Bound is a 1996 neo-noir
crime thriller film directed by the
Wachowski Brothers. It is about a woman (Jennifer
Tilly) who longs to escape her relationship with Caesar, a Mafioso (Joe Pantoliano). When she meets the alluring ex-con (Gina Gershon) hired to renovate the next-door apartment, the two women begin an affair and hatch a scheme
to steal $2 million of Mafia money from Caesar.
Bound was the first film directed by the Wachowskis, and they took inspiration from Billy Wilder to tell a noir story filled with sex and violence. Financed by Dino De Laurentiis. the film was made on a tight budget with the help of frugal crewmembers including cinematographer Bill Pope. The directors
initially struggled to cast the lesbian characters of Violet and Corky before securing Tilly and
Gershon. To choreograph the sex scenes, the directors employed sex educator Susie Bright,
who was an extra in the film.
Bound received positive reviews from film critics who praised the humor and style of the directors as well as the
realistic portrayal of a lesbian relationship in a mainstream film. Detractors of the film criticized the excessive violence and
superficiality of the plot. It won several festival awards during 1996 and 1997.
Plot
Corky (Gershon), a lesbian ex-con who has just finished a five year jail sentence, arrives at an apartment building to start work as a
plumber and decorator. On the way up to the apartment she
encounters the couple that live next-door, Violet (Tilly) and Caesar (Pantoliano). Shortly after Corky starts work, Violet asks
Corky to help her retrieve an earring from her sink. Corky extracts the earring and Violet gives
her a beer in return. Violet admits she lost the earring on purpose, and begins to seduce
Corky. They are interrupted by the arrival of Caesar. When Corky leaves, Violet follows her and apologizes for not finishing what
she started. They go to Corky's apartment and have sex. The next morning, Violet tells Corky that Caesar is a money launderer for the mafia and they have been together for five years
(a sentence similar to Corky's).
In Caesar and Violet's apartment, Caesar and some others start beating and torturing a man
called Shelly (Barry Kivel), who has been skimming money from the business. Violet tells Corky
that she wants to make a new life for herself, but that she needs Corky's help. She knows that Caesar will find the missing
money, about $2 million, and count it in the apartment, giving them the opportunity to steal it. Corky is unsure whether or not
to trust Violet.
Later, Caesar returns to the apartment with a bag of bloody money. Shelly is dead, shot by Johnnie (Christopher Meloni), the son of Mafia boss Gino Marzonne (Richard C. Sarafian). Caesar proceeds to wash and iron the bloody money, hanging it up to dry.
Corky and Violet plan to steal money from the Mafia.
At Corky's place, she and Violet make plans. Violet explains that Caesar and Johnnie hate each other, and that Gino and
Johnnie will be coming to pick up the money from Caesar. The plan is as follows: When Caesar has finished counting the money,
Violet will get him a drink to relax him. Corky will be next-door, waiting until she hears Caesar start running the shower.
Violet will drop the bottle of Scotch that is for Gino and tell Caesar that she is going
to get some more. As she leaves the apartment, she will let Corky in, who will then steal the money from its briefcase. Corky
will then come back with the Scotch and tell Caesar that she just saw Johnnie leaving, but that Gino was not with him. Caesar
will check the money, find it's gone and assume Johnnie has taken it. He will have to run.
Everything goes as planned until Caesar discovers that the money has gone. He realizes that if he runs, Gino will know he took
the money. He decides he has to get the money back from Johnnie. Panicking, Violet threatens to leave. Caesar pulls out his gun
and forces her to stay, thinking that maybe she and Johnnie are in it together.
Corky waits next door with the money while Gino and Johnnie arrive. Caesar pulls a gun out and tells Gino that Johnnie stole
the money. He ends up killing them both. He tells Violet that they are going to have to find the money, get rid of the bodies and
pretend they never turned up.
Unable to find the money at Johnnie's apartment, Caesar telephones Micky (John P.
Ryan), a Mafia friend, telling him that Gino has yet to arrive. Caesar discovers that it was Corky and Violet who stole
the money. He ties them up and demands to know where it is, threatening to torture them. When Micky arrives to see what is going
on, Caesar tells him Gino was in a car accident and Micky leaves for the hospital. Corky tells Caesar where she has hidden the
money. He goes next-door to find it and Violet escapes. She makes a phone call to Micky, telling him that Caesar stole the money,
then pulls a gun on Caesar, telling him that Micky is on his way and that he should run while he can. Caesar tells Violet that he
know she will not shoot him, but she does, and kills him.
Later, Micky, who believes Violet, tells her that he will find Caesar, that there is no need to get the police involved. She
thanks him and tells him that she has to make a new life. She drives off with Corky who remarks that there is no difference
between them.
Background and production
Conception
Film producer Joel Silver has said that after working as scriptwriters on
Assassins, the Wachowski Brothers made Bound as an "audition piece" to
prove that they knew what to do on a movie set.[1]
They had the idea to write a story about how one might see a woman on the street and make assumptions about her sexuality, but
how those assumptions might be wrong.[2]
They wanted to play with stereotypes and while making a film that was entertaining and that
contained sex and violence, because those are the kinds of films that they like to watch.[1][2] Seeing film noir as a genre within which they could tell a
contained story and twist conventions, they describe Billy Wilder as a big
influence.[2]
When executives at some studios read the script, they told the Wachowskis that if they changed the character of Corky to that
of a man, they would be interested. The brothers declined, saying "that movie's been made a million times, so we're really not
interested in it."[3] Dino De Laurentiis, the executive producer on
Assassins, offered to finance Bound and his company produced it, giving them "free rein" over the story.[4] The film's budget was $6,000,000.[1]
Casting
The Wachowski brothers struggled to cast the roles of Violet and Corky, seemingly because of the lesbian content of the film.
Few actresses were interested.[3] The part of
Violet was expected to go to Linda Hamilton, and Jennifer Tilly read for the part of
Corky. She loved the role and was looking forward to playing a character very different to previous parts in her career.[5] When the part of Violet became available, and Gina Gershon
came in to read for Corky, Tilly agreed that Gershon would make a better Corky.[6] She realized that she identified with the character of Violet, a woman
"underestimated by all the men around her" who has to "play the game".[5][7] She describes it as
the best role she had ever had.[5] Gina Gershon
suggested Joe Pantoliano to the Wachowski Brothers for the part of Caesar. His first lead role in a film, he describes it as his
favorite.[8]
Filming
Bound was shot in thirty-eight days in Santa Monica,
California.[3][4] The Wachowski's original director of
photography resigned on the grounds that he could not do the film with the limited budget he had available, nor did he
know anyone he believed could. The brothers subsequently hired cinematographer Bill Pope, who
knew " a bunch of cheap guys".[9] Pope became
heavily involved in creating the visual noir style of the film. He and the Wachowskis drew from their love of comics and were
influenced by Frank Miller's neo-noir Sin
City series in particular.[1] Pope's
sound counterpart was sound director Dane Davis. One of his ideas was to give Corky a
cat-like quality by making a "swishing" sound every time she walks past the camera in the scene
where she and Violet plan the theft.[4]
The Wachowskis asked Joe Pantoliano to watch John Huston's The Treasure of the Sierra Madre and to focus on Humphrey Bogart's character in order to prepare the paranoia of
Caesar.[4] Gershon's influences for her role were
James Dean, Marlon Brando and Clint Eastwood.[4] Both
Gershon and Tilly were nervous about filming the sex scenes and prepared by drinking tequila.[7]
Very little improvisation took place during the filming due to the directors' extensive
planning and clear vision for the film.[4] Not
everything went as expected, however as the physical exchanges in the script caused some injuries. Barry Kivel, whose character
Shelly was violently beaten in Caesar's bathroom, received a head injury from his head being banged against the toilet. In the
scenes between Corky and Caesar near the end of the film, Gina Gershon hit her hand so hard when she knocked a gun from Joe
Pantoliano's hand that she required stitches.[4]
Sex scenes
The sex scenes were choreographed by feminist writer and sex
educator Susie Bright. The Wachowski brothers were fans of Bright and sent her a
copy of the script with a letter asking her to be an extra in the film. When she read the script she loved it, particularly as it
was about women enjoying having sex and not apologizing for it. Disappointed that they never described exactly what was happening
in the sex scenes, she asked if she could be a sex consultant for the film and they agreed.[4] The main sex scene set in Corky's apartment was filmed in one long shot. The
Wachowski Brothers believed that this would look more realistic than several shots edited together.[4] Although it should have been a closed set, there were actually many people
present, moving the walls of the set in order to allow full movement of the camera around the actors.[4]
Bright appeared as Jessie, the woman Corky tries to talk to in the bar. Comedienne Margaret Smith played Jessie's girlfriend and the extras in the bar scene were Bright's
friends — "real life San Francisco dykes".[4]
Themes
The Wachowski brothers describe several themes present in Bound. They say that the film is about "the boxes people make
of their lives", that it is not only gay people who "live in closets". They wanted to define
all of Bound's characters by the "sort of trap that they were making out of their lives".[3] Violet is trapped in her life with Caesar, and in the first scene, Corky is
literally inside Violet's closet, bound by Caesar.[4] This scene is echoed later in the film when Violet says "I had this image of you inside of
me..."[4] This theme of being trapped is exacerbated
by the claustrophobic feeling created by the fact that most of the film takes place in Corky's apartment, Violet and Casear's
apartment, or the apartment next door where Corky is working.[4]
Susie Bright described some of the specifically lesbian themes of the film. One is the concept of the hand as a
sex organ, highlighted by lingering camera shots of Corky and Violet's hands.[4] Another is the repeated use of water as a symbolic
motif to represent women, present for example when Corky is retrieving Violet's
earring from the sink.[4] Bright describes it as a
movie that is "wet" (feminine) as opposed to "hard" (masculine).[4] She says the scene where Corky and Violet have their first conversation is full of "lesbian signs".
She highlights the fact that Violet, away from Caesar, is wearing jeans and able to be less overtly feminine. Jennifer Tilly says
that whenever Violet is talking to men, her voice becomes high-pitched and "girly" — making her seem vulnerable and ensuring she
is taken care of. Joe Pantoliano agrees, saying that the result is that "everyone in the film wants to be with Violet".[4] When she is with Corky, Violet can drop the act and talk
at a more natural pitch. According to Bright, the more subtle lesbian themes of the film were noticed and appreciated at the
LGBT film festival screenings.[4]
Cast
- Jennifer Tilly as Violet, Mafia moll, who wants to get out of "the
business".
- Gina Gershon as Corky, ex-con working on the apartment next-door to
Violet and Caesar.
- Joe Pantoliano as Caesar, Violet's boyfriend and money-launderer for
the Mafia.
- John P. Ryan as Micky Malnato, Caesar's Mafia friend.
- Christopher Meloni as Johnnie Marzzone, son of Gino and Caesar's
rival.
- Richard C. Sarafian as Gino Marzzone, Mafia boss who tries to make
peace between his son and Caesar.
- Mary Mara as Sue, the bartender of the gay bar that Corky visits.
- Susie Bright as Jesse, a girl in a bar who Corky tries to pick up.
- Margaret Smith as Woman Cop, Jesse's girlfriend who
recognizes Corky as an ex-con.
- Barry Kivel as Shelly, Caesar's associate who steals mafia money and is killed
by Johnnie.
- Peter Spellos as Lou, Mickey's Mafia associate.
- Ivan Kane as Cop #, called to Violet and Caesar's apartment after gunshots are
heard when Caesar kills Gino and Johnnie. Gino convinces them the shots were on his turned-up television.
- Kevin Michael Richardson as Cop #2
- Gene Borkan as Roy, Gino's driver.
Rating and distribution
Bound was rated by the Motion Picture Association of
America as R for "strong sexuality, violence and language." To achieve that rating, the directors had to cut part of the
first sex scene between Corky and Violet.[4] They
were most concerned with the images of what Larry Wachowski called "hand-sex".[10] It was rated R in Australia, R18 in New Zealand and 18 in the United Kingdom. In Canada it was rated as R in Manitoba and Ontario, 18 in Nova Scotia and 16+ in Quebec.
The film premiered on August 31 1996 at the Venice Film Festival and in September went on to play at
the Toronto Film Festival. It opened in US theaters on
October 4 1996 distributed by Gramercy Pictures,
showing in 261 theaters.[11] It
closed after three weeks. It opened in the United Kingdom on February 28 1997.[12]
Bound was released on Region 1 DVD on November 12 1997 by Republic Pictures. It featured the original theatrical
trailer and an audio commentary by the
directors and stars.[13] It was released on
Region 2 DVD on August 25 2003 by Pathé
Distribution featuring original theatrical trailers, audio commentary by the directors and stars, cast and crew
biographies and a production featurette.[14] Its Region 4 DVD release came on August 14 2006 distributed by Reel and featuring an audio commentary.[15]
Reception
Box Office
Bound grossed $3,802,260 in the United States. In its opening weekend, showing at 261 theaters, it earned $900,902
which was 23.7% of its total gross.[11] According to Box Office Mojo, it ranked at 161
for all films released in the US in 1996 and 74 for R-rated films released that year. As of June 2007, its all time ranking for
LGBT-related films is 54.[11]
Critics
Rotten Tomatoes gave it a "fresh" rating of 91% based on 32 reviews,[16] and Metacritic gave it a score of 61% based on 19 reviews.[17] The Wachowski brothers were widely acclaimed by critics for their debut
which was described as clever,[18]
sophisticated[19] and stylish.[20] Roger Ebert[21] said that their skilful film making showed virtuosity and confidence.
Marjorie Baumgarten writing for The Austin Chronicle called it an impressive
debut saying that the Wachowskis have "style to burn".[22] James Kendrick called it a darkly comical and stunning film, saying it signalled the arrival of the
Wachowskis on the film scene.[23] Detractors of the film
included Todd McCarthy for Variety, who said that the directors had no sense
of humor and lacked depth, that the film was pretentious, superficial and heavy-handed.[24]
On the release of Bound, the Wachowskis were compared by many to the Coen
Brothers.[23][25] Rita Kempley for The Washington
Post went so far as to call them "Coen Brothers clones".[18] In particular, similarities were drawn between Bound and the Coen Brothers' first film, 1984
neo-noir Blood Simple.[26][27] Bryant Frazer
for Deep Focus called it an "obvious precursor".[28] Critics noted resemblances to the films of Quentin
Tarantino and Alfred Hitchcock.[29][23][30]
The violence in the film was condemned by some critics and praised by others.
Janet Maslin for The New York Times said that the grisly violence in
Bound would likely limit its audience and Ebert said that its shocking violence would offend some audiences.[21][25] Some critics said that the violent behavior of the characters had no moral justification. Rita
Kempley for The Washington Post called it "well-nigh unwatchable cruelty for
its own sake".[18] McCarthy, who called the central
relationship between the two women unbelievable and unsympathetic, said "just because Violet and Corky fall for each other
doesn't mean they somehow fall into a privileged state of grace in which vile behavior can be forgiven."[24] Other critics were less concerned, calling the violence "comically
excessive" and "Tarantino-like".[20][29]
Bound was praised for being perhaps the first mainstream film to have a LGBT relationship
at its heart without homosexuality being central to the plot.[30][31] Despite the presence of "unapologetically gay" lead character of Corky, it is not considered a
"lesbian movie".[32][26] Emanuel Levy said that this is a weakness, that mainstream films with
broadening storylines "do not necessarily represent a positive development in the making of gay and lesbian films" and that
Bound has "little, if anything, to do with lesbian cinema".[20] Jonathan Rosenbaum for the Chicago Reader called it a "welcome change" to have a lesbian couple as the main characters in a
mainstream film.[33] Sarah
Warn for AfterEllen.com called Corky "the closest thing to a realistic and
sympathetic butch lesbian we've seen in a mainstream movie".[31] Barry Walters for the San Francisco
Chronicle praised the film for showing gay characters that have an active sex life.[34] The sex scenes, described as explicit and steamy, were admired for being
tasteful, discreet and realistic.[32][34] Warn called them "some of the best lesbian sex
scenes to date in a mainstream movie".[31]
The three lead actors were complimented for their performances. Ebert said that Gershon and Tilly were electric together, and
Frazer said that he would have liked to have seen more of their love story.[21][28] Some critics however
described their onscreen relationship as unbelievable and unsympathetic.[19][24] Gershon was seen to
have made a comeback after her role in the less well received 1995 film Showgirls.[21] Tilly's
performance was compared to her Academy Award-nominated part in Bullets Over Broadway.[27] Pantoliano was described as "a lot of fun" and having "trickiest scenes in the movie".[21][35]
Awards
Bound won the Grand Jury Award - Honorable Mention at the 1996 L.A. Outfest, and in
the same year won an Honorable Mention at the Stockholm International
Film Festival.[36][37] At the 1997 Fantasporto festival in
Portugal, the Wachowski brothers were awarded the International Fantasy Film Award for best
film, and Jennifer Tilly picked up the award for best actress.[38] Bound won the 1997 GLAAD Media Award
for Outstanding (wide-release) Film.[17]
Music
Cover of the 1997 promotional release of the
Bound score
The score, composed by Don Davis, was given
a promotional release on November 25 1997 on the Super Tracks Music Group but has never been released commercially.[39] The use of the Jew's harp by the character
of Corky, was Gina Gershon's idea.[4] The directors
were significantly limited by their budget when it came to choosing songs for the soundtrack. They had wanted to use
"The Girl from Ipanema" and Frank Sinatra
songs, but could not afford to.[4] The four songs
used in the film were not included on the score release.[40]
Track listing
- "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)" (Ronny Shannon) performed by Aretha Franklin
- "Hallelujah, I Love Her So" (Ray Charles) performed by Ray Charles
- "Hopeless Faith" performed by The Hail Marys
- "She's a Lady" (Paul Anka) performed by Tom Jones
References
- ^ a b c d e Marx, Christy (2005). The Wachowski Brothers: Creators of the Matrix. The Rosen Publishing Group, 19-21.
ISBN 1404202641.
- ^ a b c Horowitz, Josh
(2003-11-05). The Lost Wachowski
Brothers Interview. MoviePoopShoot.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-10.
- ^ a b c d
Whilk, Nat & Whitehead, Jayson (January
1998), Glory Bound: An interview with Larry and Andy Wachowski, <http://www.gadflyonline.com/archive-wachowski.html>. Retrieved on 2007-06-05
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v Wachowski Brothers, Joe Pantoliano, Jennifer Tilly, Gina Gershon, Susie Bright. Director/Writers/actors Commentary
(DVD). Gramercy Pictures.
- ^ a b c
Vincent, Mal (1996-11-07), Tilly is no
Shrinking Violet in "Bound", <http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/VA-news/VA-Pilot/issues/1996/vp961107/11070036.htm>. Retrieved on
2007-06-05
- ^
Harkness, John (October 1996), Jennifer Tilly - Noir thriller
brings versatile actor out of ingenue ghetto, <http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/16/05/Ent/cover.html>. Retrieved on 2007-07-11
- ^ a b
Stagg Elliott, Victoria (March 1997), Bound to Please, <http://www.bound.ch/diva.htm>. Retrieved on
2007-06-19
- ^ Morris, Clint. Joe Pantoliano: Exclusive
Interview. WebWombat.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
- ^ Lamm, Spencer. Bill Pope. The Matrix
official site. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
- ^ Merck, Mandy (2000). In
Your Face: 9 Sexual Studies. NYU Press, 124-147. ISBN 0814756395.
- ^ a b c
Bound. BoxOfficeMojo.com.
Retrieved on 2007-05-09.
- ^ Bound (1996). Cinema.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
- ^ Bound. MovieWeb.com.
Retrieved on 2007-07-11.
- ^ Bound (1997): DVD. Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved on
2007-08-22.
- ^ Bound. EzyDVD. Retrieved on 2007-08-22.
- ^ Bound. Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved on 2007-05-09.
- ^ a b Bound. MetaCritic. Retrieved on 2007-05-09.
- ^ a b c
Kempley, Rita (1996-10-04), "'Bound' for
Gory", The Washington Post, <http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/review96/boundkemp.htm>. Retrieved on
2007-05-28
- ^ a b
Schwarzbaum, Lisa (1996-10-11), "Girlie Movie", Entertainment Weekly, <http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,294522,00.html>. Retrieved on 2007-05-28
- ^ a b c Levy, Emanuel. Bound. EmanuelLevy.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
- ^ a b c d e
Ebert, Roger (1996-10-04),
"Bound", Chicago Sun-Times,
<http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19961004/REVIEWS/610040302/1023>.
Retrieved on 2007-05-28
- ^
Baumgarten, Marjorie (1996-10-04), "Bound",
The Austin Chronicle, <http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Calendar/Film?Film=oid%3a138033>. Retrieved on
2007-05-28
- ^ a b
c Kendrick, James. Bound. QNetwork. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
- ^ a b c
McCarthy, Todd (1996-01-26), "Bound", Variety (magazine), <http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=review&reviewid=VE1117904897&CS=1>. Retrieved on
2007-05-28
- ^ a b
Maslin, Janet (1996-10-04),
"Girl Meets Girl. Dumps Boy.", The New York
Times, <http://movies2.nytimes.com/mem/movies/review.html?_r=3&title1=BOUND%20%28MOVIE%29&reviewer=By%20JANET%20MASLIN&pdate=19961004&oref=slogin&oref=slogin>.
Retrieved on 2007-05-28
- ^ a b
Newman, Kim, "Bound",
Empire Magazine, <http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=131896>. Retrieved on
2007-05-28
- ^ a b
Thomas, Kevin (1996-10-04), "Bound",
Los Angeles Times, <http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-movie961028-45,0,1355383.story>. Retrieved on
2007-05-28
- ^ a b Frazer, Bryant. Bound. Deep Focus. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
- ^ a b
Schickel, Richard
(1996-10-07), "No
Gag", Time (magazine), <http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985288,00.html>. Retrieved on
2007-05-28
- ^ a b
LaSalle, Mick (1996-10-04),
"Darkly
Witty 'Bound' a Taut Noir Caper", San Francisco Chronicle, <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1996/10/04/DD42774.DTL>. Retrieved on
2007-05-28
- ^ a b c Warn, Sarah (2003-06-06). Review of "Bound". AfterEllen.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
- ^ a b
Fowler, Jimmy (1996-10-03), "Dynamic duo",
Dallas Observer, <http://www.dallasobserver.com/1996-10-03/film/dynamic-duo/>. Retrieved on 2007-05-28
- ^
Rosenbaum, Jonathan, "Bound",
Chicago Reader, <http://onfilm.chicagoreader.com/movies/capsules/13817_BOUND>. Retrieved on 2007-05-28
- ^ a b
Walters, Barry (1996-10-04), "Sexy, funny,
fast-paced film is "Bound' to please", San Francisco
Chronicle, <http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/e/a/1996/10/04/WEEKEND7240.dtl>. Retrieved on
2007-05-28
- ^ Null, Christopher.
Bound. Filmcritic.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-29.
- ^ The Wachowski Brothers Biography. Tribute.ca. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
- ^ 1996 Year's Winners. Stockholm International Film Festival. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
- ^ Fantasporto Awards. www.caleida.pt. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
- ^ Bound. FilmTracks.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
- ^ Bound Soundtrack. SoundTrackInfo.com. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.
External links
Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
