Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Jungle Fever and Monster's Ball Wikipedia film pages

Guess Who (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search


Guess Who
Guess Who.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Produced by
Jenno Topping
Erwin Stoff
Jason Goldberg
Screenplay by
David Ronn
 Jay Scherick
Peter Tolan
Story by
David Ronn
 Jay Scherick
Based on
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
 by William Rose
Starring
Bernie Mac
Ashton Kutcher
Zoë Saldaña
Judith Scott
Music by
John Murphy
Cinematography
Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Edited by
Paul Seydor

Production
 company

Regency Enterprises
 3 Arts Entertainment
 Tall Trees
Katalyst Media

Distributed by
Columbia Pictures (USA/Canada)
20th Century Fox (international)

Release dates

March 25, 2005


Running time
 105 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$35 million
Box office
$101,866,030
Guess Who is a 2005 American comedy film about race relations directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. It is a loose remake of the 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, in the form of a romantic comedy. While the 1967 film covered interracial romance of a black man with a white woman, the 2005 film covered the topic of a white man with a black woman. The film stars Bernie Mac, Ashton Kutcher, and Zoe Saldana.
The majority of the film was filmed in Cranford, New Jersey.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Reception 3.1 Box office
3.2 Critical reception
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

Plot[edit]
Theresa Jones (Zoe Saldana) takes her boyfriend, Simon Green (Ashton Kutcher) home to meet her parents on the occasion of her parents' 25th wedding anniversary, planning to reveal that they are engaged. However, what Theresa has also left out is that Simon is white. Her father, Percy (Bernie Mac), dislikes Simon almost immediately because of his race (Joneses are black). Wishing to impress Percy, Simon lies to him about being a NASCAR Pit driver for Jeff Gordon, not realizing that Percy is one of his biggest fans. After catching Theresa and Simon in a compromising position, Percy tries to force Simon into a hotel, but all the hotels in town are booked. Instead, he allows Simon to sleep in his basement on the couch, where Percy also sleeps.
With the help of his personal assistant Reggie (Ronreaco Lee), Percy tries to dig up as much dirt on Simon as he can as well as creating the ideal black boyfriend for Theresa instead of revealing her boyfriend is white. He manages to get Simon to reveal that he lied about being a NASCAR driver and also that he needs a $50,000 loan. Simon discovers Percy's lies just as Reggie reveals that Simon quit his job. Immediately, Percy goes to tell his daughter this new information, however Simon claims he wasn't fired-he quit. Angry that he didn't tell her the truth, Theresa leaves while Percy's snooping and plagiarism of his vows temporarily strains his relationship with his wife, Marilyn (Judith Scott).
The next morning Percy and Simon find the women to apologize, but while Marilyn and Percy reconcile, Simon and Theresa break up for good and he leaves. On the day of his anniversary, Theresa tells her father that she and Simon were going to get married. After wondering why a man planning to get married would quit his job, Percy realizes that Simon quit his job due to his boss telling him not to marry Theresa; his disapproval of interracial relationships. Percy goes after Simon and brings him back to Theresa where they get back together, then the festivities begin.
Cast[edit]
##Bernie Mac as Percy Jones
##Ashton Kutcher as Simon Green
##Zoe Saldana as Theresa Jones
##Judith Scott as Marilyn Jones
##Hal Williams as Howard Jones
##Kellee Stewart as Keisha Jones
##Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs as Joseph Jones
##Sherri Shepherd as Sydney
##Robert Curtis Brown as Dante
##Ronreaco Lee as Reggie
##Phil Reeves as Fred
##Nicole Sullivan as Liz Klein
##Jessica Cauffiel as Polly
##Niecy Nash as Naomi
##Kimberly Scott as Kimdra
##Richard Lawson as Marcus
##Mike Epps (uncredited) as The Cab Driver
##David Krumholtz (uncredited) as Jerry MacNamara
##Julia Ling (uncredited) as Speedracer
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
According to Box Office Mojo, the film earned $68,915,888 in the U.S. and went on to earn $32,950,142 at the worldwide box office, giving it a total gross of $101,866,030.[1]
Critical reception[edit]
Guess Who gathered mixed reviews, earning a 43% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the final consensus stating that "Despite the chemistry of its stars, Guess Who, a loose remake of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, lacks the political relevance of the original."[2]
'USA Today' said of the film, "A succession of tired race jokes made worse by the bad comedic timing of the bland, under-talented Ashton Kutcher", the Wall Street Journal said, "Guess Who is, impurely and simply, a comic premise borrowed, turned around and dumbed down to the level of sketch or sub-sketch humour" and Rolling Stone said, "Guess what? It's almost bearable".[3]
More positive reviews included The Baltimore Sun, which said, "The movie's sweetness, wit and charm go beyond its can't-we-all-just-get-along premise".
See also[edit]
##Something New
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Guess Who (2005) - Box Office Mojo
2.Jump up ^ Guess Who (2005) - Rotten Tomatoes
3.Jump up ^ Guess Who (2005) - IMDB Critic Reviews
External links[edit]
##Official website
##Guess Who at the Internet Movie Database
##Guess Who at Box Office Mojo
##Guess Who at Rotten Tomatoes


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Films directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan


Soul of the Game (1996) ·
 How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) ·
 Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004) ·
 Guess Who (2005)
 

  


Categories: 2005 films
English-language films
2000s romantic comedy films
American romantic comedy films
Films directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan
American film remakes
Films set in New Jersey
Films about interracial romance
20th Century Fox films
Regency Enterprises films
Columbia Pictures films
Films shot in New Jersey
Screenplays by Peter Tolan




Navigation menu



Create account
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
العربية
Català
Deutsch
Español
Français
한국어
Italiano
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Русский
Suomi
Українська
Edit links
This page was last modified on 21 January 2015, at 20:16.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guess_Who_(film)










Guess Who (film)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search


Guess Who
Guess Who.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Kevin Rodney Sullivan
Produced by
Jenno Topping
Erwin Stoff
Jason Goldberg
Screenplay by
David Ronn
 Jay Scherick
Peter Tolan
Story by
David Ronn
 Jay Scherick
Based on
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
 by William Rose
Starring
Bernie Mac
Ashton Kutcher
Zoë Saldaña
Judith Scott
Music by
John Murphy
Cinematography
Karl Walter Lindenlaub
Edited by
Paul Seydor

Production
 company

Regency Enterprises
 3 Arts Entertainment
 Tall Trees
Katalyst Media

Distributed by
Columbia Pictures (USA/Canada)
20th Century Fox (international)

Release dates

March 25, 2005


Running time
 105 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$35 million
Box office
$101,866,030
Guess Who is a 2005 American comedy film about race relations directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan. It is a loose remake of the 1967 film Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, in the form of a romantic comedy. While the 1967 film covered interracial romance of a black man with a white woman, the 2005 film covered the topic of a white man with a black woman. The film stars Bernie Mac, Ashton Kutcher, and Zoe Saldana.
The majority of the film was filmed in Cranford, New Jersey.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Reception 3.1 Box office
3.2 Critical reception
4 See also
5 References
6 External links

Plot[edit]
Theresa Jones (Zoe Saldana) takes her boyfriend, Simon Green (Ashton Kutcher) home to meet her parents on the occasion of her parents' 25th wedding anniversary, planning to reveal that they are engaged. However, what Theresa has also left out is that Simon is white. Her father, Percy (Bernie Mac), dislikes Simon almost immediately because of his race (Joneses are black). Wishing to impress Percy, Simon lies to him about being a NASCAR Pit driver for Jeff Gordon, not realizing that Percy is one of his biggest fans. After catching Theresa and Simon in a compromising position, Percy tries to force Simon into a hotel, but all the hotels in town are booked. Instead, he allows Simon to sleep in his basement on the couch, where Percy also sleeps.
With the help of his personal assistant Reggie (Ronreaco Lee), Percy tries to dig up as much dirt on Simon as he can as well as creating the ideal black boyfriend for Theresa instead of revealing her boyfriend is white. He manages to get Simon to reveal that he lied about being a NASCAR driver and also that he needs a $50,000 loan. Simon discovers Percy's lies just as Reggie reveals that Simon quit his job. Immediately, Percy goes to tell his daughter this new information, however Simon claims he wasn't fired-he quit. Angry that he didn't tell her the truth, Theresa leaves while Percy's snooping and plagiarism of his vows temporarily strains his relationship with his wife, Marilyn (Judith Scott).
The next morning Percy and Simon find the women to apologize, but while Marilyn and Percy reconcile, Simon and Theresa break up for good and he leaves. On the day of his anniversary, Theresa tells her father that she and Simon were going to get married. After wondering why a man planning to get married would quit his job, Percy realizes that Simon quit his job due to his boss telling him not to marry Theresa; his disapproval of interracial relationships. Percy goes after Simon and brings him back to Theresa where they get back together, then the festivities begin.
Cast[edit]
##Bernie Mac as Percy Jones
##Ashton Kutcher as Simon Green
##Zoe Saldana as Theresa Jones
##Judith Scott as Marilyn Jones
##Hal Williams as Howard Jones
##Kellee Stewart as Keisha Jones
##Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs as Joseph Jones
##Sherri Shepherd as Sydney
##Robert Curtis Brown as Dante
##Ronreaco Lee as Reggie
##Phil Reeves as Fred
##Nicole Sullivan as Liz Klein
##Jessica Cauffiel as Polly
##Niecy Nash as Naomi
##Kimberly Scott as Kimdra
##Richard Lawson as Marcus
##Mike Epps (uncredited) as The Cab Driver
##David Krumholtz (uncredited) as Jerry MacNamara
##Julia Ling (uncredited) as Speedracer
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
According to Box Office Mojo, the film earned $68,915,888 in the U.S. and went on to earn $32,950,142 at the worldwide box office, giving it a total gross of $101,866,030.[1]
Critical reception[edit]
Guess Who gathered mixed reviews, earning a 43% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the final consensus stating that "Despite the chemistry of its stars, Guess Who, a loose remake of Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, lacks the political relevance of the original."[2]
'USA Today' said of the film, "A succession of tired race jokes made worse by the bad comedic timing of the bland, under-talented Ashton Kutcher", the Wall Street Journal said, "Guess Who is, impurely and simply, a comic premise borrowed, turned around and dumbed down to the level of sketch or sub-sketch humour" and Rolling Stone said, "Guess what? It's almost bearable".[3]
More positive reviews included The Baltimore Sun, which said, "The movie's sweetness, wit and charm go beyond its can't-we-all-just-get-along premise".
See also[edit]
##Something New
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Guess Who (2005) - Box Office Mojo
2.Jump up ^ Guess Who (2005) - Rotten Tomatoes
3.Jump up ^ Guess Who (2005) - IMDB Critic Reviews
External links[edit]
##Official website
##Guess Who at the Internet Movie Database
##Guess Who at Box Office Mojo
##Guess Who at Rotten Tomatoes


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Films directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan


Soul of the Game (1996) ·
 How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) ·
 Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004) ·
 Guess Who (2005)
 

  


Categories: 2005 films
English-language films
2000s romantic comedy films
American romantic comedy films
Films directed by Kevin Rodney Sullivan
American film remakes
Films set in New Jersey
Films about interracial romance
20th Century Fox films
Regency Enterprises films
Columbia Pictures films
Films shot in New Jersey
Screenplays by Peter Tolan




Navigation menu



Create account
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
العربية
Català
Deutsch
Español
Français
한국어
Italiano
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Русский
Suomi
Українська
Edit links
This page was last modified on 21 January 2015, at 20:16.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guess_Who_(film)









Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

For other uses, see Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (disambiguation).

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner poster.jpg
Original movie poster

Directed by
Stanley Kramer
Produced by
Stanley Kramer
Written by
William Rose
Starring
Spencer Tracy
Sidney Poitier
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton
Beah Richards
Roy E. Glenn
Music by
Frank DeVol
Cinematography
Sam Leavitt
Edited by
Robert C. Jones
Distributed by
Columbia Pictures

Release dates

December 12, 1967 (United States)


Running time
 108 minutes[1]
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$4 million
Box office
$56,666,667 (Domestic)[2]
 $70,000,000 (Worldwide)[3]
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is a 1967 American comedy-drama film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer and written by William Rose. It stars Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn, and featuring Hepburn's niece Katharine Houghton. The film contains a (then rare) positive representation of the controversial subject of interracial marriage, which historically had been illegal in most states of the United States, and still was illegal in 17 states—mostly Southern states—until 12 June 1967, six months before the film was released, roughly two weeks after Tracy filmed his final scene (and two days after his death), when anti-miscegenation laws were struck down by the Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia. The movie's Oscar-nominated score was composed by Frank DeVol.[4]
The film is notable for being the ninth and final on-screen pairing of Tracy and Hepburn, with filming ending just 17 days before Tracy's death. Hepburn never saw the completed film,[5] saying the memories of Tracy were too painful. The film was released in December 1967, six months after his death.[6]


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Release
5 Reviews and reception
6 Variant versions
7 Awards and honors 7.1 Wins
7.2 Nominations
7.3 American Film Institute recognition
8 Remakes
9 See also
10 References
11 Further reading
12 External links

Plot[edit]



 Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy as Christina and Matt Drayton. The film tells the story of Joanna "Joey" Drayton (Katharine Houghton), a young white woman who has had a whirlwind romance with Dr. John Prentice (Sidney Poitier), a young, idealistic black physician she met while in Hawaii.
1960s San Francisco, California. Joanna's unannounced early return from a Hawaii holiday causes a stir when she brings to her childhood upper-class home her new fiancé – a widowed, young, successful, international and idealistic black physician.[7][8] The household is politically liberal and Joanna's parents--the newspaper publisher Matt Drayton (Spencer Tracy) and his wife, art gallery owner Christina Drayton (Katharine Hepburn) – have instilled in her the idea that all the races were no better than the others. The time leading up to what was originally a sit-down steak dinner for two would turn into a meet-the-in-laws dinner party, before which would be revealed the butting of heads of the marriage-partnered protagonists.
Joanna is perplexed by the reactions of her parents – they are not as settled by her engagement with John as she is, since they never thought that her choice would ever be a colored man – and surprised by John's decision undeclared to her that if Joanna's parents do not accept the engagement he will end it.
The impending problem is that Joanna, always intending in a couple weeks to join John in Geneva as the location of their marriage ceremony, has changed her mind to leave after dinner on his flight to New York City and then onward to Europe. She has also invited John's parents (Roy E. Glenn and Beah Richards) to dinner so that they can all become acquainted with what John had not explained about Joanna.
Matt's golf buddy is the Monsignor Ryan (Cecil Kellaway), a Catholic priest. He is also invited to dinner, shares the same enthusiasm as Joanna about the pending nuptials and tells her father as much.
Cocktails at the Drayton home is musical chairs of different sets of parental characters that share their views about the situation; it shows that the mothers have more faith in their children than the fathers. Universally, it had been expressed by the parents that more than a few hours are necessary for a proper decision but John's mother brings up her idea of what it is that she believes the men are missing about the situation – passion. John expressed his view that his father, the elder Prentice thought of himself as a colored man, whereas John thought of himself as a man.
Matt is left to some contemplation before he calls everyone together to make sense of the situation. He feels that it does not matter what everyone else may think about the possibilities of the whirlwind engagement but that what was pointed out by John's mother – true passion – and Joanna's mother pointing out her daughter's happy nature are the only things that Joanna and John can use to make a success of their whirlwind engagement, make it through life when many others do not share or cannot accept them. The views of John's father can probably change with the work of the other three parents. The film ends with the two families and Monsignor Ryan finally sitting down to dinner.
Cast[edit]
##Spencer Tracy as Matt Drayton
##Sidney Poitier as Dr. John Wayde Prentice Jr.
##Katharine Hepburn as Christina Drayton
##Katharine Houghton as Joanna "Joey" Drayton
##Cecil Kellaway as Monsignor Mike Ryan
##Beah Richards as Mary Prentice
##Roy E. Glenn as John Prentice Sr.
##Virginia Christine as Hilary St. George
##Alexandra Hay as Carhop
##Isabel Sanford as Matilda "Tillie" Binks
##Barbara Randolph as Dorothy
##D'Urville Martin as Frankie
##Skip Martin as the delivery boy
Production[edit]
Production list[9]
##Produced and Directed by: Stanley Kramer
##Original Screenplay by: William Rose
##Associate Producer: George Glass
##Music by: Frank de Vol
##Director of Photography: Sam Leavitt
##Film Editor: Robert C. Jones
##Production Designer: Robert Clatworthy
##Set Decorator: Frank Tuttle
##Assistant Director: Ray Gosnell
##Special Effects: Geza Gaspar
##Process Photography: Larry Butler
##Sound Recorders: Charles J. Rice, Robert Martin
##Costumes: Joe King
##Wardrobe Supervisor: Jean Louis
##Song "Glory of Love" by: Billy Hill, sung by Jacqueline Fontaine
According to Kramer, he and Rose intentionally structured the film to debunk ethnic stereotypes. The young doctor, a typical role for the young Sidney Poitier, was purposely created idealistically perfect, so that the only possible objection to his marrying Joanna would be his race, or the fact she had only known him for ten days: the character has thus graduated from a top school, begun innovative medical initiatives in Africa, refused to have premarital sex with his fiancée despite her willingness, and leaves money in an open container on his future father-in-law's desk in payment for a long distance phone call he has made. Kramer and Rose completed the film script in five weeks.[10]
Kramer stated later that the principal actors believed so strongly in the premise that they agreed to act in the project even before seeing the script. Production had been set for January 1967 and ended on May 24, 1967.[11] Spencer Tracy was dying and insurance companies refused to cover him. Kramer and Hepburn put their salaries in escrow so that if he died, filming could be completed with another actor. According to Kramer, "'You're never examined for insurance until a few weeks before a picture starts. [Even] with all his drinking and ailments, Tracy always qualified for insurance before, so nobody thought it would be a problem in this case. But it was. We couldn't get insurance for Spence. The situation looked desperate. So then we figured out a way of handling it. Kate and I put up our own salaries to compensate for the lack of an insurance company for Spence. And we were allowed to proceed.'"[12]
The filming schedule was altered to accommodate Tracy's failing health.[13] All of Tracy's scenes and shots were filmed between 9:00 a.m. and noon of each day in order to give him adequate time to rest.[10] For example, most of Tracy's dialogue scenes were filmed in a such a way that during close-ups on other characters, a stand-in was substituted for him.[14]
Tracy's failing health was more serious than most people are aware of. According to Poitier: "The illness of Spencer dominated everything. I knew his health was very poor and many of the people who knew what the situation was didn't believe we'd finish the film, that is, that Tracy would be able to finish the film. Those of us who were close knew it was worse than they thought. Kate brought him to and from the set. She worked with him on his lines. She made sure with [Stanley] Kramer that his hours were right for what he could do, and what he couldn't do was different each day. There were days when he couldn't do anything. There were days when he was great, and I got the chance to know what it was like working with Tracy."[15]
A bust of Tracy sculpted by Hepburn herself was used as a prop, on the bookshelf behind the desk where Sidney Poitier makes his phone call. Tracy died two weeks after he completed his work on the film.[16]
Hepburn significantly helped cast her niece, Katharine Houghton, for the role of Joey Drayton. Concerning this, Hepburn stated: "There was a lovely part for Kathy [Houghton], my niece [...] She would play Spencer's and my daughter. I loved that. She's beautiful and she definitely had a family resemblance. It was my idea."[17]
According to Hepburn, the role of Joey Drayton would be one of Houghton's first major roles as a young actress. "The part of my daughter," Kate said, "was a difficult one. A young unknown actress needs more opportunity to win the sympathy of the audience. Otherwise, too much has to depend on her youth, innocence, and beauty. She had one good speech to win the audience, but it was cut. Instead she only talks with her father about the differences between the principles he taught her and the way he's behaving."[18]
Poitier frequently found himself starstruck and as a result, a bit tongue-tied, in the presence of Hepburn and Tracy, whom he considered to be "giants" as far as acting is concerned.[19] However, Poitier reportedly found a way to overcome his nerves. "When I went to play a scene with Tracy and Hepburn, I couldn't remember a word. Finally Stanley Kramer said to me, 'What are we going to do?' I said, 'Stanley, send those two people home. I will play the scene against two empty chairs. I don't want them here because I can't handle that kind of company.' He sent them home. I played the scene in close-up against two empty chairs as the dialogue coach read Mr. Tracy's and Miss Hepburn's lines from off camera."[19]
Given the tense nature of racism in the United States during the time of the film's production, Poitier felt he was "under close observation" by both Tracy and Hepburn during their first dinner meetings prior to production.[20] However, he managed to swiftly win them over. Due to Tracy and Hepburn's close history with Kramer, Poitier cited that Hepburn and Tracy came to bear on him "the kind of respect they had for Kramer, and they had to say to themselves (and I'm sure they did), this kid has to be pretty okay, because Stanley is nuts about working with him".[21]
Release[edit]
The film premiered in theaters on January 1, 1968. The film falls into the genre of comedy drama.[22] The film was released on VHS on December 12, 1987,[23] on the twentieth anniversary of the original release. The film was released on DVD on May 22, 2001.[24]
Reviews and reception[edit]
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner was a box-office hit in 1968 throughout the United States, including in southern states where it was traditionally assumed that few white filmgoers would want to see any film with black leads. The success of this film challenged that assumption in film marketing.[25] Despite this success, which included numerous film award nominations, Frank Rich of the New York Times wrote in November 2008 that the film was frequently labeled as dated among liberals. Another main point of contention was the fact that Poitier's character, the golden future son-in-law, had no flaws and a resume of good deeds. Many people felt that the dynamic between the Draytons and Poitier's character would have inevitably resulted in a happily-ever-after film ending because Poitier's character was so perfect, respectable, likable, and proper. Some people went as far as saying Prentice was "too white" not to be accepted by the Draytons.[26]
The release of the film in the U.S. gave Poitier his third box-office success in six months in 1967,[24] all of which placed the race of Poitier's character at issue.
In a review of the film by The New York Times, Lawrence Van Gelder wrote: "the suspicion arises that were the film made today its makers would come to grips a good deal more bluntly with the problems of intermarriage. Still, this remains a deft comedy and - most of all - a paean to the power of love."[27]
Variant versions[edit]
The original version of the film that played in theaters in 1968 contained a moment in which Tillie responds to the question "Guess who's coming to dinner now." with the sarcastic one-liner: "The Reverend Martin Luther King?" After King's assassination on April 4, 1968, this line was removed from the film, so by August 1968, almost all theaters' showings of this film had this line omitted. As early as 1969, the line was restored to many but not all prints, and the line was preserved in the VHS and DVD versions of the film as well.
Awards and honors[edit]
Wins[edit]
The film won two Academy Awards and two BAFTAs:[28]
##1967: Academy Award for Best Actress (Katharine Hepburn)
##1967: Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay
##1968: BAFTA Film Award for Best Actor (Spencer Tracy)
##1968: BAFTA Film Award for Best Actress (Katharine Hepburn)
##1968: David di Donatello for Best Foreign Producer (Stanley Kramer)
##1968: David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor (Spencer Tracy)
##1968: David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actress (Katharine Hepburn)
Nominations[edit]
##1967: Academy Award for Best Picture
##1967: Academy Award for Best Director
##1967: Academy Award for Best Actor (Spencer Tracy)
##1967: Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Cecil Kellaway)
##1967: Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Beah Richards)
##1967: Academy Award for Best Art Direction (Robert Clatworthy, Frank Tuttle)
##1967: Academy Award for Film Editing
##1967: Academy Award for Best Original Score (Frank DeVol)
American Film Institute recognition[edit]
##AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies - #99
##AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions - #58
##AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes: ##"You think of yourself as a colored man. I think of myself as a man." - Nominated[29]
##AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers - #35
##AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) - Nominated[30]
Remakes[edit]
Stanley Kramer produced and directed an unsold 30-minute television pilot for ABC-TV with the same title and premise in 1975.[31]
In 2003, comedian Daniele Luttazzi published the screenplay Tabù, an almost verbatim parody of the film. In the variation, the engaged lovers are aged 40 (him) and 12 (her), and are brother and sister.[32]
The 2005 film Guess Who starring Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac is a loose remake styled as a comedy rather than a drama, with the racial roles reversed: black parents are caught off-guard when their daughter brings home the young white man she has chosen to marry. Talking about the film, Bernie Mac told USA Today in 2003, "Interracial dating is not that significant anymore." In the article, the writer cites that during the time at which the original movie was filmed, "interracial marriage was considered risky." Casting for Mac's remake of the film began in November 2003. Mac said of the script, "They want to make it a comedy, but I won't disrespect Spencer, Katharine or Sidney."[33]
The Irish writer Roddy Doyle wrote a short story by the same title about an Irish girl who brings home an immigrant from Nigeria, published in 2008 in the collection The Deportees.[34]
The plot is very similar to another film, Crossroads, made by the Canadian director Don Haldane a decade earlier in 1957. In this film, a young white woman in Toronto surprises her mother with her black fiancé.[35]
See also[edit]


United States film.svgFilm in the United States portal
 SMirC-laugh.svgComedy portal
 Flowerpowerportfolio.jpg1960s portal
 Disclogo1.svgDiscrimination portal
 

References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Video Hound's Golden Movie Retriever: The Complete Guide to Movies on Videocassette and DVD. Gale. 2004. p. 355. ISBN 0-7876-7470-2.
2.Jump up ^ "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Box Office Information". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
3.Jump up ^ "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Box Office Information". IMDb. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
4.Jump up ^ Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Albums 1955-2001 (Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Research, 2001), 1018.
5.Jump up ^ Andersen, p. 306
6.Jump up ^ imdb releaseinfo
7.Jump up ^ "notes on Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". Retrieved 2011-11-07.
8.Jump up ^ http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/g/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner-script.html; viewed 8-6-2014.
9.Jump up ^ Edwards, p. 439.
10.^ Jump up to: a b Andersen, p. 295.
11.Jump up ^ Davidson, pp. 207, 211
12.Jump up ^ Davidson, pp. 207-208
13.Jump up ^ Davidson, pp. 206-209
14.Jump up ^ Edwards, p. 337.
15.Jump up ^ Chandler, pp. 231-232.
16.Jump up ^ Andersen, p. 298.
17.Jump up ^ Chandler, pp. 229-237.
18.Jump up ^ Chandler, p. 231.
19.^ Jump up to: a b Poitier, p. 286.
20.Jump up ^ Poitier, Measure of a Man, p. 121.
21.Jump up ^ Poitier, Measure of a Man, p. 121-124.
22.Jump up ^ "amc filmcritic.com". Retrieved 17 April 2011.
23.Jump up ^ "Parent Previews". One Voice Communications Ltd. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
24.^ Jump up to: a b "Rotten Tomatoes". Flixster. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
25.Jump up ^ Harris, Mark. Pictures at a Revolution: Five Films and the Birth of a New Hollywood. Penguin Press, 2008, p. 374.
26.Jump up ^ Rich, Frank (2008). "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". New York Times: 10.
27.Jump up ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (1986). "HOME VIDEO; New Cassettes: Big Stars and Big Bands". New York Times: 28.
28.Jump up ^ "NY Times: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
29.Jump up ^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes Nominees
30.Jump up ^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) Ballot
31.Jump up ^ Debolt, Abbe A.; Baugess, James S., ed. (2011). Encyclopedia of the Sixties: A Decade of Culture and Counterculture: A Decade of Culture and Counterculture. ABC-CLIO. p. 274. ISBN 1-440-80102-9.
32.Jump up ^ Daniele Luttazzi (2003) La castrazione e altri metodi infallibili per prevenire l'acne, Feltrinelli, pp. 155-233.
33.Jump up ^ Thomas, Karen (2003). "Bernie will be Spencer in new 'Coming to Dinner'". USA Today.
34.Jump up ^ Wagner, Erica (2008-01-20). "White Irish Need Not Apply". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
35.Jump up ^ What’s Black and White and Shocking All Over? Carolyne Weldon, National Film Board of Canada Blog, June 18, 2012.
Further reading[edit]
##Andersen, Christopher (1997). An Affair to Remember: The Remarkable Love Story of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. William Morrow and Company, Inc. pp. 294–298. ISBN 0-688-15311-9.
##Chandler, Charlotte (2010). I Know Where I'm Going: Katharine Hepburn - A Personal Biography. Simon & Schuster. pp. 229–237. ISBN 978-1-4391-4928-7.
##Davidson, Bill (1987). Spencer Tracy, Tragic Idol. E. P. Dutton. pp. 206–211. ISBN 0-525-24631-2.
##Edwards, Anne (1985). A Remarkable Woman: A Biography of Katharine Hepburn. William Morrow and Company, Inc. pp. 336–343, 355 & 439. ISBN 0-688-04528-6.
##Poitier, Sidney (2000). The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography. HarperSanFrancisco Publishers, Inc. pp. 117–124. ISBN 0-06-251607-8.
##Poitier, Sidney (1980). This Life. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. pp. 285–287. ISBN 0-394-50549-2.
##Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film - Volume 1: Crime Film. Gale. 2007. pp. 6,63,351. ISBN 0-02-865792-6.
##Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film - Volume 3: Independent Film - Road Movies. Gale. 2007. pp. 371–372. ISBN 0-02-865794-2.
External links[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
##Guess Who's Coming to Dinner at the Internet Movie Database
##Guess Who's Coming to Dinner at Rotten Tomatoes
##Guess Who's Coming to Dinner at the TCM Movie Database
##Guess Who's Coming to Dinner at AllMovie


[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
The Tracy & Hepburn films















[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Films directed by Stanley Kramer



















  


Categories: 1967 films
English-language films
1960s comedy-drama films
American comedy-drama films
American romantic comedy films
Columbia Pictures films
Films about race and ethnicity
Films about racism
Films directed by Stanley Kramer
Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award winning performance
Films set in San Francisco, California
Films set in the San Francisco Bay Area
Films shot in San Francisco, California
Films whose writer won the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award
Films about interracial romance






Navigation menu



Create account
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
العربية
Català
Čeština
Deutsch
Español
Esperanto
Euskara
فارسی
Français
Galego
Italiano
עברית
Latina
Nederlands
日本語
Norsk bokmål
Polski
Português
Română
Русский
Simple English
Српски / srpski
Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски
Suomi
Svenska
Türkçe
Українська
中文
Edit links
This page was last modified on 25 February 2015, at 04:05.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guess_Who%27s_Coming_to_Dinner










Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

For other uses, see Guess Who's Coming to Dinner (disambiguation).

Guess Who's Coming to Dinner
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner poster.jpg
Original movie poster

Directed by
Stanley Kramer
Produced by
Stanley Kramer
Written by
William Rose
Starring
Spencer Tracy
Sidney Poitier
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton
Beah Richards
Roy E. Glenn
Music by
Frank DeVol
Cinematography
Sam Leavitt
Edited by
Robert C. Jones
Distributed by
Columbia Pictures

Release dates

December 12, 1967 (United States)


Running time
 108 minutes[1]
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$4 million
Box office
$56,666,667 (Domestic)[2]
 $70,000,000 (Worldwide)[3]
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner is a 1967 American comedy-drama film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer and written by William Rose. It stars Spencer Tracy, Sidney Poitier and Katharine Hepburn, and featuring Hepburn's niece Katharine Houghton. The film contains a (then rare) positive representation of the controversial subject of interracial marriage, which historically had been illegal in most states of the United States, and still was illegal in 17 states—mostly Southern states—until 12 June 1967, six months before the film was released, roughly two weeks after Tracy filmed his final scene (and two days after his death), when anti-miscegenation laws were struck down by the Supreme Court in Loving v. Virginia. The movie's Oscar-nominated score was composed by Frank DeVol.[4]
The film is notable for being the ninth and final on-screen pairing of Tracy and Hepburn, with filming ending just 17 days before Tracy's death. Hepburn never saw the completed film,[5] saying the memories of Tracy were too painful. The film was released in December 1967, six months after his death.[6]


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
4 Release
5 Reviews and reception
6 Variant versions
7 Awards and honors 7.1 Wins
7.2 Nominations
7.3 American Film Institute recognition
8 Remakes
9 See also
10 References
11 Further reading
12 External links

Plot[edit]



 Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy as Christina and Matt Drayton. The film tells the story of Joanna "Joey" Drayton (Katharine Houghton), a young white woman who has had a whirlwind romance with Dr. John Prentice (Sidney Poitier), a young, idealistic black physician she met while in Hawaii.
1960s San Francisco, California. Joanna's unannounced early return from a Hawaii holiday causes a stir when she brings to her childhood upper-class home her new fiancé – a widowed, young, successful, international and idealistic black physician.[7][8] The household is politically liberal and Joanna's parents--the newspaper publisher Matt Drayton (Spencer Tracy) and his wife, art gallery owner Christina Drayton (Katharine Hepburn) – have instilled in her the idea that all the races were no better than the others. The time leading up to what was originally a sit-down steak dinner for two would turn into a meet-the-in-laws dinner party, before which would be revealed the butting of heads of the marriage-partnered protagonists.
Joanna is perplexed by the reactions of her parents – they are not as settled by her engagement with John as she is, since they never thought that her choice would ever be a colored man – and surprised by John's decision undeclared to her that if Joanna's parents do not accept the engagement he will end it.
The impending problem is that Joanna, always intending in a couple weeks to join John in Geneva as the location of their marriage ceremony, has changed her mind to leave after dinner on his flight to New York City and then onward to Europe. She has also invited John's parents (Roy E. Glenn and Beah Richards) to dinner so that they can all become acquainted with what John had not explained about Joanna.
Matt's golf buddy is the Monsignor Ryan (Cecil Kellaway), a Catholic priest. He is also invited to dinner, shares the same enthusiasm as Joanna about the pending nuptials and tells her father as much.
Cocktails at the Drayton home is musical chairs of different sets of parental characters that share their views about the situation; it shows that the mothers have more faith in their children than the fathers. Universally, it had been expressed by the parents that more than a few hours are necessary for a proper decision but John's mother brings up her idea of what it is that she believes the men are missing about the situation – passion. John expressed his view that his father, the elder Prentice thought of himself as a colored man, whereas John thought of himself as a man.
Matt is left to some contemplation before he calls everyone together to make sense of the situation. He feels that it does not matter what everyone else may think about the possibilities of the whirlwind engagement but that what was pointed out by John's mother – true passion – and Joanna's mother pointing out her daughter's happy nature are the only things that Joanna and John can use to make a success of their whirlwind engagement, make it through life when many others do not share or cannot accept them. The views of John's father can probably change with the work of the other three parents. The film ends with the two families and Monsignor Ryan finally sitting down to dinner.
Cast[edit]
##Spencer Tracy as Matt Drayton
##Sidney Poitier as Dr. John Wayde Prentice Jr.
##Katharine Hepburn as Christina Drayton
##Katharine Houghton as Joanna "Joey" Drayton
##Cecil Kellaway as Monsignor Mike Ryan
##Beah Richards as Mary Prentice
##Roy E. Glenn as John Prentice Sr.
##Virginia Christine as Hilary St. George
##Alexandra Hay as Carhop
##Isabel Sanford as Matilda "Tillie" Binks
##Barbara Randolph as Dorothy
##D'Urville Martin as Frankie
##Skip Martin as the delivery boy
Production[edit]
Production list[9]
##Produced and Directed by: Stanley Kramer
##Original Screenplay by: William Rose
##Associate Producer: George Glass
##Music by: Frank de Vol
##Director of Photography: Sam Leavitt
##Film Editor: Robert C. Jones
##Production Designer: Robert Clatworthy
##Set Decorator: Frank Tuttle
##Assistant Director: Ray Gosnell
##Special Effects: Geza Gaspar
##Process Photography: Larry Butler
##Sound Recorders: Charles J. Rice, Robert Martin
##Costumes: Joe King
##Wardrobe Supervisor: Jean Louis
##Song "Glory of Love" by: Billy Hill, sung by Jacqueline Fontaine
According to Kramer, he and Rose intentionally structured the film to debunk ethnic stereotypes. The young doctor, a typical role for the young Sidney Poitier, was purposely created idealistically perfect, so that the only possible objection to his marrying Joanna would be his race, or the fact she had only known him for ten days: the character has thus graduated from a top school, begun innovative medical initiatives in Africa, refused to have premarital sex with his fiancée despite her willingness, and leaves money in an open container on his future father-in-law's desk in payment for a long distance phone call he has made. Kramer and Rose completed the film script in five weeks.[10]
Kramer stated later that the principal actors believed so strongly in the premise that they agreed to act in the project even before seeing the script. Production had been set for January 1967 and ended on May 24, 1967.[11] Spencer Tracy was dying and insurance companies refused to cover him. Kramer and Hepburn put their salaries in escrow so that if he died, filming could be completed with another actor. According to Kramer, "'You're never examined for insurance until a few weeks before a picture starts. [Even] with all his drinking and ailments, Tracy always qualified for insurance before, so nobody thought it would be a problem in this case. But it was. We couldn't get insurance for Spence. The situation looked desperate. So then we figured out a way of handling it. Kate and I put up our own salaries to compensate for the lack of an insurance company for Spence. And we were allowed to proceed.'"[12]
The filming schedule was altered to accommodate Tracy's failing health.[13] All of Tracy's scenes and shots were filmed between 9:00 a.m. and noon of each day in order to give him adequate time to rest.[10] For example, most of Tracy's dialogue scenes were filmed in a such a way that during close-ups on other characters, a stand-in was substituted for him.[14]
Tracy's failing health was more serious than most people are aware of. According to Poitier: "The illness of Spencer dominated everything. I knew his health was very poor and many of the people who knew what the situation was didn't believe we'd finish the film, that is, that Tracy would be able to finish the film. Those of us who were close knew it was worse than they thought. Kate brought him to and from the set. She worked with him on his lines. She made sure with [Stanley] Kramer that his hours were right for what he could do, and what he couldn't do was different each day. There were days when he couldn't do anything. There were days when he was great, and I got the chance to know what it was like working with Tracy."[15]
A bust of Tracy sculpted by Hepburn herself was used as a prop, on the bookshelf behind the desk where Sidney Poitier makes his phone call. Tracy died two weeks after he completed his work on the film.[16]
Hepburn significantly helped cast her niece, Katharine Houghton, for the role of Joey Drayton. Concerning this, Hepburn stated: "There was a lovely part for Kathy [Houghton], my niece [...] She would play Spencer's and my daughter. I loved that. She's beautiful and she definitely had a family resemblance. It was my idea."[17]
According to Hepburn, the role of Joey Drayton would be one of Houghton's first major roles as a young actress. "The part of my daughter," Kate said, "was a difficult one. A young unknown actress needs more opportunity to win the sympathy of the audience. Otherwise, too much has to depend on her youth, innocence, and beauty. She had one good speech to win the audience, but it was cut. Instead she only talks with her father about the differences between the principles he taught her and the way he's behaving."[18]
Poitier frequently found himself starstruck and as a result, a bit tongue-tied, in the presence of Hepburn and Tracy, whom he considered to be "giants" as far as acting is concerned.[19] However, Poitier reportedly found a way to overcome his nerves. "When I went to play a scene with Tracy and Hepburn, I couldn't remember a word. Finally Stanley Kramer said to me, 'What are we going to do?' I said, 'Stanley, send those two people home. I will play the scene against two empty chairs. I don't want them here because I can't handle that kind of company.' He sent them home. I played the scene in close-up against two empty chairs as the dialogue coach read Mr. Tracy's and Miss Hepburn's lines from off camera."[19]
Given the tense nature of racism in the United States during the time of the film's production, Poitier felt he was "under close observation" by both Tracy and Hepburn during their first dinner meetings prior to production.[20] However, he managed to swiftly win them over. Due to Tracy and Hepburn's close history with Kramer, Poitier cited that Hepburn and Tracy came to bear on him "the kind of respect they had for Kramer, and they had to say to themselves (and I'm sure they did), this kid has to be pretty okay, because Stanley is nuts about working with him".[21]
Release[edit]
The film premiered in theaters on January 1, 1968. The film falls into the genre of comedy drama.[22] The film was released on VHS on December 12, 1987,[23] on the twentieth anniversary of the original release. The film was released on DVD on May 22, 2001.[24]
Reviews and reception[edit]
Guess Who's Coming to Dinner was a box-office hit in 1968 throughout the United States, including in southern states where it was traditionally assumed that few white filmgoers would want to see any film with black leads. The success of this film challenged that assumption in film marketing.[25] Despite this success, which included numerous film award nominations, Frank Rich of the New York Times wrote in November 2008 that the film was frequently labeled as dated among liberals. Another main point of contention was the fact that Poitier's character, the golden future son-in-law, had no flaws and a resume of good deeds. Many people felt that the dynamic between the Draytons and Poitier's character would have inevitably resulted in a happily-ever-after film ending because Poitier's character was so perfect, respectable, likable, and proper. Some people went as far as saying Prentice was "too white" not to be accepted by the Draytons.[26]
The release of the film in the U.S. gave Poitier his third box-office success in six months in 1967,[24] all of which placed the race of Poitier's character at issue.
In a review of the film by The New York Times, Lawrence Van Gelder wrote: "the suspicion arises that were the film made today its makers would come to grips a good deal more bluntly with the problems of intermarriage. Still, this remains a deft comedy and - most of all - a paean to the power of love."[27]
Variant versions[edit]
The original version of the film that played in theaters in 1968 contained a moment in which Tillie responds to the question "Guess who's coming to dinner now." with the sarcastic one-liner: "The Reverend Martin Luther King?" After King's assassination on April 4, 1968, this line was removed from the film, so by August 1968, almost all theaters' showings of this film had this line omitted. As early as 1969, the line was restored to many but not all prints, and the line was preserved in the VHS and DVD versions of the film as well.
Awards and honors[edit]
Wins[edit]
The film won two Academy Awards and two BAFTAs:[28]
##1967: Academy Award for Best Actress (Katharine Hepburn)
##1967: Academy Award for Writing Original Screenplay
##1968: BAFTA Film Award for Best Actor (Spencer Tracy)
##1968: BAFTA Film Award for Best Actress (Katharine Hepburn)
##1968: David di Donatello for Best Foreign Producer (Stanley Kramer)
##1968: David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actor (Spencer Tracy)
##1968: David di Donatello for Best Foreign Actress (Katharine Hepburn)
Nominations[edit]
##1967: Academy Award for Best Picture
##1967: Academy Award for Best Director
##1967: Academy Award for Best Actor (Spencer Tracy)
##1967: Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor (Cecil Kellaway)
##1967: Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Beah Richards)
##1967: Academy Award for Best Art Direction (Robert Clatworthy, Frank Tuttle)
##1967: Academy Award for Film Editing
##1967: Academy Award for Best Original Score (Frank DeVol)
American Film Institute recognition[edit]
##AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies - #99
##AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions - #58
##AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes: ##"You think of yourself as a colored man. I think of myself as a man." - Nominated[29]
##AFI's 100 Years...100 Cheers - #35
##AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) - Nominated[30]
Remakes[edit]
Stanley Kramer produced and directed an unsold 30-minute television pilot for ABC-TV with the same title and premise in 1975.[31]
In 2003, comedian Daniele Luttazzi published the screenplay Tabù, an almost verbatim parody of the film. In the variation, the engaged lovers are aged 40 (him) and 12 (her), and are brother and sister.[32]
The 2005 film Guess Who starring Ashton Kutcher and Bernie Mac is a loose remake styled as a comedy rather than a drama, with the racial roles reversed: black parents are caught off-guard when their daughter brings home the young white man she has chosen to marry. Talking about the film, Bernie Mac told USA Today in 2003, "Interracial dating is not that significant anymore." In the article, the writer cites that during the time at which the original movie was filmed, "interracial marriage was considered risky." Casting for Mac's remake of the film began in November 2003. Mac said of the script, "They want to make it a comedy, but I won't disrespect Spencer, Katharine or Sidney."[33]
The Irish writer Roddy Doyle wrote a short story by the same title about an Irish girl who brings home an immigrant from Nigeria, published in 2008 in the collection The Deportees.[34]
The plot is very similar to another film, Crossroads, made by the Canadian director Don Haldane a decade earlier in 1957. In this film, a young white woman in Toronto surprises her mother with her black fiancé.[35]
See also[edit]


United States film.svgFilm in the United States portal
 SMirC-laugh.svgComedy portal
 Flowerpowerportfolio.jpg1960s portal
 Disclogo1.svgDiscrimination portal
 

References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ Video Hound's Golden Movie Retriever: The Complete Guide to Movies on Videocassette and DVD. Gale. 2004. p. 355. ISBN 0-7876-7470-2.
2.Jump up ^ "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Box Office Information". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
3.Jump up ^ "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, Box Office Information". IMDb. Retrieved March 8, 2012.
4.Jump up ^ Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Albums 1955-2001 (Menomonee Falls, WI: Record Research, 2001), 1018.
5.Jump up ^ Andersen, p. 306
6.Jump up ^ imdb releaseinfo
7.Jump up ^ "notes on Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". Retrieved 2011-11-07.
8.Jump up ^ http://www.script-o-rama.com/movie_scripts/g/guess-whos-coming-to-dinner-script.html; viewed 8-6-2014.
9.Jump up ^ Edwards, p. 439.
10.^ Jump up to: a b Andersen, p. 295.
11.Jump up ^ Davidson, pp. 207, 211
12.Jump up ^ Davidson, pp. 207-208
13.Jump up ^ Davidson, pp. 206-209
14.Jump up ^ Edwards, p. 337.
15.Jump up ^ Chandler, pp. 231-232.
16.Jump up ^ Andersen, p. 298.
17.Jump up ^ Chandler, pp. 229-237.
18.Jump up ^ Chandler, p. 231.
19.^ Jump up to: a b Poitier, p. 286.
20.Jump up ^ Poitier, Measure of a Man, p. 121.
21.Jump up ^ Poitier, Measure of a Man, p. 121-124.
22.Jump up ^ "amc filmcritic.com". Retrieved 17 April 2011.
23.Jump up ^ "Parent Previews". One Voice Communications Ltd. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
24.^ Jump up to: a b "Rotten Tomatoes". Flixster. Retrieved 17 April 2011.
25.Jump up ^ Harris, Mark. Pictures at a Revolution: Five Films and the Birth of a New Hollywood. Penguin Press, 2008, p. 374.
26.Jump up ^ Rich, Frank (2008). "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". New York Times: 10.
27.Jump up ^ Van Gelder, Lawrence (1986). "HOME VIDEO; New Cassettes: Big Stars and Big Bands". New York Times: 28.
28.Jump up ^ "NY Times: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner". NY Times. Retrieved 2008-12-27.
29.Jump up ^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes Nominees
30.Jump up ^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Movies (10th Anniversary Edition) Ballot
31.Jump up ^ Debolt, Abbe A.; Baugess, James S., ed. (2011). Encyclopedia of the Sixties: A Decade of Culture and Counterculture: A Decade of Culture and Counterculture. ABC-CLIO. p. 274. ISBN 1-440-80102-9.
32.Jump up ^ Daniele Luttazzi (2003) La castrazione e altri metodi infallibili per prevenire l'acne, Feltrinelli, pp. 155-233.
33.Jump up ^ Thomas, Karen (2003). "Bernie will be Spencer in new 'Coming to Dinner'". USA Today.
34.Jump up ^ Wagner, Erica (2008-01-20). "White Irish Need Not Apply". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
35.Jump up ^ What’s Black and White and Shocking All Over? Carolyne Weldon, National Film Board of Canada Blog, June 18, 2012.
Further reading[edit]
##Andersen, Christopher (1997). An Affair to Remember: The Remarkable Love Story of Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. William Morrow and Company, Inc. pp. 294–298. ISBN 0-688-15311-9.
##Chandler, Charlotte (2010). I Know Where I'm Going: Katharine Hepburn - A Personal Biography. Simon & Schuster. pp. 229–237. ISBN 978-1-4391-4928-7.
##Davidson, Bill (1987). Spencer Tracy, Tragic Idol. E. P. Dutton. pp. 206–211. ISBN 0-525-24631-2.
##Edwards, Anne (1985). A Remarkable Woman: A Biography of Katharine Hepburn. William Morrow and Company, Inc. pp. 336–343, 355 & 439. ISBN 0-688-04528-6.
##Poitier, Sidney (2000). The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography. HarperSanFrancisco Publishers, Inc. pp. 117–124. ISBN 0-06-251607-8.
##Poitier, Sidney (1980). This Life. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. pp. 285–287. ISBN 0-394-50549-2.
##Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film - Volume 1: Crime Film. Gale. 2007. pp. 6,63,351. ISBN 0-02-865792-6.
##Schirmer Encyclopedia of Film - Volume 3: Independent Film - Road Movies. Gale. 2007. pp. 371–372. ISBN 0-02-865794-2.
External links[edit]
 Wikimedia Commons has media related to Guess Who's Coming to Dinner.
##Guess Who's Coming to Dinner at the Internet Movie Database
##Guess Who's Coming to Dinner at Rotten Tomatoes
##Guess Who's Coming to Dinner at the TCM Movie Database
##Guess Who's Coming to Dinner at AllMovie


[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
The Tracy & Hepburn films















[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Films directed by Stanley Kramer



















  


Categories: 1967 films
English-language films
1960s comedy-drama films
American comedy-drama films
American romantic comedy films
Columbia Pictures films
Films about race and ethnicity
Films about racism
Films directed by Stanley Kramer
Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award winning performance
Films set in San Francisco, California
Films set in the San Francisco Bay Area
Films shot in San Francisco, California
Films whose writer won the Best Original Screenplay Academy Award
Films about interracial romance






Navigation menu



Create account
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
العربية
Català
Čeština
Deutsch
Español
Esperanto
Euskara
فارسی
Français
Galego
Italiano
עברית
Latina
Nederlands
日本語
Norsk bokmål
Polski
Português
Română
Русский
Simple English
Српски / srpski
Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски
Suomi
Svenska
Türkçe
Українська
中文
Edit links
This page was last modified on 25 February 2015, at 04:05.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guess_Who%27s_Coming_to_Dinner










Jungle Fever (soundtrack)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search


Jungle Fever

Soundtrack album by Stevie Wonder

Released
May 28, 1991
Genre
Pop, R&B[1]
Length
51:06
Label
Motown
Producer
Stevie Wonder, Nathan Watts
Stevie Wonder chronology

Characters
 (1987) Jungle Fever
 (1991) Conversation Peace
 (1995)

Jungle Fever is the 1991 soundtrack album by American R&B musician Stevie Wonder to Spike Lee's movie Jungle Fever. It was released by Motown Records.


Contents  [hide]
1 Critical reception
2 Track listing
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings

Review scores

Source
Rating
AllMusic 3/5 stars[2]
Chicago Tribune 3/4 stars[3]
Robert Christgau (3-star Honorable Mention)[4]
Entertainment Weekly C[1]
Q 4/5 stars[5]
Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide 3.5/5 stars[7]
Jungle Fever received lukewarm reviews from music critics.[7] In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau cited "Fun Day" and the title track as highlights and referred to Wonder as "a genius even if that's what he's selling".[8] Bill Wyman of Entertainment Weekly felt it lacks memorable hooks and was critical of Wonder's lyrics and style of arrangement, which he said sounds "more and more dated as the years go by".[1] In a positive review, Rolling Stone magazine called Jungle Fever a "welcome return to form" and said that Wonder has not "sounded so freewheeling, confident and engaging" since his 1980 album Hotter Than July.[6] The Chicago Tribune wrote that it is "as direct and consistently tuneful as anything he has done in recent years".[3]
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine cited Jungle Fever as "Wonder's best work in years ... a considerable improvement from his bland late-'80s albums", although he said Wonder can be too sentimental on ballads such as "These Three Words".[2] J. D. Considine wrote in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004) that it is "lightweight but likeable".[7] In his 2000 Consumer Guide book, Christgau gave the album a three-star honorable mention, which indicated "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure".[4]
Track listing[edit]
All songs written by Stevie Wonder, except "Chemical Love", lyrics by Stephanie Andrews.
1."Fun Day" – 4:41
2."Queen in the Black" – 4:46
3."These Three Words" – 4:54
4."Each Other's Throat" – 4:17
5."If She Breaks Your Heart" (sung by Kimberly Brewer) – 5:03
6."Gotta Have You" – 6:26
7."Make Sure You're Sure" – 3:30
8."Jungle Fever" – 4:55
9."I Go Sailing" – 3:58
10."Chemical Love" – 4:26
11."Lighting Up the Candles" – 4:09
See also[edit]
List of number-one R&B albums of 1991 (U.S.)
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c Wyman, Bill (June 21, 1991). "Music from the Movie 'Jungle Fever' Review". Entertainment Weekly (New York) (71). Retrieved October 21, 2014.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Jungle Fever - Stevie Wonder". AllMusic. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Anon. (1991). "Stevie Wonder Music From the Movie `Jungle Fever'". Chicago Tribune (June 13). Retrieved October 21, 2014.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Christgau, Robert (2000). Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan. pp. xvi, 339. ISBN 0312245602.
5.Jump up ^ "Review". Q (London) (August). 1991. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
6.^ Jump up to: a b "Review". Rolling Stone (New York) (August 8). 1991. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
7.^ Jump up to: a b c Considine, J. D. (2004). "Stevie Wonder". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 885, 887. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
8.Jump up ^ Christgau, Robert (1991). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice (July 30) (New York). Retrieved October 21, 2014.
External links[edit]
Music from the Movie "Jungle Fever" at Discogs (list of releases)


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Stevie Wonder


Studio albums
The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie ·
 Tribute to Uncle Ray ·
 With a Song in My Heart ·
 Stevie at the Beach ·
 Up-Tight ·
 Down to Earth ·
 I Was Made to Love Her ·
 Someday at Christmas ·
 Eivets Rednow ·
 For Once in My Life ·
 My Cherie Amour ·
 Signed, Sealed & Delivered ·
 Where I'm Coming From ·
 Music of My Mind ·
 Talking Book ·
 Innervisions ·
 Fulfillingness' First Finale ·
 Songs in the Key of Life ·
 Hotter than July ·
 In Square Circle ·
 Characters ·
 Conversation Peace ·
 A Time to Love ·
 Ten Billion Hearts ·
 When The World Began ·
 Lula
 

Live albums
Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius ·
 Stevie Wonder Live ·
 Live at the Talk of the Town ·
 Natural Wonder
 

Soundtracks
Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants" ·
 The Woman in Red ·
 Jungle Fever
 

Compilations
Looking Back ·
 Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I ·
 Song Review: A Greatest Hits Collection ·
 At the Close of a Century ·
 Ballad Collection ·
 The Definitive Collection ·
 20th Century Masters ·
 The Complete Stevie Wonder
 

Top ten singles
"Fingertips - Part 2" ·
 "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" ·
 "Blowin' in the Wind" ·
 "A Place in the Sun" ·
 "I Was Made to Love Her" ·
 "For Once in My Life" ·
 "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" ·
 "My Cherie Amour" ·
 "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" ·
 "Never Had a Dream Come True" ·
 "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" ·
 "Heaven Help Us All" ·
 "If You Really Love Me" ·
 "Superstition" ·
 "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" ·
 "Higher Ground" ·
 "Living for the City" ·
 "He's Misstra Know-It-All" ·
 "You Haven't Done Nothin'" ·
 "Boogie On Reggae Woman" ·
 "I Wish" ·
 "Sir Duke" ·
 "Send One Your Love" ·
 "Master Blaster (Jammin')" ·
 "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" ·
 "Happy Birthday" ·
 "That Girl" ·
 "Do I Do" ·
 "Ebony and Ivory" ·
 "I Just Called to Say I Love You" ·
 "Part-Time Lover" ·
 "That's What Friends Are For" ·
 "Go Home"
 

Other singles
"Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" ·
 "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" ·
 "Don't You Worry Bout A Thing" ·
 "As" ·
 "Another Star" ·
 "Lately" ·
 "Ribbon in the Sky"
 

Other songs
"You and I (We Can Conquer the World)" ·
 "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" ·
 "They Won't Go When I Go" ·
 "Knocks Me Off My Feet" ·
 "Pastime Paradise" ·
 "Isn't She Lovely" ·
 "Black Man" ·
 "Overjoyed"
 

Collaborations
"Ebony and Ivory" ·
 "We Are the World" ·
 "Just Good Friends"
 

Related articles
Discography ·
 Lula Mae Hardaway ·
 Syreeta Wright ·
 KJLH ·
 Motown ·
 Soul music ·
 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day ·
 Wonderin'
 

Wikipedia book Book ·
 Category Category ·
 Commons page Commons ·
 Wikiquote page Wikiquote
 

Stub icon This soundtrack-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.




  


Categories: Soundtrack stubs
Film soundtracks
1991 soundtracks
Stevie Wonder soundtracks
Motown soundtracks
Albums produced by Stevie Wonder





Navigation menu



Create account
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
Italiano
Edit links
This page was last modified on 22 December 2014, at 13:43.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungle_Fever_(soundtrack)










Jungle Fever (soundtrack)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search


Jungle Fever

Soundtrack album by Stevie Wonder

Released
May 28, 1991
Genre
Pop, R&B[1]
Length
51:06
Label
Motown
Producer
Stevie Wonder, Nathan Watts
Stevie Wonder chronology

Characters
 (1987) Jungle Fever
 (1991) Conversation Peace
 (1995)

Jungle Fever is the 1991 soundtrack album by American R&B musician Stevie Wonder to Spike Lee's movie Jungle Fever. It was released by Motown Records.


Contents  [hide]
1 Critical reception
2 Track listing
3 See also
4 References
5 External links

Critical reception[edit]

Professional ratings

Review scores

Source
Rating
AllMusic 3/5 stars[2]
Chicago Tribune 3/4 stars[3]
Robert Christgau (3-star Honorable Mention)[4]
Entertainment Weekly C[1]
Q 4/5 stars[5]
Rolling Stone 3.5/5 stars[6]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide 3.5/5 stars[7]
Jungle Fever received lukewarm reviews from music critics.[7] In a contemporary review for The Village Voice, Robert Christgau cited "Fun Day" and the title track as highlights and referred to Wonder as "a genius even if that's what he's selling".[8] Bill Wyman of Entertainment Weekly felt it lacks memorable hooks and was critical of Wonder's lyrics and style of arrangement, which he said sounds "more and more dated as the years go by".[1] In a positive review, Rolling Stone magazine called Jungle Fever a "welcome return to form" and said that Wonder has not "sounded so freewheeling, confident and engaging" since his 1980 album Hotter Than July.[6] The Chicago Tribune wrote that it is "as direct and consistently tuneful as anything he has done in recent years".[3]
In a retrospective review for AllMusic, Stephen Thomas Erlewine cited Jungle Fever as "Wonder's best work in years ... a considerable improvement from his bland late-'80s albums", although he said Wonder can be too sentimental on ballads such as "These Three Words".[2] J. D. Considine wrote in The Rolling Stone Album Guide (2004) that it is "lightweight but likeable".[7] In his 2000 Consumer Guide book, Christgau gave the album a three-star honorable mention, which indicated "an enjoyable effort consumers attuned to its overriding aesthetic or individual vision may well treasure".[4]
Track listing[edit]
All songs written by Stevie Wonder, except "Chemical Love", lyrics by Stephanie Andrews.
1."Fun Day" – 4:41
2."Queen in the Black" – 4:46
3."These Three Words" – 4:54
4."Each Other's Throat" – 4:17
5."If She Breaks Your Heart" (sung by Kimberly Brewer) – 5:03
6."Gotta Have You" – 6:26
7."Make Sure You're Sure" – 3:30
8."Jungle Fever" – 4:55
9."I Go Sailing" – 3:58
10."Chemical Love" – 4:26
11."Lighting Up the Candles" – 4:09
See also[edit]
List of number-one R&B albums of 1991 (U.S.)
References[edit]
1.^ Jump up to: a b c Wyman, Bill (June 21, 1991). "Music from the Movie 'Jungle Fever' Review". Entertainment Weekly (New York) (71). Retrieved October 21, 2014.
2.^ Jump up to: a b Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Jungle Fever - Stevie Wonder". AllMusic. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
3.^ Jump up to: a b Anon. (1991). "Stevie Wonder Music From the Movie `Jungle Fever'". Chicago Tribune (June 13). Retrieved October 21, 2014.
4.^ Jump up to: a b Christgau, Robert (2000). Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s. Macmillan. pp. xvi, 339. ISBN 0312245602.
5.Jump up ^ "Review". Q (London) (August). 1991. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
6.^ Jump up to: a b "Review". Rolling Stone (New York) (August 8). 1991. Retrieved October 21, 2014.
7.^ Jump up to: a b c Considine, J. D. (2004). "Stevie Wonder". In Brackett, Nathan; Hoard, Christian. The New Rolling Stone Album Guide (4th ed.). Simon & Schuster. pp. 885, 887. ISBN 0-7432-0169-8.
8.Jump up ^ Christgau, Robert (1991). "Consumer Guide". The Village Voice (July 30) (New York). Retrieved October 21, 2014.
External links[edit]
Music from the Movie "Jungle Fever" at Discogs (list of releases)


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Stevie Wonder


Studio albums
The Jazz Soul of Little Stevie ·
 Tribute to Uncle Ray ·
 With a Song in My Heart ·
 Stevie at the Beach ·
 Up-Tight ·
 Down to Earth ·
 I Was Made to Love Her ·
 Someday at Christmas ·
 Eivets Rednow ·
 For Once in My Life ·
 My Cherie Amour ·
 Signed, Sealed & Delivered ·
 Where I'm Coming From ·
 Music of My Mind ·
 Talking Book ·
 Innervisions ·
 Fulfillingness' First Finale ·
 Songs in the Key of Life ·
 Hotter than July ·
 In Square Circle ·
 Characters ·
 Conversation Peace ·
 A Time to Love ·
 Ten Billion Hearts ·
 When The World Began ·
 Lula
 

Live albums
Recorded Live: The 12 Year Old Genius ·
 Stevie Wonder Live ·
 Live at the Talk of the Town ·
 Natural Wonder
 

Soundtracks
Stevie Wonder's Journey Through "The Secret Life of Plants" ·
 The Woman in Red ·
 Jungle Fever
 

Compilations
Looking Back ·
 Stevie Wonder's Original Musiquarium I ·
 Song Review: A Greatest Hits Collection ·
 At the Close of a Century ·
 Ballad Collection ·
 The Definitive Collection ·
 20th Century Masters ·
 The Complete Stevie Wonder
 

Top ten singles
"Fingertips - Part 2" ·
 "Uptight (Everything's Alright)" ·
 "Blowin' in the Wind" ·
 "A Place in the Sun" ·
 "I Was Made to Love Her" ·
 "For Once in My Life" ·
 "Shoo-Be-Doo-Be-Doo-Da-Day" ·
 "My Cherie Amour" ·
 "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" ·
 "Never Had a Dream Come True" ·
 "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours" ·
 "Heaven Help Us All" ·
 "If You Really Love Me" ·
 "Superstition" ·
 "You Are the Sunshine of My Life" ·
 "Higher Ground" ·
 "Living for the City" ·
 "He's Misstra Know-It-All" ·
 "You Haven't Done Nothin'" ·
 "Boogie On Reggae Woman" ·
 "I Wish" ·
 "Sir Duke" ·
 "Send One Your Love" ·
 "Master Blaster (Jammin')" ·
 "I Ain't Gonna Stand for It" ·
 "Happy Birthday" ·
 "That Girl" ·
 "Do I Do" ·
 "Ebony and Ivory" ·
 "I Just Called to Say I Love You" ·
 "Part-Time Lover" ·
 "That's What Friends Are For" ·
 "Go Home"
 

Other singles
"Never Dreamed You'd Leave in Summer" ·
 "Superwoman (Where Were You When I Needed You)" ·
 "Don't You Worry Bout A Thing" ·
 "As" ·
 "Another Star" ·
 "Lately" ·
 "Ribbon in the Sky"
 

Other songs
"You and I (We Can Conquer the World)" ·
 "I Believe (When I Fall in Love It Will Be Forever)" ·
 "They Won't Go When I Go" ·
 "Knocks Me Off My Feet" ·
 "Pastime Paradise" ·
 "Isn't She Lovely" ·
 "Black Man" ·
 "Overjoyed"
 

Collaborations
"Ebony and Ivory" ·
 "We Are the World" ·
 "Just Good Friends"
 

Related articles
Discography ·
 Lula Mae Hardaway ·
 Syreeta Wright ·
 KJLH ·
 Motown ·
 Soul music ·
 Martin Luther King, Jr. Day ·
 Wonderin'
 

Wikipedia book Book ·
 Category Category ·
 Commons page Commons ·
 Wikiquote page Wikiquote
 

Stub icon This soundtrack-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.




  


Categories: Soundtrack stubs
Film soundtracks
1991 soundtracks
Stevie Wonder soundtracks
Motown soundtracks
Albums produced by Stevie Wonder





Navigation menu



Create account
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
Italiano
Edit links
This page was last modified on 22 December 2014, at 13:43.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungle_Fever_(soundtrack)










Jungle Fever
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Jungle Fever (film))
Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the film. For other uses, see Jungle Fever (disambiguation).

Jungle Fever
Jungle Fever film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Spike Lee
Produced by
Spike Lee
Written by
Spike Lee
Starring
Wesley Snipes
Annabella Sciorra
 Spike Lee
Ossie Davis
Ruby Dee
Samuel L. Jackson
Lonette McKee
John Turturro
Frank Vincent
Anthony Quinn
Music by
Terence Blanchard (score)
Stevie Wonder (songs)
Cinematography
Ernest Dickerson
Edited by
Sam Pollard

Production
 company

40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks

Distributed by
Universal Pictures

Release dates

June 7, 1991


Running time
 132 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$14,000,000
Box office
$43,882,682
Jungle Fever is a 1991 American romance drama film written, produced, and directed by Spike Lee, starring Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra. It was Lee's fifth feature-length film. The film mainly explores interracial relationships against the urban backdrop of the streets of 1990s New York City.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production notes
4 Reception
5 Soundtrack
6 Awards
7 References
8 External links

Plot[edit]
The movie opens with Flipper Purify (Wesley Snipes) a successful and happily married architect from Harlem, making love to his wife, Drew (Lonette McKee). At work, he discovers that an Italian-American woman named Angie Tucci (Annabella Sciorra) has been hired as a temporary. Flipper tells his partners Jerry (Tim Robbins) and Leslie (Brad Dourif) that he wanted an African American secretary; they tell him that they want "the best human being for the job", no matter is the person white or black.
Flipper returns home after visiting his friend Cyrus (Spike Lee). Meanwhile, Angie returns to her Bensonhurst home, and cooks dinner for her father, Mike (Frank Vincent), and her two brothers, Charlie (David Dundara) and Jimmy (Michael Imperioli). Her boyfriend, Paulie (John Turturro), then takes her out on a date. One night, Flipper and Angie are working late at the firm, and they have a conversation about cooking. They continue to work together; enjoying an easy rapport and finding themselves enjoying their company, the two eventually have sex.
Sometime later, Flipper tells Jerry and Leslie that he wants to be made partner at their firm. After his request for promotion is declined, he abruptly quits his job in protest. Later that night at the park, Flipper admits his infidelity to Cyrus while taking a walk with him, who tells him the affair is problematic not only because Angie is white while he is black, but also because she is from Bensonhurst while he is from Harlem.
Later, Flipper's brother Gator (Samuel L. Jackson) shows up with his girlfriend, Vivian (Halle Berry). He asks Flipper for money to support his crack habit. Flipper gives in eventually to his brother's demands. Meanwhile, Angie tells her girlfriends that she is seeing Flipper, shocking them when she tells them he is African American. She then swears them to secrecy, but her friends cannot keep it to themselves and tell a number of people, one of whom is Angie's brother Charlie who then tells his father Mike.
The next evening Flipper and Angie are ignored by the staff at a restaurant for being together. He complains to a black waitress (Queen Latifah); she in turn berates him for dating a white woman, showing off their racism. Drew later discovers their affair and angrily throws Flipper out of the house. Flipper is forced to move back in with his mother, Lucinda (Ruby Dee), and his father, the Good Reverend Doctor (Ossie Davis).
Flipper later confronts Cyrus for betraying him. Cyrus admits he told his wife Vera (Veronica Webb), but did not know she told Drew (plus several other people). Flipper confronts and insults Vera, causing a rift in his friendship with Cyrus who stands beside his wife. Flipper tries to make things up to Drew by bringing her flowers, which she refuses. Meanwhile, Angie ends her relationship with Paulie. When Mike finds out about her tryst with a black man, he violently beats Angie and throws her out of his house.
Flipper and Angie move in together. The two encounter social problems, including a failed dinner with Flipper's parents, who don't approve it. Later, as they are walking down the street, the couple engages in horseplay and Flipper playfully throws Angie onto the hood of a car; two police officers arrive and, thinking he is raping her, draw their weapons. They stand down after Angie tells them that Flipper is her boyfriend and threatens to complain. This move angers Flipper.
Paulie attempts to start a relationship with an African American woman called Orin Goode (Tyra Ferrell), but encounters problems. Lucinda has Flipper visit and informs him that Gator has taken the television. She wants him to try and get it back before the Good Reverend Doctor comes home. Flipper finds Gator and Vivian at a crack house. Gator tells Flipper that he pawned the television. After slapping Vivian, Flipper tells Gator that he is cutting him off for good and leaves.
Eventually, racial and financial issues strain the relationship between Flipper and Angie so much so that they break up. Paulie convinces Orin to date him which results in conflict with his father and several neighborhood toughs. One night, Gator storms into his parents' house while the Reverend is away, demanding money. The Reverend arrives and the two argue. Gator refuses to leave and mocks his father. The Reverend shoots Gator in the stomach. Gator dies of his wounds, and The Reverend is arrested.
Angie eventually returns home. Flipper attempts to reconcile with Drew. After having sex with him, Drew, still hurt, tells Flipper it is best for him to leave. While walking down a street with his daughter, Flipper has a vision of her morphing into a prostitute he'd seen earlier. Flipper, in sharp response, hugs her and screams "No!"
Cast[edit]
Wesley Snipes as Flipper Purify[1]
Annabella Sciorra as Angie Tucci
Spike Lee as Cyrus
Ossie Davis as The Good Reverend Doctor Purify
Ruby Dee as Mrs. Purify
Samuel L. Jackson as "Gator" Purify[2]
Lonette McKee as Drew Purify
John Turturro as Paulie Carbone
Frank Vincent as Mike Tucci
Anthony Quinn as Lou Carbone
Halle Berry as Vivian
Tyra Ferrell as Orin Goode
Veronica Webb as Vera
David Dundara as Charlie Tucci
Michael Imperioli as James Tucci
Nicholas Turturro as Vinny
Michael Badalucco as Frankie Botz
Debi Mazar as Denise
Gina Mastrogiacomo as Louise
Tim Robbins as Jerry
Brad Dourif as Leslie
Theresa Randle as Inez
Miguel Sandoval as Officer Ponte
Charlie Murphy as Livin' Large
Grand L. Bush as Friend of Gator
Doug E. Doug as Friend of Livin' Large
Queen Latifah as LaShawn
Production notes[edit]
Before the opening credits begin, a dedication to Yusuf Hawkins is shown, who was killed on August 23, 1989, in Bensonhurst, New York, by neighborhood folk who believed the youth was involved with a white girl in the neighborhood, though he was actually in the neighborhood to inquire about a used car for sale.
Reception[edit]
The film gained mostly positive reviews, with particular praise for Samuel L. Jackson's performance as crack addict Gator, which is often considered to be his breakout role.[3][4][5][6]
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 86% on based on 30 "Fresh" reviews and 5 "Rotten" ones.[7]
Soundtrack[edit]
Main article: Jungle Fever (soundtrack)
Awards[edit]
1991 Cannes Film Festival Best Supporting Actor: Samuel L. Jackson[8]
Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (Special Mention)
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards Best Supporting Actor: Samuel L. Jackson
National Board of Review 10th Best Film of the Year
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Supporting Actor: Samuel L. Jackson
Political Film Society Human Rights Award
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Jungle Fever". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
2.Jump up ^ Williams, Lena (1991-06-09). "UP AND COMING; Samuel L. Jackson: Out of Lee's 'Jungle,' Into the Limelight". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
3.Jump up ^ "Spike Lee Cools Off but His 'Fever' Doesn't". The Los Angeles Times. 1991-05-17. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
4.Jump up ^ Freedman, Samuel G. (1991-06-02). "FILM; Love and Hate in Black and White". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
5.Jump up ^ "Spike Lee's 'Jungle Fever' seethes with realities of interracial relationships". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
6.Jump up ^ "Jungle Fever". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
7.Jump up ^ "Jungle Fever". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
8.Jump up ^ "Festival de Cannes: Jungle Fever". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
External links[edit]
Jungle Fever at the Internet Movie Database
Jungle Fever at Box Office Mojo


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Spike Lee


Filmography ·
 Awards and nominations
 

Feature films
 directed
She's Gotta Have It (1986) ·
 School Daze (1988) ·
 Do the Right Thing (1989) ·
 Mo' Better Blues (1990) ·
 Jungle Fever (1991) ·
 Malcolm X (1992) ·
 Crooklyn (1994) ·
 Clockers (1995) ·
 Girl 6 (1996) ·
 Get on the Bus (1996) ·
 He Got Game (1998) ·
 Summer of Sam (1999) ·
 Bamboozled (2000) ·
 25th Hour (2002) ·
 She Hate Me (2004) ·
 Inside Man (2006) ·
 Miracle at St. Anna (2008) ·
 Red Hook Summer (2012) ·
 Oldboy (2013) ·
 Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014)
 

Documentaries
 directed
4 Little Girls (1997) ·
 Freak (1998) ·
 The Original Kings of Comedy (2000) ·
 A Huey P. Newton Story (2001) ·
 The Concert for New York City (2001, directed the segment "Come Rain or Come Shine") ·
 Jim Brown: All-American (2002) ·
 When the Levees Broke (2006) ·
 Kobe Doin' Work (2009) ·
 Passing Strange (2009) ·
 If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise (2010) ·
 Bad 25 (2012)
 

Other films
 directed
Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983) ·
 Lumière and Company (1995) ·
 Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet (2002, directed the segment "We Wuz Robbed") ·
 All the Invisible Children (2005, directed the segment "Jesus Children of America")
 

Television
 directing work
Sucker Free City (2004) ·
 Miracle's Boys (2005, two episodes) ·
 Shark (2006, pilot episode) ·
 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014–present, opening sequence)
 

Related articles
40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks ·
 Bill Lee ·
 Joie Lee ·
 David Lee ·
 Cinqué Lee ·
 Malcolm D. Lee
 

  


Categories: 1991 films
English-language films
Films directed by Spike Lee
Films set in New York City
Films about interracial romance
Universal Pictures films
40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks films
American drama films
1990s drama films
Screenplays by Spike Lee
Adultery in films




Navigation menu



Create account
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
Deutsch
Español
فارسی
Français
Italiano
Nederlands
日本語
Polski
Português
Русский
Simple English
Српски / srpski
Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски
Suomi
Svenska
Türkçe
Українська
Edit links
This page was last modified on 26 February 2015, at 04:08.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungle_Fever










Jungle Fever
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  (Redirected from Jungle Fever (film))
Jump to: navigation, search

This article is about the film. For other uses, see Jungle Fever (disambiguation).

Jungle Fever
Jungle Fever film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Spike Lee
Produced by
Spike Lee
Written by
Spike Lee
Starring
Wesley Snipes
Annabella Sciorra
 Spike Lee
Ossie Davis
Ruby Dee
Samuel L. Jackson
Lonette McKee
John Turturro
Frank Vincent
Anthony Quinn
Music by
Terence Blanchard (score)
Stevie Wonder (songs)
Cinematography
Ernest Dickerson
Edited by
Sam Pollard

Production
 company

40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks

Distributed by
Universal Pictures

Release dates

June 7, 1991


Running time
 132 minutes
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$14,000,000
Box office
$43,882,682
Jungle Fever is a 1991 American romance drama film written, produced, and directed by Spike Lee, starring Wesley Snipes and Annabella Sciorra. It was Lee's fifth feature-length film. The film mainly explores interracial relationships against the urban backdrop of the streets of 1990s New York City.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production notes
4 Reception
5 Soundtrack
6 Awards
7 References
8 External links

Plot[edit]
The movie opens with Flipper Purify (Wesley Snipes) a successful and happily married architect from Harlem, making love to his wife, Drew (Lonette McKee). At work, he discovers that an Italian-American woman named Angie Tucci (Annabella Sciorra) has been hired as a temporary. Flipper tells his partners Jerry (Tim Robbins) and Leslie (Brad Dourif) that he wanted an African American secretary; they tell him that they want "the best human being for the job", no matter is the person white or black.
Flipper returns home after visiting his friend Cyrus (Spike Lee). Meanwhile, Angie returns to her Bensonhurst home, and cooks dinner for her father, Mike (Frank Vincent), and her two brothers, Charlie (David Dundara) and Jimmy (Michael Imperioli). Her boyfriend, Paulie (John Turturro), then takes her out on a date. One night, Flipper and Angie are working late at the firm, and they have a conversation about cooking. They continue to work together; enjoying an easy rapport and finding themselves enjoying their company, the two eventually have sex.
Sometime later, Flipper tells Jerry and Leslie that he wants to be made partner at their firm. After his request for promotion is declined, he abruptly quits his job in protest. Later that night at the park, Flipper admits his infidelity to Cyrus while taking a walk with him, who tells him the affair is problematic not only because Angie is white while he is black, but also because she is from Bensonhurst while he is from Harlem.
Later, Flipper's brother Gator (Samuel L. Jackson) shows up with his girlfriend, Vivian (Halle Berry). He asks Flipper for money to support his crack habit. Flipper gives in eventually to his brother's demands. Meanwhile, Angie tells her girlfriends that she is seeing Flipper, shocking them when she tells them he is African American. She then swears them to secrecy, but her friends cannot keep it to themselves and tell a number of people, one of whom is Angie's brother Charlie who then tells his father Mike.
The next evening Flipper and Angie are ignored by the staff at a restaurant for being together. He complains to a black waitress (Queen Latifah); she in turn berates him for dating a white woman, showing off their racism. Drew later discovers their affair and angrily throws Flipper out of the house. Flipper is forced to move back in with his mother, Lucinda (Ruby Dee), and his father, the Good Reverend Doctor (Ossie Davis).
Flipper later confronts Cyrus for betraying him. Cyrus admits he told his wife Vera (Veronica Webb), but did not know she told Drew (plus several other people). Flipper confronts and insults Vera, causing a rift in his friendship with Cyrus who stands beside his wife. Flipper tries to make things up to Drew by bringing her flowers, which she refuses. Meanwhile, Angie ends her relationship with Paulie. When Mike finds out about her tryst with a black man, he violently beats Angie and throws her out of his house.
Flipper and Angie move in together. The two encounter social problems, including a failed dinner with Flipper's parents, who don't approve it. Later, as they are walking down the street, the couple engages in horseplay and Flipper playfully throws Angie onto the hood of a car; two police officers arrive and, thinking he is raping her, draw their weapons. They stand down after Angie tells them that Flipper is her boyfriend and threatens to complain. This move angers Flipper.
Paulie attempts to start a relationship with an African American woman called Orin Goode (Tyra Ferrell), but encounters problems. Lucinda has Flipper visit and informs him that Gator has taken the television. She wants him to try and get it back before the Good Reverend Doctor comes home. Flipper finds Gator and Vivian at a crack house. Gator tells Flipper that he pawned the television. After slapping Vivian, Flipper tells Gator that he is cutting him off for good and leaves.
Eventually, racial and financial issues strain the relationship between Flipper and Angie so much so that they break up. Paulie convinces Orin to date him which results in conflict with his father and several neighborhood toughs. One night, Gator storms into his parents' house while the Reverend is away, demanding money. The Reverend arrives and the two argue. Gator refuses to leave and mocks his father. The Reverend shoots Gator in the stomach. Gator dies of his wounds, and The Reverend is arrested.
Angie eventually returns home. Flipper attempts to reconcile with Drew. After having sex with him, Drew, still hurt, tells Flipper it is best for him to leave. While walking down a street with his daughter, Flipper has a vision of her morphing into a prostitute he'd seen earlier. Flipper, in sharp response, hugs her and screams "No!"
Cast[edit]
Wesley Snipes as Flipper Purify[1]
Annabella Sciorra as Angie Tucci
Spike Lee as Cyrus
Ossie Davis as The Good Reverend Doctor Purify
Ruby Dee as Mrs. Purify
Samuel L. Jackson as "Gator" Purify[2]
Lonette McKee as Drew Purify
John Turturro as Paulie Carbone
Frank Vincent as Mike Tucci
Anthony Quinn as Lou Carbone
Halle Berry as Vivian
Tyra Ferrell as Orin Goode
Veronica Webb as Vera
David Dundara as Charlie Tucci
Michael Imperioli as James Tucci
Nicholas Turturro as Vinny
Michael Badalucco as Frankie Botz
Debi Mazar as Denise
Gina Mastrogiacomo as Louise
Tim Robbins as Jerry
Brad Dourif as Leslie
Theresa Randle as Inez
Miguel Sandoval as Officer Ponte
Charlie Murphy as Livin' Large
Grand L. Bush as Friend of Gator
Doug E. Doug as Friend of Livin' Large
Queen Latifah as LaShawn
Production notes[edit]
Before the opening credits begin, a dedication to Yusuf Hawkins is shown, who was killed on August 23, 1989, in Bensonhurst, New York, by neighborhood folk who believed the youth was involved with a white girl in the neighborhood, though he was actually in the neighborhood to inquire about a used car for sale.
Reception[edit]
The film gained mostly positive reviews, with particular praise for Samuel L. Jackson's performance as crack addict Gator, which is often considered to be his breakout role.[3][4][5][6]
Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a rating of 86% on based on 30 "Fresh" reviews and 5 "Rotten" ones.[7]
Soundtrack[edit]
Main article: Jungle Fever (soundtrack)
Awards[edit]
1991 Cannes Film Festival Best Supporting Actor: Samuel L. Jackson[8]
Prize of the Ecumenical Jury (Special Mention)
Kansas City Film Critics Circle Awards Best Supporting Actor: Samuel L. Jackson
National Board of Review 10th Best Film of the Year
New York Film Critics Circle Awards Best Supporting Actor: Samuel L. Jackson
Political Film Society Human Rights Award
References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Jungle Fever". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
2.Jump up ^ Williams, Lena (1991-06-09). "UP AND COMING; Samuel L. Jackson: Out of Lee's 'Jungle,' Into the Limelight". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
3.Jump up ^ "Spike Lee Cools Off but His 'Fever' Doesn't". The Los Angeles Times. 1991-05-17. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
4.Jump up ^ Freedman, Samuel G. (1991-06-02). "FILM; Love and Hate in Black and White". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
5.Jump up ^ "Spike Lee's 'Jungle Fever' seethes with realities of interracial relationships". Baltimore Sun. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
6.Jump up ^ "Jungle Fever". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2010-10-02.
7.Jump up ^ "Jungle Fever". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 2012-01-07.
8.Jump up ^ "Festival de Cannes: Jungle Fever". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-08-09.
External links[edit]
Jungle Fever at the Internet Movie Database
Jungle Fever at Box Office Mojo


[hide]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Spike Lee


Filmography ·
 Awards and nominations
 

Feature films
 directed
She's Gotta Have It (1986) ·
 School Daze (1988) ·
 Do the Right Thing (1989) ·
 Mo' Better Blues (1990) ·
 Jungle Fever (1991) ·
 Malcolm X (1992) ·
 Crooklyn (1994) ·
 Clockers (1995) ·
 Girl 6 (1996) ·
 Get on the Bus (1996) ·
 He Got Game (1998) ·
 Summer of Sam (1999) ·
 Bamboozled (2000) ·
 25th Hour (2002) ·
 She Hate Me (2004) ·
 Inside Man (2006) ·
 Miracle at St. Anna (2008) ·
 Red Hook Summer (2012) ·
 Oldboy (2013) ·
 Da Sweet Blood of Jesus (2014)
 

Documentaries
 directed
4 Little Girls (1997) ·
 Freak (1998) ·
 The Original Kings of Comedy (2000) ·
 A Huey P. Newton Story (2001) ·
 The Concert for New York City (2001, directed the segment "Come Rain or Come Shine") ·
 Jim Brown: All-American (2002) ·
 When the Levees Broke (2006) ·
 Kobe Doin' Work (2009) ·
 Passing Strange (2009) ·
 If God Is Willing and da Creek Don't Rise (2010) ·
 Bad 25 (2012)
 

Other films
 directed
Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads (1983) ·
 Lumière and Company (1995) ·
 Ten Minutes Older: The Trumpet (2002, directed the segment "We Wuz Robbed") ·
 All the Invisible Children (2005, directed the segment "Jesus Children of America")
 

Television
 directing work
Sucker Free City (2004) ·
 Miracle's Boys (2005, two episodes) ·
 Shark (2006, pilot episode) ·
 The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014–present, opening sequence)
 

Related articles
40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks ·
 Bill Lee ·
 Joie Lee ·
 David Lee ·
 Cinqué Lee ·
 Malcolm D. Lee
 

  


Categories: 1991 films
English-language films
Films directed by Spike Lee
Films set in New York City
Films about interracial romance
Universal Pictures films
40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks films
American drama films
1990s drama films
Screenplays by Spike Lee
Adultery in films




Navigation menu



Create account
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
Deutsch
Español
فارسی
Français
Italiano
Nederlands
日本語
Polski
Português
Русский
Simple English
Српски / srpski
Srpskohrvatski / српскохрватски
Suomi
Svenska
Türkçe
Українська
Edit links
This page was last modified on 26 February 2015, at 04:08.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jungle_Fever











Monster's Ball
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

For the professional wrestling match type, see Monster's Ball match. For Lady Gaga's concert tour, see Monster Ball Tour.
Not to be confused with Poké Ball, which is called "Monster Ball" in Japanese versions of Pokémon.

Monster's Ball
Monsterspub1.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Marc Forster
Produced by
Lee Daniels
Written by
Milo Addica
 Will Rokos
Starring
Billy Bob Thornton
Halle Berry
Heath Ledger
Peter Boyle
Sean Combs
Music by
Asche and Spencer
Cinematography
Roberto Schaefer
Edited by
Matt Chesse

Production
 company

Lee Daniels Entertainment

Distributed by
Lionsgate

Release dates

November 11, 2001 (AFI Fest)
February 8, 2002


Running time
 111 minutes
 112 minutes (Unrated)
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$4 million
Box office
$44,909,486
Monster's Ball is a 2001 American romantic drama film directed by German-Swiss director Marc Forster starring Halle Berry, Billy Bob Thornton and Heath Ledger. The film tells the story of a poor Southern woman who falls for a widowed prison-guard after the execution of her husband.
Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance, the first African-American woman to do so.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Development
4 Reception
5 Awards
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Plot[edit]
Hank Grotowski (Billy Bob Thornton), a widower, and his son, Sonny (Heath Ledger), are corrections officers in a local state prison. They reside in Louisiana with Hank's ailing father, Buck (Peter Boyle), a racist whose wife committed suicide.
Hank as a deputy warden oversees the execution of convicted murderer Lawrence Musgrove (Sean Combs). As explained to Sonny by Hank, at the diner bar the night before, the movie title is what the execution team calls that night's get-together. The proceedings prove too intense for Sonny, who begins to vomit and then collapses as he is leading Lawrence to the electric chair. Hank beats up Sonny in the jail's bathroom afterwards for being so "soft" and ruining a man's last walk. At home, Hank attacks Sonny in his bed and tells him to get out of the house. Sonny grabs a gun, and threatens his dad, who backs off. The confrontation ends in their living room with Hank at gunpoint, lying on the carpet, and Sonny in Buck's customary chair. Sonny asks his father if he hates him. After his father calmly confirms that he does and always has, Sonny responds, "Well, I always loved you," and then shoots himself in the heart. Hank subsequently buries Sonny in the back garden with no real funeral, as Buck says, "He was weak." Hank subsequently quits his job, burns his uniform in the backyard, and locks the door of Sonny's room.
During the years of Lawrence's imprisonment, his wife, Leticia (Halle Berry), has been struggling while raising their son, Tyrell (Coronji Calhoun), who has inherited his father's artistic talent. She goads the boy to the point of abuse over his obesity. Along with her domestic problems, Leticia struggles financially, leading to the loss of the family car and, worse, an eviction notice on her house. In desperate need of money, Leticia takes a job at a diner frequented by Hank. One rainy night, Leticia and Tyrell are walking down a soaked highway when Tyrell is struck by a car. Hank happens to be driving along and sees Leticia and Tyrell. After some hesitation, he picks Leticia and Tyrell up, and takes them to a hospital, but Tyrell dies upon arrival. At the suggestion of the authorities at the hospital, he drives her home. A few days later, Hank gives Leticia a ride home from the diner. They begin talking in the car about their common losses, and she invites him in. Hank finds out that Leticia is Lawrence's widow, though he does not tell her that he participated in her husband's execution. They drown their grief with alcohol and, in a particularly raw and graphic display, have sex as Leticia repeatedly mumbles "Make me feel good!"
Leticia stops by Hank's home with a present for him, but finds that he is out. She meets Buck, who insults her and implies that Hank is only involved with her because he wants to have sex with a black woman. Leticia is hurt and refuses to interact with Hank, so that incident proves to be the last straw for Hank and he decides to send his father to a nursing home. Leticia is evicted from her home for non-payment of rent and Hank invites her to move in with him. She later discovers Hank's involvement in her husband's death when she finds a drawing of Hank done by Lawrence before his death. She erupts, but is there waiting for him when he returns from town with ice cream. The film ends with the two of them eating ice cream together on the back porch, content with each other.
Cast[edit]
Billy Bob Thornton as Hank Grotowski
Halle Berry as Leticia Musgrove
Heath Ledger as Sonny Grotowski
Peter Boyle as Buck Grotowski
Sean Combs as Lawrence Musgrove
Mos Def as Ryrus Cooper
Coronji Calhoun as Tyrell Musgrove
Charles Cowan, Jr. as Willie Cooper
Amber Rules as Vera
Development[edit]



Louisiana State Penitentiary served as a filming location.
The film was produced by Lionsgate and Lee Daniels Entertainment.
Reception[edit]
The film received mostly positive reviews, with Berry's performance receiving widespread acclaim. Review website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 120 of the 141 reviews they tallied were positive. This resulted in a score of 85% and a certification of "Fresh".[1]
Roger Ebert gave the film four stars and stated that, "The movie has the complexity of great fiction"[2] listing it as the best film of 2001.
Awards[edit]
Academy Awards Best Actress in a Leading Role: Halle Berry (Winner)
Best Original Screenplay: Milo Addica & Will Rokos (Nominated)
BAFTA Awards Best Actress: Halle Berry (Nominated)
Berlin International Film Festival Silver Bear for Best Actress: Halle Berry (Winner)
Black Reel Awards Best Actress: Halle Berry (Winner)
Golden Globes Best Actress in a Drama: Halle Berry (Nominated)
MTV Movie Awards Best Female Performance: Halle Berry (Nominated)
National Board of Review Best Actor: Billy Bob Thornton (Winner)
Best Actress: Halle Berry (Winner)
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Halle Berry (Winner)

See also[edit]


Video-x-generic.svgFilm portal
 

References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Monster's Ball Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
2.Jump up ^ "Monster's Ball :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews". Chicago Sun-Times (February 1, 2002). Retrieved March 27, 2011
External links[edit]
Monster's Ball at the Internet Movie Database
Monster's Ball at AllMovie
Monster's Ball at Rotten Tomatoes
Monster's Ball at Box Office Mojo
Halle Berry Wins Best Actress in Monster's Ball: 2002 Oscars on YouTube


[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Films directed by Marc Forster















[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lee Daniels




















  


Categories: 2001 films
English-language films
2000s romantic drama films
American independent films
American romantic drama films
Films about capital punishment
Films about race and ethnicity
Films about racism
Films directed by Marc Forster
Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award winning performance
Films set in Louisiana
Films shot in Louisiana
Films about interracial romance
Lions Gate Entertainment films





Navigation menu



Create account
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
العربية
Català
Čeština
Deutsch
Ελληνικά
Español
Euskara
فارسی
Français
Galego
Italiano
עברית
Magyar
Nederlands
日本語
Norsk bokmål
Polski
Português
Русский
Slovenčina
Suomi
Svenska
Türkçe
Українська
中文
Edit links
This page was last modified on 5 February 2015, at 02:08.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster%27s_Ball









Monster's Ball
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search

For the professional wrestling match type, see Monster's Ball match. For Lady Gaga's concert tour, see Monster Ball Tour.
Not to be confused with Poké Ball, which is called "Monster Ball" in Japanese versions of Pokémon.

Monster's Ball
Monsterspub1.jpg
Theatrical release poster

Directed by
Marc Forster
Produced by
Lee Daniels
Written by
Milo Addica
 Will Rokos
Starring
Billy Bob Thornton
Halle Berry
Heath Ledger
Peter Boyle
Sean Combs
Music by
Asche and Spencer
Cinematography
Roberto Schaefer
Edited by
Matt Chesse

Production
 company

Lee Daniels Entertainment

Distributed by
Lionsgate

Release dates

November 11, 2001 (AFI Fest)
February 8, 2002


Running time
 111 minutes
 112 minutes (Unrated)
Country
United States
Language
English
Budget
$4 million
Box office
$44,909,486
Monster's Ball is a 2001 American romantic drama film directed by German-Swiss director Marc Forster starring Halle Berry, Billy Bob Thornton and Heath Ledger. The film tells the story of a poor Southern woman who falls for a widowed prison-guard after the execution of her husband.
Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance, the first African-American woman to do so.


Contents  [hide]
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Development
4 Reception
5 Awards
6 See also
7 References
8 External links

Plot[edit]
Hank Grotowski (Billy Bob Thornton), a widower, and his son, Sonny (Heath Ledger), are corrections officers in a local state prison. They reside in Louisiana with Hank's ailing father, Buck (Peter Boyle), a racist whose wife committed suicide.
Hank as a deputy warden oversees the execution of convicted murderer Lawrence Musgrove (Sean Combs). As explained to Sonny by Hank, at the diner bar the night before, the movie title is what the execution team calls that night's get-together. The proceedings prove too intense for Sonny, who begins to vomit and then collapses as he is leading Lawrence to the electric chair. Hank beats up Sonny in the jail's bathroom afterwards for being so "soft" and ruining a man's last walk. At home, Hank attacks Sonny in his bed and tells him to get out of the house. Sonny grabs a gun, and threatens his dad, who backs off. The confrontation ends in their living room with Hank at gunpoint, lying on the carpet, and Sonny in Buck's customary chair. Sonny asks his father if he hates him. After his father calmly confirms that he does and always has, Sonny responds, "Well, I always loved you," and then shoots himself in the heart. Hank subsequently buries Sonny in the back garden with no real funeral, as Buck says, "He was weak." Hank subsequently quits his job, burns his uniform in the backyard, and locks the door of Sonny's room.
During the years of Lawrence's imprisonment, his wife, Leticia (Halle Berry), has been struggling while raising their son, Tyrell (Coronji Calhoun), who has inherited his father's artistic talent. She goads the boy to the point of abuse over his obesity. Along with her domestic problems, Leticia struggles financially, leading to the loss of the family car and, worse, an eviction notice on her house. In desperate need of money, Leticia takes a job at a diner frequented by Hank. One rainy night, Leticia and Tyrell are walking down a soaked highway when Tyrell is struck by a car. Hank happens to be driving along and sees Leticia and Tyrell. After some hesitation, he picks Leticia and Tyrell up, and takes them to a hospital, but Tyrell dies upon arrival. At the suggestion of the authorities at the hospital, he drives her home. A few days later, Hank gives Leticia a ride home from the diner. They begin talking in the car about their common losses, and she invites him in. Hank finds out that Leticia is Lawrence's widow, though he does not tell her that he participated in her husband's execution. They drown their grief with alcohol and, in a particularly raw and graphic display, have sex as Leticia repeatedly mumbles "Make me feel good!"
Leticia stops by Hank's home with a present for him, but finds that he is out. She meets Buck, who insults her and implies that Hank is only involved with her because he wants to have sex with a black woman. Leticia is hurt and refuses to interact with Hank, so that incident proves to be the last straw for Hank and he decides to send his father to a nursing home. Leticia is evicted from her home for non-payment of rent and Hank invites her to move in with him. She later discovers Hank's involvement in her husband's death when she finds a drawing of Hank done by Lawrence before his death. She erupts, but is there waiting for him when he returns from town with ice cream. The film ends with the two of them eating ice cream together on the back porch, content with each other.
Cast[edit]
Billy Bob Thornton as Hank Grotowski
Halle Berry as Leticia Musgrove
Heath Ledger as Sonny Grotowski
Peter Boyle as Buck Grotowski
Sean Combs as Lawrence Musgrove
Mos Def as Ryrus Cooper
Coronji Calhoun as Tyrell Musgrove
Charles Cowan, Jr. as Willie Cooper
Amber Rules as Vera
Development[edit]



Louisiana State Penitentiary served as a filming location.
The film was produced by Lionsgate and Lee Daniels Entertainment.
Reception[edit]
The film received mostly positive reviews, with Berry's performance receiving widespread acclaim. Review website Rotten Tomatoes reported that 120 of the 141 reviews they tallied were positive. This resulted in a score of 85% and a certification of "Fresh".[1]
Roger Ebert gave the film four stars and stated that, "The movie has the complexity of great fiction"[2] listing it as the best film of 2001.
Awards[edit]
Academy Awards Best Actress in a Leading Role: Halle Berry (Winner)
Best Original Screenplay: Milo Addica & Will Rokos (Nominated)
BAFTA Awards Best Actress: Halle Berry (Nominated)
Berlin International Film Festival Silver Bear for Best Actress: Halle Berry (Winner)
Black Reel Awards Best Actress: Halle Berry (Winner)
Golden Globes Best Actress in a Drama: Halle Berry (Nominated)
MTV Movie Awards Best Female Performance: Halle Berry (Nominated)
National Board of Review Best Actor: Billy Bob Thornton (Winner)
Best Actress: Halle Berry (Winner)
Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role: Halle Berry (Winner)

See also[edit]


Video-x-generic.svgFilm portal
 

References[edit]
1.Jump up ^ "Monster's Ball Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved March 27, 2011.
2.Jump up ^ "Monster's Ball :: rogerebert.com :: Reviews". Chicago Sun-Times (February 1, 2002). Retrieved March 27, 2011
External links[edit]
Monster's Ball at the Internet Movie Database
Monster's Ball at AllMovie
Monster's Ball at Rotten Tomatoes
Monster's Ball at Box Office Mojo
Halle Berry Wins Best Actress in Monster's Ball: 2002 Oscars on YouTube


[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Films directed by Marc Forster















[show]
v ·
 t ·
 e
 
Lee Daniels




















  


Categories: 2001 films
English-language films
2000s romantic drama films
American independent films
American romantic drama films
Films about capital punishment
Films about race and ethnicity
Films about racism
Films directed by Marc Forster
Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award winning performance
Films set in Louisiana
Films shot in Louisiana
Films about interracial romance
Lions Gate Entertainment films





Navigation menu



Create account
Log in



Article

Talk









Read

Edit

View history

















Main page
Contents
Featured content
Current events
Random article
Donate to Wikipedia
Wikimedia Shop

Interaction
Help
About Wikipedia
Community portal
Recent changes
Contact page

Tools
What links here
Related changes
Upload file
Special pages
Permanent link
Page information
Wikidata item
Cite this page

Print/export
Create a book
Download as PDF
Printable version

Languages
العربية
Català
Čeština
Deutsch
Ελληνικά
Español
Euskara
فارسی
Français
Galego
Italiano
עברית
Magyar
Nederlands
日本語
Norsk bokmål
Polski
Português
Русский
Slovenčina
Suomi
Svenska
Türkçe
Українська
中文
Edit links
This page was last modified on 5 February 2015, at 02:08.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.
Privacy policy
About Wikipedia
Disclaimers
Contact Wikipedia
Developers
Mobile view
Wikimedia Foundation
Powered by MediaWiki
   
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monster%27s_Ball