Hysterical Blindness (2002) (TV)

Director:

Mira Nair

Writers (WGA):

Laura Cahill (play)
Laura Cahill (teleplay)

Release Date:

2 December 2003 (Norway)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

In the 80's, they said love was a battlefield...they were right.

Plot:

Two friends lament their unhappy single lives while searching for Mr. Right in 1980s New Jersey.

Plot Keywords:

1980s | Bartender | Bar | Footsie Under The Table | Dancing

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Uma Thurman	...	Debby Miller
Gena Rowlands	...	Virginia Miller
Juliette Lewis	...	Beth
Justin Chambers	...	Rick
Ben Gazzara	...	Nick
Anthony DeSando	...	Bobby (as Anthony De Sando)
Jolie Peters	...	Amber Autumn
Callie Thorne	...	Carolann
Lisa Altomare	...	Dora
Laura Cahill	...	Tonya
Johann Carlo	...	Susan
Alex Draper	...	Michael
Russell Gibson	...	Diner Customer
Jayne Haynes	...	Annie
Susan Isaacs	...	Theresa
Ali Marsh	...	Trina
Wade Mylius	...	Bill
Bobby Tisdale	...	Guy
Susan Varon	...	Rose
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jeff Chena	...	Jeff (uncredited)
Charles LaPlaca	...	Club Dancer (uncredited)
Tom Nobles	...	Diner customer (uncredited)
Charles Pendelton	...	Bar Customer (uncredited)
Rick Pisarro	...	Rick's Pool Buddy (uncredited)
Sean Reid	...	Bar Regular (uncredited)

Directed by
Mira Nair

Writing credits (WGA)
Laura Cahill		(play)
Laura Cahill		(teleplay)

Produced by
Jason Blum	....	executive producer
Laura Cahill	....	associate producer
Lydia Dean Pilcher	....	producer
Amy Israel	....	executive producer
Uma Thurman	....	executive producer

Original Music by
Lesley Barber

Cinematography by
Declan Quinn

Film Editing by
Kristina Boden

Casting by
Sheila Jaffe
Georgianne Walken

Production Design by
Stephanie Carroll

Art Direction by
Jeffrey Mossa		(as Jeff Mossa)
Judy Rhee

Set Decoration by
Lydia Marks

Costume Design by
Kasia Walicka-Maimone

Makeup Department
Rose Chatterton	....	hair stylist
Robin Day	....	hair stylist
Hildie Ginsberg	....	additional makeup artist
Kyra Panchenko	....	makeup artist: Uma Thurman and Juliette Lewis
Gianna Sparacino	....	key hair stylist
Martel Thompson	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Sam Connelly	....	post-production supervisor
Kelley Cribben	....	post-production supervisor
Shirley Davis	....	unit production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Michael DeCasper	....	first assistant director
Scott Schaeffer	....	second assistant director
Matthew Sirianni	....	second assistant director: second unit

Art Department
Ann Marie Auricchio	....	scenic artist
Christine Beebe	....	art department coordinator
Deborah Canfield	....	on-set dresser (as Debbie Canfield)
Kelly Canfield	....	lead man
Scott Canfield	....	set dresser
Peter Donohue	....	key construction grip
Amy Feldman	....	art department intern
Brent Godek	....	assistant props
Chris Heaps	....	set dresser
Akeo Ihara	....	property master
Carrie Irons	....	scenic artist
John Jackson	....	construction coordinator (as John C. Jackson)
Michael Jortner	....	assistant props
Linda Krantz	....	assistant property master
Micky Mills	....	art department assistant (as Michael Mills)
Phoebe O'Connor	....	art department coordinator
Steven Shellooe	....	camera scenic artist (as Stephen Shellooe)
Heather Silverman	....	art department intern
Greg Sullivan	....	charge scenic artist
Tim Weston	....	key construction grip
Benjamin White	....	construction foreman

Sound Department
David Briggs	....	foley editor
Paul Drenning	....	adr mixer
Matthew Fleece	....	foley engineer
Ken Hunold	....	sound stereo consultant: Dolby
Tommy Louie	....	second boom operator
Tom Nelson	....	production sound mixer
Mario Ontal	....	assistant sound editor
David Paterson	....	adr editor
David Paterson	....	dialogue editor
Jay Peck	....	foley artist
Mary Ellen Porto	....	supervising sound editor
Mike Schmidt	....	boom operator
Dominick Tavella	....	sound re-recording mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Tony Arnaud	....	grip
Will Arnot	....	Steadicam operator (as William S. Arnot)
Rodney Bauer	....	dolly grip
Braden Belmonte	....	second assistant camera: "a" camera
Michael Brennan	....	electrician
Michael W. Brennan	....	electrician
Craig Burfeindt	....	additional camera loader
Adger W. Cowans	....	still photographer
Glenn Davis	....	best boy electric
Ed Engels Jr.	....	grip
Patrick Fontana	....	electrician
Edward R. Geller	....	grip
John Greenway	....	grip
Carlos Omar Guerra	....	additional first assistant camera (as Carlos Guerra)
Bruce Jordan	....	best boy grip
Mike Miller	....	key grip (as Michael Miller)
John Mitchell	....	electrician
Heather Norton	....	first assistant camera: "a" camera
Antonio Ponti	....	b-camera assistant
Christopher Raymond	....	camera loader
Larry Riley	....	still photographer
Darren Ryan	....	24 frame video operator
Darren Ryan	....	video playback operator
Gerard Sava	....	camera operator: "a" camera
Gerard Sava	....	director of photography: second unit
Robert Sciretta	....	gaffer
Joseph Trammell	....	video playback operator (as Joe Trammell)
Ron Waters	....	grip

Casting Department
Katharina Eggmann	....	casting associate
Karen E. Etcoff	....	extras casting: New York
Trevor P. Jenkins	....	casting assistant
David H. Kramer	....	adr voice casting
Jacqueline Kristel	....	casting assistant
Martin Revere	....	extras casting associate
Bill Tripician	....	extras casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Mickey Carleton	....	wardrobe supervisor
Cara Czekanski	....	assistant costume designer
Laura Downing	....	key costumer

Editorial Department
John Dowdell	....	colorist: video mastering
Hilary Peabody	....	assistant editor
Ken Rubenfeld	....	dailies colorist
Stephen R. Sheridan	....	color timer (as Steve Sheridan)
Misako Shimizu	....	assistant editor
Renannah Weinstein	....	assistant editor (as Renannah Seliger)

Music Department
Michael Banton-Jones	....	music engineer
Lesley Barber	....	conductor
Lesley Barber	....	orchestrator
Linda Cohen	....	music supervisor
Dustin Harris	....	assistant music engineer
Dustin Harris	....	assistant music mixer
Evyen Klean	....	music consultant
Shari Schwartz	....	music editor (as Shari Schwartz Johanson)
Alex Steyermark	....	executive music producer

Transportation Department
Mo Fitzgerald	....	transportation captain
Billy Hilt	....	transportation co-captain

Other crew
Betsy Alton	....	production coordinator
Peter Anders	....	craft service
Robyn Aronstam	....	script supervisor
Lauren Bass	....	assistant to producers
Vanessa Bus	....	set production assistant
Yvonne de Cock	....	yoga instructor
Laurent Fauchere	....	title designer
Paul D. Fischer	....	production associate
Alain Fleuriot	....	assistant accountant
Evan S. Frushtick	....	production assistant
Russell Gibson	....	stand-in: Ben Gazzara
Ginger Gonzalez	....	set production assistant
Chris Haak	....	title designer
Arlene Hellerman	....	product placement
Joseph Helmreich	....	production assistant
Nancy Herrmann	....	set production assistant
Kendra Hillman	....	set production assistant
Kenya Kaufman	....	craft service
Travis Klose	....	location assistant
Patricia LaMagna	....	assistant: Uma Thurman (as Patty Lamagna)
Eric Richard Lasko	....	set production assistant
Mia Lee	....	assistant to producer
Mias Lee	....	assistant: Dean Pilcher
Richard Mancuso	....	production accountant
Jessica Milhollin	....	assistant to director
Tim Monich	....	dialect coach
Stephanie Nichols	....	office production assistant
Sarah Norton	....	set production assistant
Brian Palatucci	....	assistant location manager
David Phillip	....	parking coordinator
Carla M. Schorr	....	post-production accountant (as Carla Schorr Rose)
Payal Sethi	....	assistant: Mira Nair
Lisa Shriver	....	choreographer
Christopher Stackhouse	....	office production assistant
Antoine Tinguely	....	title designer
Jakob Trollbeck	....	title designer
Mark Van Holstein	....	location manager (as Mark von Holstein)
Michael L. Walker	....	set production assistant
Derek Wimble	....	set production assistant
Derek Yip	....	first assistant accountant

Thanks
Ethan Hawke	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Blum Israel Productions
• Home Box Office (HBO)
• Karuna Dream

Distributors

• Argentina Video Home (2004) (Argentina) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (2004) (Argentina) (VHS)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (2003) (USA) (VHS)
• Home Box Office Home Video (HBO) (2004) (USA) (DVD)

Other Companies

• AKME Sound  audio post
• Abel Cine Tech  camera equipment
• Camera Service Center  camera equipment
• Coast to Coast Catering  catering
• J.G. Films  negative cutting
• Kee Casting  extras casting
• Lightnin' Production Rentals  transportation equipment
• R!ot Manhattan  telecine
• Sound One Corporation  sound mixed at
• Trollback & Company  titles and opticals

Also Known As:

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:12 | USA:TV-MA | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Finland:K-11

Filming Locations:

Bayonne, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Blum Israel Productions

Trivia:

During filming at the Bar exterior, a freight train rumbled right through the set, shutting down filming for several minutes and igniting a reflective light screen, which had been blown onto a light by the wind from the passing train.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: At about 1 hour 10 minutes during Debbie's bedroom scene a hand holding the boom can be seen in the left side of the mirror.

Quotes:

Beth:Play anything by Zeppelin, you can't go wrong.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Charlie Rose: Quentin Tarantino 2003" (2003)

Soundtrack:

What You Need

Rowlands and Thurman are Excellent

Hysterical Blindness starts where 1980's Gloria ended. Gena Rowlands is one of the most under-rated actresses in Hollywood. She is nothing less than terrific in this movie. Surprisingly, Uma Thurman is just as good. Most of her career has been dubbed as eye candy and a beautiful body with nothing else to offer. In the past few years, Uma has broke away from her earlier career to become a decent actor. Here, Uma gives her best performance. At time, Rowlands and Thurman make you want to switch the channel because their performances are too good. Moments of embarrassment and sadness over whelm you to believe that both characters are doomed to find happiness and to have fun with their lives. A somewhat happy ending, the movie identifies with the lives that these characters have. They are almost doomed from the very start of the film, but manages to find shreds of happiness to keep living. Somewhat of a Cassavetes depiction on human emotion, the movie falls under the category of yet another great film produced by HBO.