Dressed to Kill (1980)

Director:

Brian De Palma

Writer:

Brian De Palma (written by)

Release Date:

25 July 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Mystery | Thriller

Tagline:

The Latest Fashion In Murder

Plot:

A mysterious, tall blonde woman, wearing dark sunglasses murders one of a psychiatrist's patients, and now she goes after the high-priced call girl who witnessed the murder.

Plot Keywords:

Apartment | Elevator | Psychiatrist | Murder | Sunglasses

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 6 nominations

Cast

Michael Caine	...	Doctor Robert Elliott
Angie Dickinson	...	Kate Miller
Nancy Allen	...	Liz Blake
Keith Gordon	...	Peter Miller
Dennis Franz	...	Detective Marino
David Margulies	...	Dr. Levy
Ken Baker	...	Warren Lockman
Susanna Clemm	...	Betty Luce
Brandon Maggart	...	Cleveland Sam
Amalie Collier	...	Cleaning Woman
Mary Davenport	...	Woman in Restaurant
Anneka Di Lorenzo	...	Nurse (as Anneka De Lorenzo)
Norman Evans	...	Ted
Robbie L. McDermott	...	Man in Shower
Bill Randolph	...	Chase Cabbie
Sean O'Rinn	...	Museum Cabbie
Fred Weber	...	Mike Miller
Samm-Art Williams	...	Subway Cop
Robert Lee Rush	...	Hood #1
Anthony Boyd Scriven	...	Hood #2
Robert McDuffie	...	Hood #3
Frederick Sanders	...	Hood #4
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
William Finley	...	Bobbi (voice) (uncredited)
Wendell Hauser	...	(uncredited)
Erika Katz	...	Girl in Elevator (uncredited)
Mark Margolis	...	Patient at Bellvue Hospital (uncredited)
Lisa Peluso	...	Museum Girl (uncredited)
Jerry Schram	...	Building Tenant (uncredited)

Directed by
Brian De Palma

Writing credits
Brian De Palma		(written by)

Produced by
Fred C. Caruso	....	associate producer (as Fred Caruso)
George Litto	....	producer
Samuel Z. Arkoff	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Pino Donaggio

Cinematography by
Ralf D. Bode		(director of photography) (as Ralf Bode)

Film Editing by
Gerald B. Greenberg		(as Jerry Greenberg)

Casting by
Vic Ramos

Art Direction by
Gary Weist

Set Decoration by
Gary J. Brink		(as Gary Brink)

Costume Design by
Gary Jones
Ann Roth

Makeup Department
Joseph Cranzano	....	makeup artist
Bob Grimaldi	....	hair stylist (as Robert Grimaldi)
Robert Laden	....	special makeup artist
Tony Lloyd	....	makeup artist: Mr. Caine (as Anthony Lloyd)

Production Management
Fred C. Caruso	....	production manager (as Fred Caruso)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
William Eustace	....	second assistant director
Paula Mazur	....	dga trainee
Michael Rauch	....	assistant director
Robert Rothbard	....	second second assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Gilbert Gertsen	....	chief carpenter (as Gilbert Gertson)
William Kane	....	property master
William Lowry	....	construction grip
Ernest W. Southern	....	scenic chargeman (as Ernie Southern)
Paul J. Wilson	....	prop man

Sound Department
Ed Abele	....	boom operator
John H. Bolz	....	sound mixer (as John Bolz)
Peter Ilardi	....	sound recordist
Lowell Mate	....	assistant sound editor
Michael Moyse	....	sound editor
Dan Sable	....	supervising sound editor
Dick Vorisek	....	sound re-recording supervisor
Jean Fraser Wardle	....	assistant sound editor (as Jean Wardle)
Randall Coleman	....	apprentice sound editor (uncredited)

Stunts
Victor Magnotta	....	stunt coordinator (as Vic Magnotta)
Steve James	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Holly Bower	....	still photographer
Marc Hirschfeld	....	assistant camera
Jack Kennedy	....	dolly grip
Ed Quinn	....	key grip
Michael Stone	....	camera operator
David Wagreich	....	second assistant camera
James C. Walsh	....	best boy (as James Walsh)
William Ward	....	gaffer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Greg Fauss	....	costumer: men
Alba Schipari	....	costumer: women

Editorial Department
Ray Hubley	....	assistant editor
Maria Iano	....	assistant editor
Bill Pankow	....	associate editor
Wende Phifer Mate	....	assistant editor (as Wende Phifer)

Music Department
Todd Kasow	....	music editor
Natale Massara	....	conductor
John Moses	....	musician: clarinet (uncredited)

Transportation Department
Tom O'Brien	....	transportation captain (as Thomas O'Brien)
Patrick Hogan	....	driver (uncredited)

Other crew
Samuel Z. Arkoff	....	presenter
Edward Crocitto	....	location coordinator (as Ed Crocitto)
Jean De Niro	....	production assistant
Gary Hill	....	assistant: Mr. DePalma
Sam Irvin	....	assistant: Mr. DePalma
Gail Kearns	....	assistant: Mr. Litto
Shirley Marcus	....	production office coordinator
Danny Matalon	....	production assistant
Martha Pinson	....	script supervisor
Curtis Sayblack	....	auditor (as Curtiss Sayblack)
Jeffrey Silver	....	location manager
Rachel Ticotin	....	production assistant
Joy Glaccum	....	stand-in: Angie Dickinson and Michael Caine (uncredited)
Victoria Johnson	....	body double: Angie Dickinson (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Filmways Pictures (as Filmways Pictures, Inc.)
• Cinema 77 Films (as Cinema 77/Film Group)

Distributors

• Filmways Pictures (1980) (USA) (theatrical)
• Europa Film (1980) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• Adams Filmi (1981) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Union Générale Cinématographique (UGC) (1981) (France) (theatrical)
• Orion Pictures Corporation (1982-1998) (worldwide) (all media) (as An Orion® Pictures Release)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1982) (USA) (TV)
• Warner Home Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• TV3 (1990) (Finland) (TV)
• Image Entertainment (1991) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Image Entertainment (1994) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) (1998-) (worldwide) (all media) (as MGM Distrbution Co.)
• Sandrew Film & Teater (1998) (Sweden) (VHS)
• GoodTimes Home Video (1999) (USA) (VHS)
• Carlotta Films (2000) (France) (theatrical) (re-release)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (2000) (Finland) (TV)
• GoodTimes Home Video (2001) (USA) (VHS)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2001) (USA) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (Europe) (2002) (UK) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2004) (Canada) (DVD)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV3) (2007) (Finland) (TV)
• Emerald (2011) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Future Film (2011) (Finland) (DVD)
• Ambassador Film Distributors (198?) (Canada) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• CEL Home Video (19??) (Australia) (VHS)
• Flashstar (Brazil) (VHS)
• Lumière Home Entertainment (2012) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• RCV Home Entertainment (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS)
• Star Video (19??) (Australia) (VHS)
• VTC-Video (1980s) (Finland) (VHS)
• Vestron Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)
• Warner Home Video (19??) (USA) (video) (laserdisc)

Other Companies

• Sylvia Fay Casting  casting: bits and extras
• Trans / Audio  sound re-recording (as Trans/Audio)
• Hastings Sound Editorial  sound effects (as Hastings Sound Editorial, Inc.)
• John Springer Associates Inc.  public relations
• Optical House, The  optical effects and titles (as The Optical House, Inc.)
• Cinemobile System  locations (as Cinemobile Systems Inc.)
• Technicolor  color (as Technicolor®)
• Movielab  color prints
• Panavision  cameras and lenses (as Panavision®)
• Multimedia Broadcasting Company  archive footage: Phil Donahue television show segment arranged through
• International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE)  acknowledgement (as I.A.T.S.E.)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

105 min | USA:104 min (R-rated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Canada:R | Finland:K-18 (cut) (1980) | France:16 | Norway:18 (1981) | Peru:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Ireland:18 | UK:X (original rating) | Iceland:16 | Singapore:R21 | USA:R (cut) | Portugal:M/16 | Brazil:14 | USA:X | Netherlands:16 | Italy:VM18 | South Korea:18 | New Zealand:R18 | UK:18 (video rating) (1986) (1990) (2002) | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating) | Finland:K-16 (uncut) (1996) | Germany:16 (re-rating) (2013)

Filming Locations:

162 East 70th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Filmways Pictures

Trivia:

In 1982, Dressed to Kill had its television broadcast premier on NBC. During this broadcast, the following dialog slipped past the censors and was aired to millions: Dr. Elliot: "When was the last time you had sexual intercourse with your wife, Lieutenant?" Detective Marino: "What the fuck business is it of yours?"

Goofs:

Continuity: Outside the museum, Bobbi picks up the glove twice.

Quotes:

Doctor Robert Elliott:Doctor, I am not paranoid. Bobbi was making threats over the phone. She said she's going to hurt me. My patient was slashed to death. And now my razor is gone. Now you don't have to be a detective to figure it out, do you?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The New York Ripper (1982)

Surreal, bloody, erotically charged odyssey

When you compare what Brian De Palma was doing in the 80's to what passes for entertainment today, his films keep looking better and better. "Dressed To Kill, "Blow Out", "Body Double", "Scarface" and "Carlito's Way" are all superb works of a cinematic craftsman at the peak of his powers. The guy had a long run of better than average films. This is pure Hitchcock with an 80's dash of lurid perversion, an affectionately told tale of lust and murder with plenty of twists, huge helpings of style, a stunning Pino Donaggio score, and a trashy, giallo-inspired plot. De Palma's love of complex camera-work and luscious, blood-smudged visuals helps overcome the logical holes while the terrific performances of Dennis Franz, Keith Gordon (a good director in his own right), Nancy Allen (De Palma's wife at the time) and Michael Caine make every scene special. Let the virtuoso take you on a surreal, scary, erotically charged odyssey and you'll enjoy every frame of "Dressed To Kill".