5 Interesting Tidbits About Iconic Movies, Series, Music and Art Pieces
As much as we enjoy diving into our favorite movies, TV shows, music and art pieces, there may be some lesser-known facts about these works that will surprise even the biggest fans. Here are five fascinating tidbits of trivia that you might not know about some of the most famous pieces of media and art around.
1. Salvador Dali worked on the dream sequence in Hitchcock’s “Spellbound”
The surrealist painter Salvador Dali was behind the hallucinogenic dream sequence in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1945 thriller “Spellbound.” Dali’s typically bizarre, dreamlike imagery helped to create the haunting scenes that capture the protagonist’s subconscious fears.
2. “The Simpsons” were originally short interstitials on “The Tracey Ullman Show”
What started as a series of short animated sketches on a variety show quickly ballooned into one of the most successful TV series of all time. The Simpsons first debuted as a series of shorts on “The Tracey Ullman Show” in 1987 before becoming its own standalone series a year later.
3. “Bohemian Rhapsody” was originally panned by critics
One of the most beloved rock songs of all time, Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” initially received lukewarm reviews upon its release. Some critics deemed the song too bizarre and long to be a hit, but audiences disagreed and the song has since gone on to become a classic.
4. “Star Wars” owes a debt to Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa
While “Star Wars” creator George Lucas has been criticized for taking too much inspiration from other filmmakers, one of his biggest influences was the legendary Japanese director Akira Kurosawa. “The Hidden Fortress,” a samurai epic directed by Kurosawa, was a direct inspiration for several elements of the original “Star Wars” film.
5. “The Persistence of Memory” was not inspired by Einstein’s theory of relativity
The iconic Salvador Dali painting “The Persistence of Memory” is often said to have been inspired by Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity, but that’s actually a myth. Dali has said that the melting clocks in the painting were meant to convey a sense of the “softness” of time, and were inspired by the sight of melting Camembert cheese.These are just a few examples of the fascinating backstories and lesser-known details that underlie our favorite works of art and media. The next time you revisit these classics, keep an eye out for these fun facts and more.
