The Blackout (1997)

Director:

Abel Ferrara

Writers:

Abel Ferrara (writer)
Marla Hanson (writer)

Release Date:

11 June 1997 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

the darkest secrets are the ones we hide from ourselves

Plot:

A debauched Hollywood movie actor tries to piece together one wild night in Miami years earlier which remains a drug-induced blur, and soon finds out that some questions about his past are best left unanswered.

Plot Keywords:

Abortion | Actor | Female Nudity | Fragmentation | Threesome

Awards:

3 wins

Cast

Matthew Modine	...	Matty
Claudia Schiffer	...	Susan
Béatrice Dalle	...	Annie 1
Sarah Lassez	...	Annie 2
Dennis Hopper	...	Mickey Wayne
Steven Bauer	...	Mickey's Studio Actor
Laura Bailey	...	Mickey's Studio Actress
Nancy Ferrara	...	Mickey's Studio Actress
Andrew Fiscella	...	Mickey's Studio Actor (as Andy Fiscella)
Vincent Lamberti	...	Mickey's Studio Actor
Victoria Duffy	...	Script Girl
Nicholas De Cegli	...	Miami Drug Dealer
Daphne Duplaix	...	Fly Girl (Daphne)
Mercy Lopez	...	Fly Girl (Jasmine)
Lori Eastside	...	That Girl

Also Known As:

The Blackout (France)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong pervasive drug use, language, sexual content and violence.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA | France

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:R | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Iceland:16

Filming Locations:

Miami, Florida, USA

Company:

Cipa

Quotes:

Mickey Wayne: It's not a question of "Did I"? It's "Do I remember"?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in A Short Film About the Long Career of Abel Ferrara (2004) (V)

Soundtrack:

2 TO TANGO

Another walk on the dark side with Abel Ferrara

Neurosis and character antipathy do not make for commercial success. THE BLACKOUT bypassed cinemas in the US, and here in Australia. The multiplex monster has no room for mavericks like Ferrara.

As there are no others quite like the rebellious Ferrara, he takes liberties from his own catalogue. This time, there are shades of SNAKE EYES (1993), and it pre-empts NEW ROSE HOTEL (1998). In form though, it owes much more to Hitchcock, and VERTIGO.

Like VERTIGO, THE BLACKOUT masquerades as a thriller, but is more concerned with the nature of identity. Relocating to Miami, the film is aesthetically great, though Modine looks (justifiably) clueless. The axis of the film is the concept rather than plot and the clash of high-art pretension with low-brow sleaze is conscious.

Some ideas don't come off, and the form of THE BLACKOUT is awkward. But if it is too cold and removed for most filmgoers tastes, it is still a showcase for an uncompromising, daring director, willing to upset accepted conventions.

The biggest disappointment is that his invention is left in this case to an unheralded release, and will go largely unnoticed.