Trivia for
Straw Dogs (1971) More at IMDbPro »

• Among the actors initially considered for the role of David Sumner were Donald Sutherland, Jack Nicholson and Sidney Poitier. Actresses originally considered and/or auditioned for the role of Amy were Diana Rigg, Charlotte Rampling and Helen Mirren.
  
  
• The title comes from the Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu, who wrote, "Heaven and earth are not humane, and regard the people as straw dogs."
  
  
• In order to express a sick enjoyment in the scene where Dustin Hoffman beats the man on the floor to death, he requested that there would be coconuts there for him to smash. In one shot you can actually see a bit of coconut flying off, which Sam Peckinpah passed off as brain matter.
  
  
• In the scene where Dustin Hoffman's character first enters the local pub, Sam Peckinpah was unhappy with the other actors reaction to this stranger entering their world. Eventually, he decided to do one take where Hoffman entered the scene without his trousers on. He got his reaction, and these are the shots shown in the final film.
  
  
• Because of its graphic portrayal of violence and two brutal rapes, the British Board of Film Censors (BBFC) banned the film from being released on video/DVD from 1984 until 2002.
  
  
• The future of the film was put in jeopardy when director Sam Peckinpah caught pneumonia after an all-night drinking session with Ken Hutchison in the sea at Land's End. Having recuperated at a clinic in London, Peckinpah was only reinstated after promising that he would remain sober.
  
  
• When Sam Peckinpah was planning the scene in which Amy is raped twice, he would not tell Susan George how he was going to shoot the scene. Under pressure from her, he eventually told her bluntly that Amy would first be raped and then buggered. She refused to take part in Peckinpah's plans for explicit portrayal of this and threatened to resign. He eventually relented, allowing George to depict Amy's trauma by concentrating on her eyes and face, rather than her body.
  
  
• Henry Niles' limp was not part of the script. David Warner had broken his leg before production but was able to walk with a cane by the time principal photography started. Because he had broken his foot before shooting (hence the limp), he was considered uninsurable and thus is uncredited.
  
  
• T.P. McKenna, who plays Major John Scott, has his arm in a sling. This wasn't written in the script - McKenna has broken it while having a wild party with a couple of prostitutes which was arranged by director Sam Peckinpah.
  
  
• Trevor Howard was offered Major Scott.
  
  
• Jennie Linden turned down a key role in this project
  
  
• Dustin Hoffman - not usually a fan of violent films - admitted that he only took the role in this movie for the money.
  
  
• Before shooting, Sam Peckinpah instructed Dustin Hoffman and Susan George to live together for two weeks, with screenwriter David Zelag Goodman in tow. Some of their interactions during this period were worked into the film's script.
  
  
• Tom Hedden's family were originally given roles in the film but were either cut or never filmed. June Brown was cast as Hedden's wife, together with Chloe Franks as their daughter Emma, and a scene was scripted featuring both in their home laundry with Susan George. However although the scene was included in the shooting script it was never actually filmed. Michael Mundell was originally cast as Cawsey the rat-catcher but was later switched to the role of Bertie Hedden in a scene featuring the village children. However his entire role was never filmed because the scene was canceled due to time and budget constraints.
  
  
• Judy Geeson was offered but declined the role of Amy, and an early UK tie-in paperback novelization listed her as starring in the film.
  
  
• The movie's poster was as #12 of "The 25 Best Movie Posters Ever" by Premiere.
  
  
• In 2002, the BBFC would have passed the film with cuts to the rape scene (shots implying Susan George may be enjoying the rape) but Anchor Bay refused these cuts so the film was ultimately rejected, although it passed uncut on a subsequent submission.
  
  

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