerful music! SQ may not be Coscarelli's best, but it is certainly far from being his worst (I actually believe Don does not have a single "bad" movie in his entire filmography, anyway). Kristen, do you think it's likely that MGM went into financial troubles and, subsequently, SQ's production was halted? I know MGM has gone into bankruptcy several times in the past decades... is the only reason I can think of. Also, after doing some more research, I found an online interview with Don Coscarelli where he mentions something very intriguing. According to him, between Phantasm I and II he made The Beastmaster and "filmed the first half of Survival Quest"... Does that mean that the shooting was interrupted and resumed after Phantasm II was completed? If that is what happened, it would mean that SQ was filmed in two different periods, the first one in 1986 and the second one in 1988... which does not show on screen AT ALL! Do you know anything about this? Anyway, the great mystery still remains: what happened at MGM to cause so much trouble during SQ's production? This has become a challenge! PS: I still think that Dustin must have something to say about all this... I hope he reads this post soon!
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Post by postmortem on Aug 2, 2012 14:01:03 GMT -5
You're actually the first fan who has--at least to my knowledge--spoken so kindly about SQ! :-D <<I actually read your name in the end credits and I felt lucky to know (even if it just from an Internet message board) someone who has worked with one of my favourite filmmakers.>> I feel lucky just having you say this (very kind). Could you tell my mom this...? lollol << I believe SQ is a very underrated and sadly forgotten film.>> I agree. The wilderness theme, I think, is a favorite of Don's. Notice that the survival theme crops up again in "On and Off a Mountain Road" years later. <<The casting is awesome (specially Lance Henriksen, who delivers a wonderful performance) and the script was quite clever and well written. It had memorable quotes, many unexpected twists and the characters were likeable and well developed.>> Lance is excellent in everything he does. One of the people in the film went on to become Don's wife. <<Not to mention Daryn Okada's beautiful photography>> Daryn is extremely talented. He did some fantastic work with both P2 and P3. A really nice guy too! <<Kristen, do you think it's likely that MGM went into financial troubles and, subsequently, SQ's production was halted? I know MGM has gone into bankruptcy several times in the past decades... is the only reason I can think of.>> You might be right. UA (United Artists) went out of business shortly afterwards, didn't they? It's sad to see classic studios going under. On the other hand, I think Don sold the film to the studoi after it was completed. So it may not have had anything to do with the studio. I never bothered to ask... Weird. <<Does that mean that the shooting was interrupted and resumed after Phantasm II was completed? If that is what happened, it would mean that SQ was filmed in two different periods, the first one in 1986 and the second one in 1988... which does not show on screen AT ALL! Do you know anything about this?>> A majority of the film was already completed in 1986/87. Don just filmed a few insert shots (mostly for the snow sequence stuff) in early 1988 just before the American Film Market screening. In fact, one of the P2 crew, Lynette, was in that longshot of a long line of people trudging up the hill. I still remember her laughing about that. Plus, Angus Scrimm contributed a funny line about liking "the smell of BBQ" for post production dubbing. << still think that Dustin must have something to say about all this... I hope he reads this post soon! >> Don't know if Dustin has anything to contribute on this. I can't ever remember him asking me anything about SQ. He always has a great take on things and does his research when he gets interested in a topic. <<Anyway, the great mystery still remains: what happened at MGM to cause so much trouble during SQ's production?>> I don't know if you know this, but one of SQ's crew members committed suicide during the summer of 1987. I don't know much about it (it cast a pall over things), except that he was a big "Phantasm" fan and a good friend with Don. In fact, I was told by Angus that Don and folks were asking if I might be prone to mental instability while they were considering whether to hire me onto "Phantasm II" (Angus put in a good word for me). On my first day on the job, I remember seeing SM's in box on the wall, and always feeling a bit awkward that I was filling his shoes/place on the P2 crew... It's possible this incident contributed to SQ's delay--or perhaps Don just really wanted to get rolling on P2 (since Universal was backing the project and we were on a tight deadline). I think SQ was even dedicated to this fan: wiki.tarantino.info/index.php?title=Scott_McGill&oldid=12287Something curious: IMDB says Scott was an assistant editor on P2. Totally untrue. Scott died in July 1987. Preproduction for P2 didn't even start until two months later, September 1987. I was one of the first of P2's crew. Someone at IMDB needs to do their research! lollol
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Post by algormortis on Aug 2, 2012 19:06:57 GMT -5
Spanish Phan, I also share your thoughts on Survival Quest. I always did enjoy this movie. I especially liked the interaction between Lance Henrickson's and Mark Ralston's characters. A great little film that has been part of my library for many years. By the way, postmortem may know, one of the Blue Legion guys sure looked alot like the crematory operator in P2...always wondered if it was the same guy.
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Post by Spanish Phan on Aug 3, 2012 6:38:45 GMT -5
Wow, Kristen... you cannot believe how much I appreciate so much detailed information on your side! You just rang a HUGE bell in my mind. A looooong time ago, I remember reading in a book or a movies magazine about Scott Magill. According to it, he was best friends with Tarantino and Roger Avary while the three of them where trying to pursue a carrier in the movie business. Although by the time of his death Scott had already reached further in the industry than his other two friends, he suffered from constant depressions and ended up committing suicide as he thought he would never fulfill his dream of becoming a filmmaker. The article also said he was an assistant editor in the first Phantasm, but that was surely a mistake as he must have been too young in the late 70's. It's very ironic (and sad) that just a few years later both Tarantino and Avary ended up directing movies while he was no longer with us... I have been YEARS looking for that article with no luck, until you just confirmed me all that info. I owe you a BIG THANK YOU! By the way, SQ is actually dedicated to Scott's memory, and also to some "Donald Loker" (know who this guy is?). I still have a hard time realizing that very few fans enjoy (or even have seen) SQ. Precisely, the "I like the smell of BBQ" line made me laugh out loud... I had no idea it was Angus's idea! By the way... who in the film ended up becoming Don's wife? According to imdb he is to Shelley Keye, but there is nothing about her being involved in SQ. You also said that Daryn Okada did a fantastic job in both P2 & P3... but I thought Chris Chomyn was P3's only director of photography. Did Daryn contribute in any way? Another interesting thing I would like to discuss is that the version I saw of SQ was originally heavily cut. In Spain it was called "Escuela de Supervivencia" (Survival School) and the copy I managed to get was dubbed into Spanish, but including many scenes and shots with the original English audio that were obviously not there when the movie was released here (otherwise, they would have been dubbed also). Just to make yourself an idea, the "snowy mountain" sequence was entirely cut, as well as the whole subplot involving the characters of Lance Henriksen and Mark Rolston after surviving Steve Antin's near-death attack. All those scenes were restored in the new DVD that came out in 2007, but not re-dubbed. Regarding this, I think I remember reading somewhere that Don made a new cut of the film when Anchor Bay bought the DVD distribution rights. That would mean that the original version of the movie shown in theaters back in 1989 was in fact heavily cut (but by whom and for what reason?) until Don could restore all the missing footage and present his director's cut in DVD. Do you know anything about this? And no... I don't need to tell your mom about you. She already has many reasons to be very proud of you! Honestly, Kristen, thanks again.
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Post by Spanish Phan on Aug 3, 2012 6:53:14 GMT -5
algormortis, the interaction between Lance Henriksen's and Mark Rolston's characters is easily the best scene in the movie IMO. It is very well written and both actors deliver a great performance.
The line "Survival in the wilderness is a matter of heart, not hardware" followed by Henriksen stealing Rolston's knife without him noticing, kept me in the edge of my seat! That moment alone is a genuine proof of how talented and skillful is Don Coscarelli as a writer/director.
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Post by postmortem on Aug 5, 2012 18:36:19 GMT -5
Wow, Kristen... you cannot believe how much I appreciate so much detailed information on your side! You are most welcome! You just rang a HUGE bell in my mind. A looooong time ago, I remember reading in a book or a movies magazine about Scott Magill. I have a friend, Pete, who once told me about that book too. It's weird having stuff of my own past cropping up in books. lollol According to it, he was best friends with Tarantino and Roger Avary while the three of them where trying to pursue a carrier in the movie business. Although by the time of his death Scott had already reached further in the industry than his other two friends, he suffered from constant depressions and ended up committing suicide as he thought he would never fulfill his dream of becoming a filmmaker. The SQ folks that had worked with him would just look sadly down at the ground and tell me Scott had had "problems." To this day, though, I still can't understand how someone with a guaranteed place on a "Phantasm" film--the dream of a lifetime (at least for me)--and just months away-- would throw it all away by jumping off a building. I feel really sad, too, for Scott's family. The guy must have been in a lot of mental pain. The article also said he was an assistant editor in the first Phantasm, but that was surely a mistake as he must have been too young in the late 70's. It's very ironic (and sad) that just a few years later both Tarantino and Avary ended up directing movies while he was no longer with us... I'm sure it was a mistake. Scott was one year younger than me. He was only 11 years old when "Phantasm" was being made. SQ is actually dedicated to Scott's memory, and also to some "Donald Loker" (know who this guy is?).No idea who Donald is. I didn't work on the actual SQ production back in 1986. I was still in college at the time. By the way... who in the film ended up becoming Don's wife? According to imdb he is to Shelley Keye, but there is nothing about her being involved in SQ. Yes, that's her. The on screen daughter of Ben Hammer's character. She went on to do costumes in P4, etc. You also said that Daryn Okada did a fantastic job in both P2 & P3... but I thought Chris Chomyn was P3's only director of photography. Did Daryn contribute in any way?Daryn did 2nd unit photography of spheres flying down the mausoleum corridors for P3. All those scenes were restored in the new DVD that came out in 2007, but not re-dubbed.I haven't seen any DVD versions of SQ. I used to have a VHS back in the early 90's. I'll have to look into getting a copy! That would mean that the original version of the movie shown in theaters back in 1989 was in fact heavily cut (but by whom and for what reason?)Yes, 1989 sounds right. I saw it in '89 or '90 while I was attending mortuary science school. It was very strange to go into a theater and see this when my life was now so different! Talk about flashbacks while watching the film! lollol No idea about who/why SQ was drastically cut. Maybe a running time situation? Honestly, Kristen, thanks again.You're most welcome. Have a good week! Thank you for a great thread!
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Post by floyd on Aug 7, 2012 13:19:54 GMT -5
Love the SQ! Lance Henrickson one of my favourite actor
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Post by Spanish Phan on Aug 9, 2012 7:40:55 GMT -5
Thx again, Kristen!
This deserves a DOS EQUIS... tonight, I'll be tossing one in your honour!
;D
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Post by Spanish Phan on Aug 9, 2012 7:46:22 GMT -5
Floyd, Lance Henriksen is hell of an actor. Mainstream audiences mostly know him for playing Bishop the android in "Aliens", but he has done better jobs. In my opinion, his best role so far is that of Ed Harley in "Pumpkinhead".
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Post by floyd on Aug 9, 2012 10:01:23 GMT -5
Yes, Bishop is his most famous role.
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Post by postmortem on Aug 9, 2012 12:57:24 GMT -5
"PROST!" (Cheers!) ;D
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Post by floyd on Aug 12, 2012 11:03:31 GMT -5
now revised the film. Cool!
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