Together (1971 film)

Last updated
Together
Together1971.jpg
Poster
Directed by Sean S. Cunningham
Written bySean S. Cunningham
Produced by Wes Craven
Sean S. Cunningham
Starring Marilyn Chambers
CinematographyAmin Q. Chaudhri
Roger Murphy
Edited byRoger Murphy
Distributed byHallmark Releasing
American International Pictures
Release date
  • December 1971 (1971-12)
Running time
72 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Together is a 1971 film directed by Sean S. Cunningham. [1] Cunningham's first film The Art of Marriage had attracted Wes Craven, who wanted to be in the film business. This was Craven's first credit. [2] Cunningham and Craven would later work on The Last House on the Left .

Contents

Premise

A mockumentary about sex in America.

Cast

Production

With the $100,000 profit from The Art of Marriage , [1] Cunningham rented his first office and began looking for another picture to shoot. He started collecting donations from family and friends, who contributed $1,000 each in some cases. Cunningham said The Art of Marriage was good (in terms of starting him off) but "crummy" and wanted to make a better version of the film. Cunningham shot the film Together, which was intended in some ways to be a remake of Marriage. After Together was shot Cunningham hired the struggling Wes Craven, who needed a job and was interested in getting into the film business. Cunningham was doing re-shoots for Together and hired Craven to synchronize the dailies from the three- to four-day reshoot. Craven then became assistant editor, and he and Cunningham had to mix without any income. There was a scene in the film that consisted of Marilyn Chambers and a "very handsome" black man. The scene involved Chambers running a yellow flower down the man's penis. Hallmark Releasing had never seen a scene like this before and wanted to exploit it. They subsequently bought the film for $10,000.

Release

They placed ads in the papers about the film and the theater was flooded with people wanting to see it. The line was said by Cunningham to have gone all the way around the block. The film grossed a lot of money (in Cunningham's words, "phenomenal business") and it was another big film for Cunningham and the first hit that Craven worked on. Cunningham and Craven said to Hallmark that if they wrote them a check, Cunningham and Craven would think of another film to do. Cunningham was offered $90,000 by Hallmark to do a scary film and they would later go on to make The Last House on the Left . The film was re-released in 1973 to capitalize on the notoriety Marilyn Chambers received after it was revealed she was the mother on the Ivory Snow soap box who also was starring in the X-rated hardcore pornographic film Behind the Green Door . [3]

According to Bloody Disgusting , the film "was a [commercial] success". [4]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marilyn Chambers</span> American pornographic actress (1952–2009)

Marilyn Ann Taylor, known professionally as Marilyn Chambers, was an American pornographic actress, exotic dancer, model, actress, singer and vice-presidential candidate. She was known for her 1972 hardcore film debut, Behind the Green Door, and her 1980 pornographic film Insatiable. She ranked at No. 6 on the list of Top 50 Porn Stars of All Time by AVN, and ranked as one of Playboy's Top 100 Sex Stars of the Century in 1999. Although she was primarily known for her adult film work, she made a successful transition to mainstream projects and has been called "porn's most famous crossover".

<i>Scream</i> (1996 film) American slasher film

Scream is a 1996 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Matthew Lillard, Rose McGowan, Skeet Ulrich and Drew Barrymore. Set in the small American town of Woodsboro, Scream's plot follows high school student Sidney Prescott (Campbell) and her friends, who, on the anniversary of her mother's murder, become the targets of a costumed serial killer known as Ghostface.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wes Craven</span> American film director, screenwriter, composer and producer (1939–2015)

Wesley Earl Craven was an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and editor. Craven has commonly been recognized as one of the greatest masters of the horror genre due to the cultural impact and influence of his work. Amongst his prolific filmography, Craven was best known for his pioneering work in the horror genre, particularly slasher films, where he mixed horror cliches with humor and satire.

<i>Friday the 13th</i> (1980 film) Film by Sean S. Cunningham

Friday the 13th is a 1980 American independent slasher film produced and directed by Sean S. Cunningham, written by Victor Miller, and starring Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, Mark Nelson, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan, and Kevin Bacon. Its plot follows a group of teenage camp counselors who are murdered one by one by an unknown killer while they are attempting to re-open an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past.

<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street</i> (franchise) Horror media franchise

A Nightmare on Elm Street is an American supernatural slasher media franchise consisting of nine films, a television series, novels, comic books, and various other media. The franchise began with the film A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), written and directed by Wes Craven. The overall plot of the franchise centers around the fictional character Fred "Freddy" Krueger, the apparition of a former child killer who was burned alive by the vengeful parents of his victims, who returns from the grave to terrorize and kill the teenage residents of the fictional Springwood, Ohio in their dreams. Craven returned to the franchise to co-script the second sequel, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), and to write/direct Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994). The films collectively grossed $472 million at the box office worldwide.

<i>The Last House on the Left</i> 1972 American exploitation horror film by Wes Craven

The Last House on the Left is a 1972 rape and revenge exploitation horror film written and directed by Wes Craven in his directorial debut, and produced by Sean S. Cunningham. The film stars Sandra Peabody, Lucy Grantham, David Hess, Fred J. Lincoln, Jeramie Rain, and Marc Sheffler. Additionally, Martin Kove appears in a supporting role. The plot follows Mari Collingwood (Peabody), a teenager who is abducted, raped, and tortured by a family of violent fugitives led by Krug Stillo (Hess) on her seventeenth birthday. When her parents discover what happened to her, they seek vengeance against the family, who have taken shelter at their home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Englund</span> American actor and director

Robert Barton Englund is an American actor and director, best known for playing the supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. Classically trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Englund began his career as a stage actor in regional theatre, and made his film debut in Buster and Billie in 1974. After supporting roles in films in the 1970s such as Stay Hungry, A Star Is Born, and Big Wednesday, Englund had his breakthrough as the resistance fighter Willie in the miniseries V in 1983. Following his performance in the original A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984, he became closely associated with the horror film genre, and is widely-regarded as one of its iconic actors.

<i>Cursed</i> (2005 film) 2005 film by Wes Craven

Cursed is a 2005 American horror comedy film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson, who both collaborated on the Scream film series. The film stars Christina Ricci and Jesse Eisenberg as two orphaned siblings attacked by a werewolf loose in Los Angeles.

<i>The Hills Have Eyes</i> (1977 film) 1977 American horror film directed by Wes Craven

The Hills Have Eyes is a 1977 American horror film written, directed, and edited by Wes Craven and starring Susan Lanier, Michael Berryman and Dee Wallace. The film follows the Carters, a suburban family targeted by a family of cannibal savages after becoming stranded in the Nevada desert.

<i>Deadly Friend</i> 1986 film by Wes Craven

Deadly Friend is a 1986 American science fiction horror film directed by Wes Craven, and starring Matthew Laborteaux, Kristy Swanson, Michael Sharrett, Anne Twomey, Richard Marcus, and Anne Ramsey. Its plot follows a teenage computer prodigy who implants a robot's processor into the brain of his teenage neighbor after she is pronounced brain dead; the experiment proves successful, but she swiftly begins a killing spree in their neighborhood. It is based on the 1985 novel Friend by Diana Henstell, which was adapted for the screen by Bruce Joel Rubin.

<i>The Descent</i> 2005 film directed by Neil Marshall

The Descent is a 2005 British horror film written and directed by Neil Marshall. The film follows six women who enter a cave system and struggle to survive against the humanoid creatures inside.

<i>The Last Horror Film</i> 1982 film by David Winters

The Last Horror Film is a 1982 American horror comedy film directed by David Winters and starring Joe Spinell and Caroline Munro. Its plot follows a delusional middle-aged New York City taxi driver who, fixated on the idea of being a film director, visits the Cannes Film Festival where he begins stalking an actress he is obsessed with.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sean S. Cunningham</span> American film director

Sean Sexton Cunningham is an American filmmaker, director, producer, and writer. He is best known for directing and producing several horror films, beginning in the early 1970s.

<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street</i> 1984 American supernatural slasher film by Wes Craven

A Nightmare on Elm Street is a 1984 American supernatural slasher film written and directed by Wes Craven and produced by Robert Shaye. It is the first installment in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and stars Heather Langenkamp, John Saxon, Ronee Blakley, Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger, and Johnny Depp in his film debut. The film's plot concerns a group of teenagers who are targeted by Krueger, an undead former child killer who can murder people through their dreams, as retribution against their parents who burned him alive.

Nancy Thompson (<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street</i>) Main character in the A Nightmare on Elm Street series

Nancy Thompson is a fictional character in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. She first appears in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) as a teenager hunted in her dreams by enigmatic serial killer Freddy Krueger. In this film, she was portrayed by Heather Langenkamp—who reprises the role in the sequel, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987). Langenkamp later portrayed a fictional version of herself who embodies the role of Nancy in Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994). A reimagined version of the character, Nancy Holbrook, is portrayed by Rooney Mara in the 2010 remake.

Scream is an American slasher franchise that includes six films, a television series, merchandise, and games. The first four films were directed by Wes Craven. The series was created by Kevin Williamson, who wrote the first two films and the fourth; Ehren Kruger wrote the third. The fifth and sixth installments were directed by Matt Bettinelli-Olpin and Tyler Gillett, with Guy Busick and James Vanderbilt serving as writers and Williamson returning as executive producer. Dimension Films produced the first four films. Spyglass Media Group took over the rights from the fifth film on with Paramount Pictures distributing. The film series has grossed over US$900 million at the global box office.

<i>Scream 4</i> 2011 American slasher film

Scream 4 is a 2011 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. Produced by Outerbanks Entertainment and distributed by Dimension Films, it is a sequel to Scream 3 (2000) and the fourth installment in the Scream film series. The film stars David Arquette, Neve Campbell, Courteney Cox, Emma Roberts, Hayden Panettiere, Anthony Anderson, Alison Brie, Adam Brody, Rory Culkin, Marielle Jaffe, Erik Knudsen, Mary McDonnell, Marley Shelton, Nico Tortorella, and Roger L. Jackson. The film takes place on the fifteenth anniversary of the original Woodsboro murders from Scream (1996) and involves Sidney Prescott (Campbell) returning to the town after ten years, where Ghostface once again begins killing students from Woodsboro High. Like its predecessors, Scream 4 combines the violence of the slasher genre with elements of black comedy and "whodunit" mystery to satirize the clichés of film remakes. The film also provides commentary on the extensive usage of social media and the obsession with internet fame.

<i>The Art of Marriage</i> 1970 American white coater film by Sean S. Cunningham

The Art of Marriage is a 1970 American white coater film directed by Sean S. Cunningham in his directorial debut.

Caesar and Otto's Paranormal Halloween is a 2015 comedy-horror film. It was written and directed by Dave Campfield. the film stars Campfield himself, Paul Chomicki, Beverly Randolph, Felissa Rose, and Deron Miller. The film is also the first feature film for actresses JamieLee Ackerman and Josephine Iannece. This film is the sixth film in the Caesar and Otto series.

<i>In Search of Darkness</i> 2019 documentary film about horror films from the 1980s

In Search of Darkness is a 2019 documentary film written and directed by David A. Weiner and executive produced by Robin Block of CreatorVC Studios. An international co-production of the United Kingdom and the United States, the film explores the development and lasting impact of the horror film genre during the 1980s, and features interviews with numerous horror icons both from that decade and from the modern era, along with popular horror influencers.

References

  1. 1 2 Konow, David (2012). Reel Terror: The Scary, Bloody, Gory, Hundred-Year History of Classic Horror Films. St. Martin's Press p. 129. ISBN   978-1-2500-1359-0.
  2. Was, Alyse (December 31, 2019). "This Day in Horror: Happy Birthday Sean S. Cunningham". Dread Central . Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  3. Whiting, Sam (April 14, 2009). "Porn star Marilyn Chambers dies at 56". San Francisco Chronicle . Retrieved July 19, 2020.
  4. Keiper, Brian (August 2, 2022). "Savage Spawn: The Brutal First Films of Wes Craven". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved August 3, 2022.