5 Interesting Facts

1. Besson began writing the story as a teenager. Luc Besson wrote the early screenplay during his high school year of 1975, having conceived the story and its entire universe since childhood as an escape from a lonely upbringing. He was just 16 when he started writing - but 38 when the film finally opened in theaters.

2. It was the most expensive European film ever made at the time. Costing approximately $90 million, The Fifth Element was the most expensive European film ever made at the time of its release.

3. The iconic Diva Dance aria contains physically impossible notes. When composer Eric Serra showed soprano Inva Mula the sheet music for the Diva Dance, she told him that some of the notes were humanly impossible to sing because the human voice cannot change notes that fast. She performed the notes one by one in isolation, and they were digitized to fit the music.

4. Besson deliberately kept the film bright and colorful. Luc Besson demanded that most of the action shots take place in broad daylight, as he was tired of the dark spaceship corridors and dimly lit planets common in science fiction, and wanted a brighter, "cheerfully crazy" look.

5. Bruce Willis took a pay cut - and it paid off. Willis wasn't the first choice for the role of Korben Dallas, but he told Besson that if he liked the script, they'd figure the money out. Two hours later, Willis signed on, taking a reduced salary upfront and a percentage of profits. Since the film earned over $263 million at the global box office, his gamble paid off handsomely.

5 Interesting Facts

1. Jackie Chan Was the First Choice for the Villain Sylvester Stallone wanted Simon Phoenix to be played by Jackie Chan. Chan declined the offer since Asian audiences give negative feedback on action stars who have always played heroes suddenly becoming type-cast as villains. Wesley Snipes was then asked but turned down the role several times, until producer Joel Silver and director Marco Brambilla visited him on the set of Rising Sun (1993) to convince him in person. The next day, they received a call and Snipes agreed. (Source: IMDb Trivia)

2. Dennis Rodman Was Inspired by the Film After the movie's release, professional NBA player Dennis Rodman began dyeing his hair different colors, a look that was inspired by Simon Phoenix. (Source: IMDb Trivia)

3. The Script Was Inspired by a Broken Cassette Player Writer Peter Lenkov was influenced by stories of celebrities being cryogenically frozen and listening to Sting's song "Demolition Man" on repeat due to a broken cassette player in his car. His initial pitch was rejected by an executive who did not understand his "frozen cop" idea. (Source: Wikipedia)

4. The Film Found Renewed Relevance During COVID-19 The film found renewed relevance during the COVID-19 pandemic; it was seen as predictive when there were calls to end the practice of shaking hands, and during shortages of toilet paper. The movie had famously depicted a future where physical contact is banned and "the three seashells" replace toilet paper. (Source: Wikipedia)

5. It Earned $159 Million and Stallone Called the Writers "Ahead of Their Time" The film earned $159 million worldwide and was considered a successful film for Stallone. In 2022, Stallone reflected positively on the movie: "I always enjoyed this movie. It was a great action film wonderfully directed by Marco Brambilla. And the writers were way ahead of their time." (Source: Wikipedia)

5 Production Facts

1. Almost entirely improvised. Reiner, Guest, McKean, and Shearer wrote the screenplay, but most of the dialogue was improvised and dozens of hours of footage were filmed.

2. Made on a tiny budget, filmed entirely in Los Angeles. The film's budget was set at $2.2 million, and due to that limited budget, the five cities represented in Spinal Tap's U.S. tour were all filmed in Los Angeles.

3. The idea originated from a TV sketch in 1978. Reiner and the cast created Spinal Tap for a 1979 ABC-TV sketch comedy effort called The T.V. Show. After the pilot generated poor ratings, they devised a way to bring the group back in a motion picture.

4. A 20-minute demo was made to sell the concept. Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest, and Michael McKean were given $10,000 to write a script. They made a 20-minute version of the film to better demonstrate the improvisation they had in mind, and several scenes from the demo made it into the finished movie.

5. It fooled audiences - and celebrities - into thinking the band was real. The portrayal was so effective that many filmgoers, including Ozzy Osbourne, thought they were watching a documentary about a real musical group. American talk show host Joe Franklin also was unaware that the band was a parody when he interviewed the actors in 1984.

Sources: Britannica, Wikipedia, AFI Catalog, IMDB Trivia, Reelviews

5 Behind-the-Scenes Production Facts

1. It Was Originally Written for Cheech and Chong

Director Ivan Reitman conceived the idea en route to the premiere of Meatballs, pitching it as "Cheech and Chong join the army." The comedy duo's manager loved the script, but Cheech and Chong demanded complete creative control - leading Reitman to rewrite the leads for Bill Murray and Harold Ramis. (Source: Wikipedia)

2. The Department of Defense Negotiated Script Changes

Reitman, Goldberg, and Ramis engaged in a detailed negotiation with the Department of Defense to make the film supportive of military recruitment. In exchange, the production received subsidies including free labor and access to locations and equipment, and script rewrites requested by the DoD were granted. (Source: Wikipedia)

3. It Was Filmed at Real Military Locations on a Tight Budget

Filming began in Kentucky in November 1980 and wrapped in January 1981. The production shot army scenes at Fort Knox, city scenes in Louisville, and the "Czechoslovakia" scenes at the closed Chapeze Distillery in Clermont, Kentucky - all on a budget of just $9-10 million over a 42-day schedule. (Source: Wikipedia)

4. A SAG Strike Delayed Production

According to an August 1980 Los Angeles Times report, a Screen Actors Guild strike postponed the original start date for filming. (Source: AFI Catalog)

5. The Film Was a Massive Box Office Hit

Stripes became the most successful summer release in Columbia Pictures' history at the time, grossing close to $72 million in under 11 weeks and ultimately earning over $84 million domestically - making it the fifth highest-grossing film of 1981. (Source: AFI Catalog)

Sources: Wikipedia - Stripes (film) | AFI Catalog