The Straight Story - videos, teasers and stills from filming
All videos, teasers and footage from the filming of the film "The Straight Story"
The Straight Story (1999)
Timing:
1:52 (112 min)
7.742/10
1758
1758
7.838/10
35398
35398
8/10
108000
108000
What's left behind the scenes
- The Zone 1 DVD of "Simple Histories" contains no extras, and not even a scene selection function – this was done at the special request of the film's director, David Lynch.
- The real Alvin Straight, who served as the prototype for the film's protagonist, lived from 1920 to 1996, making his journey three years before his death.
- The filming of the film's scenes proceeded in strict chronological order.
- This is the first of David Lynch's films in which he directs his parents in cameo roles.
- According to some reports, the lead role in the film was offered to John Hurt and Gregory Peck.
- Lynch, who had been aware of the project from the beginning of the script's development, was not initially interested in it, but after reading the final script, he agreed to direct the film.
- Farnsworth initially refused the role, citing illness, but Lynch persuaded him to take it.
- Filming began in September 1998 and ended on October 19, 1998.
- A publication in The New York Times about Alvin Straight's six-week journey on a lawnmower attracted the attention of Mary Sweeney, a long-time assistant to David Lynch. She sent the article to her long-time friend John Roach, who quickly became interested in the story. They tried to acquire the rights to the plot, but they had already been sold. The opportunity to acquire them arose only in 1998. They then secured the copyright for themselves and began working on the script. To add credibility to the script, Sweeney and Roach retraced Straight's steps from Lawrence (Iowa) to Mount Zion (Wisconsin), interviewing people who had interacted with Straight during his journey. They also met Straight's children, who were initially unhappy with the project, as they believed the film could give a false impression of their eccentric father. However, after learning of Sweeney and Roach’s attitude towards the story, they offered their support to the project and shared memories of Alvin and his photographs with the screenwriters to make the script’s character as close as possible to the real Alvin Straight.
- For Richard Farnsworth, this role proved to be his last: at the time of filming, he was suffering from bone cancer, and on October 6, 2000, he shot himself at his ranch in Lincoln, New Mexico.
- Notably, the film begins and ends with a shot of a starry sky, which may be a reference to another biographical film by Lynch – "The Elephant Man", which also concludes with a view of the starry sky.
- Notably, the film begins and ends with a view of the starry sky, which may be a reference to Lynch's other biographical film – "The Elephant Man," which also ends with a view of the starry sky.
Did you like the film?
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
