I Shot Andy Warhol (1996)

Based on the true story of Valerie Solanas who was a 60s radical preaching hatred toward men in her "Scum" manifesto. She wrote a screenplay for a film that she wanted Andy Warhol to ... See full summary »

Director:

Mary Harron

Writers:

Jeremiah Newton (book), Diane Tucker (research)

Stars:

Lili Taylor, Jared Harris, Martha Plimpton

5 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lili Taylor	...	Valerie Jean Solanas
Jared Harris	...	Andy Warhol
Martha Plimpton	...	Stevie
Lothaire Bluteau	...	Maurice Girodias
Anna Levine	...	Iris (as Anna Thomson)
Peter Friedman	...	Alan Burke
Tahnee Welch	...	Viva
Jamie Harrold	...	Jackie Curtis
Donovan Leitch Jr.	...	Gerard Malanga (as Donovan Leitch)
Michael Imperioli	...	Ondine
Reg Rogers	...	Paul Morrisey (as Reg Rodgers)
Bill Sage	...	Tom Baker
Jill Hennessy	...	Laura
Coco McPherson	...	Brigid Berlin
Myriam Cyr	...	Ultra Violet

Storyline

Based on the true story of Valerie Solanas who was a 60s radical preaching hatred toward men in her "Scum" manifesto. She wrote a screenplay for a film that she wanted Andy Warhol to produce, but he continued to ignore her. So she shot him. This is Valerie's story.

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Plot Keywords:

misandry | feminist | feminism | manifesto | hatred | 

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Taglines:

You only get one shot at fame.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content, language, drug use and brief violence

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 May 1996 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ela Baleou Andy Warhol

Filming Locations:

Detroit, Michigan, USA

Box Office

Gross USA:

$1,814,290

Company Credits

Production Co:

Playhouse International Pictures, Samuel Goldwyn Company, The, BBC Arena

Technical Specs

Runtime:

103 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Mary Harron was inspired to write the movie after reading the SCUM Manifesto, the anti-men rhetoric Valerie Solanas published in the 1960s.

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Goofs

Hugh Masekela's "Grazing in the Grass" is being played at the party in The Factory. The scene takes place in 1967, but the song was not recorded until March 1968.

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Quotes

Candy Darling: Dear Diary, I try to get what I want, whenever it's possible. I have always found that socially unacceptable people make the best lovers because they are more sensitive. I can be happy and fuffilled. I will never doubt it. I can not afford to. Each thought, each movement turned into a great moving force. Love Candy.

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Connections

Featured in Siskel & Ebert: Ransom/Set It Off/Mad Dog Time/Mother Night/The Funeral (1996)

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Soundtracks

Do You Believe in Magic
Written by John Sebastian
Performed by The Lovin' Spoonful
Courtesy of RCA Special Products

User Reviews

Looks and sounds amazing, but the narrative lags...

Lili Taylor plays Valerie Solanas, an educated loose cannon, guerrilla female activist and self-described 'bull dyke', who was taken into custody in June 1968 after shooting and wounding Andy Warhol at his New York City office/hangout The Factory. Good-looking movie investigates a hazy chapter in history, yet leaves some unanswered questions in its wake (I wasn't aware that apparently an assistant was also shot, though the film makes no attempt to explain what happened to him). However, this small-budgeted film captures a decadently apathetic, coolly indifferent time and place quite vividly, as good as any post-'60s movie has yet managed. Taylor is appropriately forceful and ungainly in her role, which is more complex than one might think, and yet hers is the least interesting or intriguing character on display. Stephen Dorff does a pretty terrific job as transvestite Candy Darling, Tahnee Welch is unrecognizable as Warhol's most famous starlet Viva, and Jared Harris is flawless as Warhol (he nails it). Terrific art direction and composition, but the film lags a bit in the narrative department, with Solanas meeting an anti-bourgeois activist which doesn't come to much and has a facetious, puzzling relationship with publisher Maurice Girodias which seems half-baked. **1/2 from ****