Trivia / Blow Out

---

• Acclaimed Flop: The film received mostly positive reviews from movie critics, including rave reviews by Pauline Kael and Roger Ebert. But the ending supposedly made the movie suffer at the box office.
• Actor-Inspired Element: Nancy Allen wore a rabbit's foot around her neck throughout the entire film as if her character was superstitious.
• Creator's Favorite: Brian De Palma named Pino Donaggio's score as one of his favourite scores from one of his movies.
• Creator Provincialism: De Palma grew up in Philadelphia and drew on the city's annual Liberty Day parade to serve as the setting for the climax.
• Inspiration for the Work: Brian De Palma got the idea for the story while doing the sound mix on his previous movie, Dressed to Kill.
• Method Acting: John Travolta suffered from insomnia during the shoot. His lack of sleep helped him create a very moody performance and is why his character seems so downtrodden throughout the movie.
• Star-Derailing Role: The film's negative box office and word of mouth regarding its infamous Downer Ending had the side effect of nearly killing Travolta's career. Following this film, his filmography was a string of either poorly received or obscure movies. He wouldn't fully bounce back until Pulp Fiction, a full 13 years later.
• Troubled Production: The production went smoothly all around... except that during post-production, two reels of the Liberty Day parade sequence were stolen, never to be found. Brian De Palma was forced to reshoot these scenes with insurance money at great cost, and with another cinematographer as the original was no longer available.
• What Could Have Been:
  • The two main characters were much older and more cynical in an earlier draft of the script.
  • De Palma wanted Al Pacino to play Jack, but he was unavailable. Harrison Ford and Richard Gere were also considered.
  • Melanie Griffith turned down the role of Sally. Julie Christie was considered for the role when Jack was going to be played by an older actor. When John Travolta was cast, one executive considered casting his Grease co-star Olivia Newton-John.
  • The original story was set in Canada.
• Working Title: Personal Effects.

---