Noises Off... (1992)

A travelling theater group find so much action going on behind-the-scenes, they almost ruin the performances.

Director:

Peter Bogdanovich

Writers:

Michael Frayn (play), Marty Kaplan (screenplay)

Stars:

Michael Caine, Carol Burnett, Denholm Elliott

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Carol Burnett	...	Dotty Otley / Mrs. Clackett
Michael Caine	...	Lloyd Fellowes
Denholm Elliott	...	Selsdon Mowbray / The Burglar
Julie Hagerty	...	Poppy Taylor
Marilu Henner	...	Belinda Blair / Flavia Brent
Mark Linn-Baker	...	Tim Allgood
Christopher Reeve	...	Frederick Dallas / Philip Brent
John Ritter	...	Garry Lejeune / Roger Tramplemain
Nicollette Sheridan	...	Brooke Ashton / Vicki
Katie Rich	...	Des Moines Stagehand
Zoe R. Cassavetes	...	Miami Stagehand
Kim Sebastian	...	Cleveland Stagehand
Louise Stratten	...	Broadway Stagehand (as L.B. Straten)
J. Christopher Sullivan	...	Miami Backstage Guard
Kimberly Neville	...	Miami Usher

Storyline

Lloyd Fellowes (Sir Michael Caine), the director of an eccentric theatre company, is desperately trying to get his production together, despite the worst efforts of the cast, crew, and Lady Luck. We follow the production from final rehearsals through opening night, and onto the tour. As with any group of actors forced to work closely together for any great length of time, romances and arguments are bound to break out. Quite often, what's happening on stage is nothing compared to what's happening backstage.

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Plot Keywords:

argument | actor | backstage | theatre | reference to william shakespeare | 

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Taglines:

The comedy where everyone gets caught in the act!

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

PG-13

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final theatrical movie of Denholm Elliott (Selsdon Mowbray).

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Goofs

When we see the show from the stage, there are fake walls visible behind all the doors. When we see the show from backstage, those fake walls are missing from all the upstairs doors (although present for the downstairs doors).

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Quotes

[first lines]
Usher: Curtains going up! Curtains going... up! Curtains going up!
Lloyd: [voiceover] A big Broadway opening. Everybody who's anybody in New York is inside this theater tonight. Everybody but one man. This man - ME!

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Connections

Referenced in Austin Found (2017)

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Soundtracks

Lullaby of Broadway
Music by Harry Warren
Lyrics by Al Dubin

User Reviews

Hilarious. Almost laughed my head off.

Michael Frayn's "Noises Off" is the farce to end all farces, a hilariously funny play that had me fall off my cinema seat repeatedly because I just couldn't stop laughing.

In it, a group of moderately talented actors attempts to perform a bedroom farce called "Nothing On", but their own incompentence and personal disagreements get in the way to result in perfect, bizarre chaos like nothing ever seen before on screen.

This is a long-time favourite on the stage, and Peter Bogdanovich has masterly brought it to the screen. It's all about timing, you see (oh yes, and "doors and sardines", as one of the characters puts it), and the timing is just perfect, which is quite an achievement, given the movie's extraordinarily fast pace.

I give this movie 10 points, not for depth (which there isn't), but for 90 minutes of perfect, witty, fast-paced and extremely funny comedy.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 March 1992 (USA)

Also Known As:

Noises Off!

Filming Locations:

Pasadena Playhouse, 39 S El Molino Ave, Pasadena, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$981,452, 22 March 1992

Gross USA:

$2,280,148

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,280,148

Company Credits

Production Co:

Touchstone Pictures, Amblin Entertainment, Touchwood Pacific Partners 1

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1