Siesta (film)

Last updated
Siesta
Siesta Film.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Mary Lambert
Screenplay by Patricia Louisianna Knop
Based onSiesta
by Patrice Chaplin
Produced by Gary Kurfirst
Starring
CinematographyBryan Loftus
Edited byGlenn A. Morgan
Music by Marcus Miller
Distributed by Lorimar Motion Pictures
Release date
  • November 11, 1987 (1987-11-11)
Running time
97 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$3.5 million [1]
Box office$604,491

Siesta is a 1987 American drama film directed by Mary Lambert and starring Ellen Barkin, Gabriel Byrne and Jodie Foster. According to a 1987 article in The Los Angeles Times , the film "follows a daredevil through her final days leading up to a potentially fatal leap. Rife with Jungian imagery, the film is a post-modern fable of destiny and change, peopled with a gallery of lost souls including a guardian angel (played by British heartthrob Julian Sands), a sorceress (played by pop star Grace Jones) and the angel of death (Alexei Sayle)." [2] It also stars Martin Sheen and Isabella Rossellini.

Contents

Plot

Claire, a young American, wakes up in a distressed state at an airport with no recollection of recent events. As she gradually pieces together her memories, she suspects she may be connected to a murder. Flashbacks reveal she was involved in risky activities, including jumping into a safety net for an event organizer named Del and participating in orgies with acquaintances. The film focuses on Claire's journey through Madrid as she tries to unravel the mystery of her past and uncover shocking truths about herself.

Cast

Production

The screenplay was written by Patricia Louisianna Knop, based on a novel by Patrice Chaplin. The film was shot on location in Spain, released by Lorimar Motion Pictures, and debuted in New York City on November 11, 1987. Jazz trumpeter Miles Davis performed on the score for the film, Music from Siesta , which was written and arranged by frequent Davis collaborator Marcus Miller. [3]

Reaction

The film was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature in 1988, for Director Mary Lambert. [4]

Siesta received mixed reviews. On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a 14% approval rating based on 7 reviews. [5] It was hailed as "this year's Blue Velvet " by Susan Linfield, editor of American Film . [2] New York Times film critic Janet Maslin called it an "the kind of excitingly bad, artily experimental film that has become an endangered species... Still, Miss Lambert's first feature has a game, mischievous spirit and a ripe bohemianism that are appealing." [6] Critic Roger Ebert wrote that "The film is finally overwhelmed by its own ambition, not to mention one too many gimmicks in its plot, but it goes down swinging." [7] However, Sheila Benson of The Los Angeles Times called the film “a monumentally bad, awesomely wrongheaded, pretentious conceit." [2]

Related Research Articles

<i>Big Night</i> 1996 comedy-drama film

Big Night is a 1996 American comedy-drama film co-directed by Campbell Scott and Stanley Tucci. Set in the 1950s on the Jersey Shore, the film follows two Italian immigrant brothers, played by Tucci and Tony Shaloub, as they host an evening of free food at their restaurant in an effort to allow it to gain greater exposure. The film's supporting cast includes Minnie Driver, Ian Holm, Isabella Rossellini, and Allison Janney.

<i>Impromptu</i> (1991 film) 1991 British film

Impromptu is a 1991 period drama film directed by James Lapine, written by Sarah Kernochan, produced by Daniel A. Sherkow and Stuart Oken, and starring Hugh Grant as Frédéric Chopin and Judy Davis as George Sand. It was shot entirely on location in France as a British production by an American company. Its main filming location was at the Chateau des Briottières outside of Angers, in the Loire Valley.

<i>Cousins</i> (1989 film) 1989 film

Cousins is a 1989 American romantic comedy film directed by Joel Schumacher and starring Ted Danson, Isabella Rossellini, Sean Young, William Petersen, Keith Coogan, Lloyd Bridges and Norma Aleandro. The film is an American remake of the 1975 French comedy Cousin Cousine, directed by Jean-Charles Tacchella. It is set in Seattle, Washington, but shot in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

<i>The Funeral</i> (1996 film) 1996 film by Abel Ferrara

The Funeral is a 1996 American crime-drama film directed by Abel Ferrara and starring Christopher Walken, Chris Penn, Annabella Sciorra, Isabella Rossellini, Vincent Gallo, Benicio del Toro and Gretchen Mol.

<i>Blue in the Face</i> 1995 film by Paul Auster, Wayne Wang

Blue in the Face is a 1995 American comedy film directed by Wayne Wang and Paul Auster. It stars Harvey Keitel leading an ensemble cast, including Giancarlo Esposito, Roseanne Barr, Michael J. Fox, Lily Tomlin, Victor Argo, Mira Sorvino, Lou Reed, Keith David, Jim Jarmusch, Jared Harris, RuPaul, and Madonna.

<i>Passion Fish</i> 1992 film by John Sayles

Passion Fish is a 1992 American drama film written and directed by John Sayles. The film stars Mary McDonnell, Alfre Woodard, Vondie Curtis-Hall, David Strathairn, Leo Burmester, and Angela Bassett. It tells the story of a soap opera star (McDonnell), who after getting paralyzed in a car accident, is forced to return to her family home and rely upon a series of nurses, forcing each of them to leave her employment until one shows up guaranteed to stay.

<i>Eight Men Out</i> 1988 film

Eight Men Out is a 1988 American sports drama film based on Eliot Asinof's 1963 book Eight Men Out: The Black Sox and the 1919 World Series. It was written and directed by John Sayles. The film is a dramatization of Major League Baseball's Black Sox Scandal, in which eight members of the Chicago White Sox conspired with gamblers to intentionally lose the 1919 World Series. Much of the movie was filmed at the old Bush Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana.

<i>Gorky Park</i> (film) 1983 American mystery thriller film

Gorky Park is a 1983 American mystery thriller film based on the book of the same name by Martin Cruz Smith. The film was directed by Michael Apted.

<i>High Hopes</i> (1988 film) 1988 British film

High Hopes is a 1988 British comedy drama film directed by Mike Leigh, focusing on an extended working-class family living in King's Cross, London, and elsewhere.

<i>Microcosmos</i> (film) 1996 French film

Microcosmos is a 1996 documentary film written and directed by Claude Nuridsany and Marie Pérennou and produced by Jacques Perrin. An international co-production of France, Switzerland, Italy and the United Kingdom, the film showcases detailed interactions between insects and other small invertebrates, and features music by Bruno Coulais.

<i>Three of Hearts</i> (1993 film) 1993 American film

Three of Hearts is a 1993 comedy-romance film directed by Yurek Bogayevicz and starring William Baldwin, Kelly Lynch, Sherilyn Fenn and Joe Pantoliano.

<i>The Daytrippers</i> 1996 film by Greg Mottola

The Daytrippers is a 1996 independent comedy-drama film written and directed by Greg Mottola in his feature directorial debut. It stars Hope Davis, Stanley Tucci, Anne Meara, Parker Posey and Liev Schreiber.

<i>Heights</i> (film) 2005 American drama film

Heights is a 2005 American drama film directed by Chris Terrio and written by Amy Fox, based on her 2001 stage play of the same name. It follows a pivotal twenty-four hours in the interconnected lives of five New Yorkers. It stars Elizabeth Banks, James Marsden, Glenn Close, Jesse Bradford, and John Light. Numerous prominent actors such as Eric Bogosian, George Segal, and Isabella Rossellini appear in supporting roles.

<i>Ratboy</i> 1986 film by Sondra Locke

Ratboy is a 1986 American comedy-drama film directed by and starring Sondra Locke. The make-up effects were designed by Rick Baker. The film's scenario is at times comic or serious, and one of its peculiarities is that there never is any explanation for Ratboy's origin and existence as a human-rat hybrid.

<i>Wild Man Blues</i> 1997 American film

Wild Man Blues is a 1997 documentary film directed by Barbara Kopple, about the musical avocation of actor/director/comic Woody Allen. The film takes its name from a jazz composition, sometimes attributed to Jelly Roll Morton and sometimes to Louis Armstrong, and recorded by each of them. Wild Man Blues is rated PG because the film includes several profanities.

Getting Away with Murder is a 1996 American black comedy film directed and written by Harvey Miller.

<i>Living Out Loud</i> 1998 American film

Living Out Loud is a 1998 American comedy-drama film written and directed by Richard LaGravenese and set in New York City, starring Holly Hunter, Danny DeVito, Queen Latifah, Martin Donovan, and Elias Koteas.

<i>True Love</i> (1989 film) 1989 American comedy film directed by Nancy Savoca

True Love is a 1989 American comedy film directed by Nancy Savoca and starring Annabella Sciorra and Ron Eldard. An unflinching look at the realities of love and marriage which offers no "happily ever after" ending, it won the Grand Jury Prize at the 1989 Sundance Film Festival.

<i>Diamond Skulls</i> 1989 American film

Diamond Skulls is a British 1989 thriller directed by Nick Broomfield who also co-wrote with Tim Rose-Price. An established documentary filmmaker, this is Broomfield's first work of fiction. It is produced by Tim Bevan and Jane Fraser and stars Amanda Donohoe, Gabriel Byrne, Ralph Brown, Judy Parfitt and Struan Rodger and has a music score by Hans Zimmer. It includes the last film performance of Ian Carmichael.

The Golden Seal is a 1983 American drama film directed by Frank Zuniga and starring Steve Railsback, Michael Beck, Penelope Milford and Torquil Campbell. It is based on James Vance Marshall’s 1962 novel A River Ran Out of Eden.

References

  1. https://catalog.afi.com/Film/57814-SIESTA
  2. 1 2 3 McKenna, Kristine (December 4, 1987). "'Siesta' Wakes Up Her Film-Directing Career". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  3. Fordham, John (December 22, 2005). "Miles Davis/ Marcus Miller, Music From Siesta". The Guardian. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  4. "37 Years of Nominees & Winners, 1986–2022". Film Independent. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  5. "Siesta". Rotten Tomatoes.
  6. Maslin, Janet (November 11, 1987). "Film: Exoticism in 'Siesta'". The New York Times. Retrieved July 15, 2022.
  7. Ebert, Roger (February 5, 1988). "Siesta". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved July 15, 2022.