Maidstone

Maidstone is a 1971 American drama written, produced and directed by Norman Mailer, who also stars as Norman T. Kingsley, a filmmaker running a chaotic campaign for the U.S. presidency. Surrounded by supporters, relatives and rivals, Kingsley spends a five-day shoot in East Hampton arguing, debating and lashing out at the people around him, while the production itself slides further into disorder.

The film grew out of an improvised, alcohol-soaked shoot with a cast that includes Rip Torn as Raoul Rey O'Houlihan, Joy Bang, Beverly Bentley, Jean Campbell and Lee Cook. What begins as a loose chronicle of a candidate and his entourage increasingly resembles a record of its own making, as the line between performance and real confrontation breaks down. It was only the first of two features Mailer directed, followed more than fifteen years later by Tough Guys Don't Dance.

Maidstone was released in March 1971 and runs 106 minutes. Its reception has been modest: it holds a rating of 4.6 out of 10 on IMDb from just over 300 votes, and 4.2 out of 10 on TMDB from a much smaller number of votes.