Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down! (1989)

An unbalanced but alluring former mental patient takes a porn star prisoner in the hopes of convincing her to marry him.

Director:

Pedro Almodóvar

Writers:

Pedro Almodóvar (screenplay), Pedro Almodóvar (story)

Stars:

Victoria Abril, Antonio Banderas, Loles León

8 wins & 19 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Victoria Abril	...	Marina Osorio
Antonio Banderas	...	Ricky
Loles León	...	Lola (as Loles Leon)
María Barranco	...	Berta (as Maria Barranco)
Rossy de Palma	...	Traficante de drogas en Vespa
Julieta Serrano	...	Alma
Francisco Rabal	...	Máximo Espejo
Lola Cardona	...	Directora psiquiátrico
Montse G. Romeu	...	Montse
Emiliano Redondo	...	Decorador
Oswaldo Delgado	...	Fantasma
Concha Rabal	...	Farmacéutica
Alberto Fernández	...	Productor (as Alberto Fernandez)
José María Tasso	...	Anciano psiquiátrico
Angelina Llongueras	...	Montadora

Storyline

Ricky is released from a mental hospital, and knows exactly what he wants to do. He hunts down Marina, a porn film star he once had sex with, and tries to convince her to be his wife. She is a bit reluctant, so he ties her up. Will this approach endear him to her?

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Plot Keywords:

female full rear nudity | misogynist | lust | handcuffs | masturbation with a toy | 

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Taglines:

A love story...with strings attached!

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated NC-17 for scene of strong adult sensuality with nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Spain

Language:

Spanish

Release Date:

12 April 1990 (Argentina)

Also Known As:

Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!

Filming Locations:

Barajas, Madrid, Spain

Box Office

Gross USA:

$4,087,361

Company Credits

Production Co:

El Deseo

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The sex scene between Antonio Banderas and Victoria Abril took nine takes to get right, and about nine hours to film. Pedro Almodóvar chose to use the last take as, by that time, the two actors had worked themselves up into a sweat which made the scene appear to be more authentic. Elia Kazan later remarked that he thought it was one of the best sex scenes he had ever witnessed.

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Goofs

When Ricky accepts to take Marina out, to search for painkillers, she puts on a dress without underwear. When they return home she undresses showing a pair of white panties.

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Quotes

Ricky: I didn't mean to hurt you, but you started to scream.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Short Time/Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!/Wild Orchid/Without You I'm Nothing/Santa Sangre (1990)

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Soundtracks

Satanasa
Written by Fabio McNamara (as F. de Miguel), Pedro Almodóvar and Bernardo Bonezzi
Performed by Pedro Almodóvar & Fabio McNamara (as Almodóvar & McNamara)

User Reviews

A delightful movie

Antonio Banderas was truly in his form and height of career when he was cast in Almovodar's Spanish movies. Banderas portrayed innocence and simplicity of character in these early movies that Hollywood always seems to make large and gloss over any sort of character development. There is something that Hollywood seems to drain away and leave behind in the character of people, yet Banderas/Almovodar capture so perfectly the average man/woman and portray them in interesting ways. Atame (Tie Me Up, Tie Me Down) is a delicious little movie about a crook who falls in love with an actress. To get her attention, he kidnaps her and the fun begins. Almovodar's movies are always filled with quirky characters, funny dialogue and plot twists. To see Antonio Banderas at his finest playing a simple man who falls in love but has some issues..Atame is a cute, touching movie to rent.