Bite the Bullet ( film ) - wikipedia Bite the Bullet ( film ) Bite the Bullet Theatrical release poster by Tom Jung Directed by Richard Brooks Produced by Richard Brooks Written by Richard Brooks Starring Gene Hackman Candice Bergen James Coburn Ian Bannen Jan - Michael Vincent Ben Johnson Music by Alex North Cinematography Harry Stradling Jr. Edited by George Grenville Distributed by Columbia Pictures Release date April 20, 1975 ( 1975 - 04 - 20 ) ( Australia ) June 25, 1975 ( 1975 - 06 - 25 ) ( United States ) Running time 131 minutes Country United States Language English Box office $11 million Bite the Bullet is a 1975 American Western film written, produced, and directed by Richard Brooks and starring Gene Hackman, Candice Bergen, and James Coburn, with Ian Bannen, Jan - Michael Vincent, Ben Johnson, and Dabney Coleman in supporting roles. Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3.1 Factual inspiration 4 Awards 5 Reception 5.1 Box Office 5.2 Critical 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Plot Based on actual events of the early twentieth century, the story concerns a grueling 700 - mile ( 1,100 km ) cross-country horse race in 1906, with a winner - take - all prize of $2,000 ( $54,500 today ), and the way it affects the lives of its various participants. The colorful contestants include two former Rough Riders ( Hackman and Coburn ) who ca n't let friendship come between them if they intend to win, a lady of little virtue ( Bergen ), a punk kid ( Vincent ), an old cowhand in poor health ( Johnson ), an English gentleman ( Bannen ) who 's competing just for the sheer sport of it all, and a Mexican with a toothache ( Mario Arteaga ) who literally needs to bite the bullet. All must race against a thoroughbred of championship pedigree owned by a wealthy man ( Coleman ) who has no intention of seeing his entry lose. The film touches on the themes of sportsmanship, animal cruelty, the yellow press, racism, the end of the Old West and the bonds of marriage and friendship. As the race progresses, the conditions test not only the endurance of horses and riders but also their philosophies of life and the meaning of victory and defeat. Cast Gene Hackman as Sam Clayton James Coburn as Luke Matthews Candice Bergen as Miss Jones Ben Johnson as Mister Ian Bannen as Sir Harry Norfolk Jan - Michael Vincent as Carbo Dabney Coleman as Parker John McLiam as Gebhardt Mario Arteaga as Mexican Sally Kirkland as Honey Jean Willes as Rosie Production This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( March 2017 ) Charles Bronson turned down the lead role of Sam Clayton before Gene Hackman was eventually cast. The movie was filmed on location in New Mexico and Nevada and begins in a church in the small town of La Puente, New Mexico. There are numerous scenes of steam locomotives at work, shot along the Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad narrow gauge railway between Chama, New Mexico, and Antonito, Colorado. Other scenes were filmed at the Carson National Forest, New Mexico ; Taos, New Mexico ; White Sands National Monument, New Mexico ; Lake Mead, Nevada ; Valley of Fire State Park, Nevada. The film 's title comes from the creation of an improvised cap made from a hollowed bullet, which is used to relieve the toothache of one of the participants in the horse race. Factual inspiration While the film 's race is set in 1906, producer / writer / director Richard Brooks detailed that he was inspired by an actual $2,500 ( $68,100 today ), 700 - mile ( 1,100 km ) race, in 1908, created by the Denver Post ( Western Post in the film ), from Wyoming to Denver, Colorado. Awards Bite the Bullet was nominated for two Academy Awards including Best Sound ( Arthur Piantadosi, Les Fresholtz, Richard Tyler, Al Overton Jr. ) and Best Music, Original Score ( Alex North ). Reception Box office According to Variety the film earned $5 million in theatrical rentals at the North American box office. Critical Vincent Canby of The New York Times was not impressed : `` ( It ) is a big, expensive Western that does n't contain one moment that might be called genuine. In spite of all the care, the money and the hardships that apparently went into its production, the movie looks prefabricated, like something assembled from other people 's earlier, better inspirations. '' Canby did find the cinematography by Harry Stradling Jr. to be `` spectacularly beautiful. '' However, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun - Times liked the movie : `` Brooks is a proven master of the Western on a grand scale ( the 1966 classic The Professionals was his ) and Bite the Bullet is a film that reexamines and reaffirms the Western myth -- both as it affected our history and as it has been considered in the movies... Bite the Bullet finds the traditional power and integrity of the Western intact after all. '' Likewise, Ebert was impressed with Stradling 's cinematography. See also List of American films of 1975 References Jump up ^ `` Bite the Bullet, Box Office Information ''. The Numbers. Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 06. ^ Jump up to : Ebert, Roger ( 1975 - 06 - 27 ). `` Bite the Bullet ''. rogerebert.com. Chicago Sun - Times. Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 06. Jump up ^ `` All - time Film Rental Champs ''. Variety. 1976 - 01 - 07. p. 48. Jump up ^ Canby, Vincent ( 1975 - 06 - 27 ). `` The Screen : ' Bite the Bullet ' is Richard Brooks Error ''. The New York Times. Retrieved 2018 - 02 - 06. External links Bite the Bullet on IMDb Bite the Bullet at Rotten Tomatoes Roger Ebert review, Bite the Bullet Films directed by Richard Brooks Crisis ( 1950 ) The Light Touch ( 1951 ) Deadline - U.S.A. ( 1952 ) Battle Circus ( 1953 ) Take the High Ground ! ( 1953 ) Flame and the Flesh ( 1954 ) The Last Time I Saw Paris ( 1954 ) Blackboard Jungle ( 1955 ) The Last Hunt ( 1956 ) The Catered Affair ( 1956 ) Something of Value ( 1957 ) The Brothers Karamazov ( 1958 ) Cat on a Hot Tin Roof ( 1958 ) Elmer Gantry ( 1960 ) Sweet Bird of Youth ( 1962 ) Lord Jim ( 1965 ) The Professionals ( 1966 ) In Cold Blood ( 1967 ) The Happy Ending ( 1969 ) $ ( 1971 ) Bite the Bullet ( 1975 ) Looking for Mr. Goodbar ( 1977 ) Wrong Is Right ( 1982 ) Fever Pitch ( 1985 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bite_the_Bullet_(film)&oldid=861159458 '' Categories : 1975 films English - language films 1970s Western ( genre ) films American Western ( genre ) films Columbia Pictures films Films scored by Alex North Films directed by Richard Brooks Films set in Nevada Films shot in Nevada Films shot in New Mexico Films shot in Colorado Horse racing films American films Films set in 1906 1970s chase films Hidden categories : Articles needing additional references from March 2017 All articles needing additional references Talk Contents About Wikipedia Català Deutsch Español Euskara فارسی Français Italiano Lëtzebuergesch Bahasa Melayu Nederlands 日本 語 Plattdüütsch Português Русский 5 more Edit links This page was last edited on 25 September 2018, at 14 : 33 ( UTC ). 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Question: where was the movie bite the bullet filmed
Answer: New Mexico