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The Black Dahlia (film)
Encyclopedia
The Black Dahlia is a 2006 neo noir crime film
directed by Brian De Palma
. It is based on the novel of the same name
by James Ellroy
, writer of L.A. Confidential
and starred Josh Hartnett
, Scarlett Johansson
, Aaron Eckhart
and Hilary Swank
. The story is based on the murder of Elizabeth Short
. The film had its world premiere as the opening film at the 63rd Venice Film Festival
on August 30, 2006. The film's wide release was on September 15, 2006. Despite the film being both a critical and financial failure, the film was nominated for Best Cinematography
at the 79th Academy Awards
, but lost to Pan's Labyrinth
.
) and Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart
), investigate the murder of Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner
). As Lee is investigating the case, Bucky falls in love with Lee's girlfriend Katherine 'Kay' Lake (Scarlett Johansson
). Lee grows more obsessive and abusive and soon disappears, and is later found dead.
Meanwhile, Bucky meets Madeline Linscott (Hilary Swank
), who looks like Elizabeth and is obsessed with the Glasgow smile
, the same smile that Elizabeth had when her body was discovered. He also meets her parents and her sister. Bucky starts dating Kay and is soon caught by her when he and Madeline are about to have sex. Kay also questions him about Madeline looking like Elizabeth. Bucky finds a barn below the Hollywoodland sign
and a drawing of a man with a Glasgow smile drawn on the wall with blood. It is also the picture that Madeline has in her parents' house.
After accusing Madeline's father Emmett (John Kavanagh), Madeline's mother Ramona (Fiona Shaw
) reveals the truth. Ramona tells Bucky how she killed Elizabeth. A few days later, Bucky goes to the Linscott's house, and after speaking with Madeline's sister and working out the truth about Lee's murder, he finds Madeline at a motel and shoots her dead.
While going into Kay's house, Bucky sees a crow chirping by Elizabeth's body, then realizes that it was only a hallucination. Then he closes the door as the film ends.
with David Fincher
attached as director
and Mark Wahlberg
attached to play Lee Blanchard. Wahlberg was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts with the planned filming of The Italian Job
. Fincher originally envisioned "a five-hour, $80-million mini-series with movie stars."
When De Palma became director, he replaced Wahlberg with Aaron Eckhart
shortly before shooting began in April 2005.
This film was shot in Los Angeles
, California
and in Pernik
, Bulgaria
, at an estimated cost of $50 million. Only a handful of exterior scenes were filmed in Los Angeles; MacArthur Park
, Pantages Theatre
(and adjoining bar The Frolic Room) at Hollywood and Vine
, and the Alto-Nido Apartments are perhaps the most recognizable landmarks. A standing set on the backlot of Nu Boyana Film Studios in Sofia, Bulgaria, was used to represent Leimert Park.
James Horner
was originally on board the project to score the film's music but in February, 2006 it was reported that Mark Isham
had replaced him.
Scenes from the 1928 film The Man Who Laughs
appear in this film.
Highly anticipated by many after the success of L.A. Confidential
, the film was panned by critics. At Rotten Tomatoes
, the film currently holds a 32% "Rotten" rating.
David Denby of The New Yorker
described it as "a kind of fattened goose that’s been stuffed with goose-liver pâté. It’s overrich and fundamentally unsatisfying... There are scenes that display De Palma’s customary visual brilliance... (b)ut the movie is so complicated, the narrative so awkward, that when the pieces of the puzzle fall into place we get no tingle of satisfaction." Peter Travers
of Rolling Stone
commented "De Palma throws everything at the screen, but almost nothing sticks." J. Hoberman of Village Voice stated that the film "rarely achieves the rhapsodic (let alone the delirious)."
However, the performance of Mia Kirshner
as Elizabeth Short was praised by many critics. Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com
, in a largely negative review, notes that the eponymous character was "played wonderfully by Mia Kirshner..." Mick LaSalle wrote that Kirshner "makes a real impression of the Dahlia as a sad, lonely dreamer, a pathetic figure." J. R. Jones described her performance as "haunting" and that the film's fictional screen tests "deliver the emotional darkness so lacking in the rest of the movie." In a round table discussion by The San Francisco Brian DePalma Theory Collective, all three scholars agreed that she should have been considered for an Academy Award
.
), with an estimated $10 million gross box office. It ended its theatrical run after domestically grossing $22,545,080, and grossing $26,787,612 in foreign theaters for a global total of $49,332,692.
The film is a slight box office failure, coming up short of its $50,000,000 budget(by $650,000).
Crime film
Crime films are films which focus on the lives of criminals. The stylistic approach to a crime film varies from realistic portrayals of real-life criminal figures, to the far-fetched evil doings of imaginary arch-villains. Criminal acts are almost always glorified in these movies.- Plays and films...
directed by Brian De Palma
Brian De Palma
Brian Russell De Palma is an American film director and writer. In a career spanning over 40 years, he is probably best known for his suspense and crime thriller films, including such box office successes as the horror film Carrie, Dressed to Kill, Scarface, The Untouchables, and Mission:...
. It is based on the novel of the same name
The Black Dahlia (novel)
The Black Dahlia is a neo-noir crime novel by American author James Ellroy, taking inspiration from the true story of the murder of Elizabeth Short. It is widely considered to be the book that elevated Ellroy out of typical genre fiction status, and with which he started to garner critical...
by James Ellroy
James Ellroy
Lee Earle "James" Ellroy is an American crime fiction writer and essayist. Ellroy has become known for a so-called "telegraphic" prose style in his most recent work, wherein he frequently omits connecting words and uses only short, staccato sentences, and in particular for the novels The Black...
, writer of L.A. Confidential
L.A. Confidential (film)
L.A. Confidential is a 1997 American film based on James Ellroy's 1990 novel of the same title, the third book in his L.A. Quartet. Both the book and the film tell the story of a group of LAPD officers in the 1950s, and the intersection of police corruption and Hollywood celebrity...
and starred Josh Hartnett
Josh Hartnett
Joshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
, Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson is an American actress, model and singer.Johansson made her film debut in North and was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in Manny & Lo . She rose to further prominence with her roles in The Horse Whisperer and Ghost World...
, Aaron Eckhart
Aaron Eckhart
Aaron Edward Eckhart is an American film and stage actor. Born in California, he moved to England at the age of 13, when his father relocated the family. Several years later, he began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Sydney, Australia, for his high school senior year...
and Hilary Swank
Hilary Swank
Hilary Ann Swank is an American actress. Swank's film career began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then a major part in The Next Karate Kid , as Julie Pierce, the first female protégé of sensei Mr. Miyagi...
. The story is based on the murder of Elizabeth Short
Black Dahlia
"The Black Dahlia" was a nickname given to Elizabeth Short is an American woman and the victim of a gruesome and much-publicized murder. She acquired the moniker posthumously by newspapers in the habit of nicknaming crimes they found particularly colorful...
. The film had its world premiere as the opening film at the 63rd Venice Film Festival
63rd Venice International Film Festival
The 63rd Venice International Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, was opened on 30 August 2006 with Brian De Palma's The Black Dahlia and was closed on 9 September 2006...
on August 30, 2006. The film's wide release was on September 15, 2006. Despite the film being both a critical and financial failure, the film was nominated for Best Cinematography
Academy Award for Best Cinematography
The Academy Award for Best Cinematography is an Academy Award awarded each year to a cinematographer for work in one particular motion picture.-History:...
at the 79th Academy Awards
79th Academy Awards
The 79th Academy Awards ceremony , honored the best films of 2006 and took place on February 25, 2007 at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood on ABC. Ellen DeGeneres hosted the ceremony for the first time. The producer was Laura Ziskin. The announcers were Don LaFontaine and Gina Tuttle.The nominees were...
, but lost to Pan's Labyrinth
Pan's Labyrinth
Pan's Labyrinth is a 2006 Spanish Spanish-language dark fantasy film, written and directed by Mexican film-maker Guillermo del Toro. It was produced and distributed by the Mexican film company Esperanto Films...
.
Plot
In Los Angeles, California, on January 15, 1947, two LAPD Police Officers Dwight 'Bucky' Bleichert (Josh HartnettJosh Hartnett
Joshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
) and Lee Blanchard (Aaron Eckhart
Aaron Eckhart
Aaron Edward Eckhart is an American film and stage actor. Born in California, he moved to England at the age of 13, when his father relocated the family. Several years later, he began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Sydney, Australia, for his high school senior year...
), investigate the murder of Elizabeth Short (Mia Kirshner
Mia Kirshner
Mia Kirshner is a Canadian actress and social activist who works in movies and television series. She is best known for her portrayal of Jenny Schecter on The L Word and for her role in the 2006 crime film The Black Dahlia as Elizabeth Short.- Early life :Kirshner was born in Toronto, Ontario,...
). As Lee is investigating the case, Bucky falls in love with Lee's girlfriend Katherine 'Kay' Lake (Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson is an American actress, model and singer.Johansson made her film debut in North and was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in Manny & Lo . She rose to further prominence with her roles in The Horse Whisperer and Ghost World...
). Lee grows more obsessive and abusive and soon disappears, and is later found dead.
Meanwhile, Bucky meets Madeline Linscott (Hilary Swank
Hilary Swank
Hilary Ann Swank is an American actress. Swank's film career began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then a major part in The Next Karate Kid , as Julie Pierce, the first female protégé of sensei Mr. Miyagi...
), who looks like Elizabeth and is obsessed with the Glasgow smile
Glasgow smile
A Glasgow smile refers to the wound that results from slashing a person's face from the edges of the mouth to the ears. The cut, which is usually made with a utility knife or a piece of broken glass, leaves a scar that makes the victim appear to be smiling broadly...
, the same smile that Elizabeth had when her body was discovered. He also meets her parents and her sister. Bucky starts dating Kay and is soon caught by her when he and Madeline are about to have sex. Kay also questions him about Madeline looking like Elizabeth. Bucky finds a barn below the Hollywoodland sign
Hollywood Sign
The Hollywood Sign is a landmark and American cultural icon in the Hollywood Hills area of Mount Lee, Santa Monica Mountains, in Los Angeles, California. The sign spells out the name of the area in and white letters. It was created as an advertisement in 1923, but garnered increasing recognition...
and a drawing of a man with a Glasgow smile drawn on the wall with blood. It is also the picture that Madeline has in her parents' house.
After accusing Madeline's father Emmett (John Kavanagh), Madeline's mother Ramona (Fiona Shaw
Fiona Shaw
Fiona Shaw, CBE is an Irish actress and theatre director. Although to international audiences she is probably most familiar for her minor role as Petunia Dursley in the Harry Potter films, she is an accomplished classical actress...
) reveals the truth. Ramona tells Bucky how she killed Elizabeth. A few days later, Bucky goes to the Linscott's house, and after speaking with Madeline's sister and working out the truth about Lee's murder, he finds Madeline at a motel and shoots her dead.
While going into Kay's house, Bucky sees a crow chirping by Elizabeth's body, then realizes that it was only a hallucination. Then he closes the door as the film ends.
Cast
- Josh HartnettJosh HartnettJoshua Daniel "Josh" Hartnett is an American actor and aspiring producer. He first came to audiences' attention in 1997 as "Michael Fitzgerald" in the television series Cracker. He made his feature film debut in 1998, co-starring with Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later for Miramax...
as Police Officer Dwight 'Bucky' Bleichert - Scarlett JohanssonScarlett JohanssonScarlett Johansson is an American actress, model and singer.Johansson made her film debut in North and was later nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in Manny & Lo . She rose to further prominence with her roles in The Horse Whisperer and Ghost World...
as Katherine 'Kay' Lake - Aaron EckhartAaron EckhartAaron Edward Eckhart is an American film and stage actor. Born in California, he moved to England at the age of 13, when his father relocated the family. Several years later, he began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Sydney, Australia, for his high school senior year...
as Police Officer Lee Blanchard - Hilary SwankHilary SwankHilary Ann Swank is an American actress. Swank's film career began with a small part in Buffy the Vampire Slayer and then a major part in The Next Karate Kid , as Julie Pierce, the first female protégé of sensei Mr. Miyagi...
as Madeleine Linscott - Mia KirshnerMia KirshnerMia Kirshner is a Canadian actress and social activist who works in movies and television series. She is best known for her portrayal of Jenny Schecter on The L Word and for her role in the 2006 crime film The Black Dahlia as Elizabeth Short.- Early life :Kirshner was born in Toronto, Ontario,...
as Elizabeth Ann Short - Mike StarrMike Starr (actor)Michael "Mike" Starr is an American actor. Starr is notable for his large size, standing 6 ft 3 1/2 in , and has typically been typecast as thugs or henchmen....
as Detective Russ Millard - Fiona ShawFiona ShawFiona Shaw, CBE is an Irish actress and theatre director. Although to international audiences she is probably most familiar for her minor role as Petunia Dursley in the Harry Potter films, she is an accomplished classical actress...
as Ramona Linscott - Patrick FischlerPatrick FischlerPatrick Fischler is an American actor best known for his roles as Jimmy Barrett on the drama series Mad Men, Dharma Initiative worker Phil on the drama series Lost and Detective Kenny No-Gun on the police drama Southland...
as Deputy DA Ellis Loew - James OtisJames Otis (actor)James Otis is an American film and television actor.Born in New York City of Swiss ancestry , Otis began his film career in the 1970s, where he first appeared in the film Dragonfly in 1976, then made until 1998, he made his first appearance in television including Profiler, he starred in one...
as Dolph Bleichert - John Kavanagh as Emmett Linscott
- Troy EvansTroy Evans (actor)Troy Evans is an American actor who is perhaps best known for his role as Desk Clerk Francis "Frank" Martin in the television drama series ER. He has also appeared in the movies Tiger Cruise , Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, Under Siege, Teen Wolf, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Black Dahlia and The...
as Chief Ted Green - Pepe SernaPepe SernaPepe Serna is an American film actor and artist.Serna's first break in movies came in 1970 on the Roger Corman directed film Student Nurses. Over the years Serna has appeared in over 100 films, most notably Car Wash and Scarface directed by Brian De Palma, where he played Montana's friend Angel...
as Tomas Dos Santos - Angus MacInnesAngus MacInnesAngus MacInnes is a Canadian actor. He is most famous for his role as Gold Leader in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, and as former hockey great Jean "Rosey" LaRose in the comedy Strange Brew...
as Captain John Tierney - Rachel MinerRachel MinerRachel Miner is a Broadway, film and television actress, born in New York City.-Personal life:A third generation Miner in show business, she is the daughter of director and teacher Peter Miner and the granddaughter of director/producer Worthington Miner and actress Frances Fuller...
as Martha Linscott - Victor McGuireVictor McGuireVictor McGuire is an English actor perhaps best known for playing Jack in series 1–3 of Carla Lane's Bread as well as Ron Wheatcroft in Goodnight Sweetheart, and Sean Hughes' neighbour Tony in Sean's Show .McGuire appeared as Gary, of the pair of "scouser thieves", in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and...
as Sgt. Bill Koenig - Gregg HenryGregg HenryGregg Lee Henry is an American theatre, film and television character actor and rock, blues and country musician.-Biography:...
as Pete Lukins - Jemima RooperJemima RooperJemima Rooper is an English actress.- Background :Born in Hammersmith, London, Rooper is the daughter of TV journalist Alison Rooper. She attended Redcliffe Primary School in Chelsea, London and Godolphin and Latymer girls' school. While working on The Famous Five, she passed eight GCSEs with A*...
as Lorna Mertz - Rose McGowanRose McGowanRose Arianna McGowan is an actress and singer. She is known for her role as Paige Matthews in The WB Television Network supernatural drama series Charmed. She played Ann-Margret alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Elvis Presley in the CBS mini-series Elvis...
as Sheryl Saddon - Steve EastinSteve EastinSteve Eastin is an American character actor. He has appeared in nearly 150 television and film roles throughout his decades long career....
as Detective - Ian McNeiceIan McNeiceIan McNeice is a prolific English screen, stage, and television character actor.-Early life:McNeice was born in Basingstoke in Hampshire. McNeice's acting training started at the Taunton School in Somerset, followed by two years at the Salisbury Playhouse...
as Coroner - Richard BrakeRichard BrakeRichard Brake is a Welsh/American actor.-Early life:Brake was born in Ystrad Mynach, Hengoed, Wales and brought up in the United States...
as Bobby DeWitt - William FinleyWilliam Finley (actor)William Finley is an American actor who has appeared in the films Simon, Silent Rage, Phantom of the Paradise, Sisters, Obsession and The Wedding Party. Finley has had a long film relationship with director Brian De Palma, beginning with the student films "Woton's Wake", and "Murder a la Mod"...
as Georgie Tilden - Joost ScholteJoost ScholteJoost Scholte is a Dutch film producer and actor.-Biography:Scholte was born in Bergen op Zoom, Noord-Brabant, the Netherlands; to producer who was the producer of Kameleon 1 and 2...
as Madeleine's GI - Fatso-FasanoFatso-FasanoFatso-Fasano is an American film and television actor, best known for playing Marvin on the television series Weeds from 2006 to 2007.-Filmography:#Soul Men as Pay-Pay#Welcome to the Captain as Bouncer #1...
as Dealer
Development and production
The movie was originally in pre-productionPre-production
Pre-production or In Production is the process of preparing all the elements involved in a film, play, or other performance.- In film :...
with David Fincher
David Fincher
David Andrew Leo Fincher is an American film and music video director. Known for his dark and stylish thrillers, such as Seven , The Game , Fight Club , Panic Room , and Zodiac , Fincher received Academy Award nominations for Best Director for his 2008 film The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and...
attached as director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and Mark Wahlberg
Mark Wahlberg
Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg is an American actor, film and television producer, and former rapper. He was known as Marky Mark in his earlier years, and became famous for his 1991 debut as a musician with the band Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. He was named No. 1 on VH1's 40 Hottest Hotties of...
attached to play Lee Blanchard. Wahlberg was forced to drop out due to scheduling conflicts with the planned filming of The Italian Job
The Italian Job
The Italian Job is a 1969 British caper film, written by Troy Kennedy Martin, produced by Michael Deeley and directed by Peter Collinson. Subsequent television showings and releases on video have established it as an institution in the United Kingdom....
. Fincher originally envisioned "a five-hour, $80-million mini-series with movie stars."
When De Palma became director, he replaced Wahlberg with Aaron Eckhart
Aaron Eckhart
Aaron Edward Eckhart is an American film and stage actor. Born in California, he moved to England at the age of 13, when his father relocated the family. Several years later, he began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Sydney, Australia, for his high school senior year...
shortly before shooting began in April 2005.
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and in Pernik
Pernik
Pernik is a city in western Bulgaria with a population of 81,052 . It is the main city of Pernik Province and lies on both banks of the Struma River in the Pernik Valley between the Viskyar, Vitosha and Golo Bardo mountains.Originally the site of a Thracian fortress founded in the 4th century BC,...
, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, at an estimated cost of $50 million. Only a handful of exterior scenes were filmed in Los Angeles; MacArthur Park
MacArthur Park
MacArthur Park is a park in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, named after General Douglas MacArthur and designated city of Los Angeles Historic Cultural Monument #100.- Geography :...
, Pantages Theatre
Pantages Theatre (Hollywood)
The Pantages Theatre, formerly known as RKO Pantages Theatre, is located at Hollywood and Vine , Hollywood, California, USA. Designed by architect B. Marcus Priteca, it was the last theater built by the vaudeville impresario Alexander Pantages...
(and adjoining bar The Frolic Room) at Hollywood and Vine
Hollywood and Vine
Hollywood and Vine, the intersection of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, became famous in the 1920s for its concentration of radio and movie-related businesses. The Hollywood Walk of Fame is centered on the intersection.Today, not many production...
, and the Alto-Nido Apartments are perhaps the most recognizable landmarks. A standing set on the backlot of Nu Boyana Film Studios in Sofia, Bulgaria, was used to represent Leimert Park.
James Horner
James Horner
James Roy Horner is an American composer, orchestrator and conductor of orchestral and film music. He is noted for the integration of choral and electronic elements in many of his film scores, and for frequent use of Celtic musical elements...
was originally on board the project to score the film's music but in February, 2006 it was reported that Mark Isham
Mark Isham
Mark Isham is an American trumpeter, synthesist, and film composer. He works in a variety of genres, including jazz, electronic, and film.-Life and career:...
had replaced him.
Scenes from the 1928 film The Man Who Laughs
The Man Who Laughs (1928 film)
The Man Who Laughs is an American silent film directed by the German Expressionist filmmaker Paul Leni. The film is an adaptation of Victor Hugo's novel of the same name and stars Conrad Veidt as Gwynplaine and Mary Philbin as the blind Dea...
appear in this film.
Critical response
L.A. Confidential (film)
L.A. Confidential is a 1997 American film based on James Ellroy's 1990 novel of the same title, the third book in his L.A. Quartet. Both the book and the film tell the story of a group of LAPD officers in the 1950s, and the intersection of police corruption and Hollywood celebrity...
, the film was panned by critics. At Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, the film currently holds a 32% "Rotten" rating.
David Denby of The New Yorker
The New Yorker
The New Yorker is an American magazine of reportage, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons and poetry published by Condé Nast...
described it as "a kind of fattened goose that’s been stuffed with goose-liver pâté. It’s overrich and fundamentally unsatisfying... There are scenes that display De Palma’s customary visual brilliance... (b)ut the movie is so complicated, the narrative so awkward, that when the pieces of the puzzle fall into place we get no tingle of satisfaction." Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Peter Travers is an American film critic, who has written for, in turn, People and Rolling Stone. Travers also hosts a celebrity interview show called Popcorn on ABC News Now and ABCNews.com.-Career:...
of Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
commented "De Palma throws everything at the screen, but almost nothing sticks." J. Hoberman of Village Voice stated that the film "rarely achieves the rhapsodic (let alone the delirious)."
However, the performance of Mia Kirshner
Mia Kirshner
Mia Kirshner is a Canadian actress and social activist who works in movies and television series. She is best known for her portrayal of Jenny Schecter on The L Word and for her role in the 2006 crime film The Black Dahlia as Elizabeth Short.- Early life :Kirshner was born in Toronto, Ontario,...
as Elizabeth Short was praised by many critics. Stephanie Zacharek of Salon.com
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, in a largely negative review, notes that the eponymous character was "played wonderfully by Mia Kirshner..." Mick LaSalle wrote that Kirshner "makes a real impression of the Dahlia as a sad, lonely dreamer, a pathetic figure." J. R. Jones described her performance as "haunting" and that the film's fictional screen tests "deliver the emotional darkness so lacking in the rest of the movie." In a round table discussion by The San Francisco Brian DePalma Theory Collective, all three scholars agreed that she should have been considered for an Academy Award
Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role is one of the Academy Awards of Merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry. Since its inception, however, the...
.
Box office
The film opened on September 15, 2006 in 2,226 theaters. It came in second place over its opening weekend (losing out to Gridiron GangGridiron Gang
Gridiron Gang is a 2006 American film starring Dwayne Johnson, Xzibit, L. Scott Caldwell, and Kevin Dunn. It was filmed in California at Camp Kilpatrick, a Los Angeles County Probation Department facility. It is loosely based on the true story of the Kilpatrick Mustangs during the 1990 season...
), with an estimated $10 million gross box office. It ended its theatrical run after domestically grossing $22,545,080, and grossing $26,787,612 in foreign theaters for a global total of $49,332,692.
The film is a slight box office failure, coming up short of its $50,000,000 budget(by $650,000).
External links
- Official movie site
- A Dark Moment in the Harsh Hollywood Sun - New York Times, February 5, 2006