The Duke of New York
Crime lord who holds the President hostage.
John Carpenter wrote the original screenplay in 1976, inspired by the Watergate scandal and the film Death Wish.[1] No studio wanted to produce it initially, calling it "too violent, too scary, too weird."[2] Carpenter brought in Nick Castle to add humor, and Castle invented the Cabbie character and the ending.[3][4] The film was shot mainly in St. Louis, Missouri, and East St. Louis, Illinois, on an estimated $6 million budget.[5][6]
Filming took place from August to November 1980, often at night with electricity shut off to ten blocks at a time.[3] James Cameron created matte paintings for the New York skyline and served as a director of photography on special effects.[2] The film was released in the United States on July 10, 1981, and grossed over $50 million worldwide.[7][8] Following Halloween's box-office performance, AVCO Embassy Pictures entered into a two-film agreement with John Carpenter and Debra Hill.[2][3]
Quick Facts
- Portrayed by
- Isaac Hayes
- Film
- Escape from New York (1981)
- Base of operations
- Grand Central Terminal
- Key plot action
- Captures President John Harker
Facts from the source article.
What the cited sources add
The Cinephilia & Beyond account notes that Carpenter abandoned a planned adaptation of "The Philadelphia Story: Project Invisibility" before green-lighting Escape from New York.[2] Kurt Russell told Collider that he kept all of Snake's wardrobe from the film and still fit into it for the sequel Escape from L.A.[9] Russell explained that Snake's low growl came from his idea that the character never had to raise his voice to be heard.[9] The same Collider article states that Russell had a big part in deciding what the character ultimately wore.[9]
The Cinephilia & Beyond article reports that Carpenter stuck with his choice of Russell despite the studio preferring Charles Bronson, Chuck Norris, or Tommy Lee Jones.[2] That article also states that Carpenter cast Donald Pleasence in both Escape from New York and Halloween.[2]
References
- Wikipedia, "Escape from New York" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Dawson, "Double Future 1997: 'Escape From New York' vs. 'The Fifth Element'", Vice, 9 July 2017; Yakir, "'Escape' Gives Us Liberty", The New York Times, October 4, 1980 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "'Escape from New York': John Carpenter's Thrilling, Pumped-Up Ride through the Streets of a Dystopian New York City • Cinephilia & Beyond", August 8, 2016. facts only, no text reused. cinephiliabeyond.org
- Wikipedia, "Escape from New York" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Swires, "John Carpenter", July 1981 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Escape from New York" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Ryan, "Launch of a giddy fantasy a director reaches for the stars with computer aid", The Philadelphia Inquirer, July 14, 1984, p. D01 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Escape from New York" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Escape from New York", The Numbers, May 4, 2007; Phantom of the Movies, "Escape From New York rushes into a DVD world", The Washington Times, December 11, 2003, p. M24 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Escape from New York" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Maronie, "From Forbidden Planet to Escape from New York: A candid conversation with SFX & production designer Joe Alves", May 1981 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Escape from New York" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Escape from New York", The Numbers, May 4, 2007 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Escape from New York" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Escape from New York", American Film Institute; "Escape from New York", The Numbers, May 4, 2007; Muir, "The Films of John Carpenter", McFarland & Company, 2005, p. 22 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Carlbert, "Kurt Russell Talks Shooting ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK with John Carpenter at EW CapeTown Film Fest", Collider.com, May 5, 2013. facts only, no text reused. collider.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Escape from New York (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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