GLEAMING
THE
CUBE
by Marc Shapiro
had been kicking around "develop-
ment hell" since 1984. In fact, it seemed to have little chance
of ever being made. But in 1987, Australian-born director
Graeme Clifford only had to read the screenplay once to know
that this baby
"The script
responded to
members Clif-
tery side of the
was his meat.
was something I
instantly," re-
ford. "The mys-
story was fairly
routine, but the the portrayal of the kids and their relation-
ships was true to life. It was the skateboarding that cinched
it for me. Even though there would turn out to be less than
fifteen minutes of actual skateboarding in the entire film, I
knew that would be the most important element."
Clifford, whose credits include the films Frances, Burke
and Willis and some episodes of that rad British TV series
The Avengers, should get chalk marks just for getting a movie
that centers around the young and mobile off the ground.
"We did go through a phase where the people involved
in financing the movie were afraid of stress-
ing the skateboard element because they
thought the movie would be perceived incor-
rectly by audiences," says Clifford. "They
were nervous because the handful of other
skateboarding movies made over the years
had lost money. Movies like Thrashin' lost
money because they were lousy with dumb
stories. They were just plain shitty pictures.
"Thrashin' made skateboard kids out to be
destructive punks and hoods. What I at-1
tempted to do is show skateboarding and
skateboarders the way they really are, not the
way filmmakers want to make them look."
Gleaming The Cube, from a script by
Michael Tolkin, is a murder mystery/coming-
of-age flick starring Christian Slater (recently
in Tucker) as a rebellious wheelhead named
Brian, and Steven (Scarface) Bauer as a
cynical detective named Al.
The story kicks in with Brian, his adoptive
Vietnamese brother and his skateboard bud-
dies leading a typical "going to school, look-
ing for broads, skating around" lifestyle.
Then Brian's brother suddenly dies a
mysterious death. The police call it a suicide.
Brian thinks a corrupt businessman had
something to do with it and sets out to prove
it. Along the way Brian hooks up with Al (a
relationship that starts out at odds and ends
like father-son), has a meaningful interlude
with his dead brother's girlfriend and emer-
ges in the end as a more mature dude.
The film was budgeted at $10 million
(monster bucks for a skateboard movie) and
was filmed over a 63-day period in various
Southern California locations.
"As with most of the projects I undertake,
I looked deeply into the kids and the
skateboard culture and how both related to
the story," says Clifford of his research pro-
cess. "I discovered that skateboarding was
a metaphor for the story and not just a
cinematic gimmick. Watching the kids on the
streets and at skateparks, I realized that
skating was a fascinating form of expression.
as well as a challenging sport."
Clifford concedes that while he is ex-
perienced in directing action films, the pro-
spect of leaping into Gleaming The Cube did
result in his taking a few extra looks.
"Skateboarding is a different kind of ac-
tion. It required a lot more discipline on my
part. The crew and I were basically in the
dark as far as filming the skateboard se-
quences went. I knew I wanted to direct this
film, but I really didn't know what to expect."
With that in mind, Clifford sought help from
the skate world and came up with Stacy
Peralta, who served as a second unit direc-
tor and technical advisor for the film. Prosi
who served as stunt doubles and bit players.
included Tommy Guerrero, Tony Hawk and
Mike McGill.
As the weeks of filming went by, Clifford
would occasionally find himself blowing a
gasket at his non-acting (Continued on page 110)
Previous Page (Clockwise from Left): A skating stand-
in handplants in a stunt wig. The crew on the move.
Celebrity studs relax at poolside. This Page: Just what
we need, another skater named Christian.