This is the fourth edition of  “On Set, Off Camera,” following the first in 2018 and two more last year. They consist mainly of shots of actors and directors caught in off-camera moments during the making of a movie, sometimes off-set, at home and elsewhere. Some of these are candid and some are posed, but I think they’re all interesting.

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I love this shot of Stanley Kubrick and Marlon Brando. This was probably around the time of One-Eyed Jacks (1961). Kubrick had been hired by Brando’s production company to direct, but stepped down just two weeks before shooting was to begin. Brando decided to direct it himself. One can only speculate on how that went down.

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Kubrick and Peter Sellers while shooting Dr. Strangelove (1964). Below this is a shot of Kubrick on the set of Dr. Strangelove, followed by several shots of him at work.

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Sidney Poitier and John Wayne on the set of The Greatest Story Ever Told (1965). Would be interesting to know what they were talking about.

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Great shot, isn’t it? Jerry Lewis and Martin Scorsese while making The King of Comedy (1962), yet another version of Taxi Driver.

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Scorsese and Robert De Niro during the remake of Cape Fear (1991).  I love their hand gestures.

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Scorsese with his parents at Christmas in Queens, New York, 1948.

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Martin Scorsese’s high school graduation photo.

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Elsa Lanchester and Faye Dunaway applying lipstick while shooting Bride of Frankenstein (1935) and Chinatown (1974).

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Director Alain Resnais and Delphine Seyrig while making Last Year at Marienbad (1961)

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Michelangelo Antonioni and Monica Vitti on location for Red Desert (1965). Great shot. The colors are amazing.

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Antonioni and Monica Vitti at the Venice Art Biennale in 1962.

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Brigitte Helm getting ready for two scenes in Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927).

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Fritz Lang shooting M (1931).

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John Cassavetes and Gena Rowlands, followed by a shot of Cassavetes shooting A Woman Under the Influence (1974) with Rowlands on the table and Peter Falk in the background, then a shot of John and Gena at their Moviola.

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Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward browsing for books in Paris, 1959.

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Akira Kurosawa and Toshiro Mifune in Venice, 1960.

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Kurosawa with Mifune and Takashi Shimura while during the making of  Stray Dog (1949). I don’t know the identity of the woman on the floor, but she seems to have their attention.

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Kurosawa with the cast of Rashomon (1950).

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Kurosawa with cast members while making Seven Samurai (1954).

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Henry Fonda, writer-director Preston Sturges, and Barbara Stanwyck on the set of The Lady Eve (1941), in what is doubtless a staged promotional shot.

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Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis on the set of Spartacus (1960)

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Tony Curtis and Marilyn Monroe, probably during the making of Some Like It Hot (1959). Could they be any more beautiful?

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François Truffaut and Jean-Pierre Léaud at Cannes in 1959 where The 400 Blows was shown. This was Truffaut’s first feature film as director and Léaud’s second as an actor. It was the beginning of a long and fruitful professional relationship.

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Truffaut directing.

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Frances Ford Coppola with daughter and future film director Sofia on the set of The Godfather Part II (1974).

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James Dean in a wardrobe test for Giant (1956). Below that is Dean going for just the right angle. I’m guessing this was in New York City. I really like this shot, especially the cigarette in the corner of his mouth.

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Alfred Hitchcock and Janet Leigh going over the finer points of the shower scene in Psycho (1960)

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Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins in front of the Bates Motel with the iconic house in the background, years later.

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Hitchcock and James Stewart during the making of The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956).

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Jack Nicholson with Dennis Hopper and Michelle Phillips, who was married to Hopper for an epic eight days in 1970. Probably an interesting story there. I also wonder what the hell is going on in this photo.

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From Russia with Love (1963). From left, Daniela Bianchi, Ian Fleming, Lois Maxwell (I think), Lotte Lenya, and Sean Connery. I don’t know the context of this shot, but it looks interesting.

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Directors Erich Rohmer and Jean-Luc Godard in photo at left, Sergio Leone and John Huston at right.

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Lon Chaney Jr, director Leslie Goodwins, and Virginia Christine take a break while shooting The Mummy’s Curse (1944).

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The Gill Man relaxing during the making of Revenge of the Creature (1955), a film that also featured Clint Eastwood in his first feature film as a lab tech who finds a white rat in his pocket..

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Luis Buñuel with Billy Wilder. I’ll bet that was an interesting conversation. Below that is a great shot of Wilder with Shirley MacLaine while making The Apartment (1960).

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I’ll close with my favorite shot of the entire batch, Peter Bogdanovich and Orson Welles grocery shopping. I love the shopping cart. It appears that Orson is holding a cigar, hopefully unlit.

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The preceding posts in this series can be accessed by the following links:

On Set, Off Camera (4/2/18)

On Set, Off Camera Redux (8/14/23)

On Set, Off Camera Continues (10/31/23)

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That’s probably enough for now. Best feature films and documentaries for 2023 to follow. Stay tuned. — Ted Hicks

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Sorry, one more. Joseph Cotton and Orson Welles having a serious discussion during the making of The Third Man (1949).

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