“They don’t even know how dangerous it was.” Robert de Niro almost died on the set of masterpiece over 45 years ago
A risky scene could have ended in tragedy on the set of a 1978 film. Robert De Niro has spoken out about the accident that may have led to his death.
Stunts are very often dangerous, which is why they are performed by professionals who are prepared to perform in risky scenes. But there are situations when we see not stuntmen on the screen, but the actors themselves, who take on dangerous challenges. The most famous example is Tom Cruise, who takes on increasingly crazy things in the movies of the Mission: Impossible series.
Robert De Niro, in a masterpiece more than 45 years ago, also took part in a risky scene that could have ended tragically for him. It was a scene from The Deer Hunter with a helicopter, in which Robert De Niro and John Savage had to jump from a helicopter from a height of 30 feet into the River Kwai. The actors performed the feat 15 times over two days, but one of the shots could have ended in tragedy when the helicopter's skids caught on a rope bridge during ascent, risking serious injury to De Niro and Savage.
The shot in which the actors shout to the helicopter pilot, informing him of the accident, was featured in The Deer Hunter.
De Niro told about the dangerous situation from the set of The Deer Hunter in 1989 during an interview with Playboy (via Far Out Magazine).
The helicopter pilot didn’t want to go too low because there were rocks on two sides and a narrow passage where the water rushed through. The runners underneath the helicopter caught under the bridge’s cable and, without knowing it, the pilot lifted the whole bridge and twisted it around while John Savage and I were hanging from it. It was dangerous. I looked down and shouted “Drop!” and we just dropped. We came up out of the water and saw one of the stunt guys standing on the bridge and lifting the cable off the runner of the helicopter. I thought that was it.
Robert De Niro and John Savage made it out alive, but the actor admitted that he nearly paid for the scene with his life. He confessed that when watching such scenes on screen, viewers often don't realize how dangerous it is to shoot them, as the footage shot by the cameras doesn't reflect the intensity of the real situation.
I thought the helicopter would drop down on us. That happens in movies; you have to be very, very careful. Nobody plans an accident, and the thing is, sometimes the stunts don’t even look like anything on film. Or the shot isn’t even used. You could die doing one of those stunts, and when people look at it, they don’t even know how dangerous it was.
The Deer Hunter is an undeniable masterpiece that has won numerous awards, including 5 Oscars in the categories of Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor, Best Director, Best Sound and Best Editing.
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