It’s a con, on top of a con, on top of a con. The layers of deceit in the classic film The Sting would make any film of the current era proud since it’s definitely years before it’s time. The film is all about two con men that decide to take on a particularly vicious crime boss in an effort to take him down. When they enter the game with high stakes however, it becomes a little difficult to track just who’s conning who until the final reveal.
Here’s a few things that might not have known about The Sting.
10. Robert Redford didn’t watch the movie until 2004.
That seems kind of odd that a guy wouldn’t watch the movie that he starred in but then again, a lot of actors seem to do this. Why watch it when you’ve lived it after all?
9. The director actively tried to keep a 1930’s feel to the film.
Everything down the manner in which one shot transitioned to the next was kept in the same style as it would have looked in the 1930’s.
8. The diner they used was the same diner that would later be used in Back to the Future.
The film was shot on a back lot in Hollywood so it’s safe to assume that a lot of what they used could have been divvied up and used again for other movies.
7. Robert Shaw had to incorporate a knee injury into his role.
The actor took a bad spill on a wet patch of ground before filming and as a result tore all the ligaments in his knee. He had to add a hobbling walk to his character to keep it looking natural.
6. Jack Nicholson turned down the same role that Robert Redford assumed.
Considering the kind of glamour that both actors brought to a role it’s easy to think that Nicholson would have made the film feel just a little different.
5. Robert Redford broke his thumb before filming and had to work around it.
He broke his thumb during a skiing incident and as a result had to find a way to use his hand without further injuring his thumb.
4. The costume designer won an Academy award for her part in the film.
Needless to say she was very appreciative of the award and even more so she was more than happy to dress two of the most handsome men in Hollywood.
3. Paul Newman and George Roy Hill pulled a few pranks on each other behind the scenes.
They weren’t so much practical jokes as they were very real declarations of how they felt about each other at the moment. And they weren’t all that friendly to be honest.
2. Schlitz beer made a prominent appearance in the film.
Since Schlitz was the beer that a lot of people drank in the 1930’s this was the beverage of choice on set.
1. This was the only film that Robert Redford starred in without receiving an Academy award nomination.
Think about how many films Redford has been in, and there’s only ONE he didn’t get a nomination for.
Did you happen to know any of these facts?
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