BITE THE BULLET
DIRECTED & PRODUCED BY RICHARD BROOKS
PRODUCED BY
PERSKY-BRIGHT PRODUCTIONS/ VISTA
COLUMBIA PICTURES CORPORATION
Photo with the courtesy of Gorch
Information from IMDb
Plot Summary
At the beginning of the 20th century, a newspaper organizes an endurance horse race :
700 miles to run in a few days. 9 adventurers are competing,
among them a woman, Miss Jones, a Mexican, an Englishman,
a young cow-boy, an old one and two friends, Sam Clayton and Luke Matthews.
All those individualists will learn to respect each other.
Written by Yepok
Full Cast
Gene Hackman ... Sam Clayton
Candice Bergen ... Miss Jones
James Coburn ... Luke Matthews
Ben Johnson ... Mister
Ian Bannen ... Sir Harry Norfolk
Jan-Michael Vincent ... Carbo
Robert Donner ... Reporter
Jean Willes ... Rosie
Mario Arteaga ... Mexican
Dabney Coleman ... Jack Parker
John McLiam ... Gebhardt
Robert F. Hoy ... Lee Christie (as Robert Hoy)
Jerry Gatlin ... The Wood Cutter
Sally Kirkland ... Honey
Walter Scott ... Steve (as Walter Scott Jr.)
William H. Burton ... Billy (as Bill Burton)
Buddy Van Horn ... Slim
Joe Brooks
Lucia Canales
Darwin Lamb
Paul Stewart ... J.B. Parker (uncredited)
Writing Credits
Richard Brooks (written by)
Original Music
Alex North
Cinematography
Harry Stradling Jr. (director of photography)
Trivia
Charles Bronson turned down the leading role.
In Jan. 1976, Columbia distributed this film theatrically on a double bill with White Line Fever starring Jan-Michael Vincent.
The film was inspired by the 1908 700-mile cross-country horse race from Evanston, Wyoming to Denver, Colorado. It was sponsored by the Denver Post, which offered $2,500 prize money to the winner.
While on location in New Mexico in 1974 Paul Stewart suffered a heart attack.
Goofs
Anachronisms
Power lines and a modern sodium vapor street light are visible at the train station.
Rosie casually drops the term "Mickey Finn" to refer to a near-toxic combination of whiskey and sleeping medicine. According to the Wikipedia page for this term, Mr. Finn did indeed commit his drug-and-rob crimes about three years prior to the action in this film but also indicates that while the crime was mentioned in Chicago newspapers the term itself wasn't in popular usage as a stand-alone noun until several years later.
Crew or equipment visible
The track tracks left by the filming are visible in the desert.
Revealing mistakes
When the horse is being buried in the desert its side is moving with breathing.
When Sam Clayton takes the saddle off his horse at the end, it's clearly dry under the saddle, while the rest of the horse is wet and lathered. The lather and dampness is clearly fake sweat, as it would be soaked under he saddle also.
Filming Locations
Carson National Forest, New Mexico, USA
Chama, New Mexico, USA
Colorado, USA
Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, Chama, New Mexico, USA
Lake Mead, Nevada, USA
Taos, New Mexico, USA
Valley of Fire State Park - Route 169, Overton, Nevada, USA
White Sands National Monument, Alamogordo, New Mexico, USA