The Funeral (1996)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Abel Ferrara

Writer (WGA):

Nicholas St. John (written by)

Release Date:

1 November 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

One family, one murder, too many lies.

Plot:

New York City, the 1930s. A powerful crime family is caught in a lethal crossfire between union organizers and brutal corporate bosses...

Plot Keywords:

Violence | 1930s | Murder | Rape | Marital Abuse

Awards:

2 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Christopher Walken	...	Ray Tempio
Chris Penn	...	Chez Tempio
Annabella Sciorra	...	Jean
Isabella Rossellini	...	Clara Tempio
Vincent Gallo	...	Johnny
Benicio Del Toro	...	Gaspare
Gretchen Mol	...	Helen
John Ventimiglia	...	Sali
Paul Hipp	...	Ghouly
Victor Argo	...	Julius
Gian DiDonna	...	Ray Sr. (as Gian Di Donna)
Dmitri Prachenko	...	Sentieri (as Dmitry Prachenko)
Paul Perri	...	Young Ray
Gregory Perrelli	...	Young Chez
Joey Hannon	...	Middle Chez

MPAA:

Rated R for strong crude sex scenes, strong violence and language.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:MA | Canada:18A (Ontario) | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | South Korea:18 | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Company:

C&P Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: When Johnny is dead in his coffin, his neat hair becomes messy between shots.

Quotes:

Johnny Tempi: I would say life is pretty pointless, wouldn't you, without the movies?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Independents' days (1997)

Soundtrack:

Addio Amata Mia

Another interesting piece from Ferrara who goes for the mind and leaves you silent.

Once again Ferrara attracts big star names to a small picture with large ambitions. This film would have made a great gangster saga but Ferrara and writer St. John are more interested about the characters than the story. What occurs on the surface may be minimal and very uncreative but deep within you enter the souls of each character who question their values as they mourn the death of a family member. Each one carrying a dilemma to the very surprising ending. This film could have been set in any era as it deals with intelligent issues such as the complex male macho image as questioned by Sciorra's character.