A couple of months ago, I wrote an article about how Buster Keaton it was there Tom Cruise of the silent film era. It’s not hard to see the comparisons between Cruise and Keaton, especially with the Mission: Impossible franchise. Well, it turns out that Mission: Impossible – Showdown was greatly inspired by silent film era films by the likes of Keaton, Harold LyodAND Charlie Chaplin.
During a Letterbox promotional video for Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part Onedirector Christopher McCarrie talked about how the silent era, slapstick comedy and stunt driven movies inspired the film, especially Keaton’s film The general. He said:
“Let’s start each of these movies by going back to Harold Lloyd, Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and watch Safety Last!, Sherlock Jr., City Lights, Modern Times. The General is the biggest. If you watch The General, you’ll see that his influence about this film in particular is absolutely evident. The fact that it is 100 years old and still considered one of the greatest films ever made is – this is another one that tops tonight’s recommended viewing list.”
It’s really not hard to see the comparison between Showdown AND The general, especially with that climactic train sequence. If you haven’t watched some of those silent films in a while, they’re worth a revisit! It’s pretty amazing to watch the stunts they pull in those movies.
Another movie the director mentioned was John Frankenheimeris the classic WWII thriller from 1964 The train. This is a film that he and Cruise “researched hard” during development The showdown starts first. McQuarrie admitted that he can’t even imagine trying to make that film without CGI to help him make it.
“I don’t know how the hell they ever made that movie. It’s really an amazing achievement. Having now done a train sequence, I – if you’d handed me that script, I would have been running screaming. It’s amazing what they accomplished in that era with that technology. It’s all practical. It has no CGI. There are more train wrecks than – it’s the original “Mission: Impossible”. It really is an incredible movie.”
Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One now it’s playing in theaters. You should watch it if you haven’t already! It’s Grrrrrreat!
by Joey Paur
Source: Geek Tyrant
Lloyd Grunewald is an author at “The Fashion Vibes”. He is a talented writer who focuses on bringing the latest entertainment-related news to his readers. With a deep understanding of the entertainment industry and a passion for writing, Lloyd delivers engaging articles that keep his readers informed and entertained.
