Poison (1991 film)

Poison
Poison
	DVD cover
Directed by	Todd Haynes
Screenplay by	Todd Haynes
Based on	Three novels; by Jean Genet Our Lady of the Flowers (1943); Miracle of the Rose (1946); Thief's Journal (1949);
Produced by	Christine Vachon;
Starring	Edith Meeks; Larry Maxwell; Susan Gayle Norman; Scott Renderer; James Lyons;
Narrated by	Richard Hansen
Cinematography	Maryse Alberti
Edited by	Todd Haynes; James Lyons;
Music by	James Bennett
Production; companies	Killer Films; Bronze Eye Productions;
Distributed by	Zeitgeist Films
Release dates	January 11, 1991 (Sundance); April 5, 1991 (United States);
Running time	85 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$250,000
Box office	$787,280

Poison is a 1991 American science fiction drama horror film written and directed by Todd Haynes, starring Edith Meeks, Larry Maxwell, Susan Gayle Norman, Scott Renderer, and James Lyons.

Composed of three intercut narratives inspired by the novels of Jean Genet, the gay themes in Poison marked an emerging "queer new wave" in cinema.

Narratives

Three stories intertwine throughout the film, named in the closing credits:^[4]

Hero: A seven-year-old shoots his abusive father and then flies away, depicted in the style of a 1980s tabloid television news magazine.
Horror: A scientist isolates the "elixir of human sexuality" and, after drinking it, is transformed into a murderous leper, portrayed in the style of a psychotropic 1960s sci-fi horror B movie.
Homo: A prisoner finds himself attracted to another inmate, reunited after meeting as youth in a juvenile facility, with scenes alternating between a gritty prison film and recollections evoked as pastoral fantasy.

Cast

Segment: Hero

Edith Meeks as Felicia Beacon
Millie White as Millie Sklar
Buck Smith as Gregory Lazar
Anne Giotta as Evelyn McAlpert
Lydia Lafleur as Sylvia Manning
Ian Nemser as Sean White
Rob LaBelle as Jay Wete
Evan Dunsky as Dr. MacArthur
Marina Lutz as Hazel Lamprecht
Barry Cassidy as Officer Rilt
Richard Anthony as Edward Comacho
Angela M. Schreiber as Florence Giddens

Segment: Horror

Larry Maxwell as Dr. Graves
Susan Gayle Norman as Dr. Nancy Olsen
Al Quagliata as Deputy Hansen

Segment: Homo

Scott Renderer as John Broom
James Lyons as Jack Bolton
John R. Lombardi as Rass
Tony Pemberton as Young Broom
Andrew Harpending as Young Bolton
John Leguizamo (credited 'Damien Garcia') as Chanchi

Release

After a world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 11, 1991,^[5] Zeitgeist Films acquired distribution rights,^[6] giving Poison a limited release starting April 5, 1991.^[7]

Reception and legacy

The film received generally positive reviews. It currently holds a 79% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 24 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.4/10. The site's consensus reads, "Claustrophobic and quirky horror, this is a decently dirty debut for director Todd Haynes".^[8]

Controversy

The film was not without controversy as culture wars conservatives like Senator Jesse Helms and head of American Family Association Rev. Donald Wildmon denounced the "explicit porno scenes of homosexuals involved in anal sex".^[9]^[10]

Awards and nominations

Berlin International Film Festival Teddy Award for Best Feature Film, 1991 (winner)
Fantasporto Critics' Award, 1992 (winner); International Fantasy Film Award Best Film, 1992 (nominated)
Independent Spirit Awards Best Director, 1992 (nominated); Best First Feature, 1992 (nominated)
Locarno International Film Festival Golden Leopard, 1991 (nominated)
Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival Special Prize of the Jury, 1991, "For keeping the subversive values inherent to any genuine poetry in force"
Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize - Dramatic, 1991 (winner)

References

^ "Poison (18)". British Board of Film Classification. August 15, 1991. Retrieved July 5, 2013.
^ Holden, Stephen (November 8, 1998). "Focusing on Glam Rock's Blurring of Identity". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
^ Poison at Box Office Mojo
^ Transcendent Transgression: Looking Back at Todd Haynes’ “Poison” - sundance.org
^ Lim, Dennis (November 5, 2010). "When 'Poison' Was a Cinematic Antidote". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
^ Herandez, Eugene (June 26, 2008). "Zeitgeist Films at 20 Years: Building a Boutique Brand". Indiewire.com. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
^ Canby, Vincent (April 5, 1991). "Review/Film; 'Poison,' Three Stories Inspired by Jean Genet". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
^ Poison at Rotten Tomatoes
^ Koresky, Michael (June 11, 2021). "On the Margins: Todd Haynes's Poison". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
^ Deng, Maohai (March 2015). "Poison". Senses of Cinema. Retrieved April 15, 2024.

External links

Awards
Preceded by Chameleon Street	Sundance Grand Jury Prize: U.S. Dramatic 1991	Succeeded by In the Soup

[1] "Poison (18)". British Board of Film Classification. August 15, 1991. Retrieved July 5, 2013.

[2] Holden, Stephen (November 8, 1998). "Focusing on Glam Rock's Blurring of Identity". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2016.

[3] Poison at Box Office Mojo

[4] Transcendent Transgression: Looking Back at Todd Haynes’ “Poison” - sundance.org

[5] Lim, Dennis (November 5, 2010). "When 'Poison' Was a Cinematic Antidote". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2016.

[6] Herandez, Eugene (June 26, 2008). "Zeitgeist Films at 20 Years: Building a Boutique Brand". Indiewire.com. Retrieved October 23, 2016.

[7] Canby, Vincent (April 5, 1991). "Review/Film; 'Poison,' Three Stories Inspired by Jean Genet". The New York Times. Retrieved October 23, 2016.

[8] Poison at Rotten Tomatoes

[9] Koresky, Michael (June 11, 2021). "On the Margins: Todd Haynes's Poison". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved April 15, 2024.

[10] Deng, Maohai (March 2015). "Poison". Senses of Cinema. Retrieved April 15, 2024.

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v t e Works directed by Todd Haynes
Films	Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987) Poison (1991) Safe (1995) Velvet Goldmine (1998) Far from Heaven (2002) I'm Not There (2007) Carol (2015) Wonderstruck (2017) Dark Waters (2019) The Velvet Underground (2021) May December (2023)
Television	Mildred Pierce (2011)