Hotel (2001)

A prostitute, a hired killer, and a movie crew cross paths in a Venice hotel where human meat is on the menu in this freewheeling film.

Director:

Mike Figgis

Writers:

Heathcote Williams (adaptation), Mike Figgis (story)

Stars:

Max Beesley, Saffron Burrows, Rhys Ifans

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Max Beesley	...	Antonio
Fabrizio Bentivoglio	...	Very Important Doctor
Brian Bovell	...	Cardinal
Saffron Burrows	...	Duchess of Malfi
Elisabetta Cavallotti	...	Abducted Hotel Guest
Valentina Cervi	...	Hotel Maid
George DiCenzo	...	Boris
Andrea Di Stefano	...	Assassin
Nicola Farron	...	Hotel Guest
Christopher Fulford	...	Steve Hawk
Valeria Golino	...	Italian Actress
Jeremy Hardy	...	Flamenco Troupe Administrator
Salma Hayek	...	Charlee Boux
Danny Huston	...	Hotel Manager
Rhys Ifans	...	Trent Stoken

Storyline

While a British film crew are shooting a version of The Duchess Of Malfi in Venice, they in turn are being filmed by a sleasy documentary primadonna while the strange staff share meals which consist of human meat. Then there is the hit man, the call girl and the Hollywood producer all managing to become part of the madness...

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Plot Keywords:

male pubic hair | male nudity | hotel | murder | large penis | 

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Genres:

Comedy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content, violence and language

Did You Know?

Trivia

John Webster's play "The Duchess of Malfi" was first performed in 1614 at the Globe Theatre in London, and first published in 1623. The onscreen credits simply list the title followed by the author's name, and omit the word "play".

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Connections

References Citizen Kane (1941)

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Soundtracks

Different Places
(2001)
Written by Geoffrey Woolley & Michael Feltham
Performed by Kscope (as K-Scope)
Courtesy of Good Looking Music Ltd./Warner Chappell Music ltd. and Good Looking Records Ltd.

User Reviews

unwatchable, pretentious garbage....

Having enjoyed Mike Figgis' earlier efforts, "Loss of Sexual Innocence", "Timecode", and "Leaving Las Vegas", I entered the Varsity theatre at the Toronto International Film Festival in high spirits, also excited by the opportunity to hear Figgis introduce his film and take part in a question-answer program afterwards.

After sitting through literally 2 and 1/2 hours of assaulting pretentious montages and amateurish camera work (not to mention editing), I was even more appalled by Figgis' own take on his work.

The man brags openly about not having any script, storyline or characters to speak of. He then goes on to talk about how he is the "actor's director", giving his cast the "freedom" to indulge themselves and improvise. What I'm thinking was how could you do this to your producers, to your cast?!--people who put their reputations on the line and end up looking utterly ridiculous (the only one to emerge from this wreck unscathed is John Malkovich, obviously smart enough to pull-out from the project just in time, only to appear in the opening 2 scenes)!

My question for him would have been something along the lines of "why did you want to make this film?".

For that matter Figgis didn't even seem to know what his film was about. I've never before seen such a soulless, self-indulgent piece.

Making a good, meaningful film should be a labor of love for the director. When you ask an actor to put their names and invest their abilities on your project you must show them the same respect.

In the end, when I think of `Hotel', I think of Figgis standing before a microphone making a complete ass of himself, going on about the brilliance of his work. But others not fortunate enough to have that experience will more likely remember David Schwimer barking like a dog at the camera or Burt Reynolds entering and smiling for the camera and then having literally nothing to say for an entire scene, never to appear in the movie again.

If it were up to me the film would end with a still, black-and-white head shot of its "director" Mike Figgis, superimposed above all the credits.

Details

Official Sites:

FilmFour [UK] Official Website -images, sounds, and exclusive videos

Country:

UK Italy

Language:

English Italian French

Release Date:

5 April 2002 (UK)

Also Known As:

Hotel

Filming Locations:

Venice, Veneto, Italy

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$12,840, 27 July 2003

Gross USA:

$29,813

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$35,588

Company Credits

Production Co:

Moonstone Entertainment, Hotel Productions, Cattleya

Technical Specs

Runtime:

114 min 109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1