Black Widow (1987)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Bob Rafelson

Writer:

Ronald Bass (written by)

Release Date:

6 February 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Thriller

Tagline:

She Mates and She kills. No Man Can Resist Her. Only One Woman Can Stop Her.

Plot:

A federal investigator tracks down a gold digging woman who moves from husband to husband, kills them and collects the inheritance.

Plot Keywords:

Black Widow | Widow | Inheritance | Murder | Millionaire

Cast

Debra Winger	...	Alexandra 'Alex' Barnes
Theresa Russell	...	Catherine Petersen
Sami Frey	...	Paul Nuytten
Dennis Hopper	...	Ben Dumers
Nicol Williamson	...	William McCrory
Terry O'Quinn	...	Bruce, Alex's Boss
James Hong	...	H. Shin - Honolulu private investigator
Diane Ladd	...	Etta
D.W. Moffett	...	Michael
Lois Smith	...	Sara
Leo Rossi	...	Detective Ricci
Danny Kamekona	...	FBI security
Rutanya Alda	...	Irene
Mary Woronov	...	Shelley
Wayne Heffley	...	Etta's husband
Raleigh Bond	...	Martin
Donegan Smith	...	Herald Reporter
Christian Clemenson	...	Artie
Arsenio 'Sonny' Trinidad	...	Tran
Darrah Meeley	...	Dawn
Kate Hall	...	Young girl
George Ricord	...	Italian man
Richard Arnold	...	Doctor
Bea Kiyohara	...	Clerk
Chris S. Ducey	...	Poker player
Tee Dennard	...	Sid
David Mamet	...	Herb - poker player
Johnny 'Sugarbear' Willis	...	James
Gene Callahan	...	Mr. Foster - Cancer Foundation representative
Thomas Hill	...	Attorney
Juleen Murray	...	Attendant
Ed Pang	...	Waiter
Allen Nause	...	Clerk
Denise Hewitt	...	Stewardess (as Denise Dennison)
Robert J. Peters	...	Steward
Rick Shuster	...	Helicopter pilot
Al Cerullo	...	Helicopter pilot
David Kasparian	...	Limosine driver
Mick Muldoon	...	Doorman
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Anne Lockhart	...	Asst. DA / Hotel Guest (uncredited)

Directed by
Bob Rafelson

Writing credits
Ronald Bass		(written by)

Produced by
Laurence Mark	....	executive producer
Harold Schneider	....	producer

Original Music by
Michael Small

Cinematography by
Conrad L. Hall

Film Editing by
John Bloom

Casting by
Terry Liebling

Production Design by
Gene Callahan

Set Decoration by
Jim Duffy
Buck Henshaw
Rick Simpson

Costume Design by
Patricia Norris

Makeup Department
Nadia DiPaulo	....	makeup artist
Bob Grimaldi	....	hair stylist: New York
Bob Grimaldi	....	makeup: New York
Dorothy J. Pearl	....	makeup artist
Julie C. Steffes	....	body makeup
Robert L. Stevenson	....	hair stylist
Toni-Ann Walker	....	hair stylist

Production Management
Roger Paradiso	....	production manager: New York
Harold Schneider	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nilo Otero	....	second assistant director
Liz Ryan	....	second assistant director: New York
Tommy Thompson	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Paul J. Campanella	....	painter
Emily Ferry	....	property master
Eric A. Hulett	....	lead man: Seattle
Kurt V. Hulett	....	set dresser
Bill Luckey	....	assistant property master
Ralph Reis	....	assistant property master: Hawaii
Bob Riggs	....	construction: Seattle unit
Wallace White	....	lead man: Hawaii

Sound Department
Don J. Bassman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Gary Blufer	....	sound effects recordist
Steve Bowerman	....	boom operator
Robert Bradshaw	....	sound editor
Kevin F. Cleary	....	sound re-recording mixer
Virginia Cook-McGowan	....	sound editor
Dominick De Stefano	....	cable person
Sukey Fontelieu	....	foley editor
John Leveque	....	sound editor
David MacMillan	....	sound mixer
Robert Marts	....	cableman: Seattle
Greg Orloff	....	foley mixer
Donald Ortiz	....	assistant sound editor
Richard Overton	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jeffrey L. Sandler	....	sound editor
Solange S. Schwalbe	....	foley supervisor
Norman B. Schwartz	....	adr editor
David A. Whittaker	....	sound editor
Karen G. Wilson	....	foley supervisor
John Roesch	....	foley artist (uncredited)
Carolyn Tapp	....	foley recordist (uncredited)
Marvin Walowitz	....	sound effects editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Allen Hall	....	special effects
Ken Tarallo	....	special effects crew
Jerry D. Williams	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Steve Grumette	....	computer effects supervisor
Alan L. Porter	....	computer graphics engineer
Robert Wilcox	....	computer graphics engineer (as Bob Wilcox)

Stunts
Barbara Brundage	....	stunts: underwater & diving
Lisa Hall	....	stunts: underwater & diving
Marcia Holley	....	stunts: underwater & diving
Julie Robinson	....	stunts: underwater & diving

Camera and Electrical Department
Larry J. Aube	....	best boy
Art Budnick	....	best boy
Curtis Foster	....	lamp operator
Daniel R. Garab	....	cableman: Hawaii
Al Giddings	....	underwater photography: Hawaii
Michael Greenlee	....	best boy
Conrad W. Hall	....	first assistant camera
Donald L. Hartley	....	company grip
Michael Kenner	....	key grip
Elliott Marks	....	still photographer
Rick Martens	....	gaffer
Mark Soucie	....	lamp operator
Mike Thomas	....	second assistant camera
John Toll	....	camera operator

Casting Department
Cynthia Hildebrand	....	casting: New York
Lora Kennedy	....	casting assistant
Marge Spencer	....	casting: Hawaii

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Ellis Cohen	....	costumer: men
Oda Groeschel	....	costumer: women
Mark K. Kuromoto	....	men's costumer: Hawaii
Nancy McArdle	....	costumer: women

Editorial Department
Maryann Brandon	....	first assistant editor
William Fletcher	....	second assistant editor
Jack Hooper	....	negative cutter
Ed Stabile	....	apprentice editor

Music Department
Jack Hayes	....	orchestrator
Sonny Kompanek	....	orchestrator
Armin Steiner	....	score mixer
Kenneth Wannberg	....	music editor

Transportation Department
Steve Duncan	....	transportation captain
James E. Foote	....	transportation coordinator
John Hood	....	transportation captain
Jimmy Levy	....	transportation captain: New York
Ronald Smith	....	transportation captain: Seattle
Harry Ueshiro	....	transportation captain: Hawaii

Other crew
Joe Catalfo	....	first aid
Monica Di Meo	....	caterer
Kimberly Felix	....	production assistant
Wayne Fitzgerald	....	title designer
Carol Fleischer	....	production coordinator: Washington D.C.
Karen Hale Wookey	....	script supervisor
Kate Hall	....	production assistant
Don Hansard	....	process protection engineer
Donald Hansard Sr.	....	process coordinator
Rob Harris	....	unit publicist
Leslie Johnson	....	assistant: Mr. Rafelson
Mary Jane Nolan Kelly	....	production coordinator: New York
Stephen Kern	....	production assistant: Washington D.C.
Harry Kohoyda Jr.	....	auditor
Judy Lane	....	production secretary: Hawaii
Marilyn La Salandra	....	assistant: Mr. Schneider
Marcial Lopez	....	underwater unit: Hawaii
Flory Lovings	....	assistant: Ms. Winger
Richard Muh	....	underwater unit: Hawaii
Paul Pay	....	location manager
Patty Raya	....	production coordinator
Valerie Ross	....	production secretary: Seattle
Steve Schoenfield	....	location manager: New York
Mark Stetson	....	toy designer
J. Marc Strachan	....	assistant location manager: Seattle
J. Marc Strachan	....	assistant: Mr. Rafelson
Terry Thompson	....	underwater unit: Hawaii
Joanna Tsoukatis	....	production assistant: New York
Gary Weddington	....	assistant auditor
Jolene Wolff	....	executive assistant: Mr. Rafelson
Pat Young	....	assistant: Mr. Schneider
Pamela Clay	....	stand-in: Debra Winger (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Amercent Films
• American Entertainment Partners L.P.
• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation

Distributors

• Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation (1987) (USA) (theatrical)
• Svensk Filmindustri (SF) (1987) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• CBS/Fox (1987) (USA) (VHS)
• Fox Network (1989) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Abril Vídeo (Brazil) (video)
• Fox Video (video)

Other Companies

• Intrada  score album released by (Special Collection)
• Pacific Title  opticals
• Video Image  24-frame video displays

Also Known As:

Bullseye (Australia)

Runtime:

102 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Sweden:11 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-12 | Norway:12 | Spain:7 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:12 | Iceland:12

Filming Locations:

Hawai`i Volcanoes National Park, Hawai`i, Hawaii, USA

Company:

Amercent Films

Trivia:

Cinematographer, Conrad Hall's return to filmmaking after a ten-year absence.

Goofs:

Continuity: Shin rolls up the same sleeve twice to use a syringe.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Sara: When he didn't come to the office, 10:30, 11:00, I called the house. Catherine... he went in his sleep, peacefully. The doctor said if you'd been sleeping right next to him, you wouldn't have even known. You couldn't have done anything.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Monster A-Go-Go (#5.21)" (1993)

lots underneath the surface here

This is a terrific movie that reminds one what we lost when Debra Winger slowed down her movie-making. She gives an honest, heartfelt performance as an investigator chasing a woman who marries rich and whose husbands wind up dead every time. The widow then remakes her appearance, gets a new identity, and dupes another man. Only Winger is convinced that this trail of murders is the work of one woman.

Eventually she catches up with this black widow (Theresa Russell) and the two hang out together in Hawaii. The Russell character likes the danger - she knows Winger is after her, and after trying to kill her during a scuba dive, saves her at the last minute.

My favorite scene with Winger is the one in which she almost tells Nicol Williamson the truth about his bride. She stands and stares at him - she knows he's going to die, she knows he won't believe her - you can see every thought in her head until, regretfully, she leaves.

Theresa Russell has the right detachment for this role. One suspects the character is a real man-hater and is, in fact, attracted to Winger. Winger is admiring of Russell's constant flirtation with danger. This is a complex relationship that the two play out. The finale is not up to the standard of the rest of the film, but I still highly recommend it.