Last Exit to Brooklyn (film)

This article is about the film. For other uses, see Last Exit to Brooklyn (disambiguation).
Last Exit to Brooklyn

Theatrical release poster
Directed by Uli Edel
Produced by Bernd Eichinger
Screenplay by Desmond Nakano
Based on Last Exit to Brooklyn 
by Hubert Selby, Jr.
Starring Stephen Lang
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Burt Young
Peter Dobson
Jerry Orbach
Music by Mark Knopfler
Cinematography Stefan Czapsky
Edited by Peter Przygodda
Production
company
Distributed by Neue Constantin Film
Release dates
  • 12 October 1989 (West Germany)
  • 5 January 1990 (UK)
Running time
 103 minutes[1]
Country West Germany
United Kingdom
Language English
Box office $1,730,005

Last Exit to Brooklyn is a 1989 German-British drama film directed by Uli Edel and adapted by Desmond Nakano from Hubert Selby Jr.'s novel of the same name.[2][3][4]

Plot

A group of prostitutes, union workers, and drag queens all lead difficult lives within an existence of drugs, crime and violence in a working class Brooklyn neighborhood.

Cast

Production

There had been several attempts to adapt Last Exit to Brooklyn into a film prior to this version. One of the earliest attempts was made by producer Steve Krantz and animator Ralph Bakshi, who wanted to direct a live-action film based on the novel. Bakshi had sought out the rights to the novel after completing Heavy Traffic, a film which shared many themes with Selby's novel. Selby agreed to the adaptation, and actor Robert De Niro accepted the role of Harry in Strike. According to Bakshi, "the whole thing fell apart when Krantz and I had a falling out over past business. It was a disappointment to me and Selby. Selby and I tried a few other screenplays after that on other subjects, but I could not shake Last Exit from my mind."[5][6] Some scenes for the film were shot at Montero's Bar and Grill, which was owned by Pilar Montero and her husband.[7]

Reception

The film received positive reviews, garnering a 78% rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes,[8] and winning a few critics' awards for Leigh's portrayal of Tralala, though its limited distribution and downbeat subject matter prevented it from becoming a commercial success.

Bakshi referred to Edel's film as being "like a hot dog without mustard," saying that the film "was done horribly."[5]

References

  1. ↑ "LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN (18)". British Board of Film Classification. 22 September 1989. Retrieved 10 October 2014.
  2. ↑ Vincent Canby (2 May 1990). "A Brutal, Elegiac 'Last Exit,' Unrelieved by Hope". The New York Times.
  3. ↑ Shelia Benson (4 May 1990). "A Brutal, Theatrical Mix Runs Through Edel's 'Last Exit to Brooklyn'". The Los Angeles Times.
  4. ↑ Anthony DePalma (27 April 2004). "Hubert Selby Jr. Dies at 75; Wrote 'Last Exit to Brooklyn'". The New York Times.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Bakshi, Ralph (February 21, 2005). "Re: Heavy Traffic & Last Exit To Brooklyn?". Ralph Bakshi Forum. Archived from the original on March 11, 2007. Retrieved 2 January 2007.
  6. ↑ "Last Exit to Brooklyn". AMC.
  7. ↑ "Pilar Montero, Bar Owner and Link to a Seafaring Past, Dies at 90". The New York Times. January 21, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Last Exit to Brooklyn". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster. Retrieved 10 October 2014.

External links