Death and the Maiden (film)

Last updated
Death and the Maiden
Death and the Maiden (film).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Roman Polanski
Screenplay by Ariel Dorfman
Rafael Yglesias
Based on Death and the Maiden
by Ariel Dorfman
Produced byJosh Kramer
Thom Mount
Starring
Cinematography Tonino Delli Colli
Edited by Hervé de Luze
Music by Wojciech Kilar
Production
companies
Distributed by Fine Line Features (United States)
Alliance Films (United Kingdom; through Momentum Pictures) [1]
Pyramide Distribution (France) [1]
Release date
December 23, 1994
Running time
103 minutes
CountriesUnited States
United Kingdom
France
LanguageEnglish
Budget$12 million [2]
Box office$8 million [3]

Death and the Maiden is a 1994 mystery drama film directed by Roman Polanski and starring Sigourney Weaver, Ben Kingsley and Stuart Wilson. It was based on the 1990 play of the same name by Ariel Dorfman, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Rafael Yglesias.

Contents

Plot

Paulina Escobar is a housewife married to a prominent lawyer, Gerardo, in an unnamed South American country, which is implied to be Chile. One day, a storm forces Gerardo to ride home with a charming stranger, Dr. Miranda, while the power at his home is cut. Paulina is convinced that Miranda was part of the old regime and that he tortured and raped her for weeks while she was blindfolded. She takes him captive to determine the truth. Despite attempts by both her husband and Miranda to convince her that he is innocent, Paulina is certain that he is guilty and forces her husband to act as Miranda's "attorney" in the "trial" she arranges for him.

Miranda conspires with Gerardo to agree to a false confession, as Paulina states that this is all she wants in exchange for Miranda's life. They write up a false confession and present it to Paulina, but she becomes enraged and deems Miranda unrepentant, threatening to kill him. As Gerardo tries to stop her, Miranda gets hold of Paulina's gun and threatens to kill her if he is not freed. However, as he advances toward the door, the power in the house turns on, and Paulina hits him, regaining control.

In a last-ditch effort to save his life, Miranda implores Gerardo to call the Spanish medical school where he claims to have been at the time of Paulina's rape. She leads him blindfolded out of the door to the edge of the cliff. Gerardo contacts the school, where Miranda's colleague seems to confirm the story. He races to inform Paulina, now convinced that Miranda is innocent. However, Paulina refuses to believe it, stating that doctors at that time created alibis to conceal their identities. Miranda finally tells them that he really was the doctor, that he enjoyed brutalizing Paulina, and that he was sorry that the old regime fell.

Enraged, Gerardo attempts to throw Miranda from the cliff, only to realize he cannot bring himself to take a life. Paulina apparently accepts the confession, and they both leave Miranda on the cliff as he stares down at the water. The camera simulates someone falling off the cliff from his own point of view. In the final scene, Paulina and Gerardo are at the same concert where the film began with Miranda also present, looking down with his wife and sons. Paulina and Miranda cast uncomfortable glances at each other, and Miranda looks away. Miranda glances down at the couple again as the camera shows Gerardo glancing up towards the balcony at the now off-screen Miranda.

Cast

Production

Roman Polanski said he greatly enjoyed making the film. Producer Bonnie Timmermann, who had worked with Polanski on three other films, was pleased to say that he was ahead of schedule and praised Polanski's work calling it "his best movie since Tess." [2]

Music

A central motif is Schubert's string quartet in D minor, which is known as the "Death and the Maiden" Quartet. A recording of this quartet was played during Paulina's rape.

Reception

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has an approval rating of 82% based on reviews from 51 critics. The consensus summarizes: "With its claustrophobic setting heightening the tension and seasoned stars doing excellent work, Death and the Maiden is prime Polanski." [4] On Metacritic it has a score of 72% based on reviews from 19 critics. [5]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave it three out of four, writing: "Death and the Maiden is all about acting. In other hands, even given the same director, this might have been a dreary slog." [6] [7]

Box office

The film grossed $3 million in the United States and Canada and an estimated $8 million worldwide. [8] [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Polanski</span> French and Polish filmmaker (born 1933)

Raymond Roman Thierry Polański is a French and Polish film director, producer, screenwriter, and actor. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, two British Academy Film Awards, ten César Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, as well as the Golden Bear and a Palme d'Or.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sigourney Weaver</span> American actress (born 1949)

Susan Alexandra "Sigourney" Weaver is an American actress. A figure in science fiction and popular culture, she has received various accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Grammy Award, in addition to nominations for three Academy Awards, four Primetime Emmy Awards, and a Tony Award. In 2003, she was voted Number 20 in Channel 4's countdown of the 100 greatest movie stars of all time.

<i>Chinatown</i> (1974 film) 1974 film directed by Roman Polański

Chinatown is a 1974 American neo-noir mystery film directed by Roman Polanski from a screenplay by Robert Towne. The film stars Jack Nicholson and Faye Dunaway. It was inspired by the California water wars, a series of disputes over southern California water at the beginning of the 20th century, by which Los Angeles interests secured water rights in the Owens Valley. The Robert Evans production, released by Paramount Pictures, was Polanski's last film in the United States and features many elements of film noir, particularly a multi-layered story that is part mystery and part psychological drama.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ben Kingsley</span> British actor (born 1943)

Sir Ben Kingsley is an English actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Grammy Award, and two Golden Globe Awards as well as nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards and two Laurence Olivier Awards. Kingsley was appointed Knight Bachelor in 2002 for services to the British film industry. He awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 and received Britannia Award in 2013.

Death and the Maiden, a concept ultimately derived from the Medieval "Dance of Death", may refer to:

<i>Death and the Maiden</i> (play) 1990 play by Ariel Dorfman

Death and the Maiden is a 1990 play by Chilean playwright Ariel Dorfman. The world premiere was staged at the Royal Court Theatre in London on 9 July 1991, directed by Lindsay Posner. It had one reading and one workshop production prior to its world premiere.

<i>Gothika</i> 2003 film by Mathieu Kassovitz

Gothika is a 2003 American horror film directed by Mathieu Kassovitz, written by Sebastian Gutierrez, co-produced by Joel Silver and Robert Zemeckis, and starring Halle Berry with Robert Downey Jr., Penélope Cruz, Charles S. Dutton, John Carroll Lynch, and Bernard Hill. The film follows a psychiatrist who finds herself incarcerated in the penitentiary in which she works, accused of brutally murdering her own husband.

<i>Repulsion</i> (film) 1965 British film by Roman Polanski

Repulsion is a 1965 British psychological horror thriller film directed by Roman Polanski, and starring Catherine Deneuve. Based on a story written by Polanski and Gérard Brach, the plot follows Carol, a withdrawn, disturbed young woman who, when left alone in the apartment she shares with her sister, is subject to a number of nightmarish experiences. The film focuses on the point of view of Carol and her vivid hallucinations and nightmares as she comes into contact with men and their desires for her. Ian Hendry, John Fraser, Patrick Wymark, and Yvonne Furneaux appear in supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">String Quartet No. 14 (Schubert)</span> 1824 composition for string quartet by Schubert

The String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D 810, known as Death and the Maiden, is a piece by Franz Schubert that has been called "one of the pillars of the chamber music repertoire". It was composed in 1824, after the composer suffered from a serious illness and realized that he was dying. It is named for the theme of the second movement, which Schubert took from a song he wrote in 1817 of the same title. But, writes Walter Willson Cobbett, all four movements of the quartet are welded "into a unity under the pressure of a dominating idea - the dance of death."

<i>Crimes and Misdemeanors</i> 1989 film by Woody Allen

Crimes and Misdemeanors is a 1989 American existential comedy-drama film written and directed by Woody Allen, who stars alongside Martin Landau, Mia Farrow, Anjelica Huston, Jerry Orbach, Alan Alda, Sam Waterston, and Joanna Gleason.

<i>Phantom Lady</i> (film) 1944 film by Robert Siodmak

Phantom Lady is a 1944 American film noir directed by Robert Siodmak and starring Franchot Tone, Ella Raines, and Alan Curtis. Based on the novel of the same name by Cornell Woolrich, it follows a young Manhattan secretary and her endeavors to prove that her boss did not murder his wife.

<i>Oliver Twist</i> (2005 film) 2005 drama film directed by Roman Polanski

Oliver Twist is a 2005 drama film directed by Roman Polanski. The screenplay by Ronald Harwood adapts Charles Dickens's 1838 novel of the same name. It is an international co-production of the United Kingdom, the Czech Republic, France and the United States.

<i>Snow White: A Tale of Terror</i> 1997 reimagining of the German fairytale about Snow White

Snow White: A Tale of Terror is a 1997 American gothic fantasy horror film based on the fairy tale of the same name. It was directed by Michael Cohn and stars Sigourney Weaver, Sam Neill and Monica Keena. It premiered on Showtime on August 24, 1997.

<i>Rosemarys Baby</i> (film) 1968 film by Roman Polanski

Rosemary's Baby is a 1968 American psychological horror film written and directed by Roman Polanski, based on Ira Levin's 1967 novel of the same name. The film stars Mia Farrow as a young wife living in Manhattan who becomes pregnant, but soon begins to suspect that her elderly neighbors are members of a Satanic cult who are grooming her in order to use her baby for their rituals. The film's supporting cast includes John Cassavetes, Ruth Gordon, Sidney Blackmer, Maurice Evans, Ralph Bellamy, Patsy Kelly, Angela Dorian, and Charles Grodin in his feature film debut.

The Kane family is a fictional family on the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children, and reside in the fictional town of Pine Valley. The family debuted when the show debuted, being one of the core families on the show alongside the Martins and the Tylers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Joe Long</span> American serial killer (1953–2019)

Robert Joseph "Bobby Joe" Long was an American serial killer and rapist who was executed by the state of Florida for the murder of Michelle Denise Simms. Long abducted, sexually assaulted, and murdered at least ten women in the Tampa Bay area in Florida during an eight-month period in 1984. He released 17-year-old Lisa McVey after 26 hours. McVey provided critical information to the police that enabled them to arrest Long.

<i>Mad About Men</i> 1954 film

Mad About Men is a 1954 British Technicolor comedy film directed by Ralph Thomas and starring Glynis Johns, Donald Sinden, Anne Crawford and Margaret Rutherford. It was written by Peter Blackmore, who also wrote the 1948 film Miranda which preceded Mad About Men. Johns appears in both films as the mermaid Miranda. However, Rank Films insisted it was not a sequel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marley Love</span> Soap opera character

Marley Love is a fictional character from the NBC daytime soap opera Another World. After AW was cancelled, the character crossed over to the CBS daytime soap opera As the World Turns for guest appearances between 2000 and 2003.

A Taste of Evil is a 1971 American made-for-television horror-thriller film directed by John Llewellyn Moxey and starring Barbara Stanwyck, Barbara Parkins and Roddy McDowall. It premiered as the ABC Movie of the Week on October 12, 1971.

Dansh is a 2005 Hindi Drama film directed by Kanika Verma and produced by Anish Ranjan. The film features Kay Kay Menon, Sonali Kulkarni and Aditya Srivastava in titular roles. The film is based on the armed struggle of the Mizoram National Front with Indian Army along with blood, torture and rape sequences. The film is a remake of the movie "Death and the Maiden".

References

  1. 1 2 "Death and the Maiden (1994)". UniFrance . Retrieved 30 September 2021.
  2. 1 2 Archerd, Army (22 April 1994). "Polanski excited about 'Maiden' voyage". Variety.
  3. 1 2 "Planet Hollywood". Screen International . August 30, 1996. pp. 14–15.
  4. "Death and the Maiden (1995)". Rotten Tomatoes .
  5. "Death and the Maiden". Metacritic .
  6. Ebert, Roger (1995). "Death And The Maiden movie review (1995)". Chicago Sun-Times .
  7. McCarthy, Todd (12 December 1994). "Death and the Maiden". Variety .
  8. "Death and the Maiden". Box Office Mojo .