I Shot Andy Warhol | |
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Directed by | Mary Harron |
Screenplay by |
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Based on | The Letters and Diaries of Candy Darling, 1992 by Jeremiah Newton |
Produced by | |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Ellen Kuras |
Edited by | Keith Reamer |
Music by | John Cale |
Production companies |
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Distributed by |
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Release dates |
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Running time | 103 minutes |
Countries |
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Language | English |
Box office | $1.9 million [4] |
I Shot Andy Warhol is a 1996 biographical drama film about Valerie Solanas' life and her relationship with Andy Warhol. [5] The film marked the feature film directorial debut of Canadian director Mary Harron. The film stars Lili Taylor as Valerie, Jared Harris as Andy Warhol, and Martha Plimpton as Valerie's friend Stevie. Stephen Dorff plays Warhol superstar Candy Darling. John Cale of The Velvet Underground wrote the film's score [6] despite protests from former band member Lou Reed. [7] Yo La Tengo plays an anonymous band that is somewhat reminiscent of the group. [8]
The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section of the 1996 Cannes Film Festival. [9] To celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Teddy Awards, the film was selected to be shown at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival in February 2016. [10]
The film opens immediately after her attempted assassination of Andy Warhol at The Factory in 1968, followed by Valerie Solanas being shown in custody for the attack. The film then uses flashbacks to when Valerie was living in New York as a sex worker, then to her difficult childhood, then to her success in studying psychology at college. Here, Valerie discovers that she is a lesbian, that she can write, and that she has a distinctive view of the world. This leads her to New York City and its downtown underworld. Through her friend Stevie, she meets Candy Darling, who in turn introduces her to Warhol.
Valerie also meets Maurice Girodias, the publisher of Olympia Press. While Valerie wants Warhol to produce her play, Up Your Ass , Girodias wants her to write a pornographic novel for him. The group steals her manuscript and lies about it, saying it was lost. Once she signs a contract with Girodias, she comes to suspect his offer is not a generous one and may not be in her best interest. She comes to regret signing this contract. At this point, her increasing derangement leads her to believe that Warhol and Girodias are controlling her. The film concludes, where it began, with Solanas' attempted murder of Warhol. Warhol lives in fear that Valerie will strike again and never fully recovers from the shooting. The SCUM Manifesto becomes a feminist classic.
Initially intended as a BBC documentary, the film was directed by Mary Harron who also co-wrote the screenplay with Daniel Minahan. [11]
Dr. Dana Heller, Dean of Arts and Sciences at Eastern Michigan University, argues that the film stages the conflict between Solanas and Warhol as less the result of gender politics – particularly because Solanas intended no connection between her writing and the shooting – than of the decline of print culture as represented by Solanas and the rise of new non-writing media as embodied by Warhol and the pop art movement. [12] In the screenplay, Harron and Minahan describe Solanas as "banging at an ancient typewriter" and the film frequently shows her typing, for which she is mocked by Warhol and other Factory regulars. Solanas' writing is set against the new technologies of reproduction championed by Warhol. [13]
Many people who knew Solanas and Warhol tried to rationalize the shooting. Stephen Koch, who in 1973 wrote a study of Warhol's film, stated: "Valerie lives in terror of dependence: That is what the SCUM Manifesto is about, an absolute terror before the experience of need. Like Warhol, Solanas is obsessed with an image of autonomy, except that... she has played the obsession desperately, rather than with Warhol's famous cool." [14]
Film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 77% of 31 critics gave the film positive reviews, with an average rating of 6.8/10. [15] On Metacritic, it has a weighted score of 75/100, based on 20 critics, denoting "generally favorable reviews". [16]
I Shot Andy Warhol was released on Region 1 DVD on January 23, 2001.
I Shot Andy Warhol: Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture | |
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Soundtrack album by Various Artists | |
Released | 30 April 1996 |
Genre | Soundtrack |
Length | 43:11 |
Label | TAG Recordings / Atlantic Records |
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Artist | Length |
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1. | "Season Of The Witch" | Donovan | Luna | 5:19 |
2. | "Do You Believe In Magic" | John Sebastian | The Lovin' Spoonful | 2:06 |
3. | "Love Is All Around" | Reg Presley | R.E.M. | 3:05 |
4. | "Burned" | Neil Young | Wilco | 2:34 |
5. | "Itchycoo Park" | Ronnie Lane / Steve Marriott | Ben Lee | 3:04 |
6. | "Sunshine Superman" | Donovan | Jewel | 5:01 |
7. | "Mas que Nada" | Jorge Ben | Sérgio Mendes and Brasil '66 | 2:38 |
8. | "Gimi A Little Break" | Arthur Lee | Love | 2:02 |
9. | "Sensitive Euro Man" | Pavement | Pavement | 3:16 |
10. | "Kick Out the Jams" | Dennis Thompson / Frederick D. Smith / Michael Davis / Robert Derminer / Wayne Kramer | MC5 | 2:54 |
11. | "I'll Keep It with Mine" | Bob Dylan | Bettie Serveert | 4:09 |
12. | "Demons" | Georgia Hubley / Ira Kaplan | Yo La Tengo | 3:37 |
13. | "I Shot Andy Warhol Suite" | John Cale | John Cale | 3:26 |
Total length: | 43:11 |
Andy Warhol was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol is considered one the most important artists of the second half of the 20th century. His works explore the relationship between artistic expression, advertising, and celebrity culture that flourished by the 1960s, and span a variety of media, including painting, sculpture, photography, and filmmaking. Some of his best-known works include the silkscreen paintings Campbell's Soup Cans (1962) and Marilyn Diptych (1962), the experimental film Chelsea Girls (1966), and the multimedia events known as the Exploding Plastic Inevitable (1966–67).
Valerie Jean Solanas was an American radical feminist known for the SCUM Manifesto, which she self-published in 1967, and her attempt to murder artist Andy Warhol in 1968.
Paul Joseph Morrissey was an American film director, known for his early association with Andy Warhol. His most famous films include Flesh (1968), Trash (1970), Heat (1972), Flesh for Frankenstein (1973), and Blood for Dracula (1974), all starring Joe Dallesandro, 1971's Women in Revolt and the 1980's New York trilogy Forty Deuce (1982), Mixed Blood (1985), and Spike of Bensonhurst (1988).
SCUM Manifesto is a radical feminist manifesto by Valerie Solanas, published in 1967. It argues that men have ruined the world, and that it is up to women to fix it. To achieve this goal, it suggests the formation of SCUM, an organization dedicated to overthrowing society and eliminating the male sex. The SCUM Manifesto has been described as a satire or parody, especially due to its parallels with Freud's theory of femininity, though this has been disputed, even by Solanas herself.
Warhol superstars were a clique of New York City personalities promoted by the pop artist Andy Warhol during the 1960s and early 1970s. These personalities appeared in Warhol's artworks and accompanied him in his social life. Warhol would simply film them, and declare them "superstars".
Lili Anne Taylor is an American actress. She came to prominence with supporting parts in the films Mystic Pizza (1988) and Say Anything... (1989), before establishing herself as one of the key figures of 1990s independent cinema through starring roles in Bright Angel (1990), Dogfight (1991), Household Saints, Short Cuts, The Addiction (1995), I Shot Andy Warhol, Girls Town, Pecker (1998), and A Slipping-Down Life (1999). Taylor is the recipient of four Independent Spirit nominations, winning once in the category of Best Supporting Female. Her other accolades include one Golden Globe Award and nominations for three Primetime Emmy Awards.
Stephen Hartley Dorff Jr. is an American actor. Starting his film career as a child appearing in the cult horror film The Gate (1987), Dorff first rose to prominence playing Stuart Sutcliffe in Backbeat (1994) and then gained further mainstream attention for portraying Deacon Frost in Blade (1998). Other notable lead roles include Bob Rafelson's Blood and Wine (1997), the titular character in John Waters' Cecil B. DeMented (2000) and Johnny Marco in Sofia Coppola's Somewhere (2010), as well as Britney Spears’ boyfriend in her 2004 music video for "Everytime".
Mary Harron is a Canadian film director and screenwriter.
The Factory was Andy Warhol's studio in Manhattan, New York City, which had four locations between 1963 and 1987. The Factory became famed for its parties in the 1960s. It was the hip hangout spot for artists, musicians, celebrities, and Warhol's superstars. The original Factory was often referred to as the Silver Factory. In the studio, Warhol's workers would make silkscreens and lithographs under his direction.
Candy Darling was an American transgender actress, best known as a Warhol superstar. She starred in Andy Warhol's films Flesh (1968) and Women in Revolt (1971), and was a muse of the Velvet Underground.
Daniel Minahan is an American television and film director and writer.
Flesh is a 1968 American film directed by Paul Morrissey and starring Joe Dallesandro as a hustler working on the streets of New York City. It highlights various Warhol superstars, in addition to being the film debuts of both Jackie Curtis and Candy Darling. Also appearing are Geraldine Smith as Joe's wife and Patti D'Arbanville as her lover.
Women in Revolt is a 1971 American satirical film produced by Andy Warhol and directed by Paul Morrissey. It was initially released as Andy Warhol's Women. The film stars Jackie Curtis, Candy Darling, and Holly Woodlawn, three trans women and superstars of Warhol's Factory scene. It also features soundtrack music by John Cale.
Lonesome Cowboys is a 1968 American Western film directed by Andy Warhol and written and produced by Paul Morrissey. The film is a satire of Hollywood Westerns, and was initially screened in November 1968 at the San Francisco International Film Festival, where it won the Best Film Award. On May 5, 1969, it was shown for initial viewings at the New Andy Warhol Garrick Theatre in New York City.
American Psycho is a 2000 satirical psychological horror film directed by Mary Harron, who co-wrote the screenplay with Guinevere Turner. Based on the 1991 novel by Bret Easton Ellis, it stars Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman, a New York City investment banker who leads a double life as a serial killer. Willem Dafoe, Jared Leto, Josh Lucas, Chloë Sevigny, Samantha Mathis, Cara Seymour, Justin Theroux, and Reese Witherspoon appear in supporting roles. The film blends horror and black comedy to satirize 1980s yuppie culture and consumerism, exemplified by Bateman.
Christine Vachon is an American film producer active in the American independent film sector.
Susan Dunn Whittier Bottomly, also known as International Velvet, is a former American model and actress.
San Diego Surf is a 1968 feature film directed by Andy Warhol. The film stars Viva, Taylor Mead, Joe Dallesandro, Ingrid Superstar, Tom Hompertz, Eric Emerson, Nawana Davis, Michael Boosin, and Louis Waldon.
El Quijote is a Spanish restaurant in the Hotel Chelsea in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The eatery has been in the same location for some 88 years and, after being sold by the original owning family to Chelsea Hotels, it was closed for renovations. The new proprietors have kept the authentic Spanish feel of the place which was reopened in 2022.
On June 3, 1968, artist and filmmaker Andy Warhol was shot by radical feminist writer Valerie Solanas at The Factory in New York City.