Illuminata (film)

Illuminata
DVD cover
Directed by	John Turturro
Written by	Brandon Cole John Turturro
Based on	Imperfect Love by Brandon Cole
Starring	Katherine Borowitz Beverly D'Angelo Ben Gazzara Donal McCann Susan Sarandon Rufus Sewell John Turturro Christopher Walken
Cinematography	Harris Savides
Edited by	Michael Berenbaum
Music by	Arnold Black William Bolcom
Distributed by	Artisan Entertainment
Release dates	May 21, 1998 (1998-05-21)(Cannes Film Festival) April 28, 1999 (1999-04-28)(France) August 6, 1999 (1999-08-06)(U.S.)
Running time	119 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Box office	$840,134 [1]

Illuminata is a 1998 romantic comedy film directed by John Turturro and written by Brandon Cole and Turturro, based on Cole's play Imperfect Love. ^[2] The cinematographer was Harris Savides. The puppet sequences were done by Roman Paska. Music for the 'Tuccio Operatic Dream Sequence' was composed by Richard Termini.

Plot

The plot follows the backstage dramas of a turn-of-the-century New York theater company struggling to produce a new work.

Cast

• John Turturro as Tuccio, the playwright
• Katherine Borowitz (Turturro's wife) as Rachel, Tuccio's girlfriend, an actress
• Beverly D'Angelo as Astergourd, a theater owner
• Donal McCann as Pallenchio, Astergourd's husband
• Georgina Cates as Simone, an actress
• Susan Sarandon as Celimene, an aging actress
• Christopher Walken as Umberto Bevalaqua, an influential theater critic
• Ben Gazzara as Old Flavio, an actor in the company
• Rufus Sewell as Dominique, a young actor in the company
• Bill Irwin as Marco, a bit player and the object of Bevalaqua's affections
• Aida Turturro as Marta
• Rocco Sisto as Prince
• Matthew Sussman as Piero

Reception

Illumuinata holds a rating of 48% on Rotten Tomatoes from 27 reviews. ^[3] Metacritic , which uses a weighted average , assigned the film a score of 60 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. ^[4]

Awards

• 1998 Cannes Film Festival – Palme d'Or Nomination (John Turturro) ^[5]

References

1. "Illuminata".
2. ""IMPERFECT LOVE" BRANDON COLE ANSWERS QUESTIONS ABOUT HIS NEW PLAY". HuffPost. January 17, 2018.
3. "Illuminata | Rotten Tomatoes". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved February 26, 2025.
4. "Illuminata". Metacritic . Retrieved June 12, 2025.
5. "Festival de Cannes: Illuminata". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-09-30.

Bibliography

• Martin, Mick. DVD & Video Guide 2007. New York: Ballantine Books, 2006.
• "Backstage With a Cast Of Foibles and Follies" The New York Times, August 6, 1999.

External links

• Illuminata at IMDb
• Illuminata at Rotten Tomatoes