Hollywoodland (2006)

A detective examines the mysterious death of George Reeves, TV's Superman.

Director:

Allen Coulter

Writer:

Paul Bernbaum

Stars:

Adrien Brody, Ben Affleck, Diane Lane

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 3 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Adrien Brody	...	Louis Simo
Diane Lane	...	Toni Mannix
Ben Affleck	...	George Reeves
Bob Hoskins	...	Eddie Mannix
Robin Tunney	...	Leonore Lemmon
Kathleen Robertson	...	Carol Van Ronkel
Lois Smith	...	Helen Bessolo
Phillip MacKenzie	...	Bill Bliss
Larry Cedar	...	Chester Sinclair
Eric Kaldor	...	Barbell Man (as Eric Kolder)
Caroline Dhavernas	...	Kit Holliday
Kevin Hare	...	Robert Condon
Molly Parker	...	Laurie Simo
Zach Mills	...	Evan Simo
Neil Crone	...	Chuck

Storyline

Struggling private investigator Louis Simo treats his work more as a means to make a living than a want to do right by what few clients he has. Through connections with the investigation firm for which he used to work, Simo is hired by Helen Bessolo to investigate the death of her son, actor George Reeves. Reeves was best known for his title role in Adventures of Superman (1952), a role which he always despised, in part since it typecast him as a "cartoon", despite it bringing him a certain fame. His June 16, 1959 death by a single gunshot wound while in his bedroom in his Los Angeles home was ruled a suicide by the police, the death which occurred when the house was filled with people. Reeves' story is told in part in flashback as Simo, who is trying to make a name for himself with this case, talks to or tries to talk to some of the players involved, most specifically the wife of MGM General Manager E.J. Mannix, Toni Mannix, with who Reeves was having a relatively open and ...

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Plot Keywords:

death | detective | actor | investigation | fame | 

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Taglines:

Living in Holly wood can make you famous. Dying in Hollywood can make you a legend.

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Genres:

Biography | Crime | Drama | History | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Certificate:

14A

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

8 September 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Hollywoodland

Filming Locations:

City Hall - 200 N. Spring Street, Downtown, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£65,735 (UK) (24 November 2006)

Gross:

£65,735 (UK) (24 November 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Back Lot Pictures, Focus Features, Miramax Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The famous Hollywood sign originally read Hollywoodland, promoting a real estate project in the 1920s. The last 4 letters were removed in 1949.

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Goofs

There were no Esso stations in California at that time. They were known as Enco stations in that state.

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Quotes

Louis Simo: I can see the pieces. How they should fit. How I want them to fit.

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Connections

References The Mating Game (1959)

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Soundtracks

Superman M E
Written by Leon Klatzkin (as Leon Klazkin)

User Reviews

first 2006 contender for end-of-year awards

HOLLYWOODLAND is now being shown in NYC at special invitation screenings. Saw last night. Probably the first serious contender for end-of-year awards.

Exceptional in quality of script, cinematography, art direction and, especially, its editing.

The four principal actors -- Adrien Brody, Diane Lane, Bob Hoskins and Ben Affleck -- are doing some of their best work to date. I was most impressed by Ben Affleck who I thought would never again appear in a decent movie. He redeems himself here big time.

The narrative weaves interestingly between present tense (in 1959, shortly after George Reeves' death) and the previous ten years or so. A rather long running time of about 2 hours, 10 minutes flies by.