The feature film “Ocean’s Eleven” celebrates the twentieth anniversary of its French release. The opportunity to come back to 10 things you may not have known about the famous robbery saga.
Big blow of old: the feature film Ocean’s Eleven celebrates the twentieth anniversary of its hexagonal release. The opportunity to focus on 10 things you may not have known about this cult saga of heist films led by George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon.
THE REMAKE OF A FILM FROM THE 60S WITH SINATRA…
Ocean’s Eleven is a remake of The Stranger of Las Vegas (Ocean’s 11 in VO), released in theaters in 1961. Directed by Lewis Milestone (In the West, nothing new), this heist film brings together on screen Frank Sinatra, Joey Bishop, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Peter Lawford , members of the Rat Pack, the famous band of Las Vegas entertainers of the 60s.
The story: oeleven long-time friends who fought together during the Second World War decide to rob, during the same night, five of the biggest casinos in the city of gambling. At their head, Danny Ocean, played by Sinatra.
CAMEOS AND SNAPSHOT
Angie Dickinson and Henry Silva, who appeared in the credits of The Stranger of Las Vegas, make a small appearance in the Ocean’s Eleven by Steven Soderbergh. We can indeed distinguish them in one of the crowd scenes of the casino. Soderbergh also makes another nod to the original film by filming the casino Desert Inn, which served as the setting for the 1960s version. More specifically, images of the demolition of the gambling establishment in 2001 are visible on the screen.
BRUCE WILLIS COULD HAVE PLAYED DANNY OCEAN!
Originally the role of Linus Caldwell (Matt Damon) was intended for Mark Wahlberg, but the latter preferred to star in Tim Burton’s Planet of the Apes. The roles of brothers Virgil and Turk Malloy, played by Casey Affleck and Scott Caan, could have been played by Luke and Owen Wilson, while Frank Catton (Bernie Mac) could have been played by Danny Glover. Last but not least, Danny Ocean was originally not to be camped by George Clooney, but by… Bruce Willis! The latter did not get the role but nevertheless made a wink appearance in Ocean’s Twelve.
DON CHEADLE ANGRY… AND NOT CREDITED!
Don Cheadle, who is nevertheless one of the “eleven” ofOcean’s Eleven, is not credited in the credits of the feature film. An absence which results from a falling out between the actor and the production. Cheadle wanted his name to appear above the title on the poster, alongside George Clooney, brad pitt and Matt Damon.
The request was denied, prompting the actor to simply request that his name not appear anywhere. But the discord did not last long: Don Cheadle will indeed be credited above the title for Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s 13.
A SPIN-OFF IN 2018
In 2018, a female spin-off of the Ocean’s saga was born. Entitled Ocean’s 8, it is notably led by Sandra Bullock, Cate Blanchett, Anne Hathaway and Rihanna. Directed by Gary Ross, this film of robbers benefits from the wink presence of stars of the trilogy in the person of Elliott Gould (Reuben Tishkoff) and Shaobo Qin (Yen).
A SEX-SYMBOL WHO FEELS GORGEOUS!
In Ocean’s Eleven, the character of Rusty Ryan, played by brad pitt, has one hell of a peculiarity: he is eating all the time! It was the American actor himself who, one day when he was starving and talking with his mouth full to the director Steven Soderbergh, submitted the idea of this character trait for the less absurd.
BRUCE WILLIS & JULIA ROBERTS IN THEIR OWN ROLES: SECOND!
In Ocean’s Twelve, Bruce Willis and Julia Roberts make a small appearance in their own roles. This is the second time that the two Hollywood stars have “incarnated” together on screen, twelve years after Robert Altman’s The Player.
A FRENCH AT THE CASTING
Ocean’s Twelve marks the very first Hollywood experience of Vincent Cassel, who plays François Toulour, Andy Garcia’s henchman, a character he will find again for Ocean’s 13. “I had been following Vincent’s work for some time, and I found it really fascinating”, declares Steven Soderbergh.
“As soon as we started writing, I told everyone that it was him I wanted for Toulour”, continues the filmmaker. “I had the feeling that he would quickly find his place in this group and that he would have no trouble working with us. It was confirmed. Everyone instantly attached to Vincent and appreciated his humor and intelligence.”
NO BOWL FOR GEORGE CLOONEY
Between two takes, the stars of the trilogy did not hesitate to play for real in casinos. If luck smiled on brad pitt and Matt Damon, this was not the case for George Clooney, who would have lost 25 straight bets in blackjack!
PARISIAN SHOOTING
The filming ofOcean’s Eleven took place exclusively in the United States. But part of that ofOcean’s Twelve took place in Europe, and in particular in Paris. Some scenes were filmed at the Gare du Nord and in the corridors of the Sorbonne, in the presence of brad pitt, George Clooney and Matt Damon.
Logan Lucky, The Big Short, Ocean’s Eleven…: the biggest hits in cinema
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Logan Lucky, The Big Short, Ocean’s Eleven: the biggest hits in cinema
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