Jurassic Park

Jurassic Park (1993)

Timing: 2:7 (127 min)

8/10
17664

7.833/10
247656

8.2/10
1200000

All about film

Video 48

Photo 431

Actors and characters

Release date

1993-06-11

Country

United States

Production

Universal Pictures, Amblin Entertainment

Genre

Adventure, Science Fiction

Budget

$63 000 000

Revenue

$912 667 947

Website

http://www.jurassicpark.com/

Director

Steven Spielberg

Actors

Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Bob Peck, Martin Ferrero, BD Wong, Joseph Mazzello, Ariana Richards, Samuel L. Jackson
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Producer

Kathleen Kennedy, Gerald R. Molen

Operator

Dean Cundey

Composer

John Williams

Artist

Martin A. Kline, Paul Sonski, Lauren Cory

Audition

Janet Hirshenson, Jane Jenkins

Editing

Michael Kahn, Jules Roman
All team (178)

• The film is based on Michael Crichton's novel "Jurassic Park" (1990).
• The struggle for the right to adapt Michael Crichton's novel of the same name began even before its publication. The author's main requirement was an upfront fee of $1.5 million and a significant percentage of future box office receipts. Among the film studios interested in the novel were Warner Bros., Columbia Pictures, and 20th Century Fox, who envisioned Tim Burton, Richard Donner, and Joe Dante, respectively, in the director's chair, but ultimately, in May 1990, the rights went to Universal Pictures and Steven Spielberg.
• Filming took place from August 24 to November 30, 1992, on the Hawaiian Islands (Kauai) and in California.
• On September 11, 1992, Hurricane Iniki struck the Hawaiian Islands, causing a brief delay in filming. Due to the hurricane, the film crew moved to the largest island in the archipelago, Oahu, where the scene with the Tyrannosaurus Rex emerging from the bushes and eating the small dinosaur Gallimimus was filmed. This is the only outdoor scene not filmed on the island of Kauai.
• The role of Dr. Sattler was initially offered to Robin Wright Penn. Juliette Binoche was also considered for the part, but she declined, choosing to appear in «Three Colors: Blue» (1993) instead.
• The film's cinematographer, Dean Cundey, appears in a cameo as a dockworker with whom Dennis Nedry speaks through his computer.
• The very first screenplay adaptation was commissioned from Michael Crichton himself, while director Steven Spielberg was busy working on «Hook» (1991). According to the author, due to the significant volume of the novel, the future film's script incorporated no more than 10-20% of the book. In October 1991, Malia Scotch Marmo took over the script revision, and in early 1992, David Koepp joined the project, making significant changes to the previous version.
• At Steven Spielberg's insistence, the ages of the children, Lex and Tim, and their characters were switched. In Michael Crichton's novel, eleven-year-old Tim is obsessed with computers and older than his sister, who is 7-8 years old. This was done so that the role of Tim could be given to young Joseph Mazzello, who had made an exceptionally strong impression on the famous director during auditions for «Hook» (1991).
• Ariana Richards received an invitation to audition after Steven Spielberg noticed the young actress's performance in the television drama «Arlyne and Kimberly» (1991), for which she received a Young Artist Award – the main award of the year for young performers. Among other things, the director was interested in how well and loudly the actress could scream, and the casting director recorded the girl's desperate screams for three minutes. The resulting recording fully satisfied the director, who later claimed he hadn't heard such believable screams of terror since «King Kong» (1933).
• The role of Lex could have gone to Anna Klampski.
• The trembling of the water in the glass inside the Ford during the approach of the Tyrannosaurus Rex was achieved using a guitar string attached from below to the tray on which the glass was standing.
• The major toy company Kenner released a series of figurines depicting the characters from the film: Grant, Sattler, Malcolm, Muldoon, Nedry, and Tim. Ariana Richards was very upset that her character (Lex) was not afforded the same honor.
• An animatronic model of a baby Triceratops was constructed specifically for the scene in which one of the children decides to ride the dinosaur. Special effects artists struggled with this scene for about a year, but it was cut from the final version of the film at the last moment because the director felt it would unnecessarily slow down the narrative.
• The film premiered on June 9, 1993, at the National Building Museum in New York, and all proceeds went to charity.
• “Jurassic Park” grossed $914.7 million worldwide and remained the highest-grossing film in history for four and a half years until the release of “Titanic” (1997).
• Originally, the dinosaur birth scene in the laboratory was intended to feature hatching Triceratops, which were later replaced with Velociraptors.
• The first film to utilize the DTS – Digital Theater System sound format.
• Numerous minor errors and inaccuracies were corrected using computer graphics. In some cases, stand-ins and stunt performers were made to more closely resemble the actors, and a Ford Explorer was completely added in one scene.
• The roar of the Tyrannosaurus Rex consisted of combined sounds of a baby elephant, a tiger, and an alligator, while the sounds of a whale exhaling were used for its breathing.
• Director Steven Spielberg was so confident in the commercial success of "Jurassic Park" that he began work on his next project, "Schindler's List" (1993), even before finishing the film, entrusting the entire post-production to George Lucas.
• The role of Dr. Hammond was offered to Sean Connery.
• The scene with the raptors in the kitchen was filmed on Joseph Mazzello's birthday. During one take, the actor accidentally collided with a raptor, receiving several minor bruises and scratches.
• Filming of the movie was completed 12 days ahead of schedule and remained completely within budget.
• For the scene where the Tyrannosaurus Rex snatches a dinosaur from a herd of Gallimimus and devours it, the sound of a dog shaking a toy in its mouth was used.
• To create the illusion of a driverless car moving with electricity along a rail, hidden control was used, installed behind each of the vehicles. The driver was hidden under a tarpaulin, and a special screen existed for him to see the road and what was happening ahead, with the image coming from two small cameras. One was mounted on the dashboard in front of the steering wheel, and the second on the front bumper.
• Film producer Gerald R. Molen appears in a cameo as Dr. Gerry Harding, whom the main characters meet at the beginning of the tour next to a sick Triceratops.
• In the scene showing souvenirs dedicated to the future 'Jurassic Park,' you can notice the book 'The Making of Jurassic Park' by Don Shay and Jodi Duncan. This book actually existed and detailed the work on the film.
• The role of Muldoon (the hunter responsible for security in the park) could have gone to Brian Cox.
• The headlines of the newspapers lying on the refrigerator in Dr. Grant's trailer: 'Space Aliens Stole My Face' and 'Dinosaurs On Mars!'
• Before the tour of the park begins, Tim mentions Robert Bakker and his book about dinosaurs to Dr. Grant. Paleontologist Robert Bakker was one of the scientific consultants on the film.
• All the numerous souvenirs with the Jurassic Park emblem (t-shirts, toys, flasks, packaging, and much more) seen in the film actually existed and were used in the project's advertising campaign.
• After participating in the filming of the movie, Ariana Richards developed such a strong interest in dinosaurs that the following summer she actively participated in dinosaur fossil excavations in Montana, conducted by Professor Jack Horner, who was the chief scientific consultant for 'Jurassic Park'.
• The full-size animatronic Tyrannosaurus model weighed about 6 tons and was slightly over 6 meters tall with a length of 12 meters. During the filming of the first Tyrannosaurus attack, which took place in heavy rain and was filmed on a closed set, the rubber covering the model absorbed a large amount of water, making it even heavier and practically unmanageable. The service crew had to work tirelessly all night to dry the Tyrannosaurus. Ultimately, it was decided to construct a special platform above the Tyrannosaurus, out of camera view, to hold the pouring streams of water.
• The Dilophosaurs that spit venomous saliva in the film were actually much larger and did not possess this rare ability. Their size was reduced so that inexperienced viewers would not mistake them for raptors.
• Despite the film's title, most of the dinosaurs shown in it lived during the Cretaceous period of the Mesozoic Era, not the preceding Jurassic period.
• Steven Spielberg insisted that the raptors be about three meters tall, although at that time there was no known evidence of such large varieties. During filming, excavations of dinosaur fossils discovered raptor specimens three meters tall, which were named Utahraptors.
• When the Tyrannosaurus attacked the car with Lex and Tim inside, the script did not call for the glass to break, so the children's frightened screams at that moment were completely genuine.
• A series of computer and console games with the same name was released based on the film.
• In 2011, the film was included in NASA's list of the most scientifically accurate science fiction films.
• Jim Carrey was considered for the role of Ian Malcolm.
• Kurt Russell, Richard Dreyfuss, Harrison Ford, Dylan McDermott, Tom Sizemore, and John Hurt were candidates for the role of Alan Grant.
• In the opening scene of the ride through 'Jurassic Park,' Malcolm says, 'What have they got here? King Kong?' This phrase is a nod to the film 'King Kong' (1933), from which Spielberg borrowed the idea for the film.
• Alan Grant is based on the real paleontologist Jack Horner.
• William Hurt auditioned for the role of Alan Grant.
• In 2013, a 3D premiere screening was held to celebrate the film's 20th anniversary.
• The film was shot on the large Costa Rican island of “Isla del Coco” (Isla del Coco, “Coconut Island”), located in the Pacific Ocean several hundred kilometers from the coast. It is worth noting that this island served as the prototype for Nublar Island from Michael Crichton’s book, where the action takes place.
• A fragment from the film *Jaws* (1975) can be seen on the computer screens of programmer Nedry.
• Sam Neill received a burn on the set during the scene distracting the Tyrannosaurus with a flare. Some burning phosphorus got under his watch and scorched his hand.
• To create the sound effects, Gary Rydstrom recorded and combined many natural sounds of real animals. According to him, the sound of velociraptors communicating with each other is based on the cries of mating tortoises.
• In reality, the film features deinonychus instead of velociraptors, which actually lived in Montana and were approximately that size, while velociraptors were only 60-70 centimeters tall.
• In the original script, the characters Gennaro and Malcolm were combined into one, and Maldone remained alive. In Michael Crichton’s book, Malcolm and Dr. Hammond both died, although the former was then miraculously resurrected in its sequel, explaining this fact by saying that “the doctors did a great job.”
• The film has some discrepancies with the book: In the book, Lexi is not a teenager, but a 6–7 year old girl, and Tim is 11 years old. In the book, Malcolm received an open fracture when he encountered the Tyrannosaurus Rex and subsequently died of blood poisoning. The “book” Hammond was torn apart by compsognathus. In the book, Hammond never realizes the disastrous nature of the very idea of resurrecting dinosaurs. He continues to dream of creating a whole network of similar parks around the world until the very end. In the book, it is Tim, not Lexi, who hacks the park’s computer system. In the film, Alan hints at a romance with Ellie. In the book, however, Alan is a widower, much older than his colleague, and Ellie is going to get married, but not to Alan, but to “a doctor from Chicago.” Alan explicitly states in the film that he doesn't like children. In the book, Alan feels genuine sympathy for them. The adventures of Alan and the children in the park are somewhat different in the book than in the film. Some episodes from the book that were not included in the first film were used in the second and third films. In the book, Robert Muldoon did not die and successfully fought the dinosaurs: he sedated the Tyrannosaurus Rex and killed several velociraptors with a grenade launcher. In the book, unlike the film, Donald Gennaro also did not die. The geneticist Henry Wu, on the other hand, was torn apart in the book version. The film omits the character of Ed Regis – the Park’s press officer. His plot functions are divided between Muldoon and Gennaro. The book does not feature the appearance of the Tyrannosaurus Rex in the finale. This moment was decided to be added much later, as they felt that such a famous predator needed more than one appearance on screen. At the end of the novel, the island was bombed. This moment was decided not to be included in the film.
• When Grant approaches the trailer, he opens the door on the right side, but when he enters the trailer, the door is open on the left side.
• Inside the amber on Hammond’s cane is a harvestman, not a mosquito.
• When Nedry steals dinosaur embryos, there are errors in the names of the individuals: the word "Stegosaurus" is written as "Stegazaвр", and the word "Tyrannosaurus" as "Tyranoзавр".
• The sign indicating the direction to the docks changes direction.
• Wires can be seen in the Dilophosaurus' frill.
• John Hammond mentions that "Disneyland" opened in 1956. In reality, "Disneyland" opened in 1955.
• Ellie's shirt mysteriously disappears.
• A mechanical arm monitors the dinosaur eggs in the incubator. In one shot, it holds an egg, and in the next, it's gone.
• Overnight, dense foliage appears on the tree where Grant and the children are sleeping.
• When Jeffries falls from the container, a hand briefly appears in the frame, but the next shot shows no one near Jeffries. In reality, this is the hand of the operator trying to protect the expensive camera from the falling stuntman.
• During the first tour, in the car with Lex, Tim, and Gennaro, microphones for recording dialogue can be seen attached in the car's cabin.
• Tim gets an electric shock, and sparks fly. If you look closely, the sources of the sparks are several centimeters away from the boy's hands.
• San Jose is not as close to the sea as the film's director would have liked. The sea is not visible from San Jose.
• It was noted that Nublar Island was 120 miles from Costa Rica, and the helicopter would not have enough fuel to fly across the Pacific Ocean.
• Before the Tyrannosaurus attack, the jeeps got wet before it started to rain.
• In the scene where Nedry looks at the computer to contact his accomplice, a progress indicator moves at the bottom of the monitor. This indicates that a video is playing on the computer.
• Upon landing, the heroes exit the helicopter in a different order than they were seated inside. Incidentally, at the very end of the film, the heroes also abruptly change places in the helicopter.
• In the episode where the Tyrannosaurus Rex rips the roof off the car, it breaks its teeth, but after a few seconds the teeth are whole again.
• When Malcolm says, “Is that a King Kong thing?”, his lips don’t move.
• By morning, Grant, who has been sitting in a tree with the children, has dry and clean soles. Yet he spent the whole night scrambling through the mud.
• Hunter Muldoon tries to save a park worker captured by a raptor. At one point, Muldoon’s hat disappears and then reappears.
• After Dennis puts shaving cream on a piece of pie, he wipes his hand with a napkin, even though it’s clearly visible that there is no shaving cream on his hand.
• When a helicopter landing is shown, two jeeps are visible near the landing pad, waiting for passengers. A few seconds later, these jeeps park again in the very same place where they had just been standing peacefully, awaiting their occupants.
• Cars enter the Park through large gates. From an overhead view, it is clearly visible that the hedge ends several meters from the gates.
• When Dennis steals the embryos, the writing on the outside of the compartment appears to be on some pieces of paper, while in the next shot, it is applied directly onto the illuminated surface.
• The entrance to the visitor center looks different at various times: when the jeeps with the heroes approach the building, the shadow in the doorway is blurry, as it would be with diffused lighting, but a few seconds later, when the heroes enter, it is sharp, as if in bright sunlight.
• The cars with the visitors come to a standstill due to a power outage. Grant and Malcolm’s car stops in the middle of dense vegetation, which is clearly visible right outside the window. In the next shot, both cars are standing in the middle of an open space, with the bushes several dozen meters away.
• During the first excursion, the car windows are wet as if after rain, but there was no rain, and the windows were dry just a minute ago.
• Tim finds night vision goggles in the jeep. He looks through them outwards, while Lex leans back against the driver's seat behind him, her face turned towards the viewer. In the next shot, she is sitting with her back to Tim.
• On the central pillar of the vehicle with the children, there is a seatbelt anchor which disappears at a certain point, leaving behind only a small hole.
• Gennaro throws the children into the car and runs away, leaving the door open. When the Tyrannosaurus exits the enclosure, the door is closed. When Lex picks up a flashlight and accidentally turns it on, attracting the Tyrannosaurus, the door is still closed. But when the predator approaches the car closely, the door is suddenly wide open again, and then Tim slams it shut, further attracting the predator's attention.
• When Grant distracts the Tyrannosaurus from the children, the predator suddenly moves several meters to the left: just now it was standing behind the overturned jeep, and a moment later it is quite far away.
• Grant clamps Lex's screaming mouth and orders her not to move. At the same time, the characters inexplicably move from the middle of the car to its rear. They were just near the rear door, and suddenly find themselves by the rear fender, on the other side of the wheel.
• The Tyrannosaurus flips the car with the children inside. In the background, you can see a lighting rig on a tripod, a flowerpot with a fake flower, and some kind of cable stretching.
• At the point where the electric fence is breached, the ground is level on both sides – the Tyrannosaurus came through simply stepping over the concrete barrier. When, a few minutes later, it drops the jeep into the breach, a chasm twenty meters deep has already formed there.
• The jeep falls down, getting stuck in the branches of a tree. It is clearly visible that the tree stands practically close to the wall, literally touching it with its branches. Interestingly, the scene of Tim being rescued from the car was filmed in a completely different location. There is no wall anywhere near that location.
• When Nedry jumps out of the jeep in the pouring rain to switch the Park gates to manual mode, he leaves the car door open, which is clearly visible. However, when he runs back to the jeep, the door is locked.
• When Nedry meets his accomplice, he clutches a briefcase full of money. For no apparent reason, the briefcase vanishes from the fat man's armpit in an unknown direction right between frames.
• When Nedry drives off the road, he crashes the front of the Jeep into a log, and later we see that the rear is stuck as well.
• The exit on the back side of the visitor center is too small for a Tyrannosaurus to pass through.
• The film is based on Michael Crichton's novel "Jurassic Park" (1990).
• The role of Dr. Sattler was initially offered to Robin Wright Penn. Juliette Binoche could also have played it, but she declined the offer, preferring the film "Three Colors: Blue" (1993).
• When Nedry steals the dinosaur embryos, there are errors in the names of the species: "stegosaurus" is written as "stegazaur," and "tyrannosaurus" as "tyranozaur."
• John Hammond mentions that Disneyland opened in 1956. In fact, Disneyland opened in 1955.