Actors don’t show anything. At least that’s how it happens that even the best performances occasionally arise from absolute nightmare filming. A famous example can now be seen on Amazon Prime: For Vast Land, director William Wyler pushed his stars Gregory Peck (To Kill the Nightingale) and Jean Simmons (Spartacus) so far that they left the set and were distraught for years.
On Amazon Prime: A western highlight that was a complete nightmare to shoot
Wide Country revolves around former captain James McKay (Peck), who travels to the Wild West to marry his fiancée Patricia (Carroll Baker). Their father (Charles Bickford) has a bitter feud with his rival (Burl Ives). As McKay tries to pacify the conflict, he finds himself in the line of fire.
Check out the trailer for Wide Land here:
Wide Country – Trailer (English)
For a film with a pacifist-minded hero, reports from the filming read like experiences from a war. Wyler’s tendency to demand countless takes of a scene from his actors without explanation drained the stars. As Express explains, Simmons could only talk about the trauma of the shooting about 20 years later. Her performance was made extremely difficult by constant rewrites of the script.
Gregory Peck stormed off the set in the meantime, while Wyler told the press he would “not for a million dollars” work with the actor again. 65 years later, the Western is considered a masterpiece. Empire ranks it among the 500 best films of all time.
Podcast: The 10 most exciting streaming films in December on Netflix, Amazon and Co.
Do you still need recommendations on what to watch during Advent and Christmas? We introduce you to the most promising streaming films in December:
At this point you will find external content that complements the article. You can display it and hide it again with one click.
There are exciting new releases this month among the streaming services’ own productions. They range from Netflix’s sci-fi blockbuster of the year to fairy tales and Mark Wahlberg action to a new Harry Potter film.
*. If you purchase through these links or take out a subscription, we receive a commission. .