Making The Terminator

1984

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The thing that won't die, in the nightmare that won't end.

"To Protect And Serve..."

Production

Go behind the scenes on the 1984 Action / Adventure movie starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Michael Biehn, Paul Winfield

Lance Henriksen, Earl Boen, Bess Motta, Rick Rossovich, Dick Miller, Shawn Schepps, Bruce M. Kerner, Franco Columbu, Brad Rearden, Brian Thompson, William Wisher Jr., David Kristin Update Cast

We believe the following info is all legit. If it's bogus or you have additional info, please update us.

Thanks to Axel H.

Update

When the final shot, where Sarah Connor drives off to the horizon in Mexico, was filmed, everything was perfect: the weather, no cars, and then, they saw a dot of a car coming by. It was a police car. And they were of course shooting this scene without a permit. Allegedly, the cop was talked into blocking the road up front, and the permit thing was dulled away when one of the crew members told that his son, who happened to be on the set, had a "film school project", and they had just that shot left before they were finished. They fooled the policeman, and then the last shot was in the bag.

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Update

Hand-held cameras were used for much of the action. This helped to give "an energy to the scene that you can't get any other way" according to cinematographer Adam Greenberg.

Thanks to Jason Fret

Update

Arnie allegedly delayed the start of filming by 2 days because he claimed the custom made leather jacket wasn't manly enough!

Thanks to Robert Baum

Update

The part where the terminator smashes through the windshield was done in one take with a real windshield. A hydraulic ram was utilized to make it appear that it was Schwarzenegger's fist shattering the glass.

Thanks to Jon Deal

Update

The car door window smashing scene was filmed with just Arnold and one other (possibly Cameron) with the camera, in a residential area, with no filming permission. After smashing the window, locals became concerned and phoned the police meaning the scene had to be filmed quickly, so they could get away before the law turned up.

Thanks to Robert Baum

Update

When Michael Biehn had auditioned for the role he did so with a Southern accent. Initially the filmmakers were interested in the actor but the accent was something which they felt was unnecessary. Biehn's agent told the filmmakers that he wasn't Southern and that he had recently been hard at work auditioning for a role in a production of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof." Biehn had co-starred with fellow "Terminator" co-stars Rick Rossovich and Bill Paxton in the previuos year's "The Lords of Discipline" and later in "Navy S.E.A.L.'s" (1990).

Thanks to Robert Baum

Update

Stan Winston's effects efforts were so impressive that some in the cast and crew could not tell which shots of Arnold were the real thing or animatronic!

Thanks to pirate864

Update

Apparently the nightclub 'Tech Noir' was an empty unit that the production team made look like a club, including the neon sign out front. It was so successful that people walking down the street actually tried to pay to get into the place -thinking it was real. The production was so hard up for cash that they almost considered taking the money!

Thanks to Don Hoffman

Update

Linda Hamilton broke her ankle before shooting began. James Cameron came close to recasting the role of Sarah Connor before someone brought forth a sports doctor to wrap her foot in a sort of running cast and apparently told the Terminator director, "if she were playing for the Rams, she'd be in the game tomorrow." Lucky Linda.

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Next Section: Deleted Scenes

Deleted Scenes

There are often scenes cut from the final version of a movie. Sometimes these will have been seen by preview audiences, or be included in Blu-ray or DVD extras etc.

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Next Section: Alternate Versions

Alternate Versions

Sometimes, there will be several versions of a movie floating about on cable, tv or video etc. Other times, a Director may release a special cut of the movie on Blu-ray or DVD.

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