Director Griffith's original budget of $40,000 (expanded o $60,000) quickly ballooned, so Griffith appealed to businessmen and other investors to help finance the film - that eventually cost $110,000! The propagandistic film was one of the biggest box-office money-makers in the history of film, partly due to its exorbitant charge of $2 per ticket - unheard of at the time.Leeds' left big toe.Outside the department, Graham was confronted by sleazy, unethical tabloid journalist Freddie Lounds (Stephen Lang) who had covered the Lecktor case forThe National Tattlerand wrote the paperback.Freddy must be killing him" and she considered giving him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation.But then Jason was startled awake and sprung upright, causing the van to lurch and turn onto its side.[Note: Forman himself noted that the asylum was a metaphor for the Soviet Union (embodied as Nurse Ratched) and the desire to escape.