Last Exit to Brooklyn (film)
 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. No cleanup reason has been specified. Please help improve this article if you can; the talk page may contain suggestions. (July 2009) |
| Last Exit to Brooklyn | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Uli Edel |
| Produced by | Bernd Eichinger |
| Written by | Desmond Nakano Hubert Selby Jr. (novel) |
| 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.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
A group of junkies, alcoholics and drag queens lead dead-end lives, an existence of drugs, crime and violence in a working class Brooklyn neighborhood.
[edit] Production
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."[1]
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."[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Bakshi, Ralph. "Re: Heavy Traffic & Last Exit To Brooklyn?". Ralph Bakshi Forum. http://www.ralphbakshi.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=3947#3947. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
[edit] External links
|
||||||||
