top of page

The Sting

This high-angle shot—of a man who’s been shot right through his fancy tuxedo—falls at the end of The Sting. In this 1973 caper movie, shot partially in Chicago, Paul Newman (pictured here) and Robert Redford play con artists.


At the film’s end, the two successfully pull off an elaborate con. They fake their gunshots and wounds. In the process, they deceive their target (Robert Shaw) out of a significant amount of money.


Production in Chicago lasted only about a week. Most of The Sting was filmed in studios in Los Angeles.


Being con artists, the two characters must constantly watch their backs. During the shoot, that fiction bled over to reality, for Redford at least: he was placed under police protection during production because of threats on his life. The threats originated in LA. But police took no chances in Chicago—in case the threatener followed Redford there (Tampa Times, April 14, 1973).


The Sting was nominated for 10 Oscars and won 7: best picture, director, original screenplay, editing, costume design, production design and original score.

YOU'RE ON SCREENSHOT:

40

Keep playing!

bottom of page