American Gigolo
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American Gigolo
Plot
A slick Los Angeles callboy finds love and redemption in Paul Schrader's ultra-stylish drama. High-living prostitute Julian Kay (Richard Gere, stepping in for John Travolta) has it all: the Mercedes, the clothes, access to Beverly Hills' swankiest establishments, and a stable of rich, older female clients. But it all falls apart after he does a favor for his former pimp (Bill Duke) and the trick turns up dead a short while later; Julian's actual client won't give him an alibi, and police detective Sunday (Hector Elizondo) doesn't believe the gigolo's denials. The one person who can help him is frustrated politician's wife (and sole non-paying bedmate) Michelle (Lauren Hutton), if only Julian could let down his defenses and accept her gesture of love. Mixing his admiration for European art cinema with a voyeuristic view of the seamier side of sex and affluence, Schrader renders Julian an inscrutable, emotionally disengaged purveyor of pleasure, decked out in Giorgio Armani clothes coordinated with Ferdinando Scarfiotti's meticulous production design. Amid critical doubts about its artiness and distanced eroticism, American Gigolo surprised everyone by not dying on the box office vine. With some audiences reportedly showing up for repeat viewings of Gere's seductive charms, it became a moderate hit, turning Gere into a star and Armani into the new fashion sensation. Whatever reservations one may have about the movie, it provided two indelible images of 1980s decadence to come: Gere's perusing his "artist's palette" of shirts, ties, and jackets, and Gere's cruising down the Pacific Coast Highway in his convertible to the New Wave strains of Blondie's "Call Me". ~ Lucia Bozzola, RoviReview
In retrospect, Paul Schrader's paean to perms, pimps, and playboy peccadillos seems like the first instant of the 1980s. Even while the subject matter remains steeped in a depraved '70s milieu, Richard Gere practices the kind of casual materialism and wears the kind of pastel Miami Vice fashion that confirms the arrival of that decade. The result is a zeitgeist film balancing on a tight rope between one world of underground lairs and street hustles, and another of high-priced hotels and sprawling swimming pools. Even when Julian struts and strides, confidently burning bridges and flaunting his business acumen, all the while enjoying the fruits of his labors, the sword of Damocles is visible over his head. He's ready for the free enterprise of the 1980s, but the debts of the 1970s hold him back -- in more ways than he anticipated. Always good at documenting seedy underbellies, Schrader continued in that vein two years after writing Taxi Driver (and two years before Raging Bull), even if his agenda sometimes softens to lukewarmness, especially in the unfulfilling finish. This film also announced Gere as a handsome new star to be reckoned with, worth more than John Travolta's sloppy seconds. The other lingering impression is the genial malevolence of the pimp created by character actor Bill Duke; his is a simmering presence. American Gigolo is one of the best-known early efforts from producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and one of the last not to make a serious chunk of change at the box office. ~ Derek Armstrong, RoviCast
- Richard Gere - Julian Kaye
- Lauren Hutton - Michelle Stratton
- Hector Elizondo - Detective Sunday
- Nina Van Pallandt - Anne
- Bill Duke - Leon Jaimes
Credit
Ed Richardson - Art Director, Vic Ramos - Casting, Peter Bogart - First Assistant Director, Paul Schrader - Director, Richard Halsey - Editor, Freddie Fields - Executive Producer, Giorgio Moroder - Composer (Music Score), George P. Gaines - Production Designer, Ferdinando Scarfiotti - Production Designer, John Bailey - Cinematographer, Jerry Bruckheimer - Producer, Mark Fabus - Set Designer, George P. Gaines - Set Designer, Barry Thomas - Sound/Sound Designer, Paul Schrader - Screenwriter| American Geisha (1986 Film), American Gangsters: The Promised Land (2000 Film) | |
| American Girls: Identity and Adolescence - Run Like a Girl (Film), American Girls: Identity and Adolescence - Smile Pretty (Film) |
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American Gigolo
For other uses, see American Gigolo (disambiguation).
| American Gigolo | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
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| Directed by | Paul Schrader |
| Produced by | Jerry Bruckheimer |
| Written by | Paul Schrader |
| Starring | Richard Gere Lauren Hutton Hector Elizondo Nina Van Pallandt Bill Duke |
| Music by | Giorgio Moroder |
| Cinematography | John Bailey |
| Editing by | Richard Halsey |
| Distributed by | Paramount Pictures |
| Release date(s) | February 8, 1980 |
| Running time | 117 min. |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $4,800,000[citation needed] |
| Box office | $22,743,674[1] (domestic) |
American Gigolo is a 1980 American crime drama film, written and directed by Paul Schrader. It is informally considered the first installment in his "lonely man" trilogy, preceding Light Sleeper (1992) and The Walker (2007).[2]
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Contents
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Plot
Julian Kaye (Richard Gere) is a male escort in Los Angeles whose job supports his expensive taste in cars, stereophonic equipment, and clothes. He is, at times, blatantly narcissistic and superficial; however, he claims to take some pleasure in his work from being able to sexually satisfy women.
When on an assignment for his primary procuress, Anne (Nina Van Pallandt), he meets Michelle Stratton (Lauren Hutton), the unhappy wife of a local politician, who becomes interested in him. Julian's other pimp, Leon (Bill Duke), sends him to the house of a financier, Mr. Rheiman, who asks Julian to physically abuse and have sex with his wife while he watches them.
As Julian begins to get to know Michelle, he learns that the financier's wife, Mrs. Rheiman, was murdered. Los Angeles Police Department Detective Sunday (Hector Elizondo) investigates Julian as a primary suspect. Though he was with a client, Lisa Williams (K Callan), on the night of the murder, the client refuses to give Julian an alibi in order to protect her and her husband's reputations.
As Julian's relationship with Michelle deepens, suspicion of the murder mounts against him. He soon realizes that he is being framed and grows increasingly desperate. His mounting anguish is visually represented by a degeneration in style as his clothes become rumpled, he goes unshaven, and he even rents a cheap commuter car after his Mercedes SL has been tampered with.
Julian finally confronts Leon, who confesses that one of the other, younger gigolos who works for him had killed the wealthy man's wife, and Leon had conceived the plan to frame Julian. After an argument, Julian accidentally pushes Leon over the apartment balcony and he falls to his death.
With no one to help him, Julian ends up in jail, awaiting trial for the murder. However, when all seems lost, Michelle risks her reputation and that of her husband to provide Julian with the alibi that can save him from prison.
Production
John Travolta, after the successes of Saturday Night Fever (1977) and Grease (1978) had been offered the Julian Kaye role, but got "cold feet" and dropped out.[3] This is not the only role that Travolta has turned down only to be taken by Richard Gere; it had previously happened with Days of Heaven (1978)[4] and occurred again when Travolta was offered the lead in both An Officer and a Gentleman (1982) and Chicago (2002).[5] Christopher Reeve reportedly turned down the role despite a million dollar fee.[6] Julie Christie was attached to the role of Michelle Stratton at one stage but left the production when Gere was briefly replaced by Travolta.[7] When Gere returned to the project, Lauren Hutton had already been hired for the role. Meryl Streep was also offered the role of Michelle which she declined because she didn't like the tone of the film.[8] Schrader acknowledges that Pickpocket (1959) by the French director Robert Bresson was a direct influence on the film;[9][10] the composition of the final shot draws heavily from the film,[11][12] as does the final dialogue.[13] Schrader later provided an introduction to the Criterion Collection DVD of Pickpocket. Schrader re-visited many of the themes of American Gigolo in his 2007 film, The Walker,[14] and says the idea for that film came about while wondering what would have become of the Julian Kaye character.[15] Richard Gere's nude scenes marked the first time a major Hollywood actor was frontally nude in a film,[16][17] and the wardrobe used in the film put Armani on the fashion map.[18]
Soundtrack
Main article: American Gigolo (soundtrack)
See also
References
- ^ Box Office Mojo. 2010. American Gigolo (1980). [Online] IMDb.com, Inc. (Updated 2010) Available at: http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=americangigolo.htm [Accessed 24 January 2010]. Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5n28WEaQl.
- ^ Holden, S., 2007. Crimes of the Naïve, Superficial Heart. The New York Times, [internet] 7 December. Available at http://movies.nytimes.com/2007/12/07/movies/07walk.html [Accessed 28 January 2010].
- ^ Jones, C. 2002. Richard Gere: On guard. [Online] BBC (Updated 27 Dec 2002) Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/uk/2000/newsmakers/2591237.stm [Accessed 25 January 2010]. Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5n2vlsIV6.
- ^ Gilbey, R. 2009. Who's next for a Mickey Rourke-style comeback?. [Online] Guardian.co.uk (Updated 17 Feb 2009) Available at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/filmblog/2009/feb/16/mickey-rourke-wrestler [Accessed 25 January 2010]. Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5n2wXCKBR.
- ^ Lawrence, W., 2007. Travolta as you've never seen him before. Times Online, [internet] 30 June. Available at http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/film/article1989219.ece [Accessed 25 January 2010]. Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5n2wl0xoV.
- ^ Holley, J., 2004. A Leading Man for Spinal Cord Research. The Washington Post, [internet] 12 October. Available at http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23222-2004Oct11.html [Accessed 25 January 2010]. Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5n3XvSoO5.
- ^ Yahoo! Movies. 2010. Julie Christie Biography. [Online] Yahoo! (Updated 2010) Available at: http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/contributor/1800020090/bio [Accessed 26 January 2010]. Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5n4P3DZgY.
- ^ Smurthwaite, N., 1984. The Meryl Streep Story. Beaufort Books. ISBN 978-0-8253-0229-9.
- ^ Thompson, R.J., 1998. Pickpocket. Senses of Cinema, [online] 1998. Available at: http://archive.sensesofcinema.com/contents/cteq/00/7/pickpocket.html [Accessed 27 January 2010]. Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5n6kr6A2S.
- ^ Auty, C. 2008. Robert Bresson's Pickpocket. [Online] Film Forum (Updated 4 Aug 2008) Available at: http://www.filmforum.org/films/pickpocket.html [Accessed 27 January 2010]. Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5n6lFFD91.
- ^ Johnston, S., 2003. Film-makers on film: Paul Schrader. Telegraph.co.uk, [internet] 25 January. Available at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/3589003/Film-makers-on-film-Paul-Schrader.html [Accessed 26 January 2010]. Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5n5CfRHMB.
- ^ Dawson, T. 2005. Pickpocket (2005). [Online] BBC (Updated 3 Apr 2005) Available at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2005/04/04/pickpocket_2005_review.shtml [Accessed 26 January 2010]. Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5n5CyDtou.
- ^ Sight & Sound. 2007. Robert Bresson: Alias Grace. British Film Institute, [internet] November 2007. Available at: http://www.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/49407 [Accessed 26 January 2010]. Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5n5DP9fzc.
- ^ Malcolm, D., 2007. American gigolo in the frame. London Evening Standard, [internet] 9 August. Available at http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/film/review-23407689-american-gigolo-in-the-frame.do [Accessed 27 January 2010]. Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5n65HEfVh.
- ^ Schrader, P. 2007. The Walker. [Online] Landmark Theatres (Updated 2007) Available at: http://www.landmarktheatres.com/mn/walker.html [Accessed 27 January 2010]. Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5n65msC6g.
- ^ Persall, S., 2009. Male movie stars' naughty bits are nothing new. St. Petersburg Times, [internet] 7 March. Available at http://www.tampabay.com/features/movies/article981982.ece [Accessed 24 January 2010]. Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5n26DnQUF.
- ^ Dirks, T. 2009. History of Sex in Cinema: The Greatest and Most Influential Sexual Films and Scenes. [Online] Filmsite.org (Updated 2009) Available at: http://www.filmsite.org/sexinfilms.html (part 27) [Accessed 24 January 2010]. Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5n26j4TVJ.
- ^ Allmovie. 2010. American Gigolo: Overview. [Online] Macrovision Corporation (Updated 2010) Available at: http://www.allmovie.com/work/1969 [Accessed 24 January 2010]. Archived at http://www.webcitation.org/5n27qN68m.
External links
- American Gigolo at the Internet Movie Database
- American Gigolo at AllRovi
- American Gigolo at Rotten Tomatoes
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