Boxing Helena
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| Boxing Helena | |
 original movie poster |
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| Directed by | Jennifer Lynch |
|---|---|
| Produced by | Philippe Caland |
| Written by | Philippe Caland (story) Jennifer Lynch |
| Starring | Sherilyn Fenn Julian Sands Bill Paxton Kurtwood Smith Art Garfunkel |
| Music by | Graeme Revell |
| Cinematography | Bojan Bazelli Frank Byers |
| Editing by | David Finfer |
| Distributed by | Orion Pictures |
| Release date(s) | United Kingdom: June 18, 1993 United States: September 3, 1993 |
| Running time | 107 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Boxing Helena is the 1993 debut feature film by Jennifer Lynch, daughter of David Lynch. The film stars Julian Sands and Sherilyn Fenn as the eponymous Helena.
Contents |
[edit] Tagline
"A deep, dark obsession that bares a woman's body and a man's soul."
[edit] Plot
Nick Cavanaugh (Sands) is a lonely Atlanta surgeon obsessed with a girl called Helena (Fenn). After she is injured in a grievous hit-and-run motor vehicle accident in front of his home, he kidnaps and treats her in his house surreptitiously, amputating both of her legs. Later, he amputates her healthy arms as well.
Though Helena is the victim of Nick's kidnapping and mutilation, she dominates the dialogue with her constant emasculating ridicule of him for all of his shortcomings.
After some time living together she becomes lonely and returns his affection.
[edit] Cast
- Sherilyn Fenn as Helena
- Julian Sands as Dr. Nick Cavanaugh
- Bill Paxton as Ray O'Malley
- Kurtwood Smith as Dr. Alan Palmer
- Art Garfunkel as Dr. Lawrence Augustine
- Betsy Clark as Anne Garrett
- Nicolette Scorsese as Fantasy Lover/Nurse
- Meg Register as Marion Cavanaugh
- Bryan Smith as Russell
- Marla Levine as Patricia
- Kim Lentz as Nurse Diane
- Lloyd T. Williams as Sam the Clerk
[edit] Critical reaction
The film was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the 1993 Sundance Film Festival. However, the media critically mauled it on its release. Helena is also remembered for the legal battle that ensued when first Madonna[1], then Kim Basinger backed out of the title role—eventually Basinger was the subject of an adverse jury verdict for over eight million dollars.[2][3] This caused Basinger to enter bankruptcy, although the verdict was set aside on appeal in 1994.[4] The film also won for "Worst Director" for Lynch from the Golden Raspberry Awards. Although the film was a huge box office bomb when it was originally released, the film has since earned a cult following among fans.
[edit] Music
Especially known is the music during the scene where Helena showers in a fountain, while a party crowd watches. The scene was originally scored by the film's composer, Graeme Revell, based on the "Love Theme" used sparsely elsewhere in the movie, with vocals by Bobbi Page. At the producers' request, "The Fountain Song" replaced Revell's score in the original movie-release and the DVD. It was written and performed by Wendy Levy.
[edit] Miscellaneous
- Fenn had previously worked with Lynch's father, David Lynch, in a small role in Wild at Heart (1990) and cult-status TV series Twin Peaks (1990-91) as femme fatale Audrey Horne.
- Much of the film was filmed in the Atlanta mansion of famed defense attorney Ed Garland.
- The Misfits song "Helena" chronicles this story, and opens with the lyric "If I cut off your arms and cut off your legs, would you still love me anyway?" continuing in the same vein.[5]
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,318779,00.html
- ^ "Unarmed And Dangerous: Jennifer Lynch loses Madonna, Basinger, gains Fenn for Boxing Helena." Entertainment Weekly. Issue 119. May 22, 1992.
- ^ "Boxing Helena". Allmovie. http://www.allmovie.com/cg/avg.dll?p=avg&sql=1:121285.
- ^ "Kim Basinger - Biography". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000107/bio. Retrieved on 2007-09-08.
- ^ Misfits website
