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Insignificance (1985)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
2 August 1985 (USA) moreTagline:
The object of every man's fantasy and the greatest mind of the century are about to meet. morePlot:
Four 1950's icons meet in the same hotel room and two of them discover more in common between them than they ever anticipated. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
1 win & 1 nomination moreNewsDesk:
(2 articles)
Doc Filmmaker Havana Marking's Top Ten Films of All Time (From ioncinema. 1 June 2009)
Interview: Legendary Star Tony Curtis Likes it Hot in His Life, Career
(From HollywoodChicago.com. 31 March 2009, 10:26 AM, PDT)
User Comments:
What if... moreCast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Michael Emil | ... | The Professor | |
| Theresa Russell | ... | The Actress | |
| Tony Curtis | ... | The Senator | |
| Gary Busey | ... | The Ballplayer | |
| Will Sampson | ... | Elevator Attendant | |
| Patrick Kilpatrick | ... | Driver | |
| Ian O'Connell | ... | Assistant Director | |
| George Holmes | ... | Actor | |
| Richard Davidson | ... | Director of Photography | |
| Mitchell Greenberg | ... | Technician | |
| Raynor Scheine | ... | Autograph Hunter | |
| Jude Ciccolella | ... | Gaffer | |
| Lou Hirsch | ... | Charlie | |
| Ray Charleson | ... | Bud | |
| Joel Cutrara | ... | Bar Drunk |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
110 minCountry:
UKLanguage:
EnglishColor:
ColorAspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 moreSound Mix:
MonoFilming Locations:
New York City, New York, USAFun Stuff
Trivia:
The photo collage calendar of Theresa Russell, echoing Marilyn Monroe's famous Playboy pose, was created by British artist David Hockney at the request of director Nicolas Roeg, and has since been exhibited at museums throughout the world. moreQuotes:
The Actress: I only said I knew, because you said you knew.The Professor: I lied. Knowledge isn't truth. It's just mindless agreement. You agree with me, I agree with someone else - we all have knowledge. We haven't come any closer to the truth. You can never understand anything by agreeing, by making definitions. Only by turning over the possibilities. That's called thinking. If I say I know, I stop thinking. As long as I keep thinking, I come to understand. That way, I might approach some truth.
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Soundtrack:
Life Goes On moreFAQ
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New York, 1953. One hot night, four famous iconic figures will come together. The professor (Albert Einstein) has come to NY to give a speech, which he has, the senator (Joesph MacCarthy) on his back. Later that night his gets a surprise visitor; a famous actress (Marilyn Monroe). Who actually wants to discuss the theories of Relativity. Soon her ball-playing husband (Joe DiMaggio) turns up at the hotel room, begging to work things out for their crumbling relationship. Flashbacks of childhood, important events, perceived consequences of their actions creep in to show how these individuals cope with despair and a hidden fear waiting to break out.
Now that's one-of-a-kind! Adapted off a stage-play by Terry Johnson (who would also script the screenplay for the film), "Insignificance" is an odd, quirky, seductive and downright curious fictional pop-culture gimmick in the hands of director Nicolas Roeg. This inspired and cerebral experimental effort might be rooted in its stage-play origins, because it does feel theatrical and most of the action occurs in a hotel backdrop and one main suite. The cramp look only enhanced the moody and smoky atmosphere of New York to great effect. However these limitations can't contain the fruitful and daring ideas that Roeg manages to randomly storm up visually and through the meaningful material. The way he reflects on the characters' (who are suggestively famous figures, without the need of naming of them) philosophical journeys and interpretations of their notions is stimulating in a spiritual sense, with the memories gelling into the present and visions showing their fears of realisations, which depending on what you're seeing is either beautiful, or hauntingly implemented. There's plenty of food for thought and hints within the verbosely innovative (if sometimes awkward) script, with the main focus concerning the present situation, but the flashbacks gives us the personal make-up (sex, power, enlightenment and glory) of what makes them who they are and how much of a burden it can be in there already demanding lives. Sure the story might not lead to anything by the end, and it can feel disjointed, but the dreamy vibe and intelligent arrangement irons out those folds and makes sure it never turns giddy. Peter Hannan's sensually fluid photography and Stanley Myers' titillatingly oozing blues soundtrack fit in snugly with Roeg's stylistically subdue and established style of directing. He makes it look like he's working with something big and large-scale, but otherwise that's not the case and a small little universe is created. The vintage costumes and locations of the period all come off fittingly enough. What made the film for me had to be the impressive acting it boasted from the main four. Theresa Russell's perky, drop dead gorgeous appeal of the sexy pin-up actress is a growing portrayal that definitely held the film together along with an genuinely excellent and endearing performance by Michael Emil as the professor. Tony Curtis marvellously plays it up as witch-hunting senator and Gary Busey is suitably good in the stoically gravel manner as the ballplayer. Showing up in minor, but amusing support roles happen to be Will Sampson and Patrick Kilpatrick.
A memorably striking, fresh and tour de force meditation piece of metaphysics linked together by four different extremes. Some might find it pretentiously estrange and too talky, but this one had me wrapped up in its own little unique world to worry too much about its shortcomings.