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 Timecode (2000)

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Soundtracks

Matthaus-Passion (St. Matthew Passion)
(1727)
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach
Arrangement made in 1841 for St. Thomas's Church, Leipzig by Felix Mendelssohn
Performed by Das Neue Orchester & Chorus Musicius
Conducted by Christophe Spering
Courtesy of Opus Productions, Paris

User Reviews

Newfound respect for Burt Reynolds

Just finished *trying* to make sense of the DVD, and then watching the making of documentary in the special features, and at the moment what stands out most in my mind is that they show a cast meeting where Burt Reynolds fairly pointedly says to Mike Figgis "Well I got here yesterday and I've spent quite a bit of time looking at what's been shot so far and I can't tell who the characters are what their names are and what the relationships between them are so I want to know do you expect us actors to work that out between us? I'm just saying this because I've already got the job, or I don't, whatever." (this is not exactly what he said btw just paraphrasing the gist of it from memory).

Mike Figgis reply to him is basically "don't worry about it that will all come out in the editing".

Honestly I'm not a Burt Reynolds fan - something about his manner comes off as arrogant to me - but after trying to watch this confusing movie I sure wish Mike Figgis had paid more attention to what Burt was trying to tell him!! The only scene that worked well for me in the whole movie was the scene of the Flamenco dancer. Which I think is telling because it's the closest thing to a music video in the movie - i.e. the 4 screen technique I don't think works well for trying to tell a story. But for something like the flamenco dancer it's interesting visually to have closeups of her feet and her pretty face, etc. all juxtaposed on the screen at the same time. To overwhelm the viewer with the flash and fury of all this motion and music at the same time. But when trying to tell a story it's just frustrating really, as a viewer you don't know where to look and if you're missing something important.

I *love* Leaving Las Vegas obviously Mike Figis has incredible gifts as a film maker. But for me this movie was pretty much an experiment that failed.

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:

Szálló

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