Johnny Suede
Johnny Suede | |
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Directed by | Tom DiCillo |
Written by | Tom DiCillo |
Produced by | Yoram Mandel Ruth Waldburger |
Starring |
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Cinematography | Joe DeSalvo |
Edited by | Geraldine Peroni |
Music by | Jim Farmer |
Distributed by | Miramax Films |
Release dates |
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Running time | 97 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $500,000[1] |
Box office | $90,000[2] |
Johnny Suede is a 1991 American film, the directorial debut of Tom DiCillo, and stars Brad Pitt, Catherine Keener, Calvin Levels and Nick Cave.[3]
Synopsis
Johnny Suede is a young man with an attitude and an immense pompadour, who aspires to be a rock n' roll star like his idol Ricky Nelson. He believes he has all the stylistic accoutrements sans a pair of black suede shoes. One night a pair of black suede shoes mysteriously appear, landing on top of the telephone booth he was using. Shortly there afterwards, Johnny meets Darlette, a sultry bohemian with whom he sleeps. Despite Darlette's jealous and abusive gun-toting boyfriend, Johnny see Darlette daily. The destitute Johnny is forced to pawn his guitar to pay his rent while Darlette mysteriously vanishes. Johnny's friend Deke lends him the money to get his guitar back from the pawnshop, and the duo form a band. Sad and depressed about Darlette's desertion, Johnny wanders around New York aimlessly until he meets Yvonne, a woman more intelligent than Johnny. Yvonne teaches him that there are things in life much more important than a pair of black suede shoes.
Cast
- Brad Pitt as Johnny Suede
- Michael Luciano as Mr. Clepp
- Calvin Levels as Deke
- Nick Cave as Freak Storm
- Wilfredo Giovanni Clark as Slick
- Alison Moir as Darlette
- Peter McRobbie as Flip Doubt
- Ron Vawter as Winston
- Dennis Parlato as Dalton
- Tina Louise as Mrs. Fontaine
- Michael Mulheren as Fred Business
- Wayne Maugans as Ned Business
- Catherine Keener as Yvonne
- Tom Jarmusch as Conan
- Samuel L. Jackson as B-Bop
- Ashley Gardner as Ellen
Production
Around 1985, while taking acting classes in New York City, Tom DiCillo was impressed with the local punk movement and the resurgence of
Casting
Pre-production, early casting and the search for Johnny quickly followed. By August 1989, having not found what they were looking for in New York, DiCillo and his casting director, Marcia Shulman, went to Los Angeles, where Brad Pitt was the second to last guy seen. DiCillo recalls, "[He] didn’t have much on his resume. In fact he only had two things; he’d done a small Canadian TV series and he’d just finished shooting what he’d listed as his only real film credit — something called
Music
Original music for the film was performed by rockabilly guitar legend Link Wray. Subsequently, a version was released on Netflix that removed 8 minutes of Wray's music. DiCillo objected to this version, and subsequently was allowed to reedit the film himself, removing scenes and voiceover that had been added by the distributor.[9]
Release and reception
The film was entered into competition at the
The movie reportedly grossed $90,091 in the US box office, against a production budget of $500,000, though this was in one cinema - its widest release.[2]
Home media
The 2009 Anchor Bay release of this film includes an audio commentary track from DiCillo.
References
- ^ "Johnny Suede (1991) - Financial information". The Numbers. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
- ^ a b "Johnny Suede (1991)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
- ^ Canby, Vincent (1992-08-14). "Johnny Suede (1992) Wishing Isn't Enough To Make a Ricky Nelson". The New York Times.
- ^ Lowenstein (2002, p. 31)
- ^ Lowenstein (2002, p. 32)
- ^ a b Lowenstein (2002, p. 35)
- ^ Lowenstein (2002, p. 36)
- ^ a b c d DiCillo, Tom (January 12, 2008). "39. Johnny Too Bad". Tom DiCillo Blog. tomdicillo.com. Retrieved January 30, 2008.
- ^ "Why Brad Pitt's Early Film 'Johnny Suede' Was Reworked". The Hollywood Reporter. 8 August 2014. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
Works cited
- Lowenstein, Stephen, ed. (2002). My First Movie: 20 Celebrated Directors Talk about Their First Film. London: Penguin Books. ISBN 0-14-200220-8.