Nirvana (1997)

Director:

Gabriele Salvatores

Writers:

Gabriele Salvatores (written by)
Pino Cacucci (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

24 January 1997 (Italy)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

Jimi, a successful computer game designer, finds that his latest product has been infected by a virus...

Plot Keywords:

Computer | Cyberpunk | Psychologist | Japanese Man | Computer Cracker

Awards:

3 wins & 14 nominations

Cast

Christopher Lambert	...	Jimi Dini
Diego Abatantuono	...	Solo
Sergio Rubini	...	Joystick
Stefania Rocca	...	Naima
Amanda Sandrelli	...	Maria
Emmanuelle Seigner	...	Lisa (as Emanuelle Seigner)
Claudio Bisio	...	Red Rover
Antonio Catania	...	Paranoid Vendor
Gigio Alberti	...	Dr. Rauschenberg
Ugo Conti	...	Sicilian Tourist
Silvio Orlando	...	Indian Porter
Oreste Guidi	...	German
Hal Yamanouchi	...	Okasama Starr, Psychologist (as Haruhiko Yamanouchi)
Avinash Ganesh	...	Avinash
Antonello Grimaldi	...	Pakistan Porter
Paolo Rossi	...	Joker
Bebo Storti	...	Meditating Man
Fabio Sartor	...	Policeman
Corinna Agustoni	...	Guru's Assistant
Leonardo Gajo	...	Gaz Gaz
Gianni Palladino	...	Truckdriver
Renato Sarti	...	Man on Drugs
Luca Torraca	...	President
Riccardo Zinna	...	Mafia Man
Bed Cerchiai	...	Asli (as Bedlu Cerchiai)
William Chiu	...	Japanese Man in Sushi Bar
Coco Leonardi	...	Father Jimi (as Benito Leonardi)
Giuseppe Messina	...	Bartender
Suleyman Salmassi	...	Sid
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Daniele Auber	...	Young Man in Bar
Agostino Canepa	...	1st Policeman Game
Eugenio Ciotola	...	1st Organ Hunter
Luisa Corna	...	The Goddess Kali
Alessandro Cremona	...	Policeman
Germaine Damar
Rocco Di Gioia	...	6th Organ Hunter
Bachir Ahmet Diakhate	...	5th Organ Hunter
Alessandro Eccelsi	...	Nude Man
Aminata Fall	...	1st Body Guard Psychologist
Pieter Jurriaanse	...	Young Man
Victor Kanu	...	2nd Body Guard Psychologist
Reynold Joh Kerr	...	Meek Man
Christine Krug	...	Prostitute in Window
Lorenzo Loris	...	1st Terminator
Rosario Marino	...	Bum
Marcello Mazzarella	...	2nd Organ Hunter
Adolfo Oltrecolli	...	Older Man
Dodo Oltrecolli
Michael Oyegunle	...	3rd Organ Hunter
Federico Pasquetto	...	2nd Policeman Game
Roman Pavlouchev	...	Soldier
Vincenzo Petrarolo	...	Indian who runs away
Elisabetta Riva	...	Virtual Prostitute
Giovanni Sorenti	...	Organ Vendor
Valerio Staffelli	...	2nd Terminator
Marialuisa Tadei	...	Woman Announcer
Stefania Ventura	...	4th Organ Hunter
Loredana Zupanic	...	3rd Terminator

Directed by
Gabriele Salvatores

Writing credits
Gabriele Salvatores		(written by)
Pino Cacucci		(screenplay collaborator) &
Gloria Corica		(screenplay collaborator)

Produced by
Vittorio Cecchi Gori	....	producer
Samuel Hadida	....	co-producer
Rita Rusic	....	producer (as Rita Cecchi Gori)
Antonio Tacchia	....	executive producer
Maurizio Totti	....	producer

Original Music by
Federico De Robertis
Mauro Pagani

Cinematography by
Italo Petriccione		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Massimo Fiocchi

Production Design by
Giancarlo Basili

Set Decoration by
Giancarlo Basili
Mauro Venturini

Costume Design by
Patrizia Chericoni
Florence Emir

Makeup Department
Sabrina Bernard	....	makeup assistant
Bernadette Grampa	....	head makeup artist
Didier Lavergne	....	makeup artist: Mr. Lambert
Cristina Magliano	....	makeup artist
Patrizia Palimento	....	makeup assistant

Production Management
Stefano Dioguardi	....	unit production manager
Roberto Gallarati	....	unit production manager
Roberto Luvisotti	....	production manager
Antonio Tacchia	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Maria Raffaella Faggiano	....	second assistant director
Fabio Scamoni	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Ornella Baraldo	....	assistant set designer
Kristian Bikkeci	....	assistant props
Pietro Billeci	....	assistant props
Andrea Bonomi	....	assistant props
Giovanni Broggio	....	construction manager
Marco Caltagirone	....	assistant props
Carmine Canfora	....	assistant props
Elena Caponi	....	third assistant production designer
Marina Lubrano	....	second assistant production designer
Rita Rabassini	....	assistant production designer
Paolo Ricci	....	scenic technician
Paolo Vinci	....	scenic painter

Sound Department
Roberto Cappannelli	....	dubbing mixer
Jean-Christophe Casalini	....	sound designer (as Jean Christophe Casalini)
Josh Cramer	....	assistant sound editor
Mark DeSimone	....	adr mixer
Alberto Doni	....	sound re-recording mixer
Erick Jolley	....	adr assistant editor
Val Kuklowsky	....	supervising adr editor
Mauro Lazzaro	....	boom operator
Mauro Lazzaro	....	digital production sound
Clementina Luotto	....	adr coordinator
Tullio Morganti	....	digital production sound
Tullio Morganti	....	sound
Sandro Pallottini	....	adr sound engineer
Angelo Raguseo	....	sound re-recording mixer
Federico Savina	....	stereo sound consultant: Dolby
Luigi Tota	....	foley artist
Francesco Vallocchia	....	dialogue editor
Francesco Vallocchia	....	sound editor

Special Effects by
Daniele Auber	....	prop designer and maker
Sergio Stivaletti	....	biomechanical prosthetic design
Victor Togliani	....	special effects

Visual Effects by
Fabrizio Donvito	....	CG supervisor
Fabrizio Donvito	....	digital special effects
Louis Dunlevy	....	digital effects artist
Carlotta Fenati	....	digital coordinator
Luciano Igino	....	digital animator
Stefano Marinoni	....	computer graphics: Digitalia Graphics
Stefano Marinoni	....	digital special effects creator: Digitalia Graphics
Stefano Marinoni	....	digital special effects designer: Digitalia Graphics
Andrew Quinn	....	digital compositor
Louis Dunlevy Russell	....	digital compositor
Paola Trisoglio	....	computer graphics: Digitalia Graphics
Paola Trisoglio	....	digital special effects creator: Digitalia Graphics
Paola Trisoglio	....	digital special effects designer: Digitalia Graphics

Stunts
Ottaviano Dell'Acqua	....	stunt coordinator

Camera and Electrical Department
Tommaso Anania	....	grip
Mario Bertolasi	....	grip
Bruno Bianchella	....	second assistant camera
Andrea Collepiccolo	....	assistant camera
Nicola Console	....	grip
Antonio Coppola	....	grip
Onofrio Coppola	....	key grip
Claudio Cordoni	....	assistant camera
Massimo Fossali	....	grip
Renzo Gamba	....	assistant Steadicam operator
Giovanni Gebbia	....	Steadicam operator
Filippo Guasco	....	assistant camera
Antonio La Barbera	....	gaffer
Fabrizio Marchesi	....	still photographer
Roberto Marchini	....	electrician
Giacomo Montalbano	....	grip
Sergio Rossi	....	electrician
Ursula Sigon	....	second assistant camera
Torquato Tessarin	....	grip
Leonardo Todisco	....	grip
Fabrizio Vicari	....	camera operator
Luca Villa	....	electrician

Casting Department
David H. Kramer	....	adr voice casting

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Carmen Agostinelli	....	wardrobe (as Carmelina Agostinelli)
Giorgio Armani	....	costumes: Christopher Lambert, Diego Abatantuono and Emmanuelle Seigner
Marinella Cioli	....	wardrobe assistant
Beatrice Corvo	....	wardrobe assistant
Antonella Gemignani	....	assistant costume designer
Maria Gentile	....	wardrobe
Filomena Pagnozzi	....	wardrobe assistant
Vincenza Tomaciallo	....	costume assistant
Antonietta Vino	....	wardrobe assistant

Editorial Department
Pasquale Cuzzupoli	....	color consultant

Other crew
Franco Baratti	....	video coordinator
Paola Bonelli	....	script supervisor
Ferdinando Bonifazi	....	assistant production secretary
Carlo Calcaterra	....	production coordinator
Enrico Carozzi	....	crowd coordinator
Mario Cecchi Gori	....	presenter
Vittorio Cecchi Gori	....	presenter
Lorenzo Comolla	....	assistant production secretary
Francesco Gioia	....	video coordinator
Laura Lamanda	....	assistant to director
Gianluca Lazzaroni	....	production coordinator
Attila Mancarella	....	production secretary
Roberto Pedicini	....	voice dubbing: Christopher Lambert
Tino Polenghi	....	production secretary (as Santino Polenghi)
Maurizio Totti	....	presenter
Julie Adams	....	dialect coach (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica (as C.G.G. Tiger Cin.ca)
• Colorado Film Production
• Davis-Films (as Davis Film)

Distributors

• Cecchi Gori Group (1997) (Italy) (theatrical)
• Metropolitan Filmexport (1997) (France) (theatrical)
• Concorde-Castle Rock/Turner (1997) (Germany) (theatrical)
• Hilo Visión S.A. (1997) (Spain) (theatrical)
• K2 Entertainment (1998) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Scanbox Entertainment (1998) (non-USA) (theatrical) (Scandinavia)
• Scandinavian Entertainment Group (1999) (Norway) (theatrical)
• Vitória Filmes (1998) (Portugal) (theatrical)
• Buena Vista International Television (1999) (worldwide) (TV)
• Cecchi Gori Home Video (2000) (Italy) (DVD) (uncut)
• Concorde Video (1998) (Germany) (VHS)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (1999) (Netherlands) (VHS) (retail)
• Dutch FilmWorks (DFW) (2000) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Indigo (2010) (Germany) (DVD) (Twilight Classics Nr. 03)
• Metropolitan Film & Video (????) (France) (DVD)
• Miramax Films
• Miramax Home Entertainment (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• PlayArte Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)
• RCV Home Entertainment (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS) (rental)

Special Effects

• Digitalia Graphics S.r.l.

Other Companies

• Giorgio Armani  costumes
• Movie People, Milano  technical equipment
• Technovision  camera equipment

Also Known As:

MPAA:

Rated R for language, violence, drug use and some sexuality

Runtime:

113 min | USA:96 min (DVD)

Country:

Italy | France

Language:

Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Germany:12 (w) | South Korea:15 | Italy:T | Netherlands:16 (video premiere) | Finland:K-16 (video premiere) | Hong Kong:IIB | Mexico:B | Portugal:M/16 | Spain:13 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Genoa, Liguria, Italy

Company:

Cecchi Gori Group Tiger Cinematografica

Movie Connections:

References Blade Runner (1982)

Soundtrack:

Whatever It Is

An intriguing meditation on the nature of memory and experience, reality and simulation.

Jimi, a computer programmer, is trying to finish his latest role-playing computer game Nirvana for the Okasama Star corporation. He is surprised to find that Solo, the lead character has developed awareness of his location in the game, the fact that every time he dies he is reborn, and that he is doomed to live out the same life and situations over and over again. He asks Jimi to delete the game.

Jimi needs to penetrate Okasama's mainframe, and enlists the help of many technological wizards. Chief among them are Joystick, a poor hacker (or 'angel') who has sold his eyes to raise money and now sees with the aid of small black and white cameras in his eye sockets; and Naima, a woman whose memories have been erased and who can only remember things with the assistance of artificially created memories loaded through a port in her skull. The mainframe is protected by sophisticated anti-hacking devices known as 'devils' which feed off memories and mental energy to destroy the brains of the angels who try to penetrate it. Jimi is also battling painful memories of his own - his lost girlfriend who disappeared from his life leaving only a video recording and a picture to remind him of her...

Although there is not much in this film for action buffs, there is conceptually a link to other films about simulated experience such as Total Recall and The Matrix, as well as some existential musings on the nature of memory and experience in the digital age where such things can be easily synthesised. A delightfully ambiguous ending emphasises the film's main themes.

Good use is made of a medium budget to simulate an anarchic future world sliding into decay, with a decline in morality and a low value placed on the sanctity of life and the human body - the streets of the slums are replete with organ thieves; and Joystick's synthetic eyes are a physical complement to Naima's synthetic memories. A strong visual style is complemented by an insistent soundtrack.