1993’s Cliffhanger is an oft-forgotten Sylvester Stallone action flick, and that’s tragic. The movie is a thrill ride from start to finish and features a fantastic cast that includes John Lithgow, Michael Rooker, and Janine Turner.
Filming an action movie that takes place on the side of a cliff can’t have been easy! That’s why we’re counting down 10 facts about Cliffhanger that you probably weren’t aware of. Read on to learn more about what went into the making of this classic action flick.
ONE COSTLY AERIAL STUNT
Remember that crazy scene where bad guy Travers does a rope-climb from one airplane to another? Yeah, that was real. In fact, such a stunt was illegal in Europe and needed to be performed in the United States due to the lack of any safety devices.
Stuntman Simon Crane wasn’t about to take on the job without some serious compensation, and that meant a cool $1 million in his pocket, making it the Guinness Book of World Record’s costliest aerial stunt. When the insurance company refused to get on board, Sylvester Stallone shaved off $1 million from his own paycheck to make it happen. Talk about dedication to a vision!
A SOLEMN DEDICATION
Cliffhanger was dedicated to the memory of Wolfgang Güllich, one of the most fearless and skilled rock-climbers of all time. In the film, he doubled Sylvester Stallone for certain climbing scenes.
Ironically (and tragically), Güllich would die in a car accident after filming his scenes, and it was only right that he be honored accordingly. Apparently he had fallen asleep at the wheel whilst driving and steered off of the Autobahn somewhere between Munich and Nuremberg. He would die two days later in hospital. It’s a solemn reminder for us all to pull over and take a nap if we’re having trouble staying awake behind the wheel.
FILMED ON A DIME, ERRR….LIRE
Although the movie takes place in the Colorado Rockies, the majority of the mountainous scenes were actually filmed in the Cortina d’Ampezzo-Dolomites mountains in the Veneto region of Italy.
Production coughed up 80,000,000 Lire in order to gain access to the mountains for shooting. That might sound like a lot, but in reality, it was about $45,000 U.S. dollars when converted.
WALKEN ALMOST PLAYED QUALEN
John Lithgow lit up the screen as the film’s chilling and ruthless villain Qualen, but he almost didn’t make the cut.
Originally, the king of cowbell himself, Christopher Walken was set to play Qualen but dropped out of the production for reasons which are as yet unknown. Fear of heights, perhaps?
ONE HUNDRED MILLION NO-WAYS
In the film, Qualen and his cohorts steal $100,000,000 million in cash from the Denver Mint. The only problem is, they only produce coins, while cash duties are handled by the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.
A small oversight, as $100,000,000 million in coins would equate to 2,500 tons of weight. Wouldn’t it have been better to change the script so that Qualen stole the cash from the BEP? Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20.
GOODBYE TRISTAR LOGO
Cliffhanger was the last TriStar movie to feature the original logo of a vector-lined Pegasus and its triangular title box. It would be replaced by the far more well-known version of the logo that we’ve seen throughout the years.
We have to say, this is a good thing. The animated full-color logo with sweeping sky and cloud background is a darn sight better in every way!
IT COST STALLONE SOME LADY POINTS
Apparently, Stallone’s time on Cliffhanger did some serious roughing up on his hands thanks to all that climbing. This is due largely to the dirt, chalk, and sweat that dries out many rock-climbers' hands, turning them rough. Washing your hands with soap and water after you’re done climbing is a good way to keep them in shape.
Unfortunately, nobody told Stallone. The models he was dating at the time weren’t too keen about him putting his callused hands on them. Perhaps a trip to the beauty salon might have alleviated his woes.
IT UPSET ROCK-CLIMBERS
Real rock-climbers weren’t too impressed with the film’s portrayal of the sport. Many spotted errors, inconsistencies, and flat-out fabrications in the film, which ruffled many a feather.
One of the most complained-about devices in the film is the infamous bolt-gun. This was meant as a plot device to keep the story moving along, as opposed to showcasing the actual method of drilling and bolt-hammering. We imagine they felt the same as real doctors do while watching re-runs of House.
IT WASN’T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN
Originally, Stallone and director Renny Harlin were going to film Gale Force, featuring an ex-Navy S.E.A.L. dealing with a band of pirates during the onset of a major hurricane. It soon became clear that the film would be too expensive to produce, at which point it was dropped by Carolco.
Imagine Carolco’s shock when Cliffhanger clocked in with a budget of $70,000,000, as opposed to the $40,000,000 budget estimated for Gale Force!
IT ALMOST HAD A SEQUEL
According to Stallone, a sequel called The Dam (yikes!) should have gotten the green light, but it fizzled out during the development stage before being put on ice. Stallone flirted with the idea of reviving the project in 2008, but to no avail.
The planned sequel would have brought back Stallone’s character to fight terrorists who took over the Hoover Dam. Somehow we don’t believe that it would have been as thrilling and large-scale a film as Cliffhanger, so it’s probably good that it never made it to film.