Hollywood Hoofbeats Read online

  The Colosseum set was built on a vacant lot, and preparations for the great race were made. Unfortunately, the man in charge of the sequence, second unit director B. Reeves “Breezy” Eason, had little regard for safety in staging the action. He even offered a $5,000 bonus to the winning driver, ratcheting up the competition to add realism at a deadly cost to horses. Estimates place the number of equines who paid with their lives at as few as two and as many as one hundred. It was clearly much more than two. From the get-go, the sequence is nerve-racking to watch as the horses rear and fight, waiting for the start. Finally, the signal is given; the horses fly off their marks. As forty-two cameras whirred, a wreck instigated by Messala, played by Francis X. Bushman, leaves four horses crumpled on the ground. An accidental crash on a turn had several more chariots smashing into the wreck, resulting in a huge pile of chariots, stuntmen, and horses. Publicity stills actually featured these unfortunate horses, some dead on the spot. Horses that didn’t die right away were not given the benefit of veterinary care. According to Bushman, “If it limped, they shot it.”

  Fortunately, the men in charge of the chariot race in William Wyler’s 1959 remake of Ben-Hur were consummate professionals who put safety first. Wyler himself had been an assistant director on the 1925 film and presumably had learned what not to do. Legendary trainer Glenn Randall worked with the teams of horses while another legend, Yakima Canutt, directed the action. The arena, built in Rome, covered eighteen acres, and was, at the time, the largest single film set ever built. Forty thousand tons of white beach sand were used to make the track, ensuring safe footing. Eight thousand extras packed into the five-story stands watched as Charlton Heston, playing Judah Ben-Hur, drove a team of four white horses and Stephen Boyd, playing Messala, drove a team of blacks. The horses’ contrasting colors not only obviously symbolized good and evil but also made it easy to identify the hero and villain as they tore around the track. Yakima Canutt’s son Joe doubled Heston for a stunt in which the horses jump over a wreck. Joe was accidentally thrown onto the tongue of the chariot but managed to scramble back into the vehicle and regain control of the team. The mishap was included in the film, with an insert of Heston climbing into the chariot. Joe Canutt suffered the only injury in the whole race, a cut on his chin. The twenty-minute chariot race still stands as one of the most breathtaking sequences ever committed to celluloid.

  Glenn Randall was especially proud of his work in an earlier scene, in which Ben-Hur is the guest of Sheik Ilderim (Hugh Griffith). After a sumptuous dinner in his tent, Ilderim summons his “beloveds.” Ben-Hur, thinking the sheik is summoning the many wives he has been boasting about, tries to take his leave. Then an attendant parts the tent flaps, and there the sheik’s four white chariot horses stand together, with no bridles or halters. Ilderim adores the animals, whom he has named after heavenly stars: Antares, Aldebaran, Rigel, and Atair. On command, they come to their master to offer their good-nights. Nuzzling and nodding, nudging Ilderim, whinnying, and yawning, each horse performs to the delight of Ben-Hur. Randall lay on the ground out of frame, cuing each horse to do his bit.

  Ben-Hur’s heavenly horses spirit Charlton Heston to victory in the 1959 release.

  Two cinematographers on one of the first camera cars capture Messala (Francis X. Bushman) and his team of blacks as they rip around the track in the 1925 version of the epic Ben-Hur.

  The Ben-Hur chariot from the 1925 version.

  This lyrical scene in Sheik Ilderim’s tent from the 1925 Ben-Hur became trainer Glenn Randall’s favorite when he recreated it for the 1959 remake. In this 1925 version, the horses are haltered and have attendants. When Mr. Randall staged the scene, the horses worked at liberty.

  Romans Ride

  Since Ben-Hur, the gladiators and games of ancient Rome have continued to fascinate filmmakers and audiences alike. Director Stanley Kubrick threw his hat into the arena with 1960’s Spartacus. The story of a slave who becomes a gladiator and leads a revolt against the decadent empire, the film starring Kirk Douglas and Sir Laurence Olivier picked up four Academy Awards. Although the production filmed in Europe, the most intense scenes involving horses were battle sequences directed by Yakima Canutt on the back lot of Universal Pictures. A who’s who of Hollywood stuntmen performed numerous horse falls, including Cliff Lyons, Jack Williams, and Canutt’s sons, Joe and Tap. Tap Canutt used his mare Gypsy in the film, Jack Williams rode his mare Coco, and Chuck Roberson used his famous horse Cocaine.

  At the 2001 Academy Awards ceremonies, the Best Picture Oscar went to Gladiator (2000), directed by Englishman Ridley Scott and starring Australian actor Russell Crowe as Maximus, a victorious general who is enslaved and forced to perform as a gladiator, circa AD 180. The first “voice” in the film is that of a whinnying horse, heralding the arrival of Maximus and his army. As Maximus, Crowe rides a spirited black steed from Seville, Spain, known by his barn name, George. During one scene, he was spooked by fire used in the bloody battle sequence and backed downhill into some trees. Russell Crowe’s cheek was lacerated by a branch, but despite being scared, the star kept his cool. “A horse can sense when you’re not totally in control of what you’re doing,” he said later. “If he senses fear, he’s likely to respond, ‘Well, if you’re scared, get off my back, ’cause I can do this stunt just fine and dandy without you.’” No attempt was made to cover up Crowe’s wound, which fit his character. Owned by Gladiator horse master Steve Dent of England’s Field Way Farms, the magnificent George is a veteran of many films. He was originally purchased to portray Daredevil, the fearsome mount of the Headless Horseman in Sleepy Hollow (2000)—and served as the model for the animatronic horse used to double him.

  A headless horseman of a different sort, a decapitated corpse, rides another of Dent’s Spanish horses in Gladiator’s opening battle sequence, the beautiful gray Andalusian, Conyo. Dent prefers these Spanish breeds for their fiery yet tractable temperaments. “Spanish horses are the best,” he stated. “You just have to work with them for ten minutes, and they’ve revved up like a Ferrari.”

  Gladiator is resplendent with fabulous horses, from the little white pony that belongs to Maximus’s son to a host of wagon and chariot horses. A white horse is used symbolically in a vision when Maximus is wounded, and close-ups of thundering hooves portend the murder of his family. In one of the brutal games in the Roman Colosseum, warriors in chariots, each pulled by teams of two horses, attack the gladiators. Maximus commandeers a gray steed, a beautiful Andalusian stallion named Jabonero, from a wrecked chariot and emerges victorious.

  As the title character in 1960’s Spartacus, Kirk Douglas leads a mounted revolt.

  The mighty Spanish steed George carries Maximus (Russell Crowe) past his soldiers before battle.

  Greek Mythology

  The myths and legendary stories of ancient Greece have also attracted filmmakers. Based on the myth of Perseus and Andromeda, MGM’s 1981 spectacular Clash of the Titans featured a winged Pegasus, courtesy of special effects, along with an all-star cast headed by Sir Laurence Olivier.

  Homer’s poem The Illiad has spawned at least two films about the Trojan War, circa 1193 BC. Helen of Troy (1956), a Warner Brothers production, featured an international cast directed by Robert Wise. Second unit directors Yakima Canutt and Sergio Leone coordinated stunts, including chariot horses.

  A more recent film about the Trojan War, Troy (2004), was also produced by Warner Brothers. Directed by Wolfgang Petersen, the film stars Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, and Diane Kruger. Wrangler Raleigh Wilson had the job of importing fifteen Andalusians from Madrid to Malta, where the walled city of Troy was created for the film. About thirty Thoroughbred types from Malta were also used for battle sequences. Local polo players worked as extras, and their experience riding while wielding a polo mallet made it easy for them to ride carrying a large shield. Four chariot teams were trained with specially designed vehicles made of aluminum alloy, which would flip more easily in stunt sequences. To ensure clean g
etaways, the horses were equipped with breakaway harnesses.

  For one stunt, Wilson trained liberty horses to jump through a ring of carefully controlled propane-powered flames. Special fire-retardant gel was used to protect the horses from head to tail. Both Brad Pitt and Orlando Bloom were experienced riders but needed to learn how to drive chariots for the film. The actors also had to get used to riding without stirrups; saddles as we know them now did not exist in ancient Greece. Determined to be historically accurate, the producers insisted on all custom-made tack, with no shiny buckles. To ensure the actors’ safety, emergency handholds were attached to surcingles, hidden under the blankets that served as saddles.

  From Malta, production moved to Baja California, Mexico, where Wilson had to acquire new horses. He was allotted one cleared acre for the horse camp and had 12-by-12-foot shaded pens constructed in rows of twenty. A 120-by-60-foot arena was built for training and exercising the horses, four 750-liter water tanks provided clean drinking and bathing water, and four generators powered the water pumps and floodlights. Because algae formed quickly in the tropical climate, the tank containing drinking water was scrubbed twice weekly. Electrolytes were added to the horses’ drinking water. Thirty grooms were employed to attend to the animals in shifts, twenty-four hours a day. As the camp was being set up, Wilson and his team scoured the country for horses to match those used on Malta. Fifty horses and riders came from Durango, in addition to twenty Canadian draft-type horses from a Mennonite community in the same region. Accustomed to hauling heavy milk wagons, the Mennonite horses knew how to drive, but they had to get used to hauling cattle hides piled with “corpses” in scenes depicting the aftermath of battle. Nineteen horses were purchased for falls, rears, and cast horses. Among them were a handful of Andalusians dyed to match the horses used on Malta.

  It took weeks to get the horses into top physical shape. Proper diet, excellent care, and a rigorous conditioning schedule resulted in a fit and healthy herd of movie horses ready for “Action!” By the time the production wrapped and the horses were returned to their original owners—or placed in new homes—they were in the best condition of their lives.

  Brothers in Armor

  The legend of Britain’s King Arthur has been recreated on film for decades. In 1953, MGM released Knights of the Round Table, the studio’s first feature shot in Cinemascope. This paint-by-numbers version of the medieval legend starred Mel Ferrer as King Arthur, Robert Taylor as his devoted knight Sir Lancelot, and the sultry Ava Gardner as Queen Guinevere. Lancelot’s steed, Berik, was a trained Hollywood horse who performed classic tricks such as pulling the hero out of quicksand, laughing, and coming to a whistle. Throughout the picture, Berik is obscured by a medieval costume called a bard, which includes a hood and body skirt, so it is difficult to even determine his color. He most likely came from the Fat Jones Stable, which supplied cast horses to MGM in the 1950s. Yakima Canutt was the second unit director, in charge of the stunt and equine action, which included the requisite jousting match.

  In 1967, Warner Brothers released Camelot, a musical version of the legend based on Alan Jay Lerner’s stage play. Yakima Canutt’s son Tap ran the horse action. On some night shoots on Warner’s Burbank back lot, Tap had more than thirty-five stuntmen and fifty riding extras working.

  The whimsical headgear worn by the horses in the jousting sequence initially caused problems. The costume designers had created helmets with attached horns and other fanciful embellishments. When the helmets were placed on the horses, all hell broke loose. According to Tap Canutt, “It took us a couple of hours to figure out why our cast horses suddenly turned into rodeo stock, bucking and kicking like doubles for Rex, the Devil Horse.” What the designers didn’t take into consideration was the sensitive spot on the top of a horse’s head, the poll. The helmets were putting too much pressure on the poll. “Once the inside of the helmet was redesigned to relieve that pressure,” the stunt coordinator remembered in 2004, “the horses’ natures went back to what I like: gentle.”

  A veteran of many major epic pictures, Tap Canutt has worn all kinds of armor. Real armor, of course, was heavy; but even though it is lightweight, especially for stuntmen—and horses—motion-picture armor is rigorously designed and tested before its use. It must be both comfortable and protective. Leather replaces steel, woven cord replaces chain mail, and plastic copies of headgear are fitted around padded football type helmets. In fact, Canutt stated, “I preferred working in leather armor because I felt like I was wearing an ‘all-over pad,’ which beats hitting the ground as a naked Apache.”

  In 2001’s comedic romantic adventure A Knight’s Tale, shot in the Czech Republic, Australian heartthrob Heath Ledger starred as a peasant squire named William who assumes the identity of a knight. Disguised as Sir Ulrich von Lichtenstein, William seeks glory in a series of jousting matches. After being knighted by Edward, Prince of Wales, who recognizes his pure heart, Sir William finally bests his devious rival, Count Adhemar of Anjou (Rufus Sewell), and wins the Lady Jocelyn (Shannyn Sossamon).

  Playing fast and loose with history, American writer-director-producer Brian Helgeland staged the multiple jousting tournaments as medieval rock concerts, with contemporary music and jokes. The horse work in the film is quite serious, however, and Helgeland was fortunate to have the assistance of French trainer Mario Luraschi, who specializes in spectacular stunt horses. While many of the production horses came from the Czech National Stud, including Heath Ledger’s bay roan mount, Luraschi provided all of the stunt horses, including El Noche, Count Ademar’s black steed, whose signature move in the film is a rear before galloping into the joust. A half Andalusian/half Thoroughbred, El Noche is a veteran of many European films and live shows.

  The horses trained rigorously for two months before production and practiced daily during the four-month shooting schedule. While the lead actors did some riding, they were easily doubled for the jousting runs because of their armor.

  The horses were well protected by armor of their own, including full faceplates with eye shields to protect against splinters from the knights’ lances, which were primarily made of balsa wood. To create a dramatic splintering effect when the knights made contact with an opponent, the hollowed out tips of the lances were filled with dry spaghetti.

  The most stunning horse work in A Knight’s Tale was performed by Mario Luraschi’s chestnut Spanish/Anglo Arab crossbred gelding, Emilio, who was tuned on set by Pascal Madura. As the knight he is carrying (stuntman Thomas Dupont) is felled by a lance, Emilio flips up and over backward, falling through the lisse, or rail, that separates the jousters. The stunt required extensive planning and was perfectly executed by Emilio and Dupont.

  A Knight’s Tale’s star stunt horse Emilio takes a fall in a Paris exhibition with his owner-trainer, Mario Luraschi.

  The stunt team received the “Best Work with an Animal” prize at the 2002 Taurus World Stunt Awards. Founded in 2000 by Red Bull soft drink scion Dietrich Mateschitz, the Taurus Awards are given annually in Hollywood and have revived the tradition of recognizing animals for their contributions to film.

  Written and executive produced by Gladiator writer-producer David Franzoni, King Arthur (2004) is a departure from the fanciful films of yore. The more historically accurate film contends that Arthur was a half-Roman officer and his Knights of the Round Table were Sarmatian warriors from eastern Europe. The Sarmatians reportedly had the finest cavalry in the ancient world.

  Set in the Dark Ages, King Arthur features no jousting costumes and, in fact, no jousting as the sport did not yet exist. What the film does feature are scores of splendid horses on which much of the action depends. The very first image of King Arthur is of the mounted knights’ riding straight toward the camera in a swirl of smoky mist, looking mighty and mythical.

  The knights’ mounts were mostly Spanish Andalusians from Steve Dent’s Field Way Farm, which provided a total of sixty horses for the production. Dent worked closely with director Antoine Fu
qua, who took a particular interest in matching the human actors with their equine partners.

  As Arthur, Clive Owen rides Bohemia, a regal light gray Andalusian gelding. Owen learned to ride for King Arthur in an intensive boot camp, taking lessons from Steve Dent five days a week for seven weeks. “Arthur is supposed to be a good horseman,” Owen said, “so a big part of the acting challenge is how you feel and look and present yourself on horseback.” Owen met his challenge with aplomb and appears quite regal aboard the beautiful Bohemia. Like many horse stars, Bohemia had his own stunt double. In this case, Conyo, one of Steve Dent’s most accomplished specialty horses, executed rears and lay downs for Bohemia on the battlefield.

  Knights of King Arthur (2004), left to right, Ioan Gruffudd, Hugh Dancy, Joel Edgerton, Mads Mikkelsen, and Ray Stevenson, are led in a gallop by Clive Owen as Arthur, aboard the regal Bohemia.

  Sir Lancelot (Ioan Gruffudd) was matched with an eight-year-old black Andalusian stallion named Aroma. Gruffudd thoroughly enjoyed the adventure of boot camp and became an accomplished rider.

  As the fearsome but garrulous Bors, Ray Winstone is mounted on George, the splendid equine actor from Gladiator and The Headless Horseman. Truly one of the most sought-after horses in modern movies, George is also the mount of British star Orlando Bloom, who portrays the heroic blacksmith Balian of Ibelin in 2005’s Kingdom of Heaven.

  Danish heartthrob Mads Mikkelsen had never ridden before King Arthur. For his role as the knight Tristan, Mikkelsen immersed himself in the boot-camp experience. “It was like going out to this great playground every day and getting paid for it,” he stated. “It was useful in terms of bonding with the actors and with the horses.” Mikkelsen forged his bond with a dappled gray Andalusian gelding called Oscar.