Link (film)

Link

DVD cover
Directed by Richard Franklin
Produced by Richard Franklin
Screenplay by Everett De Roche
Story by Lee David Zlotoff and
Tom Ackermann
Starring Elisabeth Shue
Terence Stamp
Music by Jerry Goldsmith
Cinematography Mike Molloy
Edited by Andrew London
Derek Trigg
Production
company
Distributed by Cannon Films (UK)
Universal (US)
Hoyts (Australia)
Release dates
  • 31 October 1986 (U.S.)
Running time
 103 minutes
Country United Kingdom
Language English
Budget Unknown
Box office $1,720,450 (USA)

Link is a 1986 British horror film starring Elisabeth Shue and Terence Stamp. The title character, "Link", is a super-intelligent yet malicious orangutan who lashes out against his masters when they try to have him put to sleep and sought to become his own master over a young woman. The film also features two chimpanzees, one of which is a baby.

It was directed by Richard Franklin and written by Everett De Roche from a story by Lee David Zlotoff and Tom Ackermann. The score was provided by Jerry Goldsmith. It was filmed in St. Abbs, Scotland.

Shue and Goldsmith received Saturn Award nominations for their contributions.

Although the title primate is clearly an orangutan, he is referred to as a chimpanzee through the entire film, and his fur appears to have been dyed black (Orangutans have reddish-brown fur).

Cast

Production

In 1979 Richard Franklin optioned a short outline which he described as "a sort of Jaws with chimps.[1] He did not do anything with it until Everett de Roche showed him a National Geographic article by Jane Goodall about violence among chimpanzees. De Roche wrote the script and the film was made in the UK for EMI Films. Franklin:

The English setting to me was essential. I wanted to contrast the primitivism of jungle animals with Old World values, high culture, and 'civilisation' - which is one of the subjects of the picture.[1]

Release

The film was bought for American release by Universal, who cut eight minutes out, despite Franklin's objections. When EMI was taken over by the Cannon group, five more minutes were cut out.[1]

Reception

The film received generally mixed to negative reviews. Rotten Tomatoes gave at the film 17% positives reviews based on 6 reviews. Franklin later called the movie "on almost every level... an unsatisfying experience."[2]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Richard Franklin and Link", Cinema Papers, March 1989 p40
  2. ↑ "Interview with Richard Franklin", Signet, 15 September 1995 accessed 18 November 2012

External links