Whore (1991 film)

Last updated

Whore
Whore (movie poster).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Ken Russell
Screenplay by
  • Ken Russell
  • Deborah Dalton
Based onBondage
by David Hines [1]
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Amir M. Mokri
Edited byBrian Tagg
Music by Michael Gibbs
Production
company
Cheap Date
Distributed by Trimark Pictures
Release dates
  • January 24, 1991 (1991-01-24)(Sundance)
  • July 19, 1991 (1991-07-19)(London) [2]
  • October 4, 1991 (1991-10-04)(U.S.)
Running time
85 minutes [3]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget<$2 million [4] –$4 million [5]
Box office$1 million [6]

Whore is a 1991 American satirical drama film [7] directed by Ken Russell and starring Theresa Russell. [lower-roman 1] It follows the life of a jaded street prostitute in Los Angeles. Benjamin Mouton, Antonio Fargas, Jack Nance, Danny Trejo, and Ginger Lynn Allen appear in supporting roles. The screenplay by Russell and Deborah Dalton is based on David Hines' monologue play, Bondage. The film is partly presented in a pseudo-documentary format, [8] with the lead character often breaking the fourth wall and addressing the audience with monologues consisting of her observations and reflections on her career as a prostitute.

Contents

While the source play, Bondage, was set in London, Ken Russell was unable to find funding for the film in Britain due to its frank language and sexual content, leading him to instead make the film in the United States and change its setting to Los Angeles. The movie was filmed in a fortnight in downtown Los Angeles in September 1990.

Whore premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 1991, before having theatrical releases in the United Kingdom and the United States in June 1991 and October 1991, respectively. While not a financial success, grossing a little over $1 million, the film did attract some positive notices from critics, particularly for Theresa Russell's performance. The film was given an NC-17 rating in the United States, and was banned in Ireland due to its depiction of sexuality and violence. The film generated the unrelated sequel Whore II in 1994.

Plot

Liz is a Los Angeles street prostitute who is first seen attempting to get a customer on a busy downtown street near a tunnel. She addresses the audience directly on her life and problems throughout the film. One man stops and demands anal sex, and she crassly declines him. When a van stops by, she also brushes the driver off, recalling the last time she serviced a man in a van: it turned out there were several other men inside who gang-raped her, beat her, and left her for dead. An elderly man passing by gave her his handkerchief and offered to take her to a hospital. She refused, instead asking the aldermancy man for money. Later, Liz sends him the money back with a thank you note and a new handkerchief.

Weary of her life as a prostitute, Liz is also attempting to escape her pimp, Blake, a well-dressed, businesslike and extremely controlling man. As Liz stops at a strip club for a drink, she explains how she ended up as she did: She was a small-town girl who married a violent drunk named Bill. Though they had a son together, Liz could no longer cope with his alcoholism and abuse, so she left with their infant child. Liz took a nightly shift at a diner and lived in poverty until one night a customer offered her money to have sex with him. Desperate for money, Liz agreed and began prostituting herself independently for a time until meeting Blake, who takes her to Los Angeles. Though Blake does do some things for her (including getting her tattooed), he is ultimately as cruel as her husband.

While working the street downtown, Liz finds a fellow prostitute who has just been viciously stabbed in the stomach by a john. Liz brings the woman into a movie theater bathroom and attempts to stop her bleeding wound. She is helped by a patron in the theater, Katie, with whom Liz becomes good friends. Katie is an intellectual, and loans Liz the novel Animal Farm , the first book Liz has ever finished reading. The women's friendship, however, ends after Blake intimidates Liz and accuses Katie of being a lesbian.

A local homeless person/street performer named Rasta decides to treat Liz to a movie. Though Rasta initially frightens Liz (his act involves walking on broken glass), Liz agrees. At this point the scenes of Liz and Rasta at the movie are intercut with Blake explaining his life to the audience, giving the impression that Liz and Rasta are watching Blake's soliloquy. Liz recounts some of her prostitution stories, including her encounter with a male client with a shoe fetish who demanded that Liz merely insult him while he masturbated with her stiletto in his mouth.

After the movie, Liz addresses the audience about her son, whom she clearly loves, though he is now in foster care. Later that night, Liz secures an elderly dapper client, who brings her to a parking garage in his vintage car. While the two have sex, the man suffers a heart attack, and Liz panics, trying to give him mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, without success. Blake happens along then. He takes Liz's money and tries to rob the dead customer before getting into a physical altercation with Liz, breaking one of her fingers. When Liz tries to stop him, Blake tries to strangle Liz and threatens to force her son into gay prostitution, with Liz retorting, "I'll kill you first!" Rasta comes to the rescue, killing Blake by slitting his throat. A grateful Liz gives her thanks and walks away.

Cast

Production

Development

The original play Bondage on which the film was based was written by a London taxi driver David Hines (b. 1945), who based it on a conversation with a local prostitute he drove. [9] The play was originally performed at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Director Ken Russell recounted the film's genesis: "One day in London, Hines literally jumped out of his cab and stopped me in the street, to ask if I would write the screenplay; and make it into a film. I read the play and agreed to have a go." [10]

After a number of British film financiers turned down supporting the project due to its "frank language," Russell sought to finance the film in the United States, and changed the setting from London to Los Angeles. [5] "No one in England wanted to know. So I had to go to America for the lolly," he said. "Now she's a Hollywood hooker on Sunset Boulevard. So why couldn't I get financed in the UK? The budget was low, the potential high, the risk minimal. Perhaps the subject was considered too sleazy for export. Maybe it could never have been shown on TV. Maybe my face doesn't fit in with the film establishment here." [10]

Casting

Ken Russell sought actress Theresa Russell to portray the lead role of Liz, but she initially turned the role down, [11] fearing the material was too explicit. [12] She ultimately had second thoughts, recalling: "I just couldn't stop thinking about it. I told Ken, 'I don't know how in the hell you're going to do this. I'm not interested in doing soft-core porn.' I was leery about doing it at this point in my career. I wasn't interested if it was going to be in the Crimes of Passion vein." [12] When director Russell assured her that he was intending to incorporate campy humor into the film, she agreed to take the role, as she felt drawn to his "particular brand of madness." [12]

Filming

Principal photography began in Los Angeles on September 4, 1990, and was completed on September 23. [13] Sources vary regarding its production budget, with some stating as high as $4 million, [5] and others stating less than $2 million. [4] Presumably to save on crew expenses, Ken Russell is listed as camera operator in production credits (under the name Alf).

According to actresses Theresa Russell and Ginger Lynn Allen, director Ken Russell openly drank throughout filming, and was often drunk while shooting the film. [14] [15]

Release

Whore had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 24, 1991, with Theresa Russell making a live appearance to introduce the film. [16] It subsequently screened at the Berlin International Film Festival in February 1991. [13]

Box office

Trimark Pictures gave Whore a limited theatrical release in the United States on October 4, 1991 on 52 screens. [17] During its opening weekend, the film earned $165,543 on 52 screens. [17] The film's theatrical release expanded wide on October 18, 1991. [13] The film went on to gross $1,008,404 internationally. [6]

Censorship

Whore was given an NC-17 rating by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in the United States. [18] Its distributor, Trimark Pictures, appealed the MPAA's ruling, but the rating was ultimately upheld, and the film was released under the NC-17 rating. [18] [19]

In the Republic of Ireland, the film was banned on August 9, 1991. [20] [21] [22] The decision was upheld by the Films Appeal Board on September 20, although an earlier appeal meeting held on August 28 failed to come to a decision. This postponed the Irish home release as well, due on the week of the failed appeal with 2,000 copies. The video distributor (National Cable Vision) submitted a tape to Sheamus Smith, who headed the Irish Film Censor Board at the time, for a reconsideration on home media – no evidence exists of whether or not this was successful. [23] [24] [25]

Critical response

The film received mixed reviews. As of January 2024, it has a 38% approval rating on the internet review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on thirteen reviews. [26]

Roger Ebert praised Russell's performance, and gave the film a three out of four-star rating. [1] The Los Angeles Times 's Kenneth Turan alternately criticized Russell's performance as "game but dismal," and summarized the film as a "heroically tedious motion picture...  The worst thing about Whore, however, is not how feeble it is, for bad films come and very quickly go, but the pathetically venal way in which its creators have exploited the problem of prostitution and its glorification in the media." [27]

Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly awarded the film a D-rating, writing: "Despite the come-on of its title, Whore isn’t a raw, tabloid exposé of life as a working girl. It is, rather, a garishly antierotic cartoon, a movie so saturated in contempt that not a moment in it feels spontaneous or true... Whore is a sad spectacle indeed." [28] Hal Hinson of The Washington Post echoed a similar sentiment, writing: "The whole affair has a kind of dinner theater air to it. It's hopelessly amateurish and banal. Russell, who put on a few pounds for the role, has a few high-camp comic moments, but it's often hard to tell if she's intentionally bad or just plain blowing it. There's little confusion about the film as a whole, though—it's flat-out awful." [29] Variety similarly felt Russell's performance was uneven, noting that the film's "overriding problem is a pervasive feeling of utter inauthenticity. Russell's strident, stops-out performance sets the tone for the entire picture. She’s all over the place, occasionally hitting a responsive note but more often flailing about." [30]

The Chicago Tribune 's Mark Caro lambasted the film for its lack of thematic focus, noting that it "purports to be a truthful, uncompromised view of a prostitute's life, but it takes only a minute to establish that these "realities" have more to do with the British director's loony-bin worldview than America's gritty streets." [31] He also felt that Ken Russell "eschews plot for a faux documentary style, with much of the film consisting of Liz... simply speaking to the camera. This approach might seem academic if the observations were not so unenlightening." [31] Empire magazine's Lola Borg awarded the film one out of five stars, conceding that Theresa Russell "is obviously doing her level best to bring something—anything—to such a hollow character," but summarized: "Whore is a film almost entirely bereft of merit. Subtlety has never been Ken Russell's strongest suit but even by his own over-the-top standards, Whore lays on the sleaze and tiresome moralising with a trowel." [32]

Home media

In January 1992, Vidmark Entertainment released Whore on VHS, made available in four different editions: An NC-17 version; an R-rated version; an unrated version with material not show in theaters; and a re-titled R-rated version bearing the title If You Can't Say It, Just See It, the latter of which was intended to assist video stores and retailers who may not wish to display the film's actual title. [33] [34] Furthermore, Vidmark packaged the VHS editions of the film with a public service announcement and toll-free number for Children of the Night, a non-profit organization helping troubled teenagers escape prostitution. [33] A portion of the video sales for the film went to support Children of the Night. [33] Whore was the third feature film to receive home video distribution through Vidmark Entertainment. [35]

On August 5, 2022, Australian label Imprint Films released Whore for the first time on Blu-ray in a limited edition, featuring new interviews with actresses Theresa Russell and Ginger Lynn, writer Deborah Dalton, and filmmaker Bruce LaBruce. [36] In November 2022, Kino Lorber announced via their official Facebook page that they would be releasing a Blu-ray edition as well in the United States. [37]

Sequel

An unrelated direct-to-video sequel, Whore II, was released three years later in 1994, written and directed by Amos Kollek. Coincidentally, a clip from Kollek's earlier film, High Stakes , is seen in Whore.

Notes

  1. Despite sharing the same last name, Theresa Russell and Ken Russell are not related.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ginger Lynn</span> American pornographic actress

Ginger Lynn Allen is an American pornographic actress and model who was a premier adult-entertainment star of the 1980s. She also had minor roles in various B movies. Adult Video News ranked her at #7 of the 50 greatest porn stars of all time in 2002. After ending her pornography career, she began using her full name and found work in a variety of B-movies. She had a late-career return to the adult industry and made a brief series of movies. Allen is a member of AVN, NightMoves Adult Entertainment, and XRCO Halls of Fame.

<i>Showgirls</i> 1995 film by Paul Verhoeven

Showgirls is a 1995 erotic drama film directed by Paul Verhoeven from a script written by Joe Eszterhas and starring Elizabeth Berkley, Kyle MacLachlan, Gina Gershon, Glenn Plummer, Robert Davi, Alan Rachins, and Gina Ravera.

<i>Pretty Woman</i> 1990 romantic comedy film by Garry Marshall

Pretty Woman is a 1990 American romantic comedy film directed by Garry Marshall, from a screenplay by J. F. Lawton. The film stars Richard Gere and Julia Roberts, and features Héctor Elizondo, Ralph Bellamy, Laura San Giacomo, and Jason Alexander in supporting roles. The film's story centers on Hollywood escort Vivian Ward and wealthy businessman Edward Lewis. Vivian is hired to be Edward's escort for several business and social functions, and their relationship develops during her week-long stay with him. The film's title Pretty Woman is based on the 1964 song "Oh, Pretty Woman" by Roy Orbison. The original screenplay was titled “3,000,” and was written by then-struggling screenwriter J. F. Lawton.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Russell</span> British film director (1927–2011)

Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell was a British film director, known for his pioneering work in television and film and for his flamboyant and controversial style. His films were mainly liberal adaptations of existing texts, or biographies, notably of composers of the Romantic era. Russell began directing for the BBC, where he made creative adaptations of composers' lives which were unusual for the time. He also directed many feature films independently and for studios.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heidi Fleiss</span> American madam (born 1965)

Heidi Lynne Fleiss is an American former madam. She ran an upscale prostitution ring based in Los Angeles and is often referred to as the "Hollywood Madam". Fleiss has also worked as a columnist and was a television personality regularly featured in the 1990s in American media.

<i>Pretty Baby</i> (1978 film) 1977 American historical drama film by Louis Malle

Pretty Baby is a 1977 American historical drama film directed by Louis Malle, written by Polly Platt, and starring Brooke Shields, Keith Carradine, and Susan Sarandon. Set in 1917, it focuses on a 12-year-old girl being raised in a brothel in Storyville, the red-light district of New Orleans by her prostitute mother. Barbara Steele, Diana Scarwid, and Antonio Fargas appear in supporting roles. The film is based on the true account of a young girl who was sexually exploited by being forced into prostitution by her mother, which was recounted in historian Al Rose's 1974 book Storyville, New Orleans: Being an Authentic Illustrated Account of the Notorious Red-Light District, as well as the life of photographer Ernest Bellocq, who photographed various New Orleans prostitutes in the early-twentieth century. Its title is derived from the Tony Jackson song of the same name, which is used in the soundtrack.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theresa Russell</span> American actress

Theresa Lynn Russell is an American actress whose career spans over four decades. Her filmography includes over 50 feature films, ranging from mainstream to independent and experimental films.

<i>Jawbreaker</i> (film) 1999 film by Darren Stein

Jawbreaker is a 1999 American dark comedy film directed and written by Darren Stein. The film stars Rose McGowan, Rebecca Gayheart, and Julie Benz as girls in an exclusive clique in their high school. Charlotte Ayanna has a non-speaking cameo role as the murdered fourth member of the group. The film was inspired by the 1988 film Heathers, and is often compared to it, particularly the plot involving a popular female clique, the use of bright pastels, and the ostensibly accidental killing of one of its members.

<i>Ricochet</i> (1991 film) 1991 film directed by Russell Mulcahy

Ricochet is a 1991 American action crime thriller film, directed by Russell Mulcahy, written by Steven E. de Souza, and starring Denzel Washington, John Lithgow, Ice-T, Kevin Pollak, and Lindsay Wagner. The film details a struggle between a Los Angeles district attorney (Washington) and a vengeful criminal (Lithgow) whom he arrested when he was a cop.

<i>Working Girls</i> (1986 film) 1986 film by Lizzie Borden

Working Girls is a 1986 American independent drama film, written, produced and directed by Lizzie Borden working with cinematographer Judy Irola. Its plot follows a day in the life of several prostitutes in a Manhattan brothel.

<i>Crimes of Passion</i> (1984 film) 1984 film by Ken Russell

Crimes of Passion is a 1984 American erotic thriller film directed by Ken Russell and starring Kathleen Turner, Anthony Perkins, and John Laughlin. The film explores themes of human relationships and mental illness. A mix of sex and suspense, the film opened to controversy over its content and to negative reviews.

<i>Sliver</i> (film) 1993 film by Phillip Noyce

Sliver is a 1993 American thriller film based on the Ira Levin novel of the same name about the mysterious occurrences in a privately owned New York high-rise sliver building. Phillip Noyce directed the film, from a screenplay by Joe Eszterhas. Because of a major battle with the MPAA, the filmmakers were forced to make extensive reshoots before release. These reshoots actually necessitated changing the killer's identity. The film stars Sharon Stone, William Baldwin, and Tom Berenger.

Carol Leigh, also known as The Scarlot Harlot, was an American artist, author, filmmaker, sex worker, and sex workers' rights activist. She is credited with coining the term sex work and founded the Sex Worker Film and Arts Festival and was the co-founder of BAYSWAN, the Bay Area Sex Worker Advocacy Network.

<i>Impulse</i> (1990 film) 1990 thriller film directed by Sondra Locke

Impulse is a 1990 American neo-noir film directed by Sondra Locke, and starring Theresa Russell, Jeff Fahey, and George Dzundza. It follows a female police officer who works as an undercover prostitute in Los Angeles, who unwittingly finds herself at the center of a murder investigation. The film also features a power ballad by singer Kim Carnes called "Everybody Needs Someone".

<i>The Naked Civil Servant</i> (film) 1975 British television film by Jack Gold

The Naked Civil Servant is a 1975 made-for-television biographical comedy-drama film directed by Jack Gold and produced by Verity Lambert. It was adapted for film by Philip Mackie, based on Quentin Crisp's 1968 book of the same name. The movie stars John Hurt, Patricia Hodge and John Rhys-Davies. It was produced by Thames Television and originally broadcast on 17 December 1975 on the British channel ITV. In 1976, it was shown on the US channel WOR and later PBS when Thames Television and WOR exchanged programming for one week. For his performance, Hurt won the BAFTA for Best Actor in 1976 and the production also won the 1976 Prix Italia. The title of the book and the film is derived from Crisp's time working as a nude model in a government-funded art school.

<i>The Boy Friend</i> (1971 film) 1971 film by Ken Russell

The Boy Friend is a 1971 British musical comedy film written and directed by Ken Russell, based on the 1953 musical of the same name by Sandy Wilson. The film stars Twiggy, Christopher Gable, Tommy Tune, and Max Adrian, with an uncredited appearance by Glenda Jackson. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer made extensive edits to the film for its American release. The missing material was restored and the film was re-released in 1987. The Boy Friend was released on DVD on 12 April 2011.

Intent to Kill is a 1992 action, independent and thriller film directed by Charles T. Kanganis. The film is about drug trafficking, prostitution and police activity. Intent to Kill is rated NC-17 by the United States' Motion Picture Association of America, the reason being extreme violence. This was the first motion picture that received the MPAA NC-17 rating because of violence rather than sexual content.

Little Ladies of the Night is a 1977 American made-for-television drama film starring David Soul, Louis Gossett Jr. and Linda Purl. When it was broadcast, it became the highest-rated TV movie of all time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Theresa Russell filmography</span> American actress

Theresa Russell is an American actress who began her career in a supporting role in Elia Kazan's The Last Tycoon (1976), playing the daughter of a prominent film executive. In 1978, she starred opposite Dustin Hoffman in the critically acclaimed crime drama Straight Time, following a lead role in the CBS miniseries Blind Ambition, portraying the wife of U.S. White House Counsel John Dean.

References

  1. 1 2 Ebert, Roger (October 18, 1991). "Whore". Chicago Sun-Times . Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  2. Bennett, Catherine (July 11, 1991). "Beyond our Ken". The Guardian . p. 24 via Newspapers.com.
  3. "WHORE (18)". British Board of Film Classification . May 2, 1991. Retrieved May 22, 2012.
  4. 1 2 Richmond, Ray (January 1992). "Nine lives". Orange Coast Magazine . Vol. 18, no. 1. p. 64. ISSN   0279-0483. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 "Ken Russell won't mince any words when it comes to filming "Whore"". Courier Journal . September 2, 1990. p. 15 via Newspapers.com.
  6. 1 2 Whore at Box Office Mojo. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  7. White, Armond (December 1, 2023). "The Resurrection of Paul Vecchiali". National Review . Archived from the original on January 15, 2024.
  8. "Whore". American Cinematheque . Archived from the original on January 17, 2024.
  9. "Batman can't fly". Scholieren. Archived from the original on April 25, 2008.
  10. 1 2 Russell 1994, pp. 143–144.
  11. McAfee, Annalena (June 27, 1991). "Another twisted sister". Evening Standard . p. 27 via Newspapers.com.
  12. 1 2 3 Lovell, Glenn (October 27, 1991). "Russell says 'Whore' is antidote to 'Pretty Woman'". Fresno Bee . pp. 118– 119 via Newspapers.com.
  13. 1 2 3 "Whore (1991) Notes". Turner Classic Movies . Archived from the original on January 15, 2024.
  14. Russell, Theresa (2022). Artist: An Interview with Theresa Russell (Blu-ray documentary short). Imprint Films. OCLC   1391912692.
  15. Allen, Ginger Lynn (2022). Dignity: An Interview with Ginger Lynn Allen (Blu-ray documentary short). Imprint Films. OCLC   1391912692.
  16. Hicks, Chris (January 23, 1991). "'Vincent & Theo' to Kick Off Wild Night at Film Festival". Deseret News . Archived from the original on January 15, 2024.
  17. 1 2 Jacobs, Tom (October 9, 1991). "'Fisher King' continues to lure crowds". The San Bernardino Sun . p. D6 via Newspapers.com.
  18. 1 2 Fox, David J. (September 9, 1991). "Movie on Prostitution Still Gets NC-17 Rating". Los Angeles Times . p. F2 via Newspapers.com.
  19. Horowitz, Joy (October 6, 1991). "Theresa Russell, Cool in the Heat". The New York Times . Archived from the original on January 5, 2021.
  20. "Irish Film Censor Bans Movie About Prostitute". Orlando Sentinel . August 13, 1991. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024.
  21. Pond, Steve (August 16, 1991). "Summer's Gone to the Dogs". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on January 17, 2024.
  22. MacMinn, Aleene (August 16, 1991). "Movies". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on January 17, 2024.
  23. Dwyer, Michael (August 13, 1991). "Russell film ban to be appealed". The Irish Times .
  24. Dwyer, Michael (August 29, 1991). "Board fails to decide on Russell film". The Irish Times .
  25. Dwyer, Michael (September 21, 1991). "Ban on Russell film is upheld". The Irish Times .
  26. "Whore". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved January 15, 2024.
  27. Turan, Kenneth (October 4, 1991). "MOVIE REVIEW : 'Whore': A Feeble Slice of Unreality". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on August 9, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  28. Gleiberman, Owen (October 25, 1991). "Whore". Entertainment Weekly . Archived from the original on January 15, 2024.
  29. Hinson, Hal (November 11, 1991). "'Whore' (NC-17)". The Washington Post . Archived from the original on February 9, 2013.
  30. Variety Staff (December 31, 1990). "Whore". Variety . Archived from the original on January 17, 2024.
  31. 1 2 Caro, Mark (October 18, 1991). "Two Russells in Search of a Character". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on January 3, 2024.
  32. Borg, Lola (January 1, 2000). "Whore Review". Empire . Archived from the original on January 17, 2024.
  33. 1 2 3 Smith, Mary (January 3, 1992). "'Thelma & Louisa' Riding Into Stores". Chicago Tribune . Archived from the original on January 17, 2024.
  34. Hunt, Dennis (January 31, 1992). "Ken Russell's Movie Available in Four Versions". Los Angeles Times . Archived from the original on January 15, 2024.
  35. Brittany 2017, p. 222.
  36. "Whore - Imprint Films Limited Edition". High-Def Digest. Archived from the original on August 31, 2022. Retrieved August 9, 2022.
  37. Kino Lorber Studio Classics (November 13, 2022). "Coming Soon on Blu-ray!". Facebook . Archived from the original on January 16, 2024.

Sources