Prizzi's Honor
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Prizzi's Honor
Plot
Richard Condon's delicious black comedy was lovingly translated to the screen by legendary director John Huston in one of his last movies. The Prizzis are a powerful family of mobsters, as devoted to their code of honor as they are to bending laws and breaking skulls. Charley Partanna (Jack Nicholson), a Prizzi hit man, is not quite so honorable, at least where affairs of the heart are concerned. While attending a mob wedding, he throws over his longtime sweetheart Maerose Prizzi (Anjelica Huston) in favor of gorgeous Irene Walker (Kathleen Turner). Supposedly a tax consultant, Irene is actually a paid killer like Charley--and this endears her to him all the more. But when it turns out that Irene has betrayed the Prizzis, Charley finds himself on the horns of a dilemma: does he kill Irene or marry her? Fortuitously, Irene helps Charley make up his mind by attempting to kill him. The film's strongest suit is its matter-of-fact approach to Charley and Irene's profession; in the movie's most memorable scene, the two lovers calmly discuss their dinner plans while disposing of the corpse of their latest victim. Nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Director, Prizzi's Honor won Best Supporting Actress for Huston's daughter Anjelica, playing the "art imitates life" role of Nicholson's cast-off girl friend. The win made Anjelica, John, and Walter Huston the only three generations of one family all to win Oscars. ~ Hal Erickson, RoviReview
This wickedly post-modern gangster film about a dull-witted Mafia hitman who falls for a slightly smarter version of himself is distinguished by the bleakly comic dialogue by Janet Roach, an exquisitely droll performance by Angelica Huston, and an amusingly gravelly-voiced turn by William Hickey as a deceptively vicious don. Based on an irony-rich novel by Richard Condon (The Manchurian Candidate), Prizzi's Honor was craftily directed by Hollywood veteran John Huston and lusciously photographed by Andrej Bartkowiak. The movie so charms us that we almost forget that these are mobsters whose livelihood depends on others' misfortune, a point cleverly driven home when the married mobsters are hired to kill each other. Jack Nicholson alternately hams and charms his way through the role, while Kathleen Turner is in fine full-throated form as the noir-ish femme fatale. The film carries a subversive subtext about American business practices that hints at Condon's and Huston's deeper purpose, but it is so well disguised by Huston's light touch with the dark material that Prizzi's Honor effortlessly transcends its sinister undertones. ~ Dan Jardine, RoviCast
- Jack Nicholson - Charley Partanna
- Kathleen Turner - Irene Walker
- Anjelica Huston - Maerose Prizzi
- William Hickey - Don Corrado Prizzi
- Robert Loggia - Eduardo Prizzi
Credit
Tracy Bousman - Art Director, Michael Helmy - Art Director, Alixe Gordin - Casting, Donfeld - Costume Designer, John Huston - Director, Kaja Fehr - Editor, Rudi Fehr - Editor, Deborah Lee - Location Manager, Alex North - Composer (Music Score), Mickey Scott - Makeup, E. Thomas Case - Makeup, Dennis Washington - Production Designer, Andrzej Bartkowiak - Cinematographer, Donald C. Klune - Production Manager, John C. Foreman - Producer, Charles Truhan - Set Designer, Bruce Weintraub - Set Designer, Connie Brink - Special Effects, Richard Condon - Screenwriter, Janet Roach - Screenwriter, Richard Condon - Book Author| Prizemyavane (1987 Film), Prize Winners (1916 Film) | |
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Prizzi's Honor
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| Prizzi's Honor | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster |
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| Directed by | John Huston |
| Produced by | John Foreman |
| Written by | Richard Condon Janet Roach |
| Starring | Jack Nicholson Kathleen Turner Robert Loggia Anjelica Huston William Hickey |
| Music by | Giacomo Puccini Alex North |
| Cinematography | Andrzej Bartkowiak |
| Editing by | Kaja Fehr Rudi Fehr |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox (United States) Producers Sales Organization (non-United States) |
| Release date(s) | June 13, 1985 |
| Running time | 130 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $26,657,534 (US) [1] |
Prizzi's Honor is a 1985 American black comedy film directed by John Huston. It stars Jack Nicholson, Kathleen Turner, Robert Loggia and Anjelica Huston.
The film was adapted by Richard Condon and Janet Roach from Condon's novel of the same name (1982). Its score, composed by Alex North, adapts the music of Giacomo Puccini and Gioachino Rossini.
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Contents
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Synopsis
The film tells the story of a mob hit man (Nicholson) and hit woman (Turner) who fall in love, even though they have been hired to kill each other.
Cast
- Jack Nicholson as Charley Partanna
- Kathleen Turner as Irene Walker
- Robert Loggia as Eduardo Prizzi
- Anjelica Huston as Maerose Prizzi
- William Hickey as Don Corrado Prizzi
- C. C. H. Pounder as Peaches Altamot
- John Randolph as Angelo "Pop" Partanna
- Lee Richardson as Dominic Prizzi
- Michael Lombard as Rosario Filangi "Finlay"
- George Santopietro as Plumber
- Ann Selepegno as Amalia Prizzi
- Lawrence Tierney as Lt. Hanley
- Vic Polizos as Phil Vittimizzare
- Dick O´Neil as Bluestone
- Sully Boyar as Casco Vasorne
Critical reception
Pauline Kael wrote:
"This John Huston picture has a ripe and daring comic tone. It revels voluptuously in the murderous finagling of the members of a Brooklyn Mafia family, and rejoices in their scams. It's like The Godfather acted out by The Munsters. Jack Nicholson's average-guyness as Charley, the clan's enforcer, is the film's touchstone: this is a baroque comedy about people who behave in ordinary ways in grotesque circumstances, and it has the juice of everyday family craziness in it."[2]
Awards
Academy Awards
The film won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress (Huston).
It was also nominated for:
- Best Actor (Nicholson)
- Best Supporting Actor (William Hickey)
- Best Costume Design
- Best Director
- Best Film Editing (Kaja Fehr and Rudi Fehr)
- Best Picture
- Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium
American Film Institute
- AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs - Nominated[3]
- AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions - Nominated[4]
- AFI's 10 Top 10 - Nominated Gangster Film[5]
See also
References
- ^ "Prizzi's Honor (1985)". Box Office Mojo. http://boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=prizzishonor.htm. Retrieved 5 November 2011.
- ^ [dead link][1]
- ^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs Nominees
- ^ AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions Nominees
- ^ AFI's 10 Top 10 Ballot
External links
- Prizzi's Honor at AllRovi
- Prizzi's Honor at the Internet Movie Database
- Prizzi's Honor at the TCM Movie Database
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