The NeverEnding Story (1984) Hello, I am Randy Andrews and today I’ll be talking about The Neverending Story from 1983. I’ll discuss the cast, the background, the effects and of course the soundtrack. All today on Soundtrack Alley! Today I’ll be getting us into The Neverending Story. First lets talk a little bit about the cast… Play Clip Noah Hathaway was hurt twice during the making of the movie. During his horse riding training he was thrown off a horse which then stepped on him. Then during the shooting of the drowning sequence in the "swamp of sadness" his leg got caught on the elevator and he was pulled under water. He was unconscious by the time he was brought to the surface. Noah Hathaway almost lost an eye during the fight-scene versus Gmork. One of the claws on his giant paws poked him in the face. The robot was also so heavy that he lost his breath as well when he was hit to the ground by it. They only made one shot due to the risk that he would get seriously wounded. The Night Hob says a profanity in the opening scene where the Rockbiter appears running down all in its path. This profanity is often dubbed over by the grumble of the Rockbiter's scooter, so that it can be shown as a children's film. The film itself actually "ends" about halfway through the book. Was the most expensive film ever produced in Germany at the time it was made. You can "ride" on Falcor's back on location at the Bavaria Filmplatz Munich, Germany. According to the book, the name that Bastian screams almost indecipherably into the night is "Moonchild", but it has often been debated what Barret Oliver actually says. Noah Hathaway (Atreyu) now owns and operates a tattoo parlor in Los Angeles, California with his wife. The original Auryn for this film now hangs in an enclosed glass display in Steven Spielberg's office. Author Michael Ende decided that he was unhappy with the film's version of his story, and refused to have his name placed in the opening credits. A small credit appears at the end with his name. He also asked if the movie title would be changed or cancelled. After the studio declined both options, he filed a lawsuit and ultimately lost. The makeup team on the movie tried to paint Noah Hathaway green, just as Atreyu is in the book. "It wasn't believable. I looked like fungi!" Hathaway said. Tami Stronach lost both front teeth shortly before filming and they made her fake teeth which caused her to lisp until she learned to compensate for them. Tami Stronach was attending theatre classes in San Francisco when she got the audition to be The Childlike Empress. Her acting teacher was friends with the production executive and talent scout Anna Gross. Tami initially believed she was auditioning for a little play and had no idea it was to be for a major motion picture. Falkor is actually a 43-foot long motorized creature with 6,000 plastic scales and pink feather-fur. His head his three feet tall and long, and has a long tongue in the mouth. Most of the film was shot in Germany in the summer of 1983. It was Germany's hottest summer in 25 years. At the time of its release it was the most expensive film produced outside the United States and the Soviet Union. According to the filmmakers, the rolling storm clouds were not meant to actually be The Nothing, but rather an indication of its presence, as The Nothing is an invisible force.