Anyone with an inkling of what the filmmaking process entails will be aware of just how grueling it can be. From lengthy shoots in which cast and crew labour from dawn to dusk, to sleepless days and nights cutting the footage together in the editing suite, making a movie can be physically and mentally challenging, to say the least. Sometimes, the risk to health and the dangers involved can be life threatening. Whether it's a method actor putting your body through the mill in order to achieve the necessary weight loss or gain for a particular role or a stunt performer throwing caution to the wind in order to pull off an amazing action sequence, making a movie as great as possible can come at a very high price. The following list covers 10 movies in which people made the ultimate sacrifice for their craft, losing their lives in order to bring to the screen great movies throughout the ages, starting with...
10. Paul Mantz - The Flight Of The Phoenix
How would you survive if you crash landed in the Sahara Desert? It's a prospect none of us would ever wish to face, but this is what happens to a group of men in Robert Aldrich's cult movie from 1965, The Flight of the Phoenix. With an all-star ensemble cast including James Stewart, Richard Attenborough and Peter Finch, it's a fascinating insight into the way in which people pool their intellect and resources when faced with a seemingly inevitable fate. Unfortunately for stunt pilot Paul Mantz, The Flight of the Phoenix was to be his last movie after an illustrious career both in Hollywood and the air force. Flying the Tallmantz Phoenix P-1 airplane - custom made for the movie - in a scene in which he skims over the desert, Mantz struck a small hillock and attempted to rectify the error by opening up the throttle. The plane broke in two and nosed over into the ground, killing Mantz instantaneously. The final credits of The Flight of the Phoenix carried the following message to the audience: "It should be remembered... that Paul Mantz, a fine man and a brilliant flyer, gave his life in the making of this film..."