Production
Behold a Pale Horse was co-produced by Columbia Pictures, along with Zinnemann (Highland Productions) and Peck (Brentwood Productions). With a budget of $3.9 million, the production hit a snag when the Franco government refused permission to film in Spain. The production resorted to filming exterior shots across the border in France: Biarritz on la Côte Basque, and locations in Béarn such as Pau, Oloron, Gotein-Libarrenx, La Brèche de Roland, and the basilica at Lourdes, as well as Studio St. Maurice in Vincennes.
Originally, Anthony Quinn had requested the role of Artiquez, but Zinnemann felt it would be type-casting him, and gave him the opposing role of the villain Viñolas. As well, several Spanish refugees were used to play the parts of Franco's Guardia Civil officers. The American political activist Allard K. Lowenstein played a part in making contact between the filmmakers and anti-Franco Spanish exiles in France. Zinnemann felt it would be good for Peck to be able to meet actual political refugees living in France.
Filming began on June 13, 1963, and continued for a little over 100 days, running nearly a month over schedule. After Columbia previewed the film for US audiences, they decided that an intro was needed to provide background relating to the Spanish Civil War, so clips from the documentary about the war To Die in Madrid were interspersed with dialogue explaining the conflict.
Read more about this topic: Behold A Pale Horse (film)
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