Let the Devil Wear Black
Let the Devil Wear Black | |
---|---|
Directed by | Stacy Title |
Screenplay by | Stacy Title Jonathan Penner |
Based on | Hamlet by William Shakespeare |
Produced by | Matt Salinger |
Starring | Randall Batinkoff Jacqueline Bisset Maury Chaykin Philip Baker Hall Mary-Louise Parker Jonathan Penner Norman Reedus Jamey Sheridan |
Cinematography | Jim Whitaker |
Music by | Christophe Beck |
Production company | New Moon Productions |
Distributed by | A-Pix Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 89 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Let the Devil Wear Black is a 1999 crime thriller film directed by Stacy Title, co-written by Title and her husband, actor Jonathan Penner. The film is a modern retelling of the classic play Hamlet.[1]
Background
The film is a modern-day version of William Shakespeare's Hamlet set in Los Angeles.[2] Its promotional tagline is "Something is Rotten in the City of Angels".
The film reworks various Shakespearean plot devices.[3] All of the language is modern. Comparisons are easy to spot between the play and the film if the person is familiar with the play.[2] Even with it being based on Hamlet, Christopher Null of Film Critic said that it still has enough originality.[4] Before the film was rated, Joe Leydon of Variety said that a couple of relatively explicit sex scenes would have to be cut if the producers wanted an R rating.[3]
Plot
Jack, a grad student who has a history of
Cast
- Jonathan Penner as Jack Lyne
- Randall Batinkoff as Bradbury
- Norman Reedus as Brautigan
- Jacqueline Bisset as Helen Lyne
- Mary-Louise Parker as Julia Hirsch
- Jamey Sheridan as Carl Lyne
- Chris Sarandon as Mr. Lyne
- Andrea Martin as April
- Philip Baker Hall as Sol Hirsch
- Joanna Gleason as Dr. Rona Harvey
- Jonathan Banks as Satch
- Maury Chaykin as Bruce
Home media
The DVD was released in 2000 in English and German.[5] The DVD has 15 chapters, Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, pan and scan transfer, Spanish subtitles, and a moving video scene index menu. The special features are behind the scenes footage and two versions of the film's movie trailer.
Reception
A Reel Film review said the actors are good and that the somber tone makes the film watchable.[2] Christopher Null, of Film Critic, said that the film's most priceless moment is when the character Ophelia samples dog food.[4]
References
- ^ Let the Devil Wear Black at AllMovie
- ^ a b c "Let the Devil Wear Black". Reel Film. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
- ^ a b Leydon, Joe (1999-06-28). "Let the Devil Wear Black". Variety. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
- ^ a b Null, Christopher (2001-04-03). "Let the Devil Wear Black". Film Critic. Archived from the original on 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2010-06-09.
- ^ "Let the Devil Wear Black (1999) R". Fancast. Archived from the original on 2009-04-12. Retrieved 2010-06-09.