Summer of Sam
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| Summer of Sam | |
.jpg) Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Spike Lee |
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| Produced by | Spike Lee Michael Imperioli Victor Colicchio |
| Written by | Spike Lee Victor Colicchio & Michael Imperioli |
| Starring | John Leguizamo Adrien Brody Mira Sorvino Jennifer Esposito |
| Music by | Terence Blanchard |
| Cinematography | Ellen Kuras |
| Studio | 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks |
| Distributed by | Touchstone Pictures |
| Release date(s) | July 2, 1999 |
| Running time | 142 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English Italian |
| Budget | $22 million |
| Gross revenue | $19,288,130 |
Summer of Sam is a 1999 crime-drama based around the Son of Sam serial murders. It was directed and produced by Spike Lee.
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[edit] Plot
Summer of Sam is the story of a group of people in New York City (particularly the Throgs Neck/Country Club section of The Bronx) in the summer of 1977, a time when the headlines were dominated by the Son of Sam serial killer case.
While the Son of Sam is terrorizing New York City, fear-driven residents of a tight-knit Italian-American neighborhood begin to suspect anyone who doesn't fit in with the crowd. The movie focuses on a pair of young couples: John Leguizamo plays Vincent (Vinny), an unfaithful hairdresser married to Dionna (played by Mira Sorvino), a hard-working waitress; and Adrien Brody as Ritchie, one of Vincent's closest friends and a newly-turned punk who dates a woman named Ruby (Jennifer Esposito); Ritchie leads a secret life dancing, and selling himself for sex, at a gay theatre.
Local mob boss Luigi (Ben Gazzara) decides that he and his henchmen need to take it upon themselves to protect the neighborhood by identifying the Son of Sam themselves. A few of his men begin to turn their suspicions on Ritchie. They have no real reason; his flamboyant and strange lifestyle simply gets their attention.
[edit] Cast
- John Leguizamo as Vinny
- Adrien Brody as Richie
- Mira Sorvino as Dionna
- Jennifer Esposito as Ruby
- Michael Rispoli as Joey T.
- Bebe Neuwirth as Gloria
- Patti LuPone as Helen
- Mike Starr as Eddie
- Anthony LaPaglia as Det. Lou Petrocelli
- Ben Gazzara as Luigi
- Michael Badalucco as Son of Sam
- Spike Lee as John Jeffries
- Michael Imperioli as Midnite
- Kim Director as Dee
- Jimmy Breslin as himself
- John Turturro as Harvey the Black Dog (voice)
[edit] Production
Leonardo DiCaprio and Benicio del Toro were originally considered for the lead roles.[citation needed]
The film was largely shot during the summer of 1998 and set in the Italian-American neighborhoods of Country Club, Morris Park, and Throgs Neck sections of the Bronx which David Berkowitz terrorized in 1977, with some scenes filmed in Brownsville, Brooklyn. Specifically, Marie's Beauty Lounge, the salon where Vincent works, is a real, still active salon located on Morris Park Avenue, between Williamsbridge Road and Bronxdale Avenue. Most of Berkowitz's killings actually took place in Queens. The real CBGB was used, however the band playing on stage, L.E.S. Stitches, is a contemporary punk band.
Adrien Brody's nose was broken during the final climatic fight scene in which his character Richie is brutally beaten by his friends.[citation needed] After they are refused entry into Studio 54, the sex scene between Dionna and Vinny included more explicit shots in the original cut. This scene was edited a bit after the MPAA threatened the film with an "NC-17" rating.[citation needed] Idina Menzel is known to have been in the film as Richie's girlfriend, but her scenes were cut before final release.[citation needed]
The word "fuck" is said 315 times in this 142-minute film, an average of 2.22 times per minute. See List of films that most frequently use the word "fuck".
[edit] External links
- Summer of Sam at the Internet Movie Database
- Summer of Sam at Rotten Tomatoes
- Summer of Sam at Box Office Mojo
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