Mala Noche (1986)

A story of amour fou. Walt is madly in love/lust with a young illegal Mexican immigrant. However, the object of his unrequited affection doesn't even speak any English and finds Walt really... See full summary »

Director:

Gus Van Sant

Writers:

Walt Curtis (story), Gus Van Sant (screenplay)

Stars:

Tim Streeter, Doug Cooeyate, Ray Monge

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tim Streeter	...	Walt
Doug Cooeyate	...	Johnny
Ray Monge	...	Roberto Pepper
Nyla McCarthy	...	Betty
Sam Downey	...	Hotel Clerk
Robert Lee Pitchlynn	...	Drunk Man (as Bob Pitchlynn)
Eric Pedersen	...	Policeman
Marty Christiansen	...	Bar Friend
George Conner	...	Wino (as Bad George Connor)
Don Chambers	...	Self
Walt Curtis	...	George
Kenny Presler	...	Street Hustler
Conde Benavides	...	Arcade Amigo
Cristo Stoyos	...	Greek Singer
Matt Cooeyate	...	Boxcar Amigo

Storyline

A story of amour fou. Walt is madly in love/lust with a young illegal Mexican immigrant. However, the object of his unrequited affection doesn't even speak any English and finds Walt really strange and undesirable.

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Plot Keywords:

immigrant | fantasy sequence | mexican | feature film directorial debut | montage | 

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Taglines:

If you fuck with the bull, you get the horn

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #407.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Walt Curtis: [voice-over narration] Working in the store Sunday all day, I want to drink this Mexican boy Johnny Alonzo from L.A. near Riverside. He makes my heart throb - thumpety, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum - when I see him.

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Connections

Referenced in At the Movies: Summer Special 2008/09 (2008)

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Soundtracks

Dress of a Pink Color
By Los Brabos del Norte

User Reviews

Gus van Sant's first feature film

No budget film about a young man heavily attracted to some Mexican teenagers in Portland OR in 1977.

The film is in black & white, the sound is (at times) incomprehensible and some of the acting is pretty bad. Also it has more than it's share of boring moments and no real ending. Still, it sticks with you.

I originally saw the film in 1990 at a film festival. I was very impressed but it wasn't available in any form. A lot of the scenes were still fresh in my mind and the acting by Tim Streeter was superb. It was until this year (2002), that I was able to see it again and that's only because the director allowed his own private print to be shown.

I still liked it a lot, but I had forgotten how bad the actors playing Mexicans were, and that there was really no ending. Still, the direction is great (very impressive considering the lack of budget) and , when it worked, it was fascinating. However it is very bleak and the subject matter may bother some people. Well worth catching...if you can.

Details

Official Sites:

MK2 [France]

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

19 June 1987 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Bad Night

Filming Locations:

Oregon, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$25,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$3,833, 3 June 2007

Gross USA:

$25,386

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$62,743

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1