A Certain Sacrifice (1985)

User Rating:

2.4/10   

Director:

Stephen Jon Lewicki

Writers:

Stephen Jon Lewicki (written by) and
Jeremy Pattnosh (written by) ...

Genre:

Drama | Crime

Plot:

A street-wise teen gets herself in a series of circumstances and mishaps in her meaningless existence. |

Plot Keywords:

Rape | Evicted | Coffee Shop | Rape Scene | Transvestism

Cast

Jeremy Pattnosh	...	Dashiel
Madonna	...	Bruna (as Madonna Ciccone)
Charles Kurtz	...	Raymond Hall
Sarah Magill	...	Susan Porter (as Kate Magill)
Timmy Leight	...	The Landlady
Michael Dane	...	Transvestite Slave
Russell O. Lome	...	Male Slave
Angi Smit	...	Female Slave
Joseph Pattnosh	...	Father
Ann Pattnosh	...	Mother
John Joseph Pattnosh	...	Young David
Chuck Varesko	...	Narrator
Karl Ludwig Selig	...	Professor Mann
Ed Krakaur	...	Learning Center Friend
Charles Daguerre Alvaré	...	Preston Basset (as Charles Daguerre Alvare)

Runtime:

60 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:R | UK:18 (re-release) | USA:Unrated

Filming Locations:

Brooklyn Bridge, New York City, New York, USA

Company:

Cine Cine Productions Inc.

Trivia:

This was shot as a student film. Madonna was unknown at the time but demanded she be paid for her work. The director required her to sign a release and paid her 100 dollars for her work. Later when Madonna became successful she tried to ban the movie. The director refused citing the release she signed---which only arose from her insistence to be paid.

Movie Connections:

References Robin's Nest (1980)

Soundtrack:

Little Girl, My Princess

Hated? Yes, but so sadly!

What can one say to defend a movie like "A Certain Sacrifice"? Even I, as much as I LOVED (yes, LOVED) this movie, must ask myself. As you may know from other reviews and such, Madonna has a very early role as a deathrocker who gets together with a very angry "philosopher" who left the suburbs for New York's underbelly. (I related to this on a lot of levels, so I know it's possible to say that there are some fascinating characters, events, and ideas in this ugly, little film!) Then, there's that "Raymond Hall" guy, who is quite the successful attempt at the creation of a character who is so repulsive, you just wanna get sick every time he's on screen (until he's about to be killed, then it's funny)! Anyway, Raymond is a horny, dirty IL' dude, who ends up raping Madonna in the bathroom, while loving boyfriend Dashiel (the philosopher... heh heh) waits for her to fix her make-up. The gory revenge that ensues (with the help of Madonna's Gothic sex cult, or her "family of lovers") gets cheezier and cheezier, but, thankfully, the filmmakers are well aware (they just don't give a f*ck). So... is the sound bad? YES! Is the dialogue sometimes hurtfully cheezy? YES! Is the acting terrible? Not nearly all of it. In fact, most of it was pretty damn good, even though Madonna's better acting moments were when she started to come off as a Goth castaway from a John Waters movie toward the end. (And, yes, I know John Waters doesn't have a lot of Goths in his movies, but it's the best comparison I can think of!) Anyway, is the gore very minimal and fake-looking? YES, but still it's a lovely touch! Is Madonna shown fully nude? NO, but she's shown topless several times, once even covered in the blood of her slaughtered rapist. Also: This movie MUST be seen when you're VERY intoxicated. Then it can sink right in. I've done it three times, I think I turned out alright, but my wife's head needs to stop calling me from the 'fridge. Time to listen to some more Pattnosh.... mwa-ha-ha-ha-ha! FIVE STARS (and I HATE to rate things with stars!)