The Presidio (1988)

Director:

Peter Hyams

Writer (WGA):

Larry Ferguson (written by)

Release Date:

10 June 1988 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

THE PRESIDIO ARMY BASE, SAN FRANCISCO. When a landmark of historic tradition becomes the scene of a shocking murder, a military commander and a street-tough cop are forced into action... against the killer, the mysterious past, and each other.

Plot:

Jay Austin is now a civilian police detective. Colonel Caldwell was his commanding officer years before...

Plot Keywords:

Presidio | Female Nudity | Chase | Army | Detective

Cast

Sean Connery	...	Lt. Col. Alan Caldwell
Mark Harmon	...	Jay Austin
Meg Ryan	...	Donna Caldwell
Jack Warden	...	Sgt. Maj. Ross Maclure
Mark Blum	...	Arthur Peale
Dana Gladstone	...	Col. Paul Lawrence
Jenette Goldstein	...	Patti Jean Lynch
Marvin J. McIntyre	...	MP Zeke
Don Calfa	...	Howard Buckely
John DiSanti	...	Det. Marvin Powell
Robert Lesser	...	Sgt. Mueller
James Hooks Reynolds	...	George Spota
Curtis W. Sims	...	Sgt. Garfield
Rick Zumwalt	...	Bully in Bar
Rosalyn Marshall	...	Lawrence's Secretary
Jessie Lawrence Ferguson	...	Pilot at Travis AFB
Larry Flash Jenkins	...	MP Dutton
Jesse D. Goins	...	MP Bygrave
Kim Robillard	...	MP Mitchell
Michael Strasser	...	MP Stillwell
Chuckie Davis	...	Julius
Ron Cummins	...	Maintenance Man
Patrick Kilpatrick	...	Mark
John Allen Vick	...	Post Commander
Michael Fosberg	...	Capt. Gordon
Joe Hart	...	Bully's Bar Pal ('Arrowhead')
Clay Wilcox	...	Bully's Bar Pal ('Arrowhead')
Bob Rochelle	...	Bully's Bar Pal ('Arrowhead')
Susan Saiger	...	Gloria
Ruth de Sosa	...	Teacher (as Ruth DeSosa)
Tracy Tanen	...	Peale's Receptionist
Peter Fitzsimmons	...	Patrolman Schmidt
Pete Antico	...	Patrolman Dotson
Dean R. Miller	...	Leroy (as Dean Miller)
Jophery C. Brown	...	Workman (as Jophery Brown)
Justin De Rosa	...	Workman (as Justin DeRosa)
Allan Graf	...	Workman
Frank Orsatti	...	Workman
Peter Kwong	...	Squad Room Officer
Bob Delegall	...	Squad Room Lieutenant
Richard Kwong	...	Chinese Kitchen Chef

Directed by
Peter Hyams

Writing credits (WGA)
Larry Ferguson		(written by)

Produced by
Fred C. Caruso	....	co-producer (as Fred Caruso)
D. Constantine Conte	....	producer
Jonathan A. Zimbert	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Bruce Broughton

Cinematography by
Peter Hyams		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Diane Adler
Beau Barthel		(as Beau Barthel-Blair)
James Mitchell

Casting by
Janet Hirshenson
Jane Jenkins

Production Design by
Albert Brenner

Art Direction by
Kandy Stern

Set Decoration by
Marvin March

Makeup Department
Stephen Abrums	....	makeup artist
Sugar Blymyer	....	hair stylist (as Sugar Ginger Blymyer)
Brad Wilder	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Fred C. Caruso	....	unit production manager (as Fred Caruso)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alan B. Curtiss	....	first assistant director
Brian Fong	....	second second assistant director
Regina Gordon	....	second assistant director (as Regina Birtha Gordon)

Art Department
Frank L. Brown	....	assistant property master
Bernard P. Cutler	....	set designer
Jack Eberhart	....	lead person
Harold Fuhrman	....	set designer (as Harold L. Fuhrman)
Roland E. Hill Jr.	....	set designer
C.J. Maguire	....	property master
Joe F. Nelson	....	production painter
Richard Dean Rankin	....	construction coordinator (as Richard D. Rankin)
Rod Rankin	....	labor foreperson
David B. Brenner	....	general foreman (uncredited)

Sound Department
Randle Akerson	....	supervising sound editor (as Randle C. Akerson)
Gene S. Cantamessa	....	production sound mixer
Steve Cantamessa	....	boom operator
David B. Cohn	....	sound editor (as David Cohn)
Norval D. Crutcher	....	supervising sound editor
Carlos Delarios	....	sound re-recording mixer (as Carlos deLarios)
David W. Gray	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Mark Jennings	....	cable person
Michael J. Kohut	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mark Pappas	....	foley supervisor (as Mark J. Pappas)
Aaron Rochin	....	sound re-recording mixer
Hamilton Sterling	....	sound editor
Beth Sterner	....	sound editor (as Elizabeth Sterner)
Thomas Whiting	....	adr supervisor (as Thomas G. Whiting)
Asher Yates	....	sound editor (as Ascher Yates)
Norval D. Crutcher III	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)
Troy Porter	....	foley mixer (uncredited)
Edward M. Steidele	....	foley artist (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Al Broussard	....	special effects
Phil Cory	....	special effects coordinator (as Philip C. Cory)
Hans Metz	....	special effects company supervisor
Ray Svedin	....	special effects shop supervisor

Stunts
John Alden	....	stunts
Janet Brady	....	stunts (as Janet S. Brady)
Phil Chong	....	stunts
Tim A. Davison	....	stunts
David R. Ellis	....	stunts
Kenny Endoso	....	stunts
Buddy Joe Hooker	....	stunts
Norman Howell	....	stunts
Jeff Imada	....	stunts
Tracy Keehn-Dashnaw	....	stunts (as Tracy Keehn)
Bennie Moore	....	stunts (as Bennie E. Moore Jr.)
Alan Oliney	....	stunts
Chuck Picerni Jr.	....	stunts
Steve Picerni	....	stunts
Chad Randall	....	stunts
Danny Rogers	....	stunts
Ronnie Rondell Jr.	....	stunts (as Ronnie Rondell)
Amy Stephen Wilder	....	stunts
Glenn R. Wilder	....	stunt coordinator (as Glenn Wilder)
Scott Wilder	....	stunts
Dick Ziker	....	stunts
Rocky Capella	....	stunts (uncredited)
Norman Howell	....	stunt double: Mr. Harmon (uncredited)
Steve Kelso	....	stunt double (uncredited)
Gene LeBell	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Alex Barraza	....	second company grip
Jeff Butters	....	chief rigging electrician (as Jeff A. Butters)
Ralph Gerling	....	camera operator
Tim Griffith	....	chief lighting technician
John M. Hennessy	....	dolly grip (as John Hennessy)
Michael P. May	....	second assistant camera
Tom May	....	first company grip (as Thomas P. May)
Ralph Nelson	....	still photographer (as Ralph Nelson Jr.)
Walter Nichols	....	assistant chief lighting technician (as Walter J. Nichols)
Steve Peterson	....	first assistant camera
E. Christopher Reed	....	assistant chief lighting technician
Baird Steptoe	....	first assistant camera (as Baird B. Steptoe)
John Walker	....	first assistant camera
Adam Glick	....	set lighting technician (uncredited)
Sunny Johnson	....	grip (uncredited)
Michael L. May	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Michael Meier	....	lighting technician (uncredited)
Daniel P. Moore	....	video operator (uncredited)
Randy Nolen	....	steadicam operator (uncredited)
Bill Pelkey	....	electrician: San Francisco (uncredited)

Casting Department
Jan Forman Campi	....	extras casting: San Francisco (as Jan Campi)
Nancy Hayes	....	extras casting: San Francisco
Eileen Turner	....	extras casting assistant (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Dallas D. Dornan	....	set costumer: men
Michael W. Hoffman	....	wardrobe supervisor
Aggie Lyon	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Gillian L. Hutshing	....	assistant film editor (as Gillian Hutshing)
Bob Noland	....	color timer
Beverly Pinnas	....	assistant film editor

Music Department
Mark McKenzie	....	orchestrator
Curt Sobel	....	music editor
Armin Steiner	....	music scoring mixer

Transportation Department
Leroy Reed	....	transportation coordinator

Other crew
Patrick Armstrong	....	production assistant
Nandi Bowe	....	production assistant
Jeff Bronner	....	production assistant: Hyams/Zimbert
James Burgen	....	production assistant
Kevin Richard Buxbaum	....	assistant production auditor (as Kevin Buxbaum)
Linda Bygrave	....	assistant: Mr. Ferguson
Michael Chan	....	technical advisor: San Francisco Police
Bong Soo Han	....	hapkido consultant: thumb fight (as Master Bong Soo Han)
Mario Iscovich	....	location manager
Kim La Delpha	....	production assistant
Roberta Lewis	....	secretary: Hyams/Zimbert
Susie Mitchell	....	production office secretary
Julie Pitkanen	....	script supervisor
Judy K. Powell	....	assistant: Mr. Conte (as Judy Powell)
Robert Rothbard	....	unit coordinator: San Francisco
Mary L. Rupert	....	technical advisor: Department of the Army (as Major Mary L. Rupert)
Anne Marie Stein	....	unit publicist
Robert Thorson	....	production auditor (as Robert Cecil Thorson)
Sib Ventress	....	assistant: Mr. Conte (as Sib E. Ventress)
Yvonne Yaconelli	....	production office coordinator (as Yvonne H. Yaconelli)
Alex Zwirner	....	military consultant: Presidio (as Lt. Colonel Alex Zwirner)

Thanks
Pat Grossman	....	thanks
John Horton	....	thanks (as John E. Horton)
John Lehane	....	thanks
Rose Pak	....	thanks
Dennis Schardt	....	thanks (as Lt. Dennis Schardt)

Production Companies

• Paramount Pictures

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1988) (USA) (theatrical)
• CBS Television (1991) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Paramount Home Video (USA) (DVD)
• Paramount Home Video (USA) (VHS)
• Paramount Home Video (USA) (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• Central Casting  extras casting: Los Angeles
• Reel People Inc.  negative cutting
• Pacific Title  titles and opticals
• Lorimar Studios  sound re-recording
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation  music recorded at

Also Known As:

The Presidio: The Scene of the Crime (UK)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby SR (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Canada:14+ (Ontario - 2006) | Iceland:16 | Australia:M | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

San Francisco, California, USA

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

Director Trademark: [Peter Hyams]a character named Spota.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the title sequence you see a Nimitz classes aircraft carrier putting to sea going under the Golden Gate Bridge, this shot being taken from the north side of the bridge. In the next cut you see a Nimitz classes aircraft carrier putting into San Fransisco, this can be deduced as the shot has the Presidio in the foreground, which is at the southern end of the Golden Gate Bridge, and the ship is moving left to right

Quotes:

Lt. Col. Alan Caldwell: Now, are you sure you want to have a fight? Because I'm only gonna use my thumb.
Bully in Bar: Thumb?
Lt. Col. Alan Caldwell: My right thumb. Left one's much too powerful for you.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Game K N B: (2007-03-03)" (2007)

Soundtrack:

Tangerine

Great Chase Scenes Highlight an Engrossing Film

I would be giving this film a 10 out of 10 if it weren't for the relative letdown of the ending which does not quite resonate the way it should have.

But this small disappointment does nothing to erase the first hour of the film which brims with great characterization, great acting and great direction.

Peter Hyams chose to pace his film with two great chase scenes which are so well directed, they should be studied by younger filmmakers who think fast cutting and CGI somehow makes action scenes exciting.

Shot with long takes and real stunts, the car chase is a model of great action directing that takes your breath away even after the tenth viewing. As for the foot chase scene, it is so well-paced (kudos to Hyams' editor Jim Mitchell) that you can still see everything in spite of the frenetic action (again a craft that is totally lost in most of today's disappointing action films) Extra tip of the hat should also go to Bruce Broughton for his inspired and powerful score.