Some films inexplicably disappear into obscurity and are absolutely worth a new look. Films that dare to tell a profound love story over the course of three hours, but one characterized by fantasy and otherworldly experiences. And they also try to explain what it actually means to be human.
Other films are also worth taking a look behind the scenes. To see how much incredible lies behind the bizarre on screen. Both apply to dates with Joe Black. Apart from a supernatural romance from superstar Brad Pitt’s obscure repertoire, the film offers much more. Fittingly, you can stream it starting today with an Amazon Prime subscription.
In Rendezvous with Joe Black on Amazon Prime, Death learns to live and falls in love along the way
The film begins like so many classic love stories with an encounter. Boy (Joe Black aka Brad Pitt) meets girl (Susan aka Claire Forlani), very romantically in the café. Only shortly afterwards the unthinkable happens: Joe dies in a tragic (and really weird) accident.
But Susan doesn’t know anything about this. So she has no idea what’s really going on when Joe suddenly shows up at her door. He is here in the role of the Grim Reaper, who is supposed to accompany Susan’s father, the successful businessman William (Anthony Hopkins), into the afterlife. But Joe Black’s curiosity about human life wins out So both come to an agreement.
Universal
Brad Pitt in Rendezvous with Joe Black
William shows Joe life as a human being and what being human really is all about. Joe gives William a little more time for this. But a human life is above all one thing: complicated. And so the whole matter becomes unearthly complicated, as Joe himself slowly falling in love with Susan.
Leotards, baby shampoo and rubber dolls: the story behind the bizarre death of Joe Black
Joe Black is a relic from the time when absurdity still had a permanent place in cinema, even in tragic stories. An epic love story could sometimes begin with an epic, bizarre death scene. Joe Black gets run over. From two cars and with circus-like rollovers. But the origin story of this death scene is at least as crazy.
In an interview with Vulture, stunt coordinator Buddy Joe Hooker and special effects coordinator Robert Devine revealed that the accident was actually filmed as a real stunt. More or less. Since the time for rehearsals was very short, it was not filmed with a real person. Appearance: Rubber Pitt. Instead of a real person, a model of Brad Pitt had to step in. Which of course had to be made first.
Universal
Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins in Rendezvous with Joe Black
For this purpose, a mold was made for the double. But only after a vow to Pitt to destroy all doubles after use. They shouldn’t fall into the wrong hands, so that Brad Pitt sex dolls suddenly flooded the market. Pitt was then put into a skin-tight fabric cover and rubbed with baby shampoo – as an anti-stick layer. This is how Gummi-Pitt and his bizarre stunt came to light.
Whether out of curiosity or a longing for an old-fashioned, expansive romance: you can stream Rendezvous with Joe Black with an Amazon Prime subscription starting today.
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