I know there was problems between original director of this film John Huston and George C. Scott which resulted in Huston leaving and Richard Fleischer taking over but what exactly were they?
Also, what parts of the film as-is now did Huston direct...Read somewhere that John Boorman was also involved in this film early on as well
If you want the real low-down on friction between John Huston and George C. Scott, read Ava Gardner's autobiography.
shareAsk a simple question and refer an entire book. I'd like to know NOW. No, actually... Probably the fact both Huston and Scott are tough large stubborn Alpha Males.
Watching this movie it does have a macho yet offbeat Huston aura. The look is also Huston but then again Richard Fleischer had the same "old style" grainy look in the 70's along with Scott's PATTON director Francis Schaffner. All three had similar styles in my opinion as far as overall rhythm. Fleischer is a bit more up-close creative as in his shots; or used to be in his Noirrs like Armored Car Robbery and Narrow Margin.
To answer the initial question which I have no answer: It's probably that Scott and Huston were too much alike.
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It says this on the Trivia which you obviously read:
Star George C. Scott fought with legendary director John Huston during the filming over script rewrites as well as the leading lady, Tina Aumont. After engaging in shouting matches with Scott, Huston quit the film. Fatefully, Aumont was replaced with Trish Van Devere, whom Scott fell in love with and married. Huston was replaced by Richard Fleischer, and the movie bombed both with critics and at the box office.
.... I ended up sending in to delete the last line, which makes it sound like because of RF as director it bombed. Obviously a John Huston enthusiast (which I am also) felt like they needed to put a dig in, and it's not up to them... The film might've bombed even worse with Huston behind the camera, we don't know, and shouldn't care.
Ugh. IMDB will except pretty much anything.
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