Movies are supposed to make us laugh, cry, feel nervous, or forget about reality for a couple of hours. But sometimes the stories behind them are considerably less comfortable than anything that happens on screen. A beloved performance may have come with a difficult production story, a supposedly harmless scene might have involved a disturbing reality, or a familiar movie can carry details that completely change how you think about it. These facts are not necessarily shocking for the sake of being shocking. They are simply the uncomfortable pieces of context that tend to disappear once a film becomes a classic. Once you know them, however, some movies can be surprisingly difficult to watch in quite the same way again.
The Wizard of Oz (1939) Was Much More Dangerous Than It Looks
The production involved hazardous makeup, extreme heat, heavy costumes and serious accidents, including Margaret Hamilton suffering severe burns during a special effect.
Jaws (1975) Was Nearly Destroyed by Its Own Shark
The mechanical shark repeatedly malfunctioned in the ocean, forcing Spielberg to hide it more often and accidentally creating much of the suspense that made the movie famous.
The Shining (1980) Was an Exhausting Production
The shoot lasted more than a year, with extremely long workdays and an especially demanding experience for Shelley Duvall.
