Hardcore (1979)

A conservative Midwest businessman ventures into the sordid underworld of pornography in California to look for his runaway teenage daughter who is making porno films in California's porno pits.

Director:

Paul Schrader

Writer:

Paul Schrader

Stars:

George C. Scott, Peter Boyle, Season Hubley

4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
George C. Scott	...	Jake VanDorn
Peter Boyle	...	Andy Mast
Season Hubley	...	Niki
Dick Sargent	...	Wes DeJong
Leonard Gaines	...	Ramada
Dave Nichols	...	Kurt (as David Nichols)
Gary Graham	...	Tod (as Gary Rand Graham)
Larry Block	...	Detective Burrows
Marc Alaimo	...	Ratan
Leslie Ackerman	...	Felice
Charlotte McGinnis	...	Beatrice (as Charlotte McGinnes)
Ilah Davis	...	Kristen VanDorn
Paul Marin	...	Joe VanDorn
Will Walker	...	Jism Jim
Hal Williams	...	Big Dick Blaque

Storyline

Jake Van Dorn is a businessman from the American heartland who shares strong Calvinist convictions with most of his countrymen. His teenage daughter is missing from her church youth convention trip to California and Van Dorn hires a private investigator to find her. The result of the investigation is his daughter is spotted in a cheap X-rated movie. Van Dorn decides to bring her back personally and during the quest he becomes familiar with the pornographic underworld.

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Plot Keywords:

underground pornography | snuff movie | female nudity | female full frontal nudity | underage sex | 

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Taglines:

"Oh my God, that's my daughter."

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Sony Movie Channel [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

27 April 1979 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

¿Dónde está mi hija?

Filming Locations:

Hollywood United Methodist Church - 6817 Franklin Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

A-Team, Columbia Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

108 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

George C. Scott later admitted that although he liked the script, he never would have accepted the role had he known the film was going to be shot at real-life seedy locations.

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Goofs

When Jake has returned to L.A. and fires his detective, he creates a list of establishments to do his own research and that evening and drives around visiting places on his list. The first place he visits has a street number of 739 (visible in frame) but in looking at address detail in the long shot of the list itself, there are no references to a street number of 739 anywhere.

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Quotes

Andy Mast: A lot of strange things happen in this world. Things you don't know about in Grand Rapids. Things you don't want to know about. Doors that shouldn't be opened.

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Connections

Referenced in Dead & Buried (1981)

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Soundtracks

Helpless
Written by Neil Young
Performed by Crosby Stills Nash & Young
Courtesy of Atlantic Records

User Reviews

Like 88mm only better

After seeing 8 mm I decided to check this out- Scott does a good job of portraying the distraut father who a detective has found showing up in porno flicks. A believable portrait of the lengths a dad will go to save his daughter from what he perceives is a life of depravity. Peter Boyle is a good addition to this- making the world seem real... all its players and the picture given of "the life" is seamy and real- especially how he dumps the girl who helped him find his daughter. One scene that really got to me was when Scott had to watch the scenes with his daughter in the movie- how he squirmed in his seat- revolted but attracted to the lurid details...a movie that uncovers and disturbs