Boom! (1968 film)
| Boom! | |
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 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Joseph Losey |
| Produced by | John Heyman |
| Written by | Tennessee Williams |
| Starring | Elizabeth Taylor Richard Burton Noël Coward Joanna Shimkus |
| Music by | John Barry |
| Cinematography | Douglas Slocombe |
| Editing by | Reginald Beck |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | May 28, 1968 |
| Running time | 113 min |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English Italian |
| Budget | $3.9 million[1] |
Boom! is a 1968 British drama film starring Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Noël Coward. It was directed by Joseph Losey and adapted from Tennessee Williams' play The Milk Train Doesn't Stop Here Anymore.
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Plot [edit]
Flora 'Sissy' Goforth (Taylor, in a part written for an older woman) is a terminally ill woman living with a coterie of servants in a large mansion on a secluded island. Into her life comes a mysterious man, Angelo Del Morte (then-husband Burton, in a part intended for a very young man). The mysterious man may or may not be "The Angel of Death".
The interaction between Goforth and Del Morte forms the backbone of the plot, with both of the major characters voicing lines of dialogue that carry allegorical and Symbolist significance. Secondary characters chime in, such as "the Witch of Capri" (Coward). The movie mingles respect and contempt for human beings who, like Goforth, continue to deny their own death even as it draws closer and closer. It examines how these characters can enlist and redirect their fading erotic drive into the reinforcement of this denial.
Reception [edit]
The film was received poorly by critics, and maintains an 8% rating at Rotten Tomatoes.[2]
John Waters admires the film, and chose it as a favorite to present in the first Maryland Film Festival in 1999. The film's poster is visible in Waters' 1972 film Pink Flamingos.
References [edit]
- ^ Alexander Walker, Hollywood, England, Stein and Day, 1974 p345
- ^ Rotten Tomatoes page: "Boom!"
External links [edit]
- Boom! at the Internet Movie Database
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