Miller's Crossing - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of Miller's Crossing or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to Miller's Crossing

[chris]

Steve Buscemi was cast as Mink Larouie because he could speak faster than anyone else.

[dustin]

Among other details that give hints as to where the events of the film may take place (although it is never explicitly stated), one is when Verna tells Tom that they could "pack up and leave town", to which he replies sarcastically: "...where would we go Verna, Niagara Falls?" This supports the theory that the events of the film take place somewhere in New York state.

[carla]

This was the Coen Brothers' first collaboration with Steve Buscemi and John Turturro.

[sandra]

The character of "Rug" Daniels takes his name from his unconvincing hairpiece. A child is seen removing the hairpiece from the character after he is killed.

[jamie]

The line "Jesus, Tom" is said 8 times: 3 times by Leo, and once each by Frankie, Mink, Bernie, Chief O'Doole and Mayor Levander.

[steve]

The film never expressly states in what year it takes place. The Model A Fords seen throughout the film may provide a baseline, as that automobile was introduced in 1927, but other cars are also visible, ranging from 1926 to 1930 model years. The calendar in Johnny Casper's office could also provide a hint, but it does not appear to be reliable. The month is not visible on the calendar, but the first is shown to be on a Saturday. That Saturday is in red to indicate a holiday, and the only holiday on the 1st of the month in the US is New Years Day. However, the weather in the film certainly does not seem like winter weather in what is probably New York City. Ultimately, it seems likely that the calendar is not a useful guide. If you choose to ignore the weather, and note that the film takes place during Prohibition, the only possible years (when the 1st fell on a Saturday) are 1921 and 1927.

[kenneth]

The last Coen brothers film on which Barry Sonnenfeld worked as cinematographer. He claims it as his favorite because it was an easy shoot.

[harry]

Frances McDormand: the mayor's secretary

[mathew]

'Twist' is a slang term for a girl or woman, often used derogatorily.

[bernard]

In the argot of the criminal element, as often heard in early cops and robbers movies, yegg is a term normally used to refer to a safe-cracker. It has a couple of other, less used, definitions to refer to criminal types.

[alyssa]

Bernie is referred to as a Schmatte. 'Schmatte' is a Yiddish word for an old rag and was also used colloquially as a label for things of poor quality or anything worthless. Caspar's use is derogatory, labeling Bernie worthless both as a man and as a Jew.

[ella]

Julia Roberts, Demi Moore, and Jennifer Jason Leigh auditioned to play Verna.

[sara]

The fight poster in Drop Johnson's apartment has as the under card a fight featuring "Bunky Knudsen." Semon "Bunkie" Knudsen was the President of Ford Motor Company in 1969, and before that a top executive at General Motors. the poster also includes the name Lars Thorvald, which is a reference to 'Alfred Hitchcock''s Rear Window (1954).

[ethel]

Tom Regan takes a significant beating over the course of this movie. He's punched in the face 12 times, punched in the stomach/kidneys 20 times, kicked in the face twice, thrown down two flights of stairs, beaten with a purse, tripped while in a full sprint, and (nearly) strangled to death.

[ray]

The character Eddie Dane was originally written for Peter Stormare and was to be named The Swede. Stormare had to decline as he was appearing as Hamlet in the Broadway production. The part was then re-written and re-cast, and became The Dane.

[jeffrey]

Irish tenor Frank Patterson performance of "Danny Boy" was recorded under the Coen Brothers direction so it would be precisely timed for the scene it plays in the film.

[nina]

Although he was a native Irishman playing a lieutenant to an Irish mobster, the Coens did not originally want Gabriel Byrne to use his own accent in the film. Byrne argued that his dialogue was structured in such a way that it was a good fit for his accent, and after he tried it, the Coens agreed. Ultimately, both Byrne and Albert Finney used Irish accents in the film.

[maureen]

Cinematographer Barry Sonnenfeld told the Coen brothers that the forest scenes should be shot during overcast days only. The brothers did not want to delay the filming based on the weather, but as luck would have it, on all but one of the scheduled days, it was overcast anyway. Sonnenfeld further muted the colors by using Fuji film instead of Kodak for the forest scenes. In one scene, when the Dane, Tom, Frankie and Tic-Tac are in the woods at Miller's Crossing, some sunlight can be seen faintly and out of focus in the background.

[albert]

The 1988 draft written by Joel Coen and Ethan Coen included a cast list of potential actors to play the main characters as for the following: Tom Reagan: Willem Dafoe, Andy Garcia, Elias Koteas, Dylan McDermott and Tom Sizemore. Verna: Kathy Borowitz, Linda Fiorentino, Marcia Gay Harden, Laura Sametz and Diane Venora. Bernie Bernbaum: Eric Begosian, Ned Eisenberg, Michael Mantel, John Pankow and John Turturro. Leo: James Gammon, Ian Holm, Richard Jenkins, John Mahoney and Trey Wilson. Johnny Caspar: Phillip Bosco, Michael Gambon, Michael Gazzo, Joe Mantegna and John Seitz Eddie Dane (originally named Bluepoint in the script): Ray Barry, Kevin Spacey, David Strathairn, Ron Vawter and Gary Cole. Of this list, only Marcia Gay Harden and John Turturro ended up being cast in their respective parts.