The Sicilian
In Sicily, you stand by the law or by the Mafia. Only one man ever dared to stand alone.
Country
Production
Budget
$9 000 000
Box office
$5 406 879
Director
Actors
Scenario
Producer
Bruce McNall, Joann Carelli, Michael Cimino
Camera operator
Alex Thomson
Composer
David Mansfield
Artist
Wolf Kroeger
Audition
Editing
Short description
Egocentric bandit Salvatore Giuliano fights the Church, the Mafia, and the landed gentry while leading a populist movement for Sicilian independence.
What's left behind the scenes
- The full version runs for 146 minutes.
- Gore Vidal (1925-2012) made some changes to the screenplay, but this went unnoticed. Vidal sued screenwriter Steve Shagan (1927-2015) and the Writers Guild of America, and eventually won the case.
- Some changes to the script were made by Gore Vidal (1925-2012), but they went unnoticed. Vidal sued screenwriter Steve Shagan (1927-2015) and the Writers Guild of America, and eventually won the case.
- When filming was completed, Michael Cimino (1939-2016) began editing the footage. He told no one how the work was progressing until, several months later, he announced that he had finished and presented what he called the final version of the film, which ran 150 minutes. According to the contract, however, he was entitled to release a director's cut of up to 120 minutes. Cimino claimed that it was simply impossible to cut anything more and insisted that producers David Begelman (1921-1995) and Bruce McNeal present the result to 20th Century Fox, the film's U.S. distributor. Before starting the screening, the studio executives told Begelman and McNeal that the film's length would limit the number of daily screenings in theaters, and that the film had to be trimmed no matter what. The producers passed the studio's demand to Cimino, who exploded, stating that he had already spent six months cutting and that further reductions were simply impossible. To the producers' suggestion that there must be some way to shorten the film to the required length, Cimino replied in a manner of: 'Shorten it, you say? Well, if you insist!' A few days later, the director provided a new version of the film from which he had cut all the action scenes. According to McNeal, 'According to the script, the wedding scene should be followed by the attack on the wedding. But in what Cimino brought, the wedding was shown, followed immediately by a scene in the hospital where all those people in formal wear are being treated for their wounds. He cut out all the shooting.' Begelman didn't even wait for the screening to end; he called Cimino immediately, to which Cimino simply replied that since his contract specified a film length of 120 minutes, what he had provided should satisfy everyone.
- Once filming was completed, Michael Cimino (1939-2016) began editing the footage. He didn't tell anyone how it was progressing until, several months later, he announced that he was finished and presented what he called the final version of the film, lasting 150 minutes. However, his contract stipulated that he was allowed to release a director's cut of up to 120 minutes. Cimino stated that it was simply impossible to cut anything further and insisted that producers David Begelman (1921-1995) and Bruce McNall present the resulting film to 20th Century Fox, the film's distributor in the United States. Before the screening began, the studio executives told Begelman and McNall that the film's length would limit the number of showings per day in theaters and that the film absolutely had to be cut. The producers relayed the studio's request to Cimino, who exploded, saying he had already cut it down for six months and that it was simply impossible to cut it any further. When the producers said there must be some way to shorten the film to the required length, Cimino replied sarcastically, “Cut it, you say? Well, if you say so!” A few days later, the director provided a new version of the film from which he had cut all the action scenes. According to McNall, “According to the script, the wedding scene was supposed to be followed by a scene of an attack on the wedding. But what Cimino brought was the wedding, and immediately following it, a scene in the hospital where all these people in formal wear were being treated for their injuries. He cut out all the shooting.” Begelman didn't even wait for the screening to end; he immediately called Cimino, who simply replied that since his contract specified a film length of 120 minutes, what he had provided should be satisfactory.
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