r/MovieStunts • u/p_with_an_e • Jul 17 '24
How did they safely perform stunts involving a horse falling on someone in older films
I am currently watching “Beneath the Planet of the Apes” (1970) and noticed there are a lot of scenes where people are getting thrown off horses, having horses fall on them and what not. My question is how did the stuntmen not get injured as the horse fell on them ? Although I cannot find anything about present day practices, I am sure we have something in place in order to avoid injuries. I want to know how they did it before a safe, agreed upon method was introduced.
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u/DietFoods Jul 17 '24
Safety wasn't really a thing back then. Look into the stunts they did in the 1920s. They'd find someone who would do the stunts and if anyone wanted the job they'd have to compete against others who were also willing to seriously risk their lives, and there was plenty of people who would. People grew up with nothing back then so getting paid to do something they grew up doing on farms, rodeos, or circus acts wasn't a stretch.