BELL BLOOPERS

Big screen campanogulous cock-ups, with bell-loving movie fanatic

⬜ IN THE 1984 comedy film GHOSTBUSTERS, we see the team’s receptionist, Janine, sounding a loud bell after the Ghostbusters receive their first callout about a disorderly ghost. However, eagle-eyed viewers will have spotted a major blooper in this muchloved scene – Ghosts don’t actually exist! The film’s red-faced producers only spotted the cock-up when the final cut was already completed, and so the movie was distributed with this glaring error included. D’oh!

⬜ IN THE Oscar-winning 1995 classic BRAVEHEART, William Wallace (Mel Gibson) approaches the castle of the evil Prince Edward, in order to challenge the English regent to battle. The film is set in 1297, and yet Wallace announces his arrival by pressing what is clearly an electric doorbell next to the castle’s portcullis. To make matters worse, the doorbell plays the tune of Miami 2 Ibiza by Tinie Tempah, which was not even recorded until 2010.

⬜ THE MOST memorable action scene in the 2008 James Bond film QUANTUM OF SOLACE sees 007 (Daniel Craig) push a Special Branch bodyguard (Paul Ritter) off a bell tower while the bells ring out around them. Believe it or not, though, this whole sequence is just one long blooper! In the script, the scene was supposed to feature only calm dialogue over the gentle chiming of the bells. But on the day of filming, Craig was furious with Ritter for eating the last Nobbly Bobbly ice lolly from the catering truck, and he lashed out angrily midscene. The two toppled off the bell tower and straight through a glass roof 50ft below. Instead of calling ‘cut’, director Marc Foster kept the cameras rolling as the pair continuing to scrap violently – and the blood-spattered ‘blooper’ ended up being included in the final film.

⬜ WE ALL remember the iconic scene in drug drama BREAKING BAD when meth dealer Hector Salamanca kills his arch-rival Gus Fring by detonating a bomb attached to the bell on his wheelchair. However, there were red faces all round when it became clear that Breaking Bad is actually a TV SERIES , not a film – and therefore has no place being mentioned in this column. #FacePalm!

More bell-based silver screen balls-ups next time, bell-fans!