Madonna filmography

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Madonna

Madonna as Eva Peron in the 1996 film Evita
Born Madonna Louise Ciccone
August 16, 1958 (1958-08-16) (age 49)
Bay City, Michigan, U.S.
Years active 1979 - present

American entertainer Madonna started her film career in 1979 in low budget feature A Certain Sacrifice. Since then she has starred in numerous Independent and Hollywood motion pictures. She has also appeared in three starring theatre roles, numerous television commercials and has finished her directorial debut short-film Filth and Wisdom which debuted at the 2008 Berlin Film Festival. In 1997 she won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical for her role in Evita.

Contents

[edit] Motion pictures

In 1979, Madonna starred in low-budget feature A Certain Sacrifice. Its release in 1985 coincided with the success of her Like a Virgin album, and Madonna tried to prevent its release. That same year, Madonna made a small cameo appearance as a club singer in the film Vision Quest singing Crazy for You; then garnered commercial and critical success in Susan Seidelman's Desperately Seeking Susan, a story of a housewife who is fascinated with a woman she only knows by reading messages in the personals section of a New York City tabloid. It was a commercial success and grossed $27 million in the United States alone.[1]

Madonna then appeared in the adventure drama Shanghai Surprise (1986) with then-husband Sean Penn. The film was dismissed by moviegoers and received poor reviews, many of them calling her acting wooden. Subsequent films such as Who's That Girl (1987) and Bloodhounds of Broadway (1989) failed to attract commercial or critical success. She was the first choice for the role of "Susie Diamond" in The Fabulous Baker Boys, but famously rejected the part claiming it was "too mushy" [2]. This proved to be an unwise decision on her part because the film turned out to be a box-office hit and it brought Michelle Pfeiffer to even greater fame.

In 1990, Madonna received good reviews for her turn as Breathless Mahoney in Dick Tracy, directed by Warren Beatty and based on Chester Gould's comic strip. Beatty would later surface again in the 1991 documentary Madonna: Truth or Dare (aka In Bed With Madonna) which showed the behind the scenes to the 1990 Blond Ambition Tour.

In 1992, Madonna released two movies. The first was a cameo appearance as a trapeze artist in Woody Allen's Shadows and Fog. The black and white film was an homage to German Expressionist cinema, backed by the music of Kurt Weill. She also starred in Penny Marshall's A League of Their Own opposite Tom Hanks, Geena Davis and Rosie O'Donnell. The film centered on a women's baseball team during World War II and earned Madonna good reviews. It was a big commercial success worldwide especially in North America.

Following the media backlash caused by her Sex book and its companion album Erotica, Madonna starred in the 1993 erotic thriller Body of Evidence with Willem Dafoe and Anne Archer. It was panned by critics and performed poorly at the box office. It caused great controversy in the media due to the explicit and unintentionally funny sexual content. Later that year, she starred in Dangerous Game opposite Harvey Keitel and James Russo. Considered nihilistic and violent, it was released straight to home video. Madonna did however, receive good reviews. Madonna has remarked her dislike of the end result saying of the director Abel Ferrara: "He fucked me over. .. however, I am good in it." This was also the first movie production from Madonna's entertainment company Maverick.

In 1995, Madonna almost got the role of the drug addicted, "Ginger McKenna" in Martin Scorsese's, Casino, though she had secured the role, she lost the part at the last minute to Sharon Stone, who convinced Scorsese to cast her instead. Madonna played a cameo, singing telegram girl in Wayne Wang's Blue in the Face and a witch in Four Rooms. She also made another cameo appearance as a phone sex company owner in Spike Lee's Girl 6 in 1996. Later that year Madonna starred as Eva Perón in the film adaptation of the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical Evita. The film marked the first time in America since Desperately Seeking Susan that she was praised for her acting. Madonna had campaigned for the role for nearly ten years and, in December 1994, she wrote a four-page, handwritten letter to director Alan Parker explaining that she would be perfect to play the role. Parker agreed and Madonna took voice lessons to extend her range and researched the life of her character.[3] In January 1997, she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, but failed to receive a nomination at the Academy Awards, though the song "You Must Love Me" won the Oscar for Best Song. Both "You Must Love Me" and "Don't Cry for Me Argentina" were hit singles.

Madonna's follow-up to Evita was another critically panned role as Abbie, a woman who decides to have a baby with her gay best friend, in the film The Next Best Thing (2000) directed by John Schlesinger. In America, the film started off strong on its opening week with $15 million, but this quickly diminished.

Swept Away followed in 2002, and was another critical and commercial failure. The remake of an Italian film by Lina Wertmüller in 1975 was the first big screen collaboration between Madonna and her husband Guy Ritchie. It received seven Razzie Award nominations, winning five including Worst Actress for Madonna. The movie was only released to a few hundred cinemas in America and was released straight-to-video in Europe. Later that year, Madonna had a short cameo appearance in the James Bond film Die Another Day, and also sang the theme song. In the movie, Madonna played a fencing instructor named Verity who taught at a British academy.

During the 2004 Re-Invention Tour, a documentary entitled I'm Going to Tell You a Secret was filmed by Jonas Akerlund, showing behind the scenes footage of the tour. It was premiered on MTV in November 2005. In late 2004, she provided the voice of Princess Selenia in the animated film Arthur and the Invisibles, which was released in January 2007. It was directed by Luc Besson[4] and has been a commercial success worldwide with two sequels already in the planning.

She had originally been selected to play the title role in Music of the Heart, however she was replaced by Meryl Streep two weeks before filming began.

Madonna has stated that she would act in films, as a hobby, as opposed to making it a career. She has liked acting, but as of now, she wants to focus on her music career. It has also been hard for producers to get her into movies, because she always has differences with the script. She has also stated that she would like to star in another movie musical sometime in the future. Ironically, she was up for the role of "Velma Von Tussle" in the movie adaptation of the broadway hit, Hairspray, and the role of "Donna", in the movie adaptation of another broadway hit, Mamma Mia.[citation needed] Madonna failed to receive either of the roles, and they went to Michelle Pfeiffer and Meryl Streep instead.

[edit] Filmography

This is a chronologically-ordered list of films in which Madonna has appeared.

Year Title Character Movie Studio
1985 A Certain Sacrifice Bruna Cine Cine Productions
1985 Vision Quest aka Crazy For You Singer (cameo) Warner Bros. Pictures
1985 Desperately Seeking Susan Susan Orion Pictures
1986 Shanghai Surprise Gloria Tatlock HandMade Films
1987 Who's That Girl Nikki Finn Warner Bros. Pictures
1989 Bloodhounds of Broadway Hortense Hathaway Columbia Pictures/American Playhouse
1990 Dick Tracy Breathless Mahoney Touchstone Pictures/Disney/Buena Vista
1991 Truth or Dare aka In Bed with Madonna Herself Miramax Films/Dino de Laurentiis
1992 Shadows and Fog Marie Orion Pictures
1992 A League of Their Own Mae Mordabito Columbia Pictures
1993 Body of Evidence Rebecca Carlson MGM Pictures/Dino de Laurentiis
1993 Dangerous Game aka Snake Eyes Sarah Jennings Cecchi Gori/Maverick Films
1995 Blue in the Face aka Brooklyn Boogie Singing Telegram (cameo) Miramax Films/Buena Vista
1995 Four Rooms Elspeth Miramax Films/Buena Vista
1996 Girl 6 Boss #3 (cameo) 20th Century Fox
1996 Evita Eva Perón Hollywood Pictures/Cinergi Pictures
2000 The Next Best Thing Abbie Reynolds Lakeshore Entertainment/Paramount Pictures
2002 Swept Away Amber Leighton Screen Gems/Columbia Pictures
2002 Die Another Day Verity (cameo) MGM Pictures/Danjaq Inc.
2005 I'm Going to Tell You a Secret Herself Maverick Films/RiverRoad/Lucky Lou
2006 Arthur and the Invisibles Princess Selenia (voice) EuropaCorp/The Weinstein Company
2008 I Am Because We Are Herself Semtex Films

[edit] Directing

Madonna has directed an advertising TV campaign for her clothing range with fashion chain H&M and also directed her first feature film Filth and Wisdom.

Year Title Medium
2007 M by Madonna H&M TV commercial
2008 Filth and Wisdom Feature film

[edit] Documentaries

Truth or Dare aka In Bed With Madonna (1991)
Truth or Dare aka In Bed With Madonna
(1991)

In 1991, Madonna released the documentary Truth or Dare (named In Bed with Madonna outside the U.S.). Directed by Alek Keshishian, the film followed Madonna on her Blond Ambition world tour. It featured black and white backstage scenes and live performances filmed in color.

Truth or Dare grossed more than $15 million in the U.S. alone.[5] While criticized for being manufactured, the film offered insights into Madonna's relationship with then-boyfriend Warren Beatty and showed her admitting that ex-husband Sean Penn was the love of her life. Madonna deeply dislikes the title of In Bed With Madonna and has expressed in interviews that it is a "stupid title". The original title of the documentary was "Truth or Dare: On The Road, Behind The Scenes and In Bed With Madonna".

In 1992, behind the scenes footage was filmed by Fabien Baron during the making of the book "SEX". This footage was intended to be shown at the launch party of the book, and has since been leaking on the internet. It includes many of the images used in the "Erotica" music video accompanied by 1920s music. It was handed out to 100 special guests at the launch and is listed on www.imdb.com as a documentary. It is sometimes known as "The Making of SEX".

Madonna's second documentary, I'm Going to Tell You a Secret (2005), followed her and her family on the Re-Invention World Tour in 2004. Directed by long-time collaborator Jonas Åkerlund, it premiered commercial free on MTV in the US on October 21, 2005. It was released on DVD June 20, 2006 with a bonus audio CD.

In late 2006, Madonna announced that she was funding a documentary about Malawi and it was through viewing this footage that she first saw David Banda, who she now is fostering and hoping to eventually adopt. An excerpt from this can be found on Amazon.com.[6] The film is called I Am Because We Are.

[edit] On stage

In 1986 Madonna appeared in a workshop of Goose and TomTom written by David Rabe and directed by Gregory Mosher, Madonna played "Gum chewing gun moll" Lorraine and starred along her then-husband Sean Penn and Harvey Keitel.

In 1988 Madonna made her Broadway debut in David Mamet's Speed-the-Plow, which was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Play. While generally receiving negative notes, the New York Times congratulated her for the "intelligent, scrupulously disciplined comic acting."

In 2002, she made a London West End theatre debut in a version of Australian plawright David Williamson's play Up For Grabs.[7] The setting was relocated from Sydney to New York. Generally criticised for her lack of technical ability, a critic used in his review a line from the play: "If you think a big marketing budget will sell any old junk, you'd be wrong. It's got to be quality junk".[8][9][10]

[edit] Music from Motion Pictures

Year Film Songs
2008 Filth and Wisdom "Erotica" and "Secret Garden"
2006 The Devil Wears Prada "Vogue" and "Jump"
2005 Cheaper by the Dozen 2 "Holiday"
2005 Ice Princess "Ray of Light"
2004 Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason "Material Girl"
2004 13 Going on 30 "Crazy For You"
2002 Crossroads "Open Your Heart"
2002 Die Another Day "Die Another Day"
2000 Snatch "Lucky Star"
2000 The Next Best Thing "Time Stood Still" and "American Pie"
1999 Never Been Kissed "Like A Prayer"
1999 Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me "Beautiful Stranger"
1997 The Wedding Singer "Holiday"
1997 The Real Blonde "Hanky Panky"
1997 Gummo "Like A Prayer"
1996 Evita Principal singer on entire soundtrack
1994 With Honors "I'll Remember (Theme from "With Honors")"
1992 A League of Their Own "This Used To Be My Playground" and "Rockford Peaches Song"
1991 My Own Private Idaho "Cherish"
1991 Nothing But Trouble "Get Over" (background vocals)
1990 Dick Tracy "More", "What Can You Lose" and "Sooner Or Later"
1989 Bloodhounds of Broadway "I Surrender Dear" (with Jennifer Grey)
1987 Walk Like a Man "Sidewalk Talk" (background vocals)
1987 Who's That Girl "Who's That Girl", "Causing A Commotion", "The Look of Love", and "Can't Stop"
1986 At Close Range "Live To Tell"
1985 Desperately Seeking Susan "Into The Groove"
1985 Vision Quest (aka "Crazy For You") "Gambler" and "Crazy for You"

[edit] Film roles associated with Madonna

Title Movie information Status
Ambrose Chapel Brad Pitt, Liam Neeson, Téa Leoni, Martin Sheen and Madonna were reportedly attached to this 'psychological thriller' to be directed by Brian De Palma. film never made
Angie This project (originally called "Angie, I Says") was created with Madonna in mind for the starring role, but then scheduling conflicts arose with the filming of Dangerous Game. replaced by Geena Davis
Batman Returns Madonna was reportedly considered to play Catwoman. Michelle Pfeiffer got the part
Batman Triumphant Madonna was reportedly going to play Harley Quinn, who would be the Joker's daughter rather than his lover. film never made
Black Widow Madonna was considered for the role of the murdering wife. Theresa Russell got the part
Blind Date Madonna turned down the role opposite Bruce Willis after they hired him against her wishes. replaced by Kim Basinger
Blue Angel In 1985, after the release of Desperately Seeking Susan, Madonna was rumored to be in talks to star in a remake of the Marlene Dietrich classic. film never made
The Bodyguard Kevin Costner is shown in her film Truth or Dare saying it "wasn't going to work out." Costner felt that Madonna was too controversial for the role. Whitney Houston got the part
Boxing Helena Madonna was set to star, but then dropped out and was replaced by Kim Basinger, who then was famously sued for millions when she dropped out. replaced by Sherilyn Fenn
Breaking the Waves Writer/director Lars Von Trier wanted Madonna to be in the lead. He wrote the film with her on his mind. He sent the script to her but didn't get any response from her. He didn't know why so he moved on. Emily Watson got the part
Casino Madonna was seriously considered for the role of "Ginger", the wife of a vegas casino owner. But Sharon Stone convinced Martin Scorsese to cast her instead. Madonna reportedly took the producers and Scorsese out to dinner in New York at a popular "mafia" hangout in order to secure the part, but she was turned down for Stone. Sharon Stone got the part
Chicago Madonna was set to play "Velma Kelly" along side Goldie Hawn as "Roxy Hart" but there were production problems so she moved on to do other projects such as The Next Best Thing and her Drowned World Tour. replaced by Catherine Zeta-Jones a few years later
The Fabulous Baker Boys Was the first choice for the part of "Susie Diamond", but famously refused the part claiming it was "too mushy". She later stated months after the films release that she regreted turning the part down. Michelle Pfeiffer got the part
Frida Madonna was reportedly considered to play artist Frida Kahlo. Madonna is an avid collector and big fan of her work. Salma Hayek later thanked Madonna as if it hadn't been for her the film would never have been made. Salma Hayek got the part
Footloose Madonna was reportedly considered to play Ariel. Lori Singer got the part
The Godfather: Part III Madonna was considered for the role of Mary Corleone. Director Francis Ford Coppola is a Madonna fan. Sofia Coppola got the part
Hair Auditioned unsuccessfully for a major role in director Milos Forman's movie version of the stage hit. Annie Golden got the part
Hello Suckers! Confirmed in late 2004 by Patrick Leonard, Madonna recorded an album's worth of material designed for a 20s-style musical loosely based on the life of Texas Guinan titled "Hello Suckers!". Two tracks supposedly written for this venture are "Curtain" and "The Devil Wouldn't Recognize You". The latter was going to be part of the setlist to the Re-Invention Tour but was later scrapped. film never made
Jacob's Ladder Madonna reportedly pursued the part of "Jezebel" and auditioned twice. The role was starring opposite Tim Robbins. Elizabeth Pena got the part
Madagascar Madonna was attached to this project when it first announced to do the voice of "Gloria the Hippo". replaced by Jada Pinkett Smith
Music of the Heart Madonna was originally signed to play the role of Roberta Guaspari Demetras, but left the project before filming began, citing "creative differences". She has already studied for many months to play the violin.[11] The children of Opus 118 - Harlem School of Music, led by Roberta Guaspari, performed with Madonna twice in 1998: "Frozen" at the Annual Rain Forest Benefit at Carnegie Hall, New York and at the 1998 VH1 Fashion Awards performing "The Power of Good-Bye". [12] replaced by Meryl Streep
Ruthless People Madonna was up for the Bette Midler part they were unable to come to contract terms. replaced by Bette Midler
Siesta Madonna was approached to star by Mary Lambert, the director of several of her videos, but declined because of the amount of nudity the role required. Ellen Barkin got the part
Untitled Luc Besson Musical A second musical, to have been directed by filmmaker Luc Besson, was also in pre-production during 2004 but was abandoned when Madonna read the script and was dissatisfied with the result. Several of the songs that were done for this musical have since then been restructored for Madonna's 2005 album Confessions on a Dance Floor. Confirmed tracks that made the transition: "Hung Up", "Jump" and "How High." The musical's producers were Mirwais, Stuart Price and Joe Henry. A song titled "Even the Devil Wouldn't Recognize You", written with Henry, later appeared as "Devil Wouldn't Recognize You" in Madonna's 2008 studio album Hard Candy film never made

Source: *Movie roles turned down by Madonna

[edit] References

  1. ^ Box Office Mojo - Desperately Seeking Susan.
  2. ^ www.imdb.com
  3. ^ The Making of Evita], Alan Parker with an introduction by Madonna, Boxtree, 1997. ISBN 0-7522-2497-2. Paperback edition. Pp. 13–16.
  4. ^ IMDB "Madonna Lends Her Voice to New Besson Movie", October 2005. Retrieved 11 May 2006.
  5. ^ "Business Data for Madonna: Truth or Dare", March 8, 2006. Retrieved May 17, 2006.
  6. ^ http://www.amazon.com/dp/0670061476 Amazon.com
  7. ^ BBC News | ARTS | Madonna to star in West End
  8. ^ Theatre's soul is up for grabs - smh.com.au
  9. ^ Up For Grabs | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited
  10. ^ Online Review London - Up For Grabs
  11. ^ "Review: 'Music of the Heart' hits all the right notes" CNN, October 29, 1999. Accessed January 28, 2007.]
  12. ^ [www.opus118.org] The Offiical Opus 118 Harlem School of Music Website
v • d • e
Madonna
Studio albums
Madonna (1983) · Like a Virgin (1984) · True Blue (1986) · Like a Prayer (1989) · Erotica (1992) · Bedtime Stories (1994) Ray of Light (1998) · Music (2000) · American Life (2003) · Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) · Hard Candy (2008)
Compilations
You Can Dance (1987) · The Immaculate Collection (1990) · Something to Remember (1995) · GHV2 (2001) · Remixed & Revisited (2003)
Other Compilations
Remixed Prayers (1989) · The Royal Box (1991) · The Holiday Collection (1991) · The Rain Tapes (1992) · CD Single Collection (1996) · GHV2 Remixed (2001) · Confessions Remixed (2006)
Soundtracks
Vision Quest (1985) · Who's That Girl (1987) · I'm Breathless - Music from and Inspired by the film Dick Tracy (1990) · With Honors (1994) · Evita (1996) Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999) · The Next Best Thing (2000) · Die Another Day (2002)
Live Music Videos & Albums
Music Video Compilations
Music Video Singles
"Papa Don't Preach" (1986) · "Justify My Love" (1990) · "Ray of Light" (1998) · "Music" (2000) · "What It Feels Like for a Girl" (2001)
Concert Tours
Promotional Tours
Related topics