Sylvester Stalloneis a renowned movie star with hits such asRocky,Rambo, and many others. However, even the biggest stars have to start somewhere, and usually it’s in indie productions as they seek to get their foot in the door. For Stallone, his first stab at leading a feature film was inRobert Schnitzer’sNo Place to Hide. A labor of passion, the film challenged Schnizter as a filmmaker because he made it on his dime and had to improvise. Part of that improvisation was hiring unknown non-SAG actors, which is how Stallone was cast. The film has had a lengthy journey getting in front of viewers, and fifty years after its initial release, the director is once again allowing moviegoers to watch it, according to IndieWire. RetitledRebel: Director’s Cut, the movie will return to select cinemas nationwide from June 6.
No Place to Hideis the kind of film that gives a filmmaker sleepless nights because of the urgency of its message. Jerry Savage is the lead character. Set in the height of the Vietnam War, Savage, ananti-war activist, plots to bomb a local cookware company that was being used to make torture devices used in the war. Known as tiger cages, these devices were used to inflict pain and death through torture, drowning, and imprisonment. Schnitzer shot it by maxing his credit cards, hiring inexpensive actors, and working around filming permits.
‘Rebel: Director’s Cut’s Long Journey to the Big Screen
Production was challenging because of the lack of financial backing from a major studio. The film’s director worked around these issues, but at some point, it seemed as though the film, initially titledSeize the Time!, would not be completed. “We had enough money to shoot the film, but we didn’t have enough money to develop the negative and make a workprint,” Schnitzer said. “For six months, I had a hundred cans of film in my refrigerator until I could raise the money to pay the lab to develop it.” The film was renamedNo Place to Hideand released by a small distributor.Stallone’s star shone brighter, and to capitalize onhisRockyfame,No Place to Hidewas released under a new title:Rebel.
“Two or three years ago, I saw that therewars brewing everywhere,” Schnitzer said. “I said to myself, we’ve got this anti-war film just sitting in the vault. Let’s get it out. Let’s contribute something to the consciousness of the moviegoing public.” And with that, he edited parts of Rebel he didn’t like, fixed technical issues, and remastered it to 4K.War is never pretty, and everyone loses. Schnitzer hopes the film will inspire people to reflect on the impact of war on all of us. “I think the time has come to look at geopolitics with fresh eyes, and to see how the trends continue through generations,” he said. “Maybe this film can open people’s minds a little bit.”
Rebel: Director’s Cutwill be released in theaters on June 6 by Giant Pictures.
