What is the story behind shooting this scene? What was done behind the scenes to make sure the ice didn't break until they wanted it to? What kinds of emergency people were on staff that day?
shareI wondered about that too. Was this scene planned? How could you prepare ice to break on cue? I was just wondering the dynamics and mechanics of shooting this scene.
shareMy theory is that he walks out on one part of the ice, then walks back on a different part (that had been weakened). No great risk--the water was only about 3-4 feet deep.
shareJust watched this movie on TV and was wondering the exact same thing. This could only have been done in one take. I'm guessing it was improvised, and it worked, so they kept it.
shareA lot of the outdoor stuff was filmed in Ontario, Canada. It's very easy to find frozen bodies of water (especially shallow ponds) in that area. Add a blow-torch to weaken/soften a patch of ice right before shooting, and . . . . viola', you've got your 1973-era special effect.
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