FILM · 1997 · USA
The Edge
17 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Oct 2026
17 Interesting Facts About The Edge
Interesting Facts (12)
- #001
This was one of the last acting roles of Bart the bear, who died on 10 May 2000 at the age of twenty-three.
- #002
Sir Anthony Hopkins suffered from a slipped disc throughout the shoot and incorporated the pain he felt from it into his performance.
- #003
The de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver used in this film is the same one used in Six Days Seven Nights (1998). It crashed in both films.
- #004
According to Lynn Seus, Bart the bear's trainer, Anthony Hopkins staged most of the scenes he shared with Bart himself.
- #005
In his memoir, Alec Baldwin blamed much of the film's poor performance on director Lee Tamahori, who he believed watered down David Mamet's screenplay and was more interested in action than in character.
- #006
The underwater plane scenes were shot in the diving tank of the Edmonton Kinsman Sports Centre.
- #007
After walking for days, Charles, Robert and Stephen come across their original fire, meaning they have walked in a circle. In fact, people tend to walk in circles over long distances because they tend to walk more on their dominant side. That is, if they are right-handed they tend to favour the right leg and therefore tend to move counter-clockwise over time.
- #008
The rifle they find in the house is a Winchester Model 1886 45-70.
- #009
In all the chase scenes in which the bear breaks branches, twigs, small trees and so on, the material used was made of breakable balsa wood. Several trainers were positioned strategically around the area where the bear worked. The area was checked and cleared of all debris dangerous to the bear, and moss and sawdust were spread on the ground to soften its footing.
- #010
The knife carried by Charles Morse (Sir Anthony Hopkins) in this film was made by Brian Lyttle. The knife was 3¾ inches long and had mammoth ivory scales.
- #011
This is one of two original screenplays David Mamet did not direct, the other being The Penitent (2023). All the other films he wrote but did not direct were novel adaptations, a TV series (The Untouchables (1987)), plays (usually his own) and real-life events such as Hoffa (1992) and Assassination. In the case of Ronin (1998), he rewrote someone else's screenplay under a pseudonym.
- #012
The lodge was not real. It was built for the film. It was shot at Spray Lakes Reservoir in the Sparrowhawk Day Use Area. It cost 1 million dollars to build.
Behind the Scenes (1)
- #013
Sir Anthony Hopkins came close to death during filming in Alberta. He was taking painkillers because of a neck problem. He fell into a river and did not feel how cold he was until he began suffering from hypothermia. He had to be taken to hospital for treatment.
Characters & Cast (2)
- #014
Ray Liotta, Richard Gere and John Travolta were considered for the role of Robert Green.
- #015
Robert De Niro and Dustin Hoffman were considered for the role of Charles Morse.
Easter Eggs & References (2)
- #016
This film inspired a highly successful Brazilian television reality show of the same name, in which contestants were chosen from ordinary people, including executives, graduates and clerks, left in a wild and remote region of Brazil and forced to survive using techniques similar to those described by Charles Morse (Sir Anthony Hopkins).
- #017
It was shot in Assiniboine Mountain Park on the border between BC and Alberta. The scene in which they walk toward the pass in order to be spotted by rescue teams is at a popular hiking spot known as 'Nublet', with Assiniboine Mountain visible in the background.
Related pages
- Malice — The Edge comes up in the facts on that page
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
- IMDb
Information from external sources is independently selected, consolidated and edited by Arka Evren. Sources are listed for verification and further reading. Encyclopedia text is used under its licence (CC BY-SA). How we work