Have you ever wondered what it's like to shoot an action film
where there are all kinds of impossible stunts and huge explosions?
It looks pretty dangerous onscreen but it's probably pretty safe,
right? I mean there must be highly qualified professionals working
to ensure everyone's safety. Now, imagine that you're working
on an action film in a former Communist republic where the film
crew is just learning how to perfect their explosions. The special
effects man is missing three fingers on one of his hands. His
assistant, also his wife, is herself a few fingers short of the
normal ten. Well, this actually happened to an acquaintance of
mine, Terry Barclay, a twenty-year veteran of stage and screen.
I cornered him shortly after his return from the Czech Republic
where he filmed the upcoming "Hostage Train" with Judge
Reinhold and Carol Alt. This is the story he told me.
Late one night, Terry gets a phone call. Does he want to work
on a movie? It'll be nine weeks in Prague in the Czech Republic.
He'll work nine days during that time. The rest of the time, he'll
get a car and spending allowance so he can have a great European
vacation. Apparently, Terry's worked with the producer and director
before on an action film called "Cyberjack." For the
current movie, "Hostage Train," they were having trouble
finding the right actor for a certain part. At the last minute,
they thought of Terry whose work they were already familiar with.
Terry thought about it for a minute and said, "Sure, what
the fuck." In less than 48 hours, Terry was on a plane to
Europe.
The film "Hostage Train" revolves around a cop named
'Jack' (played by Judge Reinhold) whose wife is murdered by a
master criminal. Terry plays Jack's boss, a police captain who
rides Jack's case.
The first day Terry arrived in Prague, he was fitted for wardrobe.
It seems that the wardrobe people were getting their clothing
ideas from TV shows from the 70s and 80s. Of course, these shows
would be currently in prime time over there. The costumer gave
Terry a rust colored plaid jacket, cobalt blue dress pants, a
bow tie, and a pale yellow shirt. If they shaved Terry's head
and gave him a lollipop, the time warp would have been complete.
Not wanting to look like an idiot, Terry decided to personally
update his look. He got together a much more current ensemble
consisting of black pants and socks, blue shirt, dark tie, and
a gray Tweed jacket. Apparently, the other main actors had to
perform similar makeovers on their appearance. Some of the bit
players and extras were not so fortunate. In one scene, a group
of supposedly rich and powerful investors were dressed more like
cheap encyclopedia salesmen.
After wardrobe was complete, Terry went to see the special effects
supervisor. Immediately, the 7-fingered Mr. Berger started looking
Terry over for places where he could place squibs. (A squib is
a small explosive used to simulate a bullet hit). Terry told Berger,
through an interpreter, that his character never gets shot in
the story. Berger was quite disappointed.
The first three days Terry was in Prague were heavy with explosions
and stunts. This was when they shot an action sequence where an
old warehouse goes up in flames. The studio decided to use an
old Russian military base warehouse, abandoned since the fall
of the Iron Curtain. Everything was set up for the scene. Mr.
Berger and his 7-fingered wife had rigged up all the effects they
wanted. The director yelled "Action," and Terry's stunt
double came racing out the warehouse door as a huge explosion
went off knocking him to the ground and turning the building into
a huge incinerating fireball.
"Cut!" the director yelled, "Great job, everyone."
There were smiles all around but Terry was grimacing. Apparently,
Berger had neglected to open the twenty-seven windows in the warehouse.
As the explosion went off, there was glass flying everywhere.
Furthermore, the closed windows made it more difficult for the
trapped air to escape. The result: the roof actually lifted off
the building. The stunt double suffered second degree burns on
his neck and the back of his head. Luckily, nobody else was seriously
hurt. In situations like this, everyone has to watch out for themselves
at all times and be extremely alert and aware of what's going
on.
After the first three days, Terry got a break from shooting and
took advantage of the time to tour Europe. Prague was an ideal
starting-off point, being located in the center of the continent.
The city itself is somewhat of a cultural mecca. Among other things,
Terry went to see a performance of Mozart's "Don Giovanni"
in the very theater where the original performance was held. Using
his daily allowance and complementary car, Terry bravely traveled
through parts of Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic without
an interpreter. If things got really rough, there would always
be some local on hand who could speak a little English.
Back on the film set, this wasn't always true. Although there
were at least a dozen interpreters on the film shoot, sometimes
this still wasn't enough. The director, who spoke English, would
give his instructions. The direction would then be repeated in
Czech by a translator to the crew. If there were any questions
or things to be worked out, these had to be done through the translator.
Sometimes, it would take up to half an hour to change a camera
lens.
Then, there was the food problem. The American actors brought
in to star in the movie expected that meals would be provided
comparable to North American standards. Well, they didn't get
it. Things were so bad that a producer flew out from Los Angeles
to supervise appropriate menus. She arranged for the hotel restaurant
to make the meals in the morning, and then have someone transport
them to set and heat them up when needed. Terry decided to opt
for the full Czech experience and shared a regular staple of boiled
pork, potatoes, and overcooked vegetables with the crew.
Since the end of Soviet domination a few years ago, the Czech
Republic has been making great strides in catching up to the economy
of the capitalist West. Film production is but one facet of this
increased economic activity. The Czechs have a rich cultural heritage
which includes authors like Franz Kafka and composers like Antonin
Dvorak and Bedrich Smetana. Once the local Czech crews get adjusted
to the techniques and politics of modern film-making, it would
be interesting to see what the indigenous film-makers create.
All in all, it was quite an experience for Terry. He got a great
European vacation and an interesting character to portray. Terry
hopes to work there again some day.
