Trivia tidbits


- The tank is a Soviet T55, or at least used to be. It was actually a significantly altered T55, modified by Israelis who'd salvaged it.

- William Mastrosimone adapted it for the screen from his original stage play, Nanawatai. The play debuted in Bergen, Norway in 1984 and was spoken in Norwegian.

- A 1985 stage production in Los Angeles featured Bill Pullman as Korvechenko (the role Jason Patric had in the film). Stephen Bauer was also in that production, as Taj, and was carried over into the movie.

- George Dzundza lost a significant amount of weight in preparing to play Daskal. His portrayal of the psychologically damaged tank commander is often considered his best work in film. Ironically, while Daskal is a character who grew up fighting Nazis in Russia, Dzundza was born in Nazi Germany.

- (from IMDb trivia): "When the film was made at Columbia, David Puttnam was head of the studio. By the time the film was released, Puttnam was out and Dawn Steel was head of the studio. As a result, the film was released in a small number of theaters under the title 'The Beast.'" It grossed a pitiful $161,000.

- Mastrosimone dedicates the script to...
"The greatest of human beings, the freedom fighters, who draw the line with their blood to say, no further."

reply

how the heck could they do this live on stage?

reply