Story of movie Poison Film : Poison is a 1991 American science fiction drama horror film written and directed by Todd Haynes and starring Edith Meeks, Larry Maxwell, Susan Gayle Norman, Scott Renderer, and James Lyons.
| Poison | |
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DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Todd Haynes |
| Produced by |
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| Screenplay by | Todd Haynes |
| Based on | Various novels by Jean Genet |
| Starring |
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| Narrated by | Richard Hansen |
| Music by | James Bennett |
| Cinematography | Maryse Alberti |
| Edited by |
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Production company |
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| Distributed by | Zeitgeist Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 85 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $250,000 |
| Box office | $787,280 |
It is composed of three intercut stories that are partially inspired by the novels of Jean Genet. With its gay themes, Poison is considered an early entry in the New Queer Cinema movement. The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 11, 1991. It was released in a limited release by Zeitgeist Films on April 5, 1991.
Screenplay
The three intercut stories that comprise Poison are:
- Hero: Seven-year-old Richie shoots his father and then flies away. The story is told in the style of an episode of a tabloid television news magazine.
- Horror: Told in the style of a "psychotropic horror film" of the mid-1960s, Horror is about a scientist who isolates the "elixir of human sexuality" and, after drinking it, is transformed into a hideous murdering leper.
- Homo: The story of a prisoner, John Broom, who finds himself attracted to another prisoner, Jack Bolton, whom he had known and seen humiliated as a youth in a juvenile facility. It is an adaptation of part of Genet's The Miracle of the Rose (1946).
- Scott Renderer as John Broom
- James Lyons as Jack Bolton
- Edith Meeks as Felicia Beacon
- Millie White as Millie Sklar
- Buck Smith as Gregory Lazar
- Rob LaBelle as Jay Wete
- John Leguizamo as Chanchi
- Anne Giotta as Evelyn McAlpert
- Lydia Lafleur as Sylvia Manning
- Ian Nemser as Sean White
- Evan Dunsky as Dr. MacArthur
- Susan Gayle Norman as Dr. Nancy Olsen
- Marina Lutz as Hazel Lamprecht
- Barry Cassidy as Officer Rilt
- Richard Anthony as Edward Comacho
- Angela M. Schreiber as Florence Giddens
- Justin Silverstein as Jake
- Chris Singh as Chris
- Edward Allen as Fred Beacon
- Larry Maxwell as Dr. Graves
Poison had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 11, 1991. Zeitgeist Films later acquired distribution rights to the film. It was released in a limited release on April 5, 1991
The film received generally positive reviews, currently holding a 76% "fresh" rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
- Berlin International Film Festival Teddy Award for Best Feature Film, 1991 (winner)
- Fantasporto Critics' Award, 1992 (winner); International Fantasy Film Award Best Film, 1992 (nominated)
- Independent Spirit Awards Best Director, 1992 (nominated); Best First Feature, 1992 (nominated)
- Locarno International Film Festival Golden Leopard, 1991 (nominated)
- Sitges - Catalan International Film Festival Special Prize of the Jury, 1991, "For keeping the subversive values inherent to any genuine poetry in force."
- Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize - Dramatic, 1991 (winner)
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