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“Nine million terrorists in the world and I gotta kill one with feet smaller than my sister.” – John McClane
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DIE HARD (1988) |
Considered by many to be one of the benchmarks in the action genre, DIE HARD launched a popular franchise and set the stage for a new kind of action hero. Twenty years after its original release, DIE HARD continues to thrill audiences with its riveting action sequences and masterful sound and visual effects.
Nominated for Academy Awards® in the Film Editing, Sound, Sound Effects Editing and Visual Effects categories, DIE HARD stars Bruce Willis in his breakthrough performance as John McClane, a New York City cop who flies to Los Angeles on Christmas Eve to attempt a reconciliation with his estranged wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia). His plans are interrupted when terrorists seize the Nakatomi office tower during his wife’s office party. McClane fights back in a desperate attempt to save Holly and the other hostages.
Several key members of the film's technical crew will gather for an onstage discussion of the role motion picture science and technology played in shaping DIE HARD. Panelists include film editor Frank J. Urioste, visual effects producer and Academy governor Richard Edlund, and sound effects editor Stephen Hunter Flick.
Cast Bruce Willis, Alan Rickman, Alexander Godunov, Bonnie Bedelia, Reginald Veljohnson, William Atherton, Paul Gleason, Hart Bochner, James Shigeta, Bruno Doyon, Andreas Wisniewski, Clarence Gilyard, Jr., De’voreaux White, Robert Davi.
Directed by John McTiernan. Produced by Lawrence Gordon, Joel Silver. Screenplay Jeb Stuart, Steven E. de Souza. Based on the novel Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp. Cinematography Jan De Bont. Film Editing Frank J. Urioste, John F. Link. Production Design Jackson DeGovia. Art Direction John R. Jensen. Set Decoration Phil M. Leonard. Music Michael Kamen. Sound Don Bassman, Kevin F. Cleary, Richard Overton, Al Overton. Sound Effects Editing David Stone, Catherine Shorr, Richard Shorr, Stephen Hunter Flick. Visual Effects Richard Edlund, Brent Boates. Special Effects Coordinator Al DiSarro. Special Effects Thaine Morris. Stunt Coordinator Charles Picerni, Sr. Costume Design Marilyn Vance-Straker. Makeup Scott H. Eddo, Wes Dawn, Jim Kail. 20th Century Fox. 1988. 35mm. 132 minutes.
Academy Award Nominee: Film Editing (Urioste, Link), Sound (Bassman, Cleary, Richard Overton, Al Overton), Sound Effects Editing (Flick, Richard Shorr), Visual Effects (Edlund, DiSarro, Boates, Morris)
ERIC LICHTENFELD is a Los Angeles-based film historian and author of the book Action Speaks Louder: Violence, Spectacle, and the American Action Movie. His work has appeared in Slate, Film Score Monthly and a number of other film publications. Lichtenfeld has contributed original content and filmmaker interviews to several special edition DVDs, including the DIE HARD trilogy for which he interviewed a number of the filmmakers and executives on the making of the films. In addition to appearing on Public Radio International and Air America Radio broadcasts, he has been a guest speaker at Wesleyan University and Harvard University School of Law; he also has been interviewed by such publications as The Hollywood Reporter, The Washington Post and USA Today. Lichtenfeld is currently developing his next book and teaching film studies at Loyola Marymount University, where he has been a part-time professor since 2006. |
The “Prime Tech” screening series showcases Oscar®-nominated and winning films that have been recognized in at least one technical category. Panel discussions illuminate the art of filmmaking from a science and technology perspective, examining how technical elements can augment a film’s narrative capabilities and enrich the overall viewing experience. |
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