Holy Smoke (1999)

While on a journey of discovery in exotic India, beautiful young Ruth Barron falls under the influence of a charismatic religious guru. Her desperate parents then hire PJ Waters, a macho ... See full summary »

Director:

Jane Campion

Writers:

Anna Campion, Jane Campion

Stars:

Kate Winslet, Harvey Keitel, Julie Hamilton

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kate Winslet	...	Ruth
Harvey Keitel	...	PJ Waters
Julie Hamilton	...	Mum
Sophie Lee	...	Yvonne
Dan Wyllie	...	Robbie
Paul Goddard	...	Tim
Tim Robertson	...	Dad
George Mangos	...	Yani
Kerry Walker	...	Puss
Les Dayman	...	Bill-Bill (as Leslie Dayman)
Samantha Murray	...	Prue
Sandy Gutman	...	Stan (as Austen Tayshus)
Simon Anderson	...	Fabio
Pam Grier	...	Carol
Eva Martin	...	Devotee

Storyline

While on a journey of discovery in exotic India, beautiful young Ruth Barron falls under the influence of a charismatic religious guru. Her desperate parents then hire PJ Waters, a macho cult de-programmer who confronts Ruth in a remote desert hideaway. But PJ quickly learns that he's met his match in the sexy, intelligent and iron-willed Ruth!

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Plot Keywords:

cult | india | guru | sydney australia | old young relationship | 

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Taglines:

Sex captive in desert hideaway...young beauty seduced by macho American twice her age.

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Genres:

Drama | Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality and language

Details

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 February 2000 (USA)

Also Known As:

Holy Smoke!

Filming Locations:

Flinders Ranges, South Australia, Australia

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£66,542 (UK) (7 April 2000)

Gross:

£138,350 (UK) (7 April 2000)

Company Credits

Production Co:

India Take One Productions, Miramax Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

According to an interview following the shoot, Kate Winslet admitted that in the urination scenes there was bag taped to her leg to pull off the effect. Finally she got frustrated and asked Jane Campion if she could just urinate herself. Campion did one take this way, but the urine was harder to control than Winslet had thought, and the take was scrapped.

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Goofs

When PJ is driving in the red outfit, he is on the left-hand "driver" side. When the lady gets in the car, he then has switched to the right-hand side (still driving). The lady is then in the left driver side where PJ was originally.

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Quotes

PJ Waters: I was young once, too, and handsome. You'd have been impressed.
Ruth Barron: I wasn't born!

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Connections

Referenced in Jersey Girl (2004)

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Soundtracks

"Jaag Musafir"
(Music by Raghunath Seth (as Pt. Raghunath Seth) / Lyrics by Narayan Agarwal)
Performed by Hari Om Sharan & Nandini Sharan
Courtesy of Tips Cassettes & Records Co.

User Reviews

Wildly creative, A+ for daring

This film is highly misunderstood. Reading some of the reviews I found it hard to believe they were related to the film I'd just seen. This is so much more than a battle of the sexes, it covers lots of ground: boundary in therapy, the legitimacy of mystical experience, the complexities of family dysfunction, the ingenuity of the human spirit when heart and individuality are threatened. I regret that many viewers and reviews seem to have seen the humorous aspect of the film as an indication that the film's themes are lacking in substance. This is a worthy film. I regret that it's not getting its due.