Last Exit to Brooklyn (film)
| Last Exit to Brooklyn | |
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| Directed by | Uli Edel |
| Produced by | Bernd Eichinger |
| Written by | Hubert Selby Jr. (novel) |
| Screenplay by | Desmond Nakano |
| Based on | Last Exit to Brooklyn |
| Starring | Stephen Lang Jennifer Jason Leigh Burt Young Peter Dobson Jerry Orbach |
| Music by | Mark Knopfler |
| Cinematography | Stefan Czapsky |
| Editing by | Peter Przygodda |
| Distributed by | Summit Entertainment |
| Release date(s) | 1989 |
| Running time | 102 minutes |
| Country | West Germany UK |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $1,730,005 (USA) |
Last Exit to Brooklyn is a 1989 English-language German drama film, directed by Uli Edel, and based on the novel by Hubert Selby Jr.[1][2][3]
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Plot [edit]
A group of sex trade workers, unionist activists and drag queens lead difficult lives, an existence of drugs, crime and violence in a working class Brooklyn neighborhood.
Cast [edit]
- Stephen Lang as Harry Black
- Jennifer Jason Leigh as Tralala
- Burt Young as Big Joe
- Peter Dobson as Vinnie
- Jerry Orbach as Boyce
- Stephen Baldwin as Sal
- Jason Andrews as Tony
- James Lorinz as Freddy
- Sam Rockwell as Al
- Maia Danziger as Mary Black
- Camille Saviola as Ella
- Ricki Lake as Donna
- Cameron Johann as Spook
- John Costelloe as Tommy
- Christopher Murney as Paulie
Production [edit]
There had been several attempts to adapt Last Exit to Brooklyn into a film prior to this version. One of the earliest attempts was made by producer Steve Krantz and animator Ralph Bakshi, who wanted to direct a live-action film based on the novel. Bakshi had sought out the rights to the novel after completing Heavy Traffic, a film which shared many themes with Selby's novel. Selby agreed to the adaptation, and actor Robert De Niro accepted the role of Harry in Strike. According to Bakshi, "the whole thing fell apart when Krantz and I had a falling out over past business. It was a disappointment to me and Selby. Selby and I tried a few other screenplays after that on other subjects, but I could not shake Last Exit from my mind."[4][5]
In 1989, director Uli Edel adapted the novel into a film. The screenplay was written by Desmond Nakano. The movie starred Stephen Lang as Harry Black, Jennifer Jason Leigh as Tralala, Burt Young as Big Joe, Peter Dobson as Vinnie, and Jerry Orbach as Boyce, as well as Stephen Baldwin, Rutanya Alda and Sam Rockwell in small roles. Selby made a cameo appearance in the film as the taxi driver who accidentally hits the transvestite Georgette (played by Alexis Arquette). Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits provided the film score. The film version received excellent reviews and won a few critics' awards for Leigh's portrayal of Tralala, though its limited distribution and downbeat subject matter prevented it from becoming a commercial success. Ralph Bakshi referred to Edel's film as being "like a hot dog without mustard," saying that the film "was done horribly."[4]
References [edit]
- ^ Vincent Canby (May 2, 1990). "A Brutal, Elegiac 'Last Exit,' Unrelieved by Hope". The New York Times.
- ^ Shelia Benson (May 4, 1990). "A Brutal, Theatrical Mix Runs Through Edel's 'Last Exit to Brooklyn'". The Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Anthony DePalma (April 27, 2004). "Hubert Selby Jr. Dies at 75; Wrote 'Last Exit to Brooklyn'". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Bakshi, Ralph. "Re: Heavy Traffic & Last Exit To Brooklyn?". Ralph Bakshi Forum. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
- ^ "Last Exit to Brooklyn". AMC.
External links [edit]
- Last Exit to Brooklyn at the Internet Movie Database
- Last Exit to Brooklyn (film) at AllRovi
- Last Exit to Brooklyn (film) at the TCM Movie Database
- Last Exit to Brooklyn at Rotten Tomatoes
- "Anima Animus: Jennifer Jason Leigh’s Bisexual Method in Last Exit to Brooklyn" (Alphaville journal)
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