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IMDb > Puzzle of a Downfall Child (1970)

Puzzle of a Downfall Child (1970) More at IMDbPro »

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Overview

User Rating:
6.1/10   104 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 4% in popularity this week. See rank & trends on IMDbPro.
Director:
Jerry Schatzberg
Writers:
Carole Eastman (screenplay)
Carole Eastman (story)
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Contact:
View company contact information for Puzzle of a Downfall Child on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
16 December 1970 (USA) more
Genre:
Drama more
Plot:
Lou Andreas Sand, a once famous model, recalls her past as she tries to make success in the modeling world of New York... more | full synopsis
Plot Keywords:
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Awards:
Nominated for Golden Globe. more
User Comments:
One of the most underrated films of the 1970's more

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Faye Dunaway ... Lou Andreas Sand
Barry Primus ... Aaron Reinhardt
Viveca Lindfors ... Paula Galba
Barry Morse ... Dr. Galba

Roy Scheider ... Mark
Ruth Jackson ... Barbara Casey
John Heffernan ... Dr. Sherman
Sydney Walker ... Psychiatrist
Clark Burckhalter ... Davy Bright
Shirley Rich ... Peggy McCavage
Emerick Bronson ... Falco
Joe George ... Man in Bar
John Eames ... Doctor
Harry Lee ... Mr. Wong
Jane Halleran ... Joan
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Additional Details

Runtime:
105 min
Country:
USA
Language:
English
Color:
Color (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Mono (Westrex Recording System)
Certification:
USA:R
Filming Locations:
New York City, New York, USA

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
When being interviewed about the film by documentarians Ted Demme and Richard LaGravanese (for their film A Decade Under the Influence (2003)), co-star Roy Scheider expressed in a flustered manner, "I had never been involved in a film project that spent so much time studying how a woman drinks her tea!" more
Quotes:
Lou Andreas Sand: I like your hair like that. All the men nowadays are growing their hair long. It's fabulous... *but*, you all look like Jesus! So how will we know him when he arrives? more
Movie Connections:
Features Shanghai Express (1932) more

FAQ

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9 out of 10 people found the following comment useful:-
One of the most underrated films of the 1970's, 16 June 2004
Author: cinefilia from Los Angeles, CA

For the life of me, I can't figure out why someone doesn't put this film out on DVD or video. Puzzle of a Downfall Child is a hauntingly spare film about the breakdown of beauty. Although less well known than The Panic in Needle Park, it is Jerry Schatzberg's masterpiece. His use of non-linear storytelling coupled with some incredibly dreamy flashback sequences made me feel as if, like heroine Lou Sands, I too was coming slightly undone. For Faye Dunaway fans (and really who isn't a fan of Faye's?), this film showcases not only her incredible beauty--the eyelashes are to die for--but also her talents as an actress. She is more believable as an actress portraying a model than any model portraying an actress could ever hope to be. If it should ever make its way to an art-house near you, you will do yourself a disservice if you miss it. After I left the theater, I kept thinking of that trite adage about how they don't make them like they used to.

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Related Links

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