Posts tagged Anton Pamchenko
![TheCuttingEdge](http://manjr.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/TheCuttingEdge-64x64.jpg)
7 Things You Didn’t Know About The Cutting Edge
Who doesn’t love The Cutting Edge? Seriously, find me someone who won’t watch this movie whenever it’s on. You can’t. Don’t lie to me, you can’t. It’s an undisputed classic that totally dominates the genre of sports romance. It’s got everything: a love/skate relationship, social class inequity, toe picks and tequila shots and montage sequences that teleport you back to the grainy, guitar-heavy days of 1992.
So when I saw The Cutting Edge was on TV, there was little I could do but enjoy it from start to finish. As am I watching this thing I took to IMDB to scope out some trivia, see what Moira Kelly looks like now, you know, the usual. And I learned things. Interesting things. Things you may not have known about this classic movie. Here are 10 of them, in no particular order:
The Film Was Directed by the Original Starsky
Yep, The Cutting Edge was directed by Paul Manfred Glaser aka the OG Starsky. He directed five episodes of Starsky and Hutch back in the late 70s, three episodes of Miami Vice and followed that up with films like The Running Man, The Air Up There and Kazaam. He mostly sticks to the small screen now from what I can tell.
They Made Three Friggin Sequels
I missed out on 2006’s The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold, aka The Cutting Edge 2. I also missed The Cutting Edge 3: Chasing the Dream, a TV movie from 2008. The Cutting Edge: Fire & Ice, another TV movie from 2010 slipped through the cracks as well. Yep, I missed all three sequels, and you know what? I’m totally okay with that.
The Guy Who Directed The Cutting Edge: Fire & Ice Made Some Awesome Movies 20+ Years Ago
Director Stephen Herek is the guy responsible for The Cutting Edge 4. That’s not really what he’s known for though. This guy had some pretty sweet hits in the late 80s/early 90s. Films like Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead and The Mighty Ducks. That’s an impressive resume, no doubt. But that’s before he got into the sequel/spinoff phase of his career. That dark period began in 2003 with Young MacGyver, a TV movie that was actually a pilot for a larger series. MacGyver’s young nephew Clay couldn’t capture the magic of his uncle though, so the show was never picked up.
The Guy Who Wrote The Cutting Edge Also Wrote All the Bourne Identity Films
That’s right, Rene Russo’s brother-in-law Tony Gilroy wrote all the four films in the Jason Bourne series (Identity, Supremacy, Ultimatum and Legacy), but his first screenplay was The Cutting Edge. His other writing credits include The Devil’s Advocate, Armageddon and Proof of Life. He also wrote and directed Michael Clayton and Duplicity. But it all start with a figure skating rom-com script back in 1992.
Moira Kelly Coulda Been in A League of Their Own
Moira Kelly shoulda been a bigger deal. She should be known for more than this film, Chaplin and being that cute chick from With Honors and West Wing. Instead she left it all on the ice. Kelly injured her ankle during shooting and had to be moved about on a porter’s truck in between scenes. She was cast to play Kit Keller in A League of Their Own in 1992, but the ankle injury she suffered forced her to pass it up. That role went to Lori Petty. Moira Kelly coulda been the next Tank Girl. Think about it.
Anton Pamchenko Was a British Fighter Pilot and WWII POW
Roy Dotrice, the guy who played the Russian figure skating coach who lent his name to the Pamchenko Twist, isn’t Russian at all. He’s a Brit. Not just any Brit, either. Dude joined the RAF when he was 16 and was shot down in 1942 and captured by the enemy. Guy spent three years in Germany as a prisoner of war. In an attempt to lift the collective spirits of his fellow POWs, he would stage performances. After the war he took up acting. He put together an impressive career and even appeared in a couple Game of Thrones episodes in 2012.
Moira Kelly and D.B. Sweeney Are Still Buddies
The two main stars of the film spent two months together training to be realistic figure skaters. They became good friends and they’re still homies if you believe IMDB. See folks, that figure skating chemistry was real!
Jan 8th