The Stunt Man
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There have been several films entitled The Stunt Man, of which the best known is the1980 film. It tells the story of a young man, running from the police, who stumbles into the middle of the filming of a movie. Pretending to be a stunt man, he finds that the manic director is putting his life in more danger than he might have been in at the hands of the law. It stars Peter O'Toole, Steve Railsback, Barbara Hershey, Allen Garfield, Alex Rocco and Sharon Farrell.
The movie was adapted by Lawrence B. Marcus and Richard Rush from the novel by Paul Brodeur. It was directed by Richard Rush.
It was nominated for Academy Awards for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Peter O'Toole), Best Director and Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium.
The film plays with the audience's perceptions by constantly switching between events occurring in the "real world" and those happening in the movie being filmed on-screen, usually with no transitions.
Peter O'Toole based his character, Eli Cross, on David Lean, who directed him in Lawrence of Arabia.